Empire of Silence Book Review
Book Review:
Empire of Silence
by Christopher Ruocchio
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It's odd to feel so hyped to start a series, that while it's been talked about it is still slightly smaller known. Starting this book, even a few chapters in, I noticed that this one was feeling slow. Not for lack of things happening just the amount of detail put into it it has made the pace feel that way, to me at least.
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As this is going to be a universe-spanning series I'm sure that we only got a hint of actual world-building. What we were given was amazingly intriguing and also maybe a lot to try to describe here. Let me know in the comments if this is too much. The book takes place far into the future. At this period we have been gone from Earth so long it has become a deity itself. The religious order for this is called the Chantry and they hold the Sollan Empire in a power grip of fear. After an event that toppled the reign of the first settlers most high technology is now controlled by the Chantry. Due to this fact all lords, even the emperor, fearfully respect the religion that could wipe out whole planets. They believe that humans are meant to rule the universe. Anything that did not come from Mother Earth is blasphemy and lesser creatures. This is important as a cause for the generations-long war and details uncovered through Hadrian's story. This ancient mystery is what I live for so hoping it plays out well in the rest of the series.
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Our story follows and is told to us by Lord Hadrian Marlow. He is writing the story of his life and experiences from a very late point in his life. Older Hadrian does not seem to shy away from the rashness or ignorance of his youth. He is a bright man to be sure but doesn't have the calculating mind needed for most lords. By this I mean he only plots a few steps ahead of most of his actions. Hadrian doesn't know much of the universe outside of books and is thus naive to several things.
Recounting his early life only briefly the story begins when Hadrian is about twenty. At this point, we learn of the efforts Hadrian is going through to live up to his father's expectations. After an incident shames Lord Marlow, Hadrian is to be sent off to join the Chantry. However, due to cunning that is not his own Hadrian ends up on Emesh. This is where the bulk of this book takes place. Hadrian goes through a lot in his years on this planet. Finding his place in a world he can't escape and losing those who mean the most. As he is trapped here the war with the Cielcin continues to wage across the universe until ships are spotted near to system. Hadrian only ever wanted to be a scholar and the need for knowledge will lead him into the dark.
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How to say the resolution of this first book? It was an ending or turning point in a part of his life. Since Hadrian is recounting it to us, it is a decent place to leave off. Throughout the book even with bits of "action" type scenes, I would still say it read slowly. There was a lot of detail given to the world and environments. Compared to other books that have been detail-heavy, this felt smooth and easy to read. I still found myself enjoying it and being able to follow everything anyway.
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For the first entry, this one was very solid. I am invested in finding out how Hadrian got to the point where he is recounting this story. There are several details given that act as hooks to make you wonder. Also I of course and desperate to find out about the ancient mysteries teased by the story. I question and hope to find out why humans no longer seem to know where Earth is. Or is that more of a philosophical "lost to us" type of situation?
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