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Deathstalker #8
Deathstalker Coda
More than two centuries ago, angry and grief-stricken after losing Owen Deathstalker, Hazel d'Ark entered the Madness Maze-- which fed off her raw emotions and transformed her into the Terror, a force capable of devouring galaxies. To stop her, the recently resurrected Owen must use the powers he gained during his own stay in the Madness Maze-- and go back in time to prevent Hazel's transformation.
Now, without Owen to guide him, Lewis Deathstalker has no choice but to assume command of an Imperial fleet loyal to the Deathstalker legacy and lead it to victory over Finn Durandal, the despot who seized the throne. Lewis knows that he has been branded a traitor by the Empire. But when he learns that Finn has executed his entire family, his mission to overthrow his former friend's tyranny is second to his desire for revenge...
Now, without Owen to guide him, Lewis Deathstalker has no choice but to assume command of an Imperial fleet loyal to the Deathstalker legacy and lead it to victory over Finn Durandal, the despot who seized the throne. Lewis knows that he has been branded a traitor by the Empire. But when he learns that Finn has executed his entire family, his mission to overthrow his former friend's tyranny is second to his desire for revenge...
409 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2005
24 people are currently reading
766 people want to read
About the author
Simon R. Green
312 books3,207 followersSimon 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 12, 2013
Note: This review contains spoilers, so don’t read it unless you've read Coda (and the previous books) or don’t care about spoilers.
Before I say anything else, I just want to make it clear – despite my many complaints, I do love this book. It is a very worthy ending to the series, enjoyable… but I just don’t think that it is one of those books you finish, leap up and down and wish there was a six star rating instead of five.
From the start, Green makes it clear that this book is not about Owen Deathstalker, as such. This in itself, at least to me, was a disappointment. No, Green makes it completely crystalline that we, along with the universe, are supposed to have moved on; and once again it’s all about the current Deathstalker and his companions defeating the tyrant.
So I guess I’ll start dealing with Owen, as he barely gets three chapters. A warning to all readers of this book – a lot of Owen’s travels through time will really screw your mind as to the cause and effect of a lot of things. And you’ll probably end up like me – trying to figure it out, then giving yourself a headache and deciding it doesn’t actually matter to the story, and moving on. Spoiler alert ahead. :)
As I have in my other reviews (kind of), I will deal with Anne and Finn together, but more closely this time. If I didn't feel so disgusted with both of them I would feel sad for them. But as it is, they've brought their problems upon themselves, and what the hell, they can deal with it themselves. Poor Anne has (spoiler coming up) lost her beautiful body after having debris raining down upon her. What is strange is that Finn, who of course had offered to make Anne his Queen at some point (awww), tries unbelievably hard to help her. What isn't strange is that Anne, wallowing in self-pity (perhaps a little more justified in this case) pushes him away, and refuses to believe that he still thinks well of her. Now, you might disagree with me, but I honestly think that Finn was in love with Anne, which is why he tried so hard to help her. But he also wanted himself to be without emotion, without a heart, and therefore could not realize or admit that he loved her. Characteristically, of course, he (sort of) gives up on Anne at the end, leaving her with her determined self-pity. But I think he saw in Anne not only a cunning, ruthless, beautiful woman, but a woman who had wanted to be the female version of everything Finn was. And I think Finn had discovered what he used to be wasn't all that great, and perhaps could empathize with Anne – if such a word can be used in conjunction with such an awful man.
Well, for most of the book Douglas just chills out in the Rookery, being smug, screwing with the media to his advantage, and kicking the ass of anything Finn sends after him, including a whole army of cloned Finns *shudders*. I mean, seriously, why would you want a whole army of yourself? Especially if you were Finn? :D Anyway, moving on. Lewis, Jesamine, Brett, Rose, Douglas, Stewart, and Nina Malapert (you go girl) all have their own battles to fight. Though they were wonderful in the book and executed with proper Deathstalker style and humor, I find these battles to be, at least some of the time, not particularly memorable compared to the things that happen to Owen. I personally just think that after five books with a certain character, having him back was amazing. But the rest of Coda was – don’t get me wrong, very good and entertaining – just rather reminiscent of Deathstalker War, until the end, which I will address in a moment.
