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SF Review: Empire of Silence By Christopher Ruocchio

Empire of Silence is a fascinating and flawed work of epic science fiction.

What’s It About?

Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio follows Hadrian Marlowe, heir to the Archon of Delos – the absolute ruler of an entire planet. Hadrian isn’t sure he wants to rule a planet though – he’d rather become a scholar and travel the galaxy, exploring strange new worlds and such.

Sensing his uncertainty, Hadrian’s calculating father favours his second son to become heir. Before the situation can be resolved though, unforeseen events send Hadrian on a trek across the galaxy – but not in the way he’d been hoping for.

Also, he destroyed a sun – or rather, he will destroy a sun. Framed as the life story of an older Hadrian, Empire of Silence begins the Sun Eater series, which follows Hadrian throughout his millennia-long life to answer these simple questions: How did he destroy a sun, and why?

What Did I Think?

Sold when Ruocchio was just 22, Empire of Silence is a major achievement – especially in worldbuilding. Its universe is BIG – one of the biggest I’ve read, and he does a fantastic job of conveying that sense of scale to readers. Aside from the plot, I am excited to read the sequels just to see more of what Ruocchio has created. From the variety of alien ‘xenobites’ to the many different intergalactic superpowers, it’s clear that this universe is far from empty.

Though Empire of Silence is basically Ruocchio’s version of Dune for the first chapter or two, change comes very quickly. It is no more derivative than anything else in an established genre and develops some awesome and unique worldbuilding. I also enjoyed the plot structure, with Hadrian’s story told in four or five distinct sections. It allowed for a deeper examination of the world, and from more perspectives, than most first-person point-of-view stories achieve. Conversely, using this structure had a few downsides, such as introducing too many characters and weird pacing. I still liked it though.

Characters

On a smaller-scale, Ruocchio has also developed a varied cast of characters – though aside from Hadrian, we don’t see any of them as often as I would have liked. As a protagonist, Hadrian is . . . alright. His inner struggles are layered and interesting, and despite his stereotypical origin story he remains a unique character. In terms of preference though, I just wasn’t that into him.

He is a bit of a Gary Stu, and too pompous for me to really root for. In fairness, Ruocchio clearly recognizes how pretentious Hadrian is – he’s a far better character in this regard than Red Rising’s Darrow. Despite this, I really wish Ruocchio had toned him down – but a lot of it seems like he just couldn’t help himself. I also think Ruocchio bent the plot around Hadrian a little too much, and not always believably.

After Hadrian’s most pretentious and ponderous moments, Ruocchio regularly had him think something like “oh, my old teacher always told me I was too melodramatic.” I cannot express how annoying this small thing was to me. It’s like Ruocchio wrote the passage, recognized how self-aggrandizing it came off as, and then tacked on that extra thought as if to excuse it. That doesn’t make it better – especially the fourth or fifth time he did it.

Craft Complaints

Most of my other complaints deal with Ruocchio’s writing. Empire of Silence – from mixed metaphors to adjectives that make no sense – has purple prose (in my opinion). If you appreciate authors who are economical about their word choice, you’ll probably struggle here. This is a nitpick, but Ruocchio’s use of “decade” and “quarter” as quantities bugged me (ex. “a decade of legionaries”). In other cases, I appreciate his intentioned word choice, but when there is a simple and more common alternative, use it!

I also wish he’d included somewhat less literary and historical references. Like, yes, it’s impressive how well-read Ruocchio was at 22 – but I wish he could have restrained himself in showing it off. I get that, in context, Hadrian is well-read in English literature, but particularly in such referencing he felt very author-inserty. To be fair, this somewhat bothered me in Hyperion too, though not to the same extent.

Speaking of Hyperion, there are many references to it and other media in the book, and it’s fun to spot them. For example, I enjoyed the multiple Kingdom of Heaven references, though I wonder if Ruocchio knows he lifted a short scene pretty much directly from the film (he probably does).

Conclusion

Another issue relating to craft is that I’m not a fan of how Ruocchio handled the frame story of old Hadrian recounting his life. For my taste, his thoughts and observations intrude far too frequently on the events we’re reading about – disconnecting me from the immediacy and emotion of them. For example, old Hadrian spoils a character death before it happens.

To end on a positive, I love how short the chapters are – these 250,000-word book has close to eighty of them. The ending is contrived, but I understand why Ruocchio did it and I’m excited to start book two! From what I’ve heard, Ruocchio improves significantly as a writer throughout the series, and there’s nothing I disliked in Empire of Silence that can’t be fixed.

If you’re interested in more sci-fi recommendations, check out my review of Hyperion by Dan Simmons!

★ ★ ★

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Classic SF Review: The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Though I enjoyed The Fall of Hyperion, I didn’t like it as much as Hyperion.

I loved Simmons explorations of so many genres in Hyperion, especially how he changed his prose for each one. Here, Simmons shows off some great technical writing – including narratively justifiable first-person present – but I miss the variety of styles he included in the first novel.

In addition to missing the way they were written, I found myself missing the characters themselves. They’re still there, of course, but most of the page count is devoted to two new point-of-views, neither of whom I liked quite as much. And when we do get the old characters, they’re all in the same situation. I missed the variety.

None of this is to say The Fall of Hyperion is worse than Hyperion, but rather that the elements of the first book that I liked most weren’t there. It makes sense: book one is a collection of stories about individual characters, book two is the story of the space opera that was unfolding behind them. I think I preferred the main plot when it was in the background.

To be sure, many of the new elements are great. My favourite scenes in the book were those with the lyrical and insane AI, Ummon. Simmons did a great job of making character’s lifelong traits and struggles (which we learned about in Hyperion) relevant to their immediate and dire circumstances, and the choices they had to make.

Having already laid the foundations, Simmons was also able to add depth to his worldbuilding and reflect on this imagined society even more critically. He clearly subscribes to the idea that pain and struggle breed innovation – which makes sense – but I almost feel like he takes this message a bit too far, especially in the ending. The themes were reinforced so heavily that, even from early in the novel, I knew there was only one way the book could end.

It’s probable that Simmons intended the novel to crawl inexorably to this conclusion, as the characters slowly realized that there were no other options – but I just wasn’t excited by it. The ending in general fell flat for me – some of the twists were a bit too obvious – and, though I won’t spoil how it was done, the final tone and neatness of the ending struck me as a little incongruous with the overall story.

I read this one slowly – took about a month – and overall wasn’t motivated to keep reading. I had fun when I did but was never itching to get back to it. At least right now, I won’t be continuing with Endymion and Rise of Endymion. I’m glad I read the first duology in the Hyperion Cantos, but there’s just so much more out there to read.

★ ★ ★

Review: Taking on the Plastics Crisis by Hannah Testa

In this personal, moving essay, youth activist Hannah Testa shares with readers how she led a grassroots political campaign to successfully pass state legislation limiting single-use plastics and how she influenced global businesses to adopt more sustainable practices. Through her personal journey, readers can learn how they, too, can follow in Hannah’s footsteps and lower their carbon footprint by simply refusing single-use plastics.

“While trees provide us with some oxygen, most of the oxygen we breathe is actually produced from marine life in the ocean. Approximately every other breath we take is generated from the ocean.“

I picked up this little pocket book about a month ago from my local library, and I’m so glad I did. While I don’t usually reach for non-fiction, this looked like a quick read to give me further insight on the plastics crisis. I worked at a grocery store and seeing the amount of single-use plastic packaging used made this problem plague my mind. This book was exactly what I was looking for: a quick read but packed with informative detail and insights on steps one can do to make a difference.

I loved reading the prologue where Testa recounts how she has created change from a young age. She once organized a fundraising event with her friends to help a local farm. A viewer donated $10,000 to the cause after the event raising money for the farm (a viewing of the American Girl movie Saige Paints the Sky) was featured on the news.

Takeaways:

A line I hear often is that an individual’s lifestyle changes is not enough to make major changes to the climate crisis. While it is true that large corporations and businesses are the ones that have the most impact, ordinary people are the ones who bring up these issues and demand change. Testa mentions many other young change makers like herself who have contributed to making change on a larger level. While the problem cannot be changed by personal commitment alone, Testa and other activists’ work has reminded me of how one person’s idea can turn into a collective effort. Like how a 12 year old’s wish to create a better space for farm animals ended up with $10,000 towards the cause.

As Testa mentions, it is up to consumers to speak up and hold big businesses accountable.

“Businesses rely on consumers to buy their products, so if customers decide to no longer buy their products until they ditch their single-use plastics and eliminate their plastic packaging, businesses will shift to match the needs of their customers”

This is something I’ve seen in action with the popularity of reusable bags, fees on plastic bags, and paper or reusable straws replacing plastic straws. I think this is a sign that it is possible and that we are moving in the right direction, though this is really just the beginning. Hannah also gives readers solutions on how they can live a life free of single-use plastics, including: using reusable bags and food containers, shopping second hand, seeking out products with little to none plastic packaging, and more.

Plastic is Toxic

This was a very insightful and sobering read as well. While I, like many others, are aware of the ongoing climate crisis, we often think of the garbage that pollutes our waters and has devastating consequences on wildlife. But, still, I wasn’t quite as aware of the extent that plastic affects our health negatively. Plastic in our water means plastic in our food, which negatively affects many coastal communities that rely on the water for their livelihoods. Along with that:

“Plastic also releases toxins into the food and drinks it comes in contact with. So, yes, your plastic coffee cup is leaching toxins into your coffee. It’s no surprise that plastic is considered a potentially human carcinogenic material.”

The 5 Rs?

While working at a grocery store, I experienced first-hand how although recycling is an option, a lot of plastic doesn’t even get recycled. There is a lot of confusion about what can get recycled or what could get a bag of recycling thrown in the trash. Testa addresses this recycling confusion, as policies change over time and also depend on your local jurisdiction.

What is there to do about the plastic crisis? Testa introduces readers to a concept that goes beyond the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) taught in school. (With recycling being a last resort- did you know only that in Canada, only about 9% of plastic is actually recycled? ) The two Rs she includes are to Refuse and Raise Awareness.

Final Thoughts: Read this book!

While I did already know some of these things before reading, I was able to learn even more about the crisis. Now, I am more aware of the problem and what I can do to limit my use of single-use plastics, as well as inspire others to do the same. I highly recommend picking up this book if you are wanting to become more environmentally conscious. (Which really should be everyone because plastic affects our health, wildlife, and planet!) Testa’s words give a great understanding of this problem and show the power that everyone carries to make change.

Check out Hannah’s website here! She is currently raising money to donate copies of her book to schools in marginalized communities.

(Cover image photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash)

The post Review: Taking on the Plastics Crisis by Hannah Testa appeared first on Procrastireader.

Review: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva…

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

“When there is only you, you do not get to choose which jobs you want, you do not get to decide you are incapable of anything. There is no room for distaste or weakness. You must do it all.” (147)

Hi Everyone!

Today, I have a review on a book I recently blazed through, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Similarly to TJR’s other books, Malibu Rising is filled with drama and secrets from the past as the story transitions between the 50s and 80s. If you’ve read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, you will already be familiar with one of the main characters, Mick Riva. The chapters of the Riva siblings kept me hooked as I was eager to find out what would happen to them. Without getting into spoilers, I’ll say this book was a really enjoyable, mysterious, quick summer read!

yellow outline of 2 surfboards one with flowers the other with waves standing in the water

What I liked/didn’t like

While I was invested in the Riva siblings’ story, there are a lot of anecdotes on minor characters which I didn’t really care for. I found they added drama to the story but not much else. My favourite part of the book was how it explores what it means to be a family and how we all have the power to become our own person. I have more to discuss on this, but I’m trying to keep this review spoiler free, so you’ll have to read and see for yourself!

“She had to choose what, of the things she inherited from the people who came before her, she wanted to bring forward. And what of the past, she wanted to leave behind.” (357)