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The Deathstalker universe is the fictional setting for British author Simon R Green's series of ''Deathstalker'' science fiction novels. Green's universe is dominated by a vast and powerful human empire that has fallen from its ancient beginnings into cruelty, decadence and oppression. Alien species when encountered are subjugated or exterminated; internal dissent is ruthlessly put down, and power is concentrated in the hands of a psychotic empress (known as the "Iron Bitch") and a small number of aristocratic families, or ''clans''. Under the justification of protecting the empire from external threats, the empress maintains the status quo by playing off different groups against one another, preventing any organisation from becoming powerful enough to challenge her rule. Cloning is commonplace, with clones being regarded as products of science, and therefore, non-people for use as expendable slave labour. Some people, known generically as ''espers'', have various psychic powers including telekinesis, telepathy and teleportation - these are also regarded as products of science and therefore are carefully regulated and exploited by the empire as slaves, weapons, and "bio-computers". The vast majority of imperial citizens, whilst denied many forms of political self-expression, appear to lead fairly normal lives under the fiefdoms of the different clans. The author draws a parallel to certain periods of the Roman Empire, with the citizenry being kept compliant through the use of public holidays and spectacles such as gladiatorial games. Although a parliament exists, its autonomy and influence are trivial - in large part due to the widespread corruption that permeates every facet of the empire's institutions. The empire's official religion, the ''Church of Christ the Warrior'', acts as an arm of the imperial throne and maintains its own military forces to counterbalance those of the clans. ==Technology== Despite the futuristic setting, some technology is rather unusual and even anachronistic. Disruptors, a type of energy weapon, are the primary armament of most military forces (including on ''starships'' and ''battlewagons''). They are extremely powerful, causing both impact and thermal damage to a target and capable of beam adjustment to engulf a large target area, but have the disadvantage of a lengthy recharge period after each shot (of up to several minutes). To cover the interim, most fighting between characters takes place at short range, using swords and other melee weapons. Some reviewers have speculated that the disruptor is a plot device to allow Green to indulge in lurid descriptions of bloody hand-to-hand combat. Projectile weapons are all but forgotten, although they are introduced partway through the series as part of the discovery, by the protagonists, of a long-lost arsenal. It is implied that they were deliberately phased out to deny ordinary people a cheap and effective means of resistance to oppression; disruptors are expensive and are illegal to most citizens of the empire. Energy shields are also in use, as an effective counter to the disruptor. Again they are expensive, found almost exclusively in the hands of the wealthy or of imperial armed forces, and suffer from the same need for recharge as the disruptor. Most military vehicles, including spaceships, are shielded, and both area and planetary shields are described in the text. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Deathstalker universe」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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