Lewis Deathstalker is on the run. Declared a traitor by his one-time friend, King Douglas, he and his companions travel from world to world trying to find a means of saving the Empire from Finn Durandal and his nefarious plans.

Following in the footsteps of the legendary Owen Deathstalker, Lewis meets up with a variety of characters, many of which he had previously believed to be just legends. As he travels he begins to discover the truth about Owen Deathstalker – not every legend is based totally in fact.

Meanwhile, back in Logres, King Douglas is beginning to lose control of his Empire. The various factions, previously warring with each other, now seems to be united in their intent to remove Douglas from his throne and take control of the Empire.

Soon it becomes apparent that the only way for Lewis to save Douglas and restore order in the Empire is for him to follow directly in the footsteps of the Great Owen and enter the Madness Maze. When Owen and his companions entered the Maze many years earlier the returned with heightened powers. Since this time thousands of people have tried to achieve the same only to either be killed or to return with such horrific mutations they can never again lead a normal life.

Will the Deathstalker gene be sufficient to allow Lewis to return safely from the Maze? Will he have gained the abilities he needs to save the Empire?

Deathstalker Return follows on immediately from Deathstalker Legacy. As in the previous book, although there is considerable history behind the story, and once again it is not entirely necessary to have read the previous titles even including the immediate predecessor Deathstalker Legacy. Yet again Simon Green manages to give the reader all the information required to enjoy the story without resorting to tedious chapters of "previously on".

The King's position is being gradually and skilfully eroded through the manipulations of Finn Durandal. Green manages to evoke a feeling of frustration in the chapters relating to King Douglas. You feel that if you, the reader, can see through the scheming, why can't Douglas? This gives you the overwhelming urge to grab him by the shoulders and give him a good shaking.

As for Jesamine, the King's ex- and Lewis's amour, she has been written as such a Diva you just want to give her a good slap and tell her not to be such a prima-donna (after all, she got herself into this!).

While all this drama is going on, Green manages to inject a little comedy into proceedings through the antics of Brett Random. A confirmed coward, forced to take an drug that gave him telepathic abilities, he has somehow become mentally linked with Rose Constantine, a psychopathic killer. As a result he finds his life-long cowardice periodically punctuated by uncharacteristic moments of self-preserving violence!

Bloody, violent and compulsive.

Synopsis
Lewis Deathstalker is on the run, with an evil Empire snapping at his heels. He and his companions, the diva Jesamine Flowers, the conman Brett Random, the psychopath Rose Constantine and a reptiloid called Saturday, travel from world to world, searching for help and answers to the mysteries of the past.

On the planet Unseeli, they talk with what remains of the traitor Carrion, and the ghost of a man called Silence. On Lachrymae Christi, an old legend called Tobias Moon tells them the truth behind the legends. On Shandrakor, they explore the ruins of the old Deathstalker Standing, and fight with more than one kind of monster. And on Haden, finally, they come to the Madness Maze, which will lead Lewis to his most important task ... The return of Owen Deathstalker.

The sequel to Deathstalker Legacy is a breathtaking, wild ride through a universe peopled with unfortgettably evil characters and ever-hopeful heroes, all told with Simon Green's trademark tongue-in-cheek humour.