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
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
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 :-)
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
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.
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
3.0
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.
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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