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The Empress of the Eight Worlds has been assassinated. Prince Harivarman, exiled on the Templar Radiant, suspects that he will be the next victim. Help is scarce: Anne Blenheim, the fortress' clear-eyed, fair Commander, is favorably disposed toward the Prince, but her first responsibility is to the Templar High Command. And Chen Shizuoka, a Templar recruit sympathetic to Harivarman's cause, is being stalked by planetary security forces. When Prince Harivarman discovers an operable show more Berserker-one of the asteroid-sized, spacefaring war machines that once destroyed their makers and all other life in their path-his first instinct is to turn it in. But then he finds an ancient code that will either allow him to control the dreaded machine or lead him-and everyone else on the Templar Radiant-to certain death. show lessTags
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For me, one of the better entries in the Berserker series. On the world of the Templar Radiant, the exiled Prince Harivarman, former fighter against the berserkers, discovers a way to control a unit of berserkers. Warfare and political maneuvering immediately ensue. I thought this was well done and fairly well plotted, even if the ending was not a surprise at all. I liked the minor characters too.
On the Templar fortress of Radiant, Prince Harivarman of Saltui is just biding his time, playing at archaeology when he comes across an amazing discovery - a Berserker. In private, he works on the berserker and discovers what may be the key to humanity's future - a berserker control code. The timing of his discovery is most excellent, especially considering that the Empress was recently assassinated, thrusting the Prince back into the intrigues of the court while being a prisoner renders him unarmed and unprepared to match his enemies. The berserkers he controls might be his only way to survive.
Intrigued wrapped inside a deception, occluded in a plot and wrapped up in twisty turns of a twisty-turnish nature. There were hints dropped as show more to the true nature of the plot, but in true CSI fashion, later discoveries are required to finally form an accurate understanding of the events in question. show less
Intrigued wrapped inside a deception, occluded in a plot and wrapped up in twisty turns of a twisty-turnish nature. There were hints dropped as show more to the true nature of the plot, but in true CSI fashion, later discoveries are required to finally form an accurate understanding of the events in question. show less
Another good Berserker novel. This time there’s political plots and the discovery of a control code that can disable the berserkers. Several twists come out at the end that I just didn’t see coming, some that I did. I always like being surprised, and the hints about this one were so subtle that I barely remembered them.
#493 in our old book database. Not rated.
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191+ Works 24,431 Members
Author Fred Saberhagen was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 18, 1930. Before writing full time, he served in the Air Force, worked as an electronics technician, and wrote and edited for the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His first novel, The Golden People, was published in 1964. He has written science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and historical show more fantasy. The novel Berserker was published in 1967 and became the first book in his popular Berserker series. His company, Berserker Works, Ltd., has produced several computer games based on his characters. He died on June 29, 2007. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1985
- First words
- Around the green and lovely world called Salutai, the sky was clear of terror, as it had been now for many years.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Olga was looking at the newer of the two statues, "I don't think it looks like a chair, really." she said.
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- Reviews
- 6
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- Languages
- English, French
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- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 4
