What do you think?
Rate this book
Empires
Empires rise and fall, human lives are lived, collisions occur more than we will ever know, and yet the unexpected can still happen.
Alaska, 2018, and Mike is a long way from home, nursing a wrecked knee and an unspoken grief, striking out into real estate and parenting his partner’s son. London, 1978, and Simon is an Australian fish out of water navigating adolescence during the Winter of Discontent, and drawn to an eccentric impresario next door. Washington, DC, 1928, and a retired US senator is interviewed about his time in Russia in 1916, and his mission to save a young heir to an empire. Vienna, 1809, and an Irish teenager on the run from the law takes refuge among composers as Napoleon besieges and shells the city. Hong Kong, 2019, and estranged brothers Mike and Simon reunite in midlife to face the secrets of the past, and reconnect in more ways than one.
Empires rise and fall, human lives play out, encounters, collisions and connections occur more than we can ever know – and yet, the unexpected can still happen.
Endlessly compelling and inventive, Empires is a masterful novel in five parts with boys and men at its heart. Spanning centuries and crossing continents, it explores the empires we build, the way we see ourselves, the narratives we construct and the interconnectedness of all things. This is Nick Earls at his finest.
Alaska, 2018, and Mike is a long way from home, nursing a wrecked knee and an unspoken grief, striking out into real estate and parenting his partner’s son. London, 1978, and Simon is an Australian fish out of water navigating adolescence during the Winter of Discontent, and drawn to an eccentric impresario next door. Washington, DC, 1928, and a retired US senator is interviewed about his time in Russia in 1916, and his mission to save a young heir to an empire. Vienna, 1809, and an Irish teenager on the run from the law takes refuge among composers as Napoleon besieges and shells the city. Hong Kong, 2019, and estranged brothers Mike and Simon reunite in midlife to face the secrets of the past, and reconnect in more ways than one.
Empires rise and fall, human lives play out, encounters, collisions and connections occur more than we can ever know – and yet, the unexpected can still happen.
Endlessly compelling and inventive, Empires is a masterful novel in five parts with boys and men at its heart. Spanning centuries and crossing continents, it explores the empires we build, the way we see ourselves, the narratives we construct and the interconnectedness of all things. This is Nick Earls at his finest.
336 pages, Paperback
Published August 3, 2021
11 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Nick Earls
74 books172 followersNick Earls is the author of twelve books, including bestselling novels such as Zigzag Street, Bachelor Kisses, Perfect Skin and World of Chickens. His work has been published internationally in English and also in translation, and this led to him being a finalist in the Premier of Queensland’s Awards for Export Achievement in 1999.
Zigzag Street won a Betty Trask Award in the UK in 1998, and is currently being developed into a feature film. Bachelor Kisses was one of Who Weekly’s Books of the Year in 1998. Perfect Skin was the only novel nominated for an Australian Comedy Award in 2003, and has recently been filmed in Italy.
He has written five novels with teenage central characters. 48 Shades of Brown was awarded Book of the Year (older readers) by the Children’s Book Council in 2000, and in the US it was a Kirkus Reviews selection in its books of the year for 2004. A feature film adapted from the novel was released in Australia by Buena Vista International in August 2006, and has subsequently screened at festivals in North America and Europe. His earlier young-adult novel, After January, was also an award-winner.
After January, 48 Shades of Brown, Zigzag Street and Perfect Skin have all been successfully adapted for theatre by La Boite, and the Zigzag Street play toured nationally in 2005.
Nick Earls was the founding chair of the Australian arm of the international aid agency War Child and is now a War Child ambassador. He is or has also been patron of Kids Who Make a Difference and Hands on Art, and an honorary ambassador for both the Mater Foundation and the Abused Child Trust. On top of that, he was the face of Brisbane Marketing’s ‘Downtown Brisbane’ and ‘Experience Brisbane’ campaigns.
His contribution to writing in Queensland led to him being awarded the Queensland Writers Centre’s inaugural Johnno award in 2001 and a Centenary Medal in 2003. His work as a writer, in writing industry development and in support of humanitarian causes led to him being named University of Queensland Alumnus of the Year in 2006. He was also the Queensland Multicultural Champion for 2006.
