Empire of silence

The centuries-long war against the alien Cielcin race raged in the far-flung future, millennia after the death of Old Earth. Hadrian Marlowe comes of age amidst his family's wealth and privilege and looks ahead at the long life afforded his pedigree far from the front, as befits his role as the eldest son of a noble family. The course of his life takes an abrupt turn first from what he expected, and then from what his father demanded. As Marlowe treads a familiar and compelling path from privilege to poverty to power and on to political intrigue, he creates his own opportunities, with help from unexpected quarters, eventually finding himself at the center of an epic conflict spanning galaxies. But there is a wider, far-reaching mystery at play, and Ruocchio's debut novel slowly reveals the first clues, told through the recollections of a man who would come to be both revered and reviled. Readers of the Dune and Game of Thrones series will find this first installment in a quartet a satisfying tale of conflict and redemption that promises much more in the three following volumes.--Terrence Miltner Copyright 2018 Booklist

Space opera fans will savor the rich details of Ruocchio's far-future debut, which sets the scene for a complicated series. The Earth is long dead, but humans have spread to many other planets, where they now practice a heavy-handed, dangerous religion. Humans are also at war with vicious aliens. In the frame story, protagonist Hadrian Marlowe, onetime presumed heir to an empire, explains why he is now waiting to be hanged in front of all the worlds. His is a gritty, bloody, mostly sad journey: he starts out wealthy and powerful, wakes up one day on a planet he's never heard of, is reduced to living in the streets, and eventually becomes a lord again. At times the heavy description and flashbacks reduce the momentum, and there's very little action-a bit surprising given the backdrop of interstellar war and religion-mandated torture-but readers who like a slow-building story with a strong character focus will find everything they're looking for in this series opener. Agent: Shawna McCarthy, McCarthy Agency. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

DEBUT Newcomer Ruocchio kicks off his "Sun Eater" series with a work that is controlled and accomplished. Narrator Hadrian -Marlowe is revered as a hero who destroyed the alien Cielcin and despised as a murderer for his role in the destruction of a sun that cost four billion lives, including that of the emperor. Yet he is neither but also both of those things. Hadrian is the son of a powerful palatine lord, and as the oldest, he's always assumed he was the heir. But his father has other plans. He decides instead to send Hadrian to the Chantry, the religious order that maintains strict controls against technological heresy, a fate Hadrian dreads. Hadrian's attempt to escape his destiny sets him on a course that will alter the universe. In this first of a projected ongoing series, the seeds of Hadrian's future are skillfully set. VERDICT The author, an assistant editor at Baen Books, pens an engrossing read that confidently blends action and political intrigue. Although stretched across a vast array of planets, the story line is often more focused on the intimate than on the expanse, giving it a wonderful emotional punch. This wow book is a must for fans of Pierce Brown and Patrick Rothfuss.-Jane Jorgenson, -Madison P.L., WI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.