The SF Novels of Simon Green Last updated September 14, 1998

Simon Green writes great big science fiction adventure books (the Deathstalker series averages 515 pages per book and there are four as of 1998). Considering that he started the series (more or less) in 1992 (with Mistworld, now just part 1 of Twilight of the Empire), it is clear that he writes fast.

In my book, fast is not a virtue. I'd rather have less production of higher quality. Still, there is nothing like striking while the iron is hot. And I'd say it that this series is hot.

The Deathstalker series is rather like Roger Zelazny's Corwin of Amber series but put into a science fiction setting. Simon has a cast of hundreds, nearly all of the characters are super warriors, or twisted psycopaths, or heroic commanders, and some of the characters are all three put together.

This is space opera for the 1990s. Dreadful horrible aliens like the Shrike of Dan Simmon's Hyperion series? Got them. Fantastically dangerous and hostile machine intelligences like Greg Benford described? Check again. Huge battles in which thousands die but our heroes survive? Bingo! Psi-combat like Babylon 5? Here too. Sword and blasters like Dune? Also here. Geneticaly engineered super warriors like Terminator? Yes indeed. And much, much more.

Green has choosen to write about the collapse of a previously all-powerful empire. The empire here is just what you would expect, massively powerful with fantastically wealthy aristocrats, and at the head, a completely evil leader (empress in this case). Imagine the Roman empire of Caligula 3,000 years in our future.

The rebels are lead by Owen Deathstalker, former historian who just happens to be the great leader and warrior who is able to topple empire with the help of his friends: A drug-adict pirate, a broken old man who has fought the empire (and lost) for the last 30 years, the original Deathstalker who has been in cyrogenic freeze for the last 1,000 years, a trio of clones who can create firestorms with their minds (anyone remember Firestarter?), the masked champion of the gladitorial ring, and many more.

Mr. Green has no trouble killing people off in nasty ways. He has no trouble torturing non-essetial characters with hellish torments. He has thought up all sorts of ways for people to be mean and ruthless towards each other. His books all feature massive death and destruction. After reading the books you wonder how anyone could survive a year of this empire?

Still, I must admit to being interested in the story he tells. The characters, for all their god-like powers are still flawed humans at their core. Some characters do not survive all four books, changes do take place over time. Hints of character development peak out from underneth all the death and carnage.

I think it is worth pointing out that, in a sense, Mr. Green created a Laura Croft (of Tomb Raider) character before Tomb Raider was even released. Almost all his female characters, especially the investigators, are psychotic, homocidial warriors who make the men (even the bad guys) seem rather tame by comparison. Something in the air in England put the woman warrior in center stage (both Mr. Green and the Tomb Raider creators hail from England, home of Margret Thatcher during their formative years perhaps?).

The role reversal, having the women as the manical killers, only barely held in check by the (slightly) wiser and less blood thirsty men, is one of the hall marks to this work.

Another theme to his work is that evil can only be beaten by massive violence. Its a very American point of view. I guess we really do share some things in common with the English.

The Deathstalker Books

Twilight of the Empire    Written 1992-93
This book is actually three novellas set in his Deathstalker universe. All three stories take place before the main action begins. Of the three stories, Ghostworld is the best and it features the only two good people who work for the empire, Captain Silence and Investigator Frost (AKA Laura Croft). Mistworld is the first description of the one of the prime locations in his universe. The story is OK. Hellworld is the least successful story of the three. It is very unoriginal, with Captain Hunter and Investigator Krystal as near clones of Captain Silence and Investigator Frost. Same relationship, same sorts of problems (more gooy aliens). You can skip it, the story has no relation to anything that comes later.

Deathstalker    Published 1995
This books starts the series. A lot happens in this book, the action skips about from a mix of 4 different worlds. We are introduced to almost every character. Our characters uncover great mysteries and set powerful forces in motion. Its a good book.

Deathstalker Rebellion    Published 1996
This book is much more focused than the first. There are only two places we visit, the capital of the empire and the main factory planet (along with an excursion in space with Silence and Frost). Owen Deathstalker is not much of a character in this book while the old rebel, Jack Random, takes center stage. The length of the book works against it. The battle on the factory planet seemed to go on forever. The sub-plot with Silence and Frost seemed largely pointless (maybe the author was worried that his readers would not read Twilight?).

Deathstalker War    Published 1997
This book is very uneven. The first third deals with Mistworld (yet again). This part was OK, but we have been here before! The next third is kind of like When Toys Go Bad and I for one found it completely uninteresting. I think there is a real failure of imagination when you, the author, are trying to shock the reader with a story about children's toys gone bad. It reminded me of the very weak ending to the book by Phillip Jose Farmer: Gods of Riverworld.

The last third of Deathstalker War brings all the characters back to the capital world where the rebelion finally goes head-to-head agains the empire. Lots of major characters are killed off at the end of this book. I thought the ending was rather forced on several levels. It was a major end to a lot of plot threads but it played out over several unbelievable set pieces. The idea that the machine intelligences would like to cooperate with the evil empress is just too absurd to be taken seriously. The resolution of Owen Deathstalker and the Original Deathstalker was also bizare and forced.

Mr. Green strongly hints that he has more books coming in his Deathstalker series. I hope he takes some time off to consider what exactly he is trying to accomplish with the series. It has potential, but I can't say I'm all fired up to go back to the Deathstalker universe. If he just wants to write about more death and destruction on galactic scale, I think I'll pass.

Next author: Greg Bear