You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
A very dry book, with about 8 hours of listening in which hardly anything happens. I liked the world-building, but the main character is quite boring and doesn't seem to have a character arc. There are also hardly any side characters, let alone one you care about. The ending does promise a more lively sequel, but I'm not sure I'm invested enough to try it.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely did not expect the plot to play out like it did. I am already cracking open the next book and will likely end up reading the entire series because I HAVE to find out how Hadrian Marlowe becomes "The Halfmortal, The Sun-Eater, Starbreaker, Palekiller, Deathless. Responsible for the death of the entire Cielcin species."
This book takes place thousands of years in our future where Earth was destroyed from pollution and war and humanity spread out to the galaxy where they encountered aliens on 48 worlds where all but one, the Pale Cielcin, had only technologically advanced to the bronze age so they enslaved them.
Hadrian is a palatine. He and others like him are genetically modified and can live for hundreds of years. Hadrian is only 20 when the book begins, but he's narrating the story much older after all events have occurred and he's reflecting back on his life.
This book takes place thousands of years in our future where Earth was destroyed from pollution and war and humanity spread out to the galaxy where they encountered aliens on 48 worlds where all but one, the Pale Cielcin, had only technologically advanced to the bronze age so they enslaved them.
Hadrian is a palatine. He and others like him are genetically modified and can live for hundreds of years. Hadrian is only 20 when the book begins, but he's narrating the story much older after all events have occurred and he's reflecting back on his life.
The High College vetted every palatine couple’s request for a child, ensured that the parents’ extravagantly altered genetics did not result in a stillbirth or in just such a monster as this. That was how the Emperor kept the control of his nobiles: by controlling their genetic destiny through their children, by ensuring that any palatine seeking an heir would have to kneel and scrape before the throne.
He starts as kind of spoiled, the entitled son of Lord Alistair Marlowe, Archon of Meidua (may-doo-wah) except he's not cruel like his father wants him to be. His brother Crispin is a dumb, cruel copy of his father, even though he wants to be friends with Hadrian. But after Crispin successfully slaughters people in the Coloso (literally their gladiator-style event), Hadrian is seen leaving and he gets mugged and nearly beaten to death. It takes him weeks to recover even with their advanced healing tech and his father finally tells him he's not making him heir, instead he's sending him off to join the Chantry, their holy crusader church / religion. But Hadrian wants to be a scholiast / warrior like his tutor Gibson. His mother eventually helps him escape and he's supposed to have a 13-year space voyage in cryo to Teukros. Except he wakes up naked with nothing but his signet ring on Emesh.
He spends 3 years living on the streets, stealing, starving, getting beaten. He meets a girl, Cat (age 16), and they have a brief love until she dies from the Rot, one of many xeno-biological diseases inflicted on humanity. He then goes on to become a freaking gladiator (technically a myrmidon) in this planet's Coloso to earn enough money to buy a starship. However, he realizes there's no way he'll ever be able to afford it, even if he pooled funds from his friends, like Switch. He reveals his identity to a merchant and offers land entitled in his name in trade for the ship. But then he hears about a Cielcin being held prisoner and he's been dying to see one in person so he sneaks and talks his way into the dungeon where he finds and converses with him before he's caught by Chanter Gilliam Vas.
This starts the next chapter of his life. His identity is outed, he's taken before Count Balian Mataro who rules the planet (Emesh is mostly a water-world with one main continent). We learn later on that Balian immediately notified Hadrian's father who subsequently disowned him. But Balian wants Hadrian for his superior genes and plans to marry him to his daughter Anais. He doesn't reveal this and instead agrees to keep Hadrian's identity a secret and have him pose as a language tutor to his teenage children instead.
Then there's a shit ton more characters. He completely falls in unrequited lust/love with Doctor Valka Onderra "a xenologist and de facto dignitary visiting from Edda in the Demarchy of Tavros. A researcher of the Umandh and of the ruins on the southern continent." Then a contingent or Legion soldiers come, led by Raine Smythe (they report up to the Emperor) and lieutenant Bassander Lin reports to her (he leads the ship Obdurate at the end of the book). Then a group of Jaddians show up, which include Sir Olorin Milta "a Maeskolos swordmaster of the Fire School" who befriends Hadrian and gives him an awesome sword at the end of the book.
Hadrian gets into a fight with Gillian Vas because he insulted Valka, and like a child he reveals his true identity which means they do a palantine duel. Hadrian plans to take first blood and call it off but Gillian strikes first and demands they fight to the death so Hadrian kills him. This puts him in a world of shit with Gillian's mom Ligeia Vas, Grand Prior of the Holy Chantry on Emesh. To lay low Hadrian goes on an expedition to the ruins on Emesh with Valka.
This is where shit is crazy. While investigating the ruins he comes into a huge room with a giant mural that shows him a vision of the Cielcin and shit and speaks to him "This must be". Then a Cielcin ship crashes into the planet and they discover a shuttle went to the ruins. They find and get a group of them to surrender. What follows is weeks of the Chantry torturing the Cielcin ichakta captain Uvanari while keeping the others prisoners. As the only one who speaks their language, Hadrian acts as translator while secretly passing his own messages. He learns they were there to pray in the ruins to their gods, who made the ruins on this world, their world, many other worlds, and claims made THEM (the Cielcin)!!! But there's no trace of this mysterious god race! Hadrian mercy kills Uvanari and convinces Raine Smythe to send an undercover envoy to try to establish contact with their Cielcin leader, ARANATA OTIOLO Aeta Prince-Chieftain and Captain of Its Scianda; Master-Keeper of its People; Servant to Its Slaves.
Smythe appoints Bassinder to lead their party and conscripts Hadrian into her service along with people of his choosing so he brings Valka (of course) and all his fellow myrmidons!!! Switch, Pallino, Ghen, etc. What a crazy bunch. And the remaining Cielcin prisoners accompany them.
Aujourd’hui je partage avec vous ma deuxième lecture de 2023 et par la même occasion mon premier coup de cœur de l’année. Il s’agit du tome 1 de la saga Le Dévoreur de soleil écrite par Christopher Ruocchio : L’Empire du silence.
À l’heure où j’écris ces lignes, je ne suis pas encore complètement remise de ma lecture, tellement elle m’a secouée.
Pour résumer, j’ai TOUT adoré : le worldbuilding (univers ultra fourmi et travaillé), les personnages variés (Hadrian, je t’aime), les thématiques abordées (pas mal de réflexions philosophiques et autres) , les variations de rythme (balance parfaite entre les scènes d’actions et celles plus posées), les références (#shakespeare entre autres), et enfin l’écriture qui, même si elle n’est pas la plus complexe qui soit, est très agréable et très fluide.
Ruocchio a la particularité de nous spoiler : Hadrian raconte sa propre histoire, et on sait dès le début ce qui arrivera à l’issue des 6 tomes qui composeront la saga. J’aime ce côté-là parce qu’on en vient à se demander comment c’est possible, ce qu’Hadrian a bien pu vivre pour en arriver là. J’ai d’ailleurs été fort touchée par Hadrian, ses valeurs, ses croyances et ses rêves.
L’univers n’est peut-être pas des plus faciles à appréhender (merci le glossaire) mais il est tellement bien fait qu’on n’a qu’une envie : en explorer ses moindres recoins, à la rencontre des êtres qui le peuplent.
Cette brique, qui m’avait effrayée au début, je ne l’ai pas vue passer. Assez introductif, ce tome pose beaucoup de questions et nous prépare clairement à une épopée spatiale extraordinaire.
Enfin, l’auteur soulève pas mal de questions et de réflexions quant à l’être humain et son rapport à l’espace, aux êtres espèces et à lui-même. Ces pensées sont très modernes et offrent souvent différents points de vue sans donner de réponse figée et unanime. C’est à nous lecteur.rices de nous débrouiller !
Si vous avez aimé Dune, je suis sûre à 99% que vous adorerez L’Empire du silence. Et si vous n’aviez pas aimé, vous pouvez laisser une chance à Ruocchio car même si les livres ont des similitudes, la plume de Ruocchio est plus accessible, plus moderne, et sa façon de traiter les personnages est aussi bien différente.
Il y a bien trop de choses à dire sur ce livre, trop pour une simple chronique sur booksta, alors je n’aurai qu’une chose à ajouter : lisez-le !
Je vous laisse avec un passage qui m’a marquée :
« Ils trouvaient étrange qu’aucune autre espèce ne crie dans les ténèbres, n’émette des ondes radio et du bruit dans le Noir infini. La vérité, nous la découvrîmes lorsque nos longs navires sillonnèrent les océans de la nuit pour planter nos drapeaux sur des rivages lointains. Et elle était simplissime. Nous étions les premiers. »
À l’heure où j’écris ces lignes, je ne suis pas encore complètement remise de ma lecture, tellement elle m’a secouée.
Pour résumer, j’ai TOUT adoré : le worldbuilding (univers ultra fourmi et travaillé), les personnages variés (Hadrian, je t’aime), les thématiques abordées (pas mal de réflexions philosophiques et autres) , les variations de rythme (balance parfaite entre les scènes d’actions et celles plus posées), les références (#shakespeare entre autres), et enfin l’écriture qui, même si elle n’est pas la plus complexe qui soit, est très agréable et très fluide.
Ruocchio a la particularité de nous spoiler : Hadrian raconte sa propre histoire, et on sait dès le début ce qui arrivera à l’issue des 6 tomes qui composeront la saga. J’aime ce côté-là parce qu’on en vient à se demander comment c’est possible, ce qu’Hadrian a bien pu vivre pour en arriver là. J’ai d’ailleurs été fort touchée par Hadrian, ses valeurs, ses croyances et ses rêves.
L’univers n’est peut-être pas des plus faciles à appréhender (merci le glossaire) mais il est tellement bien fait qu’on n’a qu’une envie : en explorer ses moindres recoins, à la rencontre des êtres qui le peuplent.
Cette brique, qui m’avait effrayée au début, je ne l’ai pas vue passer. Assez introductif, ce tome pose beaucoup de questions et nous prépare clairement à une épopée spatiale extraordinaire.
Enfin, l’auteur soulève pas mal de questions et de réflexions quant à l’être humain et son rapport à l’espace, aux êtres espèces et à lui-même. Ces pensées sont très modernes et offrent souvent différents points de vue sans donner de réponse figée et unanime. C’est à nous lecteur.rices de nous débrouiller !
Si vous avez aimé Dune, je suis sûre à 99% que vous adorerez L’Empire du silence. Et si vous n’aviez pas aimé, vous pouvez laisser une chance à Ruocchio car même si les livres ont des similitudes, la plume de Ruocchio est plus accessible, plus moderne, et sa façon de traiter les personnages est aussi bien différente.
Il y a bien trop de choses à dire sur ce livre, trop pour une simple chronique sur booksta, alors je n’aurai qu’une chose à ajouter : lisez-le !
Je vous laisse avec un passage qui m’a marquée :
« Ils trouvaient étrange qu’aucune autre espèce ne crie dans les ténèbres, n’émette des ondes radio et du bruit dans le Noir infini. La vérité, nous la découvrîmes lorsque nos longs navires sillonnèrent les océans de la nuit pour planter nos drapeaux sur des rivages lointains. Et elle était simplissime. Nous étions les premiers. »
slow-paced