Well now, the ending. As many of you will no doubt remember, the ending of the first battle in the Empire, if you will – in Deathstalker War – was very long, and some say too long, drawn out enough to be almost a farcical affair. I happen to disagree with that view; I think that it was perfect. Anyway, I make the point because Green has gone to the other end of the scale here, which - despite the fact that Coda is a great book and a great ending– is rather disappointing in the circumstances. Douglas and his companions have a separate battle with someone else (see spoiler below), and then…
Right; now I’ll address the spoiler about one of the final battles.
The last spoiler, I promise. I just don’t want anyone who hasn't already read the book reading something huge that ruins the book for them.
Aside from those already mentioned, there is one main problem that I have with this book. Now, I’m completely prepared to duck flying shoes and be told that I need to get back in Pure Humanity where I belong, but I felt really uncomfortable with how Brett and Rose ended up. When I said that I wanted them to balance each other out a little bit, that didn't mean (spoiler ahead - OK, so I kind of broke my promise) There is only one word for that – creepy. Go ahead; tell me to get my ass back in Pure Humanity. I won’t change my mind. And the other thing that I had a problem with (although more minor) in this same category;
Before I say anything else, I just want to make it clear – despite my many complaints, I do love this book. It is a very worthy ending to the series, enjoyable… but I just don’t think that it is one of those books you finish, leap up and down and wish there was a six star rating instead of five.
From the start, Green makes it clear that this book is not about Owen Deathstalker, as such. This in itself, at least to me, was a disappointment. No, Green makes it completely crystalline that we, along with the universe, are supposed to have moved on; and once again it’s all about the current Deathstalker and his companions defeating the tyrant.
So I guess I’ll start dealing with Owen, as he barely gets three chapters. A warning to all readers of this book – a lot of Owen’s travels through time will really screw your mind as to the cause and effect of a lot of things. And you’ll probably end up like me – trying to figure it out, then giving yourself a headache and deciding it doesn’t actually matter to the story, and moving on. Spoiler alert ahead. :)
As I have in my other reviews (kind of), I will deal with Anne and Finn together, but more closely this time. If I didn't feel so disgusted with both of them I would feel sad for them. But as it is, they've brought their problems upon themselves, and what the hell, they can deal with it themselves. Poor Anne has (spoiler coming up) lost her beautiful body after having debris raining down upon her. What is strange is that Finn, who of course had offered to make Anne his Queen at some point (awww), tries unbelievably hard to help her. What isn't strange is that Anne, wallowing in self-pity (perhaps a little more justified in this case) pushes him away, and refuses to believe that he still thinks well of her. Now, you might disagree with me, but I honestly think that Finn was in love with Anne, which is why he tried so hard to help her. But he also wanted himself to be without emotion, without a heart, and therefore could not realize or admit that he loved her. Characteristically, of course, he (sort of) gives up on Anne at the end, leaving her with her determined self-pity. But I think he saw in Anne not only a cunning, ruthless, beautiful woman, but a woman who had wanted to be the female version of everything Finn was. And I think Finn had discovered what he used to be wasn't all that great, and perhaps could empathize with Anne – if such a word can be used in conjunction with such an awful man.
Well, for most of the book Douglas just chills out in the Rookery, being smug, screwing with the media to his advantage, and kicking the ass of anything Finn sends after him, including a whole army of cloned Finns *shudders*. I mean, seriously, why would you want a whole army of yourself? Especially if you were Finn? :D Anyway, moving on. Lewis, Jesamine, Brett, Rose, Douglas, Stewart, and Nina Malapert (you go girl) all have their own battles to fight. Though they were wonderful in the book and executed with proper Deathstalker style and humor, I find these battles to be, at least some of the time, not particularly memorable compared to the things that happen to Owen. I personally just think that after five books with a certain character, having him back was amazing. But the rest of Coda was – don’t get me wrong, very good and entertaining – just rather reminiscent of Deathstalker War, until the end, which I will address in a moment.
Well now, the ending. As many of you will no doubt remember, the ending of the first battle in the Empire, if you will – in Deathstalker War – was very long, and some say too long, drawn out enough to be almost a farcical affair. I happen to disagree with that view; I think that it was perfect. Anyway, I make the point because Green has gone to the other end of the scale here, which - despite the fact that Coda is a great book and a great ending– is rather disappointing in the circumstances. Douglas and his companions have a separate battle with someone else (see spoiler below), and then…
Right; now I’ll address the spoiler about one of the final battles.
