{"title":"Books by Christopher Ruocchio","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781803287522","title":"Kingdoms of Death","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe fourth novel of the galaxy-spanning Sun Eater series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe continues down a path that can only end in fire. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHadrian Marlowe is trapped.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Cielcin are spilling into human space from the fringes, picking their targets with cunning precision. The Great Prince Syriani Dorayaica is uniting their clans, forging them into an army and threat the likes of which mankind has never seen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd the Empire stands alone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow the Emperor has no choice but to give Hadrian Marlowe – once his favorite knight – one more impossible task: journey across the galaxy to the Lothrian Commonwealth and convince them to join the war. But not all is as it seems, and Hadrian's journey will take him far beyond the Empire, beyond the Commonwealth, impossibly deep behind enemy lines.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43128053039282,"sku":"9781803287522","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781803287522_2cff0977-ba22-46f5-8b79-5c654c46c179.jpg?v=1786027084"},{"product_id":"9781473218277","title":"Empire of Silence","description":"\u003cp\u003eHadrian Marlowe, a man revered as a hero and despised as a murderer, chronicles his tale in the galaxy-spanning debut of the Sun Eater series, merging the best of space opera and epic fantasy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was not his war.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn 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 sky. They remember him as a monster: the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives--even the Emperor himself--against Imperial orders.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFleeing his father and a future as a torturer, Hadrian finds himself stranded on a strange, backwater world. Forced to fight as a gladiator and navigate the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, he will find himself fighting a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead what everyone is saying about \u003ci\u003eEmpire of Silence\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA good read\u003c\/b\u003e . . . a space opera with a feudal, in many ways medieval society where religion holds sway and heretics are extravagantly tortured . . . \u003cb\u003emost of the technology is like magic . . . I've not read sci-fi of this type for some time\u003c\/b\u003e' Mark Lawrence, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Prince of Thorns\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The Name of the Wind but in space . . . an excellent SF story'\u003c\/b\u003e Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eEverything from the dialogue, the action, to the worldbuilding is simply excellent\u003c\/b\u003e and I loved damn near every page of this book' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA fantastic interstellar fantasy tale\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Just terrific and leaves you waiting desperately for the next instalment in this new series' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eGreat protagonist, great supporting cast, incredibly creative worldbuilding,\u003c\/b\u003e in a world that feels truly huge' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e'Superb. \u003cb\u003eIt really is a mix of Dune \u0026amp; Name of the Wind\u003c\/b\u003e. Brilliant insightful writing too. \u003cb\u003eOne of the most refreshing space operas to come along in years\u003c\/b\u003e. Loved. It' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This book took me for one hell of a ride, that's for sure . . . \u003cb\u003eIt kept me reading for hours and hours\u003c\/b\u003e at a time' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Set in a sweeping sci-fi political landscape that \u003cb\u003erivals anything constructed by Herbert\u003c\/b\u003e . . . \u003cb\u003eThis is great, great stuff. 5-stars\u003c\/b\u003e' Justin Call, author of \u003ci\u003eMaster of Sorrows\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204433019058,"sku":"9781473218277","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781473218277_70b1044f-e7c3-4009-a46b-6e55d18d8b0d.jpg?v=1786020688"},{"product_id":"9781803287577","title":"Ashes of Man","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe galaxy is burning. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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 rumours... whispers that Hadrian Marlowe is dead, killed in the fighting. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But it is not so. Hadrian survived with the help of the witch, Valka, and together they escaped the net of the enemy having learned a terrible truth: the gods that the Cielcin worship are real and will not rest until the universe is dark and cold. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat is more, the Emperor himself is in danger. The Prophet-King has learned to track his movements as he travels along the borders of Imperial space. Now the Cielcin legions are closing in, their swords poised to strike off the head of all mankind. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The fifth novel of the galaxy-spanning Sun Eater series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe continues down a path that can only end in fire.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205623087282,"sku":"9781803287577","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781803287577.jpg?v=1786027085"},{"product_id":"9781803287621","title":"Disquiet Gods","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe end is nigh.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt 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. The galaxy lies in the grip of a terrible plague, and worse, the Cielcin have overrun the realms of men.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, a messenger has come to Jadd, bearing a summons from the Sollan Emperor for the one-time hero. 