The cover of the debut novel by Christopher Ruocchio promises the reader a full momentum space opera -made dune . Whether Empire of Silence will actually become a new classic is a highly debatable issue, but it is certainly a very successful item.
A hard life for a Lord
The very idea of presenting the action seems interesting, because we immediately learn that the main character is a tyrant responsible for the extermination of millions of lives. So this is someone who is more suited to the villain. For this reason, the book focuses on showing the path that Hadrian Marlowe has gone through. Moreover, the events are presented in the form of his stories, and the first-person narrative is also used all the time. It is not common, because it is easy to bore the reader with thoughts of the protagonist, which only the author finds interesting. Fortunately, Ruocchio came out of this task unscathed.
We meet Hadrian as a young man from a respected family. Suffice it to say that his father is the lord of the entire planet, and his mother is related to the emperor himself of an almost infinite empire. Unfortunately, the protagonist does not feel at ease in relations with loved ones, due to a rather peculiar approach to life (considering his origin). He has no intention of continuing his father’s despotic rule, or taking part in the battles. Instead, he wants to devote himself to science, following the example of his teacher. As the family has already planned a completely different future for Hadrian, the young lord plans to escape from his home planet.
Star wandering
However, this is only the beginning of the story, as one of the greatest strengths of the Empire of Silence is the way it narrates, and especially the twists. As mentioned above, the whole thing is presented in the form of a personal story. Events do not always follow one another, and sometimes the narrator jumps over only the more important aspects. As a rule, the hero has a specific status quo, so we follow his actions, anticipating the further development of events. Suddenly, when the reader is accustomed to the plot, something happens that turns it 180 degrees, and the protagonist has to find himself in a completely new situation that will surprise the recipient as well. This pattern is repeated many times, but it always works, thanks to breaking out of the comfort zone built by several dozen pages.
Thanks to this, something new is constantly happening in the novel, and the action is followed with bated breath. The subject matter itself changes in part and, contrary to his dreams, Hadrian must find himself, for example, in clashes in the arena or the complexities of court politics. The consequence of the multitude of threads is also the enormity of supporting characters. It is a pity that the quantity does not match the quality. I lacked more expressive characters that I could remember long after reading. Things are better with the main character, but not everyone will like him either. This character is definitely naive and full of flaws, but there is something attractive about him. Perhaps because the whole is accompanied by numerous descriptions of the world and Hadrian’s emotional state. Thanks to their light style, these paragraphs are not boring, but allow you to better understand his decisions, even if we do not always agree with them.
The wealth of the cosmos
It should be remembered that the genre of The Empire of Silence is a space opera , so it is especially important to create an interesting world that combines elements of science fiction with a fantastic panache. I must admit that Christopher Ruocchio did a great job in this field. The universe of the novel captivates from the very first pages. Although the human race dominates the universe, it is very diverse and there is plenty to find about cultural and linguistic differences. Aliens, on the other hand, are not standard humanoids, differing only visually, and great emphasis is placed on presenting the secrets related to their civilization.
It is also worth praising how many cultural elements the eponymous empire is made of. On the one hand, there are borrowings from the Middle Ages in terms of court etiquette and an approach to war as if from a knightly ethos. On the other hand, the gladiatorial fights in the Colosseum, according to the slogan of “bread and games”, well known from ancient times. Somewhere in it there is also room for an inquisition torturing those accused of heresy, as well as for complex political intrigues that a Game of Thrones would not be ashamed of . Theoretically, these are not particularly original tropes, but with such a skilful combination and juxtaposition with the mythology of the world, they turn out to be fresh and fascinate the reader.
Read for the glory of the Earth
The Empire of Silence is one of my most interesting literary discoveries this year. Christopher Roucchio skillfully mixes genres and uses words colorfully, creating an engaging story. My only regret is that although the novel itself (and especially the world) was really interesting, soon I will probably completely forget about most of the characters. I am also unsatisfied, as it is evident that the first volume is only an outline introducing the reader to the tragic story of Hadrian Marlowe. I have to admit that I did it and I am looking forward to the Polish translation of the next part of the series.
As for the Polish edition, it’s hard to fault the Rebis release. The atmospheric graphics definitely encourage reading, and the cover with wings is a bit more durable, which is definitely an advantage with a book of such a large volume. Inside, I did not come across any errors that would sting my eyes, and the whole thing seems to be translated smoothly, including numerous proper names.
