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Howling Dark

Howling Dark

Book · Science fiction books · 11 mentions · 2 subreddits · discussed in r/Fantasy, r/horrorlit

Reddit take

Not enough linked mention summaries yet; the source excerpts below are the evidence.

Pros

  • Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio (4.75/5)
  • "Howling Dark" was really excellent and a read it with a pretty high level of enthusiasm after finding "EoS" to be extremely mid. The melodramatic narration is still present, but I found it less grating. Ruocchio finds his footing with h...
  • I finished Howling Dark a couple minutes ago as I am writing this and holy shit, it is peak. ... I think the ending/climax to Howling Dark is the best I have read in sci-fi so far, easily beating out the last book and the first three Red...
  • Empire was a 3 star book for me, Howling Dark a 5+ star.
  • I just finished the second book. In my opinion the whole book is way more engaging then the first. The very beginning is a little slow but then it picks up quickly and doesn't slow down as far as intrigue and actual events taking place g...

Cons

  • I thought it was pretty insufferable on top of being slow. I would DNF.
  • Parent context: Reading about how the first boom is a slog to get through has been holding me back from starting the series Reply: The second book is even more of a slog in my opinion.
  • I thought both books were pretty slow. The melodrama gets even more over the top in book two and I couldn't take anymore, so I stopped there.
  • The second book, Howling Dark, absolutely killed the series for me.
  • I finished HD but I shouldn’t have. I liked the first book and its wild world building. HD was a brutal disappointment

Sentiment

5 positive (45%) · 1 mixed (9%) · 5 negative (45%)

Trust + time weighted score: -3% · raw score 0%

What redditors said (10 of 11)

I thought it was pretty insufferable on top of being slow. I would DNF.
negative · u/l****t · r/Fantasy · comment · Feb 11, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio (4.75/5)
positive · u/g****y · r/horrorlit · comment · Feb 15, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
"Howling Dark" was really excellent and a read it with a pretty high level of enthusiasm after finding "EoS" to be extremely mid. The melodramatic narration is still present, but I found it less grating. Ruocchio finds his footing with his writing style and he takes the story in really interesting directions. My only complaint with "Howling Dark" is that it's bloated and could have been shorter.
positive · u/G****0 · r/Fantasy · comment · Dec 9, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
Parent context: Reading about how the first boom is a slog to get through has been holding me back from starting the series Reply: The second book is even more of a slog in my opinion.
negative · u/S****a · r/Fantasy · comment · Nov 14, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
I thought both books were pretty slow. The melodrama gets even more over the top in book two and I couldn't take anymore, so I stopped there.
negative · u/b****s · r/Fantasy · comment · Nov 14, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
I finished Howling Dark a couple minutes ago as I am writing this and holy shit, it is peak. ... I think the ending/climax to Howling Dark is the best I have read in sci-fi so far, easily beating out the last book and the first three Red Rising books I have read.
positive · u/p****9 · r/Fantasy · Nov 14, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
Empire was a 3 star book for me, Howling Dark a 5+ star.
positive · u/P****a · r/Fantasy · comment · Aug 22, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
The second book, Howling Dark, absolutely killed the series for me.
negative · u/C****s · r/Fantasy · comment · Aug 22, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
I just finished the second book. In my opinion the whole book is way more engaging then the first. The very beginning is a little slow but then it picks up quickly and doesn't slow down as far as intrigue and actual events taking place goes.
positive · u/Z****I · r/Fantasy · comment · Aug 22, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
I finished HD but I shouldn’t have. I liked the first book and its wild world building. HD was a brutal disappointment
negative · u/C****s · r/Fantasy · comment · Feb 11, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗

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