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Cover of Empire of Silence by Christopher RuocchioEmpire of Silence
Modern · Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Empire of Silence

by Christopher Ruocchio
2018 · 800 pages · Fiction
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 20 hours to read · about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

It was not his war. On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe started down a path that could only end in fire. Christopher Ruocchio's space opera follows the making of a legend.

Why it's worth reading

It opens the Sun Eater series, a favorite of fans of sweeping, literary space opera.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It's long and slow to start, told as a memoir. It's the first of a long series.

By the numbers

64.1Must-Read Score
  • Readers46 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller37 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Reads as

Adventurous, Epic

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →

Quick answers

Is Empire of Silence worth reading?

Yes. It opens the Sun Eater series, a favorite of fans of sweeping, literary space opera. It ranks #1,978 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 64.1 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is Empire of Silence about?

It was not his war. On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe started down a path that could only end in fire. Christopher Ruocchio's space opera follows the making of a legend.

How long does it take to read Empire of Silence?

About 20 hours (800 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after Empire of Silence?

If you liked it, try Dune by Frank Herbert, Red Rising by Pierce Brown or The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.