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Sten #6
The Return Of The Emperor: Number 6 in series
The Eternal Emperor was dead, and the five members of the Privy Council ruled in his place. But they quickly discovered that their power would collapse around them if they could not locate the Emperor's secret source of Anti-Matter Two, the economic keystone of the Empire. And so they sent a team of crack commandos to capture Sten, one of their later ruler's only surviving confidantes.But Sten - as usual - had his own agenda. For he knew something about the Eternal Emperor that would shake the Empire down to its foundations. And to play his part, all Sten had to do was kill the five most powerful beings in the universe...
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1990
26 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Chris Bunch
86 books130 followersChristopher 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 28, 2024
Whew, Sten as a fugitive fighting for justice. Every book in this series has a different trajectory; this one shows a different side of Sten and his pals. I wish there was more on the Emperor and his means of coming back, but s'be't.
In the last installment, the Eternal Emperor was just offed about the same time the war with the Tahn ended. The Privy council, who offed the Emperor, spend the next six years basically looting the Empire, but the main problem is that the A2 stopped flowing as soon as the Emperor died. Sten has been hanging out on his planet and Alex is back home to Edinburgh....
We have small glances into the remaking of the Emperor; it must be some sort of cloning system, but we are not sure. Sten and Alex get back together to fight for justice. It is hard to review a book in a series; if you have come this far, you will not be disappointed. We are reintroduced to some of the many characters that populate the series as well. There may not be a whole lot of action in this one, but lots of political intrigue. The only series I can think of that this resembles is Green's Deathstalker series, which is also largely a spoof of many scifi tropes.
In the last installment, the Eternal Emperor was just offed about the same time the war with the Tahn ended. The Privy council, who offed the Emperor, spend the next six years basically looting the Empire, but the main problem is that the A2 stopped flowing as soon as the Emperor died. Sten has been hanging out on his planet and Alex is back home to Edinburgh....
We have small glances into the remaking of the Emperor; it must be some sort of cloning system, but we are not sure. Sten and Alex get back together to fight for justice. It is hard to review a book in a series; if you have come this far, you will not be disappointed. We are reintroduced to some of the many characters that populate the series as well. There may not be a whole lot of action in this one, but lots of political intrigue. The only series I can think of that this resembles is Green's Deathstalker series, which is also largely a spoof of many scifi tropes.
May 7, 2023
The beginning was very promising, but it quickly went downhill afterwards. The ending was already spoiled by the title, so no surprises there. In between, it's packed with gunfights, schemes, interstellar rides... As expected.
June 8, 2018
I love the Sten series and this one measures up to the others.
The Emperor is dead and Sten and Mahoney (and yes, Kilgour) have to carry on without him. But the Council has Mantis looking for them because when the Emperor was murdered, the supply trains of AM2 stopped. With available supplies becoming scarce, they hope that someone who was close to the Emperor knows the secret of its source. And they'll brainscan them, if necessary, to find out.
The trouble is, no one, not even Mahoney, knows the secret. It died with the Emperor.
The story that follows is vintage Cole and Bunch. I loved every page. I'm looking forward to the next book.
The Emperor is dead and Sten and Mahoney (and yes, Kilgour) have to carry on without him. But the Council has Mantis looking for them because when the Emperor was murdered, the supply trains of AM2 stopped. With available supplies becoming scarce, they hope that someone who was close to the Emperor knows the secret of its source. And they'll brainscan them, if necessary, to find out.
The trouble is, no one, not even Mahoney, knows the secret. It died with the Emperor.
The story that follows is vintage Cole and Bunch. I loved every page. I'm looking forward to the next book.
October 2, 2013
If you've gotten all the way to the 6th book in the Sten series, you definitely know what you're getting at this point. You read them for the same reason that you watch a movie like Commando. You know there aren't going to be any amazing story lines that change your world or deep, complex characters that you become instantly involved with. You just want to see gunfights, explosions, and impossible escapes. It's the perfect remedy if you just want to shut your brain off for a few hours and enjoy the ride.
The Return of the Emperor is no different. There are ridiculous creatures, beautiful women, and amazing weapons that defy rationale. There are impossible situations, suicidal raids, and amazing escapes. Lethal amounts of alcohol are consumed by every imaginable being, and (as the title suggests) the Emperor has returned.
As with every other Sten book, I finished it with the same thought: "That was fun." I certainly didn't live in the world any longer than it took to close the back cover, and I certainly won't pine to learn more about any of the characters. When I get around to it, however, I will certainly pick up the 7th book and enjoy the ride once again.
The Return of the Emperor is no different. There are ridiculous creatures, beautiful women, and amazing weapons that defy rationale. There are impossible situations, suicidal raids, and amazing escapes. Lethal amounts of alcohol are consumed by every imaginable being, and (as the title suggests) the Emperor has returned.
As with every other Sten book, I finished it with the same thought: "That was fun." I certainly didn't live in the world any longer than it took to close the back cover, and I certainly won't pine to learn more about any of the characters. When I get around to it, however, I will certainly pick up the 7th book and enjoy the ride once again.
