The Lost King (Star of the Guardians, Vol 1)

Oh my, this is bad! Mind you, Margaret Weis is a brilliant writer, and this book is very well written, but IMHO (and please notice that this is just MY opinion, others may beg to differ) this one comes way too close to Star Wars (SW)! Let me give you three examples: First: You have a must-be-overthrown galactic republic (led by an evil man in robes) and a must-be-reestablished galactic kingdom. Exactly as in SW except that in SW it's the republic that's "good". Second: You have a lost boy, his heritage unknown to him, brought up on a remote planet, and who is actually the one who can save the galaxy from evil tyranny. Anyone say Luke Skywalker? And third: You have the "Blood Royal", a selected few who possess extraordinary powers enabling them to control other people in certain ways. Also, these guys have special swords that shine and buzz when turned on! I, for one, have certainly met such a bunch before! Furthermore, the warlord, Mr. Derek Sagan, reminds me a little too much of a certain person, who's clad in black and has breathing problems. This Derek Sagan thing does, however, change as the story progrsesses (a change that, to me, is rather peculiar, though!), and the presence of SW-similarities dwindles later in the series.
Another annoying point was the recurring references to certain great writers and thinkers and the like of the past (those made by the characters in the book and hence NOT the ones prior to each chapter). I take it these 4 Star of the Guardians books are supposed to take place far into the future. Maybe even thousands of years have passed - mankind has after all colonized several planets, and something great is bound to have been achieved. But apparently no great books have been written and no new, daring philosophies have been made. At least none we hear of! "20th century"-persons are mentioned every now and again, but never any from the 25th or the 28th centuries. Come on! Some books of importance must have been written in that time!
Neither does the plot offer anything new. It's not bad, I've just seen it too many times before: Evil must be defeated - good must prevail. There are no twists in this particular version of that good old story, just a straight (slightly boring) line.
This is definitely NOT Margaret Weis standard! Usually what she writes is damn good, we all know what she's capable of writing both on her own and together with Hickman, Perrin or Baldwin. And that is why I can only give this book (and the entire series for that matter) one star, even though it's well written with juicy descriptions of the environments.
But again, this is after all just my opinion ....

The Lost King is the first book of Margaret Weis' "Star of the Guardians" trilogy. In this novel, Weis recounts mankind's continual struggle with the most appropriate form of government: republic or monarchy.
The galaxy has survived a short "reign of terror" where the monarchy is overthrown, the ruling class annihilated, and a president (and would-be dictator, named appropriately Peter Robes) installed.
In the previous regime, genetically enhanced humans called Guardians are trained to power to protect and preserve the galaxy and monarchy. One of their own betrays his king and country to remove the weak monarchy. Now, decades later, disenchanted with the new rule of law, he searches for the scion of the royal house to be used for his own puppet rule.
Weis has constructed a believable political web. All of her "evil" characters have rationales for their actions and believe that they are doing good. They are so convincing that I couldn't decide whether I wanted them to fail or not.
Look for some interesting technological/biological weapons such as the Guardians' "bloodsword" which has five needles in the hilt. When grasping the hilt, the needles break the skin and a specialized virus is injected into the wielder's bloodstream. If the swordbearer is not a Guardian, he/she dies soon after. Else, the Guardian receives enhanced abilities and shielding.
Although I haven't yet read books 2 & 3 (King's Test and King's Sacrifice), this was a very strong start to the story.
Only difficulty is finding the books as they have been out of print for several years. Most difficult to locate was book two.

Maybe you'll enjoy this book, but I certainly didn't.

I got it at a used book sale for a quarter, and I wouldn't buy it again. It feels like a blatant Star Wars rip off that's poorly executed. My housemates and I passed it around and laughed at how bad it was.

I picked it up because I've enjoyed other work by Weis, but I couldn't even finish this one.

Folks have different tastes. If you're thinking of buying this book, read the first few pages on the "Look Inside" feature. Had I taken the time to do that at the bookstore, I'd have saved a quarter. If those pages grab you though, it might be a good bet for you.

WOW! What a story. With enough plot twists and detailed and developed characters, this story really envelops you into its many pages. Unlike other Science - Fiction that I have read, this book did not just have some main character trying to save the world while escaping from hundreds of aliens who are constantly fireing at you.
This novel, and this series is intrigueing. There is no real main character, but it focuses on mainly Dion Starfire. He grows up on a planet called Syrac Seven with his mentor Platus Morianna. One day, Dion is sent away to go with a mercenary and his hilarious computer to escape a Warlord. Before Dion leaves, he sees his mentor, Platus struck down by the Warlord. Dion manages to escape with the mercenary while the Warlord is after him. The Warlord has his own personal ambitions.
It's a great story, that will enprint a memory on you forever. The characters are memorable. It blends, serious situations, comdey, emotion at the highest level and a sense of thought.
One of the best series from Margaret Weis that I have ever read. Keep it up, we love your work!
I am also recommending: The Death Gate Cycle, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. It is as good as this series!

