'Hidden Empire' is the first in the series
INCREDIBLE!!! Kevin J. Anderson’s series "The Saga of Seven Suns" builds itself slowly and then shoots you off into the many worlds he has created. I am still reeling from the story, a virtual space soap opera. Here, there are human colonists seeking independence from Earth, an intercommunicative humanoid alien race, sentient trees, sun creatures, water beings, and everyone’s mutual enemy.
When the pesky humans turn a planet into a sun, they unwittingly bring about the wrath of the hydrogues, super-powerful aliens living within the cores of gas giants. Unfortunately, the hydrogues, apparently lacking an etiquette class in their universities, do not have the word “negotiations” or “diplomacy” in their vocabularies. It doesn’t matter that the humans didn’t know what they were doing. It is war, plain and simple. Amidst all this, there are the usual love stories. The brother of the humanoid Ildirans’ Mage-Imperator places the Imperator’s love in a breeding camp, but hey, it’s all part of his crazy, crazy plan. Earth’s King Peter doesn’t meet his Queen until they get married, but lucky for him, she’s pretty and sweet. The leader of the Roamers (humans based in space, not on land) prolongs marriage to the man she loves only to have him become...well, a bit of a drip...read this and find out what I mean! A cornerstone of the series is the mystery surrounding the Klikiss transportal system. The insectoid Klikiss race was completely wiped out, despite the use of an instantaneous travel device. What this means for the entire galaxy, and the fact that the hydrogues use a somewhat similar system, is yet to be seen.
Before the third book Horizon Storms is finished, many people have stepped through the transportal---some for safety, some for research, some for a new beginning. Many have not returned, leaving a literal black mark on their destination. There is one negative thing about reading this series. Beware: you will become entrenched in these worlds and beings and lives, and you will have to actually wait for the next books.
"The Saga of Seven Suns: Scattered Suns" arrives this summer, but until then, find and read "Hidden Empire ," "A Forest of Stars ," and "Horizon Storms " by Kevin J. Anderson. They are not to be missed.
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