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The Saga of Seven Suns #1
Скритата империя
След като колонизират световете в спиралния ръкав, трите клона на човечеството — земният Терански ханзейски съюз, зелените жреци, телепати от Терок, и непокорните, обитаващи космически кораби скитници — се смятат за господари на вселената. Хората си поделят галактиката само с два извънземни вида — единият безобиден, другият изчезнал. Илдирийците са древна добронамерена цивилизация, а кликисците загадъчно са изчезнали.
Когато ксеноархеолозите откриват кликиски метод, който може да превръща газови гиганти в нови животворни слънца, хората незабавно изпитват новата технология. Резултатът е катастрофален, защото привидно необитаемите газови гиганти са родни светове на друг извънземен вид — безкрайно могъщите хидроги. Тези същества пращат армади от големи колкото градове бойни кораби с една-единствена цел: да унищожат и последния човек в галактиката.
Гордите светове на човечеството не разбират жестоките реалности на галактиката и сега са изправени пред собствената си гибел.
Когато ксеноархеолозите откриват кликиски метод, който може да превръща газови гиганти в нови животворни слънца, хората незабавно изпитват новата технология. Резултатът е катастрофален, защото привидно необитаемите газови гиганти са родни светове на друг извънземен вид — безкрайно могъщите хидроги. Тези същества пращат армади от големи колкото градове бойни кораби с една-единствена цел: да унищожат и последния човек в галактиката.
Гордите светове на човечеството не разбират жестоките реалности на галактиката и сега са изправени пред собствената си гибел.
544 pages, Paperback
First published July 24, 2002
561 people are currently reading
7090 people want to read
About the author
Kevin J. Anderson
1,037 books3,102 followersYes, I have a lot of books, and if this is your first visit to my amazon author page, it can be a little overwhelming. If you are new to my work, let me recommend a few titles as good places to start. I love my Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, humorous horror/mysteries, which begin with DEATH WARMED OVER. My steampunk fantasy adventures, CLOCKWORK ANGELS and CLOCKWORK LIVES, written with Neil Peart, legendary drummer from Rush, are two of my very favorite novels ever. And my magnum opus, the science fiction epic The Saga of Seven Suns, begins with HIDDEN EMPIRE. After you've tried those, I hope you'll check out some of my other series.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 610 reviews
February 14, 2008
This series is the closest equivalent to an epic fantasy series in Sci-Fi form that I've read. I really really love it. The characters are really interestingly drawn, the worlds are interesting, the species are intriguing, I can't recommend it enough for the fantasy lover looking to cross over. It's a gentle transition. :)
September 19, 2011
I was in the mood for a good space opera and this sounded good. It is the first book in a long series and there seemed to be plenty of good comments on itby well-known authors inside the cover. I rarely let such one line reccommendations influence me and now I remember why.
Many of these reviwes describe the book as "richly detailed", others mentioning that the characters are "well drawn" or "complex". No one lied. It is richly detailed - the characters, the aliens, the planets, the spcaeships etc etc, is all richly detailed. Oh how I would love less detail!
At first I figured it was just a poor attempt to help set up the reader in the begginning of the book. Here are some early passages to illustrate:
"...Kori'nh had refitted his battleships as a matter of pride, painting sigils on their hulls, and adding dazzling illumination strips as primary markings. His warliners looked like ornate deep-sea creatures preparing for an outrageous mating display. The Solar Navy understood pagentry and spectacles far better than the humans did."
"The Yreka run had been one of her company's most lucrative routes, since the outlying colonists needed many essentials that Rlinda could provide at low cost. Now, though, with Sorengaard preying upon helpless vessels, few traders would venture into the area. Rlinda could have gouged even higher prices from the needy colonists; instead she preferred take this risk..."
"The rest of the Hansa considered the Roamers to be little more than gypsy space trash, disorganized and disreputable. No one had an inkling of how much the clans actually had and how many taxes they avoided, since they kept such information from outsiders."
Individually, these passages might be fine. They reek of exposition and are sometimes revealed to be the thoughts of the characters but no book is perfect and anyone could probably cite a few such passages in any book. In Hidden Empire though, these passages ARE the book.
At some point it grew too annoying to bother with. In the interest of seeing whether all the exposition was just a temporary, first-half-of-the-first-book-of-a-long-series thing, I read a little from the end ofthe book and some from the next book in the series and realized that it never improves.
Reading so much exposition saps the story of its inrigue, action and charm. It reads as though the author does not think you can figure things out on your own. It also hits you over the head with facts you don't care about.
I'm more than a little shocked that this was published.
Many of these reviwes describe the book as "richly detailed", others mentioning that the characters are "well drawn" or "complex". No one lied. It is richly detailed - the characters, the aliens, the planets, the spcaeships etc etc, is all richly detailed. Oh how I would love less detail!
At first I figured it was just a poor attempt to help set up the reader in the begginning of the book. Here are some early passages to illustrate:
"...Kori'nh had refitted his battleships as a matter of pride, painting sigils on their hulls, and adding dazzling illumination strips as primary markings. His warliners looked like ornate deep-sea creatures preparing for an outrageous mating display. The Solar Navy understood pagentry and spectacles far better than the humans did."
"The Yreka run had been one of her company's most lucrative routes, since the outlying colonists needed many essentials that Rlinda could provide at low cost. Now, though, with Sorengaard preying upon helpless vessels, few traders would venture into the area. Rlinda could have gouged even higher prices from the needy colonists; instead she preferred take this risk..."
"The rest of the Hansa considered the Roamers to be little more than gypsy space trash, disorganized and disreputable. No one had an inkling of how much the clans actually had and how many taxes they avoided, since they kept such information from outsiders."
Individually, these passages might be fine. They reek of exposition and are sometimes revealed to be the thoughts of the characters but no book is perfect and anyone could probably cite a few such passages in any book. In Hidden Empire though, these passages ARE the book.
At some point it grew too annoying to bother with. In the interest of seeing whether all the exposition was just a temporary, first-half-of-the-first-book-of-a-long-series thing, I read a little from the end ofthe book and some from the next book in the series and realized that it never improves.
Reading so much exposition saps the story of its inrigue, action and charm. It reads as though the author does not think you can figure things out on your own. It also hits you over the head with facts you don't care about.
I'm more than a little shocked that this was published.
December 15, 2021
4.0 Stars
This was an immersive epic science fiction story that read like epic fantasy. Told from numerous perspectives, this story was expansive in scale with some huge reveals. The characters, worldbuilding and mysteries were all just so compelling. I am so excited to continue on with this series!
