Deathstalker
By Simon Green
Deathstalker is so well written that I suspect many of its author’s fellow writers are green with envy. Owen Deathstalker, of the noble house of Deathstalker, doesn’t want anything to do with the politics and court intrigues that take place between the noble houses and their queen, unaffectionately known as "The Iron Bitch". Dealing in such intrigues got Owen’s father killed leaving Owen as the reluctant head of his House. Disgusted Owen turns his back on all of the Machiavellian maneuvering and buries himself in studying the Empire’s long and bloody history. So Owen is completely caught off guard when the Queen suddenly, and inexplicably, strips him of his title and offers an enormous reward to anyone who brings in his body. Hounded and pursued by nearly everyone in the galaxy Owen makes his escape with the help of space pirate Hazel D’ark and they in turn eventually team up with a bounty hunter, a cyborg and a legendary rebel against the Empire. Now that the Queen has forced Owen into the conflict he has no choice but to come straight at her, organize a rebellion and teach her that payback is a…well you know.
If you’re a fantasy or science fiction fan then Deathstalker is a must read. Imagine what Flash Gordon would have been like if it had been written by James Clavell. There is just one treat after another with genetically engineered Vampire armies, cyborg soldiers, unstoppable monsters emerging from a tomb called "The Vault of the Sleepers", a castle, known as The Last Standing of the Deathstalker, that doubles as a galaxy hopping starship and the Madness Maze the crossing of which will make a person more then human or completely insane; if not both at once. Intrigues abound with the Noble Houses vying for power and plotting against the Queen while other players such as the technological "cyberrats", the Underground, the Espers, the Clones and a planet of Artificial Intelligences all making their own plans and deals. None of which include the two mysterious, and technologically superior, races of aliens heading their way. If it gets any better then this, in terms of Space Opera, I’ve yet to find it. Move over Skywalker, the Deathstalker is here!
Grade: A+
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Home | Readlist | Movies | Jokes | Email me! |