Sten Adventures Book 8: Empire's End
| Author | Chris Bunch and Allan Cole |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Not listed |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Sten Adventures |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books, reissued by Orbit Books |
Publication date | 1993 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 439 pp |
| ISBN | 0-345-37696-X |
| OCLC | 27438060 |
| Preceded by | Vortex |
Empire's End is the eighth and final book in Chris Bunch and Allan Cole's The Sten Adventures.
Plot summary
The book begins moments after Sten prevents Admiral Mason from destroying a planet to cover up the Emperor's poor handling of its internal politics. Once-Admiral and Ambassador, Sten and his band of black ops semi-outlaws are now full outlaws, wanted dead or alive, preferably dead.
In an extended flashback, we discover how the Emperor rose from slums of Hawaii to control AM2, his true source of power (both politically and practically). We learn how he became "immortal", how he discovered the location of AM2, and, that in his current "incarnation", he is not truly the same as before his most recent assassination.
The book describes Sten's attempt to remove the Emperor from power with the help of many races and planets from across the galaxy. Sten and his partners are finally able to track the Emperor back to his hideout in an alternate universe. Sten tracks the Emperor to his hideout and eventually kills him, using his signature crystal knife.
The universe is now free of the Emperor, but the problem of AM2 supply is foremost on everyone's mind. Sten finds himself frustrated that so many races still want someone to lead them as the Emperor once did. He plays with the idea of keeping the secret to AM2 and becoming such a leader, but rejects the idea and chooses instead to broadcast the location of AM2 to everyone and let other beings find their own way.