Shadows Upon Time by Christopher Ruocchio

At a Glance: The Last Road to Gododdin

Shadows Upon Time delivers on the promises made by Hadrian from the very beginning in Empire of Silence, delivered via some incredibly beautiful prose by Christopher Ruocchio, where we get everything that has made the Sun Eater series such an absolutely beloved series.

The finale gives us heart ache, epic space battle sequences, more plot twists and some jaw dropping moments—more than I was prepared for—and some of the most intricate plot weaving I have had the pleasure of reading. We get sequences and plot beats that are so engaging that I was honestly equal parts terrified and enamored by what I was reading, with some of the outright emotional scenes of all the books.

Shadows Upon Time has the expected time hop of any entry to the series, but with a bit of a twist that I think those who read it will really enjoy. We get more in-depth with Hadrian’s powers, the Demiurge, the political state of the empire, the Watchers and the Quiet, and at long last we arrive at Gododdin to finally be told by our future Hadrian narrator why he’s called the Sun Eater.

Ancient Mysteries: Long-Awaited Answers Revealed

Shadows Upon Time doesn’t fail to deliver on some expansive world-building and lore drops even in it’s final moments. The level of political maneuvering in this was some of the best in the series, while some things were foreshadowed, or even outright told to us by Hadrian in narration sections of other books, it didn’t take away from some of the absolutely shocking revelations that happened throughout various sections of the book.

The Chantry has been a pseudo antagonist throughout the series, always in the shadows, and while not confirmed up until Disquiet Gods have been trying to remove Hadrian from the proverbial chess board since the beginning. Shadows Upon Time sheds more light on that dark sect of priest than the last 6 books combined, and while some things I could see coming, other parts absolutely fried my brain in the most vexing yet gratifying ways.

Hadrian has always been a man surrounded on all sides it feels like, and even when his interests are made plain and he’s done everything to show what his motivations are, it does little to quell the political unrest he causes within the empire and it’s highest ranking officials. The amount of plotting and scheming that manages to happen along with everything else in this book was so satisfying to read.

The Watchers get much more involved as you’d expect, and there are several lore points that answer questions and give explanations to just how vast their power really is, what their motivations are, and even left me questioning if they were truly the evil of this world. The Quiet also comes into focus a bit more, and in turn we get a much deeper look at Hadrian’s powers as he navigates them and begins to understand how to use them. Don’t worry though, our boy doesn’t become a Gary Stu with them, if anything it’s a very Hadrian path that I think long time readers will appreciate.

Their race has been under the Watchers for tens of thousands of years. That’s what made them what they are. Eons of co-evolution. They’ve been so long without choosing, they’ve forgotten how.

Character Conclusions: Painfully Fitting

Hadrian’s journey has been a long, complicated, and at times agonizing one to follow as he comes closer to the narrator version of Hadrian we’ve gotten to know. Throughout the series we have seen Hadrian go from a naive young man who hopes to make peace in the universe, to a battle hardened knight, a broken man, and now in the final leg of the journey we see Hadrian continue in his path from Disquiet Gods as the faithful servant of the quiet at war with his belief in his gods will and the parental need to ensure that his daughters future is a safe one free from the threat of the Watches and Cielcin alike. Hadrian still continues to fight any idea that he should be in charge wether it be of fleets or the Empire, and believes that his only purpose is to save humanity while coming to terms with what the absolutely enormous cost of that purpose is.

While Hadrian is forever the focus not only being our storyteller, but also our point of view in the moment, we do get to see some absolutely incredible character work done with the supporting cast of friends and foes. There was a few standouts in this one for me that I’ll touch on, but I don’t think there are many characters in Shadows Upon Time or the series as a whole that I didn’t enjoy reading, even when I hated them.

Cassandra was such a good addition to the series, Hadrian’s loss of Valka left a void in the emotional connection of the book that was filled in the only way I think that could make sense, and that was a daughter. She truly felt like a mix of Valka and Hadrian, and she has gone from green and eager to battle hardened over the course of the two books where we’ve gotten to see her on the page. I think some of the most visceral emotional reactions I had reading Sun Eater was the moments where Hadrian had to witness her in peril or in pain.

Alexander might be one of the best written antagonist of a series, with a surprising amount of growth while simultaneously seeming to not having grown at all, the amount of times I was audibly swearing because of the actions of the prince was staggering. I haven’t felt this way about a character since Joffrey in from A Song of Ice and Fire, which in my opinion being able to write someone that everyone universally hates with such passion is an enormous achievement as an author.

