Chris Bunch
Encyclopedia
Christopher R. "Chris" Bunch (22 December 1943–4 July 2005) 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 commander. 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.
Dragonmaster is an all action trilogy following the life and exploits of Hal Kailas a peasant who must runaway at an early age. As he journeys through his early years as a casual labourer from payday to payday, meal to meal. His dream is to fly dragons and he joins a traveling troup who give rides on dragons for those who can afford it as entertainment from town to town. As events unfold he is away from his home country (land controlled by his King-King Asir)and war breaks out, He is drafted into the army an unwilling soldier, he does his best to survive and works his way through the ranks of the army and society with his heroic exploits. Dragons mainly a wild and untamed creatures are brought into the war as Hal and others devise new and more damaging ways to use the dragons against their enemies. This continues in the first two books, which is bloody action throughout. The third book deals with life after the war and difficulties exsoldiers face and how Hal deals with it.
An outlined novel in the Star Risk, LTD. series, The Gangster Conspiracy, was finished by Bunch's friend Steve Perry
and his son, Dal Perry.
Corsair follows the tale of Gareth Radnor who goes to live with his rich uncle after the death of his parents at the hands of the evil lynathi slavers. He has to leave the city after a prank goes bad and someone dies. He quickly makes a life for himself on the sea but always longs for revenge for his parents and the rest of his villagers. When the chance comes, he grabs it and makes himself a name and a fortune as a pirate and public support for the revenge on the lynathi.
His two friends from childhood and two more from his time living with his uncle in the city of Ticao travel with him on his adventures; one is Cosyra is his love interest.
, (or sometimes the Sten Adventures) this series of book is set in the far future of mankind. While the main draw of the series was the action and understated humor, the series was actually a political critique. It had seemed to Bunch and Cole that entirely too many science fiction authors were enamored with monarchies and their consequent fascist (although benevolent) ideals. They wanted to write a series to show the realities of politics and power and to place a working-class man into this series, letting the reader see through his eyes and watch as he grows to be a real, and realistic, hero.
International Movie Data Base (IMBD.COM)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and television writer, who wrote and co-wrote about thirty novels.
Born in Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, he collaborated with Allan Cole
Allan Cole
Allan Cole is an American author and television writer, who has written or co-written 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...
on a series of books involving a hero named Sten in a galactic empire
Galactic empire
Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fiction and science fantasy, particularly in space opera. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background, or written about the growth or decline of such an empire...
. (Cole
Allan Cole
Allan Cole is an American author and television writer, who has written or co-written 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...
married Bunch's sister, Kathryn.) He served in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
as a patrol commander. He also wrote for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
and was a correspondent for Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
. He died in his hometown of Ilwaco, Washington
Ilwaco, Washington
Ilwaco is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 950 at the 2000 census and decreased to 936 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, after a long battle with a lung ailment.
The Seer King Trilogy
- The Seer King (1997) (ISBN 0-446-60524-7)
- The Demon King (1998) (ISBN 0-446-67327-7)
- The Warrior King (1999) (ISBN 0-446-67456-7)
Dragonmaster Trilogy
- Storm of Wings (2002) (ISBN 1-84149-104-7)
- Knighthood of the Dragon (2003) (ISBN 1-84149-216-7)
- The Last Battle (2004) (ISBN 1-84149-179-9)
Dragonmaster is an all action trilogy following the life and exploits of Hal Kailas a peasant who must runaway at an early age. As he journeys through his early years as a casual labourer from payday to payday, meal to meal. His dream is to fly dragons and he joins a traveling troup who give rides on dragons for those who can afford it as entertainment from town to town. As events unfold he is away from his home country (land controlled by his King-King Asir)and war breaks out, He is drafted into the army an unwilling soldier, he does his best to survive and works his way through the ranks of the army and society with his heroic exploits. Dragons mainly a wild and untamed creatures are brought into the war as Hal and others devise new and more damaging ways to use the dragons against their enemies. This continues in the first two books, which is bloody action throughout. The third book deals with life after the war and difficulties exsoldiers face and how Hal deals with it.
The Last Legion
- The Last Legion (1999) (ISBN 0-451-45686-6)
- Firemask (2000) (ISBN 0-451-45687-4)
- Storm Force (2000) (ISBN 0-451-45688-2)
- Homefall (2001) (ISBN 0-451-45841-9)
Shadow Warrior
- Shadow Warrior: The Wind After Time (1996) (ISBN 0-345-38735-X)
- Shadow Warrior: Hunt the Heavens (1996) (ISBN 0-345-38736-8)
- Shadow Warrior: Darkness of God (1997) (ISBN 0-345-38737-6)
Star Risk Series
- Star Risk, Ltd.Star Risk, Ltd.Star Risk, Ltd. is the first book in Chris Bunch's Star Risk series.-Plot synopsis:Star Risk is the tale of a band of mercenaries, made up of ex-Alliance military personnel, a woman so perfect her employer thought she was an android, as well as an alien willing to invest his life savings into the...
(ISBN 0-451-45889-3) - The Scoundrel WorldsThe Scoundrel WorldsThe Scoundrel Worlds is the second book in Chris Bunch's Star Risk series, following Star Risk, Ltd....
(ISBN 0-451-45936-9) - The Doublecross Program (ISBN 0-451-45986-5)
- The Dog From Hell (ISBN 0-451-46039-1)
An outlined novel in the Star Risk, LTD. series, The Gangster Conspiracy, was finished by Bunch's friend Steve Perry
Steve Perry (author)
Steve Perry is an American television writer and science fiction author.-Biography:Perry is a native of the Deep South. His residences have included Louisiana, California, Washington and Oregon...
and his son, Dal Perry.
Novels
- The Empire Stone (2000) (ISBN 3-442-24965-1)
- CorsairCorsair (novel)Corsair is a fantasy novel written by Chris Bunch and published in 2001. It features Gareth Radnor, an honorable young man whose parents were killed by Linyati slavers, found himself to became a captain of a ship Steadfast after the death of its former captain...
(2001) (ISBN 3-442-24964-3)
Corsair follows the tale of Gareth Radnor who goes to live with his rich uncle after the death of his parents at the hands of the evil lynathi slavers. He has to leave the city after a prank goes bad and someone dies. He quickly makes a life for himself on the sea but always longs for revenge for his parents and the rest of his villagers. When the chance comes, he grabs it and makes himself a name and a fortune as a pirate and public support for the revenge on the lynathi.
His two friends from childhood and two more from his time living with his uncle in the city of Ticao travel with him on his adventures; one is Cosyra is his love interest.
Sten
Known as The Sten ChroniclesThe Sten Chronicles
The Sten Chronicles are a series of eight military science fiction novels by Chris Bunch and Allan Cole published from 1982 to 1993. The series was originally published by Del Rey and then re-released by Orbit...
, (or sometimes the Sten Adventures) this series of book is set in the far future of mankind. While the main draw of the series was the action and understated humor, the series was actually a political critique. It had seemed to Bunch and Cole that entirely too many science fiction authors were enamored with monarchies and their consequent fascist (although benevolent) ideals. They wanted to write a series to show the realities of politics and power and to place a working-class man into this series, letting the reader see through his eyes and watch as he grows to be a real, and realistic, hero.
- Sten (1982) (ISBN 0-345-32460-9)
- The Wolf WorldsSten Adventures Book 2: The Wolf WorldsThe Wolf Worlds is the second book in Chris Bunch and Allan Cole's The Sten Adventures.-Plot summary:The Eternal Emperor needed the Lupus Cluster, otherwise known as the Wolf Worlds, brought under control. The cult of Talemein has gotten out of hand...
(1984) (ISBN 0-345-31229-5) - The Court of a Thousand SunsSten Adventures Book 3: The Court of a Thousand SunsThe Court of a Thousand Suns is the third book in Chris Bunch and Allan Cole's The Sten Adventures.-Plot summary:Sten is now the commander of the Eternal Emperor's bodyguard, the Imperial Gurkhas. When a bombing occurs in a local bar, the Emperor immediately puts Sten on the case for reasons he...
(1985) (ISBN 0-345-31681-9) - Fleet of the DamnedSten Adventures Book 4: Fleet of the DamnedFleet of the Damned is the fourth book in Chris Bunch and Allan Cole's The Sten Adventures.-Plot summary:In this book Sten goes to flight school to learn the ins-and-outs of space combat and then heads off to the front lines of the impending war with the militaristic Tahn.Being assigned on the...
(1988) (ISBN 0-345-33172-9) - Revenge of the DamnedSten Adventures Book 5: Revenge of the DamnedRevenge of the Damned is the fifth book in Chris Bunch and Allan Cole's The Sten Adventures.-Plot summary:Sten and Alex are now POWs in a Tahn prison camp. They were taken captive during the last story when their ship was rendered hors de combat...
(1989) (ISBN 0-345-33173-7) - The Return of the EmperorSten Adventures Book 6: The Return of the EmperorThe Return of the Emperor is the sixth book in Chris Bunch and Allan Cole's The Sten Adventures.-Plot summary:The Eternal Emperor had been assassinated at the end of the last book...
(1990) (ISBN 0-345-36130-X) - VortexSten Adventures Book 7: VortexVortex is the seventh book in Chris Bunch and Allan Cole's The Sten Adventures.-Plot summary:Sten, former covert ops team leader and close friend of the Eternal Emperor, is sent on an ambassadorial mission to a far away planet resembling a Middle East-like war zone...
(1992) (ISBN 0-345-37151-8) - Empire's EndSten Adventures Book 8: Empire's EndEmpire's End is the eighth and final book in Chris Bunch and Allan Cole's The Sten Adventures.-Plot summary:The book begins moments after Sten prevents Admiral Mason from destroying a planet to cover up the Emperor's poor handling of its internal politics...
(1993) (ISBN 0-345-37696-X)
Anteros
- The Far Kingdoms (1985) (ISBN 0-345-38056-8)
- The Warrior's Tale (1994) (ISBN 0-345-38734-1)
- Kingdoms of the Night (1995) (ISBN 0-345-38732-5)
Novels
- A Reckoning For Kings (1987) (ISBN 0-689-11707-8)
International Movie Data Base (IMBD.COM)