Requiem for the Conqueror

Infobox Book |
name = Requiem for the Conqueror
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = W. Michael Gear
illustrator =
cover_artist = Sanjulian
country = United States
language = English
series = Forbidden Borders trilogy
genre = Science fiction novel
publisher = Daw Books
release_date = July 1991
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 622 pp (reissue paperback edition)
isbn = ISBN 0886774772 (reissue paperback edition)
preceded_by =
followed_by = Relic of Empire

"Requiem for the Conqueror" is a Science Fiction novel by W. Michael Gear.

Plot introduction

Set in a future when humanity has forgotten its origins in earth, the novel describes the political equations and power struggle between the emperor, a quasireligious group, a pre-sentient computer named the Magcomm and the Lord Commander.

Plot summary

Humanity is trapped in a "gravity well", the so-called Forbidden Borders and there is increasing conflict because of ever-decreasing space resources. Staffa Kar Therma a.k.a. the Lord Commander is a mercenary who leads an elite group of soldiers (the Companions) and aligns himself to the group that pays him the most. He is separated from his soldiers and falls in to the hands of a slave trader but escapes, and comes into contact with a quasi-religious group led by the magister (who in turn is advised by the Magcomm). The magister (under the guidance of the MagComm) believes that the Star Commander is the root of all evil and attempts to assassinate him. Meanwhile Staffa discovers that his son is alive and is the leader of a battalion of the emperor's forces. Staffa finally escapes from the magister and the Magcomm, killing the former and partially destroying the latter. The partially destroyed MagComm's automated repair mechanisms kick in and the computer becomes self-aware.

Characters in "Requiem for the Conqueror"

*The Others : The (supposedly alien and superintelligent) beings who confined humanity inside the Forbidden Borders. They also built the MagComm.
*Staffa Kar Therma aka the Lord Commander of the Companions : The protagonist
*Magister Bruen
*Sinklar Fist : Son of Staffa Kar Therma.
*Chrysla : Wife of Staffa. She dies on a planet that the Companions destroyed.

Major themes

The isolation of humanity from the rest of the universe is similar to what is seen in Frank Herbert's The Dosadi Experiment, although in the latter, a single planet is isolated by the rest of humanity.

External links

*http://www.sfsite.com/folklore/tj03.htm#tj23 (Book review on sfsite.com)