Hidden Empire

As with most long sagas, it took a bit of time to introduce all the characters and set up the plot and I had wished it would just get on with it. But, the character development of all the major players was really good so it ended up being ok by me. :) I felt that I knew the characters really well and understood, for the most part, their motivations. It was a very good story and the build up of suspense kept me impatient to pick the book up again every time I had to put it down. The ending was a bit predictable for me but, maybe it wasn't supposed to be a well kept secret... that being said, it was an excellent cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

This first book of the series is good, but as others have said here, it does start a little slow. It is still a good read though, and the series has gotten better and better, truly good writing. I have read the first 4 books, and they are excellent. The story is very original, interesting, and reflective of society as well. Each book in the series has been better than the last, and they are all good. One interesting thing is that there are many, many characters, but the author does an excellent job of not making it confusing. There are many story lines going on (this is truly a wide spread epic story), but it remains connected and is easy to follow. That is saying a lot, for the amount of story being told here. Highly recommended.

Kevin J. Anderson's Hidden Empire: The Saga of Seven Suns Book 1 requires a certain level of commitment from the reader, but one's patience and focus is well rewarded by a thrilling, almost intoxicating reading experience. The Saga of Seven Suns is a true space epic in every sense of the word, encompassing several alien races, all manner of strikingly different planets, and a huge number of important characters. Just this first book alone is rather lengthy, and the opening two hundred pages can be a bit of a test. While each chapter is relatively short, Anderson constantly switches the point of view from one character to another. I initially had a hard time remembering who certain characters were and how they fit into the overall picture, etc. I imagine that some readers might be tempted to lay this book aside during this crucial and lengthy introductory phase, but those who do so will miss out on an incredibly gripping story that represents all of the best things about science fiction. To his credit, Anderson does include an appendix featuring a chronology of events and pertinent rulers as well as a glossary of important terms and people. About a third of the way through Hidden Empire, everything started to click for me; all of these very different characters who had remained elusive in my imagination began to really emerge in my consciousness. My doubts now fully allayed, I found myself completely fascinated and personally involved as dire events began to play out before my very eyes. On more than one occasion, I uttered an audible "Oh no" when a sudden plot twist hit me like a linebacker blindsiding an unprotected quarterback. Any plot summary I write cannot possibly do justice to this epic, but I will try to state a few overarching features of the novel. In the early twenty-third century, Earth began colonizing its corner of the galaxy, and one such colonization ship was eventually discovered by the Ildiran Empire, the only other known major civilization in the Spiral Arm of the galaxy. Ildiran is eternally lit by seven suns, and this ancient civilization's history is recorded in the massive Book of Seven Suns, a continuously growing saga that the most fervent student could never possibly read in the space of one lifetime. Earth and her colonies form the Terran Hanseatic League, and they seek to expand while their mysterious Ildiran allies care more about the past than the future. Ildiran is led by a Mage-Imperator who, through the mysterious force of thism, can see inside the minds of all his people; the Hansa League is represented by a king, but true power lies in the shadows behind the throne. A few disparate groups do seek to maintain their independence. The Roamers live a nomadic life, thriving economically by supplying the precious stardrive fuel the two major civilizations require for space travel. Then there are the Therons; theirs is a civilization devoted to the care of the vast and semi-sentient worldforest, the u

This is like I like my space operas:big, brassy beautiful with worlds to explore, villians to hate and maximum excitement! This what I got in this novel. Kevin Anderson who cowrote those awesome dune prequels continues his quality writing in this his first sole endeavor.Hidden Empire introduces us to fabulous 25th century universe where human race has split into three parts:Earth-based Hanseatic league with it's figurehead King Frederick but is secretly ruled by the ruthless chairman Basil Wenceslas.Telepathic green priests of planet Theroc and gyspy-like starship dwelling Roamers who produce the starship fuel called ekti.Humanity shares the galaxy with the ancient alien empire of the Ildirans. A decaying realm that has passed it's glory. A experiment using technology of extinct alien race called Klikiss.A device called Klikiss torch which scientists will use to convert gas giant planets into new life-giving suns.The result of this experiment has a tragic and horrifying side effect. A race of beings called Hydrogues who live in the core of this planet are killed! This accidental genocide results with the Hydrogues launching their vast planet-size armadas with purpose of destroying each and every human in the universe!Anderson's space opera has it all: incredible world-building as he takes you to his worlds of wonder like the beautiful planet of Theroc where green priests use their telepathic links to their worldtrees to communicate to vast parts of the universe. The Ildiran empire, decaying realm filled with centuries old secrets and intrigues and conspiracies.The characters(with are many) come alive in this book like ruthless chairman, Wenceslas who rules the terran empire behind the scenes and who manipulates who ever becomes king. Dr.Margaret Colicos, the scientist who's experiment will usher in a terrible interstellar war! Tasia Tambyn-the roamer woman who will leave her people to join the terran army to avenge the death of her brother.Raymond Aguerraa young man who will fall in Wenceslas's web of intrigue. Adar Kori'nh, the admiral of the Ildiran fleet who seeks past glory of his people in battle.Jora'h-the soon to be heir of Ildiran empire and who falls in love with human woman. Nira-the young green priest who is Jora'H's lover and who find herself a victim of Ildiran's sinister breeding experiment.Anderson's lyrical prose makes his novel sing and his harrowing battle scenes and plot twists are wonderful. All this leads to shocking cliffhanging conclusion that makes me wait with baited breath for the next novel in this saga!

By the middle of the twenty-fifth century, humanity has proven its adaptability by accepting that we are not alone and in fact are the third sentient space travelers in our galaxy. The Ildirans have explored space for centuries finding the abandoned ruins of the Klikiss back in the mid twentieth century earth time. The Ildirans have shared science and technology speeding up humanity's journey in the galaxy.In 2427, xeno-archaeologists Margaret and Louis Colicos know how to use a Klikiss device to convert a gas giant planet into a sun. They choose a hydrogen giant five times the size of Jupiter with numerous moons to create a new solar system for commercial venture. However, the implosion arouses a fourth intelligent race previously unknown to humanity and the Ildirans, the even more advanced Hydrogues, dwellers of the gas giants and now the victims of unintentional genocide making war imminent.Science fiction fans need to set aside plenty of time as the first book of The Saga of Seven Suns: Hidden Empire is a one sitting reading though well over four hundred pages. The tale grabs the audience from the start as Kevin J. Anderson does not just introduce the several races and the orbs, but blends the players and worlds into the thrilling plot. Thus, the audience does not receive an extended prologue as often seen in first novels. Instead readers obtain a powerful futuristic epic that contains a robust stand-alone story line yet provides a puissant cliffhanger that will keep the audience wanting to continue non-stop with Book Two, Veiled Alliance.Harriet Klausner