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCalled out of retirement and exile, the old hero—accompanied by his daughter, Cassandra—must race across the galaxy and against time to accomplish one last, impossible task:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo kill a god.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44583385039026,"sku":"9781803287621","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781803287621_da49d2a2-e87c-4f6b-8549-03a86d27cb0f.jpg?v=1786027086"},{"product_id":"9781473218307","title":"Howling Dark","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe second novel of the galaxy-spanning Sun Eater series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe continues down a path that can only end in fire.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Hadrian Marlowe is lost. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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 barbarian Normans as captain of a band of mercenaries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Determined to make peace and bring an end to nearly four hundred years of war, Hadrian must venture beyond the security of the Sollan Empire and among the Extrasolarians who dwell between the stars. There, he will face not only the aliens he has come to offer peace, but contend with creatures that once were human, with traitors in his midst, and with a meeting that will bring him face to face with no less than the oldest enemy of mankind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e If he succeeds, he will usher in a peace unlike any in recorded history. If he fails...the galaxy will burn.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300464013685,"sku":"9781473218307","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781473218307_c980c617-7617-4550-bc48-959cd0d08d88.jpg?v=1786020689"},{"product_id":"9781473218338","title":"Demon in White","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe third novel of the galaxy-spanning Sun Eater series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe continues down a path that can only end in fire.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHadrian and his Red Company have been serving the Empire in military engagements against the Cielcin, the vicious alien civilisation bent on humanity's destruction. And they've been successful: a cult-like fervour building around following a particularly impressive victory. but popularity comes as a price: an assassination attempt, triggered by those within the Imperial government who are scared of his rise to prominence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow the Empire has turned dangerous, Hadrian and his crew leave to pursue his true interest: a search for a long-rumoured connection between the first Emperor and the Quiet, the ancient, seemingly long-dead race. And he will find the next key to unlocking their secrets in a massive library on a distant world. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe coordinates for their origin planet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA planet that no longer holds life, but may still contain answers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Empire of Silence\u003c\/i\u003e is epic science fiction at its most genuinely epic.  Ruocchio has made something fascinating here, and I can't wait to see what he does next' James S.A. Corey, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e-bestselling author of The Expanse novels\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003ci\u003eEmpire of Silence\u003c\/i\u003e is a rich tapestry of future history and worldbuilding, a galactic-sized story of a hero, a tyrant, but portrayed as a man' Kevin J. Anderson, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e-bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Dark Between the Stars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300464111989,"sku":"9781473218338","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781473218338_3a88c665-b43e-48eb-83a0-fcd63b2d96dc.jpg?v=1786020690"},{"product_id":"9781035920679","title":"Shadows Upon Time","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe seventh and final novel of the galaxy-spanning series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe at last lights the greatest fire humanity has ever seen.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe trumpet sounds. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat'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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOnly 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis must be.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368491856245,"sku":"9781035920679","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781035920679_bd12d0f3-07f8-45a8-b59a-d7cc7d61eb6a.jpg?v=1786017466"},{"product_id":"songs-of-the-sun-eater","title":"Songs of the Sun Eater","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThirteen tales from the universe of the bestselling Sun Eater series, compiled for the first time. Plus, a never-before-seen novelette following Hadrian Marlowe after the series’ conclusion!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmbitious universe-building combines with intimate character portraits for storytelling on a truly epic scale — for fans of Orson Scott Card, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Patrick Rothfuss, and Jack Campbell.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA green soldier faces an inhuman enemy. A machine attempts to kill her makers for daring to bring her into this world. On Delos, Crispin Marlowe must face his brother’s growing legend — and the small part he played in shaping it. In the far future, an ordinary soldier comes face-to-face with a god older than time. An enemy long thought dead attacks the future from the past, and on the Planet of Fire, an old hero must kill to save his unborn daughter and prevent a war that could shatter several worlds.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere are songs of the noon of mankind, set in an age when humanity’s dominion stretches far across the stars: an age of struggle, of great evil, and of still greater good. 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