Howling Dark – Not The Worst

Folks, I went and did it. I finally caved to the unending praise for the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. Back when the first book debuted, we reviewed it and sort of moved on. With the seven novel series coming to a close, I figured now would be a good time to see if it’s worth the hype. Warning – this will get a little long-winded, but considering the nature of the series, I should be able to indulge myself. 

Hadrian Marlowe is in search of the mythic planet Vorgossos. He believes it’s the next step on his journey to meeting with one of the Cielcin lords and begin a process that would lead to peace between the Empire and the Cielcin clans. But after decades in and out of fugue, chasing whatever lead they can find, the military detachment accompanying Marlowe is called back to the front. Afraid that everything that he’s worked for is about to be lost, Marlowe concocts a plan to steal one of the Cielcin hostages he knows will help him begin negotiations. But to do so would be treason and have the Empire on his heels. 

Having not reviewed the first one, I just want to put you in the headspace I was in going into Howling Dark. Empire of Silence was fine, but for me it suffered from pacing issues and a lack of memorable characterization. The plot was okay, it had its moments, but I knew going in that I was going to have a rough go, but I was promised that books two and three will get you hooked. 2100 pages is a lot to swallow to know if you are hooked, but I said “I’m unhinged enough to see it through,” and I’ve made it through two-thirds of it so far. Am I hooked? Not quite, but I’m not turned off enough to stop myself from reading the agreed upon “best book in the series.” 

I’m at least glad I don’t have to write a full review for Empire of Silence since on its own it feels adrift. It has to set up the background of Hadrian and suffers greatly from the stop-and-go pacing. Howling Dark on the other hand, shows a little more skill in Ruocchio’s pocket. There is growth here in that the book is a self-contained story highlighting a specific set of weeks in Hadrian’s life. There is a clear beginning and a clear end that ties up all the events in a nice bow to usher in the next chapter. But even still, there is just a lot to cover and trying to distill it all into a coherent review without chasing the many rabbits will be a challenge. So I’ll give it my best shot, and if I start to dip into spoilers I’ll give ample warning. Let’s dive into the abyss and look the extrasolarians in the face without blinking. 

I have really mixed feelings about Howling Dark. It suffers from some of the same issues that the first book did, but in a less staccato fashion. The first half of the book felt like the climb to a really popular and insane water slide. There was an excitement at the beginning as you near the bottom of the stairs followed by some consternation and frustration while standing in the heat of the sun around other people swimming in sun lotion. But as you get near the top, the excitement begins to grow, and you hear the growling of the water filling the slide, each slider in line bringing you one step closer. And god, when you hit that seat and start to slide, it’s magic. There was a good 200 pages that I nearly read in a single sitting as Hadrian actually reached Vorgossos that I was vibing. Hadrian’s knack for melodrama really sold the alienness of the dark world and the king that resides within its earth. The various Exalted he encounters really highlights the bubble that Hadrian has lived in, and Ruocchio actually sells his disdain and discomfort existing near heresies. It’s the first time Hadrian really feels like a product of his culture despite how often he states he’s not as bloodthirsty or fanatic as his Palantine counterparts. The meetings with the king and the various entities within his sphere of influence had real tension and curiosity, and I wanted to keep peeling those delicious layers. 

Warning – I’m going to discuss some plot points to discuss character and theme in the next few paragraphs. 

It wasn’t long until that all came to a screeching halt for me, though. Around 60 percent of the way in, I had to power through on sheer will. I think part of it was the fact that the king of Vorgossos had depth despite Hadrian’s imperial ill will towards him, whereas the Cielcin were plainly just monsters, little more than beasts that could talk in Hadrian’s eyes. I get that he is trying to broker a peace, and needs to understand his opponents to know how to negotiate, but the Cielcin only emitted cruelty and the basest version of survival of the fittest arguments. And knowing where the series ends (it’s stated outright in the first book that Hadrian commits genocide on them, hence him setting the record straight), it was hard to be curious about the Cielcin, especially with this portrayal. I have a few working theories about this, but suffice it to say the last bits of the book were a slog that led to a specific moment that I kind of rolled my eyes at. Knowing the perspective it’s told from, it could lead to interesting reveals later on, but in the moment I just had flashbacks to the tesseract scene in Interstellar, not in a plot sense but in a “oh come the fuck on,” exasperation that pulls me out of the science fiction space. 

Part of this reveal causing such an adverse reaction is that I just don’t really like Hadrian as a character. I’m sure I’m not the only one to think of this comparison, but Sun Eater is just a guy version of ACOTAR. Hadrian is somewhat of a self-insert pick-me boy who has real qualms about the nature of his upbringing, constantly pointing out how different he is from the people around him. He doesn’t really fit into the world except in superficial ways. Now I will admit, I have a sneaking suspicion Ruocchio might be playing with narrative here, but it’s so heavy-handed. But he doesn’t really seem to have anything carrying him forward except that no one else will do the thing, and because he feels that way, he has to go and do it, and anyone who messes with his seat of the pants plans just gets in the way and allows him to be him to be self pitying. Not to mention he gets the eyes of several women, which I won’t make a big deal about but it just sort of matches the few romantasy books I have read where the main character has a few potential suitors. This isn’t inherently a bad thing – it just makes me personally care less about the relationships that form.

Normally, I wouldn’t do this, but I’ve been steeped in the praise for the series due to the various algorithms that run our lives in the background, so I’m going for it. Having read and watched other reviews of Howling Dark, my conception of Hadrian’s journey so far is definitely different than most. The majority of people applaud Howling Dark’s portrayal of a naive and young idealist being slapped hard with reality and starting his journey towards that fateful end. They see a man hardened by the forces that are arrayed against him, letting his impulses direct him towards questionable means that lead to unforeseen ends. I want to see that here, but instead we see Hadrian’s interaction with a singular entity at the head of a Cielcin clan. There is very little interaction with any other Cielcin. There is a short aside about the nature of the word peace in Cielcin language, but who speaks it? The head honcho. The being who leads his clan as they devour worlds. A lot of effort is being put into explaining why the Cielcin can’t be reasoned with as a species, without questioning who Hadrian is speaking with. Granted, Hadrian himself is of a similar class within Imperial society, so it wouldn’t really cross his mind. What seems like reasonable arguments, “they aren’t human, peace means submission in their language, negotiations are chest-beating displays of dominance,” all just sort of fall flat to me. My normal pedant self asks, “400 years of conflict with various human societies of varying degrees of militarism and cosmopolitanism, and there has not been cross-pollination of language?” Much is made within the books that it’s a complete accident that the Cielcin and Humans can relate to each other through language, and yet that cultural exchange is stagnant? Yeah, okay. 

Despite that, I will say there is a specific charm to this book that the first one lacked. Hadrian’s penchant for over-explaining and hammering home a point with endless analogies or literary references works well in some areas. As someone who is prone to overly complex sentences (long-time readers, I don’t apologize), there were a few moments where I really felt Ruocchio stretching his wings and soaring. Other moments, I could feel my brain saying “stop, stop, he’s already dead,” but I was more accepting of Hadrian’s nonsense this time around. It’s just good fun to watch someone pull from so many different Western classics as he starts to fill out his philosophical underpinnings from other cultures. This doesn’t even get into how Ruocchio plays with history within his world. Sometimes things are a little too clean, but when shit gets messy and legends of old get mixed in with near future alternate histories that lead to the empire’s policies 15,000 years from now, I’m hooked. I will eat that shit up. King Arthur battling the first AI machines? Give it to me. Sometimes he goes a little too hard – but I appreciate the effort he puts into exploring the ship of Theseus in Howling Dark. Some of his references to art and legend are little hamfisted and dropping a brick on on your head, but you know what, I fucking appreciate the references to Goya’s Saturn Devouring his Children. 

In the end, while the book hasn’t totally sold me on being all in until the brutal end, it has convinced me to pick up The Demon In White. Ruocchio is swinging for the fences, and sometimes that comes with some walks and some strikeouts. But a few of them have been some real base hits, with an occasional homer. I didn’t think I’d be saying this, but I really want to watch him hit that grand slam, even if the series doesn’t end up being for me. 

Rating: Howling Dark – Enough to propel me forward once more unto the breach.
-Alex