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helynalc 's review for:
The Empyrean
by Katherine Franklin
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
This was great! And quite epic, and to be honest, very sad too. I loved loved loved the idea of weaponized emotions, such a great concept for heartbreak and endless suffering in a book, and I got exactly that by the end. I will say, I do need a break because this was quite dense, but I'm here for the sequel at some point, for sure.
The Empyrean's world is a galaxy drenched in...well, the Empyrean, a substance, or energy, or dimension(? sort of) that can power weapons, devices, vehicles, and even transportation methods with life energy, basically--a living thing's emotions, thoughts, and memories. It was sometimes a bit hard for me to understand the intricacies of the ways it can work, although the concept itself seems simple. But I loved the whole image and representations of it, and it was so interesting to read the descriptions of what is possible with it. It was the centerpiece of the story, the enigmatic beginning and the mysterious end both. It's a destructive, awful power and/but I can't wait to get to know more about it.
So, you've got people (a fraction of the population) with the ability to manipulate this source of power, you've got two big spacefaring empires that exploit/avoid/use/defend against it in different ways (one is subtly ruled by it but mostly avoids it, and the other extinguishes its people's emotions so it can't be used against them...but then its ruling class are still empyrrics and they try to breed more of them, sooooo...), and you've got a new type of weapon being tested to--well, you've got to read it to know what they want to do with it. It's enough that the book starts with the destruction, quite literally evaporation, of an entire planet, though. I'd love to get to know more about both empires later --we sort of wandered into both a bit and I got the things that were most important, but I'm wondering about history, and planets, and how people live (when not at war) and stuff like that too. Oh yeah, there were also aliens implied, very subtly, but I'm here for it.
Back to the destroyed planet. This is where the main characters, Ferrash, Bek, and Palia meet too. Palia is doing research there about the Empyrean, and she loses her son in the conflict. Ferrash and Bek are spies, agents of the opposing empire from which Palia comes from, trying to infiltrate a ship when the cataclysm happens. The two men save Palia from her escape pod, then they are basically stuck together, first by need, then by some common goals, then by their blooming friendship. In the end, they get involved in a large-scale war, a prison break, with a travelling performance group and a winged pop star!, some political intrigue, and more, as they follow the threads of lies, fighting factions, and forbidden research.
The characters remained a bit distant from me until the end, although I did enjoy gradually getting to know them. They do hide things from the reader until the last moment, though! We get to know Palia as a grieving mother, but it's much more complicated than that, and then later she will show colors I didn't imagine her having at all! Ferrash, the perfect agent, suppressing emotions like a pro, hides painful trauma and secrets that will be important in the following as well. I think my favorite was Bek, a clone-human, basically, again, supposed to suppress his emotions, but he just won't, you know? He's funny, he's a bit childish, but he's great, and was an exact opposite of Ferrash in my eyes, although he was really supposed to be the "less human" one.
I did feel occasionally that the characters were sort of dragged through the setpieces one after the other. They did have agency and plans, and the setpieces were generally amazing (I loved Munab, and the party, and I even liked the Protectorate central world) so it wasn't a big problem...maybe, actually, it was just that things happened quite quickly so we never really settled anywhere for too long to get comfy. Even so, the settings were quite memorable, they still live vividly in my imagination. And that finale! Talk about a punch to the face. It was emotional, chaotic, and epic.
I can whole-heartedly recommend this to space opera lovers. There's mystery, there's shoot-outs, grand escapes, and emotional moments, a galaxy in upheaval and characters worth following through the void of space. Great stuff.
The Empyrean's world is a galaxy drenched in...well, the Empyrean, a substance, or energy, or dimension(? sort of) that can power weapons, devices, vehicles, and even transportation methods with life energy, basically--a living thing's emotions, thoughts, and memories. It was sometimes a bit hard for me to understand the intricacies of the ways it can work, although the concept itself seems simple. But I loved the whole image and representations of it, and it was so interesting to read the descriptions of what is possible with it. It was the centerpiece of the story, the enigmatic beginning and the mysterious end both. It's a destructive, awful power and/but I can't wait to get to know more about it.
So, you've got people (a fraction of the population) with the ability to manipulate this source of power, you've got two big spacefaring empires that exploit/avoid/use/defend against it in different ways (one is subtly ruled by it but mostly avoids it, and the other extinguishes its people's emotions so it can't be used against them...but then its ruling class are still empyrrics and they try to breed more of them, sooooo...), and you've got a new type of weapon being tested to--well, you've got to read it to know what they want to do with it. It's enough that the book starts with the destruction, quite literally evaporation, of an entire planet, though. I'd love to get to know more about both empires later --we sort of wandered into both a bit and I got the things that were most important, but I'm wondering about history, and planets, and how people live (when not at war) and stuff like that too. Oh yeah, there were also aliens implied, very subtly, but I'm here for it.
Back to the destroyed planet. This is where the main characters, Ferrash, Bek, and Palia meet too. Palia is doing research there about the Empyrean, and she loses her son in the conflict. Ferrash and Bek are spies, agents of the opposing empire from which Palia comes from, trying to infiltrate a ship when the cataclysm happens. The two men save Palia from her escape pod, then they are basically stuck together, first by need, then by some common goals, then by their blooming friendship. In the end, they get involved in a large-scale war, a prison break, with a travelling performance group and a winged pop star!, some political intrigue, and more, as they follow the threads of lies, fighting factions, and forbidden research.
The characters remained a bit distant from me until the end, although I did enjoy gradually getting to know them. They do hide things from the reader until the last moment, though! We get to know Palia as a grieving mother, but it's much more complicated than that, and then later she will show colors I didn't imagine her having at all! Ferrash, the perfect agent, suppressing emotions like a pro, hides painful trauma and secrets that will be important in the following as well. I think my favorite was Bek, a clone-human, basically, again, supposed to suppress his emotions, but he just won't, you know? He's funny, he's a bit childish, but he's great, and was an exact opposite of Ferrash in my eyes, although he was really supposed to be the "less human" one.
I did feel occasionally that the characters were sort of dragged through the setpieces one after the other. They did have agency and plans, and the setpieces were generally amazing (I loved Munab, and the party, and I even liked the Protectorate central world) so it wasn't a big problem...maybe, actually, it was just that things happened quite quickly so we never really settled anywhere for too long to get comfy. Even so, the settings were quite memorable, they still live vividly in my imagination. And that finale! Talk about a punch to the face. It was emotional, chaotic, and epic.
I can whole-heartedly recommend this to space opera lovers. There's mystery, there's shoot-outs, grand escapes, and emotional moments, a galaxy in upheaval and characters worth following through the void of space. Great stuff.