Deathstalker Legacy

Deathstalker #6

by Simon R. Green

Owen Deathstalker sacrificed his life to save all of Humanity. In the two hundred years since his passing, the Empire has prospered in a Golden Age of peace among aliens, humans, and AIs, with hope and liberty for all. Now, on the human homeworld of Logres, a new king is about to be crowned.

Douglas Campbell has no enthusiasm for ascending the throne, but as the sole remaining heir, he puts aside the desires of his heart and picks up the reins of duty. His first act upon being crowned is to select Lewis Deathstalker-- Owen's descendant-- as his Champion and Protector.

But threatening the new order is one man's desire for revenge. A revenge that will unite all of the enemies of the Empire in an attempt to bring the Golden Age into ruin...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Space Opera, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure

466 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 15, 2002

About the author

Simon Richard Green is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.

His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.

Excerpted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Rebecca May · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the first book of the Deathstalker Saga that changes in the time period in which it is set. Deathstalker Legacy is set 150 years or so after Owen Deathstalker's time, and let me make it clear at the starting point - the setting, not the writing, is the main fault of the book which brought me to give it a four star rating rather than my usual five for the books in the Deathstalker Saga.

The book starts of well enough - the Empire has entered a Golden Age, one not without it's problems, but one the gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, knowing that Owen and his companions did not suffer for nothing. It is that which brings me to the main issue I have with Deathstalker Legacy , an issue which is twofold. The first part of the issue is that, of course, the Golden Age all goes to shit, because, lets face it, these are Deathstalker books and stuff going to shit in a variety of ways is all that ever happens. If it didn't you might say, they wouldn't make for very interesting books at all... But I don't know. It might have been a nice change, to not be heartbroken by the fact that everything that Owen and his companions worked for is going to be brought down by one "petty little shit" - Finn Durandal (who I shall return to later). The second part of the issue is, strangely enough, that there was even a Golden Age to begin with. Reading Legacy I just didn't feel as much as home anymore as I did with the others; everything has been turned on it's head. Now there is a King; the ELF's are no longer good; there are no longer singular espers, simply the over-soul; rebellion forces are the antagonists; aliens are made welcome (mostly); there are "Paragons" - who are like the Investigators of the Old Empire, just with more heart and fashion sense, not to mention far too much pre-occupation over the media; the AI's of Shub are Humanity's Children ; the Maze is off limits; and many new groups have sprung up as well, determined to tear the Golden Age apart. Some of the groups are not bad at all, just odd. For example, the Ecstatics, who are like a whole religion full of Valentine's, except far less nasty and far less amusing. And worst of all the changes... the Terror has arrived.

The problem I have with this book overall(and more particularly it's villains,including Finn) is I think best expressed in a rather amusing quote from the next book, Deathstalker Return. I'm not going to say who said the words, because that would be a major spoiler, but here goes:
Person 1: "Tell me this isn't the best you can do for villains these days. No style at all. Now, Valentine Wolfe, he had style. He could chill the blood in your veins with a casual insult. Did he make it into the legends?"
Person 2: "Oh, yes. Well, sort of. He's usually played on the stage by a woman dressed in drag, for comic relief."
Person 1: "Serves him right."

I will grant that you do get (or at least I did) nostalgic feelings relatively often, as descendants of our hero's and friend's appear, and names that you didn't expect to find in this Age crop up again. And then you eagerly watch to see how these people measure up to their predecessors.

Well now, onto the characters. First of all, Lewis Deathstalker. Personally, I'm surprised that King Robert and Queen Constance actually found another "distant branch of cousins" to bestow the Deathstalker name upon, but I suppose you couldn't have a Deathstalker book without a Deathstalker present, so there you have it. I think it was around the time that he was writing this book that Green realized all of his main characters were either "handsome", "lean", "beautiful", "muscular", "darkly attractive"... or something along those lines. So, with Lewis... he just went with plain ugly. *laughs*. Well, whatever works. Call me superficial, but I actually find it marginally more entertaining reading about attractive characters, but there you have it. It wasn't a major problem, so lets move on. Lewis is... another Deathstalker. Smart, honorable, a good fighter, entertaingly witty and with the famous bad luck of his Clan. Another character you just have to like, in spite of his deficiencies.

