73 pages • 2-hour read
Empire of Silence
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Background
Genre Context: Space Opera
Empire of Silence is a typical example of the science fiction subgenre known as “space opera,” which is associated with adventure-themed space-travel stories that depict humans traveling beyond the solar system, encountering alien species, and engaging in massive scale warfare. First coined by Wilson Tucker in 1941, the term was initially used derisively to compare space-adventure stories with television soap operas and popular western movies called “horse operas.” Space opera was seen as melodramatic, formulaic, and more focused on style than science.
While contemporary space operas retain their focus on adventure, aesthetics, and dramatic conflicts between good and evil, they also deal with complex themes like the impact of advanced technology, the dangers of colonization and empire, and the ravages of war. Space opera generally relies on “soft science,” which does not adhere to verifiable scientific principles and often blurs the line between science and fantasy for the sake of the story (Sawyer, Andy. “Space Opera.” The Routledge Companion of Science Fiction. Eds: Bould, Mark; Butler, Andrew; Roberts, Adam; Vint, Sherryl, 2009). However, recent examples have leaned more heavily on “hard science,” (i.e., opting for realism and extrapolating more closely from scientific fact). For some contemporary works acknowledge the scientific impossibility of faster-than-light travel and look for creative ways of working around the limitations posited in Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Early originators of space opera in the 1930 and 1940s include E. E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensman series and Jack Williamson’s Legion of Space series. Several important authors in the 1960 and 1970s have brought new innovations and nuance to the genre, with prominent examples being found in Cordwainer Smith’s Norstrilia and Frank Herbert’s Dune series. Contemporary space operas include Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time series and James S. A. Corey’s popular Expanse series, as well as his new space opera trilogy, which begins with The Mercy of Gods.
Series Context: The Sun Eater Series
Empire of Silence is the first installment of Christopher Ruocchio’s Sun Eater series, a sprawling space opera currently including seven novels (as of November 2025), and 27 short stories. The series is set in the far future, after the death of planet Earth has necessitated human expansion across the universe. Humans have built the largest interstellar empire in the known universe, the Sollan Empire, which controls a vast number of systems. Some humans on the outer rim of the galaxy, known as the “extrasolarians,” resist imperial rule and live in lawless, anarchic groups. Other human groups have broken off from the empire; these include a democratic society called the Demarchy of Tavros and a loose connection of principalities called Jadd. For several centuries, the Sollan Empire has been at war with xenobites (aliens) called the Cielcin, who do not have a home planet but instead maintain a network of interconnected clans that travel in fleets of enormous ships.
The series draws significant inspiration from Frank Herbert’s influential Dune series, including several blatantly borrowed terms and a protagonist modeled on Paul Atreides, the protagonist of Dune. Additional literary influences include The Name of the Wind, the first installment in Patrick Rothfuss’s richly imagined Kingkiller Chronicles. Specifically, Ruocchio emulates the narrative conceit of having the protagonist tell his story to an imagined audience. The story also contains similarities to Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga. While Ruocchio acknowledges these influences, some reviewers have criticized the novel for being derivative rather than merely an homage.
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