The Court of a Thousand Suns

Sten #3

by Chris Bunch, Allan Cole

Sten had fought his way up from slave labor on a factory world to commander of the Eternal Emperor’s bodyguard, the Imperial Gurkhas. But during his first three months on Prime World, the most dangerous weapons Sten had encountered were the well-phrased lies of Court politicians. It seemed no place for an honest fighting man. But when a bomb destroys a local bar, Sten discovers the danger and corruption behind Court intrigue. Only quick work by Sten, Alex Kilgour, and a tough female detective can keep the Empire together and the Emperor alive.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Audiobook, Military Fiction, Ebooks

275 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

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 3 out of 5]

[His] mind churned on with constantly changing images of death.

Bada-boom! Another Sten novel.

Surprisingly, this one took a while to get going. The novel flirts with being a police procedural as well as a political thriller, in addition to an action story. This is a departure from the previous novels, which were more purely action oriented, if memory serves (I’m taking too long between books).

After his years in Mantis Section, blood didn't bother [him] much. But politics—politics could make your skin crawl.

There are still some decent action sequences, though; violence erupts suddenly and savagely, which is par for the course in this series.

The Sten books don’t rely on anything particularly fancy to generate thrills. They are dependable and (fairly) straightforward and exude a certain old school charm.

Five Imperial battlewagons died that day, as did most of the Seventh Guards Division committed on the troopships. Among the million dead, spewed into lung-spilling space or endlessly falling onto a rock-hard planet, were the men and women of [his] ship.

Toward the end the story generates some real tension and there is at least one surprise reveal.

While I (possibly) didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the previous two entries, it is still very easy to recommend this series. It’s just a lot of fun.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each installment is very different, but also very fun! This one reads as mystery/thriller more or less, with Sten trying to track down who is after the Emperor. Crisp prose and much action!
Reread edit: 12-20.
After 'taming' the Wolf Worlds in the second edition of the series, Sten gets promoted to the head of the Emperor's bodyguards--150 Gurkhas. Life is boring at first for Sten, but things quickly get underway. A fair amount of the first section of the TCOAFS entails introducing a wide range of characters and is pretty slow for all that. We soon come to find out that a bombing in an obscure bar that happened to kill a few people portends bigger events. Sten is pulled from his duties and ordered to liaise with the police investigation (where he promptly falls for the chief investigator). Sten, with some help from the police and his Scot friend Alex, start tracking down leads, all to seemingly no avail.

TCOAFS is part police procedural, part mystery, and part action adventure all wrapped up in a gritty science fiction universe. We witness a few more developments of the Eternal Emperor along with Sten; Alex just keeps playing the color commentator. We travel to some nasty worlds as the investigation continues, replete with some exciting action sequences and of course some snarky dialogue. What is fascinating to me about this series is that each installment varies so dramatically. Bunch and Cole move Sten from being a 007 like spy into an investigator with aplomb, and it is safe to say without reveals that Sten is definitely heading into something new with the next one. Witty and entertaining so say the least, and it has held up well over the years, perhaps due to the character focus and that the 'science' aspect is mildly developed, but never discussed in detail. 4 solid, albeit mildly cheesy stars!!

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

The great part about the Sten books is that you know what you're going to get. They are like 1980s action movies. If you want to get a great, in-depth story-line with deep characters and terrific plot twists, you're in the wrong place. If you want to sit back, turn your brain off, and enjoy a bunch of explosions, these are the books for you.

This third book isn't the best book in the series, but it certainly fits the mold. There is a little less action and more reliance on the story (which isn't great), but it's still a fun read. If you read the first 2 books and enjoyed them, there's no reason to stop now.

[Adi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, this book is like an action movie on pages. Sten and his crew need to preserve the Empire and save the Emperor's life, and of course this involved numerous battle scenes, dangerous pursuits and cruel enemies.
I don't think the authors utilized very well the settings they've created. The story is supposed to take place in the 40th century in a very distant galaxy, but somehow that was overlooked. What we basically got was a lot of court drama and good guy/bad guy conflicts, without putting too much creativity in the surroundings or the technology they could possibly have.