April 8, 2016
Entry #6 in the Sten series. This one adds some cool significant developments to the existing setting, without doing much in the way of power creep (which Brandon Sanderson can't resist). Given the title, it shouldn't be a spoiler to say that the Emperor returns! The narrative that follows his restoration is interesting; it's not a given that he'll make it, and his own preparations for his exaggerated death help make sure he can't come back unless he's, uh, "himself" again.
Sten is still the main character, although Alex Kilgour gets enough focus that his awful Scottish accent is featured more prominently than usual. Fortunately, the passive voice is less rampant than the last one, and the tired military humor is mostly gone. Bonus: Oregon even gets more highlight in this multi-galactic space opera than it has before! An early and important action-based scene takes place on the Umpqua river. Also a bonus: the romantic subplots that have been blessedly absent from the last couple of books try to make a comeback here and fail to take hold.
Sten is still the main character, although Alex Kilgour gets enough focus that his awful Scottish accent is featured more prominently than usual. Fortunately, the passive voice is less rampant than the last one, and the tired military humor is mostly gone. Bonus: Oregon even gets more highlight in this multi-galactic space opera than it has before! An early and important action-based scene takes place on the Umpqua river. Also a bonus: the romantic subplots that have been blessedly absent from the last couple of books try to make a comeback here and fail to take hold.
July 13, 2010
The Eternal Emperor has been assassinated, and the usurpers, unable to locate the Emperor’s secret source of AM2, find their power collapsing around them. So they send a team of commandos to capture Sten, hoping he knows the secret. Sten sets out to kill the empire's new leaders.
This book is another one of my favorites from this series. I love the fugitive thing going on with Sten. The other really cool thing about it is the massive amount of backstory on the Eternal Emperor; all his secrets are revealed in this book.
This book is another one of my favorites from this series. I love the fugitive thing going on with Sten. The other really cool thing about it is the massive amount of backstory on the Eternal Emperor; all his secrets are revealed in this book.
May 2, 2023
The Emperor is back. Incredible as it may seem. The book just describes his return to the highest office of the empire, retains just enough mystery, and shows that politics can be interesting to the reader as well. It just needs to be written right. As for Sten himself, he seems to have grown up. He's thoughtful and always thinks hard before he starts something. For me, one of the most successful books in the series so far.
July 13, 2018
Best Space Opera EVER. Reread for the 4th time since original purchase.
December 7, 2020
The Emperor is dead, killed by an assassin's bullet, and all evidence destroyed by a small nuclear blast immediately following his death. The privy council has taken over all administrative duties for the Empire, but they are somewhat hamstrung by the cessation of all AM2 supplies - the mysterious substance that the Emperor once controlled is necessary to provide power for all space travel, manufacturing, and other industries. The Empire has fallen into a universal depression, and may descend into a Long Night of isolation and barbarism, if something is not done soon.
Ian Mahoney has faked his own death and gone into hiding, as the privy council's minions have been quietly gathering up and interrogating anyone who was close to the Emperor, hoping to learn the secret to turning the AM2 flow back on. When the council's goons go after Alex, on his home world of Edinburgh, and Sten, on the tiny planet of Smallbridge, Ian contacts them, and they flee to rendezvous at a safe, secret location to confer. Ian has been doing some secret research and been convinced of two things: the privy council is responsible for the death of the Emperor, and the Eternal Emperor has been killed more than once before, and returned within two years to take over his empire once again. This time, though, it's been six years, and the Emperor has not appeared.
Sten and Alex recruit some old friends from Mantis and the military establishment who are also convinced of the privy council's guilt, and they launch a disastrous attempt to capture or kill all of the council members at a gathering on Earth. When this fails, the duo flee to the Wolf Worlds and take refuge with their old friends, the Bohr.
Eventually, they decide the route to justice must take a more official-looking path, and organize a Tribunal to investigate, evaluate and issue an indictment against the council. Sten and Alex get the dirty job of stealthily gathering the evidence.
In the counterpoint tale, a human is awakened from cryogenic slumber on a ship located in another universe, and hypnotically educated/indoctrinated, then sent on his way to first a planet containing a mansion with a comprehensive library where he learns all about the events of the past six years, then to a spaceport where he displays an innate talent for cooking in a greasy spoon diner, and finally to the planet Dusable in the Cairennes system. On Dusable, he shows an amazing talent for political dirty fighting, and helps to get a new chief executive elected there. The account of the hands-on electioneering tactics is fantastic fun!
More great action, intrigue and a few minor mysteries cleared up in this installment.
Ian Mahoney has faked his own death and gone into hiding, as the privy council's minions have been quietly gathering up and interrogating anyone who was close to the Emperor, hoping to learn the secret to turning the AM2 flow back on. When the council's goons go after Alex, on his home world of Edinburgh, and Sten, on the tiny planet of Smallbridge, Ian contacts them, and they flee to rendezvous at a safe, secret location to confer. Ian has been doing some secret research and been convinced of two things: the privy council is responsible for the death of the Emperor, and the Eternal Emperor has been killed more than once before, and returned within two years to take over his empire once again. This time, though, it's been six years, and the Emperor has not appeared.