Speaking of deficiencies, I shall move on to speaking about Jesamine Flowers, the diva, and Queen-to-be, as soon as she is married to Douglas Campbell. But of course, things are never that simple. Jesamine would make a dazzling heroine and entertaining character, if it wasn't for her annoying tendencies to pretty much ignore lesser beings than herself, to speak (sometimes) in ways that make you just want to stop her chatter with a quick slap, to have been apparently involved in several hundred too many scandals, and to think that giving people new pretty clothes solve everything. Despite all my complaints she is a like-able sort, and my favorite quality of hers is that she cares nothing for appearances, having spent so much time as a celebrity. None of which explains how either (minor spoiler coming up) Lewis or King Douglas could have fallen in love with her. As for Douglas - a handsome (thank goodness) upright, wry man... I can't help but feel sorry for him. Forced to be King of an Empire that is about to crumble, simply because of one man's ridiculous grudge brought about by Douglas' decision to make Lewis Deathstalker official Champion instead of Finn Durandal.

Finn is one of those characters who you start off thinking - I'm going to like this guy. Marvelously handsome, a brave and canny fighter, a hit with the media and incredibly smart, if a little cold. He has a disposition both very similar and very different to Valentine Wolfe's. Both characters have a dangerous intelligence, but Valentine was more silly, more drug-soaked, and...dare I say it... probably had more of a heart than Finn ever had, if only a twisted heart. I mean, at least we know that Valentine did a lot of what he did simply because his father never loved him enough. The other difference between them, I think, is that while we have time to enjoy Valentine's disposition in the first few books as he isn't doing anything incredibly reprehensible, Finn is pretty much an arse-hole from the very start. He goes rogue when Douglas does not declare him Champion, doing all manner of nasty things to bring down the Golden Age and dance in it's ashes. Despite this I cannot help but be impressed with Finn's incredible planning, intelligence and canniness, not to mention his snappy dialogue, but I couldn't ever like him. Anyway, onto his followers - Rose Constantine and Brett Random.

Rose and Brett are like Ruby and Random both decided to run away to other ends of the scale. Rose is vicious and knows nothing of true emotion, and literally makes Ruby Journey looks timid, while Brett - despite his intelligence - is a disappointing, cowardly substitute for the Random in the previous books. Still, what they have together would almost be cute, if not for the fact that Rose disappointed me - I thought she might have learnt something from Brett, but then she went and killed a whole room of people just for the hell of it. I kept waiting for the author to clue me in that it was just Brett having a nightmare, but no... Still, I think Rose will improve more because of Brett, and eventually their relationship will become... cute, in the oddest of ways.

The last character I feel bound to address is that of Anne Barclay - and I must apologize in advance for the rant I am about to undertake. What a stupid, stupid cow! I mean, seriously Anne, come on! I grant you that Anne does work really hard, but what most annoys me is that she blames other people for the person she is and the choices she makes, and hates them for not knowing "the real her" - when in fact if she just stopped wallowing in self-pity and self-loathing she could actually become everything she ever wanted. More importantly, if she'd done that sooner she could have done it without betraying everyone who ever cared about her. She was someone who worked in the background and was proud of it, and then got all upset when no-one ever noticed her or did what they were told. Wake up, woman! In her defense, I was miffed a little (less than she was) by Lewis and Jesamine's inability to keep their hands off each other. Especially as Lewis goes "This isn't about sex! I love her!" or words to that effect, and the next time they see each other it's to screw in private when they should be attending a Parliament session. But neither can I blame Lewis and Jesamine for falling in love - and I loved Douglas all the more for his strength in being able to forgive them, albeit in his own way and a very roundabout fashion.

Last thing I wanted to mention - H Class Starships! I fail to see how in hell they managed to improve star-ships that much, even over two centuries. Anyway, does anyone else think that Green could have come up with some better name for the ships, rather than Hector? I mean, really, Hector is in no way a dignified name for a star-ship. Is it just me, or do others also think that the Horizon, the Heaven (or Heavenly *insert word here), and the Hellion would have been much more wondrous names for star-ships. Meh, maybe that's just me.

Despite all my complaints, and the added complexity that this book has, it was still a marvelous addition to the Deathstalker Saga, well earning the four stars that I gave it. It has the usual humor, wonderful worlds and characters that allow you to lose yourself in hate, rage, love and despair. Anyone who has already read the other books will feel quite at home reading Deathstalker Legacy... if a little less than we used to feel at home.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deathstalker Legacy, by Simon R. Green, is part of a series of books. This particular one, though written fairly recently, obviously owes a lot to classic 1950s space opera, as the setting is a galactic empire (*cough*) in which a reluctant emperor takes over from his father, names his equally reluctant champion (the eponymous Lewis Deathstalker), and prepares to face a massive evil threatening the entire universe.

The book actually ends at a most exciting point, as the evil has just been revealed, so I have no idea what happens next. So I won’t say much about the plot but will instead say why I liked this book so much. First, the writing is good: the characters are three-dimensional and sympathetic, even the villains (with the exception of the main villain, a paladin [they're called "paragons" in the text] gone bad).

Also, the book has surprising depth. The structure is that of a space opera, but it also satirizes fame, particularly in terms of the paladins/paragons. Each of the paragons has his own website and a huge following of fans, and lives off the money from his merchandising (except for Lewis Deathstalker, who doesn’t feel right about making money from his work). A few other characters also represent fame. Politics gets pretty heavily satirized as well. So does racism, which is presented as Pure Humanism (this is a galactic empire, so there are aliens, AIs, and “espers”, who, I think, are basically humans with ESP). I like the fact that the aliens are presented as having alien perspectives and alien ways of thought, rather than being bumpy-headed humans.

The Church, which is specifically Christian, also plays a role in the book, and for once is not evil. Nor is it monolithically good. As the book progresses, it is being undermined by wicked men within its own structure, though the good men who remain are fighting against that.

Even more interestingly from my perspective, the author presents the reader with an Arthurian love triangle, which appears to have been inspired by T.H. White in particular. There doesn’t seem to be a Merlin figure, but the emperor, like White’s Arthur, is a fairly ordinary man who is doing his best to do good and live up to his service. And Lewis Deathstalker, like White’s Lancelot, is a very ugly man who is an outstanding fighter, and who falls in love with the woman who is to marry his best friend, the emperor.

There’s just so much I liked in the book. I can’t wait to read the rest. I heartily recommend it (though the excessively squeamish may want to steer clear; there’s a definite amount of bloodthirstiness).

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some 200 years have passed since the tumultuous events of the first five novels in the Deathstalker series. We've got a new batch of characters now, many of which are related to those legends from before.

I'd worried that it would be a struggle to get back into this series given such a jarring break in the plot and the timeline and no longer involving those characters I'd grown so fond of. But as it turned out, I loved it. These new characters are intriguing people in their own right. And the plot was very entertaining. I found the experience to be much the same as when Star Trek: The Next Generation came along. I now have no concerns for the rest of the Deathstalker series, especially because those long ago legendary characters may not be as "gone" as I'd first thought.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So far, this is one of my favorites in the Deathstalker series. 200 years of a Golden Age have gone by, bought by what Owen and the other Maze heroes did. The true story of the rebellion was erased by the first new King and Queen, who chose to build their Golden Age on legends, rather than people. Douglas Campbell reluctantly becomes the most recent king and triggers the end of that age by choosing Lewis Deathstalker to be his Champion. A jealous paragon immediately begins to plot to bring the Empire down, which turns out to be frighteningly easy. Seems an empire built on illusions is like a house built on sand. The Terror, predicted by Owen 200 years ago, has arrived, and once again a Deathstalker is called by duty to save Humanity. [return][return]Green makes fantastic use of the original Deathstalker series as a rich background for this new story. Readers will feel the thrilling sense that they know things about the past that the main characters do not. It is very satisfying to see how much Owen is admired for all he accomplished, disappointing to see how he had to be simplified for public consumption, and heartbreaking to see how other heroes of that age were erased altogether. Lewis is a great new Deathstalker character (love his "ugly face"), and there is a tense sense of anticipation to see if he will find the truth, meet up with any of the old heroes or reveal any of the hidden identities that surround him. I love the theme of the importance of truth. It may have been easier to build a golden age on simplified legends, but the truth will out, and every kindly-meant lie places a seed of rot which can be exploited by those who find their age not so golden after all. And in the end, the truth of Owen Deathstalker and his heroic companions is far more compelling than the legend. It's so fun to watch Lewis seek out the parts we already know and hope he'll answer the pieces we don't!"

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all of the death stalker books, this one is excellent. It's kind of transitional, between the old crew and a new one, but it (somewhat) answers a lot of questions raised and not resolved in the first series of books. It of course also brings up new storylines, raises new questions, and neatly ties off a couple threads long standing from the original series. It's been many year since I first read a death stalker book, and I'm pleased to find the story is just as awesome as it ever was, and I have more to read, and that makes me happy, because it means I can enjoy the death stalker series even longer.
If you've never read any of the deathstalker books, you probably don't want to start with this one, but if this book is the only one you have, don't hesitate to read it, you may not get the full impact of the story, but you'll see there's a lot to love about the series, even if this isn't exactly the most feature packed volume in the set.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Cierre a la trama principal, que no a todas.-

Género. Ciencia ficción.

Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Encrucijada (publicación original: Deathstalker War, 1997) nos muestra como David Stalker, nuevo señor de Virimonde, mantiene una estrecha amistad con el aristócrata Kit SummerIsle, más conocido como Kit Death, y está en desacuerdo con la orden de la Emperatriz Lionstone XIV para convertir el planeta en una inmensa fábrica automatizada, por lo que las fuerzas imperiales y otros aristócratas quieren anexionarse Virimonde por la fuerza, lo que permitirá a diferentes facciones rebeldes declarar la guerra abierta al imperio y llevar los combates a la mismísima capital, Golgotha. Sexto libro de la serie Deathstalker (en español, claro, porque en el original es la parte final del tercer libro de la saga).

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...

[Vera Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never actually read the first five Deathstalker books and it might be for that reason that I am so fond of the setting of this book. Taking all the source material from the prior saga and converting them into myths, a history sanitized and turned into legend, makes for an incredibly compelling entry point into a setting. I don't need to know what happened with the Blessed Owen Deathstalker, because no one else in this Golden Age knows either. Watching the end of a supposed Golden Age is also an incredibly compelling take on the space opera setting and conventions.
Green's writing is fun, snappy, and clever as always. Adding that to something of a break from the usual formula for Space Opera's of heroes against an evil empire, and you have a recipe for one of my favourite comfort reads.

[David Palazzolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could write a better review. At least in this first book of a new trilogy Simon R Green focuses on the title character, Lewis Deathstalker, a lot more time than he did with the previous series hero, Owen Deathstalker. It’s at 200 years after the end of the first series and too much of it is spent on set up and other soap operatic elements. The last fourth of the book however finally gets everything in motion and it was a pleasure to read that section I am looking forward to the next book in the series Deathstalker Return.

[James]

A century has passed since Owen Deathstalker sacrificed himself for humanity, and a Golden Age of peace began between the many species of the galaxy. But Owen's descendant, Lewis Deathstalker, has his work cut out for him as the king's new Champion and protector-for the Golden Age of peace is about to be brought into ruin...

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Deathstalker series is pretty amazing. Pulp space opera in an ironic way with plenty of homage to the greats of the 60s and 70s. Yet, existentialist at the same time in an off beat way. Great language and story telling! 4.5 stars.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when you thought the Deathstalker story was all told, out comes this new start... great new characters in a familiar setting.

[Vader · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish

[Gerald Savelson]

good

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

True rating: 3.5 A mostly enjoyable reboot of one of my favorite series. Definitely suffers from the lack of the original cast of characters.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star wars eat your heart out (although I am a card carrying Jedi Knight). Great series.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Alexandre Jorge · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was okay

[Crys Nieto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say it enough

I love Simon Green. His writing is beyond compare. Love love love love his work absolutely amazing. A ++++++ .

[Steven W · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it. I don't know if I'm burned out with the Deathstalker books, this takes place 200 years later with no obvious changes in technology, or the cheesy dialogue got to me but I disliked it....

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the first Deathstalker series. He really pushed the ideas of technology and society run amok. On the other hand this book still has piles of papers and hot dogs that feel glaringly modern in a far future setting. You really couldn't have described a novel street food? Or at least given it a new name and then described a hot dog? The other issue is that this is all a prologue to a new series, in ways it was necessary, and it ways you just wanted the excrement to make physical contact with a hydro-electric powered oscillating air current distribution device. Then ending does make me think the next one will be better.

[[ JT ] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining read by Mr. Green. Action, intrigue, aliens, though not much space travel this time around. Looks like this book was the build up to a "quest"-type story line, in order to save humanity from The Terror. Another group of people thrown together by circumstance in order to follow through with "destiny". Enjoyable story so far, and I'm looking forward to the next two of this Legacy trilogy.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give this book a 3 and a 1/2 if I could; I feel like Green is trying to create the same characters in a new era. It falls a bit flat for me.

However, I still like reading what's going to happen. Admittedly, I could not put the book down.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, I was so happy to have more of the story.

[Howard]

16

[Alexandre · Rating 1 out of 5]

Complete ripoff of King Arthur but in space ... Would be zero star if I could

[Nuranar · Rating 2 out of 5]

A long, dark, depressing book, but interesting enough, and vital to set up Deathstalker Return.