The Risen Empire
Jul 2008 · Succession Book 1 · Macmillan + ORM
4.5star
31 reviewsreport
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354
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About this ebook
“Westerfeld’s blend of traditional space opera and cutting-edge speculation makes this a truly twenty-first-century SF novel.” —Karl Schroeder, author of Pirate Sun
The undead Emperor has ruled his mighty interstellar empire of eighty human worlds for sixteen hundred years. Because he can grant a form of eternal life, creating an elite known as the Risen, his power has been absolute. He and his sister, the Child Empress, who is eternally a little girl, are worshiped as living gods. No one can touch them.
Not until the Rix, machine-augmented humans who worship very different gods: AI compound minds of planetary extent. The Rix are cool, relentless fanatics, and their only goal is to propagate such AIs throughout the galaxy. They seek to end, by any means necessary, the Emperor’s prolonged tyranny of one and supplant it with an eternal cybernetic dynasty of their own. They begin by taking the Child Empress hostage. Captain Laurent Zai of the Imperial Frigate Lynx is tasked with her rescue.
Separated by light-years, bound by an unlikely love, Zai and pacifist senator Nara Oxham must each in their own way, face the challenge of the Rix, and they each will hold the fate of the empire in their hands. The Risen Empire is the first great space opera of the twenty-first century.
“In the tradition of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series and Frank Herbert’s Dune books.” —The New York Times
“Confirms the buzz that space opera is one of the most exciting branches of current SF.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The undead Emperor has ruled his mighty interstellar empire of eighty human worlds for sixteen hundred years. Because he can grant a form of eternal life, creating an elite known as the Risen, his power has been absolute. He and his sister, the Child Empress, who is eternally a little girl, are worshiped as living gods. No one can touch them.
Not until the Rix, machine-augmented humans who worship very different gods: AI compound minds of planetary extent. The Rix are cool, relentless fanatics, and their only goal is to propagate such AIs throughout the galaxy. They seek to end, by any means necessary, the Emperor’s prolonged tyranny of one and supplant it with an eternal cybernetic dynasty of their own. They begin by taking the Child Empress hostage. Captain Laurent Zai of the Imperial Frigate Lynx is tasked with her rescue.
Separated by light-years, bound by an unlikely love, Zai and pacifist senator Nara Oxham must each in their own way, face the challenge of the Rix, and they each will hold the fate of the empire in their hands. The Risen Empire is the first great space opera of the twenty-first century.
“In the tradition of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series and Frank Herbert’s Dune books.” —The New York Times
“Confirms the buzz that space opera is one of the most exciting branches of current SF.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Ratings and reviews
4.5
31 reviews
A Google user
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August 15, 2012
I loved this book, classic science fiction at it's best. A good smattering of plot and character development over extravagant battles
A Google user
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January 31, 2012
Good read
Leonardo Gurgel
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October 1, 2018
Bom livro
About the author
Scott Westerfeld is a software designer, a composer of music for modern dance, and the author of novels such as The Risen Empire and The Killing of Worlds. He lives in New York City and Sydney, Australia.
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