Why EMPIRE OF SILENCE is incredible! 🌑🐐

Let's talk about Sun Eater's Empire of Silence!
Check out the book here: bookshop.org/a/89948/97807564...
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00:00 Reading Experience
13:06 Bi Panic In Action
15:50 Spoiler Free Full Thoughts
30:07 Spoiler Talk

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

Check out the book here: bookshop.org/a/89948/9780756419264

[@FrankKatzenberger]

The following books only get better.

[@SunEaterBooks]

Hi Daniel! So glad you enjoyed the book--thanks for taking the time to read it. I hope you like the rest!

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

Thanks again!

[@dabearsfan9]

I just finished the empire of silence thanks to this review and wow… SO SO good. I’m not even a massive sci fi guy but I just love how you approach it in this book. I have a feeling you’re gonna blow up in the coming years. Thank you for the awesome read and now I’m onto book #2!!

[@Chris-bd6ll]

On Kingdoms of Death now and wow what a great read so far. Thanks Chris!

[@turtleanton6539]

Im getting it now. This seals the deal

[@itznoxy7193]

Some of the most comprehensive and detailed world building I have ever encountered. Truly galactic in its scope.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I've been telling folks since 2020. So glad others are finally discovering the best kept secret in science-fiction. Ruocchio is a wizard.

[@elyse49]

I discovered it because of you and it's now one of my favorite series, along with Terra Ignota. Thank you!

[@beebeebees]

i originally read it thanks to your rec, ty!

[@metalgearsenshi]

I'm gonna take seeing you over here as my 2nd confirmation to finally add Empire of Silence to my December tbr

[@Jed1Master97]

I started reading it because of you and it has become my favorite sci-fi series to date so far.

[@markb3534]

So good. You got me interested in EoS Mike! So good to see Ruocchio making the rounds now!

[@PetrikLeo]

Glad you loved it, too, Daniel! I think it's amazing. Best sci-fi debut I've ever read, really.

[@DashWatson]

This was way underrated, finally starting to blow up now. I remember 2 years ago, only Mike had reviewed these books and interviewed the author. Christopher must be very happy now.

[@JennaRuocchio]

It's Rock-ee-oh. 😘 Haven't actually read this book yet but someone close to me seems to really like it, so idk. (Thanks for the glowing review! CR is on sabbatical from social media, but I made sure he saw this.)

[@katieamarsh]

I hope watching it made his day!!!

[@grandadmiralmanatee]

Took me a minute to realise who this was 😂😂😂

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

Great format for a book review. Loved. It. You are the master. And Crispin Richey wrote a damn fine book. One of my Sci-Fi favs

[@turtleanton6539]

Actually ruichiio is the master

[@edsheeran1243]

There are endings, Reader, and this is one. If what I have done disturbs you, Reader, I do not blame you. If you would read no further, I understand. You have the luxury of foresight. You know where this ends. I shall go on alone. Always get chills when I read that

[@jeroenadmiraal8714]

Holy shit that is almost literally a copy paste of the Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe.

[@TehJaska]

I really disliked the book for this. It's obvious that the writer is a big fan of Gene Wolfe, but there are times when homage crosses over to plagiarism and the book felt like that at times. Ending passage being a direct copy of Book of the New Sun was in poor taste, in my opinion.

[@jeroenadmiraal8714]

@@TehJaska I talked with Ruocchio about this and he explained that the idea was that Hadrian would be familiar with Wolfe's text and would riff off of him. But this is not clear in the novel. Ruocchio regrets it, and maybe we get a revised version in some future special edition.

[@edsheeran1243]

I would probably agree if I had read gene wolfe

[@xenn4985]

@@jeroenadmiraal8714 Its clear if you actually read the book and note that the characters make constant use of quotations

[@sigils]

Yessssss Suneater is excellent. Have fun in the Howling Dark

[@deidara96321]

I ADORE that you've incorporated spoiler sections into your reviews. Hearing someone elses fleshed out thoughts on a book is what i crave when I finish a book myself. Going to be picking this one up to hear what you have to say later!

