Empire

Chronicles of the Invaders, Book 2

By: John Connolly, Jennifer Ridyard

Narrated by: Becky Wright

Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Empire is the second novel in the epic Chronicles of the Invaders trilogy by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard, following Conquest. As captivating as Pittacus Lore's I Am Number Four; as vividly realised as Veronica Roth's Divergent.

She is the trophy of a civilization at war with itself. He is its rebel captive. Separated by millions of light years, they will fight to be united. And they will risk everything to make their world - all worlds - right again.

©2015 Bad Dog Books Ltd & Jennifer Ridyard (P)2015 Headline Digital

Empire is the thrilling sequel to Conquest!!

Empire is the second in the Conquest of the Invaders that follows two main characters Syl Hellais, and Paul Kerr.
Syl Hellais is the first ‘Earth Born’, known as that as she was born on Earth even though her parents are Illyri, an alien race that invaded Earth (in a dystopian future that is set around the early 2010’s). She is the Daughter of Lord Andrus, the Military general who is in charge of the British Isles were this story is set (covering England, Scotland and Ireland), and centralized around Edinburgh castle, were the Illyri have rebuilt the castle as their stronghold.
Paul Kerr is the older brother of Steven Kerr, Paul being about 16yrs, Steven around 14yrs, the two brothers are part of the humanity’s resistance against the Illyri invasion. Due to something that the Illyri put in the water, a lot of older people find it difficult to fight, but the young still have the drive for it, so it is up to the Teenagers of Earth to try and fight against this Invasion.
At the end of Conquest, Paul and Syl had been captured after running through the Scottish Highlands trying to escape the Diplomatic Corps (One half of the political power on Illyr, with the world being divided into either the Diplomatic Corp, or the Military). They were on the run with the Rebellion, and had with them the head of the Diplomatic Corp, Gradus, but he was killed during their flight. At a major battle, the head of the Diplomatic Corps Secret Police, the Securitat, Sedilas, was also killed.
Gradus was the husband of the head of the Nairene Sisterhood, a secretive order within the Illyri that was founded after their last civil war, initially to save the knowledge of the Illyr, but as it grew, they become a force with unique gifts, as well as the knowledge of all sorts of ways to kill someone.
The greatest discovery comes though, of the Others, an organism that is living with Consul Gradus, and that when killed spreads a cloud of spores to infect everyone. Worse still, is that the Archmage of the Sisterhood is infected with one of these creatures, and at the end of book 1, she infects Syl’s Father, Lord Andrus.
As a result of everything, Syl and her friend Ani, join the Sisterhood as a way to cheat a death sentence, and Paul and his brother are sent to the Human Brigades under the watchful eye of an Illyri Captain Peris, to train as soldiers to fight with the Illyri.
Book 2 is fascinating as we get to explore the Nairene Sisterhood through Syl’s eyes, as well as a couple of other minor characters (most interestingly another novice called Elda), but through Syl, we gain a real understanding of this mysterious order of Priestesses. I don’t want to give away too much, the world building surrounding the Nairene is just masterful, there is so much depth and detail, and it really adds this incredible layer to the story that gives it a whole new level of intrigue. The Sisterhood have been around along time, formed by 5 Sisters who went into exile, and used the planets natural defences (the moon they are on Avila Minor which is a moon of Illyr, is one of the most hostile enivronments you can imagine, with scorching tempartures, and killer beasts that are just amazing). Originally, they were about knowledge, they wanted to gather all the knowledge in the universe, but somewhere this has become corrupted (as things often do), and now they are about power. Within the sisterhood now, there is a group called the gifted, a group of young Illyri with unique psychic gifts, one can burn you, another can crush the bones with breaking the skin, turning your bones to a fine past where you stand. Yet another can create disease in you so fast, you die within minutes horribly. There are others to. These ‘Gifted’ are being trained by the Archmage of the Sisterhood Syrene. It is here that Syl is trying to find out what is going on, following the end of book 1 and what she learned there of the Others. She thought she was going to have the help of Ani, but as they stay, Ani becomes enamoured with the Sisterhood.
This aspect of the story is both intriguing and just brilliant, with exceptional character writing, and a compelling storyline that you just can’t put down.
On the other side of this, is Paul Kerr and his brother Steven, sent to the ‘Brigades’, to train with the Illyri. Initially, they are resentful of this punishment, but withing a short time, they start to use their position to try and learn what they can, both in the training as soldiers, but also to gather intel to help in their fight to help Earth. The Brothers find themselves in a lot of trouble on a mission on another planet, when they are sent to investigate a mining colony that has gone quiet, and things go terribly wrong. I don’t want to give away any spoilers as this part of the book was just brilliant, fast-paced, action packed and thrilling.
This was a book with two dynamics, this intriguing, gripping, almost terrifying at times, horrifying story of Syl, as she navigates the Sisterhood, but at all times, compelling and thrilling, and on the other side, we have Paul’s story, which is fast-paced, action-packed, not quite as intriguing as Syl’s story, but what it lacks in intrigue, it makes up in pure punch, but again, it is incredibly compelling and thrilling. Book 1 was good, but Book 2 is so much better as we learn so much more about the Characters, but also the world that is beyond Earth and not just the Illyri, but what has been driving them, both internally (the Diplomatic Corp, the Military, the Sisterhood), but also externally. If you enjoyed Book 1, you will absolutely LOVE Book 2.
It is strange to change the Narrator part way through a series, so I was not sure how I would go having listened to Nicole Barber for book 1, and now having Becky Wright for book 2, and would the voices be ok. I had nothing to be concerned about though. Becky Wright is brilliant as the Narrator, with a sensational range of voices, both male and female, she has a clear and concise voice, easy to listen to, and more importantly, she does such an amazing job of keeping the voices from the original book very similar so that there is not a lot of difference, and it is easy to go from one book to the next.
Wright does a wonderful job conveying the emotions of her characters, really making you understand and the characters feel during the story, and what they are going through.
The Narration is excellent, and this was such a great book to listen to!1