What do you think?
Rate this book
Deathstalker #7
Deathstalker Return
MP3 CD Format Take a journey through the Age of Heroes . . .
After falling in love with the king's intended, Lewis Deathstalker is now exiled, an outlaw from the empire he faithfully served for so long. With Lewis out of the way, former Paragon Finn Durandal has led a silent coup to wrest control from the king and set himself up as the power behind the throne.
But Durandal is not the Empire's biggest threat. The Terror that Owen Deathstalker prophesied nearly 200 years ago is almost upon them, and Owen is supposedly the only one who can save civilization from unspeakable horrors. Lewis, unwilling to believe that the galaxy's savior is dead, sets off to the darkest reaches of the Galaxy to find his lost ancestor.
Lewis intends to retrace Owen's footsteps and overturn every possible lead. But with Finn in control of the empire's massive forces, he is outmanned and outgunned at every turn. Lewis must stay one step ahead of Finn's ever-expanding reach if he has any hope of discovering Owen's fate.
After falling in love with the king's intended, Lewis Deathstalker is now exiled, an outlaw from the empire he faithfully served for so long. With Lewis out of the way, former Paragon Finn Durandal has led a silent coup to wrest control from the king and set himself up as the power behind the throne.
But Durandal is not the Empire's biggest threat. The Terror that Owen Deathstalker prophesied nearly 200 years ago is almost upon them, and Owen is supposedly the only one who can save civilization from unspeakable horrors. Lewis, unwilling to believe that the galaxy's savior is dead, sets off to the darkest reaches of the Galaxy to find his lost ancestor.
Lewis intends to retrace Owen's footsteps and overturn every possible lead. But with Finn in control of the empire's massive forces, he is outmanned and outgunned at every turn. Lewis must stay one step ahead of Finn's ever-expanding reach if he has any hope of discovering Owen's fate.
476 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2004
34 people are currently reading
788 people want to read
About the author
Simon R. Green
312 books3,211 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 22, 2018
Well, what to say about this one?
For a start, I just want to warn people not to read this book unless you already own the next and it is readily available. I thought I could handle waiting a while for the last, but the unbelievable spoiler in the last sentence of this book made it impossible for me to wait for the next with any semblance of calm.
By the way, I just have to say it - it's so hilarious, the ship that the five main characters stole turned out to be an alien porn-smuggler. :D *face-palm*. Epic fail.
In this book Green seems to have returned to the formula we were introduced to in the original Deathstalker. However, never fear – the people placed into this formula are sufficiently different to original hero’s and heroine’s to make Deathstalker Return an addition to the series that is just as wonderful and amusing as the rest of them.
So. First, we have Lewis Deathstalker, because, of course, what would the Deathstalker Saga be without a Deathstalker? And as usual, the Deathstalker, Lewis, has to be the loveable one, with enough dry humour to keep us entertained. Still, I give him credit just for being around dear Jesamine for more than half an hour and not slapping her about something or other. That brings me to Jesamine, who fits roughly into Hazel’s slot in the formula, “the Deathstalker’s love”. But of course, Jesamine is more of a classic beauty, far more showy, a diva… and besides, Hazel would never be caught singing about anything. Next we come to Brett, who fits, predictably, into the “Random” slot. Yes, as a Random he is unpredictable, funny, and sometimes a general pain in the ass – to be perfectly honest, as a replacement for the tragic hero Jack Random, he’s a bit of a comedown, but you have to make allowances… and a lot of them. That brings me around to the woman who fits into the “psychopath” area – Rose Constantine. The only differences between her and Ruby are the red leathers instead of the black, the fact that she is even less emotionally developed, and that in actual fact she almost makes Ruby look like a wet-nosed puppy. Lastly, we come to the “non/sub-human” category, in this case filled by the fierce, bi-sexual, reptilian alien who has no idea what purpose names have – Saturday. Again, Saturday makes his predecessor Tobias Moon look positively fun and giggly, even on his worst days.
