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
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Reviews
Blends epic fantasy and scifi.
This is, in short, a stunning debut. This is an incredible novel that I took my time to truly enjoy. I feel very lucky to have taken the first step on the journey with this character and his universe.
If you can't decide whether to go for science fiction or fantasy with your first summer read, might we recommend Empire of Silence.
It's sci-fi that feels as epic as an epic fantasy does. It feels as epic as Dune.
One of the most enjoyable SF debuts I've read in a long while. Think Dune mixed with Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer series, but for a contemporary readership... celebrates all of the joy and the sheer enthusiasm of old-fashioned Space Opera.
Empire of Silence is epic science fiction at it's most genuinely epic. Ruocchio has made something fascinating here, and I can't wat to see what he does next
Space opera fans will savor the rich details of Ruocchio's far-future debut.
An intricate and well-thought-out plot, a propulsive narrative, and a smooth-as-silk prose... an excellent SF story and a book to look out for.
Empire of Silence has the sweep and political intensity of Dune (though no sandworms). It builds to a blazing climax, followed by a satisfying conclusion. I recommend the book
Like The Fellowship of the Ring, this book is more about the journey than the destination.
Empire of Silence is a rich tapestry of future history and worldbuilding, a galactic-sized story of a hero, a tyrant, but portrayed as a man
Christopher Ruocchio's Empire of Silence is epic-scale space opera in the tradition of Iain M. Banks and Frank Herbert's Dune, without being a clone of either of them. His is a welcome new voice in science fiction
I really enjoyed Empire Of Silence... it's great fun, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from Hadrian Marlowe's adventures.
