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Sten #5
Revenge of the Damned
Sten fully expected to die in a blaze of glory, taking his Emperor's greatest foe with him. Instead, he is a slave laborer in a POW camp deep in the heart of enemy territory. But sitting out the action had never been Sten's style. And now that the war is building to a climax, the Eternal Emperor needs him more than ever. Not even the toughest prison in the known universe can keep Sten from his mission...
152 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1989
23 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Allan Cole
80 books65 followersAllan Cole was an American author and television writer, who wrote or co-wrote nearly thirty books.The son of a CIA operative, Cole was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. He collaborated with Chris Bunch on the Sten science fiction series, as well the Far Kingdoms Series, and the historical novels, A Reckoning For Kings and Daughter Of Liberty.
He co-authored a non-fiction book A Cop's Life with his uncle, Thomas Grubb; and a fantasy novel Lords Of Terror with Russian author Nick Perumov.His solo books include the fantasy novels that make up the Timura Trilogy and the thrillers, Dying Good and Drowned Hopes.
He sold more than a hundred television episodes, including ones for Quincy, M.E., The Rockford Files, The Incredible Hulk, Dinosaucers, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Magnum, P.I., Werewolf, and Walker, Texas Ranger.
He was also a Los Angeles newspaper editor and investigative reporter for 14 years.
Cole was married to Chris Bunch's sister, Kathryn. He died of cancer in Boca Raton, Florida, aged 75, on March 29, 2019.
He co-authored a non-fiction book A Cop's Life with his uncle, Thomas Grubb; and a fantasy novel Lords Of Terror with Russian author Nick Perumov.His solo books include the fantasy novels that make up the Timura Trilogy and the thrillers, Dying Good and Drowned Hopes.
He sold more than a hundred television episodes, including ones for Quincy, M.E., The Rockford Files, The Incredible Hulk, Dinosaucers, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Magnum, P.I., Werewolf, and Walker, Texas Ranger.
He was also a Los Angeles newspaper editor and investigative reporter for 14 years.
Cole was married to Chris Bunch's sister, Kathryn. He died of cancer in Boca Raton, Florida, aged 75, on March 29, 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 27, 2024
Another good installment, but this one seemed a little scattered at times. We ended the last installment with the Empire at war with the Tahn (and losing) and Sten and Alex being captured by the Tahn. ROTD starts off three years later with Sten and Alex in a POW camp on some hellworld. A variety of POVs are introduced and developed, such as the Emperor, his council of advisors and various military figures on both sides. Intrigue abounds on both sides!
Sten and Alex are transferred to Heath, the capital of the Tahn empire, in an experimental program to use problematic POW as labor for the war effort-- what could go wrong? Sten's new prison is an old, abandoned church in the capital city and his fellow POWs are quite a cast of characters...
I will not detail the plot; part of the fun of this series is watching it unfold. Sten's escapades in prison are quite fun, but like the others in the series, the humor serves as a backdrop for lots of social, economic and political commentary; while this series is about 30 years old, the commentary is still quite relevant for today. Snarky! 3.5 stars rounding up.
Sten and Alex are transferred to Heath, the capital of the Tahn empire, in an experimental program to use problematic POW as labor for the war effort-- what could go wrong? Sten's new prison is an old, abandoned church in the capital city and his fellow POWs are quite a cast of characters...
I will not detail the plot; part of the fun of this series is watching it unfold. Sten's escapades in prison are quite fun, but like the others in the series, the humor serves as a backdrop for lots of social, economic and political commentary; while this series is about 30 years old, the commentary is still quite relevant for today. Snarky! 3.5 stars rounding up.
January 15, 2025
All in all still pretty good. This one is a direct continuation of Fleet of the Damned and opens up with Sten being a POW after the Imperial defeat at the hands of the Tahn. Things pretty much progress as you would expect, from there.
After the inevitable "great escape" sequence Sten is swept up in bigger events as the war between the Tahn and the Empire revs up. The novel deals with the war from quite a few perspectives: insurrection, intelligence, propaganda, espionage and of course big action sequences taking place planet(s)side and in space.