Last, but arguably the most important is William of the house… nah I’m not gonna do that to you, Christopher Ruocchio has made me and Samuel Roukin read that list too many times. William is the ultimate side character who isn’t actually a side character. He commands the page in every scene where he is speaking, he is a force of might even when he’s just mentioned, and is one of the most compelling characters of the entire series. The relationship between Hadrian and William is one for the ages, and I hope beyond all reason that we get some type of spin off, novella, collection of short stories, hell I’d even take a fan fiction of Williams story. His part in the overall story of Shadows Upon Time is spectacular.

Magnum Opus: Ruocchio’s Convergence of 7 books

Shadows Upon Time is the culmination of almost a decade of work, 7 books, short stories, novellas have all lead to Christopher Ruocchio’s dream work finally realized. His prose shines brightest when he’s writing a battle scene, not just because of the ability to paint the picture as if you’re watching it unfold in front of you in spectacular fashion, but the ability to draw emotions out of me I didn’t think a book could.

Another flex of prose on his part was in the beginning of the book, where Ruocchio uses the framed narrative in an innovative way to address some criticisms of his writing style and ability in such a way that I don’t think anyone will be able to argue it’s a short coming after they read it.

Now I know I have been the beacon of positivity in this review, some might even say that I’m at the glazing level, but nothing is without it’s flaws, and even Shadows Upon Time doesn’t escape some pitfalls. This was a combination of Christopher Ruocchio’s biggest strengths and most frustrating style choices, which at times pulled me out or left me feeling a little slighted as I felt certain things broke immersion for me and left me looking for clues to see if what I was reading was actually what was happening. I wont go into heavy detail, but there was certain points where the exposition got a little exhausting and felt overdone, and certain choices that were charming at first got a little tedious.

Much like my review of Disquiet Gods I also can’t not call out the heavy emphasis on the theology in Shadows Upon Time. Unlike the former, Hadrian is full send in his belief in the Quiet and has crossed the threshold of worshiper to almost prophet. While this very much served the plot, and was foreshadowed by the narrator Hadrian, it’s very much in the open and a focal point of his beliefs and choices. I personally thought this added a new level of depth to Hadrian and allowed Christopher Ruocchio to explore some interesting avenues with the plot and character relationships, but I’m not foolish enough to think this will be everyones takeaway. Ultimately if you enjoyed Disquiet Gods then I think this won’t factor into your enjoyment here, but if you didn’t you may not enjoy it as much as I did.

Between the Sheets: Eternal Love

The Sun Eater series has never been a book that strayed away from the fade-to-black style of intimacy that is typical for the genre, and Shadows Upon Time is not going to be any different which earns this a 🌶️ (1.0) on our spice scale.

While there isn’t any intimacy, this book doesn’t lack in the connections between characters at all, if anything that only shows how well they are written that we don’t need the physical connections to understand and feel the love between characters. Hadrian and Cassandra’s father and daughter dynamic lead to my being on the brink of tears more than a few times. The other standout is Hadrians devotion to Valka, she has been lost to us since Ashes of Man—I will never forgive you for that by the way CR—and yet she still feels as vital and involved in the story as ever, it’s a true nod to the fact that love for someone doesn’t end when they’re gone.

And the truth . . . the truth is neither opinion nor its slave. Question it, deny it, hide from it all you like: The truth is, and it is terrible.

Bro Reading Comfort: Cafe Friendly

Shadows Upon Time might be dark, suspenseful, and at times violent, but there is nothing in it’s content that would make me blush reading this at a nice cafe earning it a 😳 (1.0) on our comfort scale.

The cover art sticks with the style of the series at large, depicting Hadrian like the absolute aura farming bad ass that he is in-front of that proverbial sun we’ve been starving for, but nothing about it will make people give you an odd look or a judgmental sneer if you’re reading this while sipping your pumpkin spice latte filming a performative reading TikTok.

Darkness Factor: The Weight of Genocide

Make no mistake, Shadows Upon Time very much spends a lot of time with Hadrian rationalizing the cost of the greater good, the billions of lives that will be sacrificed, and the amount of suffering that will be cause just leading up to that decision which earns this one a (3.5) on our darkness scale.

Christopher Ruocchio has never been shy about exactly who Hadrian is, he even has narrator Hadrian give us an out at the end of every book, telling us that he would understand if we didn’t continue. That is because this story is dark, it examines so much of what makes humanity both good and evil, what it means to weigh the many vs the few, wether humanity needs to be shepherded as sheep or allowed to be free of control, and lets the reader decide if Hadrian’s decision is the right one.

Most have no other choice. Free will is the province of the great and the few.

Book Battlefield: Ending a Genre Defining Series

The space opera and sci-fi genre as a whole has had works that everyone will always know when you talk about it, things like Hyperion, Foundation, and The Book of the New Sun and I can undoubtedly say that Sun Eater is now one of those series that will transcend generations and be used as a comparison of if a work meets the mark for the genre. Much like the aforementioned series, Sun Eater is filled with books that are not perfect, but as a collection of work it is as close to it as everything else listed.

Shadows Upon Time as an ending will be talked about the same way people talk about The Sopranos ending. It will always in my opinion be a sticking point for fans one way or the other, but in the end no one will say that it ruined the series. People will talk about how they think it should have ended, what they would have changed, and even how it left room for the possibility of a continuation. The important take away is that it will be talked about for generations to come, people will want to read it just to formulate their own opinions, continuing the cycle, and keeping the series alive long after we all have travelled to that Howling Dark.

Should You Bother?

I’m going to write this to those who might not have read the series, and found them selves here somehow and have gotten this far, because honestly majority of you have read the 6 previous books and even if you think it’s going to be bad based on reviews, will most likely read it yourself.

For Fans of Big Questions: Sun Eater as a series takes a very intentional approach to examining the “big questions” around free will, belief, what is considered a justifiable sacrifice for the greater good, the ability of humanity to live in an unchecked system, and so many more. It’s a worthy read for anyone who wants to think deeply about any or all of these topics.

Space Opera Fans: Christopher Ruocchio writes some of the most intense, vivid, and emotionally charged battle scenes in the genre. Sun Eater also has politicking that in my opinion could go toe to toe with the greats in both fantasy and sci-fi. Some of my most loved moments of this series were spent on Forum with Hadrian navigating the political powers of the universe.

For Fans of Genre Blending: While Sun Eater at it’s core is a space opera, it blends in elements of cosmic horror, grimdark, and fantasy into the story that fit perfectly. It never feels out of place or like it doesn’t make sense, some of my favorite scenes come from Howling Dark and Kingdoms of Death which are the two that showcase the darker side of the series.

Want is for children. We are men. We do what is required of us . . .

Final BroMantasy Verdict

There are endings, reader, and this is the final one, seven books, 5000+ pages, and approximately 1.8 million words later and Shadows Upon Time has brought us to our conclusion. Endings are never easy, and I’m not foolish enough to think that everyone will absolutely love this one, even I admit there are nagging questions that I know at some random point will cross my mind, but ultimately Christopher Ruocchio delivered all the important answers to plot points that have been building for almost a decade. This book hit me harder I think because I have two young daughters that I would destroy a sun for without a second thought, and the scenes where we see Hadrian put Cassandra first really struck me deep in my heart. It had some of the most intense moments of the series and in the genre that I have had the pleasure of reading, and deserves nothing short of the 5/5 stars I’m giving it.

While I know that endings are always going to be a point of contention in a fanbase as dedicated as those of The Red Company discord, the 2 to Ramble book club, and the dedicated redditors over at r/sollanempire, for me personally I think an ending for something as long as this series needs to do two things. Firstly, it needs to be able to leave the reader feeling like they got the answers to all the burning questions that have developed from plot points and foreshadowing throughout an entire series aka the promises, and secondly there needs to be enough to keep the reader mentally engaged with it so that the passion doesn’t end when the book and series concludes.

I whole heartedly believe that Shadows Upon Time delivers in both of those aspects, this is a series that I will recommend for years to come for many different types of readers, a story that will stick with me for the rest of my life, something that I will weigh everything else I read against, and an expectation I will now have when it comes to the final book of a series. I also believe a good ending will bring years of discourse as people read the series in the future, I think that life experience, beliefs, and the current state of the world at large will ultimately influence how people feel about a piece of literature like Shadows Upon Time. This is a book I believe will be talked about and examined as years go on where people will try to determine what the stories ending was trying to say to the reader.

For me it was that a young boy was thrust into an ugly universe, where he was lost, lied to, taken advantage of, had his dreams of peace shattered, but ultimately was trying to do his best for humanity. It’s about finding love in unexpected people, about being able to find a family in people you never would have thought, and it’s about how much free will one truly has in this world. I think that it’s a story about our choices and the impact that they have not only on the ones we love, but the world—or in this case the universe—at large, it’s about the sense of duty to ones fellow humans weighed against what they believe their duty to their faith and their nation may be. It’s about the struggle of putting family above or below that duty and what, if any, is a reasonable sacrifice for the greater good. While I don’t agree with everything Hadrian does in these books, or the choices he makes, I do think he’s one of the most interesting and thought provoking antagonists I have ever read.

Ultimately I know that at the end of the day, these opinions are just that, and I am not here to try and tell you that if you didn’t enjoy the ending that you’re wrong, I think the most amazing thing about a series like Sun Eater is that it has the ability to provoke this amount of thought, feeling, and conversation, even if it’s not always in a positive light.

I wish you well, reader, but all things must come to an end and this may be the end of one hell of a series, but it’s just the beginning of the conversation. I want to hear what you think about the book, the ending, and just in general, so feel free to reach out to me on socials so we can talk about books!