This was an immersive epic science fiction story that read like epic fantasy. Told from numerous perspectives, this story was expansive in scale with some huge reveals. The characters, worldbuilding and mysteries were all just so compelling. I am so excited to continue on with this series!
February 14, 2009
The beginning of a sprawling, seven-volume space opera. It's massive, but it's important to note that Anderson planned the entire story out ahead of time, and that the entire series is complete. It's not one of those series that just keeps growing because the author wants to milk the franchise.
The first volume introduces a lot of characters and factions (seven or eight factions so far I believe). It can be tough to wrap your head around, but the story is pretty compelling.
I'm going to compare this series to Ice&Fire for a moment, mostly because the chapters are focused on a single character's point of view, just like GRRM's. I absolutely adore Ice&Fire, but some chapters I just wanted to get through so I could get back to the characters I loved (See: any Catelyn chapter... bleh). With Anderson's series, however, that never happened to me. In fact, I never wanted a single chapter to end just so I could figure out what happened to that character, but as soon as another chapter started I found myself just as absorbed in that character as I was in the previous one. Each character is interesting in their own way.
Another good point about this series is that it's light on the technical details. Some heavy science fiction gets bogged down in the details of a technology to the point where it ruins the story, but Seven Suns never makes that mistake. It lets the reader know that there's a physical limitation with a fantastic technology or that this race has this capability, but doesn't give us more than we need to know to enjoy the story. We know that something can or can't be done, and that's enough. This is science fiction, but the core of the story is character interaction and the friction caused by cultural and racial differences.
I'd recommend this for fans of science fiction or fantasy, with an emphasis on those who like reading about people more than technology.
The first volume introduces a lot of characters and factions (seven or eight factions so far I believe). It can be tough to wrap your head around, but the story is pretty compelling.
I'm going to compare this series to Ice&Fire for a moment, mostly because the chapters are focused on a single character's point of view, just like GRRM's. I absolutely adore Ice&Fire, but some chapters I just wanted to get through so I could get back to the characters I loved (See: any Catelyn chapter... bleh). With Anderson's series, however, that never happened to me. In fact, I never wanted a single chapter to end just so I could figure out what happened to that character, but as soon as another chapter started I found myself just as absorbed in that character as I was in the previous one. Each character is interesting in their own way.
Another good point about this series is that it's light on the technical details. Some heavy science fiction gets bogged down in the details of a technology to the point where it ruins the story, but Seven Suns never makes that mistake. It lets the reader know that there's a physical limitation with a fantastic technology or that this race has this capability, but doesn't give us more than we need to know to enjoy the story. We know that something can or can't be done, and that's enough. This is science fiction, but the core of the story is character interaction and the friction caused by cultural and racial differences.
I'd recommend this for fans of science fiction or fantasy, with an emphasis on those who like reading about people more than technology.
August 19, 2013
A sprawling space opera. Big cast of characters, colonization of other planets, alien civilizations, FTL travel and space battles. Kevin J Anderson weaves a story of epic proportions and scope, using broad strokes to keep the plot moving forward, never allowing the multiple POVs and story arcs to get bogged down in too much detail or get sidetracked into tangents of spontaneous creativity (I’m looking at you again Hamilton).
Speaking of other scifi writers, I’m currently reading Alastair Reynold’s Revelation Space series and one of the interesting things that I’m noticing is the difference in the way Relativity is handled by different authors. How do you keep cohesion between story arcs that occur light years apart? Anderson employs FTL travel as means of travel as well as a form of telepathy via the “world forest” – sentient trees that share a single consciousness across the galaxy. Instant communication across light years is made possible by human “green priests” who share a telepathic link with the trees and are thus able to communicate with other green priests on other planets. So all the story arcs can occur in the same timeframe and information can be shared between characters light years apart without having to deal with relativity. Reynolds, on the other hand deals with the effect of relativity on the plot by having his story arcs told in parallel but in different time frames. He did this in Revelation Space and more noticeably in Absolution Gap. This way Reynolds embraces relativity as a sort of plot device to get some interesting convergences of story arcs.
Back to this book, Hidden Empire does have some almost unforgivable “annoyances” that put my desire to keep up with the series in doubt. Namely, the characterisation and dialogue. The characters just felt flat to me. Part of me understands that this is because the book is more event driven than character driven, but when you combine this with some forced and often stilted dialogue it starts to grate. I’m one who prefers the “show don’t tell” style of writing. Anderson on the other hand spoon feeds the reader, even going so far as to have characters narrating their own shared history to each other just for my benefit. It just didn’t feel natural to me.
The other negative was the audio narration. I thought George Guidall did a great job with Roland in the Dark Tower series, but he was just awful in this book. At first I thought he was passable, but after a while he just seemed to exacerbate the problems I was already having with the book. I gave up on him about halfway and swapped the audio for the kindle version. Much better. A lot of my “issues” became more tolerable after that.
At the end of the day, the actual story is pretty good. The plot elements are interesting, the world building is epic and there are plenty of essentials for space opera fans. I still think I would have to be in the right mood to come back to the series knowing what I’ll be in for – but I do believe I may at times feel like revisiting this Universe...just in small doses. Or maybe it will just get buried in my TBR. Time will tell.
3 stars
Speaking of other scifi writers, I’m currently reading Alastair Reynold’s Revelation Space series and one of the interesting things that I’m noticing is the difference in the way Relativity is handled by different authors. How do you keep cohesion between story arcs that occur light years apart? Anderson employs FTL travel as means of travel as well as a form of telepathy via the “world forest” – sentient trees that share a single consciousness across the galaxy. Instant communication across light years is made possible by human “green priests” who share a telepathic link with the trees and are thus able to communicate with other green priests on other planets. So all the story arcs can occur in the same timeframe and information can be shared between characters light years apart without having to deal with relativity. Reynolds, on the other hand deals with the effect of relativity on the plot by having his story arcs told in parallel but in different time frames. He did this in Revelation Space and more noticeably in Absolution Gap. This way Reynolds embraces relativity as a sort of plot device to get some interesting convergences of story arcs.
Back to this book, Hidden Empire does have some almost unforgivable “annoyances” that put my desire to keep up with the series in doubt. Namely, the characterisation and dialogue. The characters just felt flat to me. Part of me understands that this is because the book is more event driven than character driven, but when you combine this with some forced and often stilted dialogue it starts to grate. I’m one who prefers the “show don’t tell” style of writing. Anderson on the other hand spoon feeds the reader, even going so far as to have characters narrating their own shared history to each other just for my benefit. It just didn’t feel natural to me.