There is quite a lot going on, and the first third or so of the book isn't particularly fast paced, so when the big events start happening, things occasionally (and inevitably) feel a bit rushed. Even so, it all hangs together quite well in the end. This whole series has been quite surprising (and surprisingly gritty) so far.
Over the course of the series there have been more than a few hints at the ruthlessness of the Eternal Emperor, but for the most part he has come across as fairly ordinary (even going so far as to hold barbecue events for his people, as depicted in the previous book). In Revenge Of The Damned we get a much clearer idea of the lengths he is prepared to go to, in order to remain Emperor. It becomes clear quite quickly that the Tahn underestimated his expected response to their declaration of war and the resources at the empire's disposal.
Of course, there are conspiracies on both sides of the table, and the author gives us one hell of a surprise ending as well.
Recommended for people who still read Science Fiction just because it can be a heck of a lot of fun, but start at the beginning (Sten). There are quite a few people comparing it to the Deathstalker series, but I much prefer Sten.
After the inevitable "great escape" sequence Sten is swept up in bigger events as the war between the Tahn and the Empire revs up. The novel deals with the war from quite a few perspectives: insurrection, intelligence, propaganda, espionage and of course big action sequences taking place planet(s)side and in space.
There is quite a lot going on, and the first third or so of the book isn't particularly fast paced, so when the big events start happening, things occasionally (and inevitably) feel a bit rushed. Even so, it all hangs together quite well in the end. This whole series has been quite surprising (and surprisingly gritty) so far.
Over the course of the series there have been more than a few hints at the ruthlessness of the Eternal Emperor, but for the most part he has come across as fairly ordinary (even going so far as to hold barbecue events for his people, as depicted in the previous book). In Revenge Of The Damned we get a much clearer idea of the lengths he is prepared to go to, in order to remain Emperor. It becomes clear quite quickly that the Tahn underestimated his expected response to their declaration of war and the resources at the empire's disposal.
Of course, there are conspiracies on both sides of the table, and the author gives us one hell of a surprise ending as well.
Recommended for people who still read Science Fiction just because it can be a heck of a lot of fun, but start at the beginning (Sten). There are quite a few people comparing it to the Deathstalker series, but I much prefer Sten.
March 9, 2016
This is the fifth entry in the "Schwarzenegger action movie in book form" Sten series, and it's getting kind of old. I was surprised, because this one clearly had Sten in a situation (POW) much more like the first book (fugitive). The story itself is interesting enough, but it's just not told well. Lots of things are written about passively, and lots of facts about the situation are just stated in a summarized way. It's kind of a dry military wit that I recognize from a friend of mine, and while it's funny enough in small bits in conversation, it gets old when used to carry a whole book's worth of plot.
Other than that, it's more special assignments that only a super action man like Sten can handle, more incomprehensible Scottish accent from his sidekick, and more references to Oregon (yay!) in a novel set far elsewhere in the galaxy. Oh, and this one has a semi-significant character named Sorensen!
Other than that, it's more special assignments that only a super action man like Sten can handle, more incomprehensible Scottish accent from his sidekick, and more references to Oregon (yay!) in a novel set far elsewhere in the galaxy. Oh, and this one has a semi-significant character named Sorensen!
March 26, 2023
Once again, a lot of combats, shooting, narrow escapes and of course plot armor for our main heroes. Unfortunately, a few months from now I don't think I will remember much of what happened in this book.
April 12, 2018
More Sten. Yay!
Kilgore is still with him. Hooray!!
And we get to finally hear the story of the "spotted snakes"!!!!
This book is written from several viewpoints. Sten and Kilgore take up around 1/3 of it, but we get to see everything else that's going on around them, from space battles to evil plots in dark corners. Lots of fun and a problem putting it down when it's time to go to bed.
Unlike previous Sten books, this one has a cliff-hanger at the end. One I never expected. Can't wait to read the next one.
Kilgore is still with him. Hooray!!
And we get to finally hear the story of the "spotted snakes"!!!!
This book is written from several viewpoints. Sten and Kilgore take up around 1/3 of it, but we get to see everything else that's going on around them, from space battles to evil plots in dark corners. Lots of fun and a problem putting it down when it's time to go to bed.
Unlike previous Sten books, this one has a cliff-hanger at the end. One I never expected. Can't wait to read the next one.
May 2, 2023
I have the feeling that every Sten book brings something new. This time, captivity and prison. There are new characters contributing to the flow of the story, while most of the familiar ones graduate in their decisions in the midst of the war. Kilgour, however, does not. Kilgour reigns supreme with his quip about spotted snakes. I'm going to repeat myself, but this, the fifth book in the series, convinces me once again of the qualities of this entire unassuming interstellar series. Once again, both gentlemen serve us military science fiction in its purest form.
July 23, 2023
The book is a terrific Space Opera... And we'll set in the Sten Universe.
Don't forget, however, that per the author's, the whole point of the series is to show why emperors are a bad form of government....
And to write a rebuke to all of the Heinleins, Niven's and other sci-fi writers who fall in love with an authoritarian model of government...
Don't forget, however, that per the author's, the whole point of the series is to show why emperors are a bad form of government....
And to write a rebuke to all of the Heinleins, Niven's and other sci-fi writers who fall in love with an authoritarian model of government...
December 7, 2020
After suffering the destruction of his command while protecting the evacuation of civilians from Cavite after the defeat of Imperial forces there, Sten is taken prisoner by the Tahn. Luckily, his sidekick, Alex Kilgour, ends up in the same prison camp. With their Mantis skills, they have no problem escaping from each prison they are sent to, until they are sent to the repository for hardcase prisoners, located in the ruins of Koldyze Cathedral on the capital world of the Tahn, Heath.
Lt. Colonel Virunga, the ranking officer among the Imperial prisoners, appoints Sten as Big X, the person in charge of all escape attempts, which eliminates him from being allowed to participate, unless all the other prisoners are gone. So Sten and Alex work their usual mischief, setting up multiple plots, and generally being a pain in the rear to the Tahn guards, sabotaging the war effort however they can, and trying to avoid being caught.
In the meantime, back at Castle Arundel, the Emperor is just getting things warmed up for the Tahn. There's a serious parallel here to WWII's battle in the Pacific, after Japanese forces made the mistake of waking up a sleeping giant. The Empire is slow to build up their forces, mostly because of the scale of their industries' inertia, but once things get moving, they can produce more warships and supplies, and recruit more troops, than ever the Tahn can match. Ian Mahoney, still recovering from grievous wounds he received in the fall of Cavite, is put in charge of the forces that will take back the Empire's worlds.
There's a side plot going on here about the ongoing plot against the Emperor by members of his privy council. Now that they've been given great wealth and status for their help with the war effort, they're afraid that the policies he wants to pursue when the war is over will reduce their influence. A few interesting lessons on war economics and the military-industrial complex tucked away in this, without being at all preachy.
We get to see, once more, a couple of the ongoing shticks in this series. The Emperor likes to cook, especially long-lost recipes from pre-space Earth, and in this episode he creates a dish called "nuked hen". The analogy to what the Emperor plans to do to the Tahn is pretty good. Also, we get to finally hear Alex's shaggy dog story of the spotted snakes - pretty bad.
A fun book, with just a hint of Hogan's Heroes and The Great Escape, for seasoning.
Lt. Colonel Virunga, the ranking officer among the Imperial prisoners, appoints Sten as Big X, the person in charge of all escape attempts, which eliminates him from being allowed to participate, unless all the other prisoners are gone. So Sten and Alex work their usual mischief, setting up multiple plots, and generally being a pain in the rear to the Tahn guards, sabotaging the war effort however they can, and trying to avoid being caught.
In the meantime, back at Castle Arundel, the Emperor is just getting things warmed up for the Tahn. There's a serious parallel here to WWII's battle in the Pacific, after Japanese forces made the mistake of waking up a sleeping giant. The Empire is slow to build up their forces, mostly because of the scale of their industries' inertia, but once things get moving, they can produce more warships and supplies, and recruit more troops, than ever the Tahn can match. Ian Mahoney, still recovering from grievous wounds he received in the fall of Cavite, is put in charge of the forces that will take back the Empire's worlds.
There's a side plot going on here about the ongoing plot against the Emperor by members of his privy council. Now that they've been given great wealth and status for their help with the war effort, they're afraid that the policies he wants to pursue when the war is over will reduce their influence. A few interesting lessons on war economics and the military-industrial complex tucked away in this, without being at all preachy.
We get to see, once more, a couple of the ongoing shticks in this series. The Emperor likes to cook, especially long-lost recipes from pre-space Earth, and in this episode he creates a dish called "nuked hen". The analogy to what the Emperor plans to do to the Tahn is pretty good. Also, we get to finally hear Alex's shaggy dog story of the spotted snakes - pretty bad.
A fun book, with just a hint of Hogan's Heroes and The Great Escape, for seasoning.
June 25, 2012
It took me a while but I finally went back to continue the Sten series. This book, of course, continues where the last one left off which means Sten is stuck in a POW labor camp. Now, I do not like prison settings so it’s maybe not so surprising that I didn’t like this book as much as the previous ones.
Having said that, the book is still a quite good read. As the previous books it’s well written and Sten is Sten. This is the fifth book in the series though and some of the things that initially made me like the series seem to be fading a bit. The books have gone from following the rising star of Sten to be more and more about politics and conspiracies.
It didn’t help that the author put one of my favorite characters, the emperor, on the chopping block so to say (given that the books have been out for a while and that the blurb on the next one is pretty explicit about the destiny of the emperor I don’t think this can be said to be much of a spoiler).
Anyway, as I said a good solid read in the Sten series and if you don’t mind the prison setting in the first half of the book then you’ll probably like it more than I did as well.
Having said that, the book is still a quite good read. As the previous books it’s well written and Sten is Sten. This is the fifth book in the series though and some of the things that initially made me like the series seem to be fading a bit. The books have gone from following the rising star of Sten to be more and more about politics and conspiracies.
It didn’t help that the author put one of my favorite characters, the emperor, on the chopping block so to say (given that the books have been out for a while and that the blurb on the next one is pretty explicit about the destiny of the emperor I don’t think this can be said to be much of a spoiler).
Anyway, as I said a good solid read in the Sten series and if you don’t mind the prison setting in the first half of the book then you’ll probably like it more than I did as well.
March 16, 2021
Oct 2015
We shift from Spy to Investigator to Soldier to ... POW Movie for Sten. It's good fun, but feels more episodic than usual.
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PREVIOUSLY (Oct 2012)
The Sten series continues, this time focused (A plot) on Sten and Kilgour being trapped in various POW labor camps, set against the backdrop of the Tahn War and its bloody Pacific Theater-esque meat grinder. There's fun and drama and action and adventure and humor and the usual high butcher's bill, as back in the Empire B plot) a cabal of prominent industrialists plans the assassination of the Emperor so as to consolidate the power they've gained during the conflict.
Cole and Bunch have hit their stride here, beginning to play on plotlines and themes that will carry them through the rest of this 8-book series.
February 9, 2017
fun read
a great space opera with a sense of humor. the series is a fun light read sten is a good character.
a great space opera with a sense of humor. the series is a fun light read sten is a good character.
July 13, 2010
Sten finds himself a slave laborer in a P.O.W. camp deep in the heart of enemy territory.
This is another one of my favorites from this series. I love the whole rebellion within the prison system, and sabotage under the noses of the authorities theme.
This is another one of my favorites from this series. I love the whole rebellion within the prison system, and sabotage under the noses of the authorities theme.
November 28, 2012
This was definitely my least favorite of the Sten books. Everything was just too convenient. Whenever a tough situation was encountered, the exact right tools were always on hand. There's an element of that in every Sten book, but it's really taken to a new level in this book.
June 10, 2022
Retroactive Review (9 Jun 2022): Please see my review of the series
here
under the first volume.
But also I love prison breakouts.
But also I love prison breakouts.
July 29, 2012
Perfect possible ending of the war, started in a previous book.
April 3, 2012
Good addition to the series
June 12, 2012
This book should be 3.5 stars
The Sten adventures continue is this volume set in a POW camp. A good addition to the series and a good lite read.
The Sten adventures continue is this volume set in a POW camp. A good addition to the series and a good lite read.
October 20, 2012
Давам една звездичка в повече, само защото поредицата ми хареса :)
April 2, 2013
Entertaining, finishing off the sten series I began reading when I was much younger.
July 5, 2011
I liked the Book.. I listened to the audio book and was not impressed with the reader
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews