Friday, September 19, 2014

Hidden Empire

Book Jacket for: Hidden empireHidden Empire is the first of Kevin J. Anderson’s The Saga of the Seven Suns.  In this universe humans live alongside one alien race and know of one no longer extant race.  A pair of archeologists find a tool the Klikiss (the extinct race) used to ignite gas planets into small suns and use the tool on such a planet.  Unfortunately it turns out that a vastly superior race of hydrogen based aliens have colonized such giant gas planets throughout the galaxy so the experiment results in a local genocide and sets up a war between humans & Ildirans and the unsuspected hydrogues.  Much of this book is spent setting up this scenario.  The book has a large number of characters spread across the galaxy and switches viewpoints between them to keep a lot of plot threads going.  The book ends on a cliff hanger with many of the principal characters in peril of one sort or another…. You’re clearly supposed to continue the series.

This is good sf.  The author sets up an interesting universe and populates it with intriguing characters.  Coincidence and implausibility have a heavy hand here but the story is good enough to help you overlook it.  Recommended for those who like series science fiction.