The other negative was the audio narration. I thought George Guidall did a great job with Roland in the Dark Tower series, but he was just awful in this book. At first I thought he was passable, but after a while he just seemed to exacerbate the problems I was already having with the book. I gave up on him about halfway and swapped the audio for the kindle version. Much better. A lot of my “issues” became more tolerable after that.
At the end of the day, the actual story is pretty good. The plot elements are interesting, the world building is epic and there are plenty of essentials for space opera fans. I still think I would have to be in the right mood to come back to the series knowing what I’ll be in for – but I do believe I may at times feel like revisiting this Universe...just in small doses. Or maybe it will just get buried in my TBR. Time will tell.
3 stars
July 27, 2012
Kevin J Anderson gets a bad rap from the Star Wars books he wrote. Many consider them to be the worst books in the entire franchise. I was hoping that either he had improved since then, or that somehow the Star Wars books were just an aberration and here he is writing a truly epic science-fiction saga. But reading this book, I am reminded why I hated his other books and thought he was such a poor writer in the first place.
This book is almost unreadable. It's infodump after infodump. Between every line of dialogue there is needless infodump, throwing you right out of the story. Never have I so felt that I could see the author sitting there writing these words, rather than the character.
He is supposed to be an experienced writer. But if I didn't know better, I would think that he is still a beginner. From the beginning of the book, you see the same flaws that have plagued all of his other work. There is almost no character development. There are too many characters, for that matter. The book has probably the weakest opening I have read. It cuts between a dozen characters within the first 50 pages. He breaks all of the rules that most writers will give you. I could forgive some of the character development since this is obviously a milieu story. It's all about the environment and the universe that he is created. But even still, you have to have stronger characterization and dialogue in a novel. But the dialogue is completely unnatural. The writing is awkward. Viewpoint characters always describe their appearance, which is obviously a beginner mistake. This guy may have written hundreds of books, but he would have been better to write only about a dozen or so very well.
I switched to the audio version partway through, when I realized I could never read this thing on my own. That let me skim through certain sections without paying too much attention, so I could actually get other things done. I can't believe they got George Guidall, one of the best in the industry, to narrate. George is an amazing narrator, but even he could only improve this book by a small margin.
The ending is totally predictable, and breaks just about every cliche you may care to imagine. I regret wasting so much of my time on this book. Please don't make the same mistake I did.
This book is almost unreadable. It's infodump after infodump. Between every line of dialogue there is needless infodump, throwing you right out of the story. Never have I so felt that I could see the author sitting there writing these words, rather than the character.
He is supposed to be an experienced writer. But if I didn't know better, I would think that he is still a beginner. From the beginning of the book, you see the same flaws that have plagued all of his other work. There is almost no character development. There are too many characters, for that matter. The book has probably the weakest opening I have read. It cuts between a dozen characters within the first 50 pages. He breaks all of the rules that most writers will give you. I could forgive some of the character development since this is obviously a milieu story. It's all about the environment and the universe that he is created. But even still, you have to have stronger characterization and dialogue in a novel. But the dialogue is completely unnatural. The writing is awkward. Viewpoint characters always describe their appearance, which is obviously a beginner mistake. This guy may have written hundreds of books, but he would have been better to write only about a dozen or so very well.
I switched to the audio version partway through, when I realized I could never read this thing on my own. That let me skim through certain sections without paying too much attention, so I could actually get other things done. I can't believe they got George Guidall, one of the best in the industry, to narrate. George is an amazing narrator, but even he could only improve this book by a small margin.
The ending is totally predictable, and breaks just about every cliche you may care to imagine. I regret wasting so much of my time on this book. Please don't make the same mistake I did.
August 9, 2013
Story: 3.5/5
I read this book years and gave it two stars, i just couldn’t get into it. So it was with some trepidation that I started again. A friend of mine was convinced that I would like this series. He recently told me to stick with Alistair Reynolds when I was on the verge of giving up and now I am a Reynolds fan. So, I tried this one again and I enjoyed it! Why? What is the difference? I think I am more widely read, especially for epic stories. Since trying this the first time I have read Erikson, Hamilton, Reynolds, Martin and Jordan. All big story writers, i am now more familiar with the one chapter one POV format as well which is how this story is told.
This is your bog standard scifi epic story. Alien races, star drive travel, humans like parasites spreading and taking over everything, alien diplomacy and the hidden threat. I am in for the long haul, hey sure, Anderson can waffle on for awhile, but after reading Jordan and Hamilton, Anderson writes a much tighter story.
I am really enjoying how everything already fits together, all of the story arcs are already connected, it makes for a nice easy read, I like that after reading Reynolds. Gies me some fun reading times. The world building is fun and believable.
Characters: 3/5
Meh! The characters are ok, no body stands out, lots of default characters. I am hoping to see some development in the next book. There are a couple of potentials, but one thing I am hoping not to happen is for Anderson to develop some serious romances. If the first book is anything to go by, he is going to be seriously crap at that.
There are a couple of frustrating characters, the Chairman of the Hansa league being one. Being one of the most powerful beings in the entire spiral arm, he can be such a idiot at times. His character seems to move between stern, confident world leader to apprentice manager not thinking through things. I know that a leader isn’t infallible, but he says some things that just don’t fit his character. But hey, its book one.
Read Weight: Light
Nice and easy, light and breezy.
Engagement: 4/5
I am actually looking forward to the next chapter and there is some well paced action moments in this. So I am going for 4 out of 5. Looking forward to book 2.
Recommend: 3.5/5
If you have read Hamilton and like the bg epic story with lots of character, races and side stories, this is for you. A tighter ship than Hamilton, but lacking Hamiltons character build skill. If you enjoy reynolds, you might like this, it is way less technical and not hard sci fi. Think Reynolds on Valium.
1: Being Vague, rambling plot with no little believable storyline
5: Ripping yarn, clever, thought provoking
I read this book years and gave it two stars, i just couldn’t get into it. So it was with some trepidation that I started again. A friend of mine was convinced that I would like this series. He recently told me to stick with Alistair Reynolds when I was on the verge of giving up and now I am a Reynolds fan. So, I tried this one again and I enjoyed it! Why? What is the difference? I think I am more widely read, especially for epic stories. Since trying this the first time I have read Erikson, Hamilton, Reynolds, Martin and Jordan. All big story writers, i am now more familiar with the one chapter one POV format as well which is how this story is told.
