Rating: 
Summary: Good book
Review: Great book, riveting. Perhaps not quite as good as the first book in the series because the ideas and technology have already been presented in book 1 and no longer seem as exciting. However this book is an excellent addition to the series and the revelation at the end is keeping me waiting for book 3!Note to Scott Westerfield: 2^9 != 522 :)
Rating:
Summary: brilliance continues
Review: I loved The Risen Empire and have been waiting for the sequel impatiently. It's every bit as good as I hoped. In short, I read the book in one sitting completely unable to put it down. The Killing of Worlds begins with the space battle promised at the end of Empire. For a solid 170 pages, the Lynx and its Rix opponent struggle, employing opposing swarms of drone craft , vast clouds of kinetic weapons (manufactured diamonds), beam weapons, nano-infection attacks and stealth maneuvers. Quite simply, one of the most fascinating and intricate space battles every put on paper, and with realistic Newtonian physics to boot. Of course, the rest of Westerfeld's political and interpersonal conflicts are also playing out. The Rix commando and her hostage/lover effect incredible dirt-side assaults, and the Senate politics culminate in a dramatic trial and a revelation of cosmic significance. Even the flash-back arc bares unexpectedly wonderful fruit. A novel of wildly ambitious structure. I wouldn't read this book without having already read Risen Empire, but this extraordinary conclusion should win back those put off by Empire's cliff-hanger ending. I mean, come on, this is science fiction, a literature built on pulp dramatics, fix-up novels, and Saturday serials. With a pay-off this good, the wait was worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Well, I tried to read it.
Review: I was sorely disappointed by the first book--it just ended almost (but not quite) mid-sentence, as though the editor at TOR divided the original manuscript half-way and said, "Viola! We now have two books instead of one!" What a writer cannot deliver, an editor surely can. That said, this book fails in its beginning--as the other failed in its ending. I just couldn't pick up the story as though this were a two-part television show or miniseries. Don't get me wrong. I am not criticizing the writer or the writing. The only way I could recommend reading this is if the reader were to purchase both the first book and this one, and read them both right after the other (as they were clearly intended to be). Unfortunately, that's a rather expensive proposition, and there are books a'plenty out there where a reader only has to pay once, instead of twice, for a beginning, a middle, and an end. As for the writer, I recommend that he find another publisher who will treat his work with respect and professionalism. Perhaps he will get lucky and many of us will forget his name is associated with this marketing travesty. As for the editor...well, publishers don't generally put the editor's name on a book, do they? In this case that's a shame, because it would better highlight who is to blame for ruining what would otherwise be a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Well, I tried to read it.
Review: I was sorely disappointed by the first book--it just ended almost (but not quite) mid-sentence, as though the editor at TOR divided the original manuscript half-way and said, "Viola! We now have two books instead of one!" What a writer cannot deliver, an editor surely can. That said, this book fails in its beginning--as the other failed in its ending. I just couldn't pick up the story as though this were a two-part television show or miniseries. Don't get me wrong. I am not criticizing the writer or the writing. The only way I could recommend reading this is if the reader were to purchase both the first book and this one, and read them both right after the other (as they were clearly intended to be). Unfortunately, that's a rather expensive proposition, and there are books a'plenty out there where a reader only has to pay once, instead of twice, for a beginning, a middle, and an end. As for the writer, I recommend that he find another publisher who will treat his work with respect and professionalism. Perhaps he will get lucky and many of us will forget his name is associated with this marketing travesty. As for the editor...well, publishers don't generally put the editor's name on a book, do they? In this case that's a shame, because it would better highlight who is to blame for ruining what would otherwise be a good book.
Rating:
Summary: 2^9 isn't 522. Great book, though!
Review: I wish I could write this way. I'm not entirely sure I would concentrate quite so much on plot twists (riveting) and technology (amazing), but I wish I COULD do it. Sigh... Still, the Emperor's Secret wasn't really the galaxy-shattering big deal the lead-in (and finish) made it out to be. The only thing important about secrets (in fiction and real life) is that nobody knows.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Space Opera, Few Flaws
Review: If you are looking for a great space opera (and like me you are a big Dune Fan) this is the series for you. As you may have read from other reviews book 1 and 2 are really one book and many people who bought book 1 felt a little ripped off for having to buy book two but since i got both of them out from my library, I didn't care and was just overjoyed that book 2 was already out. What made this book unique was that every chapter was short, fast paced, and told from a different characters perspective. Laurent Zia's endless cliffhanger space battles got a little tiring and the emporers secret was built up so much you are bound to get let down a little but those are really my only criticims of the book. The ideas in the book are real brain teasers and i felt a sense of conclusion and anticipation of a possible third book. Awesome read!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly well written
Review: Many of the other reviews of this book (The Risen Empire and The Killing of Worlds are effectively one book) rightly praise its exciting plot, imaginative science fiction, and well-developed characters. I wanted to highlight my favorite aspect of the book: how extraordinary the language is.
It has an incredibly spare - at times even poetic - quality. Without spoiling the plot, let me mention in particular the poignant scenes between H_rd and Rana, as well as Nara Oxham's climactic speech. I am hard pressed to name a science fiction writer whose prose comes close. Even the typography and page layout contribute to this aesthetic.
In fairness, a less ardent fan would probably feel that the same devices get over-used, and that The Killing of Worlds is noticeably stronger than The Risen Empire. Nevertheless, Westerfeld has definitely produced some memorable writing within an already great science fiction novel.
Rating:
Summary: taut military-political science fiction thriller
Review: The Risen Immortal Emperor blames Imperial frigate Captain Laurent Zai for the death of his sister, the Child Empress. Though innocent, Zai handles suicide missions with little chance of survival. His ship the Lynx?s current assignment is to keep a more powerful vessel of the enemy the machine-human Rix from reaching the planet Legis. Zai knows his crew will pay the price for the Emperor?s belief that his actions killed his sibling. On Legis, the Rix have been forging a special combine that interconnects all artificial intelligence into one mind. Plan A of the Emperor is to destroy the orb in anticipation of Zai?s failure. Only Zai?s lover Senator Nara Oxham, who has doubts about the impact of immortality on humanity, stands in the way of the Emperor bombing the planet causing millions of humans to die unless somehow Zai succeeds in time to stop him. She also wonders what the Emperor has to fear from the Rix. The sequel to THE RISEN EMPIRE, THE KILLINGOF WORLDS, is a taut military-political science fiction thriller. The story line is loaded with action while encouraging the audience to ponder the effects of immortality on humanity. That latter subplot especially espoused by Oxham is the key additional element that adds a cerebral philosophical feel and deep characters to an action packed military tale. Those fans of both sub-genres will cherish. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: taut military-political science fiction thriller
Review: The Risen Immortal Emperor blames Imperial frigate Captain Laurent Zai for the death of his sister, the Child Empress. Though innocent, Zai handles suicide missions with little chance of survival. His ship the Lynx's current assignment is to keep a more powerful vessel of the enemy the machine-human Rix from reaching the planet Legis. Zai knows his crew will pay the price for the Emperor's belief that his actions killed his sibling. On Legis, the Rix have been forging a special combine that interconnects all artificial intelligence into one mind. Plan A of the Emperor is to destroy the orb in anticipation of Zai's failure. Only Zai's lover Senator Nara Oxham, who has doubts about the impact of immortality on humanity, stands in the way of the Emperor bombing the planet causing millions of humans to die unless somehow Zai succeeds in time to stop him. She also wonders what the Emperor has to fear from the Rix. The sequel to THE RISEN EMPIRE, THE KILLINGOF WORLDS, is a taut military-political science fiction thriller. The story line is loaded with action while encouraging the audience to ponder the effects of immortality on humanity. That latter subplot especially espoused by Oxham is the key additional element that adds a cerebral philosophical feel and deep characters to an action packed military tale. Those fans of both sub-genres will cherish. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: strong sequel with room for more
Review: There's no reason to go into the background of this one since you really have to have read book one (The Risen Empire) so anyone who comes to this will already be familiar with the characters and setting. If you liked The Risen Empire, then you'll also like Succession, since it carries on the story in similar style and fashion. There are some differences. Westerfeld ups the tech-talk in this one and it isn't quite so smoothly integrated as in The Risen Empire. Or at least, it distracts a little bit more. Those well-versed in sci-fi hard science jargon might not find it distracting but as a rare reader of the genre, there were a few places where I could have done with a little less. Westerfeld employs the same structure as in book one, cutting back and forth between events in space with the captain and on-planet with the senator, as well as going back in time to their burgeoning relationship. He also cuts to the Rix warrior, but as she is on board ship with the captain for part of the novel, it's less often and less far astray setting-wise than in The Risen Empire. As in that first book, the cuts are handled deftly--they are never confusing and are often timed perfectly to keep tension high. Since there is less need to fill in societal background in a sequel, Westerfeld is freed somewhat to up the ante in terms of action and suspense; this holds especially true for the space battle scenes which have the captain leaping from the proverbial frying pan into the fire, but then adding to the proverb a few extra steps, such as throwing gasoline rather than water onto the fire. It all makes for an exciting plot which is enhanced by characters you care about and an underlying theme which leads to some larger, more philosophical questions beyond "how the hell do I get out of this." My one complaint about book one was that I thought it was slim enough so that one book would have sufficed. Succession is slim enough that I still think that holds true, but Westerfeld clearly leaves himself room (though it is an option, not a necessity) to make the work even longer. My only real complaint about the sequel (the additional jargon being a minor distraction) is that there wasn't enough of the house. I hope if he does continue it we get to return to my favorite multi-storied character.
| 
