Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
"[E]pic science fiction at its most genuinely epic ." —James S.A. Corey, New York Times -bestselling author of The Expanse novels "This wow book is a must for fans of Pierce Brown and Patrick Rothfuss." —Library Journal (starred) Hadrian Marlowe, a man revered as a hero and despised as a murderer, chronicles his tale in the galaxy-spanning debut of the Sun Eater series, merging the best of space opera and epic fantasy. It was not his war. The galaxy remembers him as a hero: the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a monster: the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives—even the Emperor himself—against Imperial orders. But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier. On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe starts down a path that can only end in fire. He flees his father and a future as a torturer only to be left stranded on a strange, backwater world. Forced to fight as a gladiator and navigate the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, Hadrian must fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.
Empire of Silence: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
Contains strong violence including gladiatorial combat, genocide of an alien species, and the destruction of a sun killing billions. Protagonist struggles with being labeled both hero and monster.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, mild sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include genocide, slavery, and mass death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers will be drawn to the epic galaxy-spanning tale of a reluctant hero caught between empire and conscience.