Margins
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Sten
Series · 11 books · 1982-2018

Books in series

Sten book cover
#1

Sten

1982

Vulcan is a factory planet, centuries old, Company run, ugly as sin, and unfeeling as death. Vulcan breeds just two types of native—complacent or tough. Sten is tough. When his family are killed in a mysterious accident, Sten rebels, harassing the Company from the metal world's endless mazelike warrens. He could end up just another burnt-out Delinquent. But people like Sten never give up.
The Wolf Worlds book cover
#2

The Wolf Worlds

1984

Raised on the factory planet of Vulcan, Sten soon learns about the survival of the toughest. The Eternal Emperor of the entire galaxy commands vast armies but turns to Sten and his Mantis Team of militant problem-solvers to pacify the Wolf Worlds, a small cluster of planets who have raised space piracy to a low art.
Sten and the Star Wanderers book cover
#2.3

Sten and the Star Wanderers

2013

BASED ON THE CLASSIC STEN SERIES by Allan Cole & Chris Bunch: Fresh from their mission to pacify the Wolf Worlds, Sten and his Mantis Team encounter a mysterious ship that has been lost among the stars for thousands of years. At first, everyone aboard appears to be long dead. Then a strange Being beckons, pleading for help. More disturbing: the presence of AM2, a strategically vital fuel tightly controlled by their boss - The Eternal Emperor. They are ordered to retrieve the remaining AM2 "at all costs." But once Sten and his heavy worlder sidekick, Alex Kilgour, board the ship they must dare an out of control defense system that attacks without warning as they move through dark warrens filled with unimaginable horrors. When they reach their goal they find that in the midst of all that death are the "seeds" of a lost civilization.
Sten and the Mutineers book cover
#2.5

Sten and the Mutineers

2016

MUTINY! In the Eternal Emperor’s service it is forbidden to even speak the word. To join an insurgency is a firing-squad offense. So, when the crewmembers of the Flame turn traitor and steal an entire space train of Imperium X - the second most valuable element in the Empire—and threaten to sell it to the Emperor's enemies, the Emperor only has one option . . . to send in his best assassin and dirty trickster: Sten! This thrilling new Sten adventure builds on the classic 8-volume series created by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch.
Sten and the Pirate Queen book cover
#2.6

Sten and the Pirate Queen

2018

With the Empire poised on the edge of war, Sten spearheads the Eternal Emperor’s crackdown on the pirates and traitorous profiteers who are arming his enemies with vital war supplies. A trap is baited to lure the villains into a truel – a three-way duel. Only one thing stands in Sten’s Venatora, the beautiful pirate queen he’s grown to love. When it comes down to it, can he overcome loyalty and duty and pull the trigger?
The Court of a Thousand Suns book cover
#3

The Court of a Thousand Suns

1985

Sten had fought his way up from slave labor on a factory world to commander of the Eternal Emperor’s bodyguard, the Imperial Gurkhas. But during his first three months on Prime World, the most dangerous weapons Sten had encountered were the well-phrased lies of Court politicians. It seemed no place for an honest fighting man. But when a bomb destroys a local bar, Sten discovers the danger and corruption behind Court intrigue. Only quick work by Sten, Alex Kilgour, and a tough female detective can keep the Empire together and the Emperor alive.
Fleet of the Damned book cover
#4

Fleet of the Damned

1988

Sten’s luck seems to have deserted him. Having been assigned a tacdivision in the Fringe Worlds, he soon discovers that the Imperial Officers are more interested in having fun than honing their fighting skills. The enemy Tahn couldn’t have picked a better time or place to launch their long-planned attack against the Empire. Sten and his men are outgunned and outmanned—but Sten isn’t going to give up without a fight.
Revenge of the Damned book cover
#5

Revenge of the Damned

1989

Sten had fully expected to die in a blaze of glory, taking his Emperor's greatest foe with him. Instead he was a slave laborer in a POW camp deep in the heart of enemy territory. But sitting out the action had never been Sten's style. And now that the war was building to a climax, the Eternal Emperor needed him more than ever. Not even the toughest prison in the known universe could keep Sten from his mission.
The Return of the Emperor book cover
#6

The Return of the Emperor

1990

Book 6 of the million-selling STEN series.
Vortex book cover
#7

Vortex

1992

The Eternal Emperor had returned at last from the dead to pick up the pieces of his crumbling Empire. But even that great leader could not halt the Empire’s decline alone. And so Sten—master spy, military strategist, and assassin—found himself appointed Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the Altaic Cluster, where a brewing civil war threatened the stability of the Empire itself. Quelling a civil war is nothing new for Sten, but as the war intensifies, he begins to suspect that he is up against more than a mere local disturbance. Someone operating in deep-cover and seemingly backed by the highest authorities is working behind the scenes to manipulate events and escalate disaster. And that someone wants nothing more than to see Sten dead.
Empire's End book cover
#8

Empire's End

1993

Стэн, не имеющий практически никаких других вариантов действий, поднял отчаянный мятеж против стремительно теряющего рассудок Вечного Императора. И хотя ему удалось найти союзников в этой борьбе и нанести империи несколько чувствительных ударов, на самом деле успех или неудача зависят исключительно от того, удастся ли Стэну и его сподвижникам разгадать два самых главных секрета бессмертного владыки – откуда берётся Антиматерия-2 и каким образом император возвращается после смерти. Именно этим вопросам приходится уделять львиную долю внимания, при том что ни один из других «фронтов» борьбы упускать из виду нельзя – пусть император безумен, но он далеко не глуп, и любой промах мятежников может стать для них фатальным.

Authors

Allan Cole
Allan Cole
Author · 13 books

Allan Cole was an American author and television writer, who wrote or co-wrote nearly thirty books.The son of a CIA operative, Cole was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. He collaborated with Chris Bunch on the Sten science fiction series, as well the Far Kingdoms Series, and the historical novels, A Reckoning For Kings and Daughter Of Liberty. He co-authored a non-fiction book A Cop's Life with his uncle, Thomas Grubb; and a fantasy novel Lords Of Terror with Russian author Nick Perumov.His solo books include the fantasy novels that make up the Timura Trilogy and the thrillers, Dying Good and Drowned Hopes. He sold more than a hundred television episodes, including ones for Quincy, M.E., The Rockford Files, The Incredible Hulk, Dinosaucers, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Magnum, P.I., Werewolf, and Walker, Texas Ranger. He was also a Los Angeles newspaper editor and investigative reporter for 14 years. Cole was married to Chris Bunch's sister, Kathryn. He died of cancer in Boca Raton, Florida, aged 75, on March 29, 2019.

Chris Bunch
Chris Bunch
Author · 28 books

Christopher R. "Chris" Bunch was an American science fiction, fantasy and television writer, who wrote and co-wrote about thirty novels. Born in Fresno, California, he collaborated with Allan Cole on a series of books involving a hero named Sten in a galactic empire. (Cole married Bunch's sister, Kathryn.) He served in Vietnam as a patrol leader. He also wrote for Rolling Stone and was a correspondent for Stars and Stripes. He died in his hometown of Ilwaco, Washington, after a long battle with a lung ailment.

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