Metal Swarm (The Saga of Seven Suns) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: trade minister, colonization initiative, verdani battleships, King Peter, Solar Navy, Spiral Arm (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Anderson's super-size mosaic of intergalactic, Darwinian conflict has been compared to some of the genre's grandest epics with good reason, but the breakneck sixth book (after 2006's Of Fire and Night) of this shelf-bending space opera fails to satisfy on its own merits. The quickly deteriorating Terran Hanseatic League (Hansa), the formidable Ildiran Empire and the newly created Confederation of Hansa's ex-colonies and rivals are in a fight for their very existence, battling not only each other but rogue robots, sentient fire entities and an ancient insectoid race, thought long extinct, which plans to eradicate all life on the planets it claims to own. Although Anderson brings all of his considerable skill to bear, much of the action-packed conflict remains relatively predictable, perhaps due to the unwieldy cast of characters, tapestry of intertwining subplots and eon-spanning backstory. A sparse conclusion leaves readers hanging in anticipation of book seven. (Dec.)
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Product Description

In the aftermath of a devastating war, swarms of ancient black robots built by the lost insectoid Klikiss race continue their depredations on helpless worlds with stolen and heavily armed Earth battleships.

Among the humans, the Hansa's brutal Chairman struggles to crush any resistance even as King Peter breaks away to form his own new Confederation among the colonies who have declared their independence.

And meanwhile, the original, voracious Klikiss race, long thought to be extinct, has returned, intent on conquering their former worlds and willing to annihilate anyone in the way.

Praise for the Saga of Seven Suns?

"A soaring epic?a space opera to rival the best the field has ever seen."
--- Science Fiction Chronicle

"Kevin Anderson has created a fully independent and richly conceived venue for his personal brand of space opera, a venue that nonetheless raises fruitful resonances with Frank Herbert's classic Dune series."
?Scifi.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Orbit (December 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316021741
• ISBN-13: 978-0316021746
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #585,816 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Enemies Appear, April 16, 2008

By	Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Metal Swarm (2007) is the sixth SF novel in the Saga of Seven Suns series, following Of Fire and Night. In the previous volume, the soldier compy revolt stripped the Earth Defense Forces of warships. When the hydrogues and Klikiss robots invaded the Terran system, General Kurt Lanyan gathered his remaining ships for a last stand. During the battle, King Peter and Queen Estarra fled to Theroc to escape the threats of Hansa Chairman Basil Wenceslas.

The Ildiran Solar Navy turned against the hydrogues and assisted the EDF ships. Then verdani treeships, Roamer vessels and faeros fireballs arrived and fought against the hydrogues. The hydrogue diamond ships were totally defeated. Soon wentals were dropped into the atmospheres of known hydrogue planets to drive away the aliens.

In this novel, King Peter begins to organize the new confederation of Hansa colonies, Roamer groups and the forest planet of Theroc. He starts by refusing the services of green priests to the Big Goose, thereby reducing their message traffic to lightspeed or courier ships. Then the surviving verdani treeships leave Theroc to spread worldtrees throughout the galaxy.

Mage-Imperator Jora'h begins to rebuild his damaged cities and worlds. Yet his consort Nira reminds him that he has unfinished business with the humans. He decides that the Mage-Imperator should personally inform the humans of the evil done against them by himself and his ancestors.

The Roamers begin to rebuild their installations destroyed by the EDF and the hydrogues. Jess Tamblyn and Cesca Peroni assist the Roamers and also begin to gather disassociated wentals for transport to Charybdis. Patrick Fitzpatrick III begins to search for Zhett Kellum.

In this story, the Confederation seems to be doing well, but its enemies have not all disappeared. Chairman Wenceslas is still making bad decisions that hurt the Hansa colonies within the Confederation and his orders have led General Lanyan into still further atrocities. But Wenceslas is also steadily turning his friends into enemies.

Moreover, the Klikiss have returned. They are definitely searching out their robots and destroying them. Yet they are also killing humans when they get in the way.

The Klikiss robots are using the captured EDF warships to attack their former masters, but the insect-like aliens are fighting back. The number of irreplaceable Klikiss robots, subverted compies and captured weapons is steadily being reduced. Sirix is beginning to question his own plans.

The faeros have become more aggressive since the insane Rusa'h has been incarnated as a fire elemental. Rusa'h incinerates Udru'h on Dobro, but lets Prime Designate Daro'h return to the Mage-Imperator. Then Rusa'h tours the Horizon Cluster, consuming the soulfires of Ildiran splinter colonists.

This story produces more threats against the Confederation. Naturally, these threats are also sources of danger to the Big Goose, but Wenceslas ignores them in his plans to destroy King Peter and all his allies. How many new threats will come in future volumes?

The author has invented some strange concepts and names, but the storyline drags. The overall plot is getting somewhat old. Still, the story itself is rather interesting.

Recommended for Anderson fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of interstellar empires, exotic dangers, and a bit of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How long is Anderson going to milk this "saga", December 6, 2007

By	S. Hibbs (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is consistent with it's predecessors. It's well written, the characters well developed, and fairly unique in the world it describes. However, is anything ever going to happen in these books? They drag on and on...becoming boring in parts when Anderson spends so much time on one small scenario. These books have been compared to Frank Herbert's Dune series. That's absurd. More happened, with a much greater level of excitement, in the single first Dune novel, than ALL of these installments of the Saga. As with the Ildiran story that this series refers to, it's a never ending story.....which might be positive in some ways, but is growing increasingly frustrating as this current installment grinds on...and on.....and on....

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Anderson is a master of the dissapointing climax, December 17, 2008

By	James L. Gambrell (Morris, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Metal Swarm (The Saga of Seven Suns) (Mass Market Paperback)

Time and again Anderson spends hours of storytelling putting his heros in ridiculously impossible situations to built a dramatic rescue, escape, or victory. Unfortunately the drama often isn't there. Instead you feel like you are being subjected to endless incompentence and bad luck on the part of the heros, and ridiculous displays of power by the bad guys, and getting nothing in return. The misery drags on for chapter after chapter, while the victories are always wrapped up in a few pages. Very frustrating.

The plot is also full of inumerable holes and missing justifications. Why in the world does Admiral Willis drop General Lanyon off at Earth? Why are the flame-creatures so ridiculously powerful? Why does the mage imperator set off with only a single warliner? Why are the people of Earth so incredibly gullible and stupid? With the information given it is very implausible that the Chairman could have stayed in office this long. Far too much of the book's villany is wrapped up in this one man. Any number of people could have easily assasinated him 3 books ago and ended the entire drama (he apparently has NO bodyguard). Meanwhile the mage imperator has hundreds of bodyguards but they turn out to be completely useless time and again.

Just a lot of missing elements. Every planet feels like it's no larger than a mid-size city. Planetary populations are repeatedly described in the low millions, where are all the people? Everything revolves around individual characters, there are almost no institutions or organizations that play any role.

Most good space opera has brilliant + lucky heros and devious + calculating villians. This series is more along the lines of bumbling + unlucky heros and irrational+lucky villians. Very odd.


Overall the series is interesting and builds a lot of anticipation, but just dissapoints again and again. It definetly rides on the strength of the characters rather than the plot.