He has an honours degree in Medicine from the University of Queensland, and has lived in Brisbane since migrating as an eight-year-old from Northern Ireland in 1972. London’s Mirror newspaper has called him ‘the first Aussie to make me laugh out loud since Jason Donovan’. His latest novel is Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, co-written with Rebecca Sparrow.
Zigzag Street won a Betty Trask Award in the UK in 1998, and is currently being developed into a feature film. Bachelor Kisses was one of Who Weekly’s Books of the Year in 1998. Perfect Skin was the only novel nominated for an Australian Comedy Award in 2003, and has recently been filmed in Italy.
He has written five novels with teenage central characters. 48 Shades of Brown was awarded Book of the Year (older readers) by the Children’s Book Council in 2000, and in the US it was a Kirkus Reviews selection in its books of the year for 2004. A feature film adapted from the novel was released in Australia by Buena Vista International in August 2006, and has subsequently screened at festivals in North America and Europe. His earlier young-adult novel, After January, was also an award-winner.
After January, 48 Shades of Brown, Zigzag Street and Perfect Skin have all been successfully adapted for theatre by La Boite, and the Zigzag Street play toured nationally in 2005.
Nick Earls was the founding chair of the Australian arm of the international aid agency War Child and is now a War Child ambassador. He is or has also been patron of Kids Who Make a Difference and Hands on Art, and an honorary ambassador for both the Mater Foundation and the Abused Child Trust. On top of that, he was the face of Brisbane Marketing’s ‘Downtown Brisbane’ and ‘Experience Brisbane’ campaigns.
His contribution to writing in Queensland led to him being awarded the Queensland Writers Centre’s inaugural Johnno award in 2001 and a Centenary Medal in 2003. His work as a writer, in writing industry development and in support of humanitarian causes led to him being named University of Queensland Alumnus of the Year in 2006. He was also the Queensland Multicultural Champion for 2006.
He has an honours degree in Medicine from the University of Queensland, and has lived in Brisbane since migrating as an eight-year-old from Northern Ireland in 1972. London’s Mirror newspaper has called him ‘the first Aussie to make me laugh out loud since Jason Donovan’. His latest novel is Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, co-written with Rebecca Sparrow.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 28, 2021
My review is published in the August edition of goodREADING magazine.
October 4, 2021
I was captivated from the beginning; Nick is a master of character; I was drawn into the worlds of each of the key protagonists - amazing research as to time and place too - spanning years - quite a feat. And to write in a language that seemed to suit the era for which he is writing. I loved the book and would recommend it. Looks at the possible twists history could've taken and how historical family misunderstandings may fester - a great twist with a contemporary edge. I would say it's a good book club read as lots to discuss.
September 30, 2021
I usually really enjoy Nick Earles writing however I found this book to be a bit disjointed. I ended up skimming the historical chapters which probably ruined the purpose of the book but I found these chapters quite laborious to read. The other three parts of the book were more typical of a Nick Earl's read. Insightful explorations of interactions between people.
June 10, 2022
Author Nick Earls never disappoints. He writes family drama with such detail, such finesse that the everyday minutia gradually builds, leading you towards unexpected events and strong emotions before you realise it. The low key way his characters grow is often overlooked by readers hungry for pace and passion. Don't miss the subtleties, the everyday cornerstones of life as they unfold in Alaska 2018, London 1978, Washington 1928, Vienna 1809 and Hong Kong 2019. Decades of human interaction with connections between them, stories within stories, like the Napoleonic past underpinning the future in the most intriguing way. My favourite is London, and I suppose the predominate thread is Mike (a smidge autobiographical?) with his anxiety and tenuous link to his estranged brother Simon. Prepare for stories which are thought-provoking, a bit literary and perhaps a statement on the substance of a good book.
February 7, 2024
3.5 stars. A compassionate, serious, interesting novel in five parts. The main overall story is about two brothers with an age difference of ten years, who are from Brisbane and have gone their separate ways. It is only at the end of the novel that we learn the reason for the separation of the brothers over many years.
The novel includes a large amount of historic information, mainly about French Napoleon Bonaparte times.
I found the historic fiction section did not smoothly blend in with the parts about the brothers.
This book was first published in 2021.
The novel includes a large amount of historic information, mainly about French Napoleon Bonaparte times.