Now that we’ve finished with the main good characters (aside from Douglas, who I shall come to later), I’ll have to start with those who are bad and ambiguous. Finn. Finn, Finn, Finn. You utter bastard. (Excuse the language, guys, the word has never applied to a better person.) As I believe I’ve admitted in a previous view and will continue to do so, Finn is… impressive. Very intelligent, and cunning, but his monstrosities never end. Turning people into pools of slime, murdering for the hell of it – I can’t even be bothered going through the list, it’s far too long. But what I will mention is what Finn did to the old King, William. William is living in retirement, with a manor house and a beautiful, beautiful garden that is his pride and joy. And what does Finn do? Well, he doesn’t exactly help with the weeding. He strides in with his troops, burns the gardens in front of William, completely destroys them. I just despise the destruction of anything beautiful, so of course I was crying by this point. Where I started going Oh my God, you’ve got to be kidding, was when Green told us that they’d even slaughtered the swans in the now bloody lake. But what really got me was when Finn dug up the preserved body of William’s son, James, right in front of William, disintegrated it. *cries* Seriously, Finn?
While we’re speaking of people that you have to go “Seriously?” at, let us talk about Anne Barclay. I am even more disgusted with her than I was in the previous book. For goodness sake, woman! In this book, Anne gets “what she always wanted” – a new body, a prettier face… but surprise surprise, it doesn’t make her happy. She doesn’t have the grace to carry her new body, still striding about as she always did, and she doesn’t feel like it’s really her. Nah, really? Anne is like so many others in finally discovering that who you want to be and who you are isn’t always the same thing, and being untrue to yourself will not make you happy. The difference with Anne is that she has hurt so many people because they didn’t understand her, didn’t focus on her, when in fact not focusing on her was a perfect way of showing that they knew who she was.
I’ll move on, then, to Emma Steel. Emma is one of those characters that you get a happy, tingly feeling reading about, because you remember the old days, the old Mistworld, and Giddeon Steel. Emma is a worthy representative of Mistworld, honourable, a wonderful fighter, and a great character to read about, aside from being about the only worthy Paragon around. She is always trying to do the right thing, and it’s heart-breaking seeing her struggle, about the only person left who is just trying to do the right thing for people who need her.
Well, the only person I really have left to deal with is Douglas. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of him in this one. I mean, on the one hand he seems like he’s lost it a bit – which by the end he kind of has – but on the other hand you feel both sorry for him and proud, because you always know that good old Douglas has a plan. I won’t go too much into Douglas, but I’ll just promise you that you’ll love him as much as ever.
As to what happens in the book – as often happens with the Deathstalker Saga, it seems like both nothing is happening and everything is happening at the same time. Lots of running around, shooting people, rioting groups, aliens, killing, weird romances… you know, the old Deathstalker mix that, in my opinion, just never gets old.
I’ll finish with a note on the ending. I can’t even bear to put it in a spoiler bracket; it was so monumental, for me at least. But as I said at the beginning, do NOT read this book unless you have the next one near at hand. I could not stop reading the last twenty pages or so, and I almost fell off my chair at the last sentence, and there may have *cough* *cough* been a couple of incredulous, disbelieving swear words floating around.
For a start, I just want to warn people not to read this book unless you already own the next and it is readily available. I thought I could handle waiting a while for the last, but the unbelievable spoiler in the last sentence of this book made it impossible for me to wait for the next with any semblance of calm.
By the way, I just have to say it - it's so hilarious, the ship that the five main characters stole turned out to be an alien porn-smuggler. :D *face-palm*. Epic fail.
In this book Green seems to have returned to the formula we were introduced to in the original Deathstalker. However, never fear – the people placed into this formula are sufficiently different to original hero’s and heroine’s to make Deathstalker Return an addition to the series that is just as wonderful and amusing as the rest of them.