The last spoiler, I promise. I just don’t want anyone who hasn't already read the book reading something huge that ruins the book for them.
Aside from those already mentioned, there is one main problem that I have with this book. Now, I’m completely prepared to duck flying shoes and be told that I need to get back in Pure Humanity where I belong, but I felt really uncomfortable with how Brett and Rose ended up. When I said that I wanted them to balance each other out a little bit, that didn't mean (spoiler ahead - OK, so I kind of broke my promise) There is only one word for that – creepy. Go ahead; tell me to get my ass back in Pure Humanity. I won’t change my mind. And the other thing that I had a problem with (although more minor) in this same category;
July 26, 2011
Couldn't resist to see what happens to some interesting characters, but was again left wondering why I bothered.
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March 6, 2010
And so ends the tale of the Deathstalkers and their varied companions. A fitting end with all characters given their fair share of the story. Even though it seems as if Mr. Green has left room for future stories in the Deathstalker universe, I hope he chooses NOT to return. This novel has wrapped up the loose ends and while I hate to never see these characters again-- it's only fair that they are now allowed to rest. Deathstalker luck is supposedly always bad, however, so we'll see!
August 8, 2010
This is the last of the Deathstalker series.
It is done perfectly and I have to wonder if Mr Green had figured out every plot before putting ink to paper.
Everything fell into place with Deathstalker Coda. And it was done magificently. Green is the best Sci-fi writer in my eyes, and the Deathstalker series is the best of the best. This series is witty, bloody and has the best lines EVER.
Owen and Hazel...the perect characters for a perfect series.
It is done perfectly and I have to wonder if Mr Green had figured out every plot before putting ink to paper.
Everything fell into place with Deathstalker Coda. And it was done magificently. Green is the best Sci-fi writer in my eyes, and the Deathstalker series is the best of the best. This series is witty, bloody and has the best lines EVER.
Owen and Hazel...the perect characters for a perfect series.
August 3, 2011
Great, great, series. This far into it I was still impressed and couldn't put it down and thats saying a lot for a series of like six or seven books.
June 20, 2024
I've suspended my disbelief for the sake of the story, I've turned down my sarcasm and critical thinking as low as I can, but the repetition of accumulated inconsistencies and contradictions get pretty hard to carry in this book... people with overzealous reverence for life turn on a dime and take life for little reason at all, people who value freedom take and keep prisoners... people with heightened senses of survival act suicidal for little reason. Its been... work to trudge from page to page. The last two books could have been left off and the story would have been better, the story line swelled and grew, cumulated in an ending finale... and then book 7 dished up recycled spam, promised a lead up to something and book 8 has just been disappointing. I really hate shelving books but its been a labor of duty to make it through. Its like the first 6 books were condensed into a mini-rerun and repeats the story in a mini follow up, and yet there is more mundane dead time in the last 2 books than the previous 6.
When a book is just bad its not annoying, its just bad. Easy to move on from. But a series like this that has so much potential drops the ball it seems like a boot to the head again and again...
Alright... specific beefs to follow would be Spoilers.... or Spoilers, Darling! if you're The Doctor... haha
Warning... spoilers ahead....
All through the series everyone, including people who whimsically augment themselves chemically, mentally and mechanically look down their noses with disgust on someone who has been through the maze... including themselves... as "no longer human"... chemically augmented psionic cyborgs are disgusted by people with mysterious powers for "no longer being fully human!!!"!
6 heroes don't have time to take on so many enemies at once so they break up into 3 pairs... with no reasonable expectation of denting the armies they face but what the hell... meanwhile they can't go together because all 3 parties attack at once... but the same news crew accompanied them all one at a time :P
I won't even try to question how The Terror, something that didn't exist in original time was created by its going back in time after being altered by the maze that was created to fight it in turn.... ergghh derppp.... brain hurts. I can't think of any book I've read with a worse ending.
When a book is just bad its not annoying, its just bad. Easy to move on from. But a series like this that has so much potential drops the ball it seems like a boot to the head again and again...
Alright... specific beefs to follow would be Spoilers.... or Spoilers, Darling! if you're The Doctor... haha
Warning... spoilers ahead....
All through the series everyone, including people who whimsically augment themselves chemically, mentally and mechanically look down their noses with disgust on someone who has been through the maze... including themselves... as "no longer human"... chemically augmented psionic cyborgs are disgusted by people with mysterious powers for "no longer being fully human!!!"!
6 heroes don't have time to take on so many enemies at once so they break up into 3 pairs... with no reasonable expectation of denting the armies they face but what the hell... meanwhile they can't go together because all 3 parties attack at once... but the same news crew accompanied them all one at a time :P
I won't even try to question how The Terror, something that didn't exist in original time was created by its going back in time after being altered by the maze that was created to fight it in turn.... ergghh derppp.... brain hurts. I can't think of any book I've read with a worse ending.
April 20, 2021
While I enjoyed the fact that the characters that I've grown to enjoy over the course of the series are back. Somehow they didn't seem the same. And while the booked was wrapping up and giving lots of history, etc... I just felt lost by it all. The concept was good and interesting, but somehow missed the mark for me. Overall, the series had some great moments and great characters, but I'm glad it's done. I almost wish I would have stopped at the first books and kept the enjoyment I experienced from those. Ah, the joys of reading.
February 23, 2020
Green does his usual good job about bringing a sense of finality to the last Deathstalker novel, but I feel like the story should have been spread over two books as the whole thing feels cramped and rushed, reducing the impact of certain twists and character deaths (of which there are plenty—it IS a final novel of a Simon R Green series after all ;) ). Be warned that it touches on a lot of things hinted or teased at in earlier novels, so be ready.
May 12, 2018
Green wraps up all the loose ends neatly with a bow; quite a feat! If you like this series, you will love this one.
April 10, 2019
Another addition to one of the greatest Sci Fi series ever.
February 20, 2020
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
February 7, 2025
I like fantasy, adventure, heroes...everything real life doesn't always offer. I didn't want to finish this book and say goodbye 😢
August 28, 2025
again just okay.
Read
June 20, 2011Notice the rating? Yup.
Stephen King wrote, in his book On Writing, about some jackass that used to write potboilers. His method was simple - everytime you get stuck - spin the WHEEL OF DESTINY and it would kick out a plot point.
I'm pretty sure this guys is that jackass's grandson. After finishing this - the last in the series, I want go back in time with A) a map to Simon Green's grandfather house in general and his testicles in particular and B) a ball-peen hammer. That's the only way to get back my lost hours. And it's true of all the previous ones as well.
Almost ALL of the characters seem to strive to go off in directions herefortoo unknown and absolutely against their characters personality traits every other chapter. This is a MAJOR teeth grinder.
To be clear, I think this author started in crap-fantasy and it shows. Crap-fantasy is where the lone swordsman is SO GOOD he can take on fifty warriors at once and everything gets solved with a magic sword. Uh huh. And BOY does that happen alot in his books. I love Fantasy, but throw in this garbage or - god help you - a VampYre and it's like you're fisting my favorite genre and I'm paying to watch.
Also, I'm not one of those hard core scifi fans where every star coordinate has to be carefully plotted and noted. Hell, I love BSG because the guns make noise in space. But this goes so far off the whole physics/reality slope that if his books were a mountain - you wouldn't find the body till spring.
I'm the first to admit that alot of scifi and fantasy are basically Doritos for the Mind - but this series is basically rice crackers, the kind my mom gets as their ONLY snack and which makes me hate going over there if I'm hungry. I picked up this series to bide the time until one of my favorite author's new book comes out... and I feel like I have metaphorically thrown up so much I can no longer eat solid foods. I'll need soft broth, like a Terry Brooks rehash to slowly build up my tolerance.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
J
Stephen King wrote, in his book On Writing, about some jackass that used to write potboilers. His method was simple - everytime you get stuck - spin the WHEEL OF DESTINY and it would kick out a plot point.
I'm pretty sure this guys is that jackass's grandson. After finishing this - the last in the series, I want go back in time with A) a map to Simon Green's grandfather house in general and his testicles in particular and B) a ball-peen hammer. That's the only way to get back my lost hours. And it's true of all the previous ones as well.
Almost ALL of the characters seem to strive to go off in directions herefortoo unknown and absolutely against their characters personality traits every other chapter. This is a MAJOR teeth grinder.
