Amazon.com Review

The once-popular pirate-adventure genre has experienced something of a downturn since the heyday of Rafael Sabatini and Errol Flynn. Chris Bunch ends the slump with the swashbuckling fantasy Corsair, a coming-of-age novel about Gareth Radnor, an honorable young man who goes to sea after Linyati slavers kill his parents. When Gareth finds himself serving aboard a Sarosian ship bound to transport slaves for the mysterious Linyati, he joins with other crewmen to seize control of the vessel--and finds himself the captain of a pirate ship which preys on slave ships and frees the human cargo. His cunning and implacable attacks soon have him pursued by all the gunships and sorcerers of the Linyati, for the slavers will do everything in their considerable power to destroy Gareth Radnor. --Cynthia Ward

About the Author

Chris Bunch is the co-author (with Allan Cole) of the Sten series and the Anteros trilogy for Del Rey. As a solo writer, he is the author of the Shadow Warrior science fiction series also from Del Rey. Both Ranger and airborne-qualified, he was part of the first troop commitment into Vietnam, a patrol commander and later a combat correspondent for Stars & Stripes. Later, he edited outlaw motorcycle magazines and wrote for everything from the underground press to Look magazine, Rolling Stone , and prime-time television. He is now a full-time novelist.

From Library Journal

“Fans of military fantasy and dragon lore should enjoy this fantasy adventure.”

From Booklist

In the first book of the new Dragonmaster series, Hal Kailas grows from a callow 13-year-old, fascinated by the dragons living in the crags just above his isolated village, into a battle-savvy Dragonmaster. Dragooned into the Derain army, Hal faces his first blooding in the cavalry during the vicious war against the Roche. After he becomes the sole survivor of his unit, he joins the dragon fliers, with whom his astuteness, bravery, and capability earn him promotion and honor. But his main concern lies with wreaking revenge for the deaths of his cavalry comrades. The action in this series-opener is nonstop and violent, with many deaths attributable to the stupidity of those responsible for running the war. Despite a victory at the end, readers know, along with Hal, that the war and the killing have only begun. Bunch's military background stands him in good stead as he concocts strategy and depicts battle in the air and on the ground. A good bet for military sf and fantasy fans. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Booklist

In the sequel to Storm of Wings [BKL S 1 02], Lord Hal Kailas, dragonmaster, hero, etc., is in the middle of a nasty war of attrition, and knowledgeable readers may wonder whether Bunch's background in military history has something to do with the strong resemblance of the conflicts in the book to some of the more futile World War I clashes, such as the 11 engagements of the Battle of the Isonzo. Moves and countermoves produce heavy losses for little gain and receive no help from diplomacy. There is lots of action, but the not particularly individuated dragons could be fighter planes or spacecraft, for all the alterations to plot and other characters such changes would necessitate. Think of this book as being definitely for action buffs only, especially those hooked on the series by its predecessor. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“Bunch has created a tale of epic war and sorcery with a strong appeal to dragon lovers of all ages.” -- Library Journal

From Kirkus Reviews

Military sword and sorcery, from the co-author of Kingdoms of the Night (with Allan Cole, 1995, etc.) The former kingdom of Numantia is governed by an effete oligarchy known as the Rule of Ten. As a young, untried cavalry officer, narrator Damastes is sent with his troop to escort a diplomatic mission led by the seer (magician) Tenedos into a bandit-infested border country of Kait. But opposed by Kait's greedy boss--Baber Fergana and his sorcerer, Irshad, not to mention by a powerful demon called Thak and his strangler-assassin Tovieti cult--Tenedos and Damastes barely escape with a handful of survivors. Soon, however, Thak moves into the Numantian capital, Nicias, followed rapidly by the Tovieti with their yellow silk strangling cords, while another enemy, the sorcerer Chardin Sher, brews up spells more powerful than those of Tenedos. Despite all this, the Rule of Ten refuse to take action, and Nicias is engulfed by civil war. Tenedos and Damastes have no choice but to seize control of Numantia, then face further military and sorcerous challenges before Tenedos openly declares himself emperor. A fantasy sex- and violence-fest, courtesy of Bunch's sure grasp of military history and organization, gory battles interspersed with interludes of graphic sex, and dialogue peppered with incongruous modern expletives. The text, while complete in itself, seems to promise at least one sequel. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

'Slam-bang excitement, lusty action and military magic...fast-paced and ferocious' - Julian May 'Rich and convincing ... will leave you eagerly awaiting the next instalment' SFX

From the Inside Flap

BLAST FROM THE PAST
Ten years had passed since mankind had won the Great War. The dreaded Al'ar, loathsome aliens who killed by mere sight or touch, had been vanquished. Now they were gone, forgotten, and humanity was free to expand throughout the galaxy.
But one man remembered. Joshua Wolfe had been a hero of the Great War. He had lived with the Al'ar first as a friend and then as a prisoner. He knew their ways, knew their disciplines, knew how to kill as they killed.
And Joshua Wolfe was the only man who knew that the conflict was not over.
Before the Great War, in a time of friendship, the Al'ar had given him a name: Shadow Warrior. Now he would fulfill its lethal promise...

From Booklist

In the new Star Risk novel, the protagonists--former military personnel who left the service for the service's good--are now mercenaries. Being few in number, they are, however, more police and detectives than soldiers. The abundant action begins with a prologue in which Star Risk is hired to protect the referees at an interplanetary skyball festival, at which the fans have progressed from riotousness to homicide. After being paid, the Sky Risk crew undertakes to prove the innocence of a man condemned for treason, whose case has ramifications that read, probably deliberately, like pastiches of current media features. The element of wish fulfillment in the novel is undeniable; also pleasurable, for who hasn't felt like obliterating a stupid politician or obnoxious mediacrat? Lightweight action sf that sometimes reads like a novelized TV script (no surprise, given Bunch's TV background), this should hold the series' present audience and attract others who want to see the media skewered. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Star Risk, Ltd...a charming bunch of rogues who obey no laws but their own. (BookBrowser) Intelligent action science fiction. (Booklist) Bunch knows how to mold heroes...and how to create exciting scenes of battlefield mayhem. (Publishers Weekly) The books of Chris Bunch...are well-written books with complex plots, intrigue, and great descriptive narratives. (SF Site, feature review)

From the Publisher

The first book in an action–packed new SF adventure series. Vulcan is a factory planet, centuries old, Company run, ugly as sin, and unfeeling as death. Vulcan breeds just two types of native — complacent or tough. Sten is tough. When his family is killed in a mysterious accident, Sten rebels, harassing the Company from the metal world’s endless mazelike warrens. He could end up just another burnt–out Delinquent. But people like Sten never give up.

From the Inside Flap

A Tale Of Revenge

Vulcan was a factory planet, centuries old, Company run, ugly as sin, and unfeeling as death.

Vulcan bred just two types of native -- complacent or tough...and Sten was tough.

When his family died in a mysterious "accident," Sten rebelled, harassing the Company from the metal world's endless mazelike warrens.

Sten would have ended up just another burnt-out Delinquent if he hadn't rescued a mysterious stranger who turned out to be his ticket off Vulcan -- and an express ride back!

The STEN Adventures:
Sten
The Wolf Worlds
The Court Of A Thousand Suns
Fleet Of The Damned
Revenge Of The Damned
The Return Of The Emperor
Vortex