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Awesome series - from the Prequels (individually or in the combined compendium - Twilight of the Empire - to the Deathstalker Cycle - through the Trilogy that wraps it all up. Bigger than life heroes and villains, over the top action, humor - Deathstalker (and the rest of the books) have it all. The only complaint would be the price point of the e-books. So e-books were to be a more economical way to get books by reducing the publishing costs.... Yeah, I also know the price points are set by the author / publisher.... So when this one came down to $1.99 it was perfect. Oh, and it was nice to note when I was looking at the Deathstalker Canon that instead of an electronic version of Twilight of the Empire - the three individual books have been broken out to get that much more money..... Great story but pricey in e-book form,

I love all of the Deathstalker books. The characters are unique and are not what they seem on the surface. There is humor but it is on the dark side and there is some sense of hope but it comes in a subtle way. The book is an easy read but I would recommend it to older teens rather than young teens mainly for the drug use and the gore, although that might not be so shocking to young teens these days. I'm just an older adult who thinks young people should read age-appropriate material, so you can take my suggestion as just that -- a suggestion. I will say that after reading this first book in the series, I was hooked and couldn't wait for the next one to be available.

This is one of the best space opera books out their!!! If you are looking for a good book look no further.

Starts off slow. Quit it for awhile exasperated, but came back. Second half is better than the first.

If you like your science fiction short and sweet, Simon R. Green's Deathstalker series is not for you. This is space opera in the grand tradition, filled with sweeping turns and possibilities extending across an Empire of worlds and centuries, featuring a cast of human aristocrats, clones, espers (mutants with varying ESP capabilities), monstrous aliens, augmented men, genetically-enhanced creatures, legends and heroes from the past, and outlaws. The newest outlaw is none other than Owen Deathstalker, de facto leader of the Deathstalker clan ever since the imperial murder of his father. All Owen wanted was to be left alone to pursue his history studies, but destiny has a way of finding its chosen victims wherever they may be. Queen Lionstone XIV declares Owen an outlaw, and in an instant he is running for his life. Thus are sown the seeds of a rebellion that will change the Empire forever. Of course, that story only begins to be told in this first volume of the exploits of Owen Deathstalker.

Deathstalker first escapes - barely - to Mistworld, a cold stink-hole of a planet that serves as the one and only refuge of outlaws all across the Empire. In the company of fellow outlaw Hazel D'Ark, to whom he literally owes his life, Owen seeks out the Empire's most legendary rebel, Jack Random, to join his nascent little rebellion. Throw in a sassy female bounty hunter and one of the Hadenmen (augmented men who once sought to wipe out the inferior human race), and you've got quite an eclectic bunch of revolutionaries. Things only get weirder from here, as upcoming destinations for Owen include Shandrakor, the legendary planet where the founder of the Deathstalker clan reportedly lies in stasis, and - deep within the confines of the Dark Rim - the Wolfling World, home of the Tomb of the Hadenmen, the Madness Maze, and the Darkvoid Device, destroyer of worlds.

Strangely enough, however, especially given all of the action Owen Deathstalker and his allies see - and, brother, they see all kinds of fierce, bloody action - at least half of this novel takes place back on the home world of the Empire. Here we see just how big a mess the Empire is really in. Besides the Queen's constantly dastardly plans, we see an aristocracy run amuck with intrigues, secret deals, betrayals, murderous vendettas, and all kinds of juicy stuff that truly reeks of decadence. No one is really who they seem, especially the likes of Valentine Wolfe, the Empire's most famous drug addict, and Finlay Campbell, a comical little fop whose secret identity as the Empire's greatest fighter is unknown to everyone but the woman he loves, a woman who just so happens to be a clone - but that is only one of many other secrets that slowly reveal themselves as this epic novel proceeds. Several personal roads lead us deep into the underground, where a secret alliance of clones, espers, and humans plan their own revolution against the Iron Throne. I found this aspect of the novel even more fascinating than Owen Deathstalker's remarkable story, and the rebel assault on the esper prison known as Wormboy Hell proves even more exciting than the novel's closing engagement on the Wolfling World.

Brimming with intrigue, harboring a number of significant and genuinely shocking surprises along the way, and filled with fascinating characters of all sorts, Deathstalker is quite an exhilarating read. It's a rather long read, as well, and you should keep in mind that it is really just the beginning. This is a story that will play out over literally thousands of pages, and Deathstalker represents only an initial plunge into the vast ocean of Simon R. Green's creative genius. The book has a few shortcomings in terms of specific plot events, and it can be disconcerting to see how much of the novel does not involve the main character, but this is awe-inspiring science fiction played out on an epic scale. Only a select few writers can realistically give life to such a large and complex world, but Green proves himself to be a master juggler of words and ideas - best of all, he seems to have a full bag of startling surprises and plot twists at his disposal that promises to make the Deathstalker series something really special and vastly entertaining.

Great! It's like Neal Stephenson but less convuluted
Quite enjoyable. I look forward to book 2. Very fun and silly

This is, quite simply, the most fantastic journey I have ever taken. This wonderful book has everything I look for in a great Science Fiction novel. Swashbuckling space adventures, epic duels, family intrigue, unlikely love, and alien threats with impossible advantages. This is my fifth read through, and I will read it many more times throughout my life.

I have always loved Simon Green 's books. It is not the most realistic of sci-fi worlds but the books are well written.