| abstract | - Owen Deathstalker enters the saga as a pampered aristocrat and amateur historian, Lord of the agricultural planet Virimonde. After being outlawed by Empress Lionstone with no reason or charges given, he flees Virimonde in the company of Hazel d'Ark, a clonelegger and pirate. They set out for Mistworld, looking for answers and allies in a universe that suddenly makes no sense at all. Only one thing is certain: in order for Owen to live, the Empire has to fall. All members of the Deathstalker Clan are bred and trained to a unique ability called "the Boost," which is a chemical reaction in the body that enhances all of the senses, as well as strength and speed, for a short time. However, the candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long, and the Boost takes a physical toll on the body that the user must pay for after the Boost is over. There are two other Deathstalkers' in the First Episode: Giles Deathstalker, an ancestor of Owen's that was the legendary Warrior Prime of the Empire in his day, almost 1,000 years before Owen's time; and David (pronounced "Dah-veed") Deathstalker, a young aristocrat and distant cousin to Owen who inherits the Clan title after Owen is outlawed. The third other Deathstalker, Lewis, is introduced at the beginning of the Second Episode. After passing through the Madness Maze, he has frequently wondered if he has become something other than human, which worries him no end.
|
