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Forbidden Borders #1
Requiem for the Conqueror
This rich and exciting trilogy follows the search of one man--raised to be the ultimate general, the penultimate killing machine--for his own humanity and for the son he's never known. A son who is now his sworn enemy...
624 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 18, 1991
24 people are currently reading
504 people want to read
About the author
W. Michael Gear
176 books726 followersW. Michael Gear was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on the twentieth of May, 1955. A fourth generation Colorado native, his family had been involved in hard-rock mining, cattle ranching, and journalism. After his father's death in 1959, Michael's mother received her Master's degree in journalism and began teaching. In 1962 she married Joseph J. Cook, who taught tool and die making, and the family lived in Lakewood, Colorado, until 1968. At that time they moved to Fort Collins so that Joe could pursue his Ph.D.. During those years the family lived in the foothills above Horsetooth Reservoir.
It was there that Mike developed a love of history, anthropology, and motorcycles. They would color his future and fill his imagination for the rest of his life. During summers he volunteered labor on local ranches or at the farm east of Greeley and landed his first real job: picking up trash at the lake and cleaning outhouses. It has been said that his exposure to trash led him into archaeology. We will not speculate about what cleaning the outhouses might have led him to. On his first dig as a professional archaeologist in 1976 he discovered that two thousand year old human trash isn't nearly as obnoxious as the new stuff.
Michael graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1972 and pursued both his Bachelor's (1976) and Master's (1979) degrees at Colorado State University. Upon completion of his Master's - his specialty was in physical anthropology - he went to work for Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs as a field archaeologist.
It was in the winter of 1978 that he wrote his first novel. Irritated by historical inaccuracies in Western fiction, he swore he could do better. He was "taking retirement in installments," archaeology being a seasonal career, in the cabin his great uncle Aubrey had built. One cold January night he read a Western novel about a trail drive in which steers (castrated males) had calves. The historical inaccuracies of the story bothered him all night. The next morning, still incensed, he chunked wood into the stove and hunkered over the typewriter. There, on the mining claim, at nine thousand feet outside of Empire, Colorado he hammered out his first five hundred and fifty page novel. Yes, that first manuscript still exists, but if there is justice in the universe, no one will ever see it. It reads wretchedly - but the historical facts are correct!
Beginning in 1981, Michael, along with two partners, put together his own archaeological consulting company. Pronghorn Anthropological Associates began doing cultural resource management studies in 1982, and, although Michael sold his interest in 1984, to this day the company remains in business in Casper, Wyoming. During the years, Michael has worked throughout the western United States doing archaeological surveys, testing, and mitigation for pipelines, oil wells, power lines, timber sales, and highway construction. He learned the value of strong black coffee, developed a palate for chocolate donuts, and ferreted out every quality Mexican restaurant in eight states. He spent nine months of the year traveling from project to project with his trowel and dig kit, a clapped-out '72 Wonder Blazer, and his boon companion, Tedi, a noble tri-color Sheltie.
That fateful day in November, 1981, was delightfully clear, cold, and still in Laramie, Wyoming. Archaeologists from all over the state had arrived at the University of Wyoming for the annual meetings of the Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists. It was there, in the meeting room, way too early after a much too long night, that Mike first laid eyes on the most beautiful woman in the world: Kathleen O'Neal Gear. The BLM State Archaeologist, Ray Leicht, introduced him to the pretty anthropologist and historian, and best of all, Ray invited Mike to lunch with Kathleen. It was the perfect beginning for a long and wondrous relationship.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/wmicha...
It was there that Mike developed a love of history, anthropology, and motorcycles. They would color his future and fill his imagination for the rest of his life. During summers he volunteered labor on local ranches or at the farm east of Greeley and landed his first real job: picking up trash at the lake and cleaning outhouses. It has been said that his exposure to trash led him into archaeology. We will not speculate about what cleaning the outhouses might have led him to. On his first dig as a professional archaeologist in 1976 he discovered that two thousand year old human trash isn't nearly as obnoxious as the new stuff.
