Demon in White is the third main entry in the Sun Eater series, and continues Hadrian Marlowe's adventures as he travels across the galaxy fighting the Cielcin and searching for ancient truths.

It's another strong entry, with many of the same strengths and weaknesses as the previous novels. It's full of action, with well-done fight scenes and battles, culminating in a really fun gigantic battle/siege that brought to mind shades of The Wheel of Time's Last Battle and David Gemmell's Legend. I always like sieges and desperate last stand battles, and this one didn't disappoint.

Hadrian himself is a fun character, and I like him, but he's becoming more and more of a Mary Sue and the inspiration from Dune and other classic stories is undeniable. Hadrian makes mistakes, but he always seems to find a way to win the day, and his transformation into a very Christ-like figure is heavy-handed.

Some of the worldbuilding is a bit weak, too. I don't mind the giant leaps forward in time in a universe with FTL travel and cryonic fugue, but some of it could do with some explaining. In his story Hadrian will often sleep for decades at a time during space travel, but when he returns to civilization all the main players are still the same. Did all of these characters go into fugue as well? I understand new main players can't be introduced multiple times per book, and it's somewhat explained by the nobility having drastically increased lifespans, but it's still a weak point for me. Likewise, the empire's distrust of AI is kind of mind-boggling. They have FTL travel, warp drives, plasma and laser weapons, force-field shields, cameras everywhere, and all manner of other technology, but anything that might be an AI is treated as a demon from Hell? It's strange and I haven't been able to reconcile myself to it yet, and I'm waiting for a revelation that the founding myth of the empire is a complete lie and there are really AI machines controlling everything.

Still, this is a fun, epic space fantasy. It belongs up there with Red Rising and the other greats of the genre.