Scattered Suns: The Saga of the Seven Suns Book 4
By Kevin J. Anderson, Read by David Colacci
17 CDs, 20 hours – [UNABRIDGED]
ISBN:
Pub Date: 2005
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Themes: / Science Fiction / Space Opera / War / Aliens / Space Travel /
I made up what I thought was the science fiction equivalent to a Robert Jordan epic. It’s a huge galactic war with several alien races, lots of politics, characters that are all up and down the spectrum from kings to slimebucket used spaceship salesmen.
— Kevin J. Anderson, on Hour 25 – click here to listen
Scattered Suns is Book 4 of Kevin J. Anderson’s Saga of Seven Suns series, which is currently projected to be six books long. Kevin J. Anderson’s website describes the series as “An epic science fiction series by Kevin J. Anderson in the vein of
Frank Herbert’s Dune and Robert Jordan’s popular Wheel of Time books.” It’s grand space opera; complex and broad.
The first three volumes of this series are available on audio from Recorded Books, but they are not absolutely required to enjoy Scattered Suns. At the beginning of this audiobook is a “The Story So Far” section that lasts about 20 minutes. Because the story (and therefore the introduction) is so complex, I listened to it twice before moving into the novel, and it was time well-spent.
In the novel, humanity has gathered into three branches: the Terran Hanseatic League (based on Earth), the telepathic Green Priests (on the planet Theroc), and the starship-dwelling Roamers. True to humanity, these groups are not fond of each other and fight often.
There are also alien races. The Ildrians are an old race that was thought harmless until becoming hostile to humans. The Klikiss, who are extinct, left robots and machines behind. The Hydrogues are aliens that live in gas giants; the Faeros live in suns, and the Wentals are water creatures.
This volume starts right after the destruction of some key Roamer targets by the EDF (Earth Defense Force). Anderson succeeds in what he was trying to do – the book has several storylines moving at once. The characters do range from kings to paupers with lots of folks in-between, and the individual scenes range from epic battles to intimate moments between people. The only thing I’ve experienced recently that compares to it is the television series Babylon 5 which was a similar type of story.
David Colacci is a narrator with superior talent. I don’t recall having heard him before, but I will be very pleased when I encounter him again. His smooth voice and engaging character skills made experiencing this book a real pleasure.
Posted by Scott D. Danielson
