The Risen Empire

From the acclaimed author of Fine Prey, Polymorph, and Evolution's Darling (Philip K. Dick Award special citation and a New York Times Notable Book) comes a sweeping epic, The Risen Empire, Scott Westerfeld's dazzling hardcover debut.The undead Emperor has ruled his mighty interstellar empire of eighty human worlds for sixteen hundred years. Because he can grant a form of eternal life, creating an elite known as the Risen, his power has been absolute. He and his sister, the Child Empress, who is eternally a little girl, are worshiped as living gods. No one can touch them. Not until the Rix, machine-augmented humans who worship very different gods: AI compound minds of planetary extent. The Rix are cool, relentless fanatics, and their only goal is to propagate such AIs throughout the galaxy. They seek to end, by any means necessary, the Emperor's prolonged tyranny of one and supplant it with an eternal cybernetic dynasty of their own. They begin by taking the Child Empress hostage. Captain Laurent Zai of the Imperial Frigate Lynx is tasked with her rescue.Separated by light-years, bound by an unlikely love, Zai and pacifist senator Nara Oxham must each in their own way, face the challenge of the Rix, and they each will hold the fate of the empire in their hands. The Risen Empire is the first great space opera of the twenty-first century.


Genre: Science Fiction

"The Risen Empire glows with sense of wonder. I loved it." - Ed Greenwood

"Far-future, military science fiction--with a deft hand, a conscience, a wry look back at us, and poetic flair. I know this may seem like a stretch, but think Wells." - Paul Levinson

"In Westerfeld's hands, science fiction's cutting edge is wielded with both the precision of a surgeon's scalpel and the wild abandon of a machete." - Wil McCarthy

"The Risen Empire is proof that space opera can be as complex and sophisticated as any other form of literature." - Mike Resnick

"The Risen Empire is full of relentless and addictive action which is supported by some truly wild ideas. Westerfeld's blend of traditional space opera and cutting-edge speculation makes this a truly twenty-first century SF novel." - Karl Schroeder

"The action moves with the pace of a well-executed military operation; a fascinating clash of supertechnologies. This story has everything: combat, intrigue, politics, and even an undead cat collection." - John C Wright