Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Deathstalker Rebellion by Simon R. Green Narrator: Gildart Jackson
Series: Deathstalker #2
Published by Tantor Audio on November 28, 2017
Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera
Length: 14 hours
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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To the Empire, Owen Deathstalker is an Outlaw. To the inhuman Hadenmen, he is the Redeemer. And to the underground, he is humanity’s last hope. Above all else, he is the last of a legendary warrior clan who is determined to bring down an Empire rotted by corruption, greed, and institutionalized slavery.
Owen will fire the first shot by breaching Golgotha, the heavily guarded home planet of the Empress and the location of her overflowing coffers. Besides enraging and embarrassing the Iron Bitch (one of the few perks of leading the revolution), robbing the Empire will help to fund the rebellion and garner support from the public.
But starting a revolution is one thing. To win it, Owen and his companions will have to convince key planets to join the fight. Scattered across the galaxy, Owen’s band of misfits struggle to embrace their new roles as leaders while facing espionage, treachery, and the unexpected challenges of making their rebellion a reality.
I was excited, since I’d be over the first book issues of figuring out the world and knowing the characters. But Deathstalker Rebellion was still a long, long, long, book with an overwhelming amount of details. Thankfully, there is humor, and I care about some characters or I’d give up.
The beginning has Lionstone meeting with her court and all the families are trying to put themselves in the best position. She’s demanding more of them, in the guise of protecting them from the aliens. We get the arrogant and entitled stream of consciousness from those like Valentine Wolfe, Gregor Shreck, Lord High Dram, and more. There’s the tenuous situation of Adrienne Campbell, along with the unhappy Finlay and Evangeline.
The rebels make their first strike at the Empire, really just Owen and Hazel, and are successful. A big meeting is held with our group of rebels, along with the Golgatha Underground and a few others. I am shocked by a couple of the attendees. They determine they can’t agree on a final form of government but that rebellion is necessary. The best plan made is to separate our group into 4 teams to go to 4 planets with a goal to achieve.
There is also the Dauntless with Silence and Frost, loyal to the Empire but in trouble for not stopping Owen originally. They are sent to check the planets on the outer rim to learn about aliens. It’s a death sentence really. They are on the wrong side here (IMO) but I like their loyalty and character. They were also changed by the maze in book one.
Religion and the church play a bigger role in Deathstalker Rebellion and I can’t say I enjoy them any more than I do in any other situation. Religion at best plays a role of social grouping and at worst, a controlling. political body. The latter is what we get here.
Then finally we head off with Jack and Ruby, to the first planet. Technos is where the new stardrive is being built and everyone wants it. It is being built by clones as slaves in the worst possible conditions. They connect up with the local rebels to try to bring down the factory and free the clones and rebels. The Jesuits, Wolfe security forces and a team of investigators from the Empire are all hoping to end the distraction of the rebels.
The next in the the Deathstalker series is Deathstalker War. I thought it would be about the war with the aliens after the rebellion had ended but now I realize it is the next phase of the rebellion. The blurb indicates the fight heads to Golgotha, the home planet for the Empire and Lionstone.
“I’m glad we had this little talk,” said Stelmach, “I was feeling a bit depressed, but now I’ve moved on to feeling actually suicidal. Why don’t we just swallow all our tongues now and get it over with?”
Narration:
I continue to enjoy Gildart Jackson who does well with all the voices and makes these long books more entertaining. I am happy I can listen at 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip:
About Gildart Jackson
With acting credits that span stage and screen, Gildart Jackson is most often recognized for his role as Gideon on Charmed. Other notable TV roles include Jackson Palmer on Providence and Simon Prentiss on General Hospital, as well as guest appearances on Stargate: Atlantis, Las Vegas, and CSI. Theater roles include Trigorin in The Seagull, Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, and Adrian in Private Eyes at the Old Globe.
About Simon R. Green
Simon Richard Green is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.
His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2018 Audiobook Challenge
- COYER WINTER
Sometimes a first book can be slow when the author is building their world. Sounds like this one is getting into the meat of the story now.
Exactly. This was better than the first and the third one is even better.