Scott Westerfeld, the acclaimed author of Fine Prey, Polymorph, and Evolution's Darling, reached new heights of excitement in last s...
read full description
reviews
Nov 24, 2011
Mikolaj
rated it: 
I think I've been conned. I remember reading what I thought was the first past of this series some years ago, but I also remember the grand reveal being exactly the same as in here. Luckily, it was long enough ago that I enjoyed the re-read - though I'd recommend finding the combined two-volume book that I apparently read earlier rather than reading this in isolation, since it really doesn't work half as well standalone.
Also, if you're writing SF, you should take care to check your phy More...
Also, if you're writing SF, you should take care to check your phy More...
Nov 14, 2011
Melanie
rated it: 
I loved this book, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. It's a fascinating, extraordinary tale of love, politics, and war. It was non-stop action and interesting events, and although the big reveal at the end was hinted at, I still thought it was great. The characters were so well rounded and real, and I was really glad that they allied themselves with the Rix at the end; the shifting POV from h_rd's point of view made me, of course, understand and love both cultures. The differen
More...
Sep 23, 2011
Jonathan
rated it:
When I read books in a series, I tend not to go for the next one right away. I like to have a change of pace in between and usually I'm pretty good at remembering what happened in the previous installment so there's no big loss of momentum. Sometimes it's forced...*cough* George R. *cough* R. *cough*…but usually I just like to look forward to something I already know I'm going to like. If you've read my review of Scott Westerfeld's Risen Empire, the first in this duology, you'll know that I love
More...
0 comments
like
(6 people liked it)
May 03, 2011
Daniel
rated it:
If you read 'The Risen Empire' and are wondering whether you should read 'The Killing of Worlds', then what the heck is the problem with you? Yes, of course you should read it! Don't you want to know what happens to Laurent Zai and his crew? Sheesh.
If you haven't read 'The Risen Empire', and are wondering whether the conclusion of the Succession 2-part series is worth it, then I'm happy to report that it is. It's hard to match the sheer adrenaline and intensity of the opening of 'The Risen Empir More...
If you haven't read 'The Risen Empire', and are wondering whether the conclusion of the Succession 2-part series is worth it, then I'm happy to report that it is. It's hard to match the sheer adrenaline and intensity of the opening of 'The Risen Empir More...
Dec 22, 2009
Nicolas
rated it:
Deuxième et dernier tome d’une fresque incroyable, ce roman reprend les promesse du premier tome là où elles avaient été laissées, et les honore de la plus belle des manières.
En effet, le premier tome nous promettait de la violence, de la trahison, de la basse besogne politique, mais aussi (et surtout) des personnages plus grands que nature, des dilemnes cornelliens, et de l’épique à tous les étages.
Et j’ai été servi dans tous ces domaines. La partie la plus évidente, c’e More...
En effet, le premier tome nous promettait de la violence, de la trahison, de la basse besogne politique, mais aussi (et surtout) des personnages plus grands que nature, des dilemnes cornelliens, et de l’épique à tous les étages.
Et j’ai été servi dans tous ces domaines. La partie la plus évidente, c’e More...
Sep 28, 2009
Jack
rated it: 
The first third of the book is titled "Space Battle" and it is, for the most part. Westerfeld does some things well - his description of smart machines encountering one another at extremely high velocity seems very plausible (given the circumstances and capabilities he describes, that is). But to interweave one narrative that's measured in fractions of a second with others that are at human speeds was jarring - as if he described a bomb igniting from the bomb's POV, then jumped to a
More...
Apr 12, 2010
Phoenixfalls
rated it:
As I mentioned in my review of The Risen Empire, this isn't really a sequel -- it's merely the second half of the story, which was broken up for publishing reasons. Unfortunately, it suffers more from this break-up than most novels do, because as far as I can tell Westerfeld did nothing to make the transition more seamless -- the epilogue of The Risen Empire is the prologue of The Killing of Worlds and otherwise the story just jumps right back into the action where it left off.
Were t More...
Were t More...
Aug 06, 2011
"The Killing of Worlds' is pretty good, although not quite at the level of excitement and intensity of its predecessor, "The Risen Empire". A recurring theme of any sci-fi book or series is that it's really hard to make the ending live up to expectations. In this case, both books are underpinned by a terrible secret that has held the Empire together for centuries. When we finally find out the secret, it just isn't that amazing or shocking.
But the ending aside, this was a good, co More...
But the ending aside, this was a good, co More...
Jun 22, 2011
Althea
rated it: 
Much like the first one in the series, I can see where some people would really really like this book, but it just wasn't totally my thing. It was all right - I read the sequel because I had gotten both of them before reading either, and I wanted to finish the story. Unfortunately (for me), it doesn't really seem like the end. I'm not sure if Westerfeld is planning more books in this series, but there are plenty of open plot lines.
It's a very tech-y kind of sci-fi, with lots of intricate d More...
It's a very tech-y kind of sci-fi, with lots of intricate d More...
Dec 20, 2010
Wendy
rated it:
Well, I didn't like this one as much as the first, and I'm not even entirely sure why I was so disappointed. The Big Secret that is finally revealed is not as galaxy-shattering as it was set up to be. There wasn't as much of the shifting perspectives and glimpses into the past that kept me so fascinated in the first part of the story. And while it was still chock full of action, I just started to get tired of it. Left some loose ends, too, probably leaving room to write more. And I would probabl
More...
Jul 12, 2010
Actually, I requested this book because the synopsis for its predecessor sounded interesting, not because I was particularly interested in it as described. So I picked up the first one from the library and found it a much "harder" sci fi than I tend to prefer. Very heavy on the descriptions of technology and "science" with much less explanations of how the society works. So, while I did enjoy both parts of Westerfeld's Succession, it wasn't quite as good as I'd hoped, because
More...
Feb 13, 2009
Kristin
rated it:
This is book two of the Risen Empire series. We read book one for January's book group meeting. Three of us thought it was super cool - nanotechnology! space battles! living dead! Basically, your classic space opera. One of us felt it was a thinly disguised romance.
In Killing of Worlds we pick right up with Captain Zai engaging the Empire's dread enemy, the Rix. It is his mission to stop at all costs the compound mind on Legis XV from communicating with that ship. The War Council ba More...
In Killing of Worlds we pick right up with Captain Zai engaging the Empire's dread enemy, the Rix. It is his mission to stop at all costs the compound mind on Legis XV from communicating with that ship. The War Council ba More...
Jan 22, 2012
Excerpt on every review of Scott Westerfeld's book I've read:
Here's what I have got to say: If you haven't read Scott Westerfeld yet, make that a priority STAT. Every single Westerfeld book I have read, I have loved.
<-One short story of his in here.
^I love all those books. More...
Here's what I have got to say: If you haven't read Scott Westerfeld yet, make that a priority STAT. Every single Westerfeld book I have read, I have loved.
<-One short story of his in here.
^I love all those books. More...
Dec 28, 2011
Dirk
rated it:
This sequel to The Risen Empire wraps up the Succession duology. I usually associate this flavour of militaristic, big concept space opera with British authors like Iain M. Banks and Peter F. Hamilton (to name but two) so it’s good to see this work coming from the other side of the Atlantic. The military actions depicted here are really interesting and it’s obvious that quite a bit of thought have gone into them. The same goes for the tech concerned. Westerfeld was clearly thinking out of the bo
More...
2 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Apr 04, 2011
Cassy
rated it:
This was book two of Scott Westerfeld's Successions series and it was just as enjoyable as the first one was. This one was a lot more action packed than the first one was and we learn a lot more about the empire in this book.
The first half of this book is almost strictly battle. It's the Rix commander that escaped in book one trying to help take down the empire. She is making her way across Legis VI to try and do Alexandar's bidding. I like it because Westerfeld really shows you More...
The first half of this book is almost strictly battle. It's the Rix commander that escaped in book one trying to help take down the empire. She is making her way across Legis VI to try and do Alexandar's bidding. I like it because Westerfeld really shows you More...
Feb 17, 2011
Mark
rated it:
Scott Westerfeld's second and final novel in the Succession story keeps pace with the first. The battle between Zai's ship and the Rix cruiser seriously covers about 80 pages, but it's astonishingly fast. As the battle unfolded, I found myself amazed that I was already so far into the book.
Which is really how I ended up feeling about this series. It was a great story that I which had been about 10 books longer. More...
Which is really how I ended up feeling about this series. It was a great story that I which had been about 10 books longer. More...
May 10, 2009
Evilsquirrel
rated it:
A great sequel to a fantastic book. I love the story branching out to follow all three sides of the story. My only complaint is the need for more books after this one. What happened after the sundering of the Empire? What happened to the Rix? What was Alexander's master design? How did the Emperor deal with the truth being revealed? I'm holding out for a third book. Well hoping might be a better word for it.
Sep 01, 2009
Emily
rated it:
This book was a lot more engaging than the first (The Risen Empire). Normally I'm not a huge fan of battle scenes, but the one that opens Killing of World's is very engaging. Westerfeld uses just the right combination of action, suspense, tactics, and science. The emperor's secret (which is revealed in this book) was a little anticlimactic, but very clever.
Jan 11, 2009
Karlo
rated it:
The best thing about the book are the short flashbacks between the Captain and the Senator. There is a tenderness to their romance that seems honest in its depiction. The resolution of the story is reasonably engaging, but I can't say that I was over the moon about it. Worth a read, but it could have been shortened and the two books joined into one.
Apr 24, 2009
Frank
rated it:
Pretty darned awesome. Having read the first book and this one in rapid succession, I agree that it was definitely written as one novel. As such, it is best to read them together to get the proper effect. And what an effect it is! I don't know where to start gushing without spoiling things left and right, so suffice it to say: read this duology! Now!
And Mr. Westerfeld -- write another one! That ending was waaaaay too open to not do so....
And Mr. Westerfeld -- write another one! That ending was waaaaay too open to not do so....
Jan 19, 2012
Nathan
rated it:
Continuation and completion of The Risen Empire. Interesting in that it ends just as things are getting busy - but it was planned as such: "these are the events and characters that led to massive historical episode", not the episode itself. Still, a little hurried, and some things are not explained to my expectations. 3/5
Jun 24, 2010
Josh
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 16, 2010
Jason
rated it:
I enjoyed this book more than the first, my two qualms are first it ends with a lot unsaid I want to know what happens down the line. Second I don't think that he made me "feel" how important being a risen was to them so when the secret that Alexander found was revealed it was like..so.
Sep 12, 2011
Eric
rated it:
Burned through this book in two days--couldn't put it down. Had to know what "the secret" was, alluded to in the first book. The secret itself is profound or disappointing depending on how closely you can relate to the characters. (I thought the secret was profound ...)
Sep 10, 2011
Steven
rated it:
A disappointingly mechanical sequel. This book picks up immediately where the previous one ends and advances the story only a short way in the direction it was already clearly going. Still, an easy an entertaining read even if it lacks new ideas.
Mar 01, 2011
Booknerd
rated it:
Clearly the second half of the really big book that started with Risen Empire, it still doesn't quite wrap up the whole story. I think Westerfeld may have been thinking of another volume, but it's pretty clear he's never coming back here. A shame, really. Not his best or most mature, but certainly clever in parts.
Jul 02, 2009
Wealhtheow
rated it:
As the sequel to The Risen Empire, this book deals with the aftermath of the battles in the first, although there is one skirmish in space that stands out. In The Killing of Worlds, the emphasis is a little more on the political and personal side, which I loved. The last few scenes are particularly wonderful. Westerfeld reads a bit like Nancy Kress; he's really good at combining innovative yet realistic science with multi-faceted, interesting characters and believable societies. I was particular
More...
Sep 13, 2011
Grant
rated it:
The second part of the secession series has a few good twists and turns, coupled with some excellent action scenes.
I would recommend this "series" (its really one book) for someone looking for a quick, action-packed sci-fi read that never gets bogged down with too much detail.
I would recommend this "series" (its really one book) for someone looking for a quick, action-packed sci-fi read that never gets bogged down with too much detail.
Nov 25, 2011
Jjlupa
rated it:
Not much to add to my original review of book 1.
Bottom line: If reading, get the edition that has books 1 and 2 combined into a single book.
Story continues to have visionary battles and ordinance, and generally good characters and plot. Nonetheless, when the coin dropped, in terms of plot, I couldn't really get behind it.
So, meh. Not bad, not great. Could have been great. oh well.
Bottom line: If reading, get the edition that has books 1 and 2 combined into a single book.
Story continues to have visionary battles and ordinance, and generally good characters and plot. Nonetheless, when the coin dropped, in terms of plot, I couldn't really get behind it.
So, meh. Not bad, not great. Could have been great. oh well.
Mar 06, 2011
Stan
rated it:
Outstanding Sci-Fi. Well-realized cultures, issues, and characters. Lots of page-turning action. Packed with imagination. Absolutely one of the best sci-fi series I have read since Dune.
