Empire of Silence

One thing this book certainly isn't is silent! The first book in what looks to be an epic sci-fi space opera. I have been seeing this book likened to Patrick Rothfuss ‘The Name of The Wind' and I can definitely see that vibe here, in both the story telling style and structure, and it is hard not to make comparisons between the two. It uses the ‘older main character as narrator' style, chronicling his life to date. The ‘Sun Eater' part of the chronicle is definitely not dealt with in this first book (much like there has yet to be any king killing in Rothfuss' books).

For such a sprawling scope, the novel stays relatively small scale and personal. The action is confined to just 2 planets in a vast galaxy. You get introduced to a myriad of different cultures and plenty of other worlds are referenced, so there is a lot of world building involved here.This is not a short book, and some of the world building is a bit slow at times, but the pay off is worth while with a vast and extremely detailed universe. The quasi-religious anti-technology Luddites that seem to control the empire in which the book is set have a faint echoes of some of the more extreme religious sects of today, but it seems an agenda strangely at odds with the star-faring society. It creates an almost medieval/ancient culture with gladiatorial combat to the death and near serfdom for most of the population. The distinct class stratification is brutal and a strong focus in the story.

Ultimately this is an engaging story, both broad and narrow in its viewpoint. A sprawling space opera that focuses in on the intimate details. A study in contrasts and a very promising start to a book series

Meh, just not excited to pick this up and keep reading. The MC talks big but rarely delivers. So he really did not endear himself to me. Which means I could care less about what he goes through. Its a shame because i do love the sci-fi elements, world building and lore. So setting this one aside for now. Might come around to it another time. Since I do own the next book in the series. 

I don't hate-read things. If something is annoying me, or boring me (or both, as this book did), I give up. Yet reading this became a weird compulsion I had to pull myself from, because I really, really wanted it to become good. It has promise! The worldbuilding is excellent. But it's just not enough.

I could go on and on and on about every little thing that annoys me in this book (and I partially have in my notes on the kindle edition of this mess), but I'll suffice to say this: What is the fucking point of all this pseudo philosophy if you have nothing to say beyond your own tired genre conventions? I'd take sparse, Sandersonian prose any day over a book full of long-winded purple prose and nothing meaningful to say beyond ‘what if my protagonist was actually.... a bad guy?'

But not, you know, bad in a way that actually inconveniences him. Or is condemned by the narrative. (Yes, I know he spends several years 'on the streets' living as a poor beggar and a thief, something I would have richly enjoyed if the novel didn't go out of its way to make it clear that Hadrian finds this infinitely preferable to living in the lap of luxury because only in poverty is he, get this, actually free.)

Ultimately, your worldbuilding can be immaculate, but your book will still lack texture if the characters inhabiting it are all dull as dishwater. I could tell immediately who the ‘good' and ‘bad' guys were. Putting aside the fact that a novel with ‘grey' morality should not make characters so obviously, borderline-pantomime good and evil, they also shouldn't be obvious. If a character is nice to Hadrian? They're good. If they aren't? They're bad.

The prose tips its hat again and again to the idea that the main character is melodramatic, and he is, and that's fine. What it doesn't seem to be aware of is that the book is itself a melodrama. The action is meaningless, there is no almost tension, and all the characters are bland cyphers set on a stage to accomplish nothing, say nothing, and achieve nothing. What does this book accomplish, beyond vague science fiction homages, worldbuilding exercises, and (most importantly!) making sure the audience knows the main character is always right?

In retrospect, I think I kept reading this long because I desperately wanted to see a comeuppance; I wanted the promise of the first page, that the hero would become the villain, to be fulfilled. But at over 60% and 400+ pages in, it becomes painfully clear that this book is utterly uninterested in achieving the same moral complexity as its most obvious of influence. Paul Atreides is the dark messiah, a man who enables the murder of billions and weakens the cause of freedom on untold planets. Hadrian Marlowe is an idealistic teenager in a totalitarian universe who never, ever has to learn anything or be wrong. I can't care about what he does, did, or will do, because ultimately he is completely static

How does someone who is only 22 years old possibly manage to write such a masterpiece?

Name of the wind meets red rising.

Empire of Silence is epic sci-fi, very much in the tradition of Dune and the later Enders Game books(some of my favorite of all time). It’s written as Hadrian’s memoir, thousands of years after the events of the first book, and is constantly dropping hints about what’s to come in the future as Hadrian evolves into this emperor/deity who is retelling his own story. This book is full of his personal philosophy and the phases of it each teach him some new lesson, in an almost religious way. Until the end when he meets the Cielcin, it doesn’t feel like the events of this book have major stakes for the story at-large outside of evolving Hadrians character. The most interesting part is the Cielcin, how unknown and inhuman they are, and how the majority of humanity views them compared to how Hadrian does, feels like the foundation of the series going forward and I’m glad I got to read about Hadrians first encounters with the aliens he’s so obsessed with. Knowing where the story goes makes me so excited to know how it gets there. This book itself wasn’t that great, but the world it builds and the future it sets up is what has me hooked.

Finished on me birthday! Pretty good read with some interesting philosophy on what it would be like if we WERENT ALONE! tough beginning to get through but really got into it - will need a palate cleanser before continuing but I think this could be an amazing series from what I am hearing

Finished on me birthday! Pretty good read with some interesting philosophy on what it would be like if we WERENT ALONE! tough beginning to get through but really got into it - will need a palate cleanser before continuing but I think this could be an amazing series from what I am hearing

If I could give this more stars I would. The way Hadrian narrates his life to the reader is so interesting. There are several points after he describes an event where he isn't even sure if the event happened as he recalled or if he prefers remembering it that way. The story is insanely epic in scope and at no point could I guess what was next.

dnf at 60%. This is my second attempt at reading this because the premise seems great and it has a high rating. but i just couldn't get through it. nothing is satisfying. it feels like all of hadrian's development and plot growth points are just random deus ex machina situations and he accomplishes little himself. he is a VICTIM of the plot. i found myself not caring what happened next because....anything could happen (and not in a fun, enjoyable way for the reader). He could be betrayed/tricked again. he could randomly find a source of good luck and gain more power. He could be dumped on a random planet again for 10 years. who knows. it was just so unsatisfying, especially after reading Red Rising.
Probably won't try a third time with this series

The book is a great introduction to the world and the story to come. Took one star out because I feel that the aphorisms can get repetitive over the course of the book, and some grammatical errors. But overall - great book, amazing world building. I am curious to see how Hadrian becomes the monster or hero people see him as by the end of his life.

I am not a sci-fi reader, I've enjoyed some in the genre but I just never gravitate towards them. However, this series has been pitched so many times as “sci-fi for the fantasy reader” and has been loved by people whose opinion on fantasy books I 100% trust so I had to give it a go and it did not let me down.

There was a lot to like here - Hadrian is aloof and a bit whiney but I couldn't help but like him. I also enjoyed the side characters he met on Emesh, especially Valka and Switch.

It's a lot of setup but the ending was very well done and I'm so intrigued to see where it goes next.

I listened to this one on audio and absolutely loved the narration by John Lee, he nailed the slight arrogance of Hadrian and the accents of the other characters. I'm disappointed to see he only did the first book in the UK but I'm sure I'll enjoy the other narrators too.

Hadrian Marlowe is the son of a planetary governor. His father has plans for his life, Hadrian has other ideas. Every decision he makes takes him out of the frying pan and into the ... into the next frying pan over a different fire. The narrative is fast paced as he tries to plan, manipulate, and luck his way into a more desirable future.

It's fifteen thousand years into the future, humans have colonised countless star systems along one arm of the galaxy, there is genetically engineered perfection for the elites, cryo space travel between systems, plasma lances and stun guns etc. But the culture is more medieval with knights in armour, palace and family intrigue, political maneuvering, the Roman coliseum with fights to the death, a serf underclass, and over it all is the Chancery, the equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition with it's powerful torturers and mystics. And Hadrian is well educated so there are quotes from Shakespeare, Thomas Aquinas and other ancients peppered into his thinking.

