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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While this book ended up taking me way longer to finish than I would have expected, or liked for that matter, it is hard to deny that it had a strong impact on me and is likely one of the better books I've read in recent memory. That said, it still doesn't quite squeak into the 5 star rating as it took me almost two years with starts and stops and restarts all mixed together. I am certainly excited to move forward knowing that this is somehow the "worst" book in the series. For fans of classic Sci-Fantasy looking for strong character focus I cannot recommend Empire of Silence enough.
Emotional Impact: 4.25/5 The chapters with Cat are some of the most impactful chapters I've read in recent memory.
Thought Provoking: 3.5 At this stage while I can certainly see the themes and am having larger questions and some thoughts about the themes; nothing in it so far has really latched onto me as needing deep reflection. Much of what has been presented in this regard has been easy enough to grapple with -- torture = bad, imbalance in relationships = bad etc. Again, do not take this as a negative; I just want to see more complicated/nuanced themes.
Characters: 4/5 Hadrian, Cat, Valka, Switch, and so many more all feel well fleshed out -- especially Hadrian for obvious reasons. That said I am looking forward to knowing more about these characters and their relations with one another.
Plot: 3/5 For me this is the lowest category -- while I like much of the overall plot it was with great pains that it often advanced. While I think this worked really well for fleshing out Hadrian and his thoughts on any given issue, I'm not sure we needed to spend as much time on certain plot beats as we did.
World Building: 3.75/5 While I think there are a lot of very interesting world building elements at play here; for much of the story we are sort of treading already blazed trail -- roman inspired sci-fantasy story. There is an overarching Emperor who is hailed as a diety by some, each planet has it's own ruling caste with families at the head, these families are genetically modified to be "superior" in various ways etc. etc. The Cielcen are currently the most interesting world building elements to me; alongside with the pseudolinguistics that gets hinted at. Much like the Characters I am looking forward to seeing the world get fleshed out in future books and am sure this score will improve.
Prose: 4/5 Purple prose, without being overbearing in most circumstances. What's more, I think a lot of the purple prose feels appropriate as Hadrian is very melodramatic and we are viewing the world and this story through his eyes. Everything feels heightened, in terms of language use, but it feels so in a way that Hadrian himself would do.
The IT factor (this category is one that 2toRamble doesn't use in their scale but I feel is necessary -- sometimes a book just feels good. Better than the sum of it's parts and that is what this score accounts for. Sometimes a book that's a 3.75 by average ends up feeling like more of a 4.25 or a 4.5.) 4.5/5 Empire of Silence just really ticks a lot of boxes for me -- having binged a lot of Sci-Fi shows recently, in particular Foundation, I was looking for something that could capture some of that classic feel but give me a more character focused story. I don't always want to spend chapters reading about time dilation or grander themes around autonomy instead I want to read about how one character struggles and deals with these concepts in particular and that's what I found here.
Unweighted Score (no It factor): 3.75
Weighted Score: 4
Emotional Impact: 4.25/5 The chapters with Cat are some of the most impactful chapters I've read in recent memory.
Thought Provoking: 3.5 At this stage while I can certainly see the themes and am having larger questions and some thoughts about the themes; nothing in it so far has really latched onto me as needing deep reflection. Much of what has been presented in this regard has been easy enough to grapple with -- torture = bad, imbalance in relationships = bad etc. Again, do not take this as a negative; I just want to see more complicated/nuanced themes.
Characters: 4/5 Hadrian, Cat, Valka, Switch, and so many more all feel well fleshed out -- especially Hadrian for obvious reasons. That said I am looking forward to knowing more about these characters and their relations with one another.
Plot: 3/5 For me this is the lowest category -- while I like much of the overall plot it was with great pains that it often advanced. While I think this worked really well for fleshing out Hadrian and his thoughts on any given issue, I'm not sure we needed to spend as much time on certain plot beats as we did.
World Building: 3.75/5 While I think there are a lot of very interesting world building elements at play here; for much of the story we are sort of treading already blazed trail -- roman inspired sci-fantasy story. There is an overarching Emperor who is hailed as a diety by some, each planet has it's own ruling caste with families at the head, these families are genetically modified to be "superior" in various ways etc. etc. The Cielcen are currently the most interesting world building elements to me; alongside with the pseudolinguistics that gets hinted at. Much like the Characters I am looking forward to seeing the world get fleshed out in future books and am sure this score will improve.
Prose: 4/5 Purple prose, without being overbearing in most circumstances. What's more, I think a lot of the purple prose feels appropriate as Hadrian is very melodramatic and we are viewing the world and this story through his eyes. Everything feels heightened, in terms of language use, but it feels so in a way that Hadrian himself would do.
The IT factor (this category is one that 2toRamble doesn't use in their scale but I feel is necessary -- sometimes a book just feels good. Better than the sum of it's parts and that is what this score accounts for. Sometimes a book that's a 3.75 by average ends up feeling like more of a 4.25 or a 4.5.) 4.5/5 Empire of Silence just really ticks a lot of boxes for me -- having binged a lot of Sci-Fi shows recently, in particular Foundation, I was looking for something that could capture some of that classic feel but give me a more character focused story. I don't always want to spend chapters reading about time dilation or grander themes around autonomy instead I want to read about how one character struggles and deals with these concepts in particular and that's what I found here.
Unweighted Score (no It factor): 3.75
Weighted Score: 4
I just finished reading Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio. While it wasn’t terrible, it also wasn’t great. There were many instances of weak writing that felt almost immature at times. The descriptions became overly repetitive, with phrases about grinding teeth, clenched jaws, flared nostrils, and thin-lipped mouths popping up repeatedly. The similes were abundant and often unnecessary as if the book was trying too hard to sound deep or dramatic instead of allowing the story to speak for itself.
I tend to read multiple books at once and took a break from this one to start Wool by Hugh Howey. For me, in just one chapter of Wool, the cleaner and more purposeful writing achieved what Empire of Silence struggled to do over 26 hours: set a tone, build tension, and establish character without drowning in filler. The literary devices in Wool were used effectively; they were subtle and well-placed, enhancing the mood rather than distracting from it. This kind of sharp, intentional writing highlighted what the Empire of Silence was lacking.
I admit that I have a habit of comparing books while I read, but I can't help it. Brandon Sanderson, in particular, has set a high standard for massive worldbuilding. His worlds feel real, layered, and alive. After experiencing his writing, it’s hard not to expect that same level of depth. Empire of Silence seemed to want to be epic but ultimately fell short.
To be fair, I didn’t give up on it. There were moments of promise and some intriguing lore scattered throughout. I can understand why some readers might connect with it. However, for me, I’m in no rush to pick up the next book in the series. Maybe someday, but not today.
I tend to read multiple books at once and took a break from this one to start Wool by Hugh Howey. For me, in just one chapter of Wool, the cleaner and more purposeful writing achieved what Empire of Silence struggled to do over 26 hours: set a tone, build tension, and establish character without drowning in filler. The literary devices in Wool were used effectively; they were subtle and well-placed, enhancing the mood rather than distracting from it. This kind of sharp, intentional writing highlighted what the Empire of Silence was lacking.
I admit that I have a habit of comparing books while I read, but I can't help it. Brandon Sanderson, in particular, has set a high standard for massive worldbuilding. His worlds feel real, layered, and alive. After experiencing his writing, it’s hard not to expect that same level of depth. Empire of Silence seemed to want to be epic but ultimately fell short.
To be fair, I didn’t give up on it. There were moments of promise and some intriguing lore scattered throughout. I can understand why some readers might connect with it. However, for me, I’m in no rush to pick up the next book in the series. Maybe someday, but not today.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Meh