This is your bog standard scifi epic story. Alien races, star drive travel, humans like parasites spreading and taking over everything, alien diplomacy and the hidden threat. I am in for the long haul, hey sure, Anderson can waffle on for awhile, but after reading Jordan and Hamilton, Anderson writes a much tighter story.
I am really enjoying how everything already fits together, all of the story arcs are already connected, it makes for a nice easy read, I like that after reading Reynolds. Gies me some fun reading times. The world building is fun and believable.
Characters: 3/5
1: Unrealistic/unbelievable. Feel nothing for these characters
5: Fully engaged with the characters, believable. Researched.
Meh! The characters are ok, no body stands out, lots of default characters. I am hoping to see some development in the next book. There are a couple of potentials, but one thing I am hoping not to happen is for Anderson to develop some serious romances. If the first book is anything to go by, he is going to be seriously crap at that.
There are a couple of frustrating characters, the Chairman of the Hansa league being one. Being one of the most powerful beings in the entire spiral arm, he can be such a idiot at times. His character seems to move between stern, confident world leader to apprentice manager not thinking through things. I know that a leader isn’t infallible, but he says some things that just don’t fit his character. But hey, its book one.
Read Weight: Light
Fluffy, Light, Solid, Heavy, Struggle
Nice and easy, light and breezy.
Engagement: 4/5
1: Not fussed about finishing
5: Could stay up all night
I am actually looking forward to the next chapter and there is some well paced action moments in this. So I am going for 4 out of 5. Looking forward to book 2.
Recommend: 3.5/5
1: Would advise you to read something else
5: Go read it now. It is THAT good
If you have read Hamilton and like the bg epic story with lots of character, races and side stories, this is for you. A tighter ship than Hamilton, but lacking Hamiltons character build skill. If you enjoy reynolds, you might like this, it is way less technical and not hard sci fi. Think Reynolds on Valium.
October 6, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. I've read it and the second while the third sits on my shelf waiting. I date back to the 60s and have read both good "space opera' and bad "space opera" this is good space opera. I tend to like what is called "Military Science Fiction" (though I've read some really bad examples of that). This one while it hits some slow spots here and there builds a good story.
December 10, 2012
I'm baffled by the 1 and 2 star reviews. Honestly, I've read a ton of crappy sci-fi in my life and this is by no means crappy sci-fi. I don't know if Kevin J Anderson is the greatest sci-fi writer in the world, but he certainly isn't the worst or even close to it. I'm looking forward to reading book 2 in the series. Highly entertaining stuff.
July 6, 2009
Having read KJA previous 6 novels in the Seven Suns arc I've been looking for a critique that doesn't sound blindly sycophantic when considering dogged commitment to the seventh/final installment.
I don't know how critics have overlooked KJA's plodding and extremely repetitive chapters. Or the authors numerous contradictions and glaring stupidity of characters involved: I.e. Grand, and ultimately inane, statements like "a million Roamer skymines would not have made the gas giant of Golgen seem crowded." One paragraph later "... Because of congestion, all Golgen skymininers had to coordinate their activities..." And stupid? Well how about not suspecting Jupiter as Hydrogue staging point when defending Earth in book five when Hydrogues were known to live there!
These are not isolated examples. In short: Don't waste your time with this series unless your tolerant of poorly developed characters in a shallow universe full of blind idiots where mildly interesting the story of Jess Tamblyn is drowned out.
'Dogged Persistence' indeed!
I don't know how critics have overlooked KJA's plodding and extremely repetitive chapters. Or the authors numerous contradictions and glaring stupidity of characters involved: I.e. Grand, and ultimately inane, statements like "a million Roamer skymines would not have made the gas giant of Golgen seem crowded." One paragraph later "... Because of congestion, all Golgen skymininers had to coordinate their activities..." And stupid? Well how about not suspecting Jupiter as Hydrogue staging point when defending Earth in book five when Hydrogues were known to live there!
These are not isolated examples. In short: Don't waste your time with this series unless your tolerant of poorly developed characters in a shallow universe full of blind idiots where mildly interesting the story of Jess Tamblyn is drowned out.
'Dogged Persistence' indeed!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2021
Прилична космическа опера, без да е мега увлекателна или новаторска.
Моята обща оценка за серията - 2,5*.
P.S. Една от малкото поредици, издадена до край от издателство "Бард" - направо чудо. Моите книги са с твърди корици.
Моята обща оценка за серията - 2,5*.
P.S. Една от малкото поредици, издадена до край от издателство "Бард" - направо чудо. Моите книги са с твърди корици.
June 2, 2010
661 pages of space opera with all the ingredients readers are used to find in this genre: archaeological mysteries, impressive technology, exotic rogues, ancient civilizations and new alien menace. Yet this novel failed to grasp my interest. I found that everything was too predictable: the fate of Raymond Aguerra, the secret of the Klikiss robots, the discoveries made by the Colicos archaeologists. A trait that is not helped when most sections are developed in a bland manner, taking far too many pages to deliver what could have been said with more punch.
However, the worse blow comes early in the novel when no one reacts to the weird apparitions provoked by the ignition of Oncier. The phenomenon should have been investigated right away, but it’s conveniently forgotten, allowing the galaxy to be surprised when the Hydrogue begins their merciless attacks.
The fact that every chapter starts with a new character also annoyed me, specially as these chapters are very short. It made it difficult for me to develop an interest in their personalities, since we spend so little time with them before moving on to yet another hero. I understand that it was written this way to respect the ‘saga’ atmosphere so important in this series of book, but it didn’t work for me.
However, the worse blow comes early in the novel when no one reacts to the weird apparitions provoked by the ignition of Oncier. The phenomenon should have been investigated right away, but it’s conveniently forgotten, allowing the galaxy to be surprised when the Hydrogue begins their merciless attacks.
The fact that every chapter starts with a new character also annoyed me, specially as these chapters are very short. It made it difficult for me to develop an interest in their personalities, since we spend so little time with them before moving on to yet another hero. I understand that it was written this way to respect the ‘saga’ atmosphere so important in this series of book, but it didn’t work for me.
Want to read
October 8, 2018I met Mr. Anderson yesterday at a local comic con and he was a super nice, cool guy. We had the jokes and it was great!
I felt like an idiot for not having read any of his books yet even though I own at least a few (didn't think to bring them either duh). Now I need to read this.
I felt like an idiot for not having read any of his books yet even though I own at least a few (didn't think to bring them either duh). Now I need to read this.
March 11, 2024
3.5 stars
Very classic early 2000s space opera. I shouldn't have started this so close to finished Hamilton's Commonwealth series. The gap in skill and class is just too great.
That being said, in and of itself it's a fairly decent big system politics story. Relatively intriguing. Relatively interesting characters and setting.
I'm already on book 2, so clearly it's pulled me in. but it's not something I'm going to gush about.
Very classic early 2000s space opera. I shouldn't have started this so close to finished Hamilton's Commonwealth series. The gap in skill and class is just too great.
That being said, in and of itself it's a fairly decent big system politics story. Relatively intriguing. Relatively interesting characters and setting.
I'm already on book 2, so clearly it's pulled me in. but it's not something I'm going to gush about.
September 19, 2022
Trying to get any leisure reading done with school, work, and family is much harder than I thought. Took me about a month to finish this. But it was worth it.
I read the first five books of this series many years ago. I hadn't read any space opera and didn't even know what that meant at the time. I just wanted to read something with a bunch of aliens and space problems and I got lucky at the library. I never finished the series. Not sure why. But about a month ago I started wanting to go back to some sci-fi because I had been reading horror and fantasy for years.
Does this book have flaws? Sure. But I found it easy to ignore them because the world is massive and the different types of characters were a blast. The conflict is epic and the many different storylines that interweave are fascinating.
A really scary enemy in the sky threatening the whole universe, forcing groups of people who otherwise hate each other to work for survival together. It's like a fantasy in space. Freaking fantastic!
I read the first five books of this series many years ago. I hadn't read any space opera and didn't even know what that meant at the time. I just wanted to read something with a bunch of aliens and space problems and I got lucky at the library. I never finished the series. Not sure why. But about a month ago I started wanting to go back to some sci-fi because I had been reading horror and fantasy for years.
Does this book have flaws? Sure. But I found it easy to ignore them because the world is massive and the different types of characters were a blast. The conflict is epic and the many different storylines that interweave are fascinating.
A really scary enemy in the sky threatening the whole universe, forcing groups of people who otherwise hate each other to work for survival together. It's like a fantasy in space. Freaking fantastic!
November 3, 2019
3.5 stars.
This is a truly epic space opera that I think would hold a significant amount of appeal for fans of epic fantasy, the science in the book isn’t particularly technical. I found the characters, most of them at least, pretty compelling and I thought there was a decent amount of action especially considering the amount that Anderson needed to introduce into one book in order to make his sprawling universe real but because there are a lot of characters/points of you, tons of world-building with more than one society introduced, including one that is primarily archaeological, and the author‘s style definitely tends toward heavy doses of expedition this book won’t appeal to everyone and definitely required my close attention and occasional re-reading of past passages to keep up with what was happening. To be fair, it’s been a busy, as in more busy than usual, few weeks and I’m a bit fried lately, it might have just been me. But I don’t think this book is one it would be easy to enjoy if you are looking for a little light reading.
But I definitely appreciate it the inclusion of a timeline and glossary. And between the telepathic tree people and the hydros, I’ll absolutely be picking up the next book in the series.
This is a truly epic space opera that I think would hold a significant amount of appeal for fans of epic fantasy, the science in the book isn’t particularly technical. I found the characters, most of them at least, pretty compelling and I thought there was a decent amount of action especially considering the amount that Anderson needed to introduce into one book in order to make his sprawling universe real but because there are a lot of characters/points of you, tons of world-building with more than one society introduced, including one that is primarily archaeological, and the author‘s style definitely tends toward heavy doses of expedition this book won’t appeal to everyone and definitely required my close attention and occasional re-reading of past passages to keep up with what was happening. To be fair, it’s been a busy, as in more busy than usual, few weeks and I’m a bit fried lately, it might have just been me. But I don’t think this book is one it would be easy to enjoy if you are looking for a little light reading.
But I definitely appreciate it the inclusion of a timeline and glossary. And between the telepathic tree people and the hydros, I’ll absolutely be picking up the next book in the series.
March 4, 2010
Thought I'd give KJA another chance. Opens with an experiment to ignite a gas giant to create an artificial sun. Mysterious objects are seen departing the conflagration. Then 'mysterious' attacks begin to take place on other human enterprises in and around other gas giants. Everyone is completely baffled as to what can be motivating these attacks. For 500 pages. Then KJA drops the shocker. It was burning their gas giant that pissed the gas giant guys off! We started the war!! Oh, dear. Shocking.
September 19, 2012
I really wanted this to be a five star book. But as far as cool space opera goes, this is just kinda, well, average blah. Doubt I will read the rest of the series. Want awesome engrossing space opera try Alastair Reynolds, Peter F Hamilton, David Wingrove, Simon R Green, Stephen Donaldson, Frank Herbert, David Weber...all better than this.
June 14, 2015
I got a bit sucked into this one somehow. The writing is pretty aweful and the storyline is a bit all over the place. But anyway I still stupidly got attached and now I feel the need to read all seven. Not sure if this is more of a commentary on me and whats going on in my life or the book itself.
January 12, 2020
Okay, my first ever review here so bear with...
I originally read the Saga in my late teens/early 20s (Over 10 years ago) and I loved it;I just finished re-reading Hidden Empire after realising I had forgotten most of the story! I was looking for a pre-planned space opera to get my eyes into after mainly reading Star Wars Legends books in my youth.
TSOSS gave me what I wanted, an extremely well detailed, character driven world. The huge collection of characters in Hidden Empire is sometimes intimidating, as the main factions all have large families (probably like GoT which I haven't gotten around to reading yet). The other main comparison to GoT is the character chapters which was something new to me. This really helps the book flow as you can just pick up and put down the book whenever you have a spare ten minutes; the chapters are never too long and therefore don't drag.
Reading other reviews here before my second read I was surprised by some of the critics. After reading however I can see where they are coming from. Some are criticisms that personally don't bug me like they do others, some I would challenge and a couple I would agree with.
The main problem for most is the amount of repeated exposition, this could have been cut down on and was mainly a problem for the key political power players (The Mage-Imperator, Basil, Cesca and some of the Therons). For example I lost count of the number of times we were told that Branson Roberts was Rlinda's Ex-husband and how many ex's she had...but I took some humour out of it. I'm a fast reader, but don't get too much actual time to read so the added exposition actually served as handy reminders at times; but yes, a lot of pages could have been saved to either cut the novel down or add more depth in!
The sheer number of characters seems to be a problem for some...Personally I think for a space opera with so many factions it needed a number of representatives from each to gain an understanding of the political and cultural structures of each. Without them all the story would have been too shallow for me.
This is starting to get a bit longer than intended so I will try and wrap it up...Because of the type of cultures and species encountered in the books, you get a real sense of the fantasy genre that blends in with the Sci-Fi and I absolutely loved it. The factions are all interesting but the fact some aren't fully explored (the mysterious Hydrogues and Klikiss) leaves a real sense of intrigue to lead you into the next book.
Favourite Faction: The Ildirans - I enjoyed the spin of this alternative human race. The depth of their history which is drip-fed throughout with lots of exciting revelations is a highlight.
Favourite Character: Adar Kori'nh - the leader of the Ildiran Solar Navy is one of the only forward-thinking Ildiran characters interested in improving the species; therefore his character had a fair bit more development than others. Shout out to the Mage-Imperator who's chapters often held the juicy revelations.
In my private log of short reviews I gave this 9/10...The fact I decided to re-read (rare) and enjoyed it again leads to the five stars here.
I would recommend to anybody who wants a space opera with a sci-fi/fantasy blend and a well thought out pre-built world.
I originally read the Saga in my late teens/early 20s (Over 10 years ago) and I loved it;I just finished re-reading Hidden Empire after realising I had forgotten most of the story! I was looking for a pre-planned space opera to get my eyes into after mainly reading Star Wars Legends books in my youth.
TSOSS gave me what I wanted, an extremely well detailed, character driven world. The huge collection of characters in Hidden Empire is sometimes intimidating, as the main factions all have large families (probably like GoT which I haven't gotten around to reading yet). The other main comparison to GoT is the character chapters which was something new to me. This really helps the book flow as you can just pick up and put down the book whenever you have a spare ten minutes; the chapters are never too long and therefore don't drag.
Reading other reviews here before my second read I was surprised by some of the critics. After reading however I can see where they are coming from. Some are criticisms that personally don't bug me like they do others, some I would challenge and a couple I would agree with.
The main problem for most is the amount of repeated exposition, this could have been cut down on and was mainly a problem for the key political power players (The Mage-Imperator, Basil, Cesca and some of the Therons). For example I lost count of the number of times we were told that Branson Roberts was Rlinda's Ex-husband and how many ex's she had...but I took some humour out of it. I'm a fast reader, but don't get too much actual time to read so the added exposition actually served as handy reminders at times; but yes, a lot of pages could have been saved to either cut the novel down or add more depth in!
The sheer number of characters seems to be a problem for some...Personally I think for a space opera with so many factions it needed a number of representatives from each to gain an understanding of the political and cultural structures of each. Without them all the story would have been too shallow for me.
This is starting to get a bit longer than intended so I will try and wrap it up...Because of the type of cultures and species encountered in the books, you get a real sense of the fantasy genre that blends in with the Sci-Fi and I absolutely loved it. The factions are all interesting but the fact some aren't fully explored (the mysterious Hydrogues and Klikiss) leaves a real sense of intrigue to lead you into the next book.
Favourite Faction: The Ildirans - I enjoyed the spin of this alternative human race. The depth of their history which is drip-fed throughout with lots of exciting revelations is a highlight.
Favourite Character: Adar Kori'nh - the leader of the Ildiran Solar Navy is one of the only forward-thinking Ildiran characters interested in improving the species; therefore his character had a fair bit more development than others. Shout out to the Mage-Imperator who's chapters often held the juicy revelations.
In my private log of short reviews I gave this 9/10...The fact I decided to re-read (rare) and enjoyed it again leads to the five stars here.
I would recommend to anybody who wants a space opera with a sci-fi/fantasy blend and a well thought out pre-built world.
May 19, 2012
I picked up Kevin Anderson's series because 1) I love Dune and 2) I really enjoyed the non Frank Herbert prequels to Dune which Kevin co-wrote with someone who's last name was Herbert. I have always enjoyed the story and intricate interplay of plots, sub plots and intrigues that made up the Dune story. The Saga of Seven Suns is an ambitious series that is based on the same premise; a backdrop of space where the story is much more about the people and aliens that make up the various worlds and not about the cool gadgets being used to tell the story.
Before reading the first book, I browsed the reviews and saw several that said essentially "interesting premise, slow story", so I went in somewhat forewarned. What I found in the first book, and I am writing this just after finishing the first book, not after finishing the series, was what I expected. Several factions who all had their own agendas. Multiple valid viewpoints on what is going on, and everyone with a secret. Couple that with a surprising appearance of a completely unknown but sentient life form and the story has a lot to be built on.
Kevin writes in the George R.R. Martin style of using people's names for each chapter where the chapter itself is told from that person's viewpoint. It works very well for this type of story as you slowly see each perspective and begin to put the overall picture together. The people themselves are interesting and have unique viewpoints and thoughts to offer.
Looking at the first book, this is clearly the introductory book in a much longer series. It is not written to stand alone at all, but to set the stage for the full story to come. I found myself pulled in immediately as they turned a gas giant into a small star and thoroughly enjoyed the slow, but steady introduction of the characters and the overall arc of the story line.
All in all a very good first book in what I expect to be an interesting and satisfying series. Definitely recommended.
Before reading the first book, I browsed the reviews and saw several that said essentially "interesting premise, slow story", so I went in somewhat forewarned. What I found in the first book, and I am writing this just after finishing the first book, not after finishing the series, was what I expected. Several factions who all had their own agendas. Multiple valid viewpoints on what is going on, and everyone with a secret. Couple that with a surprising appearance of a completely unknown but sentient life form and the story has a lot to be built on.
Kevin writes in the George R.R. Martin style of using people's names for each chapter where the chapter itself is told from that person's viewpoint. It works very well for this type of story as you slowly see each perspective and begin to put the overall picture together. The people themselves are interesting and have unique viewpoints and thoughts to offer.
Looking at the first book, this is clearly the introductory book in a much longer series. It is not written to stand alone at all, but to set the stage for the full story to come. I found myself pulled in immediately as they turned a gas giant into a small star and thoroughly enjoyed the slow, but steady introduction of the characters and the overall arc of the story line.
All in all a very good first book in what I expect to be an interesting and satisfying series. Definitely recommended.
