Author: Kevin J. Anderson
Publisher: Aspect
Release Date; August, 2002
Review by: Nick Tab
Honestly, I just don't get the hatred that some people harbor for Kevin J. Anderson. I think it may be because he is so prolific and his books are so successful that he's been labelled a mainstream "hack" by a select few and not edgy enough for the discerning science-fiction reader. I usually consume about 50-60 science-fiction titles every year and believe me, I have had to wade through some absolute garbage. So I know awful, and Kevin J. Anderson is NOT a bad sci-fi writer. This is not only some of the best sci-fi that I've had the pleasure of reading, it's downright fun and entertaining as well. Hidden Empire is the first book in the 7-book Saga of the Seven Suns. The story begins in a far future where humans have been forced to flee an over-populated Earth. Their ship of colonists was saved by an ancient alien species known as the Ildirans. The Ildirans are an extremely evolved and intelligent race of beings who view humans as cute, but not worthy of being associated with. They allow the humans to live among them in the Spiral Arm, but keep a close eye on them almost to the point of being their caretakers. The humans have formed their own government to maintain a semblance of independence (if only in appearance) called the Terran Hansiatic League. This government is led by a figurehead king who is really controlled by a hawkish politician named Basil Wensclas. Basil's only wish is to see humans free from the boot of Ildiran oversight and will stop at nothing to achieve that aim. The Terrans (humans) believe that by igniting a gas giant in a nearby system and creating a new star, they can show the Ildirans that they are advanced enough to stand on their own. What they could not foresee was that the gas giant that they ignited was also secretly home to a war-like alien species called the Hydrogues. The Hydrogues are not exactly happy that their home world had been destroyed and begin to unleash a military assault on both Terran and Ildiran interests. These interests include valuable space manufacturing plants run by the Roamers, a small offshoot of the original Terran colonists. The plants are located across the Spiral Arm and operate as production sites for a type of space fuel, or "ekti", that the Ildirans need to power their spaceships. Ekti is literally the lifeblood of the Roamer/Ildiran economy, which has now become entirely threatened by the merciless Hydrogues. This forces the Ildirans and Terrans to form an unsteady alliance as they try to figure out how to combat this newly roused "Hidden Empire". I would recommend this book to anyone who likes good space opera without any reservations. It is not as dense as some of the Peter F. Hamilton books, yet not as fluff as say David Weber's Honor Harrington series either. I'd place Hidden Empire somewhere in the middle, which is a good thing. You don't need a degree in Astro-Physics to understand what is going on but there is just enough hard science to make it interesting. What really drives this book are the characters and the plot. This one is highly recommended.
(5 out of 5 stars)
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