[@deidara96321]

Or at least incorporated them to be very long lol

[@dabearsfan9]

Totally agree with wanting to hear other people talk about a book after you finish it. I love seeing other people gush about stuff that I enjoy

[@skylerstefanski5085]

Just have to appreciate that Daniel was like "I have a pinched nerve so I am not going to go to hard" and then follows that with a 120 seconds of just pure unadulterated thirst for some fictional characters

[@timjackson4387]

I love how Hadrian’s height works as a metaphor for his privileged mindset. When it starts he mentions that he is short. so in my head I was like “oh okay he is like 5 foot 6 or something” but nope. He was just comparing himself to the rest of the palatine. He is actually way taller than most people. But he really focuses on how “short” he is when describing himself. Hadrian does this with everything. He is so focused on his own woes that he ignores the fact that he is better off than all of the lower class because of how he was born. He focuses on how much he is lacking in the patrician sense. Just a cool character detail I loved.

[@handlechar568]

hmm, granted I've only read 40 pages of EOS, but so far Crispin is described as a head taller than Hadrian, and also "six feet of angry muscle".

[@WatsonandSherlock]

Christopher is also just such a cool dude. I'm from his home town so he does book readings and book signings at small book stores. Hearing him talk about his love of metal music and that influence on chapter titles is so much fun.

[@_jared]

I'm glad you liked it so much, Daniel. I fell in love with this series a few months ago. It's now my favorite science fiction series.

[@katherineweaver382]

A full book review! Just what I needed! I love this style. I have missed the long form. I know those take a lot of time and effort. Thank you! This is exactly what my ADD brain needed. Time for chores while I listen!

[@tysam5867]

This book series is such an underrated gem. Easily one of the best books I've ever read. The second one, Howling Dark is even better too! My jaw was on the floor the entire time.

[@Codeman1930]

I’m really liking the new format of the book reviews. It’s been helping be able to see your mid book impressions which is often more important then final thoughts. Keep up the great work Goblin Lord!

[@LiterateGoblin]

oh my god, a book review. thank you for blessing me this day.

[@salfontana5712]

A literate goblin? In this economy?

[@LiterateGoblin]

@@salfontana5712 its more likely than you think!

[@birdy1427]

Been shouting Ruocchio's name from rooftops for years now. Spent the last 6 months hunting down the entire series in hardcover and finally completed it. Can't recommend these books enough.

[@chuckyscookie5323]

I'm so glad you loved the book as much as I did - it's a truly amazing series. The praise is so well deserved, and it's awesome to see it on a platform as big as yours. I can only recommend people to pick it up. Enjoy the subsequent books - they only get better!

[@praetorxyn]

Thank you so much for finally giving this criminally under known series some of the attention it deserves. Reflect on everything you said, then ask yourself what it means to you that the author sold this book at 18, if memory serves. He's simply an incredible author, and you haven't seen anything yet. Ruocchio himself has said he didn't learn to outline until book 2, and has been very up front that he basically had to gut and rewrite Empire of Silence in a short time at the request of his editor / publisher.

[@SunEaterBooks]

Sold at 22. The oldest parts of the text (the Delos stuff) were written when I was 18/19.

[@praetorxyn]

@@SunEaterBooks Thanks for the correction, and congrats on this review.

[@adammanders2021]

That’s crazy, just started book two and wanted a recap of the first book which I read last year to see this video uploaded 15 minutes prior. It’s like Daniel was watching.. 👀

[@DecKrash]

I don't know if you noticed this, Daniel, but there are also a lot of nods to Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, particularly with the use of very complex, fancy words that describe certain common occupations, like myrmidons and lictors: two words that were often used to great extent and significance in Wolfe's masterpiece, which happens to be yet another distant future epic.

[@AnthonyBrende66]

This was one of my favorite reads of the year. I’m so excited to read the rest of the series. This video was exactly what I needed to help me think through this book!

[@rosss2173]

I literally finished this book last night and saw that you had posted a review - great timing! Definitely excited to go forward into this series more! One of my favourite reads of the year.

[@kflott]

Glad to see you get to this great book, hope you continue on with Suneater, they keep getting better

[@danieldavis3713]

I'm glad you found this series! It was recommended to me from a friend and I was hooked in the same way you are, Hadrian is such a dynamic and charismatic character. I read the first book and binged through the rest bc I couldn't help myself, they only get better as they go along. Such emotion and despair ahead of you, I envy you reading them for the first time and look forward to your thoughts on these books.

[@warlordpro67]

So glad to see this series finally get the attention it deserves. This series for me is my absolute favorite since reading. can't wait to get your thoughts on the rest. Also noticing a lot of the same comparisons and similarities to red rising I was shocked to learn Rucchio had never actually read them.

[@Zetamen7]

You gotta read Book of the New Sun after this, it's a major influence on Ruocchio ( Wolfe in general really)

[@noteuser15]

I’m glad you finally got to this man. I’ve been waiting for your review of this!

[@WhatAKing1]

Listened to this series a few months back, I really enjoyed the whole thing. It gets super dark! I really enjoyed how the translation became so important to the overall story. Please keep making content on this series.

[@brentasmith]

Learned his name pronunciation from Brian Lee Durfee. It's like Rock-ee-oh

[@shinigami2502]

Glad you enjoyed the book. Witnessing Hadrian's growth throughout the series can be exciting and at the same time heartbreaking. The second book really rewrite his character and purpose in a bittersweet way.

[@bairdsearle]

I sincerely hope you do a deep dive just like this video for every other book in the series. I just like you have temporarily ignored my TBR to read the rest of the series, and I'm loving it. I'm currently in the middle of book 2, and I plan on finishing the rest of the series before the year is over.

[@BrianBell7]

So glad you read and gave such a thorough review. I just finished that book a couple weeks ago and loved it as much as you. Starting Howling Dark next week! Happy Thanksgiving!

[@OdinZulu]

I’m so glad you started reading Sun Eater! I’ve loved them all. And I agree they just get better and better!

[@Dejan3979]

Thank you for good book tip..I was looking for one desperately. I'm so excited.

[@thomashogan723]

I know it's not as exciting these days as it may have been in the beginning... But you have been a huge inspiration to me to pull my old ideas off the shelf and begin writing my graphic novel. Cheers.

[@nathanbrownsberger7074]

I remember like 4 years ago suggesting it in one of his streams and it obviously didn’t impact him finally getting to it but it’s awesome for him to finally check out this series!

[@ptannous27]

I really wish Daniel would give Ryan Cahills a Bound and the Broken a read. Especially with how much influence from classics like WOT and LOTR he clearly shows.

[@katieamarsh]

For real, they just get better and better. I know they will be rereads in the future too.

[@ptannous27]

@@katieamarshYeah I could see a future show or movie deal for these they’re that good lol

[@DrunkenGyarados]

Unfortunately I think it takes far TOO MUCH influence 😕 I’ve only read the first book, but I personally couldn’t enjoy it because it felt far too contrived and unoriginal and bordering on plagiarism 😬 if it wasn’t for that it would have been a 3 - 3.5⭐️ read for me. Still not great, but a lot better than I can give it credit for with how contrived the entire plot is…

[@ptannous27]

@@DrunkenGyarados Read the second book I promise you won’t be disappointed it completely changes similar to how the first WOT book felt like it was a carbon copy of LOTR. The books just keep getting better and so does his writing skills. It’s amazing.

[@DrunkenGyarados]

@@ptannous27 yeah I’ve been thinking about giving it a go, but I just wanted to add in my opinion, because I think as far as the first book goes, Cahill gets far too much hype for a mid and entirely unoriginal book. Hopefully the second book can redeem him! 👍

[@nmal8702]

I never, and I mean NEVER clicked on a link so fast! I’m even typing this before pressing play! I’m that overjoyed that you finally got your hands on this masterpiece of a series! Okay off to watch the video! P.S. It will keep getting better and better btw! If you loved book 1, wait till you reach book 2 and goodness book 3!

[@blakebumgardner4943]

And the series just keeps getting better. SO stoked this series is hitting the masses.

[@redarcs5273]

Glad you enjoyed the book! I have read the entire series up until this point, and am waiting for the release of book five. It is incredibly good.

[@elizabethwestlake8896]

Gibson was basically the single person Hadrian was close to in his entire childhood & youth. He’s filled with the wisdom of Gibson. He can’t shake him, he’s part of his mind and heart. He can’t quit Gibson.

[@Pegasus_p12]

So I’m thinking about picking this up. I big thing for me is that I do like the mc being an actual decent person (obviously I’m ok with the mc go from not great to being better) does this happen or does he always stay a bad person.

[@_le1954]

@@Pegasus_p12The story arc is focused on the protagonist’s growth, exploration and development of a new mindset based on all his experiences. EoS is an introductory book that builds up to great storytelling in the following books. Can hardly wait to read the last book.

[@displacegamer1379]

If you are an Audible subscriber, Book 1, 1.5, and 2 are free to add to your library via the Plus Catalog.

[@laavos]

Thanks for the heads up!

[@Talking_Story]

Just finished this as well. Great character driven internal journey. Look forward to continuing.

[@musicgenius1948]

Very nice to see you do a deep dive into an epic series

[@parkercrystal1]

Love that two of my favorite book tubers are *finally* reading this. 😊

[@zionthedon7745]

LOVE this style of video Daniel💙

[@Sheebert]

I binge read this book and am off to the next one. Excellent review!

[@masonmclaughlin7905]

My fav sci fi series so far. So glad you started it.

[@user-ci5sf5qj2k]

Thanks for introducing me to this series. Currently on book 3 and loving it.

[@Kaladin0622]

LETS GOOOOO THIS IS WHAT IVE BEEN WAITIN FOR

[@Mercury_Beetle]

Added to my tbr pile! Sounds like a heck of a read

[@yenneferalvarez7122]

Glad to see you doing single book reviews!!

[@ethanmagdaleno5332]

YOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I've been waiting for him to talk about this series for yearssssssssss

[@floriandolder8111]

Very cool to hear you talk about this series. I am 3 books in so far and I must say that I found the first one to be the weakest by a solid margin so you should be in for an absolute treat.

[@ryan0002]

I'm really excited for you read the rest of the series to see where he all goes!

[@JimMelonWL]

Thank you for introducing this fantastic book to me. It was right up my street and I hadn't heard of it before

[@KarolinaK00]

We'll, thanks to this book popping up places I frequent and especially this review I've now read it and yup yup yup I am in for the ride, already purchased book 2.

[@Kim-gy9pl]

I haven't seen you this excited in a long time. my TBR is mad at you now

[@odins_eye3257]

Been waiting for this since I saw you fantasy news

[@peterbaldelli2644]

Really good book. Looking forward to the second book. I don’t catch the Bi angle….I thought it was refreshing to hear characters written without modern stereotypes.

[@gingeedome9812]

Glad you finally got to Suneater! I adore Rocchio!

[@shaniyoung5459]

At 13 min I felt that hahaah. That is exactly how I felt. I was like Ruocchio is walking in the future while we were stuck in the past. Just finished EoS after I saw the first half of your review of the second book. Praise you and Praise Roucchio! I won't be seen for the next couple of weeks till I'm done.

[@BatteryHalfEaten]

FINALLY! I picked this up randomly and loved it. It’s my first sci-fi book too

[@malcolm2771]

You have so much more "growth" to look forward to... Seriously though, howling dark and demon in white are 2 of the best scifi books I've ever read.

[@Spacenugget9]

I found Empire of Silence in a second hand book store in May having not ever heard of it, and while it was not my favourite of the year, the second book in the series (Howling Dark) was absolutely incredible for me.

[@CDN_Ewok]

WOOOO! Alright just bought it, diving in, be back to watch the last bit of the video tomorrow or day after when I'm done. Fuckin awesome video! Like the format a lot. And hope the pinched neck eases up, Goblino!

[@DanielsBookNook]

Currently starting book 3, book 2 was AMAZING. I’ve heard book 3 is even better, which is crazy. So stoked you loved this one, and I’m a big fan of your channel!

[@nmal8702]

Book 3 is my favorite from the series, so you’re in for a treat!

[@JQbd214]

Discovered this book a year or so ago by complete accident at a book store because the series’ covers intrigued me. Haven’t gotten to it yet (perhaps soon) so when I saw this video come up, giving it praise, I felt so justified in buying it haha

[@robinstrich2553]

Sun-Eater ist hands down the best SciFi since a looong time. Not in the Red-Rising Action-fun-bonkersness way but simply in a writing-way. Also would really see a Convo between Daniel and Christopher👀 He's such a cool and intellectual guy to chat with about writing and books in general! Btw.: Ruocchio has never read Pierce Brown and also doesn't plan to until finishing Sun-Eater bc of the similarities often pointed out.

[@gnomishviking3013]

Like the video style Daniel. Feels a bit more grounded and relaxed instead of the over the top reactions. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[@molcoo]

I was wondering when you were going to finally get into this series Daniel! It's become one of my diehard favorite ongoing epic fantasy series (and easily IMO the best example out there of true science-fantasy, even more so than Dune and Hyperion). The sequels are even better though, especially Howling Dark and Demon in White. Demon White I see as the Storm of Swords or Empire Strikes Back of the series to date, it's just so indescribably epic and climatic.

[@buttchutney4298]

Thank you so much for recommending this book. I listened to it on Audible and the narrator is so perfect for the character of Hadrian. His posh British accent goes so well with the overly flowery prose. I think I might be more frustrated by it if I were reading it rather than listening, but the audio book just felt so good.

[@Yaya-in4tr]

Thanks for the recommendation ! I am now on book 3 and love it !

[@MorningShore]

So excited for this book deepdive!

[@JWK1101]

You've sparked my interest, I'll have to add Empire of Silence to my list.

[@calebhanna3467]

I just randomly read this book because of the cover art. Most of my fantasy reads come from your recommendations so it’s wild that you just read it in the midst of the ocean of fantasy.

[@Valkrill]

Been promoting this book for a long time now, it first caught my eye in B&N. The 2nd books cover art is soo good, so I found the 1st one and never looked back. Love the philosophical approach and the bombshells that make you question reality like The Matrix. Also the Audio book has an incredible narrator.

[@heretic124]

There's novella with Crispin as main character taking place between books 1 and 2 called The Lesser Devil. It flashes out Crispin some more.

[@petersotherland9230]

I literally laughed aloud at my desk at work when the line “a you a walking literary cliche” and response “yes, ask anyone who knows me!” came up. Love the acknowledgment to the reader that Hade is a bit extra 😅

[@DinoKaric1]

Loved this book, listened to the audio version of it Samuel Roukin I thought did a fantastic job reading it. I love how I was never realy able to predict where the story was going to go. One minute I'm expecting a cool space voyage that might last a few chapters only to get a survival story where Hadrian has to fend for himself on some miserable planet.

[@YashPatel-ez4um]

It blows my mind this is the author's debut book. It is so amazing and I've been a long time fan of Christopher. I am so happy he is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

[@wjamimah7772]

God Damnit Daniel I was going to wait till after 6 came out and closer to 7 and now you’ve got me more stoked than ever to get to this biotch!

[@candran3130]

I started reading the sun eater series three weeks ago, now im currently reading the third book, holy hell its amazing. Howling dark, the second book is my favorite so far, cool battle scene, epic duel and some gruesome stuff !

[@damo6794]

Love this series Mike's Book Reviews got me to check it out, glad its getting a spotlight! The author has a youtube channel thats worth looking at for updates

[@IzzyZil20]

I’m about a quarter into it and absolutely addicted, it’s amazing!

[@bruler7264]

Discovered this series randomly one night as you do, finished the First book in a day or two. Absolutely loved it, reading the second one right now. If you’re a fan of sci fi and philosophy you’ve gotta check out this series.

[@flywithty1]

I actually like this format!

[@TheCrathes]

I've been trying to tell people about this series for years now. It's great that it's getting some attention! I am very excited to see how this hits you.

[@bradfordwright5911]

LETS GO!! I just started book 4 and have the interstitials and book 5 coming in the mail.

[@samuelleask1132]

Love this kind of review!

[@akuttpasse1521]

Haha YOU FINALLY READ IT!!! Hell yes Daniel! Made a comment recomending it a year ago haha- I read 104 scifi books in 2022, and the Sun Eater series is by far my favorite out of the lot. So damn good. Id give a toe to get to read it for the first time haha! Enjoy man

[@rapha_spi]

I am so happy that booktube has been praising Suneater, it seems it almost didn't make it to book six and now I'm sure there will be a boom of new readers

[@SirTallstone]

Finally!!!! You made it, Daniel😭

[@MacScarfield]

Just read the preview of the first 5 chapters of «Empire of Silence», were I caught: Jadd: The Jaddite Faith from several Guy Gavriel Kay novels (GGK’s mix of Christian Trappings and the Sun Cults from Antiquity: Unsurprising given Ruocchio have stated himself as a fan of GGK, with signed books by him) & Jeddah, an Ancient Port City in Modern Day Saudi Arabia Birth Vats for the Nobility: «Brave New World» by Aldous Huxley Hadrian’s home planet of Delos: Greek Island, Holy Site for the worship of Apollo and Artemis and the Athenian-led Delian League which fought Sparta in the Peloponnesian War of the 5th Century BC + The Name of the Mega-Corporation running the parks in «Westworld» Hadrian’s brother Crispin: The St. Crispin’s Day Speech from «Henry V» The Alien Antagonists, the Cielcin: Ciel (French: Sky) + sin (Mr. Ruocchio is Catholic, alright! 😄) Lothrian: Have some similar language structure as the Free City of Lorath from GRRM’s «ASOIAF» + Lotharingia/Lorraine in Modern Day France Hadrian’s family name Marlowe and their Devil Symbol: Christopher Marlowe wrote «Doctor Faustus», about the eponymous scholar who make a pact with the devil Mephistopheles (+ a reversed color scheme of the Manchester United Devil Logo, given the Marlowes’ English Ancestry?) The Mother of Hadrian’s Family Name, Kephalos: Cephalus, whom Socrates have a dialogue with in Plato’s «Republic». Cephalus give as a definition of justice «to give each what is owed to them», which Socrates refutes by saying that returning a borrowed knife to someone who has turned mad and might therefore hurt themselves, is not just…(cue philosophizing on justice and madness!😅)

[@phen0menos]

Given how much you enjoyed this you should consider also reading the companion novellas in between the main books. Here's the recommended reading order up to Ashes of Man: EMPIRE OF SILENCE THE LESSER DEVIL * HOWLING DARK QUEEN AMID ASHES * TALES OF THE SUN EATER, VOL. 1 * DEMON IN WHITE TALES OF THE SUN EATER, VOL. 2 * KINGDOMS OF DEATH ASHES OF MAN

[@Noah_Boulter]

I suggest Jacob Yellow as a possible nickname goblin.

[@ryanragan2206]

Welp.... I just went and bought this. You just made feel like I HAVE to read this, that I absolutely need this in my life and it won't be complete without it. Juat need to finish Altered Carbon before I can start it.

[@secret.dog.powers]

Love this format Daniel! As far this Kristina Rocco, never heard of him but I’ll check it out! Bye bye so handsome