(Note: in the UK, Succession was published as one novel, The Risen Empire, comprising The Risen Empire and The Killing of Worlds. This review is for the two-book omnibus edition. Some spoiilerism may occur, especially as it's unclear as to where the split occurs in the narrative.)

A very different space opera, despite the outward appearance of fairly conventional ingredients. Galactic Empire - check. Space fleet - check. Small fighter ships - check. An Undead Emperor - check. An implacable cyborg foe - check. A Senate - check. Suicide rituals - check. Artificial intelligences - check.

But - the first chapter pitches us into the cockpit of a fast fighter ship, or so it seems. Except that by the end of the chapter, we realise that the ship is microscopic and piloted by VR remote control. And everything else that looks so much like 'by the numbers' space opera isn't. There's not too much hand-waving in the science, and every so often Westerfeld deals us a surprise in some idea that comes at the reader from out of the left field. For instance, the space fleet has something not unlike Political Officers along the old Soviet model - though they don't enforce any sort of ideology that we'd recognise. And just how implacable is that implacable foe?

We start with a rescue mission for a hostage situation on a distant world which goes badly wrong. The implacable foe has a hidden agenda; but along the way to putting that into action, a greater secret is uncovered. The Emperor's position is threatened by that secret; and his efforts to cover it up and contain the situation fill the rest of the book.

The story moves between the points of view of various different protagonists, though we quickly realise that there are a handful of important ones - a starship captain; his lover, a Senator; his Executive Officer; and a female commando who is the sole survivor of the hostage situation. Other characters also get their moments in the spotlight; some last longer than others. One character's situation is reflected in an interesting shift in the point of view. Back histories are told in regular flashbacks that paint in some more of the characters' motivations. And there's a house run by an AI who is almost a character in their own right.

The political manoeuvring is clever and consistent with the invented society. Characterisation generally is adequate; but this is a 700-page novel and there's a lot of activity to get in there, so characters are drawn no more deeply than they need to be. That's not too much of a problem, though, and I did read the last twenty pages cheering for the Senator rather.

The late Brian Aldiss coined the term "wide-screen baroque" for a particular species of space opera, and the term definitely applies here - but the trappings, and the terminology, and the overall thoughtfulness in the way the story unfolds, exceeds all expectations. This may be space opera, but certainly not as we know it. ( )

Humanity has conquered death! Not just once but in a few different ways. The eighty worlds of the Risen Empire have accomplished this by dying (d'oh) and then, through the addition of a symbiote, returning to life (woohoo!) but with a somewhat decreased appetite for the general day-to-day experiences. Unfortunately this option is not available to everyone, only the supremely wealthy or those who have provided a special service to the Empire or the Undead Emperor (no, this is not a vampire book) are found worthy of immortality. Another branch of humanity, the Rix, took the technological route, augmenting their bodies and continually upgrading the parts that wear out. Their central tenet is the propagation of the compound mind, planet-sized AI's whom they worship and venerate above all else. A second war between the Risen and the Rix looks likely when the latter takes the Child Empress, sister to the Emperor, as hostage while it seeds a mind on one of the empire's planets. Newly promoted Captain, Laurent Zai, is the one tasked with the rescue mission and failure to save the Empress will result in an Error of Blood, ritual suicide that precludes any chance at immortality. But it's not just the one planet that is in danger here for the Emperor has a secret and if this knowledge should become widely known then the very existence of the empire is also at stake.

To me, Scott Westerfeld is primarily known for his YA series but here he has created a compelling space opera that contains hard science, military action (ground and space), political manoeuvring, philosophical questioning and even a little romance thrown in for good measure (more than a little if I'm honest as it's a driving force behind the primary narrative). The story is told from the perspectives of those characters that are most involved in the current action so the reader is never far from the centre of the story as it unfolds. There are also some flashback segments that help explain the relationships of some of the principals and to underpin some key plot points. The pacing of the book is top-notch, the action parts of the story are brilliantly imagined and will have you on the edge of your seat while the in-between sequences will leave you pondering some weighty subject matter.

If I have managed to pique anyone's interest in this book then I will add a warning that you will need to be careful which version of this title you pick up. Having being written as one manuscript the work was originally published as two books, being split at a major bookstore chain's request. Confusingly republished as a single entity later on under the same name as the first of the duology. As the split occurs just before the story really takes off I doubt I would have had the inclination to continue on to [The Killing of Worlds] straight away. There's quite a marked difference in the number of people who have book 1 in their LT library as to those who have book 2 so it looks like I'm not alone in that thinking.

That warning aside, this is an excellently crafted space opera that almost makes me wish that Mr. Westerfeld's YA books didn't quite garner the praise they do and then maybe he'd write more of these kinds instead. ( )

What if death could be conquered and eternal life could be achieved. At the base level, this is the question that Risen Empire tries to answer. Spiraling out from this permise other complicated questions arise; honesty, loyalty, religion, economy, inteligence and self-awareness.

The book does manage with many of its attempted goals. The culture and system of the empire itself is fairly well thought-out and it works well as a playground for the events that take place. In some ways the story hinges itself slightly too much on the much sought after answer to the Question - the Emperors Secret - but other than that, there is a good interplay between the different parts and things move forward in a good way. The non-linear flashbacks, if they can be called that, work fairly well as a device. Told in cronological order they would probably have felt slightly tedious but instead they give you relevant background information.

Characters don't have an extreme dept and can sometimes feel a bit under-developed or shallow but function within the set framework. Though archetypical they do their intended work. Some of them even do more than that.

In conclusion; the major strenghts of the book is by far the ideas that are presented, the broad strokes of the envisioned empire and its culture, the new ways at which it looks at near-singularity societies and their inner workings. These are the reasons, and they are very compelling, to read this work. ( )

In humanity's far future, there is an Empire ruled by the dead. After sixteen hundred years, the wealth of the dead surpasses that of the living, and progress has ground to a halt, for what need have the dead of progress?

As the Empire's enemies circle, The Great Secret is revealed, a secret that could unravel the Empire, and one the Emperor will stop at nothing to protect.

As with other science-fiction works this one ponders the effect of vastly extended lifespans on human progress. If paradigms only shift when its defenders die, what happens when they live forever? In this society Westerfeld has contracted, to choose death is an act of rebellion, a salute to progress. ( )