I found the historic fiction section did not smoothly blend in with the parts about the brothers.
This book was first published in 2021.
November 28, 2021
Author Nick Earls’ Wisdom Tree series of novellas was a triumph, and he has built on those skills to write Empires (Vintage Penguin Random House 2021), a novel comprised of five sections that could each easily stand alone but together are more than the sum of their parts. A book about boys and men, ‘spanning centuries and crossing continents’, it explores, as its title suggests, the empires we build in families, in society, in countries, and the ‘interconnectedness of all things’.
The first two sections are wonderful. The novel opens in 2018, narrated by Mike, an Australian living in Alaska with his partner and her young son. Formerly a ski instructor (but that career ended with a shattered knee as a result of a car accident), Mike has begun selling real estate, and the opening scene with his client Ellen and her shed full of historical collectibles is simple and yet one of the best in the book. The rich characterisation of Mike, his partner Lacy, her son Cedar and even minor characters such as Ellen demonstrate Earl’s exceptional writing talent. On its own, this could be a beautiful and complete novella. The second part is set in London in 1978 and is narrated by Mike’s older brother Simon. This is perhaps my favourite section of the book. Simon, Mike (then Michael) and their parents live next door to an ‘eccentric impresario’, George, who owns a string of theatres, encourages young Australian Simon to teach him to swim in his private pool, and amazes the adolescent with his cabinet of curiosities. And it is in this chapter that the through line or thread that connects these different sections is revealed. Of course, the families / ancestors are there, but there are objects too that last through the centuries and pass from hand to hand over time.
The third section is set in Washington DC in 1928 and is written in the form of an interview with a retired US senator about the time he spent in Russia in 1916, and his role in attempting to save a young heir to an empire. While this part is quite dense with historical fact, the story is narrated in an engaging way, and tells the story of a sliding door moment of a well-known part of history. The next section, in the form of a diary, is written by an Irish teenager on the run from the law in Vienna in 1809. As Napoleon besieges the city, the young man seeks refuge with some famous composers. The final section is set in Hong Kong in 2019, and sees brothers Simon and Mike reunite after some 30 years apart or estranged. Their lives have been very different, and not a few secrets – many about the past – are disclosed. There is one significant secret revealed that brings the brothers both closer together and further apart. Again, the objects that have threaded throughout the entire novel appear in this final section, closing the circle nicely on historical mementos and family history.
The novel explores the themes of the passage of time, the past reaching forward into the future, and the relative impermanence and transience of human lives when compared with historical objects or indeed the story of history itself. The themes of families, connection, grief and loss, ambition and fervour are also examined. As the title suggests, empires are at the heart of this book – the smaller empires of families, the larger empires of countries and the all-encompassing empires of eras and epochs. By writing these five small samples of completely different lives and times, Earls has managed to create a much bigger picture of the interconnectedness of all things in the world. The reader is left with the impression that although there is nothing ever truly new in this life, it is nevertheless endlessly full of surprising coincidences.
The cover features an image of Napoleon casting a long, phallic shadow … which I couldn’t help but associate with his reputation as a small man wanting to be much bigger. Empires is a book about small things and small people, as well as about large issues and famous and infamous people, but in the end, it is the emotional truths that do not change with time that create the foundation for this story.
The first two sections are wonderful. The novel opens in 2018, narrated by Mike, an Australian living in Alaska with his partner and her young son. Formerly a ski instructor (but that career ended with a shattered knee as a result of a car accident), Mike has begun selling real estate, and the opening scene with his client Ellen and her shed full of historical collectibles is simple and yet one of the best in the book. The rich characterisation of Mike, his partner Lacy, her son Cedar and even minor characters such as Ellen demonstrate Earl’s exceptional writing talent. On its own, this could be a beautiful and complete novella. The second part is set in London in 1978 and is narrated by Mike’s older brother Simon. This is perhaps my favourite section of the book. Simon, Mike (then Michael) and their parents live next door to an ‘eccentric impresario’, George, who owns a string of theatres, encourages young Australian Simon to teach him to swim in his private pool, and amazes the adolescent with his cabinet of curiosities. And it is in this chapter that the through line or thread that connects these different sections is revealed. Of course, the families / ancestors are there, but there are objects too that last through the centuries and pass from hand to hand over time.
The third section is set in Washington DC in 1928 and is written in the form of an interview with a retired US senator about the time he spent in Russia in 1916, and his role in attempting to save a young heir to an empire. While this part is quite dense with historical fact, the story is narrated in an engaging way, and tells the story of a sliding door moment of a well-known part of history. The next section, in the form of a diary, is written by an Irish teenager on the run from the law in Vienna in 1809. As Napoleon besieges the city, the young man seeks refuge with some famous composers. The final section is set in Hong Kong in 2019, and sees brothers Simon and Mike reunite after some 30 years apart or estranged. Their lives have been very different, and not a few secrets – many about the past – are disclosed. There is one significant secret revealed that brings the brothers both closer together and further apart. Again, the objects that have threaded throughout the entire novel appear in this final section, closing the circle nicely on historical mementos and family history.
The novel explores the themes of the passage of time, the past reaching forward into the future, and the relative impermanence and transience of human lives when compared with historical objects or indeed the story of history itself. The themes of families, connection, grief and loss, ambition and fervour are also examined. As the title suggests, empires are at the heart of this book – the smaller empires of families, the larger empires of countries and the all-encompassing empires of eras and epochs. By writing these five small samples of completely different lives and times, Earls has managed to create a much bigger picture of the interconnectedness of all things in the world. The reader is left with the impression that although there is nothing ever truly new in this life, it is nevertheless endlessly full of surprising coincidences.
The cover features an image of Napoleon casting a long, phallic shadow … which I couldn’t help but associate with his reputation as a small man wanting to be much bigger. Empires is a book about small things and small people, as well as about large issues and famous and infamous people, but in the end, it is the emotional truths that do not change with time that create the foundation for this story.
August 15, 2021
Disjointed & disappointing. Written in 5 parts - 1, 2 & 5 are brothers Mike & Simon (2018 Canada, 1978 London & 2019 Hong Kong), while 3 is set Russia in 1917 (as remembered in Washington in 1928) & 4 is Vienna in 1809. I found the link with 3 & 4 very weak & frankly I found these parts boring - they read as a bland description of historical events with (for me) little insight into the characters, their actions or their development. The brothers' story hence felt disconnected & progression interrupted. I feel that I maybe missed something in this book
December 21, 2022
Modern empires from America, Russia, Britain, France and Austria are linked into this personal story through objects in cabinets of curiosity including a lead soldier which may be one given by Napoleon himself to the narrator’s distant relation in Vienna in 1809. The Australian writer, Nick Earls begins his story with the first person narration of 40 year old Australian Mike, an injured ski instructor in Alaska, now living with his wife Lacy and seven year old son on a small island near Anchorage where he is beginning his new job as a real estate salesman.
His latest client is a widow, Ellen, a former history teacher who is downsizing after her husband’s death and is clearing out the house which includes various historical documents and objects that they have collected and sell as retirement employment. In gratitude for Mike’s assistance, she gives him a lead soldier of ancient but unknown provenance and Mike decides to give it on to his brother Simon who also collects similar things.
The narrative then moves to Simon aged 14 in London in 1978 where he is a talented music student living opposite a theatrical entrepreneur, George Lascelles who owns the empire Theatre chain. George is gregarious and generous and quickly befriends Simon’s family at their first Christmas in the London stockbroker’s rural suburb. More significantly for Simon is that George owns a heated indoor swimming pool and an 18th century English Broadwood piano. As their friendship develops, swimming in the pool, talking about music and Simon’s school assignment on G. B. Shaw, George shows him his cabinet of curiosities which, among other things contains an ancient lead soldier.
Earls continues to move the narration and setting in each chapter, moving from London to Washington in 1928 and a Senator’s story of how he met the Tsaravich in 1916, to Vienna in 1809 where a French boy student and carer for Haydn is called upon to translate for the Irish general who is surrendering the city to Napoleon after the Austrian army has fled the city. The travels through time of the various curiosities, chiefly two lead soldiers, are finally linked in 2009 Hong Kong, where Simon is living as an airline pilot.