April 20, 2017
Slow, predictable, one dimensional characters, bland scifi / fantasy tropes and pedestrian writing. Myriad viewpoints make it difficult to engage with any character.
Some interesting world / universe building. Xeno-archaeologist storyline was unique, as were the psychic trees, neither got enough time.
Some interesting world / universe building. Xeno-archaeologist storyline was unique, as were the psychic trees, neither got enough time.
August 26, 2025
Nach ein paar Anlaufschwierigkeiten wegen des wirklich umfangreichen Worldbuildings zog mich die Geschichte dann doch in ihren Bann und ruft nach den weiteren Bänden. Eine Menschheit verteilt auf 50 Planeten, ein anderer Sternenstaat friedlich koexistierend, eine unabhängige hochinnovative Kraft, die Weltraumressourcen erntet, eine verschwundene Macht, die nur ihre Roboter hinterließ... alles dabei, was eine abenteuerliche SF-Geschichte ausmacht. Allerings enthalten die fünf Sterne einen halben Stern Großzügigkeit, da ein paar Dinge nach meinem Geschmack nicht überzeugend gelöst sind. Auch geht es in unserer Realität so zügig voran, dass man der Reihe ihr Alter von mehr als 20 Jahren schon wieder hier und da anmerkt. Aber das schadet dem Unterhaltungswert nicht. Bin gespannt, wie es weitergeht.
May 31, 2025
I really enjoyed this epic space opera. I’m torn between a 4.25 and 4.5 for this one if you like very large scale grand storylines set in space this may be for you. There are a lot of POV‘s and they’re definitely is a little bit of a learning curve as you begin to explore this world, but this is a very different unique and fun story. I can’t wait to continue this series.
March 2, 2023
A very good read, kept me engaged and interested. I denied it a fifth star, however, because a 440 page book should not have taken a month to read. It was satisfying, but it took a while.
May 18, 2013
I picked this up because of all the praise on the back cover (ok, well I picked it up because one of the review snippets said it was "bursting with incidents" which, to me, seemed the book equivalent of saying a rom com is "the funniest movie of the year!" I had low expectations. I was still disappointed).
Mostly, I found this book blah. The prose is frequently patronising. If characterisation is done well I shouldn't need to be constantly reminded that someone was doing something "intelligently" or that they were "benevolent". (Also, just using adverbs to describe something and then at the shock twist ending suddenly revealling that [insert person/thing] was not like that at all... well, A+ foreshadowing/cliffhangers).
The characterisation was the biggest downfall to me. I didn't care for any of the characters, and considering the book is 704 pages long in my edition all of the characters are one dimensional and shallow. I didn't care about any of them, so when some of them died I was more frustrated that wasted page space had been spent telling me superfluous details about their lives. The womeon who aren't old (or non white) are all beautiful. Surprise! Couldn't have non-beautiful women. No non-beautiful women matter in space.
The narration reminds me of poor movie editing. A lot of the exposition is done through "flashback" paragraphs that are just nestled between other paragraphs without any warning that the action is taking place hours, months... years... previously.
The setting also annoyed me. Humans have spread across the stars... but they have only one type of fuel and most of the colonies cannot provide enough food to sustain themselves? Is that really logical? Especially considering the human military is worried about the only other known alien race becoming aggressive? And the worlds are run by a giant corporation and all religion has been amalgamated into one super-religion. If that had been explained a bit more I might have been interested... I wished more detail had been spent explaining how everyone just accepts a "King" as the head of this company - but the reader seems to be treated as patronizingly as the "subjects". I presume this is explained more in the later books but I have zero motivation to read them.
Mostly, I found this book blah. The prose is frequently patronising. If characterisation is done well I shouldn't need to be constantly reminded that someone was doing something "intelligently" or that they were "benevolent". (Also, just using adverbs to describe something and then at the shock twist ending suddenly revealling that [insert person/thing] was not like that at all... well, A+ foreshadowing/cliffhangers).
The characterisation was the biggest downfall to me. I didn't care for any of the characters, and considering the book is 704 pages long in my edition all of the characters are one dimensional and shallow. I didn't care about any of them, so when some of them died I was more frustrated that wasted page space had been spent telling me superfluous details about their lives. The womeon who aren't old (or non white) are all beautiful. Surprise! Couldn't have non-beautiful women. No non-beautiful women matter in space.
The narration reminds me of poor movie editing. A lot of the exposition is done through "flashback" paragraphs that are just nestled between other paragraphs without any warning that the action is taking place hours, months... years... previously.
The setting also annoyed me. Humans have spread across the stars... but they have only one type of fuel and most of the colonies cannot provide enough food to sustain themselves? Is that really logical? Especially considering the human military is worried about the only other known alien race becoming aggressive? And the worlds are run by a giant corporation and all religion has been amalgamated into one super-religion. If that had been explained a bit more I might have been interested... I wished more detail had been spent explaining how everyone just accepts a "King" as the head of this company - but the reader seems to be treated as patronizingly as the "subjects". I presume this is explained more in the later books but I have zero motivation to read them.
October 24, 2015
Kevin J. Anderson, or just KJA for short, has to be one of the most prolific writers in the genre going. Star Wars, Dune, Rush albums, you name it, he's written for it. Even X-Files? Yep, KJA wrote for it. However, his best, his greatest creations, at least in my humble opinion, are his books set in his 'Saga of Seven Suns' universe.
This, the first of 7 original volumes (a new trilogy, set after this story, but in the same universe is being written, and there's a prequel novella to this series as well, though I've yet to get to that one) in the 'Seven Suns' series is a terrific story full of great characters, heroes, villains, and elemental forces. As such, it is less science fiction, than it is science fantasy.
And this comes to the harsh words, too many, have said about this series. First of all KJA set out to write a great story, scientific accuracy was less his goal. He even explained that many times, wanting to write something more akin to Star Wars or Dune than to hard sci-fi. However, and I would advise him as to this for the future, he should have saved himself from grief and just labeled these, outright, as sci-fantasy. It is, in the main, a epic fantasy story of Kings, Princes, Empires, Elves (Ildirans) and elemental beings with their own agendas and empires, with only a veneer of science fiction overlaid over it. As a hybrid this series works beautifully.
This is my second time reading this series, and it's actually better the second time around than it was the first go around. If you're looking for a character heavy story with lots of twists and turns, a thick, Byzantine level plot, and plenty of action as well as some truly astounding visuals, then give this series a go. Each book just gets better and better than the one before it.
Highly recommended.
