Demon in white

In the third book in the Sun Eater series (after Howling Dark, 2019), Hadrian Marlowe continues his quest to bring peace to the galaxy while hinting throughout at the genocide he will commit by destroying a sun. Having realized the impossibility of brokering peace with the Cielcin, an alien civilization determined to enslave and feed on humanity (literally), Hadrian now searches for information on another alien race, the mysterious Quiet, with whom he has only interacted in passing. Knowledge of the Quiet is illicit, as is much of humanity's own history, particularly the specifics regarding the destruction of Earth many centuries earlier. After completing an impossible mission, surviving multiple assassination attempts and an Inquisition, Hadrian is finally granted access to an exclusive library with humanity's greatest, if very disorganized, secrets. He hopes to find information to defeat the Cielcin prince, Dorayaica, and, ultimately, to avoid his fate as Sun Eater. As his riveting story unfolds, it becomes harder to convince people around him that he is not the God Emperor reborn, a role he has no desire to fill.

Ruocchio's dense, exciting third Sun Eater space opera (after Howling Dark) packs a powerful punch as the war between humanity and an alien enemy continues. Hadrian Marlowe once dreamed of becoming a scholiast, living his life in the Imperial Great Library. Instead, he grew up to become a celebrated Royal Knight Victorian fighting on behalf of the human Empire against the Cielcin aliens. As he and his friends in the Red Company travel the Universe engaging in epic, highly detailed battles, Hadrian discovers clues that an entity known as the Quiet is pulling the strings of his life, leading him on a specific path for an unknown purpose, even saving him from death. The Imperial Library is the one place that might hold answers about what the Quiet is and what it wants with Hadrian, but only the Emperor himself can get Hadrian inside. And when Hadrian finds the answers he's been looking for, he's confronted with his most difficult choice yet. Ruocchio impresses with seamless worldbuilding, thought-provoking science, and heart-pounding battles. Readers will relish this. Agent: Shawna McCarthy; the McCarthy Agency (Aug.)