So. First, we have Lewis Deathstalker, because, of course, what would the Deathstalker Saga be without a Deathstalker? And as usual, the Deathstalker, Lewis, has to be the loveable one, with enough dry humour to keep us entertained. Still, I give him credit just for being around dear Jesamine for more than half an hour and not slapping her about something or other. That brings me to Jesamine, who fits roughly into Hazel’s slot in the formula, “the Deathstalker’s love”. But of course, Jesamine is more of a classic beauty, far more showy, a diva… and besides, Hazel would never be caught singing about anything. Next we come to Brett, who fits, predictably, into the “Random” slot. Yes, as a Random he is unpredictable, funny, and sometimes a general pain in the ass – to be perfectly honest, as a replacement for the tragic hero Jack Random, he’s a bit of a comedown, but you have to make allowances… and a lot of them. That brings me around to the woman who fits into the “psychopath” area – Rose Constantine. The only differences between her and Ruby are the red leathers instead of the black, the fact that she is even less emotionally developed, and that in actual fact she almost makes Ruby look like a wet-nosed puppy. Lastly, we come to the “non/sub-human” category, in this case filled by the fierce, bi-sexual, reptilian alien who has no idea what purpose names have – Saturday. Again, Saturday makes his predecessor Tobias Moon look positively fun and giggly, even on his worst days.
Now that we’ve finished with the main good characters (aside from Douglas, who I shall come to later), I’ll have to start with those who are bad and ambiguous. Finn. Finn, Finn, Finn. You utter bastard. (Excuse the language, guys, the word has never applied to a better person.) As I believe I’ve admitted in a previous view and will continue to do so, Finn is… impressive. Very intelligent, and cunning, but his monstrosities never end. Turning people into pools of slime, murdering for the hell of it – I can’t even be bothered going through the list, it’s far too long. But what I will mention is what Finn did to the old King, William. William is living in retirement, with a manor house and a beautiful, beautiful garden that is his pride and joy. And what does Finn do? Well, he doesn’t exactly help with the weeding. He strides in with his troops, burns the gardens in front of William, completely destroys them. I just despise the destruction of anything beautiful, so of course I was crying by this point. Where I started going Oh my God, you’ve got to be kidding, was when Green told us that they’d even slaughtered the swans in the now bloody lake. But what really got me was when Finn dug up the preserved body of William’s son, James, right in front of William, disintegrated it. *cries* Seriously, Finn?
While we’re speaking of people that you have to go “Seriously?” at, let us talk about Anne Barclay. I am even more disgusted with her than I was in the previous book. For goodness sake, woman! In this book, Anne gets “what she always wanted” – a new body, a prettier face… but surprise surprise, it doesn’t make her happy. She doesn’t have the grace to carry her new body, still striding about as she always did, and she doesn’t feel like it’s really her. Nah, really? Anne is like so many others in finally discovering that who you want to be and who you are isn’t always the same thing, and being untrue to yourself will not make you happy. The difference with Anne is that she has hurt so many people because they didn’t understand her, didn’t focus on her, when in fact not focusing on her was a perfect way of showing that they knew who she was.
I’ll move on, then, to Emma Steel. Emma is one of those characters that you get a happy, tingly feeling reading about, because you remember the old days, the old Mistworld, and Giddeon Steel. Emma is a worthy representative of Mistworld, honourable, a wonderful fighter, and a great character to read about, aside from being about the only worthy Paragon around. She is always trying to do the right thing, and it’s heart-breaking seeing her struggle, about the only person left who is just trying to do the right thing for people who need her.
Well, the only person I really have left to deal with is Douglas. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of him in this one. I mean, on the one hand he seems like he’s lost it a bit – which by the end he kind of has – but on the other hand you feel both sorry for him and proud, because you always know that good old Douglas has a plan. I won’t go too much into Douglas, but I’ll just promise you that you’ll love him as much as ever.
As to what happens in the book – as often happens with the Deathstalker Saga, it seems like both nothing is happening and everything is happening at the same time. Lots of running around, shooting people, rioting groups, aliens, killing, weird romances… you know, the old Deathstalker mix that, in my opinion, just never gets old.
I’ll finish with a note on the ending. I can’t even bear to put it in a spoiler bracket; it was so monumental, for me at least. But as I said at the beginning, do NOT read this book unless you have the next one near at hand. I could not stop reading the last twenty pages or so, and I almost fell off my chair at the last sentence, and there may have *cough* *cough* been a couple of incredulous, disbelieving swear words floating around.