This, the first of 7 original volumes (a new trilogy, set after this story, but in the same universe is being written, and there's a prequel novella to this series as well, though I've yet to get to that one) in the 'Seven Suns' series is a terrific story full of great characters, heroes, villains, and elemental forces. As such, it is less science fiction, than it is science fantasy.
And this comes to the harsh words, too many, have said about this series. First of all KJA set out to write a great story, scientific accuracy was less his goal. He even explained that many times, wanting to write something more akin to Star Wars or Dune than to hard sci-fi. However, and I would advise him as to this for the future, he should have saved himself from grief and just labeled these, outright, as sci-fantasy. It is, in the main, a epic fantasy story of Kings, Princes, Empires, Elves (Ildirans) and elemental beings with their own agendas and empires, with only a veneer of science fiction overlaid over it. As a hybrid this series works beautifully.
This is my second time reading this series, and it's actually better the second time around than it was the first go around. If you're looking for a character heavy story with lots of twists and turns, a thick, Byzantine level plot, and plenty of action as well as some truly astounding visuals, then give this series a go. Each book just gets better and better than the one before it.
Highly recommended.
June 7, 2019
I enjoyed every minute of this book, but I can see why others had difficulty staying interested. I, too, find myself dreading the other 6 books. I was in the mood to pick up a SCI-FI that was detailed in the species and the worlds they lived on, and something that wasn't too technical. I admired the Green Priests and imagining a luscious green world where they store and share knowledge in the trees all zen-like, the Roamers, who I see as gritty underdogs, have a history in surviving the harshest circumstances and environments and harvesting their ekti from gas planets, the Ildirans for being traditional in their ways, the weird looking Mage Imperator and his privileged sons, the Klikiss robots...gah! So much to mention. I don't want to say too much about the hydrogues but damn, I do NOT want to f*** with them, but I thought their indestructible ships with lightening and ice weapons was the coolest thing ever. There are a lot of species in this book, and I assume there will be a lot more as I read the series. I think the book had a good pace where the first half was descriptive and foundational, and the last half had action, though it wasn't jam packed. Going into the book, I knew it was a space opera so I was able to have a level of patience to not be bothered by its slow pace. One thing I loved about KJA's writing is sometimes he'll build you up to an action scene and other times he'll just go for the gut, no warning. I loved the latter, every time.
There were some definite feels while I read this book and that ending was a total cliff hanger and I ALMOST cried. Almost, as in, I pouted, touched my hand to my heart, said 'aw', then day dreamed about picking up my next read.
I can see myself coming back to the series, but not right away.
There were some definite feels while I read this book and that ending was a total cliff hanger and I ALMOST cried. Almost, as in, I pouted, touched my hand to my heart, said 'aw', then day dreamed about picking up my next read.
I can see myself coming back to the series, but not right away.
October 28, 2011
I picked up an audio recording of this book simply because of the narrator - John Guidall. I found the story tolerable, but there are several plot holes that left me staring incredulously at my car's cd player. Overall I would have to say that the premise of the book - awakening the ire of an ancient race - was intriguing, but the execution was poor. Anderson has a few interesting ideas - the defunct Klickess (sp?) Empire was one - but his idea of an interstellar human society and the other alien races was too far fetched, too simplistic for me to accept. If you are looking for a good space opera, this is NOT it.
Plot holes:
1) The war with the hydrogues should never have taken place. The alien race allied with humanity knew about them, but for some reason never warned humanity about the danger. Anderson gives the reader no reason (plausible or implausible) for this omission.
2) The ancient race of Klickess (sp?) robots are allowed to wander freely through human space for over a century without any serious questions being raised or any investigation as to their nature. Surely someone would have tried to take one apart!
3) The head of the Hanseatic League - Wensislaus - is an idiot. He is not just an indifferent or evil ruler, he is incompetent. That would be okay, but he is supposed to be this clever mastermind, which he clearly is not.
Plot holes:
1) The war with the hydrogues should never have taken place. The alien race allied with humanity knew about them, but for some reason never warned humanity about the danger. Anderson gives the reader no reason (plausible or implausible) for this omission.
2) The ancient race of Klickess (sp?) robots are allowed to wander freely through human space for over a century without any serious questions being raised or any investigation as to their nature. Surely someone would have tried to take one apart!
3) The head of the Hanseatic League - Wensislaus - is an idiot. He is not just an indifferent or evil ruler, he is incompetent. That would be okay, but he is supposed to be this clever mastermind, which he clearly is not.
February 12, 2016
3 stars instead of 4 because I'm not terribly fond of the narrator in the audiobook.
I've already read what's been released of the Saga of Shadows, so coming to this series was an interesting experience. There's a lot of world building, which actually explains some things that aren't covered in such depth in the later series, and of course, the "new" characters are familiar and already established in the roles later. It's funny because I know where most of these characters end up later in life and know parts of their story already, but I don't feel spoiled, rather, I like to be able to anticipate and theorize what could happen to get them to that point later on.
This book is enormous. Normally, that wouldn't bother me, but this audiobook took me a full month to listen to and really seemed to drag in some places and there were plenty of scenes that could have been left out without affecting the overall story. Part of the drag could be that I much prefer the narrator from the Saga of Shadows audios, admittedly. Still, I think this shows Anderson's growth as a writer, that he's able to distill a "saga" into 3 books later instead of 7 and is able to focus on what's important to the plot.
Looking forward to book 2...but I think I'll need to get through a few more pressing books on my TBR shelf first (namely the 2 for book clubs due this month).
I've already read what's been released of the Saga of Shadows, so coming to this series was an interesting experience. There's a lot of world building, which actually explains some things that aren't covered in such depth in the later series, and of course, the "new" characters are familiar and already established in the roles later. It's funny because I know where most of these characters end up later in life and know parts of their story already, but I don't feel spoiled, rather, I like to be able to anticipate and theorize what could happen to get them to that point later on.
This book is enormous. Normally, that wouldn't bother me, but this audiobook took me a full month to listen to and really seemed to drag in some places and there were plenty of scenes that could have been left out without affecting the overall story. Part of the drag could be that I much prefer the narrator from the Saga of Shadows audios, admittedly. Still, I think this shows Anderson's growth as a writer, that he's able to distill a "saga" into 3 books later instead of 7 and is able to focus on what's important to the plot.
Looking forward to book 2...but I think I'll need to get through a few more pressing books on my TBR shelf first (namely the 2 for book clubs due this month).
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