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Empire of Silence

4.0(36)
Hardcover€37.50Paperback€9.99
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About the book

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.

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.

On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe starts down a path that can only end in fire. He flees his father and a future as a torturer only to be left stranded on a strange, backwater world.

Forced to fight as a gladiator and navigate the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, Hadrian must fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.

Editions (3)

ISBN9780756413019
PublisherDAW
Publication Date06/04/19
Pages768

Reviews & Ratings

36 ratings

5 reviews

4.0

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  • tina.tatze
    tina.tatze

    61 Followers

    4.0

    Das könnte eine eeeecht gute Reihe werden:-)

    Es hätten volle fünf Sterne werden sollen, aber ich denke da ist noch Luft nach oben. Die Geschichte hatte teilweise ihre Längen. Aber es bzw. er trifft genau meinen Nerv. Das große Interesse von Hadrian an Wissen, Sprachen, Kulturen. Seine Naivität am Anfang, Fehler aus denen er lernt, seine Entwicklung ist glaubhaft und fesselnd. Auf zu Teil zwei :-)

    Mar 28, 2026

  • timur
    timur

    37 Followers

    3.5

    Guter Start

    Freue mich auf die weitere Reise! Buch hatte hier und da seine Längen, aber die folgenden Bücher sollen alle besser werden. Zudem ist dies auch ruocchios debut, da kann man drüber wegsehen.

    Jan 18, 2025

  • jersy104
    jersy104

    13 Followers

    3.0

    I think both story and prose are really good, but I'm a character focused reader and they werent detailed enough for me. It makes sense, since Hadrian is still developing and with everyone else there is always the feeling that they'll be only around him for a while. I just couldnt form a connection with anyone. The world and it's relationship with religion and aliens was interesting, though, and the reader gets to experience it from different viewpoints as Hadrian changes from one situation to the next. It never gets boring, but the different chapters of his life don't ever feel episodic or disconnected either. There is a visible Dune inspiration, but it never felt too close and it is a very different style and story. There is much to admire, it's just lacking in the aspect I care most about in books.

    Sep 4, 2022

3 of 5 reviews

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tina.tatze
tina.tatzeFeb 15, 2026

Die Geschichte hat wirklich gutes Potenzial. Ich habe mich aber schwer getan reinzukommen. Finde das es jetzt Fahrt aufnimmt, und das ist auch gut so. Die ersten Hundert Seiten haben sich für mich etwas gezogen.

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