Hidden Empire (The Saga of Seven Suns, #1)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Hidden Empire (The Saga of Seven Suns #1)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 3,110 ratings · 244 reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
An accomplished writer who cut his teeth on novels within the worlds of Dune, Star Wars, and X-Files -- most notably, the bestselling Dune prequels with Frank Herbert's son, Brian, such as Dune: House Corrino -- Kevin J. Anderson has now emerged with his own unique vision, creating an audacious, involving, masterful saga that never lets up on...more

Mass Market Paperback, 672 pages

Published June 1st 2003 by Aspect (first published 2002)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Excellent Space Opera

24th out of 208 books — 829 voters

Space Opera

35th out of 108 books — 83 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 21, 2010 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Hidden Empire is an ok book. It’s not a great book. It’s just ok.

The back cover is filled with praise for the book from other authors. One such blurb reads this way:

“Anderson tells his story on an epic scale. It’s a tightly plotted, fast-moving adventure with all the right ingredients: cool aliens, clever technology, intrigue, and secrets, a little romance, a lot of action, and enough twists and turns to keep you asking for more.”

While it is true that the book contains all of these ingredient...more Hidden Empire is an ok book. It’s not a great book. It’s just ok.

The back cover is filled with praise for the book from other authors. One such blurb reads this way:

“Anderson tells his story on an epic scale. It’s a tightly plotted, fast-moving adventure with all the right ingredients: cool aliens, clever technology, intrigue, and secrets, a little romance, a lot of action, and enough twists and turns to keep you asking for more.”

While it is true that the book contains all of these ingredients, I found some issues with the way they were cooked. Anderson tells his tale through a lot of different characters. A new character is introduced in each of the first several chapters. After a number of these I was sure we would go back and pick up with the characters from chapter one, but the stream of new characters kept flowing. By the time the tale went back to some of the earlier characters I had forgotten who they were. Luckily a handy glossary is included to remind you who you’re reading about. I have no doubt that all of these characters will eventually come to have interesting roles to play in the future, but I felt the constant frenzied character juggling to be a bit clumsy.

In addition to the aforementioned ingredients, any good space opera (any novel for that matter) ought to be presented in interesting and engaging prose. Here again I felt that Anderson was a bit weak. Even though I constantly complain about the weird habits of authors like Frank Herbert, I found myself wishing for something, anything, a little less plain and pedestrian. Oh yes. And lest I forget, one character’s “well manicured hands” are mentioned at least three, if not four times. It’s not an important plot point or anything. But every time we see this guy we must be informed of the manicure. Kevin J just really doesn’t want us to forget about the manicured state of Basil’s hands. Well, he can rest assured that I won’t ever forget. Well manicured indeed.

The science half of this science fiction all seemed pretty good to me. Some of the ideas were actually pretty cool, and they all seemed reasonably plausible. For the most part the narrative was driven by characters with the technological aspects acting as a tasty garnish. No individual character got enough page time to really expand into a three dimensional entity, but I’m hoping that will happen in later books now that the plot is set up and the world is built.

Speaking of world building, here’s another avenue where I felt Hidden Empire just manages to get by. The people and places seem real enough, but the world never feels quite as real as I’d like it to. It’s not really fair to compare any book to The Lord of The Rings, but in Tolkien’s universe I always feel that the people and places and languages are fully fledged living things, even if there not described in full. In Hidden Empire the world just felt a little like a façade. I never imagined the races actually speaking real languages; it was always in the back of my head that the two alien words used are the only ones because that’s all the author got around to inventing. It’s not dysfunctional, but it’s not as engrossing as it could be either.

Finally we come to the stupid quibbles that probably only bug me. I don’t like alien names with apostrophes. I don’t like characters that look like Boss Nass from The Phantom Menace (props to anyone who knows who that is!). I don’t like green people. I know that this is the kind of stuff sci-fi is all about, but I’m entitled to some personal pet peeves, and Hidden Empire managed to hit on a few of them.