Michael graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1972 and pursued both his Bachelor's (1976) and Master's (1979) degrees at Colorado State University. Upon completion of his Master's - his specialty was in physical anthropology - he went to work for Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs as a field archaeologist.
It was in the winter of 1978 that he wrote his first novel. Irritated by historical inaccuracies in Western fiction, he swore he could do better. He was "taking retirement in installments," archaeology being a seasonal career, in the cabin his great uncle Aubrey had built. One cold January night he read a Western novel about a trail drive in which steers (castrated males) had calves. The historical inaccuracies of the story bothered him all night. The next morning, still incensed, he chunked wood into the stove and hunkered over the typewriter. There, on the mining claim, at nine thousand feet outside of Empire, Colorado he hammered out his first five hundred and fifty page novel. Yes, that first manuscript still exists, but if there is justice in the universe, no one will ever see it. It reads wretchedly - but the historical facts are correct!
Beginning in 1981, Michael, along with two partners, put together his own archaeological consulting company. Pronghorn Anthropological Associates began doing cultural resource management studies in 1982, and, although Michael sold his interest in 1984, to this day the company remains in business in Casper, Wyoming. During the years, Michael has worked throughout the western United States doing archaeological surveys, testing, and mitigation for pipelines, oil wells, power lines, timber sales, and highway construction. He learned the value of strong black coffee, developed a palate for chocolate donuts, and ferreted out every quality Mexican restaurant in eight states. He spent nine months of the year traveling from project to project with his trowel and dig kit, a clapped-out '72 Wonder Blazer, and his boon companion, Tedi, a noble tri-color Sheltie.
That fateful day in November, 1981, was delightfully clear, cold, and still in Laramie, Wyoming. Archaeologists from all over the state had arrived at the University of Wyoming for the annual meetings of the Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists. It was there, in the meeting room, way too early after a much too long night, that Mike first laid eyes on the most beautiful woman in the world: Kathleen O'Neal Gear. The BLM State Archaeologist, Ray Leicht, introduced him to the pretty anthropologist and historian, and best of all, Ray invited Mike to lunch with Kathleen. It was the perfect beginning for a long and wondrous relationship.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/wmicha...
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 25, 2016
Requiem for the Conqueror
by W. Michael Gear
I know that Michael Gear has been waiting patiently for me to get through this dramatic and inspiring encompassing story. The book encapsulates so many ideas that it takes time to go through the text and comprehend its meanings. Forbidden borders is a thought experiment in technology and mankind. If mankind were forced to face its own faults and dark tenancies could mankind rise above petty greet, and destruction. Would access to technology, and distant worlds change the outcome of mankind's ultimate ulterior motives. Could a computer program figure out how to solve mankind's problems? Could mankind be forced to change for the better? Find balance to their desires and willingness to control ultimate power.
Lord Commander Staffa, the Star Butcher is a construct of mankind and computer programs. If a child can be changed and manipulated to create the ultimate weapon. Could mankind find a way to change its destructive nature? What both the leaders who have changed Staffa's life dramatically, taking away his wife and child, and the computer program that created him did not expect is that he can grow beyond their formulated predictions. What they thought would destroy him, would make him stronger? His goal in life is find a way to go beyond the Forbidden Boarders.
Sink is a reluctant warrior, very young and impulsive at the beginning he is a natural at war. Yet he finds that his past is left to haunt him. That the powers that be have destroyed all he loves, and wants in the world. It is his story that is the most dramatic of tales held within these pages. His search for his true nature will expose so much he does not know.
