Empire of Silence: The universe-spanning science fiction epic
Christopher Ruocchio
Jul 2018 · Hachette UK
4.4star
21 reviewsreport
Ebook
624
Pages
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About this ebook
Hadrian 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.
It was not his war.
On 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.
But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.
Fleeing 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.
Read what everyone is saying about Empire of Silence:
'A good read . . . a space opera with a feudal, in many ways medieval society where religion holds sway and heretics are extravagantly tortured . . . most of the technology is like magic . . . I've not read sci-fi of this type for some time' Mark Lawrence, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Prince of Thorns
'The Name of the Wind but in space . . . an excellent SF story' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Everything from the dialogue, the action, to the worldbuilding is simply excellent and I loved damn near every page of this book' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'A fantastic interstellar fantasy tale . . . Just terrific and leaves you waiting desperately for the next instalment in this new series' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Great protagonist, great supporting cast, incredibly creative worldbuilding, in a world that feels truly huge' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Superb. It really is a mix of Dune & Name of the Wind. Brilliant insightful writing too. One of the most refreshing space operas to come along in years. Loved. It' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'This book took me for one hell of a ride, that's for sure . . . It kept me reading for hours and hours at a time' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Set in a sweeping sci-fi political landscape that rivals anything constructed by Herbert . . . This is great, great stuff. 5-stars' Justin Call, author of Master of Sorrows
It was not his war.
On 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.
But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.
Fleeing 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.
Read what everyone is saying about Empire of Silence:
'A good read . . . a space opera with a feudal, in many ways medieval society where religion holds sway and heretics are extravagantly tortured . . . most of the technology is like magic . . . I've not read sci-fi of this type for some time' Mark Lawrence, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Prince of Thorns
'The Name of the Wind but in space . . . an excellent SF story' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Everything from the dialogue, the action, to the worldbuilding is simply excellent and I loved damn near every page of this book' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'A fantastic interstellar fantasy tale . . . Just terrific and leaves you waiting desperately for the next instalment in this new series' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Great protagonist, great supporting cast, incredibly creative worldbuilding, in a world that feels truly huge' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Superb. It really is a mix of Dune & Name of the Wind. Brilliant insightful writing too. One of the most refreshing space operas to come along in years. Loved. It' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'This book took me for one hell of a ride, that's for sure . . . It kept me reading for hours and hours at a time' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Set in a sweeping sci-fi political landscape that rivals anything constructed by Herbert . . . This is great, great stuff. 5-stars' Justin Call, author of Master of Sorrows
Ratings and reviews
4.4
21 reviews
Paul Christopher
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August 10, 2024
Best far future space opera I've read since Iain M Bank's Culture novels. Empire of Silence is a neo-classic hero's journey; all the Homerian drama and pathos shot through with spectacle and action. This is a smart and literary take on the genre. The world-building is convincing and detailed; the characters are engaging; the aliens suitably frightening or disgusting; the style and story beats are effortless and natural. This is 'old-school' sci-fi written in new blood. Can't wait to vector-in on Hadrian's next adventure.
David Bird
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October 24, 2023
It's an interesting story, but frustrating in a way. Much like the Kingkiller chronicles, it's told from the perspective of the main character well after the story is done. There are lots of references scattered through the tale of the impressive, galaxy changing things he is going to go on to do. This makes reading this first book a little disappointing, because in comparison his experiences are quite mundane. At least the author has written three books, so it will hopefully all be concluded and the circle closed.
Marsl
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April 3, 2024
terrific space opera! I'm going to be honest, at first it seemed to take a lot of "inspiration" from Dune, but after reading it, I can say the Sun Eater series stands on it's own legs.
About the author
Christopher Ruocchio is a debut novelist writing in the tradition of Dune and The Book of the New Sun. He is an editorial assistant working for a US publishing house, and lives in North Carolina, USA.
You can learn more at cruoochio.wordpress.com or by following @CPRuocchio on twitter.
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