Deathstalker

London, Gollancz 1995; New York, Penguin/Roc 1995

The first novel in the Deathstalker series.Owen Deathstalke r, the reluctant heir to a warrior name, is living quietly as a historian – until he is declared an outlaw by the whim of the empress and forced to flee his cosy and privileged existence. Discovering the dark reality of an empire that is far removed from his life of comfort and wealth, he finds unlikely allies and comes to the realization that the empire, and the throne, must be cleansed.