Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang McClintock hasn't done anything the easy way. The spoiled playboy prince grew up the hard way on the planet Marduk. Watching ninety percent of your bodyguards - bodyguards who have become friends, closer to you than your own brothers and sisters - die to keep you alive will do that. And it tends to make you dangerous...perhaps in too many ways. Now he's coming home, but home isn't what it was when he left. Traitors have murdered his brother and sister, his nieces and nephews. His mother, the Empress, is still alive, but in the hands of Roger's own biological father, who controls her through drugs and physical and psychological torture. A new heir to the Throne has been conceived, and once the child is born his mother will no longer be necessary to the traitors' plans. Home Fleet, the largest and most powerful of the Empire's fleets is under the traitors' control, and no one in a position of power on Old Earth has the means - or the will - to do anything about it. And, just to make things perfect, the Empire has been told that the real traitor is Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang McClintock. With the twelve survivors of Bravo Company of the Empress' Own, a few hundred three-meter tall Mardukans, his one-time tutor and present chief of staff, an elephant-sized flarta pack beast, his faithful pet Dogzard, and the ghost of his greatest ancestor, Prince Roger must somehow retake the Empire from the men who control it...before his new brother is born and his mother dies. It's an impossible task, but Prince Roger knows all about impossible tasks, and the surviving Bronze Barbarians and the Mardukans of the Basik's Own believe he can do it. They're prepared to storm the gates of Hell itself at his heels in order to retake the Empire. But after they do, can they save it from Prince Roger, as well?

Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang McClintock hasn't done anything the easy way. The spoiled playboy prince grew up the hard way on the planet Marduk. Watching ninety percent of your bodyguards - bodyguards who have become friends, closer to you than your own brothers and sisters - die to keep you alive will do that. And it tends to make you dangerous...perhaps in too many ways. Now he's coming home, but home isn't what it was when he left. Traitors have murdered his brother and sister, his nieces and nephews. His mother, the Empress, is still alive, but in the hands of Roger's own biological father, who controls her through drugs and physical and psychological torture. A new heir to the Throne has been conceived, and once the child is born his mother will no longer be necessary to the traitors' plans. Home Fleet, the largest and most powerful of the Empire's fleets is under the traitors' control, and no one in a position of power on Old Earth has the means - or the will - to do anything about it. And, just to make things perfect, the Empire has been told that the real traitor is Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang McClintock.

With the twelve survivors of Bravo Company of the Empress' Own, a few hundred three-meter tall Mardukans, his one-time tutor and present chief of staff, an elephant-sized flarta pack beast, his faithful pet Dogzard, and the ghost of his greatest ancestor, Prince Roger must somehow retake the Empire from the men who control it...before his new brother is born and his mother dies. It's an impossible task, but Prince Roger knows all about impossible tasks, and the surviving Bronze Barbarians and the Mardukans of the Basik's Own believe he can do it. They're prepared to storm the gates of Hell itself at his heels in order to retake the Empire. But after they do, can they save it from Prince Roger, as well?

2008-04-29 A good romp

This is the last, unfortunately, in the Prince Roger series. Let's get one thing straight immediately. It isnt great literature. It's a well written adventure story where the good guys overcome the bad guys using any means that they can. Just like in the real world eh?

But this is FANTASY so we can allow some departure from reality. Isnt that why we read books like this? Well I do and I enjoyed every page. I have read other reviews where the characters are called cliches. So what: it's nice to know how the characters will react sometimes.

I am saddened by one thing. It is the last book in the series. Surely Mr Weber and Mr Ringo, don't you have to finish off the baddies? Settle the other star nations. Sort our Roger and his family - not to mention all the others?

I know you are both busy and (I hope anyway) writing sequals to other series' (HH, Fury, etc) this series could do with just one more book to tie up some loose ends.

4 stars only because there was some chaff amongst the wheat but overall this is an enjoyable read.