It's really a 3.5, but I can't put decimals. I enjoyed this read and am excited to continue in the series.

Gave it a shot as the series is highly recommended for Red Rising aficionados. I didn't find the book engaging until the 2nd half after trogging through Hadrian's cold upbringing and constantly referring to the two indexes and dramatis personae to even have a clue what was going on or who he was talking to. I appreciated the reference section, but wish that Ruocchio committed to putting everything in it rather than some choice words. From what I understand, Empire of Silence's strength comes from it being a series. The first book and introduction to the series was okay. I'll give the next book a chance, but I'm not in a rush to do so.

pretty good

Interesting debut from Ruocchio will both ups and downs. First act was painfully slow, but does start to pick up after the first couple hundred pages. Ruocchio has a tendency to dwell on a thought, usually through the main character's internal dialogue which can bog the pacing down. Brevity in most cases would be preferred, but he does by the end of the novel seem to figure it out. World building is very good, borderline great, though I have a feeling most of it will not factor into future novels. There is a decent amount of tension throughout, though most of the pay-offs feel a tad underwhelming. Character development is a mixed bag and is mainly due to the first person narrative structure. Overall the plot is solid, particularly the final third. Definitely interested in continuing this series, however I cannot broadly recommend. Interestingly I have it on good authority that subsequent books are much improved and the series as a whole is excellent.

I did not finish this book so can not comment on the overall plot. The book was so derivative of another very famous sci-fi novel that I was unable to get through it. However the prose were well written and a reader who has not read the book that this was inspired by May find it enjoyable.

Me encantó.
Un libro muy introductorio, la narrativa se concentra en una parte que se sabe que solo será el primer paso, pero que te hace conocer al protagonista de una forma bien profunda.
Lo genial de la historia , son las pistas o comentarios de lo que viene en el futuro, ya que el protagonista relata estando en el futuro de lo que fue su vida.

La construcción de mundos es un 10 de 10, nada que decir, de tremendo nivel.

Los personajes secundarios estuvieron bien , al igual que los antagonistas.


Promete demasiado la obra, quiero leer lo que viene con muchas ganas .

Overall - 8/10
Plot - 6/10 Characters - 8/10 World & Concepts - 9/10 Prose - 8/10 Theme - 8/10 Enjoyment - 8/10

This book was a hair away from being a 3/5 for me. My big feeling on this book as I read it was “so this whole book is just gonna be here?”

The book was definitely good, and I enjoyed reading it the whole time and would recommend to most people who like the genre.

Extremely mild spoilers

I went in expecting something more epic and galaxy-spanning, where most of this takes place in 4 locations on 2 planets. It felt less like Dune or Star Wars or other epic space operas and more like Name of the Wind, or much more personal stories. For example the stakes were always personal, never wider and more epic.

This isn't a bad thing, and the book is definitely good, but I was just expecting it. Probably because the word epic is in reviews on the front and back cover.

This novel definitely has shades of other books: the feudal politics of Dune, the unearthly narrative of Book of the New Sun, and the combat stylings of something like Red Rising. Not much happens until the last 10% of the book, and even then, this is clearly a precursor to a much larger story in the rest of the series. I’m interested enough to continue (and hoping that this book 1, while not my favorite, was a worthwhile investment).

Prose was right up my alley, loved the world and even enjoyed a character who I normally would find dramatic and unrealistic, but the number of characters we meet to immediately move on from has bugged me. Hoping some come back for the next book and we keep a main cast throughout

The writing is top-notch and I'm amazed by the scope of the story. A lot happened with Hadrian considering it's the first book and some big moments made me root for him as the main character. It didn't give me enough punch emotionally especially at the end to give it a 5 stars. Once I know the background story of the Cielcins maybe it will make more sense.

I'm sure on rereading it I will like it more once I connect the dots and I'm more invested in the background characters and their agendas.

This books rocks. It's slow going but it really does an amazing job of introducing you into the universe and all the powers in it. Fascinating book and I'm very excited to continue the series. It ends perfectly IMO.