Don't be misled. This barely qualifies as sf: the tech and "science" are, for the main, horribly thought-out; the society portrayed is dominated by the echoes of Western civilization (Plato, etc.).
But the series (I've read this trilogy plus _Ghost Legion_), the above notwithstanding, is *fun*...once you stop expecting *real* science. Its true strength is in the relationships between characters: Derek Sagan, ambitious...and alone; Maigrey Morianna, tormented by a lost past and her sundered relationship with Sagan; Dion Starfire, the "lost king," who has a ways to go before achieving adulthood, let alone kinghood; the mercenary Tusk and his wisecracking computer XJ. It's a space opera with battles and romance and plots galore. Read, let go of science, and enjoy!

These books are very different from other books Weis has written. I like to think it's because he/she was left on their own and didn't have a co-writter.

They are simply brilliant. I adore them. They do mirror starwars in some ways, but to me these charachters are completly different.

I can't really think of a good way to explain it, I myself am not a very good writter. These books are DEEP and wonderful.

I read them when 20 and now 7 years later i think I have read them each atleast 5 times. I simply adore these books.

These books basicly flow from a similar template to "Star Wars". Sagan is Darth Vader. The guardians are the Jedi. Etc Etc... If you like that sort of story, you will really enjoy these novels. Don't be fooled by descriptions of this series as a "trilogy". I myself have FOUR novels. They consist of "King's Sacrifice" (book one), "King's Test" (book two), "The Lost King" (book three), and "Ghost Legion" (book four). I am unaware of any other Star of the Guardians novels.

Comparisons to other pulp science fiction asside, the best part of these novels is that Weis does a fantastic job of fleshing out the personalities of her characters. Sagan is often conflicted in his desire for power and his regret at his roll in the downfall of the monarchy. Dion Starfire is young, and often careless. Seeminly easily manipulated by the people around him, he has to grow into his roll as a ruler of the galaxy. A roll he doesn't really seem to want. The Lady Maigrey is a former lover of Sagan's and now his bitterest foe. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

It has been many years since I've read this series, but I still keep the books in my collection and fully intend to read them again some day. I recommend them to anyone who loves galaxy spanning adventure backed by political intrigue and deep believable characters.

An absolute must for anyone who likes their reading enthralling - with characters you empathise with. Weis & Hickman have struck gold with this novel. The world they have created is rich in intrigue, with hero's and villans. But I think what I loved about this is that the character you empathise most with is the tragic villan - Derek Sagan. The love story behind Sagan and Maigray is amazing, in this book we only get to touch the surface of the betrayal that has doomed them both. But they are very real people - with flaws and mistakes, even the hero's are flawed - Dion is selfish and at times childish. He has the Starfire blood and as such has the legacy of self indulgence that doomed his family. It is an amazing story and I would advise anyone who enjoys a good read to buy not only this book but all 4 in the series - you will not be disappointed.

I have read this series at least four times. I continue to pick up Weis's books (and putting them back down after a few chapters) hoping to find one that draws me in the way this book did. No clear cut always right hero or villain in this book and I loved the mixture of old relics and traditions with spacecraft. I knew it had to come to an end but I wish there were someway to come back to this series.

This review encompasses the entire trilogy, not just the first book.

This series has been my favorite read since I read the first book at 13. The couple of years I had to wait before the second book came out was agony, and again with the third book. The characters are incredibly well written, and their interactions are what make this series so great. If you like plausible characters, and a well written world, you will love this book. I've read some of the other books Margaret Weis has written with other authors, and I honestly think she does far better writing alone. Her character's come across much clearer, and the tragedy is far more moving. The plot and theme is pretty much the same as everything else she's written, but her style really shines here.

There are two reasons I find that cause people to be disappointed with this series. These are 1) This book is not "hard" sf. In fact, I would categorize it as "Science Fantasy". If you are looking for a book that has lots of plausible theories and a scientific grounding, you may be disappointed. It's focus is on the characters and the story, not techy gadgets. And 2) this series is definately inspired by Star Wars. If you're looking for something that doesn't make you think of another story, this is not it.

That said, even if you fall into one of these categories I would still suggest you try it. You may be pleasantly surprised.