"Empire of Silence" First Impressions *No Spoilers*

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Come talk about your initial, general impressions!

Please save all discussion of particulars, details from the story, character choices, plot questions, etc. for the full spoiler thread.

Content warnings for those who want them: (view spoiler)[ graphic and extended torture (including to hands, internal organs), parental abuse, slavery, casual misogyny, xenophobia, plague, loss of a loved one (hide spoiler)]

User-submitted content warnings on Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/0...

(More about CWs here.)

[L.G.]

After reading this book in October, I felt as if I'd just started the story. I think that means I enjoyed it very much and wanted to find out more about this universe. So, I read The Lesser Devil, too. I've rated both 4 stars. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

[CJ]

I voted for this, started it, and DNF'd it about 1/3 in. I just reread Dune this year, am currently rereading Name of the Wind for another GR group, and I just cannot with this book right now. (Others have said it "borrows" from the VK saga too, but I have never read those books so I cannot say). I rated it so GR will stop recommending it me.

But to those of you who like this series, enjoy!

[Christopher]

I'm about 40 pages in and enjoying it so far.

[Aasterisk]

This is a slog for me. Yes, it's wildly derivative of so many other space operas, but that's not the nail in the coffin for me. What I find insanely trite and boring is regurgitated Roman patriarchy+ . Man, it's like male authors are pining for the good ole days, all grooving to the same nuanced medieval torture porn of the lower classes dream.
It reminds me why I love smart authors with something actually new to add to the sci-fi genre (like Ann Leckie, N. K. Jemisin, and Adrian Tchaikovsky, to name a few).
"Empire of Silence" is the paleoconservative wet dream writ large; I just can't.

[Dale]

read the first 2 chapters with my son. Good pacing and flow. We are going to love this one!

[Bonnie]

CJ wrote: "and I just cannot with this book right now.
(Others have said it "borrows" from the VK saga too, but I have never read those books so I cannot say). "

LOL Cj!

Is VK saga the Vorkosigan books?

[Bonnie]

So far it reminds me of Dune too. The boy/heir on a planet, trained by various of his father's men, in a room practicing fighting with shields, an important person enters the room, shenanigans in the empire affect their life...
Well I like Dune, so hopefully that means I will like this one.