[Al "Tank" · Rating 4 out of 5]

This version looks a bit more forced than the first two books in this great series. But as long as Alex Kilgore is involved, it has to be entertaining. And it is. There are two of Alex' tall tales in this story.

Sten is the head of the Eternal Emperor's personal guard (the Gurkhas) and responsible to the Emperor's safety. Of course, things start to happen and Sten has to run hither, thither, and yon to chase problems. Along the way, he meets a cop (detective) who's both smart and attractive. There are plots within plots like you'd expect in any palace where intrigue always seems to get started.

The ending is all you'd expect from a Sten story and there's plenty of fireworks to keep the reader entertained. I was.

[Efka · Rating 4 out of 5]

What surprised me most, is that this book is actually more a detective than a space western the two previous books were. I liked the turn though, because while this book had less gore and non-stop action the it's predecessors, the trade-off was a better insight into the empire and The Emperor himself. I'm happy that my previous review of The Wolf Worlds was accurate in believing that this series is getting better with each book, as The Court of a Thousand Suns is a better book than The Wolf Worlds, which is better than Sten. I wonder if this tendency will prevail in further parts of the series, but this book is definitely worth your time.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guns, girls, spaceships, synthalk, what else is there?

[Tapanga Koe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off strong for me, I enjoyed especially the interesting species it featured, and the world building. However, further in, the politics and plot devolved for me, becoming overly complicated and difficult to follow, and then there were a series of “fight scenes” I did not find particularly clear or engaging. Kilgour was by far my favourite character; I also enjoyed the Eternal Emperor. The love interest subplot seemed forced and did not add anything to the tale, in my opinion.
I am not interested in reading any additional books in this series, and just happened upon this Sten adventure without reading any of the prior books, so while I’m sure this impacts my opinion, but me thinks that these books are not for me.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sten opäť v akcii, tentoraz ako kapitán osobnej stráže cisára :) Kniha ani po rokoch nestratila svoje čaro, aj keď teraz by som našla viacej drobností, ktoré by som mohla vytknúť, ale načo? Dej odsýpa, čítanie je zábavné a príbeh je uzavretý. Práve to poslednej dobe oceňujem najviac.
Keď Sten dostal za úlohu vypátrať, kto je za bombovým útokom, trochu som sa pozastavila, akčný Sten v úlohe Poirota? To som nevedela predstaviť. Našťastie autori nedopustili, aby sa niečo také stalo a Sten riešil prípad po svojom - detektív z neho nebude. :D

[Veselin Nikolov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Капитан Стен се забърква в серия от мизерии, на фона на ретро сай-фай с гигантски компютри, роботи, безброй видове извънземни. Компютърната сигурност се състои в това да кажеш кой си, а търсачките отнемат дни чакане. Този тип детайли са много забавни.

Книгата вървеше отлично, като за пет звезди, до един момент, в който рязко изтъпя. Има сериозна мистерия, конспирация и логична последователност от действия. За съжаление, в някакъв момент мистерията беше разрешена и после трябваше да няма повече нищо, а имаше. Стилът на предното изречение е взаимстван от края на някои от главите.

[Patrik Svoboda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mantis unit is gone, and Sten becomes an Imperial Guardian. But that doesn't mean the story is devoid of old characters, who are joined by new, no less interesting figures. We get closer to the Emperor, who gets a lot more attention in this book than in the previous two. The epic battles are somewhat lacking in this volume, but that's what a science fiction mystery is supposed to look like in my opinion. And now cheers to the fourth volume.

[Philippe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Space Opera EVER. Reread for the 4th time since original purchase.

