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  • Empire of Silence

  • The universe-spanning science fiction epic
  • By: Christopher Ruocchio
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 25 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (115 ratings)

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Empire of Silence

By: Christopher Ruocchio
Narrated by: John Lee
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Publisher's summary

Hadrian Marlowe, privileged first son of a Duke, was destined for greatness, and he has become a legend. The Sun-Slayer. The Breaker of Sieges. The Crusher of Civilisations. His is a story which defined the course of worlds.

This novel is not that story - not the only laid out in the history books, charting the 300 years of his life. Rather this is Hadrian's story, told in his own worlds. Of being passed over by his father for rule in favour of his younger brother and sent to a military academy against his wishes. Of being kidnapped in transit to that planet and sold into slavery on a planet at the edge of our war against the Cielcen...and of how he used their eventual attack to claw his way back into the dangers and opportunities of politics.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2018 Christopher Ruocchio (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group

What listeners say about Empire of Silence

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

amazing!

amazing story looking forward to reading the next installment! also amazing performance from john lee loved it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent on all points, a grand adventure is only beginning !

A bit long sometimes with a lot of introspections cutting the action, but all things considered it fits well with the ensemble. Enjoy your reading !

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great start

Starts out very slow, but it really gets its hooks in you. Recommended for sure!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good overall

I enjoyed the story,but there were long sections where it felt like not much was happening

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The waiting is so much good book

Didn’t like it end, also love the character of destiny in this book, thanks again

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A master at work

This is a criminally underrated masterpiece. The world building is realistic and accurate. The character development is captivating. The world feels real and the characters in it as well. All characters are complex and multi-layered, no tropes or 2 dimensional characters so often used by writers as a crutch for the protagonist or as a plot development tool. Brilliant. Wholeheartedly recommend.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Pretty good Dune and Star Wars matchup

I like the genre and the book is true to itself, so I stuck with it. My main problem with it is that I keep getting distracted by the callbacks to the Dune universe.

I've stuck with the series and later there is a bit of Star Wars as well.

Enjoyable but by no means original.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Deep engaging world delivering at every turn

Author asks a lot of his new world and delivers. His main protagonist never acts out of character and you never get the feeling that the plot was pushing actions against a characters underlying personality
Recommend and waiting for the next book

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

Interesting world & characters, many concepts are taken from other fantasy and scifi worlds, but all have enough of a twist.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Captivating Sci-Fi Journey Worth Reading

Empire of Silence completely pulled me in! Hadrian Marlowe’s story is gripping, and I couldn’t get enough of the world he’s navigating. The mix of sci-fi and fantasy is spot-on, and the character development had me rooting for Hadrian from the start. The world-building is so immersive—it felt like I was right there with him on every step of his journey. This book is an exciting ride with just the right balance of action, depth, and emotional twists. If you love a good adventure with rich storytelling, you’ll really enjoy this one!

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