November 20, 2015
The series continues to be a bloated, redundant, sometimes fun, sword and laser story. Green seems to add a little mass-slaughter to every one of his stories, but the Lewis stories seem to take it to another level.
Green must also have a very pessimistic view of people, because in his worlds, people are sheeple who go along with any kind of atrocity as long as they aren't the ones being hurt. Finn Durandal, one bad guy in this society is able to far too easily manipulate himself into power. His deepest character motivations seem to be "because I can" and "Because I don't care" and that's something that starts to get old after say, one book. After several?
Even the good people have to act stupidly to get the plot going. I love pulp stories, and even own boxes of vintage pulps, but Green's series seems more and more like someone who is deriding the genre rather than relishing it.
April 6, 2021
Spoiler. The whole book is Lewis being told to go to the Maze. I'm not sure why he didn't just go there, it was nice meeting some old members, but seriously, I just felt like this book didn't have tons to offer. There is one more book, so, I'll finish the series, but am curious as to why Simon kept going on this series.
June 16, 2023
Some irritating tropes, but overall Avery edge of your seat thriller where, if interested into the sci-fi, you can be left questioning the motives of some. I genuinely enjoyed this book and finished it in a matter of days, a rarity for me.
I wish I could give it a five, but some of the romance parts were too cliche and forced for my taste. Outside of that a great political sci-fi action-adventure
I wish I could give it a five, but some of the romance parts were too cliche and forced for my taste. Outside of that a great political sci-fi action-adventure
May 5, 2025
I cannot tell you why I enjoy these books. Characters are basically anti-heroic and very human. They are up against enormous odds. And I am reading them out of order (which is a bit frustrating, but there is enough background given so I am not lost.) But, they keep my attention, and in this age of our world, it is nice to see the little guys triumph against all odds.
November 28, 2024
Just when you think it can't get any better!
I'm hooked. Everyone of Green's series are impossible to not finish. You become friends with or enemies of the characters! When I'm on the last book of a series...it takes me forever to finish. I just can't say goodbye
I'm hooked. Everyone of Green's series are impossible to not finish. You become friends with or enemies of the characters! When I'm on the last book of a series...it takes me forever to finish. I just can't say goodbye
April 10, 2019
Another great addition to an amazing series.
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
August 28, 2025
just okay
June 10, 2013
"Lewis Deathstalker's adventures continue satisyingly along the path Deathstalker Legacy laid out, with the usual satisfying Green twists and turnabouts. Outlawed and on the run, Lewis and his companions return to the places where the survivors of Owen's time hide and slowly pick up clues, all of which guide them to the Madness Maze. The Empire crumbles and finally falls into Finn Durandal's clutches. A plucky reporter rescues King Douglas at his execution with the help of the last true paragon. And like the title suggests, Owen Deathstalker returns and reveals the shocking true nature of the Terror.[return][return]I think this adventure is even better than the Deathstalker's first. Green continues to demonstrate the importance of truth, which gels nicely with Owen's commitment to history over legend. The characters are given interesting chances to grow. This far into the series, there are still many surprises, though some of Green's patterns become predictable. Hint: if he sets up something as wonderful, it's going to be destroyed soon. Regeneration tanks are a bit too handy, but the peril is through the roof, so I suppose if you want anyone to be left at the end to tell about it, you need a miracle or two."
![Profile Image for [ JT ].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1253302100i%2F2641450.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 12, 2010
Another fun romp, though this particular novel has some darker undertones. The twist at the end would have been awesome-- had I not accidentally ruined it for myself when I was trying to update the page count on Goodreads! UGH!
September 14, 2007
I liked owen better , but it was still good
January 2, 2010
More Owen Deathstalker is always a good thing. I enjoyed the viewpoint of history in this, how some heroes of the earlier novels were remembered and others forgotten.
March 25, 2015
This book is a great read!
May 29, 2016
It was entertaining !
April 6, 2017
A+
There are some slow spots but when you get to the good stuff it is unbelievably awesome!!!!
There are some slow spots but when you get to the good stuff it is unbelievably awesome!!!!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews