Hey Petrik, Thanks for getting the word out. I know it's gotten confusing--no real way around that. To all the people saying it's a shame that the short story collections aren't available in print. I agree. But the plan is and was always to release a single volume of ALL the short stories once the series was done, but I had a problem: I had a few stories knocking about, and people were upset about the prospect of hunting them down in a bunch of different anthologies, so I released the ebooks as a compromise. I figured people could buy the ebook if they wanted to, read the stories, then when the omnibus finally came out, it would still be something special. Unfortunately, the series going from 5 to 7 books and related publishing delays meant this has taken longer to finish than I thought it would. Rest assured, the omnibus is coming. I know you all want it. It is the first thing I'll be getting out the gate after SHADOWS UPON TIME.
You're welcome, and thank you so much for the information, Chris! I think that's a good compromise, and I'm sure the omnibus edition will be worth the wait! :)
Yes! I was honestly a tad confused with all the novellas and short stories in this series. This reading guide is exactly what we needed. Thanks Petrik! I shall refer to it again when I get into this world!
1. KoD 5/5 2. HD 5/5 3. DiW 5/5 4. AoM 4/5 5. EoS 4/5 (I haven’t read disquiet gods yet) Also Queen Amid Ashes is darn good. Some of Ruocchio’s best prose is contained in that little novella. It’s a must read
Oh wow, I was shamefully unaware of how many short stories/novellas there are in this series... hope I love the story when I finally start it, because it seems like there is a deep well of amazing content just waiting for me to be discovered! Curious to see where the finale is going to fall in your ranking, hope it's a banger! Thanks for sharing Petrik 🤩
I loved this series so much that I'm tempted to read it again even tho I finished it at the start of the year. The amount of worldbuilding and attention to detail is amazing, and I'm a sucker for good prose. The line "fear is poison" has stuck with me after how much shit Hadrian went through
Urgh I know what you mean. I caught up to this series this year. And my reading since then hasn't been the same. I wish it's easy to find a series that hook and compel me as much as this series... :')
@@PetrikLeo I've felt exactly the same, the solution for me was to read something that I was not used to, like something really hard or really brutal. I've finished The Road in about 3 days because it was the same type of compelling Sun Eater was, but different enough to call it a palate cleanser
I really love book 1s cover for the US editions but then the other 5 are kinda just enjoyable for me. But the UK covers are stunning, so doing some shopping at Blackwells lmao
I am about to start Ashes of Man shortly. Wow, Kindgoms of Death was incredible! I am also not a huge short story person so didn’t end up reading Tales of the Suneater Vol 1 or 2 when it was recommended in the timeline but I am catching up on them now quickly and will read the others in between the books when I am supposed to. It’s always hard to stop between main books of a series to read short stories, especially with how Christopher’s books end! I always want to start the next right away!
I know what you mean! I find it better to wait a bit between books though for this series. But each book is amazing. I strongly recommend reading Tales of the Sun Eater 3. You'll know more about Corvo after Kingdoms of Death!
Thanks Petrik! I'm almost done with Howling Dark and I can't wait to dive into Demon In White and the rest! So damn good! Going to finish the series while I patiently wait for Of Empires And Dust.
I mean you don't HAVE to do a lot of things, but I love the novellas. They add even more to this world and I love getting all of the little tid bits that Christopher Ruocchio has fleshed out for us. I've only read the first two of the novellas and should be getting to the short story collections next. I'm reading Demon in White right now. Loving this series so much!
Great and useful video. The Sun Eater is an amazing and unique series. I want to add that the audiobooks are amazing, especially Kingdoms of Death. Empire of Silence suffers from some audio and production issues, but if you’re an audiobook consumer, don’t let that dissuade you. It’s well worth to hear Hadrian’s journey.
Thanks for the spoiler-free reading guide. I've read the first 2 books but plan to reread them with my wife and continue with the series later this year. I hope DAW comes to its senses and reprint the 2nd and 3rd hardcovers too, since they're missing from my collection.
Nothing has got the same emotions as Berserk out of me until reading Kingdoms of Death, I was not ready for it, had no idea I'd be getting a book like that in this series. I agree with you ranking Demon in White and Kingdoms of Death as tied for 1st.
I just read Empire of Silence in April, and I'm about to start reading The Lesser Devil in a few days. I intend to read every novel and novella and short story in order. I really liked Empire of Silence, and I feel like I will love the whole series.
So timely! This world is popping up on so many tbrs lately! Could you post a screenshot-friendly comment w/ the order list of the mains and novellas 🙏🏼 alt. Could be a good seo post on novel notions 😅
Halfway through Empire of Silence right now and was just thinking about which books to buy next a few hours ago. Thanks for the video! For now I'm planning on just reading the main books (I'm trying to get through some newer Cosmere books and the last half of Wheel of Time so I don't want to get too sidetracked with this series), but I'll maybe read the spinoffs once I'm caught up on the main books and am wanting to visit the world again.
Definitely read Queen Amid Ashes between books #2 and #3, it feels like a missing chapter from Hadrian's main-sequence story and it is main-series quality.
@PetrikLeo I’ve been on the prologue of Crossroads of Twilight for over a week now lol, I’m really hoping I’m going to be able to force myself back to it after Empire of Silence
But Petrikkk, I didn’t really enjoy EoS 😬 I just bought Lesser Devils and Howling Dark. I’m hoping they will grab me more! Also, appreciate this guide :)
I will definitely get to it at some point, but I really need to finish some other series first. Especially The Expanse. That is the next (on book 3 right now). But after that I will probably finally start with Sun Eater.
Empire of Silence was a confusing read. At times so slow, full of repetetive, silly detail and - by Earth and Emperor - info dumps. But then again I admire the bourgeoning sense of the sheer scope of the story. And the winks and nods to books and games the writer obviously loves, or maybe it is what Harold Bloom calls the anxiety of influence, here laid bare. The wealth of motives, themes and even special words drawn from the Dune (imperium, guilds, the chantry viz Bene Gesserit) and especially from Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. I spotted so many: peltasts, Ascia, funeral masks, the torturer's swords, even the self-proclaimed looks of Hadrian viz Severian. But compared to Herbert and Wolfe Ruocchio is, in the first iteration of the story in bad need of a beastly inquisitor of an editor. None of Dune's inevitable solemnity, nor Wolfe's wizardly sense of what not to tell in so many words. But all in all I enjoyed the book, looked through my fingers at the drag of of the plot or the flaws and will go on to the next book with some eagerness.
Absolutely love the Sun Eater! My personal ranking is: 1. Demon in White 2. Disquiet Gods 3. Empire of Silence 4. Ashes of Man 5. Kingdoms of Death 6. Howling Dark
@@PetrikLeo I think part of it was that I didn't take a break between EoS and HD, and also I didn't take a break between DiW and KoD. Some series (like the Dandelion Dynasty) I seem to enjoy more when I take a break between books. That being said, all of these books are sooooo good and Demon in White is one of the best books I've ever read!
Petrik, I have a question about the Broken Binding reversible jackets for Sun Eater. Is BB printing them with better materials than they did with The Will of the Many? As you know, one side had wear/damage from the folds
I think the Novellas are all important but specifically the short stories with Hadrian and the Short Story with Harnendotes are so important to the series I argue it is poor form for them to not be included in the main series somehow.
@1:00 am i overthinking it or does what you said here hint at there being more books planned for the series? I really want to start this series but only if its finished as my tbr is so long atm and need to prioritise finished series 😫
I got through Empire of Silence thought it was OKAY I was 50/50 on it and wasn't a huge fan. Got to Howling Dark and read about 50 pages and then dropped it. I might pick it up and try again but I was just bored the whole time lol
I struggled with "Empire of Silence". It just seemed as if nothing really happened for a long while and i don't just mean the plot. Even though i have and do thoroughly enjoy door-stopper SFF books. However i will be reading the other books because of the rave reviews i have heard about the entire series as a whole.
I love this series so much. Yet I find it fascinating that so many reviewers actually gave the first book such a high ranking. I honestly thought it was a 3.5 out of 5. For me was the weakest book by a mile. The second one is the first I can actually say I really liked, and I agree that if you do not like the second you won't like the rest. The third is when finally you fall in love with the series. My personal ranking would be: Empire of Silence
You're not the only one thinking that! I feel fortunate I enjoyed Empire of Silence that much. The writing clicked with me so well. So many promises offered in EoS and the rest of the series delivered. 😄
Just bought the first 3 novels and really looking forward to reading. Does anyone know if they plan on releasing the Tales of the Sun Eater volumes in paperback?
I really hope so!!! I've seen the 3 novellas are all in paperback and being a completionist/collectionist I would love to have everything sitting on my shelves
Ruocchio plans to release the short stories in a single volume. He's been doing the Tales ebooks as like...stepping stones. He doesn't think they're long enough to release on their own.
It is a damn shame that all the short stories are only available as ebook or deluxe hardcovers,not normal hardcover or paperback from head of zeus or daw Same with green bone saga and temeraire
currently Reading howling dark after I read your review of disquiet gods. I just value your opinion sooo.much 🫶. I'm still not too much into the series but still believing in it's potential
Hey Petrik,
Thanks for getting the word out. I know it's gotten confusing--no real way around that.
To all the people saying it's a shame that the short story collections aren't available in print. I agree. But the plan is and was always to release a single volume of ALL the short stories once the series was done, but I had a problem: I had a few stories knocking about, and people were upset about the prospect of hunting them down in a bunch of different anthologies, so I released the ebooks as a compromise. I figured people could buy the ebook if they wanted to, read the stories, then when the omnibus finally came out, it would still be something special. Unfortunately, the series going from 5 to 7 books and related publishing delays meant this has taken longer to finish than I thought it would.
Rest assured, the omnibus is coming. I know you all want it. It is the first thing I'll be getting out the gate after SHADOWS UPON TIME.
You're welcome, and thank you so much for the information, Chris! I think that's a good compromise, and I'm sure the omnibus edition will be worth the wait! :)
Yes! I was honestly a tad confused with all the novellas and short stories in this series. This reading guide is exactly what we needed. Thanks Petrik! I shall refer to it again when I get into this world!
You're welcome, Zammar! Haha I figure with so many titles in the world now, I might as well make a video talking about each of them briefly. 😄
I am in jealous awe of that beautiful bookshelf.
Thank you so much!!
Thank you so much for making this video! I finished Empire of Silence a few days ago, I'll be picking up The Lesser Devil this week.
You're so welcome, Jenna! The Lesser Devil is good. Here is hoping you will love Howling Dark even more!
This is my second most anticipated series on my tbr after stormlight, so reading guide is pretty useful
Glad to hear that! I hope you'll enjoy the series as much as I did! 😄
1. KoD 5/5
2. HD 5/5
3. DiW 5/5
4. AoM 4/5
5. EoS 4/5
(I haven’t read disquiet gods yet)
Also Queen Amid Ashes is darn good. Some of Ruocchio’s best prose is contained in that little novella. It’s a must read
Great rating and ranking! KoD is something special, imo. I agree about Queen Amid Ashes! 😄
I’ve been planning to read the Suneater Saga for a long time so this guide is much appreciated. Thanks Petrik 😁
You're welcome! Incredible series. I hope you'll enjoy it!
Oh this is very helpful. Hoping to get to it soon!
Superb! Glad the video is useful. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
I’m glad you made this video, I love the series but only read the six main books. Maybe upon reread I’ll pick up the short stories.
I bet that will elevate your reread experience!
Oh wow, I was shamefully unaware of how many short stories/novellas there are in this series... hope I love the story when I finally start it, because it seems like there is a deep well of amazing content just waiting for me to be discovered! Curious to see where the finale is going to fall in your ranking, hope it's a banger! Thanks for sharing Petrik 🤩
Thank you so much, Esmay! I hope the finale will be in the number 1 spot. We'll see. But until then, I hope you'll try reading this series! :)
I loved this series so much that I'm tempted to read it again even tho I finished it at the start of the year. The amount of worldbuilding and attention to detail is amazing, and I'm a sucker for good prose. The line "fear is poison" has stuck with me after how much shit Hadrian went through
Urgh I know what you mean. I caught up to this series this year. And my reading since then hasn't been the same. I wish it's easy to find a series that hook and compel me as much as this series... :')
@@PetrikLeo I've felt exactly the same, the solution for me was to read something that I was not used to, like something really hard or really brutal. I've finished The Road in about 3 days because it was the same type of compelling Sun Eater was, but different enough to call it a palate cleanser
This reading guide was very helpful - I'll finally be starting later this year, so thank you!
You're welcome, Josh! Here is hoping you'll love this as much as we did! 😄
Thank you, Petrik! Great guide to Suneater. I just finished Queen Amid Ashes and Tales Vol. 1 and am starting Demon in White!!!! I'm so pumped😊
You're so welcome! 😄 Enjoy the journey!!
Can we talk about how gorgeous the covers are too? Demon in White is one of my favourite book covers around.
Agreed! Every book in the series has such a beautiful cover art! 😍
I really love book 1s cover for the US editions but then the other 5 are kinda just enjoyable for me. But the UK covers are stunning, so doing some shopping at Blackwells lmao
I agree. The covers themselves were enough to make me want to read them. I have all the are available in paperback
I'm finishing Gentleman Bastards and Jade Legacy and then Suneater is my next series to start.
That's brilliance after brilliance in succession. Enjoy!
I am about to start Ashes of Man shortly. Wow, Kindgoms of Death was incredible! I am also not a huge short story person so didn’t end up reading Tales of the Suneater Vol 1 or 2 when it was recommended in the timeline but I am catching up on them now quickly and will read the others in between the books when I am supposed to. It’s always hard to stop between main books of a series to read short stories, especially with how Christopher’s books end! I always want to start the next right away!
I know what you mean! I find it better to wait a bit between books though for this series. But each book is amazing. I strongly recommend reading Tales of the Sun Eater 3. You'll know more about Corvo after Kingdoms of Death!
Thanks Petrik! I'm almost done with Howling Dark and I can't wait to dive into Demon In White and the rest! So damn good! Going to finish the series while I patiently wait for Of Empires And Dust.
You're welcome! Oh Demon in White and Kingdoms of Death are the best of the series, imo. Enjoy it! :)
The last quarter of Howling Dark was incredible and you’re saying it gets even better!? Can’t wait!
I mean you don't HAVE to do a lot of things, but I love the novellas. They add even more to this world and I love getting all of the little tid bits that Christopher Ruocchio has fleshed out for us. I've only read the first two of the novellas and should be getting to the short story collections next.
I'm reading Demon in White right now. Loving this series so much!
Very true! Glad to hear you're enjoying this series. Demon in White is terrific. Kingdoms of Death, too! :D
Great and useful video. The Sun Eater is an amazing and unique series. I want to add that the audiobooks are amazing, especially Kingdoms of Death. Empire of Silence suffers from some audio and production issues, but if you’re an audiobook consumer, don’t let that dissuade you. It’s well worth to hear Hadrian’s journey.
Thank you so much! I heard a lot of great things about the audiobooks, too! 😊 I haven't tried them, though.
Thanks for the spoiler-free reading guide. I've read the first 2 books but plan to reread them with my wife and continue with the series later this year. I hope DAW comes to its senses and reprint the 2nd and 3rd hardcovers too, since they're missing from my collection.
Yeah! Based on the sales of EoS, I'm confident they will reprint 2nd and 3rd hardcover, too.
After yesterday’s news (7/2/24) it looks like the reprints for Books 2&3 hardcovers should be around August this year.
Nothing has got the same emotions as Berserk out of me until reading Kingdoms of Death, I was not ready for it, had no idea I'd be getting a book like that in this series. I agree with you ranking Demon in White and Kingdoms of Death as tied for 1st.
@@MN-vw2lo i know right!? That two books in series are something special. 🥲
I've got a copy of the 1st book on audio format awaiting my ears! As soon as I finish Red Seas Under Red Skies. 📖😁📚
Yay! I hope you'll love the series!
Doing the Lord's work! Thanks Petrik!
It's my pleasure to talk about Sun Eater!
I just read Empire of Silence in April, and I'm about to start reading The Lesser Devil in a few days. I intend to read every novel and novella and short story in order. I really liked Empire of Silence, and I feel like I will love the whole series.
If you love Empire of Silence already, you're going to love the whole series. Amazing space opera series!!
So timely! This world is popping up on so many tbrs lately! Could you post a screenshot-friendly comment w/ the order list of the mains and novellas 🙏🏼 alt. Could be a good seo post on novel notions 😅
Thank you!! I believe Ruocchio has the comprehensive reading order on his website! www.sollanempire.com/faqs
Halfway through Empire of Silence right now and was just thinking about which books to buy next a few hours ago. Thanks for the video! For now I'm planning on just reading the main books (I'm trying to get through some newer Cosmere books and the last half of Wheel of Time so I don't want to get too sidetracked with this series), but I'll maybe read the spinoffs once I'm caught up on the main books and am wanting to visit the world again.
Totally understandable! The companion titles will be there waiting for you! 😊 I'm in the middle of reading Crossroads of Twilight, too!
Definitely read Queen Amid Ashes between books #2 and #3, it feels like a missing chapter from Hadrian's main-sequence story and it is main-series quality.
@PetrikLeo I’ve been on the prologue of Crossroads of Twilight for over a week now lol, I’m really hoping I’m going to be able to force myself back to it after Empire of Silence
Normally I love the cover art for these books, but the cover art for dregs of empire leans into the uncanny valley a bit.
Understandable! I think it's the most mixed received cover art of the series! :)
WOAH GREAT IDEA
Thank you, Samuel!!
But Petrikkk, I didn’t really enjoy EoS 😬 I just bought Lesser Devils and Howling Dark. I’m hoping they will grab me more! Also, appreciate this guide :)
Herr's hoping you'll love Howling Dark more. EoS is very introductory, imo. But I loved Ruocchio's writing so much!
I will definitely get to it at some point, but I really need to finish some other series first. Especially The Expanse. That is the next (on book 3 right now). But after that I will probably finally start with Sun Eater.
Sounds like a good plan. Expanse is great, too! Not as amazing as Sun Eater but still a great read! 😉
Same here ! I’m keeping an eye on this, but I must make progress (if not finish) some other series first. Like The expanse and The wheel of time…
Empire of Silence was a confusing read. At times so slow, full of repetetive, silly detail and - by Earth and Emperor - info dumps. But then again I admire the bourgeoning sense of the sheer scope of the story. And the winks and nods to books and games the writer obviously loves, or maybe it is what Harold Bloom calls the anxiety of influence, here laid bare. The wealth of motives, themes and even special words drawn from the Dune (imperium, guilds, the chantry viz Bene Gesserit) and especially from Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. I spotted so many: peltasts, Ascia, funeral masks, the torturer's swords, even the self-proclaimed looks of Hadrian viz Severian. But compared to Herbert and Wolfe Ruocchio is, in the first iteration of the story in bad need of a beastly inquisitor of an editor. None of Dune's inevitable solemnity, nor Wolfe's wizardly sense of what not to tell in so many words. But all in all I enjoyed the book, looked through my fingers at the drag of of the plot or the flaws and will go on to the next book with some eagerness.
You might like the second book, Howling Dark, more. I love the series from the beginning, but it feels like the story truly starts in Howling Dark! :)
Absolutely love the Sun Eater! My personal ranking is:
1. Demon in White
2. Disquiet Gods
3. Empire of Silence
4. Ashes of Man
5. Kingdoms of Death
6. Howling Dark
We have similar top books! Quite a surprise to see Howling Dark and Kingdoms ranking the lowest though. 😆
@@PetrikLeo I think part of it was that I didn't take a break between EoS and HD, and also I didn't take a break between DiW and KoD. Some series (like the Dandelion Dynasty) I seem to enjoy more when I take a break between books. That being said, all of these books are sooooo good and Demon in White is one of the best books I've ever read!
@@yremogtnomnad i can agree with that! Some series are better read by taking your time rather than a binge read.
Petrik, I have a question about the Broken Binding reversible jackets for Sun Eater. Is BB printing them with better materials than they did with The Will of the Many? As you know, one side had wear/damage from the folds
I'm not sure as I'm not in charge of this. I certainly don't want that to happen, though, and I have reminded them about it! :)
I think the Novellas are all important but specifically the short stories with Hadrian and the Short Story with Harnendotes are so important to the series I argue it is poor form for them to not be included in the main series somehow.
Hadrian's short stories are all wonderful. Hopefully they will have a physical release too someday! 😄
@1:00 am i overthinking it or does what you said here hint at there being more books planned for the series? I really want to start this series but only if its finished as my tbr is so long atm and need to prioritise finished series 😫
Book 7 will be the last book of The Sun Eater series! 😃
I got through Empire of Silence thought it was OKAY I was 50/50 on it and wasn't a huge fan. Got to Howling Dark and read about 50 pages and then dropped it. I might pick it up and try again but I was just bored the whole time lol
Howling dark took me a hot minute to get through, the last 3rd of the book was outstanding though
Try to read until they arrived at Vorgossos. That's really where the book started to shine for me. The last third is so bonkers. 😃😃
@@PetrikLeo Gotcha I'll give it a shot.
Hey Petrik! How goes your Pillars of the Earth progress, and are you enjoying it?
About to start it next week! Most likely Tuesday! 😄
1 KOD
2 HD
3 Diw
4 eos
For me havent read last two yet sadly
Time to read them! 😄
@@PetrikLeo i want to but i'm waiting for the last book to be finished
Do you think I'll enjoy Suneater if I'm into epic fantasy, but have not read much Sci-Fi?
@@thebooklion oh absolutely! It reads like epic fantasy with scifi elements anyway!
@PetrikLeo Great, I'll definitely give it a try then!
I struggled with "Empire of Silence". It just seemed as if nothing really happened for a long while and i don't just mean the plot. Even though i have and do thoroughly enjoy door-stopper SFF books. However i will be reading the other books because of the rave reviews i have heard about the entire series as a whole.
If you still don't like Howling Dark by the end of it, I recommend dropping the series! 🙂
@@PetrikLeo Thank you that helps! Though I am really hoping I enjoy the series going forward!
Wish the tales of the sun eater series were all combined into an actual physical book instead of just ebooks.
I long for that day, too!
I love this series so much. Yet I find it fascinating that so many reviewers actually gave the first book such a high ranking. I honestly thought it was a 3.5 out of 5. For me was the weakest book by a mile. The second one is the first I can actually say I really liked, and I agree that if you do not like the second you won't like the rest. The third is when finally you fall in love with the series. My personal ranking would be: Empire of Silence
You're not the only one thinking that! I feel fortunate I enjoyed Empire of Silence that much. The writing clicked with me so well. So many promises offered in EoS and the rest of the series delivered. 😄
Just bought the first 3 novels and really looking forward to reading. Does anyone know if they plan on releasing the Tales of the Sun Eater volumes in paperback?
Not yet as far as I know! But I think it's only a matter of time!
I really hope so!!! I've seen the 3 novellas are all in paperback and being a completionist/collectionist I would love to have everything sitting on my shelves
Ruocchio plans to release the short stories in a single volume. He's been doing the Tales ebooks as like...stepping stones. He doesn't think they're long enough to release on their own.
@@offworlder4694 oh awesome thank you for the heads up! I'll have to keep an eye out for it
I didn’t know about the time jumps between each books ! I gather that the characters change between books too, then ?
Not really. Due to the usage of fugue, the characters remain mostly the same. It's so well realized!
@@PetrikLeo seems really interesting! (And Thank you for taking the time to answer ❤️)
It is a damn shame that all the short stories are only available as ebook or deluxe hardcovers,not normal hardcover or paperback from head of zeus or daw
Same with green bone saga and temeraire
Never give up hope. Maybe it will appear someday! 😄
@@PetrikLeo do you know some secret we don't?🥺
What do you like more red rising or the sun eater the whole series.
Can't decide. Love them both equally. :)
Its a shame the tales (short stories are not avaiable via book format, so i won't read it) lets hope he publishs with time
Fingers crossed! I'm sure he will eventually!
Is kingdom of death darker than dark age?
Totally, imo.
That collection of hardcovers is inspiring me to jealousy 😒
Haha, sorry! I hope you'll be able to acquire them!
All hail Hadrian Half-Mortal!!
HALFMORTALLL
Good video 🎥 sorry this series wasn’t for me… 😊
Nothing wrong with that! 😄
Peeeetrik
Zeeennnn
currently Reading howling dark after I read your review of disquiet gods. I just value your opinion sooo.much 🫶. I'm still not too much into the series but still believing in it's potential
That is very kind of you. I truly appreciate it. And I hope you will love the series!