Demon in White

Sun Eater is one of those series that is improving as it progresses. The scope and scale and shear epicness only increase with each entry, but each entry also manages to be self contained without leaving to many plot threads hanging. This is epic story telling in the vein of Rothfuss - telling the tale in a poetic way in a more retrospective look - it is the protagonist telling the story after the deed. The prose is rich and beautiful without being obtuse, and is very very readable.

In this, the third book, we are drawn closer to the center of power. Hadrian is now engaging with the Emperor and his close political advisors, getting caught up in a lot of the politicking inherent in a large empire. He is still the great hero - being sent out regularly to counter the Cielcin hordes. We see the fruits of the links that have been alluded to between the empires enemies and that provides a large driver for the first half of the novel.

Whilst the politics have got grander and more Machiavellian, so have the conflicts. There is a lot of huge scale fights. We have moved away from the intimate gladiatorial fighting that characterized the first novel and are mostly dealing with massive armies and space fleet battles - there is an edge of military Sci-Fi to the tale now. This is particularly so in the latter half of the novel.

We also delve further into the mythos that has driven Hadrian's story. Who are The Quiet? Some of these questions begin to be answered.

Not just a stepping stone like some middle books, this one is epic story telling in its own right!