Empire of Silence
- First ReleasedJuly 3, 2018
- PublisherDAW Books
- Cover ArtistSam Weber
- Word Count241,000
- Series Sun Eater, Book 1
- Succeeds The Murdered Sun
- Precedes Howling Dark
- First ReleasedJuly 5, 2018
- PublisherGollancz
- Cover ArtistPatrick Knowles
- Word Count241,000
- Series Sun Eater, Book 1
- Succeeds The Murdered Sun
- Precedes Howling Dark
To my grandparents: Albert and Eleanor. Deslan and James. This took too long to finish. I'm sorry it's late.
— Empire of Silence dedication
The first book in the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. It tells the story of Hadrian Marlowe, and was first published by DAW Books on July 3, 2018. Empire of Silence is followed by Howling Dark.
Full Empire of Silence spoliers below, proceed with caution.
Synopsis
Hadrian Marlowe, a man revered as a hero and despised as a murderer, chronicles his tale in the galaxy-spanning debut of the Sun Eater series, merging the best of space opera and epic fantasy.
It was not his war.
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.
On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe starts down a path that can only end in fire. He flees his father and a future as a torturer only to be left stranded on a strange, backwater world.
Forced to fight as a gladiator and navigate the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, Hadrian must fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.
— Synopsis from Highmatter Books
Summary
Publications
Print and Ebooks
| Edition | Cover | Publisher | Cover Artist | Interior Artist | Format | Pages | Dimensions (MM) | ISBN-13 | Publication Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Edition | |
DAW Books | Sam Weber | N/A | Ebook | 763 | N/A | 9780756413026 | July 3, 2018 | |
| Hardcover | 624 | 157 x 235 | 9780756413002 | July 3, 2018 | ||||||
| Mass Market Paperback | 768 | 106 x 172 | 9780756413019 | June 4, 2019 | ||||||
| Trade Paperback | 624 | 139 x 208 | 9780756419264 | September 19, 2023 | ||||||
| Deluxe Hardcover | 640 | 157 x 235 | 9780756421168 | November 18, 2025 | ||||||
| UK Edition | |
Gollancz | Patrick Knowles | N/A | Ebook | 625 | N/A | 9781473218284 | July 5, 2018 | The UK edition recieved a small print run, approximately 1,000 to 3,000 in circulation. |
| Hardcover | 624 | 160 x 240 | 9781473224278 | July 5, 2018 | ||||||
| Trade Paperback (Large) | 624 | 153 x 232 | 9781473218260 | July 5, 2018 | ||||||
| Trade Paperback (Small) | 624 | 128 x 198 | 9781473218277 | March 21, 2019 | ||||||
| Diamond Edition |  |
Steve Diamond | James L. Cook | Map by Daniel Hasenbos. Black-and-white interiors by Taran Fiddler. Frontispiece by James L. Cook. |
Signed Numbered Edition | 540 | 165 x 236 | 9781962871006 | September 2024 | Includes 'The Guns of Pharos,' a novelette featuring Bassander Lin; orignially limited to approximately 500 numbered copies, the Kickstarter was expanded to 1,000 copies following a highly successful launch. |
| Signed Lettered Edition | 540 | 165 x 236 | 9781962871013 | September 2024 | ||||||
| The Broken Binding Edition |  |
The Broken Binding | Rene Aigner | Digital edges and illustrated endpapers by Rene Aigner. Reverse dust jackets and PLC boards by Peng Lu. |
Hardcover | 627 | 160 x 240 | 9781399625760 | September 8, 2024 | The first printing consists of 3,000 Signed Copies. |
| Anderida Books Special Edition |  |
Planet 9 Press | Kieran Yanner | 20 black-and-white vignette headers, 7 full-color plates, and board art by Kieran Yanner. 1 full- color plate by Sam Weber. |
Hardcover | 715 | September 2025 |
Audiobooks
| Publisher | Narrator | Runtime | Format | ISBN-13 | Publication Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gollancz | John Lee | 25h 58m | Unabridged | 9781409168195 | July 5, 2018 | |
| Recorded Books | Samuel Roukin | 26h 06m | Unabridged | 9781501991547 | July 5, 2018 |
Translations
Print and Ebooks
| Language | Title | Cover | Publisher | Translator | Cover Artist | Interior Artist | Format | Pages | Dimensions (MM) | ISBN-13 | Publication Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russian | Империя тишины |  |
Азбука (Azbuka) | Sergey Udalin | Sam Weber | N/A | Ebook | 871 | N/A | 9785389179530 | February 12, 2020 | Hardcover edition features the original Sam Weber art with holographic boards. |
| Hardcover | 672 | 145 x 215 | 9785389162587 | February 12, 2020 | ||||||||
| Polish | Imperium Ciszy |  |
Dom Wydawniczy Rebis | Jerzy Moderski | Igor Morski | N/A | Ebook | 724 | N/A | 9788380626720 | September 3, 2019 | |
| Paperback | 724 | 151 x 225 | 9788380625068 | September 3, 2019 | ||||||||
| Italian | L'impero del Silenzio |  |
Fanucci Editore | Annarita Guarnieri | Sam Weber | N/A | Ebook | 891 | N/A | 9788834746004 | June 28, 2024 | |
| Paperback | 768 | 142 x 211 | 9788834744918 | June 28, 2024 | ||||||||
| German | Das Imperium der Stille |  |
Heyne Verlag | Kirsten Borchardt | Patrick Knowles | N/A | Ebook | 1189 | N/A | 9783641203467 | October 8, 2018 | |
| Paperback | 989 | 136 x 206 | 9783453318281 | October 8, 2018 | ||||||||
| French | L’Empire du silence |  |
Bragelonne | Nenad Savic | Sam Weber | N/A | Ebook | 792 | N/A | 9791028102869 | March 11, 2020 | |
| Mass Market Paperback | 666 | 112 x 180 | 9791028117528 | June 2, 2021 | ||||||||
| Trade Paperback | 792 | 154 x 238 | 9791028104252 | March 11, 2020 | ||||||||
| Czech | Císařství ticha |  |
Host Publishing House | Zdenek Polivka | Sam Weber | N/A | Ebook | 768 | N/A | 9788027524587 | January 2024 | |
| Hardcover | 768 | 151 x 215 | 9788027521531 | January 2024 | ||||||||
| Arabic | إمبراطورية الصمت ('iimbiraturiat alsamt) |  |
Al-Kotb Publishing | ساره طراح | Sam Weber | N/A | Hardcover | 608 | 9786222194222 | 2025 |
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