Hidden Empire: The Saga of Seven Suns, Book 1

By: Kevin J. Anderson

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 20 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

An explosive new science fiction series by New York Times best-selling author Kevin J. Anderson, Hidden Empire is the first volume in The Saga of the Seven Suns, modeled after the Star Wars and X-Files universes. Anderson has become the foremost science fiction writer of the century, bringing to life vivid characters and worlds that delight his fans across the galaxy.

The Klikiss, a now-extinct alien civilization, left behind vast technological information that has been discovered by two xenoarchaeologists. One discovery, a device that converts gas planets into life-giving suns is quickly put to the test with unimaginable results. Arising out of the test is a new alien species that threatens every human. Mankind is left with the dim reality, either fight the new alien life form or face humiliation, death, and extinction.

This riveting adventure swings you from one wonderous realm to another as the Hidden Empire is sought after and exposed. Anderson has created a gripping beginning to what will surely be his best series yet. George Guidall has returned a stellar performance and brought these characters to life in vivid detail.

Don't miss a minute of the action in Kevin J. Anderson's Saga of Seven Suns.

©2002 WorldFire, Inc. (P)2002 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"In this stellar launch of a new series, bestseller Anderson...delivers action, engaging characters, and credible fantastic worlds." (Publishers Weekly)
"Full of battles, chases, and hairbreadth escapes...this is also an intelligently conceived and executed nailbiter." (Booklist)
"Anderson's skill in delivering taut action scenes and creating well-rounded human and alien characters adds depth and variety to a series opener that belongs in most sf collections." (Library Journal)

Slow start but the sequels are worth it

I actually just finished the 3rd book in the series, and I am rating this one higher than I normally would only because of the sequels. This book has a slow start and is riddled with cliches, with some extraneous dialog and plot handholding, plus a contrived and overdone love story thrown in for good measure. Overall though, it's pretty good, so I took a chance on the next one. That one starts slow too, but becomes a real page-turner as the incredible scope of the story is revealed. The book after that is even better. Now I'm eagerly waiting for #4.

So give this one a chance, if only for what comes after. If this book was by a first-time author it probably never would have made it to print. The first part of this book gives no hint as to how big the epic really gets, and the huge backstory and careful plotting that went into the making of it. This really is the tip of a cosmic iceberg.

The beginning of a fantastic series

This book and the entire Saga of Seven Suns series so far are some of the most interesting, exciting books I've read/listened to in a long time. Some reviewers feel that the books are slow or that there are too many characters. For me, it was exactly the opposite impression. The story and the characters captivated me. Each character is well developed over the series and they are unique enough that I never confused them as some others have commented.

As for the story, I classify the entire series as "page turners". I couldn't wait to find out what happened next as the plot and intrigue between the different groups in the story deepened. New mysteries present themselves just when you feel you have a hold of the current ones, holding your attention and pulling you further into the story. I was actually somewhat surprised at how much I enjoyed the story, as the genre of Space Opera has never really been one of my favorites.

One warning to Audible listeners, The Saga of Seven Suns actually encompasses SEVEN books, with the first three available here, two others with audio versions available elsewhere (read by another reader), and the sixth and seventh books due in June 2007 and June 2008 respectively. Having finished book five I'll say that the worst part of the series is having to wait a year to find out what happens next.

I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

Great Story

I was surprised by how much I really liked this book. Just finished it a few hours ago, and am now downloading Book 2 ~ A forest of Stars!

An amazing start to a series

If you are looking for a captivating series this is the book for you. I have to say that Sci-fi can quickly turn cheesy, but Anderson pulls off an amazingly elegant universe.

As for the reader I have fallen in love with the reading of Guidall from many other books and it is what actually lead me to this book.

The intro at the first of the books is quite corny, but once the story starts your cannot put the thing down.

Very Good

It is true. This book has a lot of characters with new ones being introduced well into the story, but the scope of the book is so great that it needs all of them. After having "read" a fair number of audio books I was prepared to be disappointed, but surprisingly was not. This is a really good book and, when I finished it, I immediately downloaded the next one in the series.

While it is true that some of the characters do not see what is obvious to the reader (for example why there is a war) the reader is excellent and the story really drew me to the characters.

If Science Fiction interests you and you are preapred for a very long book, I recommend it.

Fun-Fun-Fun; Saga of Seven Suns is Fun!

Anyone who has loved Robert Heinlein, Ben Bova, Spyder Robinson, Andre Norton, Timothy Zahn, Bill Smith, Brian Daley, A.E. Van Vogt and too many others to remember to mention will love Kevin J. Anderson's Saga of the Seven Sun Series. His character development and plot twists keep the books unpredictable, the universe he has created is interesting, and the stories come to life as you read or listen.

I will rate every book available on this web site in this series as 5 stars for the same reason, so will not restate this or the written evaluation I added for A Forest of Stars, part of this series.

I highly encourage Audible to add Books 4, 5, and 6 as soon as possible so that its listeners can follow the schemes, characters, and enemy introduced in Book one to an ending of sorts.

Kevin J. Anderson's Book 7, Metal Swarm, not listed as "Book 7," continues the story of these same races, planets, empires, etc., and will be released on audio in December 2007. I hope that audible will add this one to its libray ASAP.

A written accident

This story should not be classified as science-fiction. Instead it should be a daytime soap opera on TV. The author appears to lack any understanding of science to include basic arithmetic. This book is my leader in worst written books I have ever read.

An excellent story

I listened to the entire book with rapt anticipation. Definitely going to continue with the remaining books.

Excellent, detailed story telling.

The book is a little slow to start and requires a bit of undivided attention at the beginning until the characters are more clarified in the reader's mind. Worth the attention though, and it's doing to be a long couple of days until I get my next credit!

Fantastic Listen!

This is a great story - huge, sweeping space-opera epic that features numerous characters and plots. If you're a fan of Anderson's Dune books, you'll love this series. It's not a rapid-fire pulp novel, this is a grand tale in the manner of George RR Martin or even Tolkien. There isn't a lot of action, true; but it's a massive setting that requires a thorough background. It's absolutely worth the listen, though, because it is a wonderful ride. Guidall is a superb narrator, and really brings the characters to life. Overall, a great listen, thoroughly entertaining!