To be clear, I think this author started in crap-fantasy and it shows. Crap-fantasy is where the lone swordsman is SO GOOD he can take on fifty warriors at once and everything gets solved with a magic sword. Uh huh. And BOY does that happen alot in his books. I love Fantasy, but throw in this garbage or - god help you - a VampYre and it's like you're fisting my favorite genre and I'm paying to watch.
Also, I'm not one of those hard core scifi fans where every star coordinate has to be carefully plotted and noted. Hell, I love BSG because the guns make noise in space. But this goes so far off the whole physics/reality slope that if his books were a mountain - you wouldn't find the body till spring.
I'm the first to admit that alot of scifi and fantasy are basically Doritos for the Mind - but this series is basically rice crackers, the kind my mom gets as their ONLY snack and which makes me hate going over there if I'm hungry. I picked up this series to bide the time until one of my favorite author's new book comes out... and I feel like I have metaphorically thrown up so much I can no longer eat solid foods. I'll need soft broth, like a Terry Brooks rehash to slowly build up my tolerance.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
J
November 20, 2015
I've listened to Deathstalker Coda a few times via the Graphic Audio cds. I haven't read or listened to any of the others in the series, but it didn't seem to detract from the story in a noticeable way. A friend introduced us to Graphic Audio and this was our first purchase. We enjoyed it so much it got us hooked on exploring other GA titles. This is one of our favorite road trip stories. It's action packed; it keeps you awake and interested, and even after a few listens it doesn't get stale. It follows multiple characters and stories, each is unique and distinctive; there's no confusion despite the chaos in battle, the time shifts, and the abundance of alien descriptions. Speaking of- the descriptions are excellent and really suit an audible experience, 'a movie in your mind' as GA says -and they do it so well!
June 10, 2013
"The conclusion to the Deathstalker series gives us not one, but TWO Deathstalkers running around being so very Deathstalkerish. I really liked this as an ending to the series. Our heroes all get to finally embrace their power, evil is brought low, and the central romance between Hazel and Owen is finally resolved. Mostly. She STILL doesn't say she loves him outloud. I enjoyed Green's perspective on time travel and seeing so many of the series's mysteries come to (usually surprising) resolution"
April 1, 2012
The last in the galaxy-spanning Deathstalker epic.
Just like every other book he's written in this outstanding series, Simon R. Green's "Deathstalker Coda" DELIVERS. One liners in the face of impending doom, friends and enemies swapping roles, and more action than you can shake a plasma rifle at.
If you're going to read this, don't cheat yourself. Read the rest of the series first.
"Shandrakor! Shandrakor!"
Just like every other book he's written in this outstanding series, Simon R. Green's "Deathstalker Coda" DELIVERS. One liners in the face of impending doom, friends and enemies swapping roles, and more action than you can shake a plasma rifle at.
If you're going to read this, don't cheat yourself. Read the rest of the series first.
"Shandrakor! Shandrakor!"
January 23, 2015
I wanted to wait to review this until I had read the whole series. And now I am sad because it is all done. I really enjoyed this series a lot.
The character development had just the right balance and the writing style has a really good flow.
One of my favorite books is Santiago by Mike Resnick and if you have ever read that then definitely give Death stalker a try!
The character development had just the right balance and the writing style has a really good flow.
One of my favorite books is Santiago by Mike Resnick and if you have ever read that then definitely give Death stalker a try!
September 14, 2007
I was sad to see it end
January 9, 2011
fantastical fun
January 2, 2010
The end. I'll miss the Deathstalker clan and their bad luck.
July 3, 2010
Last book in a long, fun series.
October 6, 2010
The final Deathstalker installment.
May 3, 2011
It has to much of a force campy thing going one with it every in really serious moment and this author likes to repeat almost everything and it hates my intelligence.
August 11, 2011
An amazing ending ( or new beginning) for Owen and Hazel, two of my favorite characters ever!!
May 18, 2013
It's a crazy, weird ending but I think in this case it works.
November 20, 2015
Well, I wanted to know what happened. I guess that's all Simon R Green needs to accomplish. I'm just glad I borrowed this book from someone and didn't purchase it.
January 20, 2013
Great series! Was hard to put down
December 26, 2014
Great ending to an engrossing series
June 16, 2016
Good lord I'm glad this is over ... Not the worst of the series ... But still !
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews