Book Review: Disquiet Gods (The Sun Eater, #6) by Christopher Ruocchio
This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Disquiet Gods
ARC provided by the publisher—Baen Books—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by Kieran Yanner
Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Sun Eater (Book #6 of 7)
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy
Word Count: 290,000 words
Pages: 704 pages (Hardcover edition)
Published: 2nd April 2024 by DAW Books (US) & Head of Zeus (UK)
This book… What a penultimate installment. Disquiet Gods is a festival of epic science fantasy masterwork cranked to maximum level.
Melancholy.
I am feeling the melody of melancholy right now. From reading the book, and because the end of the series is nigh. It is bittersweet to have read every book in The Sun Eater series up to Disquiet Gods, including all the companion novellas and collections of short stories. For those who don’t know, I read Empire of Silence for the first time in September 2023. That was seven months ago. From the many messages I received, although I am joyful to have influenced more people to start reading this absolutely incredible series, I must say I am the one who has to offer my gratitude to Christopher Ruocchio for writing the series and every one of you for pushing me to read The Sun Eater series. A series I consider to be the best sci-fi series of all time. And there is the potential for the series to rank even higher after the explosive final book, Shadows Upon Time, is out. But it feels bittersweet right now to finished every installment in The Sun Eater series so far. Not only that. On top of having my praise blurbed at the back of Disquiet Gods hardcover, I have the honor of having my name mentioned in the acknowledgment section at the beginning of the novel, too; in one of my favorite books to one of my favorite series of all time! That is special to me. And Disquiet Gods, the sixth volume in The Sun Eater series, is ridiculously phenomenal. If you have read The Sun Eater up to Ashes of Man, and you refuse to hear my thoughts before reading Disquiet Gods, I vouch and understand your decision. What matters to me more is that you read this mindblowing penultimate installment. It will be worth your time. I had space-high expectations, and Ruocchio exceeded them.
“Life is very long. I had not known my brother in centuries. It may seem strange to you, dear Reader, who has not perhaps the luxury of so long a life, that my brother should retain so great a hold on me after so long—and yet it is so. But the impact of childhood, I have found, does not diminish. Not after a hundred years, not after five.”
Disquiet Gods is almost 300,000 words long. That’s almost as large as Demon in White, the third and the biggest volume of The Sun Eater series, an installment hailed by many members of The Red Company to be the best book of the series. One of the most discernible things about Demon in White was how—structurally speaking—it felt like five connecting story arcs or novels organized into one book. And I am so damn pleased to see Ruocchio implement a similar story structure design (but different content) to Disquiet Gods. There is a LOT of information to absorb from this book. A LOT. This is something the fans of the series should experience for themselves. I cannot emphasize this highly enough. Henceforth, in this review, instead of merely repeating my praises of the series—all of them are still valid and more for this book—I’d like to review this book by sharing my spoiler-free thoughts about each story arc in Disquiet Gods. I will start with the first one, the beginning, on the planet of Jadd.
“Stranger still that on both occasions, you should be at the heart of things… Do you not see now wherefore your coming is to us as the footsteps of doom?” She said this last in Classical English, and I recognized the phrase.
“Tolkien,” I said.’
200 years have passed since the end of Ashes of Man. Hadrian Marlowe is more than 600 years old now. He is aging. And he is tired. But the war between the Cielcin and humanity continues to ravage the Sollan Empire, with the Cielcin in the winning position. The realms of men are terribly plagued with overwhelming malice from the Cielcin, but the spark of hope has not dimmed. A messenger has come to Jadd, bearing a summons from the Sollan Emperor for the one-time hero, Hadrian Marlowe the Halfmortal. A summons, a pardon, and a plea. HAPSIS, the Emperor’s secret first-contact intelligence organization, has located one of the dreadful Watchers, the immense, powerful beings worshipped by the Pale Cielcin. Hadrian, Cassandra, and Neema must race across the galaxy to locate the Watcher and kill it.
“One is always exposed in the void, even on the vastest starship, without the comforting blanket of the sky to keep one warm. But in that moment, I imagined—and perhaps I sensed—a will, a malice, as though some terrible eye was questing in the Dark, scouring the stars. Jadd had been a paradise, a garden behind whose walls I had long been kept safe. I had returned to infinite space, the ceaseless night of the wider universe. To my old world and life.”
It is accurate to state the story parts in Jadd is, by far, the tiniest section of Disquiet Gods. It is only 50 pages long, and remembering all the insanity that unfolds after Hadrian left Jadd on his next mission, it is probably easy for other readers to forget this smaller Jadd portion. But personally speaking… Jadd is one of my favorite planets in The Sun Eater. The vivid planet of fire felt equally infused with calm tempest and energy. The molten rocks, magma, volcano, and the cultures. Although, understandably, Hadrian Al Brutan needs to move on from the planet to proceed with the story quickly, Jadd left a strong impression on me, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more of it. Thankfully, I did read Daughter of Swords, The Royal Game, and The Fangs of Oannos before reading Disquiet Gods. They are brilliant short stories in The Sun Eater, and they worked as a mini-trilogy prequel to this novel, showing more of Hadrian and Cassandra’s life in Jadd. This is nothing to complain about, though. Hopefully, one day, Ruocchio will write a novella or two about Hadrian’s time in Jadd. And Disquiet Gods only gets better and better with each story arc, as evidenced by immediacy in the second story arc: Planet Sabratha.
“We cannot decide the world we live in ourselves, but we can change the world for those who follow after.”
Honestly, the only part of this penultimate novel I can mark as a possible minor criticism for other readers—and this is being super nitpicky because I don’t even consider this a criticism—is to be patient with the calm before the storm moments. Approximately the first 150 pages of Disquiet Gods are focused on introducing new characters, getting the characters back on track, and exploring the desert planet Sabratha. This is, as I said, not a criticism. Almost every main novel in The Sun Eater, except Ashes of Man, begins with a huge time jump. It is only proper that Ruocchio takes his time for readers to feel acquainted with Hadrian, the new characters, and the galaxy again. It is essential to do this, especially in Disquiet Gods. Due to circumstances, the first third of Disquiet Gods is centered on Hadrian and many new characters appearing in the series for the first time. Some notable new characters, among many, are Cassandra, Neema, Edouard, and Ramanthanu. I cannot imagine the rest of Disquiet Gods shining as bright in qualities without the vital foundation laid in the first two story arcs of the novel. And once the storm begins… trust me. You won’t be able to stop the bonkers vortex this book will trap you in. Disquiet Gods is easily the wildest installment in the series so far. And if you’ve read the series up to here, you know this notion should not be taken lightly.
“I was nothing at all. The barest drop in a limitless ocean. One photon against the infinite Dark. One is enough. The voice that whispered to me then was not my own, nor was it Ushara’s… It was no voice at all, hardly to be heard. But it was right. Had I not seen—had I not been shown—had I so easily forgotten how fragile the darkness is? One photon was enough to hold it back.”
Some of you Sun Eater readers might know I’m working as an art director for The Broken Binding edition of The Sun Eater series. Progress is going smoothly for the first three main novels of The Sun Eater. It will be a while before I get to work on Disquiet Gods, but the scenes and details from the first 260 pages of Disquiet Gods would make my work as an art director easier. There were sufficient iconic scenes to choose and work on from the Jadd and Sabratha story arc. However, things changed after I read the rest of the novel. There are now too many magnificent scenes to choose and sacrifice. The ending sequence of the Sabratha story arc was superbly imaginative, crazy, and outrageously epic in scope. Hadrian’s adventure and struggle relentlessly drop my jaw. And when I thought things couldn’t get crazier, Ruocchio assured me that the first two story arcs in Disquiet Gods were a warm-up before he commands his imagination and storytelling to fire at will in the remaining three story arcs.
“The one must work for the good of the many, so the Mux Sae says, but the Lothrians would destroy every one for their many—not realizing the contradiction.”
To strengthen my points about the third story arc of Disquiet Gods, allow me to reflect a bit about the eternally stamped scenes in my amygdala from Demon in White. Coincidentally… It is also the third story arc of Demon in White. And in the gleaming city of Forum as well! I constantly praise The Sun Eater as one of the most ambitious and crucial science fantasy or space opera series of our time, but in Demon in White, Ruocchio actually displayed the vast scope of his storytelling by including a relatively small and pulse-pounding murder mystery section. If you are like me, who loved the political thriller section in Demon in White, we are blessed to witness another form of this storytelling’s incarnation in Disquiet Gods.
“It is not power that builds empires, that asserts order on the stars. It is vision. Vision and the heroic will to act. Where there is that vision, all else follows. Where it is not, there is decadence, desperation, and decay. I understood all this then, in that moment, though it has taken me much time to order my thoughts on the matter, and perhaps it is only now—by the light of my murdered sun and the dark days that have followed it—that I see things clearly.”
The galaxy-scope threats posed by the Cielcin are forcing The Children of Earth and the Sun in The Sollan Empire to come together for a brave counter-attack against the Cielcin. As you can probably expect, with many pillars of authority in charge, plus a conflicting and compelling reunion with a specific beloved character, unity among fellow humans is never fated to proceed smoothly. Ruocchio’s political intrigue and scheming are handled masterfully. I cannot praise it highly enough. The range and level of his storytelling are simply astounding. The narrative in the third story arc of Disquiet Gods was the most breathtaking and intense within the entire novel. And as I said earlier, events did escalate into a new higher plane of existence in Disquiet Gods. One chapter in particular, one of the longest chapters ever penned in the series so far, is jam-packed with revelations and emotions. I am trying to keep things vague, but some pivotal revelations here reminded me of Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time video game. Disquiet Gods bestow its reader with titanic information about The Quiet, The Watcher, the Extrasolarians, and The Cielcin. The scope of Hadrian’s earth-shattering mission is, to say the least, universally staggering.
