Deathstalker Honor [Paperback]

Simon R. Green (Author), Donato Giancola (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

Owen Deathstalker became a hero after the great rebellion against the tyranny of Lionstone XIV, and now political factions are quarreling over who will replace the deposed Empress. But Humanity faces an even greater threat—an encroaching invasion fleet of alien origin

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Roc (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451456483
• ISBN-13: 978-0451456489
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #503,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The war may be won but this series just keeps getting better, January 14, 2005

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Deathstalker Honor (Paperback)

You might think that, after some 2100 pages, Simon R. Green's Deathstalker series would have begun losing steam. As Deathstalker Honor opens, the rebellion against the Empire is the stuff of history and the war to overthrow Empress Lionstone XIV has been won. Our heroes have done the impossible: slaughtered an amazing array of enemies all over the galaxy, seen the brutal murder of what must be billions of people on planets stretching from the homeworld of Golgotha to the planets on the outer rim, been changed into something more than human by a mysterious alien Maze, and become legendary heroes whose exploits are already shown in holovideos to a fascinated public. Remarkably, however, this series seems to just keep getting better. It turns out that winning the war was the easy part; winning the peace is something else entirely. It's not just a matter of organizing a new government among a group of contentious power players interested only in acquiring power and money for themselves; there's also a little matter concerning several alien races moving in to attack the Empire while it is all but prostrate and vulnerable.

The gang's still here, though: Owen Deathstalker, the reluctant warrior who oversaw the defeat of imperial power; Hazel D'Ark, the former clonelegger and extremely successful lady at Owen's side, always ready to spill the blood of the guilty; Jack Random, the legendary rebel leader of old who saw his forgotten dreams of revolutionary success come true after teaming up with the Deathstalker; and Ruby Journey, bounty hunter extraordinaire and Random's right-hand woman of mass death and justice. Even Tobias Moon, the Hadenman who sacrificed everything to free his entombed brethren from their tombs on the Wolfling World, returns for this thrilling ride. These are the heroes who go where they are needed to do the things no one else could possibly do. On Virimonde, the planet which once called Deathstalker lord but has since been all but destroyed by Imperial forces, the notorious Valentine Wolfe, the most-wanted man in the new empire, is up to no good. On Brahmin II, the Hadenmen have imprisoned the human population and begun turning them into augmented men like themselves. On the inhospitable mining planet Loki, old rebels have rebelled anew against a corrupt new government and have made a desperate and wholly unforgivable move to elicit the aid of the rogue AI of Shub, mankind's most dangerous known enemy. And on Lachrymae Christi, a leper planet no one likes to talk about, the Hadenmen have attacked in large numbers for no discernible reason. At home on Golgotha, little has really changed, as the aristocratic families, rebel interests, and generally greedy, power-hungry men jockey for position in a generally ineffective, temporary Parliament. I can tell you that a few scores are settled right here and now.

There is a ton of great action in this novel, and there is no shortage of shocking surprises either - some wonderful characters don't survive the events detailed herein. Great and troubling mysteries and questions shout out for answers but are eventually subsumed - for now - by the individual missions involving our heroes. Even with their Maze-given special powers, the likes of Owen Deathstalker continually find themselves facing incredibly horrible odds of survival as they work to clean up some of the mess of an empire in tatters. Shub, the Hadenmen, and supercharged alien insects - any one of these enemies poses a daunting threat to the weakened Empire, and now not just one but all three of them are on their way. An even more frightening and potentially superior enemy exists out beyond the rim, in the Darkvoid where it was thought no form of life could possibly survive.

Deathstalker Honor kept my eyes glued to the pages, more anxious than ever to follow the exploits of Deathstalker and his select group of revolutionary allies. Each character is given additional room to grow here, and we begin to see some of what is behind the tough exterior masks they wear. Even as they continue to fear that their Maze-given powers are robbing them of more and more of their humanity, we the reader begin to penetrate their emotional defenses in powerful new ways. We also get a good look at the AI of Shub for the first time and learn just enough to heighten our interest and anxiety over the unknown enemies lying within the eternal darkness of the Darkvoid.

A heavy dose of fun, space-opera fighting still provides the humming engine of the storyline, but a new emphasis on the human element makes this the most captivating read of the first four Deathstalker novels. There is also a new and effective twist at the end; unlike its predecessors, this novel ends on a major cliff-hanger that is sure to drive Deathstalker fans in droves to Deathstalker Destiny, the fifth and final book in the life and times of Owen Deathstalker.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The 1st 3 had me addicted so I need #4 for a quick fix., April 28, 2000

By 

Jesse Gregg (Shrewsbury, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Deathstalker Honor (Paperback)

The first three books of the Deathstalker Saga, while a little "loose" in the writing, presented some interesting characters whose exploits are followed in this the 4th of 5 books in the series. In book 4 Green handles the question of what happens to our heroes now that the war is over and the Empire has to reqbuild. The resulting political conflicts are a nice touch and give the book a little more depth than some of the previous war/violence plot lines.

However it feels as though Green has written himself into a corner with the Madness Maze characters. Often it seems as though they've become the "Swiss-army tool" of conflict resolution. One can only read about incredible odds and circumstances being overcome by these "greater-than-human" characters so often before it becomes old hat. While some near death situations are thrown in to give the reader the possibility of losing a main character, I wasn't fooled into thinking they wouldn't come out on top. Just a little too neat.

But, of course, I'll buy book 5 and read it because I need my fix.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic deathstalker story but the war is over so..now what?, October 29, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (College Station) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deathstalker Honor (Paperback)

As an ardent fan of the Deathstalker saga, I feel that I can be somewhat critical about Deathstalker:Honor. I was actually surprised to hear that he was continuing the series but who am I to complain. I love Owen,Hazel and everybody in the series but I am getting tired of how indestructible these folks are!! Owen has been crushed to a pulp and still comes back for seconds!! That is a quibble complaint. All in all I felt that this book was filler for the upcoming book. I might be suffering from a case of over expectantcy . Deathstalker fans won't be disappointed. This book has all the makings. Huge walls, TRULY alien races,nonstop battles and impossible feats of strength and power. I loved the 2 alternates of Hazel. 2 words-totally wierd. The sisters of glory were fun and i can't wait for Owen to finally blow his cool and kill some politician. The sarcastic humor is ever present and you will read the book multiple times just becase it is soo much fun. if you feel differently, let me know but don't swear at me. I said what i felt.