Deathstalker Legacy (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)

Some new interesting pieces and races are thrown in, but the thrust to the book still lies around the combat, heroic achievements and politics relating to one or two key characters that run throughout his books.

The darkness is not quite so dark and whilst his characters are brought to life in his typical style they are not quite to the level that he managed with Deathstalker... that said a 'solid' performance rather than an outstanding one, but a must if you like his work/theme.

Then, almost overnight, the Golden Age dies, murdered at the hands of a celebrated hero who vows to destroy the Empire after being slighted (or so he believes) by the new king. Frightening events of mass murder are arranged, and the people turn on those whom they used to honor and respect the most. Then the Terror arrives, leaving a line of scorched planets behind it as it slowly makes its way toward Logres. The frantic citizenry, as well as the king and Parliament, look to Owen Deathstalker, the legendary hero whom they faithfully expect to return to save the Empire he did so much to create. They don't know what we the readers know - that Owen is dead (although this does not necessarily mean we won't see him again). Robert and Constance, king and queen after the rebellion, made the decision to destroy all of the historical record of Deathstalker and his legendary comrades, believing the people needed the optimism inspired by legend rather than the truth of their heroes' human frailties. The Deathstalker, Helen D'Ark, Jack Random, Ruby Journey, Tobias Moon - these are just legends on stained glass windows now; other heroes of Owen's era are altogether unknown.

Maybe you're asking who this new Deathstalker is. After all, Owen Deathstalker was the last Deathstalker, and even the legend of his love for Helen D'Ark indicates that there love did not come close to producing a child. Lewis Deathstalker comes from a related branch from the Deathstalker family tree, his family having assumed the famous surname by royal request. Lewis proves himself a Deathstalker in many ways, however - with his devotion to honor and duty, his preeminent fighting prowess, and that old Deathstalker luck - all bad. Unlike Owen, however, Lewis does find and know true love - and that's a problem because the love affair he engages in is quite forbidden, the very kind of thing that can turn the King's Champion into another Deathstalker outlaw.

I had a little trouble getting into this novel. After all, Owen's legendary life covered five long novels, and the characters of Deathstalker Legacy are a far cry from the heroes and villains of Owen's life and times. As for Lewis, I haven't truly embraced him yet; he's a good and honorable man for the most part, but he lets love get in the way of honor and duty, and that is something that could never be said of Owen Deathstalker. There's plenty of blood here, as a lot of people seem to die horrible deaths even during the Golden Age, and some unusual and eventually interesting characters, but even Rose Constantine, the Wild Rose of the Arenas, pales in bloodthirsty comparison to the likes of Ruby Journey and Hazel D'Ark.

I don't want to call this novel filler, but it really does seem to exist primarily to set up later events. The Terror has arrived, but we only see its first act of destruction; the idea of Owen Deathstalker returning is broached, but the Quest to find him only begins toward the end of the story; Hazel D'Ark's fate is a complete mystery; and the new circle of Deathstalker-led heroes only begins to coalesce in the closing pages. This story has its moments and seems to find its legs in the last one hundred pages, but Deathstalker Legacy clearly pales in comparison to the earlier Owen Deathstalker novels. It still has a lot to offer fans of space opera epics, though - and, most importantly, it's a necessary prelude to Deathstalker Return.