Eric Appelbaum
Christopher Ruocchio has laid the groundwork for such an interesting series. Hadrian Marlowe, the man who killed a sun and an entire species with it, reflects on his life writing this memoir that we get to enjoy. Throughout the book, we see a young Hadrian go through the twists and turns of his life, knowing as the reader where he ultimately ends up but curious to how the boy on the page became the man whose voice we are regaled with.
The framing device of Empire of Silence and what I presume will be the rest of the Sun Eater series, hooked me right away, but its Hardrian's reflections on himself that make this story stick out to me. We've all had those "what if" thoughts, reflecting on the events, the people, the choices, and the mistakes that made us who we are today. Hardrian is far from perfect, especially as a boy, and its his flaws that make me so excited to see his growth and how he obtains all his titles, terrible as many of them sound.
The world building is definitely another strong suit of this book. Ruocchio is not afraid to throw you in the deep end, but in doing so I was able to feel immersed. At times it can be a little exhausting, all the names, passages in different languages or historical quotes, and snippets of yet to be explained lore and history; however, I would expect no less from Hardrian Marlowe, melodramatic as he is. By the end of the book, the world was taking shape in my mind's eye.
There were some "arcs" within Empire of Silence that were not my favorite, that looking back did not do enough from a development standpoint to warrant the time that was spent on them, particularly around the middle. This can make the novel feel quite slow at times, but the surrounding world and the mysteries and political intrigue we were discovering were enough to keep me engaged. Given that this is the first book, I'm willing to forgive some lackluster pacing, assuming the set up reaches the equivalent payoff.
Without getting into spoilers, there are some topics and scenes that I usually have a tough time reading, and those scenes in Empire of Silence were no exception. Going through those scenes with Hadrian made me see their point, though, and why it is important to sometimes step out of your comfort zone to appreciate the artistic intent behind the discomfort. I hope that Ruocchio continues to treat such topics in a way that can be appreciated, and that they don't devolve into base shock value and gratuity.
Overall very excited to continue reading.
Christopher Ruocchio has laid the groundwork for such an interesting series. Hadrian Marlowe, the man who killed a sun and an entire species with it, reflects on his life writing this memoir that we get to enjoy. Throughout the book, we see a young Hadrian go through the twists and turns of his life, knowing as the reader where he ultimately ends up but curious to how the boy on the page became the man whose voice we are regaled with.
The framing device of Empire of Silence and what I presume will be the rest of the Sun Eater series, hooked me right away, but its Hardrian's reflections on himself that make this story stick out to me. We've all had those "what if" thoughts, reflecting on the events, the people, the choices, and the mistakes that made us who we are today. Hardrian is far from perfect, especially as a boy, and its his flaws that make me so excited to see his growth and how he obtains all his titles, terrible as many of them sound.
The world building is definitely another strong suit of this book. Ruocchio is not afraid to throw you in the deep end, but in doing so I was able to feel immersed. At times it can be a little exhausting, all the names, passages in different languages or historical quotes, and snippets of yet to be explained lore and history; however, I would expect no less from Hardrian Marlowe, melodramatic as he is. By the end of the book, the world was taking shape in my mind's eye.
There were some "arcs" within Empire of Silence that were not my favorite, that looking back did not do enough from a development standpoint to warrant the time that was spent on them, particularly around the middle. This can make the novel feel quite slow at times, but the surrounding world and the mysteries and political intrigue we were discovering were enough to keep me engaged. Given that this is the first book, I'm willing to forgive some lackluster pacing, assuming the set up reaches the equivalent payoff.
Without getting into spoilers, there are some topics and scenes that I usually have a tough time reading, and those scenes in Empire of Silence were no exception. Going through those scenes with Hadrian made me see their point, though, and why it is important to sometimes step out of your comfort zone to appreciate the artistic intent behind the discomfort. I hope that Ruocchio continues to treat such topics in a way that can be appreciated, and that they don't devolve into base shock value and gratuity.
Overall very excited to continue reading.