Battlecry

Sten #1-3

by Chris Bunch, Allan Cole

Vulcan is a factory planet, centuries old, Company run, ugly as sin, and unfeeling as death. Vulcan breeds just two types of native - complacent or tough. Sten is tough.This omnibus edition contains: STEN, THE WOLF WORLDS and THE COURT OF A THOUSAND SUNS.

Genres: Science Fiction

794 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Christopher R. "Chris" Bunch was an American science fiction, fantasy and television writer, who wrote and co-wrote about thirty novels.

Born in Fresno, California, he collaborated with Allan Cole on a series of books involving a hero named Sten in a galactic empire. (Cole married Bunch's sister, Kathryn.) He served in Vietnam as a patrol leader. He also wrote for Rolling Stone and was a correspondent for Stars and Stripes. He died in his hometown of Ilwaco, Washington, after a long battle with a lung ailment.

Reviews

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This omnibus contains the first three Sten novels. It’s a rough and tumble Military Science Fiction series with some elements of humour. The books collected here were written in the 1980s, but they have actually aged quite well, mostly because the authors don’t rely too much on fancy science and whatnot to get the job done. There is a delightfully grimy used future feel to proceedings and a lot of action as Sten and his revolving line-up of lackeys go about their business, which is mostly war-related in the employ of the Eternal Emperor.

Sten is a great “working class” protagonist and the books are competently written and just a helluva lot of fun. There are also various alien races that feature, so in that sense it is somewhat like Star Wars (without all the family politics).

The books collected here are:
Sten
The Wolf Worlds
The Court of a Thousand Suns

Highly recommended for fans of fairly straightforward Space Opera with strong military leanings.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Vulcan Colony keeps its Migs under control by keeping them in debt. When a danger threatens the colony, the corrupt governor sacrifices the migrant workers to save the elite. But Karl Sten is a survivor. A survivor with a long memory.

Bunch & Cole's tales of the accidental soldier who becomes one of the deadliest tools in the Eternal Emperor's arsenal are full of interesting detail, but the real attraction of these novels are the characters, from the much admired and lethal team of Sten and Alex Kilgour all the way to the Eternal Emperor, who is in equal measure a laid back benefactor and a ruthless ruler who can crush his enemies in a heartbeat.

[Mees]

It's easy to read, but incredibly run-of-the-mill science fiction.

[Thomas Aldis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mega

A chaotic Thrilling read! Twists and turns that keep you engaged turning the pages late into the night and early morning

[Scifimoth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A "meat-and-3-veg" military SF option. Sustaining, but no surprises.

[AJ Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, but complicated book about the future! Extremely detailed and has sophisticated language and purposely misspelled.