Bruen has lived 300 years, he has served his people well. He has found a way to trick the Mag Comm into telling him the secrets of the world without loosing his own mind. He is old and weary from the trials of a life lived too long. It is his turn to find a solution to the ills that his predecessors inflicted on the universe.
by W. Michael Gear
I know that Michael Gear has been waiting patiently for me to get through this dramatic and inspiring encompassing story. The book encapsulates so many ideas that it takes time to go through the text and comprehend its meanings. Forbidden borders is a thought experiment in technology and mankind. If mankind were forced to face its own faults and dark tenancies could mankind rise above petty greet, and destruction. Would access to technology, and distant worlds change the outcome of mankind's ultimate ulterior motives. Could a computer program figure out how to solve mankind's problems? Could mankind be forced to change for the better? Find balance to their desires and willingness to control ultimate power.
Lord Commander Staffa, the Star Butcher is a construct of mankind and computer programs. If a child can be changed and manipulated to create the ultimate weapon. Could mankind find a way to change its destructive nature? What both the leaders who have changed Staffa's life dramatically, taking away his wife and child, and the computer program that created him did not expect is that he can grow beyond their formulated predictions. What they thought would destroy him, would make him stronger? His goal in life is find a way to go beyond the Forbidden Boarders.
Sink is a reluctant warrior, very young and impulsive at the beginning he is a natural at war. Yet he finds that his past is left to haunt him. That the powers that be have destroyed all he loves, and wants in the world. It is his story that is the most dramatic of tales held within these pages. His search for his true nature will expose so much he does not know.
Bruen has lived 300 years, he has served his people well. He has found a way to trick the Mag Comm into telling him the secrets of the world without loosing his own mind. He is old and weary from the trials of a life lived too long. It is his turn to find a solution to the ills that his predecessors inflicted on the universe.
March 28, 2013
Book one of The Forbidden Borders trilogy, is the story of Staffa Kar Therma, an extraordinarily brilliant military strategist. He is the leader of an elite mercenary group, The Companions, whose services are sought out by the two competing empires of Sassa and Rega. Staffa has in turns helped both of them and bled both the empires dry till none can oppose him.
What is Staffa's ultimate objective? Why is he a target of the Seddi, a mysterious organization? What are the secrets behind Staffa's origin? The author has done a good job of keeping the reader's interest till the end. There are desperate battles, assassins, political manipulations, an alien machine Mag Comm that is bent upon the destruction of the human race.
At the end of this book, I am eager to know what happens in the next installment 'Relic of the Empire'.
What is Staffa's ultimate objective? Why is he a target of the Seddi, a mysterious organization? What are the secrets behind Staffa's origin? The author has done a good job of keeping the reader's interest till the end. There are desperate battles, assassins, political manipulations, an alien machine Mag Comm that is bent upon the destruction of the human race.
At the end of this book, I am eager to know what happens in the next installment 'Relic of the Empire'.
Want to read
September 11, 2021Old review from SF Site (archived copy)
https://web.archive.org/web/199805171...
"There is nothing about this book that I found to be glaringly distracting just a lot of little things that kept me from becoming completely immersed in the world. It is well written, and even though I had some difficulty with some of the premises in the story, it is an entertaining book, brought to life around a neat concept. It just misses the mark in my opinion."
So, likely not. Low-pri at best.
https://web.archive.org/web/199805171...
"There is nothing about this book that I found to be glaringly distracting just a lot of little things that kept me from becoming completely immersed in the world. It is well written, and even though I had some difficulty with some of the premises in the story, it is an entertaining book, brought to life around a neat concept. It just misses the mark in my opinion."
So, likely not. Low-pri at best.
April 30, 2019
I am a little mixed on this one. Space opera in a classic sense, but also heavily existentialist underpinnings (where you find long discussions of the meaning of life, epistemology and ontology). Not sure of his target audience, however. Those looking for fast-paced military scifi will be let down, although there is some good action here and there. Largely a lot of political drama and a quest for meaning in life. 3.5 stars.
July 6, 2012
this book is probably the best science fiction i have ever read
June 21, 2024
This is the first book I've read by the prolific W. Michael Gear, and I found it to be excellent in several ways. This book was a pleasant surprise as far as depth and complexity is concerned. I went into this expecting something exciting, action-packed and filled with futuristic warfare. While these things are all certainly present, I was delighted to discover that there are multiple layers to this book that all mesh together in a very harmonious way to enrich the things I expected to see with extra impact and thoughtfulness. Gear clearly has a good grip on the psychological effects of both war and technological advancement, and he uses this knowledge to make his characters more complex and believable. As an example, early on in the book we are introduced to Staffa Kar Therma. Kar Therma is known as "The Star Butcher" by the society Gear has created, and he has little to no remorse about some of the truly horrific things he's done prior to this book's beginning (and a little bit right at the beginning for a wild start to the novel). As you might imagine, this does not engender much sympathy from the reader when Staffa begins to suffer from some psychological effects due to guilt as well as some mental tampering by another character. Personally, when Staffa began suffering from PTSD and wracking guilt, it felt as though he almost deserved some level of mental anguish as he was not a very likeable character, nor a very "good" guy. However, this book makes a point of letting Staffa's character grow and evolve very slowly. He becomes and the things that happen to him seem to shape his motivations, goals and self-image in believable and sometimes gut-wrenching ways. Upon reading the inside of the book jacket I learned that Gear is an archaeologist and anthropologist in addition to being an author. I believe this provided a great foundation upon which he was able to build very believable characters and civilizations.
You may have noticed I put "good" in quotation marks previously, and that was intentional. This book has several other characters whose goodness is difficult to determine or define. This, in my view, lends more depth to the characters themselves as well as to the book as a whole. Magister Bruen is one such character. He is clearly motivated by a deep desire to better humanity, and he's stretched in so may different directions by his own aims as well as by many external factors that he does some questionable things to get to his vision of the future for humanity. This really brings home the adage "the ends justify the means" in a way that was much more impactful than if Gear had just written this out for me verbatim. Another saying that Gear is obviously very familiar with is the concept in writing that goes: "show, don't tell."
Gear also has some very poignant points to make regarding slavery and its place in empire-building civilizations. He even manages to show several perspectives from several characters on this, including a character who, while he is not a slaver himself, enables the slave trade and begins to understand his culpability from this point of view. I will not delve into this subplot too deeply, as it's one of the more thoughtful and philosophical passages in the book and I don't want to color the reader's experience of it beforehand.
The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is the dialogue. Sometimes it is a little dry and predictable. I found several times when a conversation crossed from one page to another that I was mentally guessing what the next character was going to say and was often right, sometimes word for word. This made me feel as though some of the dialogue wasn't really necessary and could've been edited down slightly for conciseness. I also had issue with a casual slur that is used exactly once in the book by a main character. I would like to believe this is a typo, as a similar word is used often by characters expressing disgust for each other throughout the rest of the novel. It was an error of one letter, but I won't repeat it here as it was quite jarring and offensive. It came out of nowhere, and wasn't repeated. I'd like to give Gear the benefit of the doubt here and believe that this was truly a very unfortunate typo. If not... well, it certainly makes the character who uttered it less palatable as a protagonist. Additionally, there was some similarity between the way every character spoke and thought. This is very minor, but it did detract somewhat from their difference and sometimes made it a little intrusively clear that all these characters emerged from the same person's brain.
Overall, this book was excellent in pacing, plot, scope, and depth. I was happy to discover a lot of meat on this admittedly large volume (600+ pages), rather than lots of filler as is sometimes the case in longer books. While I went in expecting some sci-fi/space opera fun, Requiem For The Conqueror really exceeded my expectations and delivered something that was a thoughtful, entertaining read. Gear also found a wonderful balance at the end of the book between leaving everything unfinished and leaving no room to grow for the sequel. I'm intrigued and looking forward to reading the next book without feeling as though I was being teased by unnecessary cliffhangers. I will definitely be reading more in this series, and others by Gear.
Requiem for the Conqueror
You may have noticed I put "good" in quotation marks previously, and that was intentional. This book has several other characters whose goodness is difficult to determine or define. This, in my view, lends more depth to the characters themselves as well as to the book as a whole. Magister Bruen is one such character. He is clearly motivated by a deep desire to better humanity, and he's stretched in so may different directions by his own aims as well as by many external factors that he does some questionable things to get to his vision of the future for humanity. This really brings home the adage "the ends justify the means" in a way that was much more impactful than if Gear had just written this out for me verbatim. Another saying that Gear is obviously very familiar with is the concept in writing that goes: "show, don't tell."
Gear also has some very poignant points to make regarding slavery and its place in empire-building civilizations. He even manages to show several perspectives from several characters on this, including a character who, while he is not a slaver himself, enables the slave trade and begins to understand his culpability from this point of view. I will not delve into this subplot too deeply, as it's one of the more thoughtful and philosophical passages in the book and I don't want to color the reader's experience of it beforehand.
The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is the dialogue. Sometimes it is a little dry and predictable. I found several times when a conversation crossed from one page to another that I was mentally guessing what the next character was going to say and was often right, sometimes word for word. This made me feel as though some of the dialogue wasn't really necessary and could've been edited down slightly for conciseness. I also had issue with a casual slur that is used exactly once in the book by a main character. I would like to believe this is a typo, as a similar word is used often by characters expressing disgust for each other throughout the rest of the novel. It was an error of one letter, but I won't repeat it here as it was quite jarring and offensive. It came out of nowhere, and wasn't repeated. I'd like to give Gear the benefit of the doubt here and believe that this was truly a very unfortunate typo. If not... well, it certainly makes the character who uttered it less palatable as a protagonist. Additionally, there was some similarity between the way every character spoke and thought. This is very minor, but it did detract somewhat from their difference and sometimes made it a little intrusively clear that all these characters emerged from the same person's brain.
Overall, this book was excellent in pacing, plot, scope, and depth. I was happy to discover a lot of meat on this admittedly large volume (600+ pages), rather than lots of filler as is sometimes the case in longer books. While I went in expecting some sci-fi/space opera fun, Requiem For The Conqueror really exceeded my expectations and delivered something that was a thoughtful, entertaining read. Gear also found a wonderful balance at the end of the book between leaving everything unfinished and leaving no room to grow for the sequel. I'm intrigued and looking forward to reading the next book without feeling as though I was being teased by unnecessary cliffhangers. I will definitely be reading more in this series, and others by Gear.
Requiem for the Conqueror
July 8, 2022
A great story bogged down by a lot of small things, but especially the sexist and creepy mindframe of multiple boring male characters who have no sensible reason to think the way they do outside of the authors own objectification of women.
A shame as I really wanted to enjoy it.
Maybe still worth a read for the SF aspect but prepare to roll your eyes so often youll wonder why youre reading at all.
A shame as I really wanted to enjoy it.
Maybe still worth a read for the SF aspect but prepare to roll your eyes so often youll wonder why youre reading at all.
September 22, 2019
I really liked this book. It was tightly written, and I especially liked the love story embedded in the story. You journey with the 'lead' as he becomes self-aware of the impact of his way of life, and looking forward what he wants for the world. Would like to follow the rest of the series and see how it develops.
July 17, 2020
One of the first Space Opera political intrigue series I read way back when. Still enjoyable today, but a little too much....
January 30, 2021
gripping space opera, plots, intrigue .. you've got it
March 28, 2021
Love. It.
December 24, 2024
6+ okay series, not very special but okay read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2020
One of the main things that I like about science fiction books is that, more than anything, they act as reflections or time capsules of what the future might look like from the perspective of the time in which they were written. Requiem for the Conqueror is a prime example of this characteristic. It is very much a product of its day and age, and this is both praise and critique.
So first to praising. In this book, W. Micheal Gear creates a neatly self contained world that brings to mind the lesser works of Herbert, at least in regards to world creation and style. The characters are all archetypes in their competence, looks and how the author uses them, and the story even managed to work an interesting twist that I didn’t see coming in the conclusion of the book. So, on the praise side, Requiem for the Conqueror is a worthy read that does a real good job setting up the rest of the series.
Now to the critique. I said above that this book is very definitely a product of its day and age. This is nowhere more apparent than in the way the characters (especially male) view their female counterparts. Where the male characters are described quickly, without any lingering language spent on the physical characteristics, the female characters, without exception, not only are Jessica Rabbit level sensual, but every time anyone looks at them there is a full paragraph spent on the specifics of how their perfect bodies move under this clothes. Ultimately these descriptions became redundant and annoying. It’s as though the author mistook horny physical descriptions for quality character development. I guess that it is no more ridiculous than Lieutenant Uhura, or Wonder Woman having to wear a mini-skirt, when their male counterparts get to wear pants. So as I said, this book is a product of its era, a fact that both adds to and detracts from the overall experience of reading this book.
In sum then, Requiem for the Conqueror is a solid read if you are a fan of a more classic style than is popular today, and at the same time it is a great example of greater trends within society and literature that hopefully we can move past.
So first to praising. In this book, W. Micheal Gear creates a neatly self contained world that brings to mind the lesser works of Herbert, at least in regards to world creation and style. The characters are all archetypes in their competence, looks and how the author uses them, and the story even managed to work an interesting twist that I didn’t see coming in the conclusion of the book. So, on the praise side, Requiem for the Conqueror is a worthy read that does a real good job setting up the rest of the series.
Now to the critique. I said above that this book is very definitely a product of its day and age. This is nowhere more apparent than in the way the characters (especially male) view their female counterparts. Where the male characters are described quickly, without any lingering language spent on the physical characteristics, the female characters, without exception, not only are Jessica Rabbit level sensual, but every time anyone looks at them there is a full paragraph spent on the specifics of how their perfect bodies move under this clothes. Ultimately these descriptions became redundant and annoying. It’s as though the author mistook horny physical descriptions for quality character development. I guess that it is no more ridiculous than Lieutenant Uhura, or Wonder Woman having to wear a mini-skirt, when their male counterparts get to wear pants. So as I said, this book is a product of its era, a fact that both adds to and detracts from the overall experience of reading this book.
In sum then, Requiem for the Conqueror is a solid read if you are a fan of a more classic style than is popular today, and at the same time it is a great example of greater trends within society and literature that hopefully we can move past.
December 6, 2021
Довольно затянутая боевая космоопера про космического мачо.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2021
Michael Gear d0es not disappointed. He had carefully developed the settings of several planets and each of the characters shaped by their planet. Then he slowly weaves the plot and sub plots. ***Spoiler*** There are some great twists and turns, especially near the end.
April 28, 2012
At 600-odd pages, this book was about 400 pages too long. However, the length isn't as nearly as much of a problem as the fact that most of the volume is crude bloat with such artificial dialogue and characters that you can almost hear the book's gears grinding. None of the other books are any better either; you're much better off looking for a half-dozen well-written books than wasting time on all 1800 pages (for the trilogy) of these clumsy, wooden, predictable tomes.
March 15, 2012
I've read most of this authors People of novels and had not realized he had wrote any scf-fi before I saw this. I really enjoyed it, there wasn't a lot of hard science in it and focused more on interstellar politics, but the premise behind the novel was great. I am definitely going to have to read the next one in the series.
August 26, 2011
One of the best books I've every read. One of the central concepts of the book is "How do we know that which we and all society accepts as unassailable truth really is true?". Couple that with sex, betrayal, assassination, true love, death of billions, and redemption, and I can't ask for more!
Read
June 24, 2025This is the first book in a trilogy. The whole set is one of the best space operas I have ever read. I highly recommend it.
August 13, 2011
Read it a long time ago, but I remember loving it. Real space opera. First of a trilogy, and the other 2 are solid too.
Read
April 18, 2012excellent book
September 27, 2016
A surprising gem of a tyrant becoming a redeemer after being humbled by travesty and betrayal.
October 31, 2012
А вообще очень неплохая книга, несмотря на затянутость и обилие секса
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