# The Hidden Empire series by Jaine Fenn



## Werthead (Jun 18, 2012)

*Book 1: Principles of Angels*



> Khesh City floats above the uninhabitable surface of the planet Vellern. It is a city of contrasts, with the rich and powerful living on the luxurious surface and the poor and downtrodden forced to live in the Undertow. The city is a democracy by assassination, where unpopular politicians can be removed by official killers known as Angels. When an Angel is brutally murdered, it falls to her nephew, Taro, to learn the reasons why.
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> Principles of Angels, the debut novel by Jaine Fenn and the first in her loosely-linked Hidden Empire sequence, is a far-future SF novel centred on two contrasting protagonists: Taro, a male prostitute trying to avenge his murdered aunt, and Elarn, a high-class singer who has been blackmailed into travelling to the city to commit a heinous crime. Taro lives in an underworld of crime and exploitation, but is idealistic, which leads him into becoming an agent for the Minister, the city's enigmatic ruler. Elarn is a more civilised character, out to do the right thing but trapped in a situation not of her own making, one which could have severe repercussions for the entire human race. Other major characters include the Minister himself, the Angel Nual and detective/info-broker Meraint. Fenn does an effective job of distinguishing and motivating these individuals, although the focus is firmly on the two main characters (who alternate POV chapters for much of the novel).
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## Rodders (Jun 18, 2012)

I did find this a little hard to start with but soon got into it. There were some pretty cool concepts that made this an enjoyable read.


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## Werthead (Jun 24, 2012)

*Book 2: Consorts of Heaven*



> It is a time of tribulation for Kerin. Discriminated against in her village for the circumstances of her birth, her son Damaru is skytouched and will soon be blessed by being raised to the ranks of the Consorts. Events are complicated by the discovery of an unconscious man in the mere outside the village. As Kerin helps him regain his health, his memory comes back in fits and starts...and indicates that Kerin's world and everything she knows may be a lie.
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> Consorts of Heaven is the second novel in Jaine Fenn's Hidden Empire sequence (which currently stands at four books, with a fifth out this year). It is not a follow-up to Principles of Angels, instead taking place roughly simultaneously with it but in a different part of the galaxy. It can be read independently of the first volume. The first novel was more overtly SF, with a dash of the New Weird added to it, but this second volume is more akin to traditional fantasy. It's set in a much more primitive world where some people have abilities that seem similar to magic.
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## MeldedByThePlague (Jun 25, 2012)

I've read all of Jaine Fenn's books in this series so far. The last 2 have definitely not been disappointing either.


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## Werthead (Aug 27, 2012)

*Book 3: Guardians of Paradise*



> Taro and Nual are Angels, formidable assassins who have discovered that the Sidhe - the long-defeated former slavemasters of humanity - have secretly returned and are undertaking clandestine operations against human interests. Their attempts to expose the truth to the rest of human society lead them into a meeting with Jarek Reen, a space trader who has had his own run-in with the Sidhe, and the formation of an alliance to bring the Sidhe down.
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> Guardians of Paradise is the third (of, currently, five) novels in the Hidden Empire sequence. The first two books in the sequence featured completely different characters operating on different worlds, whilst this third book brings them together and sees them pool resources to defeat the Sidhe. You can read either Principles of Angels or Consorts of Heaven first, but you need to have read both to fully appreciated Guardians of Paradise.
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## Werthead (Sep 23, 2012)

*Book 4: Bringer of Light*





> Jarek,  Taro and Nual's attempts to expose and defeat the machinations of the  alien Sidhe continue. In alliance with the Minister of Vellern, their  latest mission takes them to Aleph, the refuge of the male Sidhe after  the devastating war with the females. However, the trio's assumption  that the enemy of their enemy is their friend is soon shown to be  hopelessly naive. Meanwhile, on the primitive world of Serenein, other  allies against the Sidhe find their attempts to keep their people safe  may soon be tested...
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> _Bringer of Light_ is the fourth novel in Jaine Fenn's *Hidden Empire *sequence,  which currently stands at five books. The series so far as been varied  in quality, with great ideas often battling against so-so prose and a  mixed bag of characterisation (our protagonists are well-drawn, but  everyone else is sketchier). The previous book ended with a left-field  revelation about a threat to humanity that dwarfs the Sidhe in magnitude  that was fairly horrific and executed with deft skill. Whilst that  threat is not much expanded upon in _Bringer of Light_, the upturn in writing quality that delivered it does at least continue through this volume.
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## Rodders (Sep 23, 2012)

I've only read the first book and need to pick up the others.


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## Werthead (Jun 23, 2013)

*Book 5: Queen of Nowhere*





> The  Sidhe, who once enslaved and ruled all of humanity, have returned and  inserted themselves into key positions of power right across  human-controlled space. Only a few are aware of their return, and the  data expert Bez is working hard to bring about their downfall. Her plan  requires perfect timing, the recruitment of trustworthy allies and, if  necessary, blackmail. But when her strongest ally apparently betrays  her, Bez is left to face the Sidhe alone.
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> _Queen of Nowhere_ is the fifth novel in the *Hidden Empire*  sequence. This sequence is interesting because it tries to be a fairly  tightly-serialised space opera whilst trying to make each book a  stand-alone, with the focus moving between different groups of  characters. _Queen of Nowhere_ brings Bez, a fairly minor character  in the earlier books, into sharp relief (Jarek, Taro and Nual, our  'regular' protagonists, are relegated to bit-players in Bez's story).  Compared to the frequent point of view changes and shifting between  planets of the previous volume, _Bringer of Light_, _Queen of Nowhere_ benefits from a tight focus on Bez and her storyline.
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