There are some surprises along the way from the first chapter where the clue arrives; ‘There was a baby and then there was not.’ The relationship tensions and secrets between Mike, his wife Lacy and his brother Simon is the other literary device that binds these historical stories together. ‘There was a story, but it was lost. Maybe that was how curiosities worked’. I enjoyed the historical speculation about the objects and how Earls worked the changes in setting and time through his characters whom I found believable and convincing. Knowing that the Broadwood company gifted a piano to Beethoven and his changing attitudes to Napoleon helped the verisimilitude and made the Irish general believable. Earls provides some evidence of his historic research in the Acknowledgements after the end which provided one surprise too many for me.
His latest client is a widow, Ellen, a former history teacher who is downsizing after her husband’s death and is clearing out the house which includes various historical documents and objects that they have collected and sell as retirement employment. In gratitude for Mike’s assistance, she gives him a lead soldier of ancient but unknown provenance and Mike decides to give it on to his brother Simon who also collects similar things.
The narrative then moves to Simon aged 14 in London in 1978 where he is a talented music student living opposite a theatrical entrepreneur, George Lascelles who owns the empire Theatre chain. George is gregarious and generous and quickly befriends Simon’s family at their first Christmas in the London stockbroker’s rural suburb. More significantly for Simon is that George owns a heated indoor swimming pool and an 18th century English Broadwood piano. As their friendship develops, swimming in the pool, talking about music and Simon’s school assignment on G. B. Shaw, George shows him his cabinet of curiosities which, among other things contains an ancient lead soldier.
Earls continues to move the narration and setting in each chapter, moving from London to Washington in 1928 and a Senator’s story of how he met the Tsaravich in 1916, to Vienna in 1809 where a French boy student and carer for Haydn is called upon to translate for the Irish general who is surrendering the city to Napoleon after the Austrian army has fled the city. The travels through time of the various curiosities, chiefly two lead soldiers, are finally linked in 2009 Hong Kong, where Simon is living as an airline pilot.
There are some surprises along the way from the first chapter where the clue arrives; ‘There was a baby and then there was not.’ The relationship tensions and secrets between Mike, his wife Lacy and his brother Simon is the other literary device that binds these historical stories together. ‘There was a story, but it was lost. Maybe that was how curiosities worked’. I enjoyed the historical speculation about the objects and how Earls worked the changes in setting and time through his characters whom I found believable and convincing. Knowing that the Broadwood company gifted a piano to Beethoven and his changing attitudes to Napoleon helped the verisimilitude and made the Irish general believable. Earls provides some evidence of his historic research in the Acknowledgements after the end which provided one surprise too many for me.
December 9, 2021
I'd actually give this 3.5stars but the site won't let me.
The book is a series of stories linked by the appearance of a 'tin' soldier that looks like Napoleon and features in each of the stories. I thought each story was completely independent of each other until I got to the end, and with that revelation, backtracked through each of the story to find them all linked by a gossamer thread. Its an interesting concept.
To me, that ending was revealing and a worthy conclusion to all narratives.
The stories sometimes felt sometimes a bit long but I think it was because of my current level of patience. Having said that, there were times where I found myself at the end of a particular story - oh that was quick.
Its been a while since I have read any of Nick Earl's work, although I had listened to his contribution to the recent "Stories in the Key of GC". Must go back and read more of his work.
The book is a series of stories linked by the appearance of a 'tin' soldier that looks like Napoleon and features in each of the stories. I thought each story was completely independent of each other until I got to the end, and with that revelation, backtracked through each of the story to find them all linked by a gossamer thread. Its an interesting concept.
To me, that ending was revealing and a worthy conclusion to all narratives.
The stories sometimes felt sometimes a bit long but I think it was because of my current level of patience. Having said that, there were times where I found myself at the end of a particular story - oh that was quick.
Its been a while since I have read any of Nick Earl's work, although I had listened to his contribution to the recent "Stories in the Key of GC". Must go back and read more of his work.
January 10, 2022
Anchored down in Anchorage …. Fabulous characterisations throughout this unusually constructed novel. It reminded me a little of ‘People of the book’ which deals with much weightier issues linked through history via the culturally significant Jewish text and artifact. This is not so weighty : but it does resonate of the interconnectedness of things and people, and the value of maintaining those links and communications. Across the world, across Empires, as the product of empires of one kind and another, be it Russian, a chain of theatres, British, French, musical or media, Chinese or commercial there’s always an over-arching power at work organising history, and the trains of events that comprise it. Beautiful writing, intense with emotion and the very essence of being. Really enjoyable.
February 8, 2022
I devoured Empires, thinking I'd never read anything quite like it and wondering how anybody comes up with something so vast and intimate at the same time. But then I devoured Nick Earls' previous project, his Wisdom Tree novellas, and it all made sense. Delicious, satisfying sense. My work as a psychotherapist tells me there are no easy answers or relationships if they matter; Earls seems to get this truth in spades, and should know that if he ever gets jack of writing humans so wisely and kindly, he'd surely make a great therapist. I hope he doesn't get jack of it though - I want to see what he comes up with next.
October 23, 2021
This was a significant departure for Earls, much more conceptual although at its heart still an exploration of manhood. I really enjoyed the historical connections and thought each phase was a fascinating and thoughtful account in its own right. The final twist was disappointing, in part because of the almost cliché that such inclusions have become in the modern novel, but as an exploration of repressed pain and confusion and the inherent restrictions in twisted freedom it was interesting, especially as I'm not sure it was intended as such.
August 30, 2021
I wanted to like this and while there were sections that were appealing, overall it is disappointing. It is written in 5 parts, 3 of which are directly about brothers Mike and Simon in 2018 Canada, 1978 London and finally when they reconnect in 2019 Hong Kong as men in their middle age. This was the most interesting and true-to-life section and a fascinating cultivation of their story through Earls’ trademark relatable and very readable style. To have to persevere through the intervening two stories, one set is 1917 Russia as recalled in 1928 Washington and the other in 1809 Vienna is s just a chore.
Read
November 2, 2021I'm not rating this one because I skipped a big chunk (basically the third quarter - parts 3 and 4). I really enjoyed the rest, which was essentially the story of two Brisbane brothers. The part I skipped was the historical part, which I felt may have worked better in text. It's possible I missed something important that may have provided clues as to the rather sensational ending, but I'll never know. The story of Mike and Simon was worth a solid 4 stars.
January 18, 2022
This is a fascinating book with 5 parts that interconnect. Some of the connections are very clear and others you really have to think about - I did a lot of googling of historical characters and events (learnt a lot!). I think the way it was written and came together was amazing. I took one star off for the ending which was very odd and didn't seem to fully fit the rest of the book and the character.
December 21, 2021
I just didn’t get it
Hard to write a review without revealing the twist. All through the book I kept waiting on something to happen, for the connections between past and present to click. Never did, and the people in the story were not that interesting, with an ending never hinted at. Very disappointing.
Hard to write a review without revealing the twist. All through the book I kept waiting on something to happen, for the connections between past and present to click. Never did, and the people in the story were not that interesting, with an ending never hinted at. Very disappointing.
October 2, 2021
Nick just gets the human condition and the emotions that make us tick.
November 3, 2021
Such a slog to read. Dull as dishwater in the middle. I hoped a fabulous ending would tie it all together and make it worth it in the end but not really.
November 29, 2021
Excellent writing, but in most of the historic parts of the story my interest flagged, the Russian episode being the exception.
March 29, 2022
Excellent. Well researched, well written, rivetting.
May 2, 2022
I enjoyed parts of this one, but felt like it bit off more than it could chew and got lost at times.
March 18, 2023
A perfect holiday read, delicate, well paced with connections that make you want more but yet satisfied.
This is a book that I’ll problem read over and over again.
This is a book that I’ll problem read over and over again.
April 25, 2025
3 1/2 ⭐️
February 13, 2022
Read for Muse Oz Lit Bookclub. A story of interactions between younger and older men - a man builds a relationship with his partner’s son; 40 years ago this man’s older brother at age 14 lovingly shares responsibility for him with his mother and teaches an older man who lives next door how to swim; an ex US senator tries to save a young future Tzar; a young musician who works for Hadyn translates french for his Uncle as he hands over Vienna to Napoleon. Lastly the two brothers reunite in Hong Kong where historical objects whose provenance is gradually traced through the book and the revelation of a family secret bring them back together. Historical relationships revealed such as US interest in pre-revolutionary Russia as a major trading partner and Napoleon’s courting of Viennese musicians such as Beethoven after Vienna surrendered reveal the depth of interest to be found in historical inquiry.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews