The Risen Empire - Scott Westerfeld Book Review

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Review Summaries

" Tor, Mar 2003, 24.95, 304 pp. ISBN: 0765305550 The Emperor has ruled over the eighty planets of the Risen Empire for over fifteen centuries. When it is time the emperor kills himself in a sacrificial way so he can return being one of the few chosen for immortality. Only the ultra wealthy or the highest nobles can access this immortality technique. Though much of the populace resents the hierarchy they react as sheep. However, for the first time in centuries a threat has surfaced. The Rix believes society needs to evolve into an artificial intelligence of one mind. They have captured the Emperor's sister, The Empress Child, and are in the process of terraforming a planet to suit their philosophy. A rescue mission led by Imperial Navy Captain Laurent Zai tries a desperate rescue attempt before the orb is bombed into oblivion, the only way to stop the Rix incursion. When the space opera remains in the present, the story line is loaded with exciting action that grips the audience who wants to come along for the full ride. When flashbacks occur, the plot slows down as a sidebar that typically provides societal background surfaces but also takes away from the rescue effort. Harriet Klausner "
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scott Westerfeld Scholar

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Overall Review

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 40%

Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Lifeform altered? Yes
Kind of alteration: - Scientifically turned into another lifeform
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes
Culture clash- - one culture tries to impose its culture on another group
Intense exploration of society's culture? Yes

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - fighter (air/space) pilot
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a futuristic society
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a fair amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript

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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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