1st edition, Hidden Empire (2002)
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Hidden Empire (2002)
A Forest of Stars (2003) Horizon Storms (2004) Scattered Suns (2005) Of Fire and Night (2006) Metal Swarm (2007) The Ashes of Worlds (2008) |
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Author | Kevin J. Anderson |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction, Space opera |
Publisher | Aspect/Orbit Books (US) |
Published | July 2002 – July 2008 |
Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
No. of books | 7 |
Preceded by | Veiled Alliances (prequel) |
Followed by | The Saga of Shadows |
Author | Kevin J. Anderson |
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Audio read by | George Guidall |
Series | The Saga of Seven Suns |
Genre | Space opera, Science fiction |
Published | 2002 (Aspect) |
Media type | |
Pages | 464 |
ISBN | |
Followed by | A Forest of Stars |
Author | Kevin J. Anderson |
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Audio read by | George Guidall |
Series | The Saga of Seven Suns |
Genre | Space opera, Science fiction |
Published | 2003 (Aspect) |
Media type | |
Pages | 496 |
ISBN | |
Preceded by | Hidden Empire |
Followed by | Horizon Storms |
Author | Kevin J. Anderson |
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Audio read by | George Guidall |
Series | The Saga of Seven Suns |
Genre | Space opera, Science fiction |
Published | 2004 (Aspect) |
Media type | |
Pages | 496 |
ISBN | |
Preceded by | A Forest of Stars |
Followed by | Scattered Suns |
Author | Kevin J. Anderson |
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Audio read by | David Colacci |
Series | The Saga of Seven Suns |
Genre | Space opera, Science fiction |
Published | 2005 (Aspect) |
Media type | |
Pages | 496 |
ISBN | |
Preceded by | Horizon Storms |
Followed by | Of Fire and Night |
Author | Kevin J. Anderson |
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Audio read by | David Colacci |
Series | The Saga of Seven Suns |
Genre | Space opera, Science fiction |
Published | 2006 (Aspect) |
Media type | |
Pages | 544 |
ISBN | |
Preceded by | Scattered Suns |
Followed by | Metal Swarm |
Author | Kevin J. Anderson |
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Audio read by | David Colacci |
Series | The Saga of Seven Suns |
Genre | Space opera, Science fiction |
Published | 2007 (Orbit Books) |
Media type | |
Pages | 480 |
ISBN | |
Preceded by | Of Fire and Night |
Followed by | The Ashes of Worlds |
Author | Kevin J. Anderson |
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Audio read by | David Colacci |
Series | The Saga of Seven Suns |
Genre | Space opera, Science fiction |
Published | 2008 (Orbit Books) |
Media type | |
Pages | 512 |
ISBN | |
Preceded by | Metal Swarm |
Author | Kevin J. Anderson |
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Audio read by | David Colacci |
Illustrator | Robert Teranishi (inks) Wendy Fouts-Broome (colors) |
Series | The Saga of Seven Suns |
Genre | Space opera, Science fiction |
Published | 2004 (WildStorm) |
Media type | Print (Graphic novel) |
Pages | 96 |
ISBN |
The Saga of Seven Suns is a series of seven space opera novels written by Kevin J. Anderson and published between 2002 and 2008. The books are set in a not-too-distant future where humans have colonized a number of other planets across the galaxy, thanks in part to technological assistance from an ancient alien race, the Ildirans. The series chronicles the universe-spanning war that erupts when humans inadvertently ignite the fury of a hidden empire of elemental aliens known as the hydrogues. Internal conflict is sparked within both the human and Ildiran empires as other ancient elemental races reappear to renew their own ancient war with the hydrogues.
A sequel trilogy, The Saga of Shadows, so far includes the novels The Dark Between the Stars (2014), Blood of the Cosmos (2015) and Eternity's Mind (2016).
In the future, the human race has colonized multiple planets in the Spiral Arm, most of which are governed by the powerful Terran Hanseatic League (Hansa). Though ostensibly ruled by kings, the Hansa is actually controlled by its Chairman, and the puppet monarchs merely follow orders. Centuries before, several generation ships had set out from Earth to find new worlds; one of these had encountered the Ildirans, an ancient alien race who shared their stardrive technology (which allows faster-than-light travel) and led the humans to habitable planets. The Ildirans themselves, psychically linked to their leader the Mage-Imperator, have become stagnant and eschew both expansion and innovation.
As the series begins, the arrogant Hansa Chairman Basil Wenceslas begins grooming a replacement for the aging King Frederick. Basil looks to expand the human empire further through the discovery of alien technology from the extinct Klikiss race that will allow scientists to create a new star from a gas giant, turning cold moons into planets ripe for colonization. The most prominent human world aside from Earth is Theroc, a planet covered in semi-sentient worldtrees that is quietly independent from the Hansa. Theroc's "green priests" are able to commune with the trees and communicate telepathically across space when touching a treeling, making them indispensable for instantaneous communication across the galaxy. The Roamers are clans of industrious humans living a clandestine existence in the fringes of space, managing a profitable economy centered on the sale of the valuable stardrive fuel ekti and other commodities. The ignition of the gas giant Oncier reveals the existence of the elemental hydrogues, and the inadvertent hydrogue genocide at the hands of the humans incites the ire of the other hidden hydrogue populations across the galaxy. Their brutal retaliation and forced cessation of ekti collection threaten to cripple both the human and Ildiran civilizations, and serve as an effective declaration of war. The aggression of the hydrogues reawakens the verdani, the worldtree entities who had fled to Theroc after losing an ancient war with the hydrogues. Meanwhile, the Ildiran Mage-Imperator Cyroc'h struggles to hide his race's secrets and keep the centuries-old plan for ultimate Ildiran survival on track. And the amnesiac black Klikiss robots, left behind after their parent race's mysterious destruction, have secrets of their own.