Author guide

Christopher Ruocchio Books in Order

Christopher Ruocchio is an American author from Raleigh, North Carolina, whose work blends science fiction, fantasy, space opera, and epic fantasy. He is the author of The Sun Eater series and more than twenty works of short fiction. He previously worked as a junior editor at Baen Books and has also edited genre anthologies. His debut novel, Empire of Silence, won the 2019 Manly Wade Wellman Award for Best Novel.

science fictionfantasyspace operascience fantasy

Catalog record updated August 25, 2026.

Christopher Ruocchio's Newest Book

Shadows Upon Time

novel · First published 2025

The trumpet sounds. The end has come at last. After his victory at Vorgossos, Hadrian Marlowe finds himself a fugitive, on the run not only from the Extrasolarians, but from his own people, the Sollan Empire he betrayed—and who betrayed him. Hidden safely beyond the borders of human space, Hadrian awaits the arrival of the one ally he has left: the Jaddian Prince Kaim-Olorin du Otranto. What's more, the inhuman Cielcin have vanished, unseen for more than one hundred years. The armies of men have grown complacent, but Hadrian knows the truth: the Cielcin are gathering their strength, preparing for their final assault against the heart of all mankind. Only Hadrian possesses the power to stem the tide: an ancient war machine, forged by the daimon machines at the dawn of time. The mighty Demiurge. With it, Hadrian must face not just the Cielcin horde, but their Prophet-King, and the dark gods it serves—the very gods who shaped the universe itself. This must be.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Empire of Silence

The first novel and canonical entry point to The Sun Eater.

Read in order

Books by series

science fiction series · completed

The Sun Eater

A completed science-fantasy space-opera series following Hadrian Marlowe across a galaxy-spanning war between humanity and the Cielcin, with companion novellas and short-story collections set in the same universe.

Series guide →

1
Empire of Silence
Book 1 · novel · 2018

It was not his war. On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe started down a path that could only end in fire. The galaxy remembers him as a hero: the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the…
2
The Lesser Devil
Book 1.5 · novella · 2020 Optional

Crispin Marlowe grew up in his brother’s shadow, but Hadrian is gone, and his grandmother - the Duchess of Delos - is dying. Answering her summons, Crispin takes off on what should be a routine flight to the ducal palace from the castle…
3
Howling Dark
Book 2 · novel · 2019

Hadrian Marlowe is lost. For half a century, he has searched the farther suns for the lost planet of Vorgossos, hoping to find a way to contact the elusive alien Cielcin. He has not succeeded, and for years has wandered among the…
4
Queen Amid Ashes
Book 2.5 · novella · 2021 Optional

Hadrian Marlowe is newly a knight of the galaxy-spanning Sollan Empire: a hero who they say slew the alien Prince Aranata Otiolo in single combat; a man they say no man or xenobite can kill. Acting on the Emperor’s orders, Hadrian has…
5
Tales of the Sun Eater, Vol. 1
Book 2.6 · short-story-collection · 2021 Optional
6
Demon in White
Book 3 · novel · 2020

For almost a hundred years, Hadrian Marlowe has served the empire in its war against the Cielcin, a vicious alien race bent on humanity's destruction. Rumors of a new king among the Cielcin have reached the imperial throne. This one is…
7
Tales of the Sun Eater, Vol. 2
Book 3.5 · short-story-collection · 2022 Optional

On a distant world, an assassin must kill a half-machine king. On another, a team of soldiers must save a princess from behind alien lines. Elsewhere in the galaxy, a young girl defies inhuman invaders to save her little brother... Here…
8
Kingdoms of Death
Book 4 · novel · 2022

Hadrian Marlowe is trapped. For nearly a century, he has been a guest of the Emperor, forced into the role of advisor, a prisoner of his own legend. But the war is changing. Mankind is losing. The Cielcin are spilling into human space…
9
Ashes of Man
Book 5 · novel · 2022

The galaxy is burning. With the Cielcin united under one banner, the Sollan Empire stands alone after the betrayal of the Commonwealth. The Prophet-King of the Cielcin has sent its armies to burn the worlds of men, and worse, there are…
10
Tales of the Sun Eater, Vol. 3
Book 5.5 · short-story-collection · 2023 Optional

At the Battle of Akterumu, a captain makes her valiant last stand against a vicious inhuman horde. On the pirate planet of Vorgossos, a machine rebels against her creator. On the alien battleship Echidna, an ordinary man comes face to…
11
The Dregs of Empire
Book 5.6 · novella · 2023 Optional
12
Tales of the Sun Eater, Vol. 4
Book 5.7 · short-story-collection · 2025 Optional
13
Disquiet Gods
Book 6 · novel · 2024

The end is nigh. It has been nearly two hundred years since Hadrian Marlowe assaulted the person of the Emperor and walked away from war. From his Empire. His duty. From the will and service of the eldritch being known only as the Quiet.…
14
Shadows Upon Time
Book 7 · novel · 2025

The trumpet sounds. The end has come at last. After his victory at Vorgossos, Hadrian Marlowe finds himself a fugitive, on the run not only from the Extrasolarians, but from his own people, the Sollan Empire he betrayed—and who betrayed…

Frequently asked questions about Christopher Ruocchio

Who is Christopher Ruocchio?

Christopher Ruocchio is an internationally published science-fiction and fantasy author best known for The Sun Eater, a series blending space opera and fantasy. He has also written more than twenty works of short fiction.

Source: highmatterbooks.com (opens in a new tab)

Where is Christopher Ruocchio from, and what did he study?

He was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated from North Carolina State University in 2015 with a degree in English Rhetoric and a minor in the Classics.

Sources: highmatterbooks.com (opens in a new tab)chass.ncsu.edu (opens in a new tab)

What did Christopher Ruocchio do before becoming a full-time writer?

Ruocchio began working in publishing in 2015 as a Junior Editor at Baen Books, where he curated genre anthologies. He remained there until summer 2021, when he resigned to write full time.

Source: highmatterbooks.com (opens in a new tab)

What influenced Christopher Ruocchio’s writing?

He has cited Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard as important examples, and has described himself as a Star Wars fan drawn to far-off worlds, high adventure, sword fights, and princesses among the stars.

Source: chass.ncsu.edu (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Christopher Ruocchio won?

His debut novel, Empire of Silence, won the 2019 Manly Wade Wellman Award for North Carolina Science Fiction and Fantasy. The award was presented by the North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation.

Source: ncsff.org (opens in a new tab)