Well, what can I say? I thought it was amazing. To be honest, this book is one of those that you think "Man, I'm not getting anywhere!" because it's so long, and then you get lost in it, and eventually look up and see how much you have read. There is literally always action, always something happening. This book has the same flaws as the first in the series, and the rest - overly-repeated phrases, small mistakes in things such as naming, all of that... but as I've said before in my review of the first Deathstalker book, that stuff really never bothered me. I still absolutely love the new worlds, inventive new aliens we get to meet, the suspense, the characters, and the friendly banter that I so enjoy.Perhaps my favourite new characters that are introduced in this book are Toby Shreck - Gregor Shrecks nephew, and PR flack for Clan Shreck before he was, well, kind of fired. So he was sent to Technos III (a hell-hole factory planet which we meet in the last part of the book), as a reporter, with his camera-man Flynn, who is...interesting, to say the least, but I'm not giving anything away. In any case, both are entertaining, endearing characters. Cardinal Kasser and the Wolfe's make an appearance on Technos III also, as despicable as ever. In fact, Cardinal Kasser is extremely amusing - especially the part where he blows up the main aerial two days before the Empire-wide broadcast of a ceremony. PWND. Not to mention the numerous high-profile screw-ups he has being transmitted live to the Empire. Heeheehee.We also meet some other new characters, including Michael and Lily Wolfe (spouses of Stephanie and Daniel respectively). It's a curious thing, but I liked Lily much less reading the book than I did listening to the audio-version... for the simple reason that the audio version, which did allude to Lily wearing wigs, did not allude to the fact that these wigs were not worn over her natural hair, but instead a shaven skull. Ugh! Anyways, rant over. Another new character we meet is the "new" Jack Random - who, for the record, I hate for two reasons: 1. he is sickeningly (literally) perfect - all handsome and daring and golden - and 2. because of the pain and uncertainty he puts "old" Jack Random through. It is painful to see "old Jack" start to come into his own, only to be cut down by this new golden version of himself. That would totally screw my mind over, if it was me.Another new character we get introduced to is the legendary Half-a-Man. Abducted by aliens, he was eventually sent back to Humanity - but only half of him was sent back. The other side of him is an energy field, making him immortal. Half-a-Man is also the creator of the Investigators - so of course from the beginning, you know he's going to be a hard son-of-a-bitch. But surprisingly, I found myself feeling obscurely sorry for him, especially when he confides to one of his Investigators that he is afraid of losing his Humanity. His is just another sad story in a cruel Empire, and you get a sense of how he used to be a normal man, and even now perhaps he's still trying to make sense of what destiny has shaped him into.There are many secondary (kind of) characters from the first Deathstalker that make a repeat appearance in Deathstalker Rebellion. Valentine Wolfe, is of course, as wonderfully entertaining as ever - even more so, if that is possible. And of course completely and utterly disturbing, as always. Beatrice Christiana also makes a repeat appearance in Deathstalker Rebellion - though not at all in the way you would expect for a dyed-in-the-blood aristocrat. In fact, some of Beatrice's parts of the book were the most touching and emotional of the entire book. (view spoiler)[Beatrice has given up her aristocracy, and found religion in the midst of Technos III, treating wounded soldiers and rebels, while the Wolfe's withhold proper medical supplies. Her struggle and the sadness of her situation moved me to tears. (hide spoiler)]
#2 Deathstalker Sci Fi seriesRe: Confusing series orderAuthor's note on title page:"Deathstalker RebellionBeing the Second Part of the Life and Times of Owen Deathstalker"Looks like "Deathstalker Legacy" series follows the "Deathstalker" series (??)Simon R. Green's urban fantasy series "The Nightside" is #2 on my all time fav PUF books (following J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood). (Those books are quite short compared to the 500 pages in this sci fi series.)Green's "space opera" is a 500 page roller coaster ride of adventure, derring do, fast action -- kinda Star Wars-like, but with a dizzying array of subplots, political skullduggery, hidden alliances, secret deals, betrayals and so on.Green is a genius with a huge cast of colorful characters, too -- Half A Man, the Ghost Warriors, Ruby Journey, Jack Random, Captain Silence. His superb talent as a writer keeps the characters and plot lines very clear in your mind, despite the complexity and frequent plot upheavals. I liked the occasional bolt of humor too :-)I didn't see so much as one paragraph that dragged! Will definitely continue with this exciting & fun series. Can't wait to see what happens next!
What do You think about Deathstalker Rebellion (1996)?
This is a weird one. The cover refers to "One Man" who would "fire the guns of rebellion!" and yet this one man, our ostensible hero, Owen Deathstalker is, I think, in about two chapters of the book. That isn't exactly a complaint, but the novel feels a little uneven because of it. What's more, it's really less a novel and more a chapter itself in a long story, moreso even than most series books I've read.Also, in this book: everyone starts going Super Saiyan.I.e. They all start getting way too powerful in deus ex machina ways that make me hope it's really going somewhere, because as it is now, a lot of the challenge is getting drained out of the story at large. Green's universe here is full of cool shit, and every five minutes he throws a new amazing idea at you: but if there are too many of them all stacked up against this evil galactic empire, the empire stops looking quite so scary.The "main characters getting too powerful thing" really comes to a head in the last chapter. It's a 150 page novel in and of itself of a crazy world and the war going on there, concerning characters who have, pretty much to a person, been very much underdeveloped side characters before this point. One of those small, small characters who suddenly takes center stage is a journalist, and I found his story waaaay more interesting than that of our "heroes" who could reach out with their minds and burn everyone now, or whatever. Toby, the journalist, has an actual skill which we see him put to work.All of that said, this was still more rip-roaring, insane space opera craziness with a big space war brewing and crazy shit around every corner. That's really all I want from the Deathstalker series. So still, a good time.
—Elijah Spector
This series of books is sort of like scifi crack - it's not really any good for you, but you can't stop reading it once you've had a taste. I rather enjoy the plotting and the grand-scale space-opera arcs of the Deathstalker universe, but the writing itself is just so-so, and the omniscient narration bugs me (especially when it inconsistently bounces from omniscient to semi-omniscient depending on how many characters are in the scene). In spite of that though, the characters are interesting (if a little wooden) and the worlds, aliens, and technology Green incorporates into the universe (including a mix of laser blasters and swords that quite appeals to the scifi-swashbuckler in me) keeps me reading on.Although this series purports to revolve around the character of Owen Deathstalker, he actually appears in very few chapters of this book in the series. Based on the tacked-on "Stay Tuned for Scenes from Our Next Episode" ending, it appears that's not going to change much in the next novel, either. I tell myself I'm going to stay away, but you and I already know I'm going to get my hands on book #3 in the series and take another hit of this series - the only question is when.
—Ross
This one barely made it to the three star rating. I enjoy the writing, and the story is interesting, but overall it is lacking. Specifically it annoys me how the universe seems to change with each chapter, such as adding a new super powerful character or group to the scene that hasn't been mentioned before. Also, while the book is supposed to be about Owen Deathstalker, at least half of this book didn't include him at all. The parts he was in weren't even the interesting parts of the book. I will keep reading the series, because I am interested where the various story arcs are going, but if it doesn't get better, I will be disappointed.
—Kadja Draenor