Despite all my whining, Hidden Empire wasn’t bad. It’s just not as super terrific as I might have liked. It has an ok plot with ok characters who’s journeys are described in ok writing. It’s an ambitions start to the series, but it’s not great. It’s just ok.
(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 13, 2009 Foomy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The beginning of a sprawling, seven-volume space opera. It's massive, but it's important to note that Anderson planned the entire story out ahead of time, and that the entire series is complete. It's not one of those series that just keeps growing because the author wants to milk the franchise.

The first volume introduces a lot of characters and factions (seven or eight factions so far I believe). It can be tough to wrap your head around, but the story is pretty compelling.

I'm going to compare th...more

9 likes · like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 holy_fire rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2002, anderson-kevin-j, science-fiction

The ekti must flow...

Short plot description:
Mankind has made it to the stars (with some help from the alien race called "Ildirans"). In the process they have divided into three major fractions, the Terran Hanseatic League and their colonies, the priests of Theroc with their telepathic link to the world forest and the free-living Roamers.
What holds everything together is the fuel "ekti" which allows faster-than-light travel and to a lesser extent the telepathic abilities of the priests which all...more The ekti must flow...

Short plot description:
Mankind has made it to the stars (with some help from the alien race called "Ildirans"). In the process they have divided into three major fractions, the Terran Hanseatic League and their colonies, the priests of Theroc with their telepathic link to the world forest and the free-living Roamers.
What holds everything together is the fuel "ekti" which allows faster-than-light travel and to a lesser extent the telepathic abilities of the priests which allows instantaneous communication between worlds.
Another alien species, the Klikiss, are long extinct but left some technology behind, including some robots.
The novel starts with the THL converting (for terra-forming purposes) a gas giant into a sun, killing million members of the hitherto unknown alien species "Hydroques" which in turn declare their gas giants off-limits for every one else and enforcing their demands with overwhelming force.
Since the gas-giants in the galaxy are the source of the fuel "ekti", a conflict on a galactic scale is inevitable...

My thoughts:
This is the first book in the "Saga of the Seven Suns"-series and so by necessity includes lots and lots of info dumps, making the pace rather slow.
I felt the book was more or less all exposition, with some action thrown in now and then to get the plot moving forward.
The events are told from the perspective of various members of the different factions, ranging from faction leaders through mid-level ranks down to ordinary people swept up in the events.
This also helps to keep the novel going but can be overwhelming since lots of different characters are introduced which felt overwhelming at some points.
Nevertheless the setup is quite intriguing and leaves room for lots of good books to follow.
My one major problem with the world-building and the novel in general: I can't think of one part of this universe which I haven't read before in other novels. Space travel depending on one resource, telepathic communications, political tensions between the different factions (human and alien), extinct alien races leaving technology behind, everything here has been done before and feels familiar.
It will be interesting to see how Anderson develops the setup in the consecutive novels.

recommended for: everyone who likes space opera

(less)

like · see review

Apr 20, 2012 Andrew rated it 2 of 5 stars

There are so many great ideas in this book, from turning gas giants into stars with wormholes to a huge thinking network of trees that can be tapped into by humans who gain the ability to photosynthesize light. There are interesting characters, fascinating races, and fantastic clashes between different ideologies. With all this material, it's too bad this book is utterly unreadable.

It started off strong, cycling through viewpoints of different characters in the moments before a gas giant was con...more There are so many great ideas in this book, from turning gas giants into stars with wormholes to a huge thinking network of trees that can be tapped into by humans who gain the ability to photosynthesize light. There are interesting characters, fascinating races, and fantastic clashes between different ideologies. With all this material, it's too bad this book is utterly unreadable.

It started off strong, cycling through viewpoints of different characters in the moments before a gas giant was converted to a star. I found myself immersed in Anderson's universe, excited about the action and the characters and the situation. The process was a success, and I watched as the gas giant began to glow. All of the sudden, a few spaceships flew out of the gas giant. Here we go, I thought. I braced myself for an attack from an ancient race that was living quietly on the gas giant, unbeknownst to humanity. The setup was perfect.

But then, it was like none of that had happened. The next chapter I was introduced to new characters and conflicts and worlds, totally unrelated to the gas giant-star conversion. Just when I started to get emotionally involved in that plot line, it changed to a brand new story, totally unrelated to the first and second. Indeed, I read for 80 PAGES and was introduced to brand new story after brand new story. The gas giant was only mentioned once more, in passing.

It seems that Anderson is a master at setting up a novel, but has no idea how to continue a story once it has begun. While most authors would attempt to overcome a deficiency like this, Anderson decided to try to work around it. He tries to cover up his terrible writing deformity with the size of his universe, but fails horribly. Without a clear plot line, it is impossible to get emotionally involved enough to give a damn how big his universe is. Had Anderson chosen just one of his many plot lines and decided to simply tell that story, this book would have been ten times better, perhaps even wonderful. Instead, he decided to suck.(less)

like · see review

Oct 28, 2011 Ken T rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

I picked up an audio recording of this book simply because of the narrator - John Guidall. I found the story tolerable, but there are several plot holes that left me staring incredulously at my car's cd player. Overall I would have to say that the premise of the book - awakening the ire of an ancient race - was intriguing, but the execution was poor. Anderson has a few interesting ideas - the defunct Klickess (sp?) Empire was one - but his idea of an interstellar human society and the other alie...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 19, 2011 Colin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-sf-f, fiction-series

I was in the mood for a good space opera and this sounded good. It is the first book in a long series and there seemed to be plenty of good comments on itby well-known authors inside the cover. I rarely let such one line reccommendations influence me and now I remember why.

Many of these reviwes describe the book as "richly detailed", others mentioning that the characters are "well drawn" or "complex". No one lied. It is richly detailed - the characters, the aliens, the planets, the spcaeships e...more I was in the mood for a good space opera and this sounded good. It is the first book in a long series and there seemed to be plenty of good comments on itby well-known authors inside the cover. I rarely let such one line reccommendations influence me and now I remember why.

Many of these reviwes describe the book as "richly detailed", others mentioning that the characters are "well drawn" or "complex". No one lied. It is richly detailed - the characters, the aliens, the planets, the spcaeships etc etc, is all richly detailed. Oh how I would love less detail!

At first I figured it was just a poor attempt to help set up the reader in the begginning of the book. Here are some early passages to illustrate:

"...Kori'nh had refitted his battleships as a matter of pride, painting sigils on their hulls, and adding dazzling illumination strips as primary markings. His warliners looked like ornate deep-sea creatures preparing for an outrageous mating display. The Solar Navy understood pagentry and spectacles far better than the humans did."

"The Yreka run had been one of her company's most lucrative routes, since the outlying colonists needed many essentials that Rlinda could provide at low cost. Now, though, with Sorengaard preying upon helpless vessels, few traders would venture into the area. Rlinda could have gouged even higher prices from the needy colonists; instead she preferred take this risk..."

"The rest of the Hansa considered the Roamers to be little more than gypsy space trash, disorganized and disreputable. No one had an inkling of how much the clans actually had and how many taxes they avoided, since they kept such information from outsiders."

Individually, these passages might be fine. They reek of exposition and are sometimes revealed to be the thoughts of the characters but no book is perfect and anyone could probably cite a few such passages in any book. In Hidden Empire though, these passages ARE the book.
At some point it grew too annoying to bother with. In the interest of seeing whether all the exposition was just a temporary, first-half-of-the-first-book-of-a-long-series thing, I read a little from the end ofthe book and some from the next book in the series and realized that it never improves.

Reading so much exposition saps the story of its inrigue, action and charm. It reads as though the author does not think you can figure things out on your own. It also hits you over the head with facts you don't care about.

I'm more than a little shocked that this was published. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 02, 2010 Frostling rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

661 pages of space opera with all the ingredients readers are used to find in this genre: archaeological mysteries, impressive technology, exotic rogues, ancient civilizations and new alien menace. Yet this novel failed to grasp my interest. I found that everything was too predictable: the fate of Raymond Aguerra, the secret of the Klikiss robots, the discoveries made by the Colicos archaeologists. A trait that is not helped when most sections are developed in a bland manner, taking far too many...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 19, 2010 Faz rated it 1 of 5 stars

I have heard a lot of glowing reviews for Mr. Anderson's works, and figured I would start with the Saga of Seven Suns anthology since the premise was right up my SciFi alley. I was severely disappointed. While the basis of the stories was interesting and held great promise, the excruciating details of people, conversations and relationships turned me off. When there was action to be had, it was limited to very little writings, and had none of the depth as in the rest of the book. I 'read' this a...more

like · see review

Sep 16, 2009 Mike Riley rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am a fan of science-fiction. I also like fantasy. But magic ... not so much. Both sci-fi and fantasy follow the rule that something unfamiliar is abroad in the world, and the story explores how that new thing affects the lives of the characters. Magic simply allows anything to happen at any time, without explanation, as a convenient wish-fulfillment, a way of punishing or rewarding the characters out of the blue, or a lazy plot device. I hate it when magic intrudes into a good sci-fi or fantas...more I am a fan of science-fiction. I also like fantasy. But magic ... not so much. Both sci-fi and fantasy follow the rule that something unfamiliar is abroad in the world, and the story explores how that new thing affects the lives of the characters. Magic simply allows anything to happen at any time, without explanation, as a convenient wish-fulfillment, a way of punishing or rewarding the characters out of the blue, or a lazy plot device. I hate it when magic intrudes into a good sci-fi or fantasy story. To wit, flying bicycles in E.T. Ick. By this measure, Lord of the Rings, for example, has sorcery, but no magic. Tolkien isn't a lazy writer; he follows the rules, even if they're exotic ones.

This is the first book of SEVEN (!) by Kevin J. Anderson. You must be prepared to read all seven, because, unlike other series-style sci-fi stories such as Asimov's wonderful Foundation Trilogy, they do no stand alone. This is a good yarn, and an easy read, despite its length. There is an incredible amount of imagination, creative plotting, new sci-fi ideas, and decent characters. Anderson doesn't shy away from killing off his characters when the story demands it, or allowing them to meet even worse fates.

HOWEVER ... One the one hand, there is probably three books worth of story here. Right up to (and including) the last book in the series (The Ashes of Worlds), Anderson keeps introducing new species, new inventions, new characters, and new threats. It's as if he has some kind of disease and doesn't know how to stop this story. I felt it ended sort of anti-climactically, and with a pretty predictable outcome. And, incredibly, in spite of being extremely long, it left many loose ends hanging. Nevertheless, it is a good story, and lots of fun to read.

However, Anderson is not shy about mixing in what amounts to story-telling magic every now and then. Alien creatures somehow infest humans, healing all wounds, making them god-like in their powers. One alien species dominates another in one scene in a way that doesn't seem to operate in a later battle between them.

There are also some hackneyed motifs here: Why is it that fuel production is always the key to bad relations between adversaries lately, I wonder? When will heroines quit being seen as spunky because they're girls? Why is a return to monarchy always the political solution in these novels?

But, nevertheless, I recommend these books, assuming you like "hard" sci-fi (meaning traditional sci-fi stories about rocket ships and bug-eyed monsters, not that they're difficult) have nearly $60 to spend on seven paperbacks, and time to read them!

(1) Hidden Empire
(2) A Forest of Stars
(3) Horizon Storms
(4) Scattered Suns
(5) Of Fire and Night
(6) Metal Swarm
(7) The Ashes of Worlds(less)

like · see review

Aug 02, 2009 Adam O'brien rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the sprawling eic that set up the SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS, an inspiring read about the future of space travel and when an ancient alien civilization joins us to battle other wild star faring life. Set after the graphic novel VEILED ALLIANCES it sees the human race ignite a gas giant in order to make it a sun, with the technology they had found in a long dead race of insectoids (the Klikiss). It starts a chain of events that sends humanity on a collision course with the universe as a whole. Wh...more

like · see review

Jul 06, 2009 Demiliam rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 31, 2012 Kari Metzger rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm going with ok on this book. I've read lots of sci-fi, and this simply doesn't cut it in comparison to that. I kept waiting for the plot to pick up, become more imaginative, and generally more interesting, but it never did! It's a huge book to begin with (over 600 pages), and for that kind of commitment, I want it to be a real page turner, but there were so many plot lines running, it seemed like we couldn't really get involved with any of them. IMHO, the author/editor should have cut the sto...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 13, 2008 Felicia rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fantasy lovers who want a sci-fi infusion

Shelves: sci-fi

This series is the closest equivalent to an epic fantasy series in Sci-Fi form that I've read. I really really love it. The characters are really interestingly drawn, the worlds are interesting, the species are intriguing, I can't recommend it enough for the fantasy lover looking to cross over. It's a gentle transition. :)

8 likes · like · see review

Sep 08, 2011 Nomi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So, in the end, I have mixed feelings... here's the crux (hidden for some slight spoilers):
(view spoiler)...more So, in the end, I have mixed feelings... here's the crux (hidden for some slight spoilers):
(view spoiler)

The plot seems like it could unfold in a really interesting way... I'll even confess that, after finishing this, I spent a few hours reading spoilery reviews of the rest of the books in the series. Nevertheless, getting through this one was enough to satisfy my curiosity about the quality of KJA's work and prove that my feelings about his style aren't just an anomaly from being straight-jacketed by an already existing verse and that the same flaws are still glaring in his own original material. That being said, I'm certainly not interested/impressed enough to run out and buy a copy of the next book, but if I figure out how to 'borrow' library ebooks to my phone and I'm bored, I might, at some future date give some of the others a try... (less)

like · see review

Aug 08, 2011 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

The first novel in Anderson's new original series is well done, with an intriguing premise. Mankind has gone to the stars, but we may not be ready for what awaits us there. Hidden within a gas giant planet is a race of powerful and destructive beings. When we inadvertently awaken a sleeping dragon, a war that will consume the galaxy erupts and we must trust in allies who have their own agendas.

The story is very good, however the writing style takes some getting used to. The Saga of Seven Suns is...more

like · see review

Jul 02, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi, ipad-reads

I'm torn on whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. The story is entertaining, the writing is pretty standard. Anderson's world was well developed. The main complaint I had was all the different perspectives. I don't mind multiple perspectives but there were so many new ones in this book my head was spinning. It made the book seem overly bulky. Entire chapters had almost no point. It was too difficult to tell all the perspectives apart. Furthermore, some of the characters lacked so much depth an...more

like · see review

May 17, 2013 Charlotte rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: awkwadity-shelf-of-disappointment, sci-fi

I picked this up because of all the praise on the back cover (ok, well I picked it up because one of the review snippets said it was "bursting with incidents" which, to me, seemed the book equivalent of saying a rom com is "the funniest movie of the year!" I had low expectations. I was still disappointed).

Mostly, I found this book blah. The prose is frequently patronising. If characterisation is done well I shouldn't need to be constantly reminded that someone was doing something "intelligently...more I picked this up because of all the praise on the back cover (ok, well I picked it up because one of the review snippets said it was "bursting with incidents" which, to me, seemed the book equivalent of saying a rom com is "the funniest movie of the year!" I had low expectations. I was still disappointed).

Mostly, I found this book blah. The prose is frequently patronising. If characterisation is done well I shouldn't need to be constantly reminded that someone was doing something "intelligently" or that they were "benevolent". (Also, just using adverbs to describe something and then at the shock twist ending suddenly revealling that [insert person/thing] was not like that at all... well, A+ foreshadowing/cliffhangers).

The characterisation was the biggest downfall to me. I didn't care for any of the characters, and considering the book is 704 pages long in my edition all of the characters are one dimensional and shallow. I didn't care about any of them, so when some of them died I was more frustrated that wasted page space had been spent telling me superfluous details about their lives. The womeon who aren't old (or non white) are all beautiful. Surprise! Couldn't have non-beautiful women. No non-beautiful women matter in space.

The narration reminds me of poor movie editing. A lot of the exposition is done through "flashback" paragraphs that are just nestled between other paragraphs without any warning that the action is taking place hours, months... years... previously.

The setting also annoyed me. Humans have spread across the stars... but they have only one type of fuel and most of the colonies cannot provide enough food to sustain themselves? Is that really logical? Especially considering the human military is worried about the only other known alien race becoming aggressive? And the worlds are run by a giant corporation and all religion has been amalgamated into one super-religion. If that had been explained a bit more I might have been interested... I wished more detail had been spent explaining how everyone just accepts a "King" as the head of this company - but the reader seems to be treated as patronizingly as the "subjects". I presume this is explained more in the later books but I have zero motivation to read them. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Sep 23, 2011 Eric Braun rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading it through, I am so happy to say that I thouroughly enjoyed this, the beginnings of an epic space saga. Anderson begins to weave a story about the Human Race taking it's place amongst the stars only to find out that they are simply the little fish in the pond and the bigger fish have been around for millenia before, and have much stronger teeth and plenty of secrets to hide. Through a random roulette of various characters written in the Third person limited, this story keeps you go...more

like · see review

Jan 24, 2011 Vincent Wood rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

A while ago a friend of mine recommended this book to me. When I finally picked it up, I saw who the author was, Kevin J. Anderson. I immediately became skeptical due to the fact that I've attempted without success to read his poor excuse of a prequel of the Dune series multiple times and put it back down unfinished each time being disappointed in it. I have also read a Dresden Files short story that Kevin J. Anderson had a part in and it was among my least favorite Dresden stories. But I trust...more

like · see review

May 26, 2009 Ben Babcock rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-read, from-library, science-fiction, space-opera

Replete with political intrigue, a powerful alien aggressor, and parables of human folly, The Saga of Seven Suns has everything a reader wants from an epic science fiction adventure. Kevin J. Anderson has created a vision of humanity's future both comfortable and unique. While adhering to many established tropes in space operas, including a handwaved FTL drive and form of instantaneous communication (sort of), Anderson has crafted interesting political entities and distinct cultures with often-c...more Replete with political intrigue, a powerful alien aggressor, and parables of human folly, The Saga of Seven Suns has everything a reader wants from an epic science fiction adventure. Kevin J. Anderson has created a vision of humanity's future both comfortable and unique. While adhering to many established tropes in space operas, including a handwaved FTL drive and form of instantaneous communication (sort of), Anderson has crafted interesting political entities and distinct cultures with often-conflicting agendas.

I first read Hidden Empire several years ago, but I lost track of the series after a couple of books, so now I'm re-reading them from the beginning. Some of the blurbs on the back of this edition compare Anderson to Frank Herbert, but Hidden Empire is no Dune. (And any of the Dune books written by Kevin J. Anderson aren't technically Dune either, because they're actually Kevin J. Anderson books!) Anderson is certainly a capable storyteller, but he's not in the league of Frank Herbert, and he's only an average writer at best. Hidden Empire consists of more telling than showing than I'd like to see--i.e., Anderson's omniscient third-person narrator often relates what characters think or desire instead of showing us through actions and specific scenes. Nevertheless, the plot of Hidden Empire makes up for any deficiencies in its characters.

This time, the aliens aren't invading Earth. Instead, in igniting a gas giant into a star, humans accidentally decimated a settlement of an alien species known as the "hydrogues", who live in the mega-pressure depths of gas giants. Interpreting this as an act of war, the hydrogues retaliate with their superior technology. And this isn't the first time the hydrogues have lashed out against "rock-dwellers," as we learn from disparate discoveries by human archaeologists and an unfortunate Ildiran historian. Yet Anderson makes it clear that even if the hydrogues don't ultimately destroy humanity, the machinations of its various cultures during the war may be humanity's undoing.

The plot of Hidden Empire is simply delightful. Predictable at times? Sure. Occasionally trite? Of course. It's got a nice balance of action and introspection, with a touch of romance and the necessary tragedy to accompany it. There are almost too many characters, but for an "epic" space opera, this is forgivable. Some you dismiss almost immediately, or write off as villainous. Others will eventually die, if not in this book, then the next, or maybe the one after that. A couple remain dear to your heart--I've a soft spot for the spunky Roamer Tasia, and for the green priests Nira and Beneto as well. Chairman Basil Wenceslas is a necessary antagonist, although the Mage-Imperator seems rather cardboard at times (again, Anderson's weak point lies in characterization).

Anyone who reads science fiction, especially space operas, needs to give Hidden Empire a try.(less)

like · see review

Aug 01, 2012 Deren Kellogg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Science fiction novel that starts slow, but improves as it goes on. It concerns a future in which the galaxy is divided between four groups: a benevolent alien empire called the Ildirans, a commercial entity called the Hanseatic League which rules Earth and most human colonies via a figurehead king, a society of 'space gypsies' called the Roamers who control most of the Ekti mining (necessary for FTL travel), and Theroc, an independent colony which produces "Green Priests", humans who can commun...more Science fiction novel that starts slow, but improves as it goes on. It concerns a future in which the galaxy is divided between four groups: a benevolent alien empire called the Ildirans, a commercial entity called the Hanseatic League which rules Earth and most human colonies via a figurehead king, a society of 'space gypsies' called the Roamers who control most of the Ekti mining (necessary for FTL travel), and Theroc, an independent colony which produces "Green Priests", humans who can communicate instantaneously over interstellar distances using the sentient trees of the planet. There are also the Klikiss, an alien civilization that disappeared for unknown reasons, leaving behind only some ruins and insect-like robots, who still function, but have lost the knowledge of their former masters. The plot concerns sudden attacks by "Hydrogues," previously unknown aliens who live in the cores of gas-giant planets. Since Ekti is mined from gas giants, the attacks not only directly kill thousands of people, but also threaten to end FTL travel, leaving far-flung human and Ildiran colonies to wither and die.

The novel is organized exactly like "A Song of Ice and Fire;" told from many different points of view with each chapter titled with the name of the character whose POV is being used for that part of the narrative. "Hidden Empire" is the first novel in a seven-book cycle "The Saga of Seven Suns," which, within the narrative, is the name of the Ildiran's account of their history. The introductory chapters are only as interesting as the characters and the fictional universe, which is to say, only moderately. However, once the aliens attack, I found the plot compelling, especially once the hidden motives of some of the characters come to light. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

One complaint about the Orbit paperback edition: the synopsis on the back of the book gives away one of the main plot secrets that is only revealed near the end of the volume. I might have been able to figure it out for myself before then, but I'll never know now!(less)

like · see review

Jun 04, 2011 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

The problem with the first installment in a seven-part series is you have to wait an awfully long time for anything to actually happen. Luckily the book did move from background to plotline towards the end, and while I'm intrigued enough to buy the next book, it wasn't exactly the best sci fi I've ever read. The writing is clunky, the characters are one-dimensional (seriously, everyone is either "heroic", "evil" or "obviously going to die") and dialogue is functional at best. I'd also like to ca...more

like · see review

Nov 02, 2012 Randy Smith rated it 1 of 5 stars

I found this book very confusing it kept jumping from one character to another and many of the characters it seems they were just introduced so that later they could be killed off The book had no satisfying wrapup I know it is just the first book in the series but it would be nice that if at the end of this book things would be at least tied up a little so that way it would be a good lead into the next book but instead the author just cut it off like in the middle. There too many side stories a...more

like · see review

Apr 21, 2012 Scott Lee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hadn't read anything by Kevin Anderson since the Jedi Academy trilogy. I am primarily a fantasy guy, and given that I consider Star Wars as much galactic fantasy as space opera that's why I read some of those books, especially Timothy Zahn's.

I picked up the Books-on-Tape CD book edition of this book read by George Guidall at my library recently and gave it a try. I don't know whether it was the genre (I haven't read much in this particular sub-genre of Sci-Fi as I indicated above), the pacing (...more

like · see review

Mar 03, 2012 Riccardo rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Appalling. There a couple of interesting aspects, mainly the main plot and the alien mistery surrounding a disappeared alien race. The rest is, frankly, embarassing. This is defined a "space opera" but the author learned his science in funny places: his celestial mechanics from star wars, his alien physiology from the first star trek series (aliens are more or less human like and speak english), his physics from some Disney show and his biology, well, from whoever thinks that aliens can mate and...more

like · see review

May 27, 2013 Arminion rated it 1 of 5 stars

I couldn't finish this book. Reason? Three words: Too...many...characters. Seriously, every page, we are introduced to at least two new characters. What's even worse, the story keeps jumping from one set of the characters to the next. By the time we are back to the first characters, I already forgot who were they and what were they suppose to be doing. And since we spend so little time with these characters, they are all pretty much the same, without any major difference or characterization. The...more

like · see review

Feb 15, 2012 Bryan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf

I liked the book, didn't love it. He creates an interesting world, and some intriguing races and differing human groups. There were some things that drove me nuts though. You have an event at the beginning of the story, and then the surprised emergence of a previously unknown race that seems ticked. How in the world we are supposed to believe that supposedly intelligent folks could not do the simple math and figure out the cause of the stife is beyond me. Add to that the fact the certain folks i...more

like · see review

Jan 19, 2010 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

To those who have started this book already: It gets better! There are so many characters and subplots within this saga that it takes a looong time to set up - but once it hits its stride it's a really well woven piece of science fiction.
One small thing that did bug me: The characters seemed completely unable to come to glaringly obvious conclusions. Humans find a way to create a new sun out of crashing a dying sun into a gas giant planet, which they want to use to warm up some moons and make...more

like · see review

Feb 18, 2009 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Awesome book. It reminds me of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Triology/ Star Wars, in that the setting is an entire galaxy run mostly by one single man. You've got robots, space travel, cool aliens, and "green priests" who are linked through instant telepathy across the galaxy.

The first half of the book is a little slow as the author has to introduce all the important people and places, and tell the history or "how it all got to this point".

Then the plot thickens and all is not so rosy as the first h...more

like · see review

Aug 29, 2011 Robin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, weak-opening, space-opera, did-not-finish, dull, emotionally-distant, inept-writing, just-plain-boring, tedious, too-long-by-half, 0-point-5-stars

The thought of spending 600 more pages with this atrocity is too much to bear. Please, let me quit.

Right from the start, the writing is flat and lifeless, and even now, 10% of the way into the book, I have no idea who the principle characters are or what it's like to live in this universe.

Something interesting I've noticed about goodreads' aggregate ratings: if a book gets more than 4 stars on average, it's probably worth reading. Anything under 4 is a waste of time. Either everyone on here is e...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Sci-fi and Heroic...: The Saga of the Seven Suns	2	8	Sep 28, 2012 05:27pm
Saga of Shadows	1	8	Jun 24, 2012 05:24pm

combine
Other Editions (28)

More editions...

Genres

Science Fiction

197 users

Science Fiction > Space Opera

38 users

Fantasy

13 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

10 users

Space

9 users

Science Fiction > Aliens

5 users

Adventure

3 users

War

3 users

War > Military

2 users

Speculative Fiction

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Judas Unchained
by Peter F. Hamilton
The Seeds of Earth
by Michael Cobley
The Battle of Corrin
by Brian Herbert
Prador Moon
by Neal Asher
The Disappeared
by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

About Kevin J. Anderson

Pseudonyms: Gabriel Mesta, K.J. Anderson

He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and is the co-author of the Dune prequels. His original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. He has also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in coll...more

More about Kevin J. Anderson...

Books by Kevin J. Anderson

Jedi Search (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #1)

Dark Apprentice (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #2)

Champions of the Force (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #3)

Blood Lite (Blood Lite, #1; Dark-Hunter Universe, #15.5; Hellchaser, #1; Otherworld Stories, #8.2; The Dresden Files, #10.1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Hidden Empire

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Hidden Empire

“We each have our lives... What matters is not how long those lives last, but what we do with them.” — 7 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Hidden Empire
avg rating	preview: Hidden Empire Goodreads rating: 3.72 (3110 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/898232.Hidden_Empire?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1179283380l/898232.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/898232.Hidden_Empire?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Hidden Empire by Kevin J. Anderson[/url]

Hidden Empire (The Saga of Seven Suns #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website