“I say it is the cruel law of art that all things must die, and that we ourselves must die . . . having exhausted every suffering, so that the grass, not of oblivion but of eternal life, should grow, fertilized by works.”
I cannot talk much about my thoughts on the details in the remaining two story arcs of Disquiet Gods. They are the story arc in Planet Latarra and another planet I prefer to leave unnamed. But I can say this. Everything you’ve read in the series, everything about Disquiet Gods, amplifies the leviathan weight behind the recurring quotes: “Seek hardship” and “Why should your burden be light?” It was so powerful. I have read many series, and I respect series that speak and cherish the reader. It was as if Ruocchio said: “We are in this journey together. What you’ve read in the previous books, all of them played an irreplaceable part.” That’s what I felt from reading this penultimate volume. The remaining two story arcs reinforced this point more extensively.
“You believe you fight to reduce the evil in what is… You fight to increase the good. Every person you save, every world left untrammeled by evil serves to increase the good in that final accounting. You asked why he does not end all that he has made: because the story is not yet finished, even now, and he will not end it until every bead of light has had its day.
It felt rewarding to read a series where not only every book is tremendous, but all of them are paramount to the overarching narrative. Ruocchio never neglects this. In Disquiet Gods, events from Empire of Silence to Ashes of Man were reflected. Howling Dark, Demon in White, and Kingdoms of Death are the biggest contributors of them all. I am so delighted by this. It will be easy to refute any argument that states a specific main installment in The Sun Eater as a filler or unnecessary installment. Every one of them matters. Howling Dark and Disquiet Gods felt like they were hyperlinked. As we approach the explosive light of Goddodin, readers will reasonably expect satisfying major revelations and convergence, and Disquiet Gods successfully deliver what the reader craves and needs.
“It’s war, Hadrian… Each of us pretends to be fighting for right, or Earth or gods . . . but in truth, we’re each only fighting for ourselves. The Cielcin are no different. They need to eat. All that matters, ultimately, is that we win. How we won will be decided later, that it may be said we fought with honor.”
As Hadrian undertook his impossible mission to do what must be, Ruocchio prepared a 150-page battle sequence to close this volume of The Sun Eater. I won’t mention the name of the battle. I won’t mention the name of the planet. Witness the danger Hadrian and The Sollan Empire encountered yourself. The Ruocchano (the climax sequences) of Disquiet Gods was explosive, terrifying, and filled with insane twists and turns. The emotional damage inflicted was nothing short of remarkable. I am not kidding. Even the brief remark of a character’s eyes was evidently enough to get me emotional. Disquiet Gods proved once again that the writing and the world-building of this series, as I always say, are impeccable and massive in scope. Ruocchio demonstrated it is possible to craft the chemistry formula for an excellent blend of science and fantasy series.
“People conceive of war and battle as mere events, happening for discrete periods of time in a specific place. But war is a place unto itself. A new universe, one with its own laws of time and space. Seconds which might have passed one after another in ordinary time pass all at once in war—so that hours vanish in instants—or not at all. In war, often a single second contains lifetimes.”
Masterpiece.
Disquiet Gods is a science fantasy masterpiece. I have done my best to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible. Though this review is long, I assure you I haven’t covered the fragments of the greatness in Disquiet Gods. The Sun Eater is a quintessential display of journey before destination. We know the final destination of The Sun Eater. The details of the journey, though… We have to find out and experience them ourselves. At the moment, I lack the confidence to determine which books among the top 3 books of The Sun Eater should reign as the best volume of the series. Demon in White, Kingdoms of Death, and Disquiet Gods will have to be content with sharing the title for now. To wrap this review up, I will repeat what I have said. Ruocchio deserves a crown for broadening the horizon of possibility in the genre. This series is a future classic in the making. If you haven’t started reading the series yet, give the series a chance. At least up until Howling Dark. You have time to bask in the light of the series before the epic ending to come in Shadows Upon Time, the seventh and final book of The Sun Eater series. Where the intricate legend of the Sun Eater will be witnessed. I long for that day the dirge of the Cielcin will be sung. And I hope you will be there with me on that monumental day.
“Pain. Our fear of pain is the foundation of all morality. It is that fear that shapes our world, orders civilization… Our experiences of pain teach us the nature of suffering, and so we are moved to minimize that suffering in others. Pain grounds our reality, is the cornerstone of our interactions with the objective world. Pain makes us human, teaches us to be human.
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