Sten and Alex recruit some old friends from Mantis and the military establishment who are also convinced of the privy council's guilt, and they launch a disastrous attempt to capture or kill all of the council members at a gathering on Earth. When this fails, the duo flee to the Wolf Worlds and take refuge with their old friends, the Bohr.
Eventually, they decide the route to justice must take a more official-looking path, and organize a Tribunal to investigate, evaluate and issue an indictment against the council. Sten and Alex get the dirty job of stealthily gathering the evidence.
In the counterpoint tale, a human is awakened from cryogenic slumber on a ship located in another universe, and hypnotically educated/indoctrinated, then sent on his way to first a planet containing a mansion with a comprehensive library where he learns all about the events of the past six years, then to a spaceport where he displays an innate talent for cooking in a greasy spoon diner, and finally to the planet Dusable in the Cairennes system. On Dusable, he shows an amazing talent for political dirty fighting, and helps to get a new chief executive elected there. The account of the hands-on electioneering tactics is fantastic fun!
More great action, intrigue and a few minor mysteries cleared up in this installment.
November 27, 2012
After quite a pause I returned to the Sten series. This series is one of those that I read because they are good books and I really do not want to leave a book series unfinished but it is not really my favorite type of books.
The book started off quite good. After the first third I was thinking that it was one of the best ones so far. Sten was doing what he does best, his old buddies where getting back into the action and we where set for some serious ass kicking…or so I thought.
However, as it turned out, the first third was really the best part of the book. After a botched assassination attempt the book ventured into political bla bla land focusing on attempting a trial against the Privy Council. I do not think the book blurb is an entirely accurate description of the book by the way since the “have to kill” part goes away rather quickly. I certainly did not fancy the turn it took after the first third.
The book is well written as usual though and it wasn’t exactly a chore to finish it, just a little disappointing. Especially since I felt that Sten was actually not that much present for a good part of the book.
Still, it was an okay read, nothing more and nothing less.
The book started off quite good. After the first third I was thinking that it was one of the best ones so far. Sten was doing what he does best, his old buddies where getting back into the action and we where set for some serious ass kicking…or so I thought.
However, as it turned out, the first third was really the best part of the book. After a botched assassination attempt the book ventured into political bla bla land focusing on attempting a trial against the Privy Council. I do not think the book blurb is an entirely accurate description of the book by the way since the “have to kill” part goes away rather quickly. I certainly did not fancy the turn it took after the first third.
The book is well written as usual though and it wasn’t exactly a chore to finish it, just a little disappointing. Especially since I felt that Sten was actually not that much present for a good part of the book.
Still, it was an okay read, nothing more and nothing less.
March 16, 2021
Nov 2015
Sten makes his next major evolution, to revolutionary, fighting against the Privy Council who orchestrated the Emperor's demise. Aside from getting a new skill set each novel, Sten continues to show growth and maturing, which is kind of nice.
Meanwhile, the secrets of why the Emperor is Eternal begin to be hinted at (cue ominous music).
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PREVIOUS (Oct 2012)
The Sten series hits its narrative stride, with parallel plots. On the one hand, Sten is a key part of a plot to bring to justice the Privy Council who killed the Eternal Emperor. On the flip side, the Eternal Emperor returns from oblivion ...
Gripping action, good cross-plotting, in some ways the best book of the series.
Sten makes his next major evolution, to revolutionary, fighting against the Privy Council who orchestrated the Emperor's demise. Aside from getting a new skill set each novel, Sten continues to show growth and maturing, which is kind of nice.
Meanwhile, the secrets of why the Emperor is Eternal begin to be hinted at (cue ominous music).
---------------------
PREVIOUS (Oct 2012)
The Sten series hits its narrative stride, with parallel plots. On the one hand, Sten is a key part of a plot to bring to justice the Privy Council who killed the Eternal Emperor. On the flip side, the Eternal Emperor returns from oblivion ...
Gripping action, good cross-plotting, in some ways the best book of the series.
June 27, 2015
An future empire sliding slowly into chaos makes for a gripping story! The Privy Council has seriously erred in judgment and will do anything to survive. A growing number of dissidents is causing a crisis.
November 16, 2007
"The delicate art of Murder in multiple varieties". Yeah that's Sten and buddies. More good mindless entertainment, perfect for relaxing after a tough day.
June 12, 2012
Should probably be 3.5 stars.
The continuing adventures of Sten and the other characters who make up this series. Just a fine read.
The continuing adventures of Sten and the other characters who make up this series. Just a fine read.
June 10, 2022
Retroactive Review (9 Jun 2022): Please see my review of the series
here
under the first volume.
July 17, 2015
Felt a bit unfocused, like it was trying to be two books at once. And I don't like what they do at the end of the series, so this is the last one I'll read. Shame.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews