Hadrian Marlowe: The Whiny Hero of Empire of Silence

An In Depth Review of Book 1 of the Sun Eater Series

Information:

• Goodreads: 4.04 Out of 24,646 Ratings
• Age Range: Adult
• Genre: Science Fiction
• Series: The Sun Eater Series, Book 1

Summary:

Hadrian Marlowe is a spoiled rich kid who hates his dad and brother. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with the family business because it hurts people, but also doesn’t want his brother to inherit anything, either. Unfortunately for Hadrian, his dad prefers his goofy, no brained, boulder of a brother and plots to send Hadrian off to the religious sector to be a torturer – and if there is anyone Hadrian hates more than his family, it’s these religious zealots. He runs away from dear old pops, but his plans never go the way they’re supposed to and he ends up stranded on a planet he’s never been to before. 35 years later. He meets a bunch of neat people who all play a part in creating the man Hadrian becomes – the man who destroyed a sun. He, along with the readers, begins to learn more about these people and the mysterious Cielsin, beginning a journey he can’t stop himself from embarking on.

Review:

This is an interesting book. It definitely has its flaws, such as feeling maybe overly slow and the characters being frustrating, unlikable, or one note. Hadrian is a whiny rich kid who hates that he’s rich but also doesn’t want to not be rich. That doesn’t stop him from slumming it out with people for years due to being unable to make a single decision on his own. There is exactly one time in the book that this dramatic theater kid makes a choice all on his own that is only when his life is in danger – and even then, it’s still a decision he kind of had help in making. He’s annoying and insufferable, yet still somehow interesting and kept me curious through the whole book. I know, I can’t explain it either. The world is interesting with its complex cultures and views on family and the way it ended left me eager to see what happens next.

In Depth Review:

To get the negatives out of the way first, this whole first book reads as a 753 page long prologue. That’s not terrible and it genuinely kept my interest, but it felt like the story only really started near the ending. Hadrian, our main character, felt like someone the story happens to rather than the person the story is about. He begins the book lamenting about how his brother is all muscle and no brains with a proclivity of inflicting harm onto others and his father is a cold-hearted bastard. Hadrian builds himself up to be a person who is the opposite of these two, yet there is not a single moment within this book – aside from one at the very end – in which Hadrian takes the reins and becomes the master of his own story. Also, there are moments that Hadrian actually inflicts harm on others, despite hating how his father and brother did so. He makes promises that he knows he can’t keep in order to get his way, then both doesn’t get his way and can’t keep his promise. We spend nearly the whole book watching as he toils between decisions and waits so long to make one that it ends up being the only real option left. There are many times when he makes the excuse of doing something bad (such as partaking in the torture of a Cielsion) that there just wasn’t any other option left. But, if he would sit and actually think some things through, this reasoning just isn’t true. That makes him a character that can be irritating to read about, yet he is also charismatic enough that his choices and behaviors making him interesting and keep the reader curious enough to continue. The side characters definitely help to make this possible. Hadrian is a fun person to see in contrast to Valka, who is mysterious and aloof and intelligent – all things I think Hadrian wishes he was. Marius reminds him of his father by making mean decisions, but he makes them in a way Hadrian feels he can begrudgingly respect. Anias is just there, like her brother, but has a calculating aura. But, even though the other characters help add to the interest of who Hadrian is and help him keep the story going, there isn’t a single one of them that actually feels like a person. They all solely exist for Hadrian, they aren’t their own people. Valka and Marius (I really hope that’s his name) come close, but I don’t think they’re fully realized yet. We’re introduced to a ton of people in this book. I think a lot of them will end up being important, but they don’t feel that way right now. They just feel like names given to people so they can be called something other than the doctor or the beggar or the pilot.

The book did a great job at keeping me interested and curious, but it lacked in being able to pull any emotions. For example, a character named Cat is meant to play this big role and does have a large impact on Hadrian and the book. She isn’t in the book the whole time, but her part has its lasting effects. Hadrian thinks about her at least twice a day. However, her part is also meant to be one that leaves the reader sad and feel for Hadrian’s loss. Unfortunately, I just didn’t. I didn’t feel anything. Her part felt like it happened so quickly that I didn’t have the time or the means to grow attached to her or Hadrian’s feelings for her. The plot felt much the same. We spend the whole book watching this obnoxious kid waste years of his life awkwardly lumbering from one predicament to the next – but it is somehow compulsively readable. The super interesting part of the book, which is the conflict with the Cielsin, doesn’t even come into focus until close to the very end, and yet it’s that end of the book that had me hooked and made this go from an average read to a slightly above average read that holds a promise of being something phenomenal.

The writing style Ruocchio has is pretty great for this book. It didn’t help lend a hand to the lack of emotions while reading, but it definitely packed a punch for many of the conversation pieces within the book. I loved getting a glimpse into the philosophical aspect of it and found those portions of the writing to be some of my favorites. Ruocchio is constantly dropping lines such as “It is a mistake to believe we must know a thing to be influenced by it. It is mistake to believe it must even be real” or “My memory is to the world as a drawing is t o a photograph. Imperfect. More perfect. We remember what we must, what we choose to, because it is more beautiful and real than the truth.” Such simple, yet wonderful way of getting a point across.

The world in this book is where the writing shines. It feels lived in. It feels like it could be real and continues to move even when the character isn’t there. Hadrian talks about how his mother and father aren’t close and his mother prefers the company of women. First, we love representation in this household. Second, this would be a huge bummer for most couples. But no worries in this world. If you have enough money and the right family name, you just have your fetus grown in a lab – no need of going against your preferences. It gives the sterile, cold feeling to aspects of life that aren’t usually so cold and uncaring. It’s so interesting to see Hadrian as he gets these small inklings that, despite judging others for being inhuman, he isn’t that close to human, either. He was made rather than grown and lives hundreds of years compared to our life spans now. Yet, that genetic code isn’t accessible to everyone – it’s a benefit of wealth and power. The Cielsin are so interesting and I feel like there’s going to be so much more depth to them and the accent civilization that is discovered. The world and science-y feeling of it is what made this book for me. That and seeing Hadrian wonder about in a clueless daze, yet always trying his best. His best just isn’t that good and he’s so dramatic it makes me both sick and giggle. Bless his little dumb heart.

I would love to know your thoughts on this book. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy a slow burn and don’t mind characters who make dumb decisions. There are clear inspirations from Dune, so I think readers of that could enjoy this as well, but it’s important to note that I haven’t read Dune myself. However, from what I’ve overheard, the inspirations are clear and easy to spot, but that does not mean it’s the same thing. Empire of Silence, though heavily influenced, does appear to still be its own thing. I have been told the series only gets better from here, so I’m excited to see how Hadrian and the story evolves. We know he becomes the man who killed a sun – I’m excited to see how the whiny kid from this book becomes that man who is both heralded as a hero and despised as a killer. Should I continue on to the next one? I think I’m going to read the shorter one set between books one and two, then I’ll reevaluate if this is a series I’m going to continue. Definitely let me know if you think I should!