Content levels
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
It was not his war. On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe started down a path that could only end in fire. The galaxy remembers him as a hero: the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a monster: the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives--even the Emperor himself--against Imperial orders. But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier. Fleeing his father and a future as a torturer, Hadrian finds himself stranded on a strange, backwater world. Forced to fight as a gladiator and into the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, he will find himself fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.
Tags
Empire of Silence: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This epic space opera contains strong violence including gladiatorial combat and genocide, along with complex moral themes about war crimes and mass death. The protagonist is framed as both hero and monster for his actions.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, mild sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include genocide, death, and mass death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens will be drawn to Hadrian's journey from reluctant exile to legendary warrior fighting against alien enemies across a sprawling galactic empire.