[Ingrida Lisauskiene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastikos klasika

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, good read for all writers. You will feel buoyed and validated in Goldberg’s hands.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young Sten, having covered himself with (covert) glory in the affair of the Wolf Worlds, has been promoted to Captain and given an assignment as commander of the Eternal Emperor's bodyguard on Prime World. When a freedom fighter's meeting with the Emperor's ambassador is disrupted by a bomb, killing both of them and one innocent bystander, Sten is detached from the palace to act as a liason with the police. He and the lovely lieutenant Lisa Haines must unravel the plot, no matter how twisty the path.

The only one of Sten's old colleagues from Mantis section involved with the investigation, at first, is the inimitable Alex Kilgour, and we are once again treated to his shaggy dog stories. Sten and Alex track the small-time bomber who was hired for the job to a prison planet in the Tahn worlds, and impersonate prison guards in order to kidnap him and proceed with his interrogation.

After that link leads them to a renegade Mantis section doctor, they take a trip to a very dangerous mining world to find the next link in the chain, but the mad medic suicides before they can take him away, leaving them only with the mysterious clue, "Zaarah Walid". Eventually the trail leads deep into the heart of the palace itself, and reveals a dangerous secret from a decades old war.

Great fun, as always, in this series.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oct 2015

Cole and Bunch continue their development of Sten, here giving him more solo action and more involvement in the internal politics of the Emperor, the Empire, and Prime World. The series really hits its stride with this volume.

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PREVIOUS (Sep 2012)

Sten grows up from secret agent to head of Imperial Bodyguard -- and Cole and Bunch get the overarching plot of the series going, as we get into deep Imperial intrigue, get much more face time with the Eternal Emperor, and watch as the galaxy hurtles toward war ...

Ripping space opera / military SF, complete with uber-competent spies, in-jokes, and a wicked sense of humor.

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PREVIOUS (Nov 2001)

Sci-Fi Skullduggery - After the first two books of the series set the tone for Cole & Bunch's military/spy space opera, this novel sets the broader themes rolling. Sten, now head of the Eternal Emperor's bodyguard, must deal with traitors within the palace and without, trying to find out who's trying to kill the emperor -- and how to avert interstellar war. Cole & Bunch are endlessly entertaining, mixing blood, puns, action, politics and philosophy into a fast-paced mix. The whole series is great fun and entertainment.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

More "Schwarzenegger movie as a book" goodness, although it's slow to get going. I think a little too much groundwork was laid at the beginning, and it wasn't necessary. This one is mostly a detective story with a few moments of action until the giant section of carnage at the end, including a very gory kitchen slaughter scene. Some outside interests are set up for the main character, Sten, but they don't really show except for when they're needed by the plot to come in handy in "unexpected" ways. Then again, you weren't reading this to watch Sten enjoy his holographic modeling hobby, were you?

I totally thought this book was going to set up the next ones in terms of Sten getting sent to prison, and that almost happened but in a totally different way. Apparently if you read the back texts of all the books before reading the first one, it doesn't spoil the plot much...

[Steven Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another good entry into the Sten series. A little more action in this novel and we get to learn a little more about the Eternal Emperor. The ending was a bit of a surprise as I did not expect the Emperor to reassign Sten so callously after Sten saved his ass. As I know generally how the story arc goes through the rest of the novels, it will be interesting to see if this is the pivotal moment in Sten's and the Emperor's relationship.

[Douglas Cahill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good read.

I have found that these authors, Chris Bunch &Allan Cole work really good together. The glorified space opera is fun. Looking forward to going on to the rest of the series

[Bryan457 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sten is now commander of the Eternal Emperor's bodyguard.
A terrorist bomb at the spaceport lead Sten and Alex looking for a plot to kill the Eternal Emperor.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one in the series

[Devi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third volume of the Sten series continues the saga. The authors have done a good job keeping the overall quality of the series together.

A fun lite read.

[David H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retroactive Review (9 Jun 2022): Please see my review of the series here under the first volume.

[Dantegideon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost a five, but not quite. Nice "The A Team" style stuff. Solve a mystery! Fire big guns! Improvise with this handily placed equipment!