The Phantom

An action packed adventure with a thin plot and a lot of mayhem. The beginning is mostly redoubt exploration that seemed more like filler. The group finds a big tank they use as transportation for the next phase of the novel until they reach a ville where things start to heat up. The expected action hits fast and furious with the usual tropes of getting captured, escaping, and finding some allies to battle out of the compound. The coolest thing about this story was the super high-tech laser tank that seemed invincible and provided a scary opponent for Ryan and his gang.

The last of the three book series here, and although it is my least favorite of them, it was still a good action story. A group of white supremist are the villains in this book, with the Centac agents sent to take them out for killing some of their agents. Another infiltration by Wolfe and as predicted things go wrong and mayhem then ensues. Plenty of good action, the best being the brutal final confrontations with hand to hand combat to go along with the gun battles. Some slow philosophical moments here and there and more long gun descriptions slowed the pacing from time to time, but when the story was in full swing it was great reading, but overall not as good a book as the first two.

This book is more like the earlier titles in the series, a better plot, diversified action, and a cast of characters from the beginning of the series. The story focus is on the perception of the war from various lenses. You have the soldiers point of view, the military brass perspective, and the view from the press. Ultimately this would effect the perspective of the American citizens at home. The buildup of forces seen in the previous books now make their move, causing a lot of damage and chaos, and Gerber, Fetterman and a few other soldiers familiar with readers get a spotlight in the middle of it all. Excellent storytelling, edge of your seat action, and a good plot make this a terrific entry in the series.

The second book in the mini-series, and another entertaining adventure. This one is all about outlaw bikers and the infiltration of the gang by two Code Zero operatives. The villains are nasty and the fighting is brutal, the story moves along briskly without any boring parts. I was glad to see the gun porn kept to a minimum compared to the first book. An excellent book, although not for the feint of heart, this is a very grisly book.

The plot in this book was again pretty simple, but a much more gripping novel than the last one. Gerber and Fetterman are back as the main characters, this time sent to check out the area around camp A337 for hostiles. Things get crazy as the camp gets overrun by the NVA and VC. One of the better battle scenes in the series, and it took up a major portion of the book, making this a very action oriented novel. Santini also plays a role in this story, I enjoyed his scenes, he reminds me of another Fetterman type. As is with a few recent titles, there seems to be a hint that a major attack is being set up, and seeing that the next book is called TET, I think that is what the author is leading to. Overall, this is a good book in the series, not as good as the earliest books, but another solid title worth the read.

The conclusion to the trilogy here, with more action crammed into the pages than you could ever want in the series. Ryan and crew spent a lot of time searching for ammo and food than anything else, while the focus was on the exploits of the badguys for much of the book. I enjoyed a lot of it, but at the same time was disgusted by some of it too. I did like that the huge threat of the sky weapon took center stage again to add that danger and suspense to the story. Blood and guts and explosions assault the reader from cover to cover, I was a little exhausted from the violence to be honest, but there was decent storytelling in here to go along with it. Again a lack of editing was a problem, after a while I just expected it.

The middle book of the trilogy, and I thought it was a step up in entertainment value across the board compared to the first book. There is a mixture of the good and the bad with this novel, but all said and done I thought the good outweighed the bad. The action is cranked to eleven, never a dull moment as Ryan and his companions travel in the APC, on a river raft, on foot, a Hummer, and Motorcycles. The first 200 pages are the best, after that it seemed the manuscript had no editing whatsoever, with more missing words, misspelled words, wrong tense words, than I could keep count of. The muties kept getting more ridiculous as well, but there was so much fun reading in the story that I couldn't help but enjoy this book. The villains are as dangerous as you can get, the super weapon in this story is one of the most frightening I have read, I was reminded of the intense experience I had reading The Sum of All Fears. A pretty good book dragged down by some silly stuff and editing snafus. Ends in a bit of a cliff hanger, am looking forward to the third book.

This is another new writer entering the series at this point and to me it seemed more like the ending was very rushed like the manuscript was rushed off to the publisher at the last moment. The usual page count is about 17 less than normal and the last 50 pages or so seemed more like a rough draft. I followed the book ok up to then, enjoying the action, which is plenty, the most I remember in one of these books, but the ending was confusing, and I lost track of what was going on. Too many unanswered questions that never got resolved, and it all dragged down my rating for this book. Ryan and his gang return to Fronyt Royal, the first time since Homeward Bound, only this time there is no time for dinner, the action is hot and heavy, full of shooting, explosions, grisly death and destruction. Very action packed book but has some problems, the most I can rate this book is a 6.

Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield rides again! The hero of Ice Station is back in another action thriller, this time set in an underground facility in the Utah desert. The action is fast and furious, with an army against him, subversive factions within that army and excellent sidekicks working with Scarecrow. Everything you could want in an over the top adventure is here, if you liked Ice Station, then this is more of a great thing for your reading pleasure. That is all I will say on it, read the book and enjoy the crazy ride!

This is a simple mission starring Bromhead. It is all about his perspective, with new people assigned to him by his superiors. Gerber and Fetterman have brief token appearances in the book that really don't have much significance to the story. With perhaps the thinnest plot in the series, I would rank this as the weakest novel so far, but it still has entertainment value. The action is heavy at the last quarter of the book as the ville is being defended from NVA and Charlie forces. A simple go to this ville, train the citizens to defend the ville, and survive a battle for said ville, that is all the book is, but still a well written novel worth the read.

This is a terrific action thriller, over the top for sure, but that is exactly what the author intended it to be. What do you get when you combine Batman, Spiderman, Mack Bolan, James Bond, Indiana Jones, and MacGyver all together? You get Shane Schofield USMC. Here is the first adventure for Schofield, and it is a nonstop intense action flick that has the hero getting beat up as he overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds from cover to cover. Just when you think how can he get out of a crazy situation that appears hopeless, the author ups the ante by throwing in yet more problems at the last second. This seems to be the usual for Reilly as he tells the most insane and entertaining action yarn I have read in maybe ever. There is plenty of room for conspiracy and character interaction, plot twists, and whodunnit, that makes this book more than just an action novel, which is why I gotta give it a top rating. All the scenes are written well, inside the ice station, underneath it, outside it, and perhaps my favorite was the uncertainty and tension about who may or may not be a traitor in their midst. If you only want a book that is purely realism, this may not be the book for you, but you will still be entertained. If you like a fun thriller that is all about entertainment, it doesn't get better than this. Sit back, munch some popcorn, and enjoy the ride.

It appears that the NVA has a new technology with their SAM missiles, and Gerber is tasked to form a squad to infiltrate North Vietnam to investigate. A good entry in the series, a little more action than the previous book and some old allies are brought back for this adventure. As usual there is much danger in the jungle, adding a suspense to the mission, and Fetterman is once again Gerber's right hand man for the book. The reporter side of the story made for a more well rounded plot, and everything was wrapped up nicely in the last few pages. As in the last book, I thought the Kit character was not necessary, I never thought she was really utilized well in this series, and just seems to be filler so far.

This book starts quite different from the others. We get to see some of the life of Gerber and Fetterman in the States as they have a year off from their post in Vietnam. This is a slow burn toward the story development later on, but nevertheless an enjoyable section of the novel. Things pick up when they return to Vietnam, but Camp 555 is not in this book at all. Instead we have the main American bases as the setting, and a lot of perspective from Colonel Alan Bates, who seems to be the focus for this book. Things heat up quickly and it gets crazy with the mission into the Hobo woods. The action is heavy and things don't go so well, this in contrast to what the top brass wanted as a low key mission, but that is all I will say to avoid spoilers. I enjoyed this book, more so than the previous title and as with most of these, I recommend reading the series in order, for much of it to make sense.

This is the second half of what might be the largest episode in the series. Starting where the story left off in book 1, Ryan and his gang are separated and headed for adventures outside the standard Deathlands of North America. A lot of aboard ship scenes mixed into two major action sequences, one at Veracruz, where electricity is still in use, and the final at the island base off Panama. Another ally joins Ryan during the events at the city, and with lots of help from his new buddies, a daring escape from his capture. More adventure on the way to the Island, and the whitecoat plot is further revealed, leading to the ending with the typical giant explosions that seem to be the theme where-ever the companions leave behind. Overall an excellent story, with Dark Resurrection maybe slightly the better of the two books making up this epic episode.

This is book one of a duology, making it a different experience than the books I read in the series up to now. Instead of wrapping everything up with Ryan and his crew at the end of the book in triumph over the Baron of the week, we are instead left with the gang captured and in a bad situation. The bleak and gritty post-nuke world is depicted very well as usual, this time on the coastline of Texas. A companion at the first battle scene joins Ryan's crew, and leads them to the second act of the story, a grounded freighter on an island. Here is where the pirates are introduced and things get very intense for the gang in some of the most brutal experiences yet in their adventures. The pirate's unique plot to weaken their impending victims with sending a plague trojan horse into the town is ingenious and frightening. A solid episode in this series, but only half of the whole story. I was left wanting to immediately start on the conclusion to see how Ryan and his crew can get out of their predicament.

This story is about Ryan and his friends caught between two Barons at war. The setting is mostly around the ville called Sunspot. Lots of action, battles between the factions with a looming threat of nerve gas soon to put an end to all life in Sunspot. This created some tension, left me wondering how or if the gang was going to get the heck out of there in addition to dealing with the chaotic and gruesome warzone. But there is more danger on top of that with the mutie worms and the spider creature, bringing a horror element to the story. The Magus is pulling the strings for one army, and we get a close-up with this character in this book, something rarely seen in the series. Good scenes wrapping everything up at the end, overall a good read, although not the strongest of the writer's contributions to the series, I enjoyed it.

The title refers to a former VC that has switched sides and is now working with Gerber's crew. A bit more plot than most of the books up to this point, a good mix of perspectives from the reporter Morrow, the CIA man Maxwell, camp A-555, and Gerber's troop in the jungle. I liked the intrigue surrounding General Crinshaw in Saigon, Morrow and Maxwell had great scenes, and more of the expected suspenseful action in the jungle. I might have rated this book higher, but there were a few times in the reading of this book that I thought were treading on the verge of boring, but overall a solid book for the series. The Kit character was interesting and I liked the uncertainty of whose side she might actually be on, but this whole angle of the story for me was not the best part of the story, I liked the scheme Maxwell's boss and Crinshaw had and the way Maxwell and Morrow dealt with it the most in this book.

This book has the new version of camp a-555, after the original was destroyed in the last book. Since the setup of the original camp, the character of Sean Cavanaugh has been in limbo, and here in Soldier's Medal, we finally get to have the focus of the story on this character. The series is very realistic in its tone up to this point, and the author seems to push the boundary a little more in embellishment for dramatic purposes for this title. Cavanaugh is an interesting character, and his actions are both questionable and understandable. Is he right or is he wrong? His heroics were strong in book one, and having read that book before reading this is highly recommended, as is reading them all in order. Here Cavanaugh takes center stage, and the scenes with Gerber and Fetterman are excellent as they are increasingly concerned about the actions of Cavanaugh. Action scenes, tense and suspenseful abound, and Gerber's decision later in the story is surprising and had me stunned. The action at the end is a little hard to follow, lots of chaos, but the ending is quite dramatic, and concludes one of the better books in this excellent series.

Overall this may be my favorite since book one, with excellent action from cover to cover. With Gerber's squad busy with missions outside of camp, the VC have struck and taken control of it. Good strategy sessions and execution of the squad to get the camp back. The plot of this story is a little muddled, otherwise I might have given it a ten. No fleshing out of various situations going on in the novel mostly regarding why and where the generals were or were not supposed to be nor why so many VC were able to infiltrate inside the camp. A very brutal story, not for the feint of heart for sure, the horrors of war and the ruthlessness of the VC are depicted prominently in this book. This ends the first version of camp A-555, but it is rebuilt in the continuation of the series. The glossary in the back of these books is a great help in understanding the slang and acronyms used in the story.

Once again, a good book, now the seventh in the series, the quality is maintained at a high level. The first half of the story takes place in the jungles near the camp, where another of Gerber's team loses his life. Thus sparks a mission to track down the Chinese officer at all costs. I liked Fetterman's exploration of the tunnels they find under the village, introducing the squad to a sample of the vast tunnel systems underground all over the country. Midway through this story it shifts gears completely. Now Gerber and his team are on leave to Hong Kong, leaving the jungle behind for the urban jungle. A nice change of pace in the series, and we get to see the team work in a new environment. Their arch-nemesis has tracked them down there and the hunt for the crafty villain is on. Good scenes of the team working together in the city to finish the mission. As usual, the reading is compelling and kept me turning the pages, good stuff.

Excellent read here, action packed and gritty. The soldiers under Gerber's command are targeted by a sadistic VC leader and his Chinese ally. Three separate patrols are sent out to deal with what they believe to be a small force of VC but they are outnumbered and nearly destroyed. Fetterman and a couple other soldiers are captured, and tortured, while Gerber's remaining forces attempt to find and rescue them. Lots of tense scenes and constant danger throughout this book. Great scenes with Smith showing what he can do with booby traps. Krung has a good role as well, and Fetterman shows how tough and smart he can be. Good showing of the skills of the team members, and one of them doesn't make it. As before there is no guarantee that all of the members of Gerber's squad will survive, adding some more gripping tension to the story. One of the best novels in the series thus far.

The fifth book in the series and the first published by Gold Eagle continues where the last book left off. Fetterman is determined to go after the Chinese officer, and the slaughter of a patrol by the VC gives him the opportunity he needs. After a suspenseful and action packed first half of the story with Fetterman's squad tracking down and taking out the VC, things turn bad for him upon return from the mission. There is much intrigue going on in this title, and the second half deals with the court system when Fetterman is put on trial for going into a neutral country, that being Cambodia, during the mission. Gerber must then come up with some way of getting his men out of the sticky situation. Terrific writing here from cover to cover, a good mix of action and plot, the way Gerber and his team dealt with the situation was great reading, and everything wrapped up by the end. Recommended series from me, I plan on reading many more of these books.

Helicopters were the theme of the last book, this time the theme is boats. Almost all of the action, of which there is plenty, takes place on or near rivers. Gerber's team acquires a boat, a funny backstory on that, and renovates it for military operations. A number of battle scenes with the VC building up in the area, leading to the final battle at the end. In between there are the usual interaction of the soldiers and Gerber's trips to Saigon and his personal relationship issues with his girlfriend. A very action oriented title, with more gruesome display of how ruthless the VC could be. The best story since the first book, and the last book published by Pinnacle. Beginning with book five, Gold Eagle takes over for the rest of the series.

A brutal opening to this book reveals a terror squad roving around the villages nearby Gerber's camp a-555. Helicopters are added the the arsenal to retaliate against mortar attacks on the camp and then to hunt down the communist terrorists. Lots of tactical discussion between missions and some action filled battles throughout this story. One of Gerber's team doesn't make it, and some of the pilots get killed, it is a bloodier and more intense book than the last one. The Chinese leader behind the terrorists seems to be a character that might return in future books, Fetterman seems determined to go after him, the villain having escaped from Gerber's team a few times by now.

Continued from the first book, Gerber's squad is injured from the battle at camp A-555. The new mission to recover intel from a crashed plane in northern Vietnam, the squad is missing half the team, but add a new CIA man as well as Bao from the first book. This team has a suspenseful trek through the jungles, dealing with roving NVA patrols, and an excellent assault on the military camp to rescue the downed pilot. A very different perspective from the first book that was centered around base defense, this is a search and rescue mission deep in enemy territory. Interesting how the events of the series start before the official beginning of the war, the ending of this book concludes with the announcement of the war, putting the series in the historical timeline. A solid second entry, not as good as the first book, but again very realistic in the author puts you right there in the action as if you were a member of the squad.

The first time reading a Bond book for me, this being the one I had on hand. A slow and plodding start, but the story kicks into gear eventually, and the book turned out to be a decent read. The plot is a typical Bond villain crazy man with outrageous plans, this one being a twist on the nuke of the week scenario. The threat is that six nuclear reactors will go in meltdown if the villain doesn't get his demands met. Bond goes into undercover mode, gets captured, escapes, gets captured again, the villain predictably reveals the details of his genius plan to Bond, Bond turns the tables and saves the day, complete with a pretty lady, you know, the usual. All in all a decent effort from Gardner. A passable Bond flick, honestly better than at least a couple of the movies I have seen. I would rate this book only slightly better than the half dozen Nick Carter adventures I have read though. It is worth reading and kind of funny now that I had to remind myself that this was written back before cell phones, wow would this story be written much different if it was published in modern times.

One of my favorite covers of Herring's work for this book, but does the story between the covers make the grade? It sure does. Andrews continues to tell an engaging story, adding to the Track library, unfortunately, this is the final title in the series, with GE deciding to replace it with the Vietnam: Ground Zero series after this. This time Track has a smaller crew, with George and Zulu along for the ride, and the adventure begins. Tasked with retrieving a valuable Incan artifact from the amazon jungle, Track and friends have a tricky time of it getting in there, and then having to find a safe way out. Questionable allies and some surprise encounters add to the mix. The brutal slave labor camp was a tough scene to read, the bandit prisoner's experience there reminded me of scenes from Executioner #104 Devil's Horn. The grand scheme of the ruler of the camp was really more of an afterthought in the overall plot, the bulk of the story was the artifact retrieval. I liked how the author tied together the singer Track had a relationship with the labor camp, and the final scenes with the APC made for a decent conclusion. Terrific read here, one of the best in the series, and it is hinted at the end their was another story to come involving ninjas in Japan, but that never came to be. I would have liked to see what Andrews could have done with that.

A surprise for me, I enjoyed this title even more than the first Andrews offering. After civilians are getting murdered by drug dealers and taking their boats to add to their fleet in the Caribbean, Track and company are on the case to take care of the problem. Track's usual cast of sidekicks are back, and all work together to combat the pirates. A lot of the action takes place on the water, in boat to boat combat, this section was entertaining reading, taking up a bulk of the middle portion of the book. What I think I liked the most however, was the characters on the pirate network side. The goofy interactions the marina operator had with his brute of a nephew and his cohorts made for some entertaining scenes. The final assault wasn't as climactic as I would have liked, but things played out well enough, and brings this story to a worthy conclusion. A strong title for the series, I recommend it.

Patrick Andrews steps in to author the series till its end. The Ghost Dancers is told in a different voice from the Ahern era, which takes some getting used to, but overall a good enough effort and I ended up enjoying it. Interesting plot hatched by the villain, having found a way to smuggle drugs across the Mexican border. The action takes place mostly on or near an Apache reservation in Arizona. The ousted police chief of the reservation takes center stage as Track's ally in this mission, leaving out the usual cast of characters in Track's gang. A good sidekick for this mission, but I was pleased that the author did not abandon the usual side characters entirely, as George, Zulu, Desiree are included later in the story. The action was standard, I mostly liked the interesting side characters sprinkled throughout the book, and the situations Track found himself in. Worth reading and I love Herring's art on the cover.

This book bears Jerry Ahern's name, however he wasn't the actual author. I know this for two reasons. First, having read the book, it was clear from the writing that Ahern didn't write a word of it, and second, I remember reading somewhere a few years back that Ahern himself had claimed he didn't write this book, nor did he know who had. So how did this secret ghostwriter for hire do with Cocaine Run? Aside from some small issues, and the weird title, as the story had nothing to do with cocaine, the anonymous writer wasn't too bad. At first I was not sure if I was going to like it, but eventually I was drawn into the action and plot, and it turned out to be an entertaining read. The usual cast of side characters were for the most part missing from this title, while I was a little disappointed with that, I guess a little break from that, and focusing more on Track was acceptable. Going on a mission somewhere in Central America to rescue a kidnapped Senator's daughter, Track has an adventure to get to the girl, then afterward things turn strange as he discovers that this woman is batshit crazy. Meanwhile a cast of villains with varying allegiances surround the story, and Track has gunmen on his trail all the way. Plenty of action and a surprise character from earlier in the series get involved, and things wrap up with a decent conclusion. Worth the read after all.

The trilogy with the Master villain comes to a conclusion here in one of the better books in the series. The setting is Idaho, mostly during a blizzard out in the wilderness and around a few small towns in the middle of nowhere. I enjoyed the storytelling in this setting, and the elements had a major impact on Track's mission here. The Master's name is finally revealed later in the story, although there seems to be no reason why his real name was withheld for so long. He has a few henchmen that create a lot of trouble for Track and his friends, and like the other villains in this series, he has a crazy over-the-top scheme to take over the world. Along with plenty of action, Track must deal with personal injury that hampers his mission, making it his most painful adventure if nothing else. The Zulu character has become one of the most interesting allies for Track as the series goes along, I'm hoping the remaining four books will include him.

This volume deals with the Master's retaliation on Track and all his allies for thwarting his plans. Much of the book depicts these revenge scenes all over the globe as the Master seems to have spies everywhere and the means to harass or kill anyone anywhere that he pleases. Quite a few gauntlets to get through for Track and his friends, but eventually the Master's new plot for this middle book in the trilogy is revealed and now Track hatches a plan to deal with it. The final section of this story is excellent reading where Track is in space, dealing with yet another bomb threat, this time on a space shuttle in orbit. I loved this conclusion but one issue I had with this was I detected a plot-hole regarding the bomb itself. One moment a surprise return of a character from earlier in the series is working on the device, then the next it is aboard the shuttle in space. No idea how he was able to get it on there, maybe some part of the story was edited out? Seemed like something was missing there. Anyway besides that this was an enjoyable book, and looking forward to the impending showdown with the Master in the concluding volume.

A few months take place after book six where Track and his crew remain in the Soviet Union and go around causing all kinds of trouble for the KGB in a variety of small missions. Master of Death starts with the conclusion of this series of missions with one last important mission there, and revealing a surprising twist. The action is fast and furious and it is a good third of the novel before the new adventure in Mexico begins. This kicks off a new three book story arc featuring a new villain called the Master. Many characters once again from the series thus far join Track and a lot of plot development and action ensues near the city of Acapulco.  There are a cast of various bad guys and allies, the narrative shifts from different viewpoints quickly at times, and the action never lets up. Another down to the wire ending with some loose ends tied up, but more left open for the next book.

The story beginning in book 5 comes to a conclusion at the soviet facility in Certain Blood. Before this, there is much that Track and and his allies must travel through and contend with, which makes up most of this adventure. The harsh elements and Russian soldiers dog their trail, providing a never ending danger for the journey, and as predicted, all the various groups meet up at the final compound. Lots of good action, and the side story of Baslovich's escape from his KGB life was really my favorite part of the book. The ending had some weird mind control stuff going on, which was kind of an interesting plot element, although there is a lot of stretching of believability regarding this, but then again there isn't much in the way of taking this series too seriously to begin with. Overall a very entertaining duology here, I had a lot of fun reading these.

A new story arc begins, making this book part one of a duology at the least. Here Ahern expands on his characters and their backgrounds to tell a more complex story involving Track, George, Disiree, and the return of the Baslovitch character from earlier in the series. The plot is woven together with many perspectives, a story best read in as few sittings as possible to keep everything at a good pace and the action fresh in your mind. Taking place back before the fall of the Soviet Union, the KGB figures prominently in this story. The action promises a conclusion in the USSR, but before that happens there is much going on before we get there, leaving that stage for the next book in the series. Lots of good action and dramatic scenes to make this book one of the best yet, I liked most of all the continuity that exists when one author has the writing control from book one like this. Good stuff.

This is more of a crossover story than a pure Track adventure, featuring Ahern's other GE books at the time called The Takers. Here we have two separate story-lines tied together with Track and his nephew George on one end, and Josh Culhane on the other.  Much of the early action takes place in Florida, but the major scene involves a hotel in Las Vegas. I enjoyed all the action here, with the unlikely heroes being writers of action adventure books taking on terrorists there, with Culhane being one of them. The eventual meet-up with Track appeared rather late in the story, but lots of stuff going on to keep the reader entertained. You might want to keep a scorecard of all the characters in this novel, Ahern crams everything and everybody and the kitchen sink into this 220 page format, but somehow makes it all work out. The plot itself was not complex, characters are what drives this story, along with the much gun fondling as expected. Several good scenes sprinkled into this book, I liked the side adventure Mulroony had in the desert among the best, and as usual there is the constant watch checking down to the wire defuse the bomb threat thing going on, which seems to be the theme so far in the series. I would say this is the best book so far, even though the main villains were nothing special compared to Krieger in the first three.

The story arc comes to a conclusion with the Krieger villain, this time back in the United States for more nuke threat action. A good chunk of the story takes place near Chicago, some decent action there and the climax ends in the U.S. Capitol building. The final showdown between Track and Krieger was pretty good, and I kinda liked the strange but interesting tactic Track used to trick the crafty villain. A surprise along the way reveals an interesting plot development, and even the president of the U.S. gets into some of the action. As usual a lot of gun description detail sprinkled into the book on almost every page, but I was kind of used to that after a while. I thought this book was an improvement over the previous one and a decent cap to the whole story arc.Â

The second adventure is more action packed from cover to cover. Once again there is an edge of your seat conclusion to deal with the bomb in the final pages. This time there is a little twist, making it more dangerous. Overall though, I didn't think this book was as well written as the first volume. The action never seemed to let up, but too often the plot was sketchy, and I wasn't picturing what was going on very well in some of the action scenes. There are enough good moments to make the book worth reading, for example the main villain's mastery of disguises, but even here the believability was stretched too far as he seemed to take command of military personnel with ease wherever on the planet he happened to be. As far as pulp action adventure goes, this is an ok read, especially if you are a gun nut as the author was. I like the idea of the main villain staying alive over a multiple book story arc like the first three books in this series. The next book starts where this one leaves off.

The first title is an enjoyable action flick that introduces Dan Track, a somewhat generic but likable hero who gets caught up in finding a nuclear threat in Chicago. A few side characters are introduced, one being his nephew George, who is sort of a sidekick, and some intense action ensues. The strength of Ahern's writing is the action scenes. I found myself riveted to the pages whenever the action got heavy. In between there were some areas where I wasn't following what was going on, and others where it seemed there were too many coincidences going on, but overall the writing was entertaining to read. The Villain here is an oddball, but I did like the way he was a master of disguise, this made for an interesting villain, and the story is not quite finished as this book acts as book one of a three book story arc, so more of this villain will be explored in the next couple of books. The ending was awesome as Track got on the train, bringing this story to a down to the second conclusion. Good enough of a book to want to read more of this series.

The last book in the SOBs series. There is a terrorist network called The Realm taking more control in several European countries, and the SOBs are recruited one last time to put a stop to this threat. This book is much larger than it needs to be, like the super-sized one before it. I got the impression that the story could have been told in a regular 220 page format, but this one just dragged on and on before things finally got good at the end. Mediocrity was found too often in this book, as I was motivated by it being the last book more than the story itself to keep going. One of my favorite parts of this novel was Alex Nanos' undercover role at the arms company office, and I liked the villain called Ulrich, I thought he was written well. Overall there was too many acronym groups thrown in, sometimes it was as if the SOBs were not even needed, and too many factions in The Realm, this was to accommodate the larger book format, but it was more a curse than a blessing for this reader. The action at the end was very good, the final pages had me on the edge of my seat, but it was a little too much plodding along to get there, I'm only giving this book a six out of ten. So that is it, the series is over, and a wild ride it was. I highly recommend this series to anyone with the time to get into a 38 volume line, just be aware that there are a lot of writers on board after a while, and the quality consistency is questionable after book 22. There are many gems to be found in this series, have fun!

If this were a movie, perhaps I would have enjoyed it, but in the hands of a not so talented storyteller, I didn't enjoy this book all that much. A decent premise here with a secret underwater Soviet base in the Aegean sea and their plans to poke at the Greeks and Turks in order to get these countries at war with each other. The first 100 odd pages were actually pretty good, and I was beginning to wonder if this was even the same writer, as I had no issue with the writing, and was enjoying the start of this larger SOBs tome. However, as experience with this author's other novels has shown, it was not a matter of if, but when, things were going to turn into a muddled mess. And sure enough, the book turned into a muddled mess. There were several moments that were decent, I particularly liked the underwater action with the submarines, and some of the battles on the islands were all right. More characters and groups were thrown at the reader than were necessary, and the book went on for 100 pages too long, Lee Hatton gets naked in the middle of battle for no reason, and too many scenes were either confusing or the plot would get lost for too long. In general I just didn't care much for the story after a while, but at least there were enough moments that were not too bad, I was able to get through this book, but just about any other book in this series would be better used for your time.

The final installment of the regular series here and thank goodness it is among the better books in the series. I wanted to give this book the highest grade, but I thought the writing wasn't as tight in the last third of the story compared to the first half.  A captured Soviet scientist has Barrabas and his crew on a mission to get him back, and what follows is a pretty good action thriller taking the reader to then divided Berlin, then on to Scotland. My favorite part of the book was the action in Berlin as they brought out the spy living in East Berlin. Things shifted gears when the Scotland end of things became center stage, getting closer to the captured scientist. A fair amount of decent action at the conclusion to tie up all loose ends and we have one banger of a book. There is one other large size SOBs adventure published after this, but other than that this is the end of the line for this series. And what a heck of a line of books it was, I am very glad I got into this series, I highly recommend it.

A much better effort for this writer taking place on some island nation in the Indian ocean. The plot is not really unique, but the writing is where this book shines. Action in every chapter, excellent scenes depicting the villains as well as the SOBs, and a ramping up of the battle between the islanders and the invaders that have taken over the islands. Dargient emerged as the main villain, and he has some crazy scenes. The action on the boats were good as well as the ones on land. The SOBs were involved from the start, rather than being slowly introduced as most books do. I liked Hayes having the undercover role in the hotel, Nanos does something insane with the king's ship. Lots to like in this book from cover to cover. I enjoyed this book and it is far better than the previous two novels in the series, now just one more book left after this, at least for the regular numbered ones.

The setting for this book is England, and the villain is one of the oddest I can remember. A snuff film director has grander plans as he uses his trade to use propaganda to make the public think his little group of terrorists are the heroes as they take out various targets he doesn't like. His motivations are not all that clear other than he is a bad guy and he happens to be a film-maker. Some mild entertainment value can be found here and there in this novel, but overall I didn't really think it was all that good. I kept waiting for things to take off, but it never really did. Some plot elements were interesting, but the way the whole storyline played out was not polished and the SOBs didn't really do a whole lot as far as action is concerned. A better book than the previous one, but again this is no where near the quality of the first couple dozen volumes.

My least favorite Executioner writer gets an additional award as my least favorite SOBs writer. There were some decent sections of this book, particularly in the middle where there was a mountain battle, but overall I just didn't enjoy reading this story. The plot, such as it is, involves retrieving some very valuable rubies hidden in a mountain somewhere in Tibet. Barrabas and his crew are tasked with this in league with a Chinese man connected with the Triads. This unlikely alliance was part of an attempt to make things more interesting, but to me came across as nonsensical. The Dr Gonpo character was another example of this writers tendency to add more characters than necessary in his muddled plots. As was the captain Thapa guy, and a few others. Too much of this book centered around various characters interacting with one another in mundane ways that while sometimes amusing, did little or nothing to advance the story. The final battle scenes were not bad, but kind of anti-climactic considering the long-winded journey to get there. Far too often I would have to reread a paragraph to figure out what the author was trying to depict, as has been the case with many of his other novels I have read. Not the worst reading experience I have had but in general I just didn't care much for this volume of the series, which I consider to be the worst in the SOBs line. At least for the time being... this writer wrote one other title, a 350 page monster that I look at with some dread.

Rich Rainey, who later went on to write some Executioner novels, gets his first crack at the SOBs line. This is a monstrosity of story, the third of only five supersized SOBs books. The first two were much better than this, but by no means do we have a bad book here. Scandinavia is the setting for this adventure, with various locations in Norway being the lion's share of the story. The main villains here are... Vikings! United under a crazy leader bent on ruling a united Norway-Sweden- Denmark. OK, so an interesting idea here, but how does it work out? Well all I can say is I think it could have been better, but overall we do have an engrossing tale unfold, with a large cast of characters, and a good balance of action to go with plot development. O'Toole had a good undercover role he had to play by himself, and Hatton as well, although her end of it was not focused on very much. More focus was on the factions of the Vikings as they went about their plans for chemical warfare, the frightening part of the plot, and later on Russian Spetsnaz get involved to add more to the mix. The SOBs really never got center stage for much of the story, but there were enough good scenes put in to not let things hanging for too long. The ending confrontation between Barrabas and Koll wasn't what I hoped it would be but otherwise I was entertained enough to enjoy the book.

The second of the two Randisi penned books here, and a more enjoyable effort than the first. The basic plot here is Barrabas gets captured by a man from his past once thought dead, and now it is up to the rest of the current roster of SOBs to find out what happened to him and rescue him. Nate Beck has apparently retired from the team by this time. Having read a few dozen Gunsmith novels, it was interesting to have that voice tell an SOBs story, and I say a well done transition here. The characters were accurately portrayed, and I liked some of the funny moments here and there in the story. I really enjoyed the pacing of the book, there was never a dull moment as the gang went about their investigation, and action was good, particularly the scenes at the island. A hotel in Athens seemed to be the main set piece for the bulk of the book, but as mundane as this may sound, it was nevertheless entertaining from cover to cover. This adventure is one of the more unique plots in the series, another example of the diversity of storytelling found here, and with different writers it kind of keeps the series fresh, as long as the stories are told as good as this, this was a good thing for the line of books as a whole. I think I can give this title as much as a 9 rating.

I don't know who this author of the month was in this series, but it sucks that he only had one entry in it. This is one of the best books I have read thus far. The writer seemed to have a good grasp of the series and the characters, and told a banger of a story. Some neo-nazi types are the villains, and they have captured a nuclear scientist, along with gathering the supplies needed for the device. The SOB's mission to rescue the scientist involves much more with the discovery of the bomb. The typical gathering of the SOBs takes place interestingly after the book opens with them on a mission already, only then not realizing these missions were in fact one and the same. The story develops with lots of action, but to my surprise there is a lot more here. Excellent story elements fill this book out, good heroes, nasty villains, with interesting backgrounds and character interactions. A lot takes place within only 220 pages, several locations as set pieces, and I loved the story of Barrabas going home in Wyoming for the last time, this section was one of my favorite parts of the book. The Hardy and Philipson novels were the golden age of this series, but I have to say that this volume is right up there with the best of them. Loved it, definitely worth the read. The question is, who the heck is Jim Mandeville?

Another writer in what has become the revolving door of authors portion of the series. I thought this was the best book since #22, and was pleased that this writer was pretty good for a first effort. The plot is simple, take out a drug operation in Burma, but at least there is an interesting twist involved with one of the main villains. This is the smallest SOB crew yet in the series. O'toole and Hatton play minor roles, while the mission is carried out by Barrabas, Nanos, Hayes, and Billy Two. Excellent scenes with Nanos having a side mission, some decent action sprinkled throughout the book to keep things moving. The ending was brief, but better than I expected. Definitely a later book in the series worth the read.

The author of the Gunsmith western series chipped in a couple novels here, and the Barrabas Edge is the first of the two. Overall I enjoyed this book more than the last three titles, and despite some flaws, I thought it was good enough entertainment value. An assassin takes out the president of El Salvador, and his boss takes over as the leader. Enter the SOBs mission to take him out and install the former vice president. The story moved along at a good pace, plenty of action to be had, and the characters were handled pretty well for the most part. Lee Hatten seemed to be a little off, and at one point there was a flub where Nanos's name was used instead of O'Toole. How did the editor miss this?. One thing that dragged this book down for me was the premise of the mission did not allow Barrabas's team the money or the weapons for the task. Much time was spent going around Florida acquiring material, and although made for some entertaining reading, it still seemed like a silly element in the plot development. The concluding scenes in El Salvador were not bad, the final assault was a little underwhelming compared to the earlier books in the series, but good enough. Two of the SOBs sit out this mission, not the first time this has been done so not really a negative, but then we get to the epilogue. I think maybe an editor wrote this, because the epilogue just makes no sense whatsoever. Not only does it have nothing to do with the story, but what takes place is nonsense. very weird, but I won't hold this against the rest of the book, I did enjoy the Barrabas Edge, it definitely has more good than the bad.

The story here is pretty good with a simple mission to recover a smuggled technology out of Latvia nestled in a bigger plot with a spy in then Soviet controlled Riga, with the villain's ties to him, Barrabas's past, and the stolen tech. The action in this book is few and far between, but at least the story was interesting enough to carry the reader along for the whole ride. I would have rated the book higher if the ending had been climactic or action packed, but it pretty much is flat and brief. I did like the setting for it's time, back before the collapse of the Soviet Union, and a decent depiction of the struggles of the Latvian people are presented. A character from Barrabas's past is included, not really essential to the plot, but nevertheless added some spice to the story. While I liked the book, it might not be exciting enough for the average reader of this series, so up to you if you want to give it a try.

The second entry from Preston, and I thought overall a bit of an improvement. The writer has a long winded way of storytelling that slows down the adventure to a snails pace, and leaves little room for a climactic ending action sequence. Despite these flaws, I did enjoy the book much more than Pacific Payload. Bolivia is the stage, and the cocaine trade is the mission the SOBs eventually get around to. I enjoyed the methods used by Hayes and O'Toole to trick the military officials, great reading there. There are a few moments in the villains perspective that were good, and the antics of Nanos and Billy Two were fun to read as usual. Barrabas's role was pretty much an organizer and a scout, the expected action near the end never really happened as it was hinted that the coke factory was vulnerable to attack from the water, but that didn't even happen. Why do that when you can just bomb the place from the air? Disappointing as Barrabas was just an observer rather than getting into the action. The gang was split into smaller teams with their own assignments, and they all coordinated to the final action but this ending was very brief, blink and you will miss it. Much better books in the series than this, but I did enjoy it for what it was. If you are looking just for the better books to read in this series, this is one of those that doesn't make the highlight list, but ok enough if you want to read them all.

One of my favorite covers in the series, however the story within is a little on the mediocre side. A new writer steps in, bringing a different voice to the series. There are some good moments in here but overall I thought this book was a letdown. The SOBs are tasked with investigating an island in the Pacific suspected of being used for nefarious purposes. A heavy dose of Billy Two's hawk spirit antics are included, and some decent sleuthing by Nanos, Lee, and Bishop. The action was light, and the author had a weird way of handling dialogue. Too often it was confusing as to which person was speaking, and much of the time one side did almost all the talking. The plot was mildly interesting, but the story was just not written in a compelling manner. Billy's crazy action added some spice to what was otherwise fairly bland action to close out the adventure. I would say this is the weakest book in the series, and while not really bad, it kind of felt like just treading water and not really hitting any home runs. If you are picky about what you want to read in the series, I suggest giving this one a miss.

This is the second giant SOBs book and sadly the last story from Alan Philipson in the series. The book focus is on plot more than action, and there is a lot going on between the covers. A fictional Island nation is the stage, where most of the story takes place. This is an unusual mission for Barrabas, in that only a portion of his squad is tasked to a mission, and on top of that it is not the standard job by any means. The deposed dictator of the Island plans to return to power and Barrabas is there as a sort of assistance. The rest of the SOBs however, are not forgotten, and soon they all play an important role as the plot develops. Excellent storytelling as the plot threads are weaved together, and some good action thrown in for good measure. Both Barrabas's group and O'Toole's have terrific adventures on the Island. It was amusing having the fat Jessup along for the ride What makes this book even better were the scenes with the senator. The scheming villain he has been is taken to a whole new level, but the ending scenes are quite surprising regarding this character. I also liked how Barrabas discovered that the rest of his gang was on the island, it was great. There is so much to this book, it is in every was a super version of a terrific SOBs adventure. Too bad there were only five of these.

The first super sized SOBs adventure, and it is an entertaining read cover to cover. A prototype tank is tested by a developer, and after it goes wrong the tank is marked for destruction. But the plot thickens as the tank ends up in an arms deal with Iran. Enter the SOBs to find it and before we know it they are caught up in this mission while at the same time a revenge plot by an Iranian bad guy is after the ones responsible for the nuclear destruction in Iran from book #2 in the series. This makes The Barrabas Strike a sequel to Plains of Fire, and it is recommended that you read that book first. What I like about this story is a lot of different perspectives are presented. Most of the SOBs get their own spotlight, as well as the Dykstra's, Jessup, the Senator, and the Iranian villains and others. My favorite moment has to be Nanos after an excellent action scene on board the ship finds himself stuck in the tank. I had no clue what was about to happen, but like much of the novel, there were all kinds of surprises, and the poop hits the fan let me tell you. There is a lot going on in this book, always entertaining, I just wish that the ending could have been more fleshed out, I got the sense that it was far too rushed in the final pages, and just who the heck was in control of the tank? Also one gripe I had was the presence of Karl Heiss. Alive and apparently well, he has returned for another go. Either there was a miscommunication between authors/editors, or the events in this book take place earlier in the series than the publication date. As there is no number on the spine, It is reasonable to take this stance so in that case no harm no foul.

The last book from Hardy unfortunately, but one of his better ones. There is something for everyone in this book, good action, intrigue, ties to previous books, and one of my favorite aspects of this story is Billy Two finally gets his revenge. Taking place in Soviet Russia, the story begins with Nate Beck working at the US embassy in Moscow, and before we know it, Barrabas and eventually the rest of the SOBs are called in to deal with a new conspiracy with world threating implications. A lot of this plot involves factions within the soviet regime playing against one another, and the SOBs attempt to keep it all spiraling out of control. I liked the scene with Bishop and Hatten as they tried to cross the border into Germany, Billy Two gets some brief but ass kicking action of his own, and the ending sequences at the dacha and the Chernobyl reactor were excellent. There are a lot of characters to keep track of in here, many Russian names that you might need a scorecard for. The interesting name is Popolov, but this is a nephew of the one from Sakhalin Breakout, and we get a twist on who this one is in allegiance with. This book closes out Robin Hardy's run for this series, I enjoyed the heck out of all thirteen of them, these books made the SOBs series better than it had any right to be. Such a shame he passed away at such a young age. I'll never forget these adventures, and am glad I got around to reading them.

This story mixes Barrabas's mission with flashbacks from his past in Vietnam. The first book in the series introduced the background story in his Vietnam days, and characters from that are featured in No Safe Place. This is a personal mission for Barrabas, and his crew gets involved later in the story. The General who is the main villain in this book has a crazy plot that is revealed later, and a fellow soldier from the Vietnam days gets a role in this adventure. This was an interesting character, and even Jessup was connected to the same backstory in Vietnam. Taking place in the Manhattan area, the setting was contained to a small area, mostly among the cityscape around the world trade center, set in the 80's. I thought maybe there was going to be a lot of urban warfare action for this novel, but this really isn't much about that. While I was a little disappointed, however what this story does focus on is a unique and compelling narrative that had me interested throughout. The author weaves Barrabas's personal perspective into the storyline while his SOBs don't really know what his agenda is, but they trust him and play important roles in the mission. I liked the ending scenes at the world trade center towers, everything coming down to a good conclusion to this book that is another well done adventure from Hardy. These books don't always stick to a strict formula, which makes for a better reading experience, and that is one of the best aspects of a story like this one.

The KGB plots to harm the oil production facilities in Alaska using a complex plot involving putting the blame on a protest group and the French. This book is oriented more on plot and conspiracy rather than action, so the fact that this story is light on action didn't really bother me all that much. Alaska Deception brings its own unique flavor to the table as each book in this series so far does. I enjoyed this adventure and it also fits seamlessly within the continuity of the series. Tasked to gather evidence against Russia, the SOBs eventually find an opportunity, and Russia meanwhile is trying to hide it. I loved what Nanos and Hayes discovered at the helicopter crash site, it was funny and brilliant at the same time. The tension between the Soviet and American forces gathered off the Alaska coast gave a sense of impending threat, and the SOBs in the middle of it was an excellent set-piece. A variety of characters including the President get behind the scenes segments as the SOBs mission is taking place. As for the author, I have a difficult time believing that this is the same writer that wrote Sakhalin Breakout. Will the real Jack Garside please stand up? There is no similarity at all in the writing style between these two books, and I suspect either this manuscript was heavily vetted, edited, and or rewritten if it was Garside involved, or it was written entirely by someone else. Whatever the case, this was an enjoyable story, and all the SOBs were characterized well and the author did a good job.

Robin Hardy back at the helm and we get one of the best books yet in the series. Skyjack starts off with a tense terrorist hijacking of a passenger jet over Europe, and added to that one of the passengers has a top secret new fighter jet technology with him. Enter the SOBs to deal with another risky mission. I liked the sub-plot with the reporter seeking to expose the SOBs, this added more substance to the story. Beirut is the main focus of the adventure, with the plane ending up at an airport there, and the hostage rescue mission is on. Excellent storytelling here, both from the hostage end and from Barrabas's crew. A whirlwind of perspectives from the various villains, hostages, and the SOBs as they are split up, each with their own duties. Action and suspense at a high level, this is one of those books that I couldn't put down, even if it meant postponing lunch. This book also has a huge surprise, that alone is worth the price of admission. Loved this book, I would strongly suggest getting into this series as this is one of many books of this caliber so far, and still two more from Hardy, and two more from Philipson to go, this ride will last for at least a little longer still.

Just when I was wondering what happened to the Dykstra brother and sister characters, they show up in this volume. Erika gets a starring role, ending up in Africa, where most of this story takes place. Barrabas is seperated from his squad for most of the book, and other members of his team are split up, all eventually leading to the same destination through various events. A pretty good book overall, although if you are looking for an action oriented adventure, this one is more of a slower paced story giving more toward character interaction and dealing with harsh climate and cultural conditions. Barrabas has a grueling time of it in the desert after a brilliant escape from near death from his captors, he must deal with the punishing African desert. Great scenes here, and the other SOBs have their own journeys through the Congo area. The return of Karl Heiss was a plus for this book, however I thought that the potential was squandered for this character as he was forgotten for too much of the book. The plot was decent, and the way Erika was involved was done well. The story exposes the aids crisis in Africa, and the way it was exploited by Heiss was truly frightening. Another threatening plot foiled by the SOBs, but wow some of them really take a beating in this book. These are really tough SOBs for sure.

Once again a terrific book here, full of action, plot, and shocking scenes. Florida is the battleground this time with the SOBs taking out terrorists aimed at causing as much destruction as they can. A deeper plot unveils as these are puppets in a larger conspiracy. As the story unfolds, the SOBs are divided in their smaller components, each pairing with their own separate tasks and the crazy events they get involved in. The scenes with Bishop and Nanos are intense and gripping, and the way these warriors had to resolve their differences during the mission was great writing. Hayes and O'Toole went through an insane experience ending up in a Daytona beach hotel that had me on the edge of my seat. Nate and Jessup manned the control room while Hatton and Billy Two assisted Barrabas in the helicopter action all over the state. Wild scenes taking place in the Disney World area, called Wonderland in this story, are well done to go along with all the other intense action I could guess early on how the villain's mastermind would meet his fate, it turned out I was right, but still glad the author took this route. What I did not see coming was the most shocking moment in the book, and as not to spoil it, you need to read this excellent book to find out. One of the best books in this series yet, it is too bad that Hardy didn't stick with the series longer than he did. I'm rating this one the full 10 stars and am eager to read more.

Jessup and the SOBs are caught in a series of cliffhangers to start the book as assassins are on their tail all over the globe. A strange plot develops involving a coup in Bolivia with Nazis in support. Control of the cocaine trade is one of the motives of the Bolivian Generals while the Nazis want to start their empire. The assassins are linked to the Senator who is in league with the Nazis. In the middle of it all we have the SOBs avoiding assassins, regrouping to rescue Jessup, and craziness ensues. Good scenes as the SOBs turn the tables on their killers, plenty of story development and funny banter between the team members. The action in Bolivia gets insane with Barrabas deciding to go into action literally in the middle of the coup. Great reading here, and I couldn't help but think of the scene in star wars where Chewy was used as a prisoner when Luke infiltrated the death star. Billy Two was used in the same way here in the hotel as the other mercs were dressed in the Bolivian uniforms. The action heats up at the final compound, and Jessup was given a terrific role here. The explosive ending was a great cap to the book, only a couple loose ends were not dealt with regarding one of the Nazis leaders, and the Senator it would have been nice to see his reaction, but maybe this will continue in future books as he is kind of a background story arc character. Once again a terrific action book, I loved it.

The book opens with explosive action in the China sea with the SOBs coming to the rescue of a tourist ship that has been taken over by pirates. That's right, pirates! This is the theme for this adventure, which takes place in Thailand and the waters off the coast of it. The SOBs have to deal with failure in this story, where several efforts have limited success and the main villain gets away. Bishop and Nanos get into it with each other and the gang needs to regroup and plan ahead to deal with the pirates. These pirates are as vicious as it gets, and the victims keep adding up. The sick rituals in the pirate parties are about as gut wrenching as anything I've ever read. The captive women seem helpless, but the tables get turned, you have to read to see what happens. This is a great story of heroes taking on the nastiest of villains. Bishop's helicopter skills are put to the test, if you like helicopter action, there is plenty of that here. A hardcore action yarn from start to finish, while having plenty of room for story development, this is one of the best yet in the series. O'Toole is out for this mission, likely recovering his wounds from book 13, and Barrabas once again shows terrific leadership of this squad. Great reading, don't miss out on it!

This adventure has a focus on Liam O'Toole and his home town of Belfast, North Ireland. Background on this SOB is essential to the plot, and his new wife has a shocking role. Hayes sits out this mission as the rest of the SOBs gather in Ireland to get O'Toole out of trouble. We see for the first time Barrabas in his hometown in Wyoming, and Nanos and Beck are up to the usual crazy antics to add more flavor to the story before the mission begins. A variety of plot development and action scenes build the story, nasty villains introduced, and O'Toole gets about as rough a time of it as it gets. Hardy's storytelling is always fresh and innovative, I really enjoy these books a lot, and the pacing of the novel keeps me turning the pages no matter what is going on. I always like a good plot twist, and here we have a good one that I did not see coming. Excellent close to the book and how about O'Toole's nemesis in this story, what an evil guy, the train scene was crazy! Terrific book again, don't miss out on this series.

Published in 1986, it was a different situation in Afghanistan, the setting for this adventure. The Soviets are at war with Mujahedeen and the SOBs are thrown into the thick of it. While the main plot involves the elimination of a new deadly nerve gas stored in a Soviet controlled compound, there are some minor sub-plots that make this book interesting. I liked the story of the two 14 year old boys that were caught up in the war-torn countries factions with the Mujahedeen, the Soviets, and the Afghan secret police. This was a well written perspective that was a story on its own as well as being tied to the events surrounding the SOB's mission. Lots of great action and tense situations in this book, a villain as evil as it gets, and a tough mission that again seems impossible at the outset, but the SOBs have a way of pulling it off. Barrabas showed why he is such a good leader in this story, and the way he improvised when things went wrong was brilliant. An Afghan ally joins the SOBs this mission as a guide as well as a soldier, Gunther is with the team as well. No Bishop for this mission, the pilot was not a factor as the team was traveling on horseback in the rugged landscape. Once again Alan Philipson tells a terrific tale here, all six of his books thus far have been gems, unfortunately only two more he wrote after this but at least those are the 350 page variety, I'm looking forward to those. Again I strongly recommend this series for anyone looking for quality entertainment in action reading, this series has been nothing but excellent so far.

This episode takes place in mid-eighties Germany in the wall divided city of Berlin. Information has been discovered by various factions that a hidden cache of gold stolen by the Nazi regime is hidden somewhere in the city. The SOBs role in this is an unusual one to say the least, and thus begins the story. For this adventure Barrabas and O'toole are the featured members for much of the book, but a couple other do join them later. A lot of focus is also on an old friend of Barrabas, an agent named Brown. This was a good character, and his tie-in with the plot was interesting and was almost like an extra member of the team at times. Other factions after the gold included a group of young neo-Nazis, and these guys were as evil as you might expect. A rogue female East German Stapo officer, seemingly inspired by Freddy Krueger, was also after the gold. The action scenes involved along the way were good, and the final scenes in the underground tunnels ratcheted up the tension to an explosive ending. Although this book's setting is dated, it still is an excellent action thriller, and as enjoyable as the author's previous work. The impact of the reality of what was eventually discovered may have been a shock to some, but was not really all that unexpected if any knowledge of what went on in the concentration camps is already known, but an interesting twist at the end nevertheless. O'toole gets married in this book, the only time the whole team is together, but for the most part, this is Barrabas and O'tooles time in the spotlight, with Beck and Nanos getting a piece of the action at the end. Another fun read from Hardy, again recommended reading here.

A charity organization in Ethiopia is raking in money and a variety of corrupt folks including the guy running the charity event make up the "vultures" that are conspiring to scoop the money into their own pockets. Enter Barrabas and his SOBs to deal with the issue as well as their old nemesis Karl Heiss, who conveniently is one of the factions after the money. The SOBs handler, Walker Jessup, gets another role fighting alongside Barrabas in this tale, and provides some funny moments to go along with the usual banter between the members. While I was disappointed that we don't get a face to face encounter between Heiss and Barabbas, I did enjoy the scenes from Heiss's perspective, especially the tension between he and his co-conspirator the event host. The main action scene, diagrammed at the front of the book, takes up a large chunk of the novel, with a number of factions involved and the author gives us every angle and perspective in this battle, which was written very well. One of the more fast paced and action intensive books in the series yet, this title brings a good mix of plot, action and characters, providing yet another quality addition to this excellent series. Some parts I found to be weird, like the crazy punk rocker guy and the plane crash thing that was confusing to me, but then there was the lady with the baby which at first seemed out of place with the rest of the story but then later well you have to read to see what happens. It was another good example of what I like to see happen to main villains, that they get taken out in unique and unusual ways and often with a karma twist. This alone was worth the price of admission. All around a great action book, well done as usual by Alan Philipson.

I didn't think this author could top the last couple novels he wrote in the series, but he did just that with Some Choose Hell. One of the best books in the series yet, I am more impressed than ever for this line of books that I had ignored for so long. The setting for this mission is South Africa, and Apartheid is the central storytelling idea here. Keep in mind this book came out in 1985, and Barrabas is in the thick of things going on in that part of the world at the time. The writer tells a story set in seemingly unconceivable conditions, yet borrows from actual reality. With a few SOBs recovering from their wounds from the last mission, Barrabas and three of his team take on a task of helping to protect an important figure, but find themselves embroiled in a plot that opens up a whole lot more than they bargained for. Great storytelling all the way, but what is more is that this novel has a focus on one particular SOB, Claude Hayes, and shows more of a background of his character as well as his own independent adventure that eventually ties in to the rest of the SOBs. I enjoyed this end of the story very much, as well as the surprising role one of the brothers of the villains has which added more to what already was a great adventure. There was much to like about this book, the action, characters, plot, settings, the heroes and the villains, I am compelled to read more. And main villains meeting grisly and unusual ends, yep this book has that too. Both Hardy and Philipson have produced a high quality line of books here, do yourself a favor and give this series a try.

Two of the SOBs sit out this mission, and a brother of a dead member plays a role in this adventure. An odd plot for this book, but the action and the storytelling are excellent from cover to cover. I had no idea how good this series was, with this eighth volume in the series, the quality so far has maintained a high level, I have enjoyed every one of them and plan to continue reading more. The Tampa area, and the coast of Cuba are the settings for this book, with more action on the waters in between. The assault on the prison in Cuba was great reading, and as usual, the storytelling leading up to this was interesting and entertaining right from the beginning. The SOBs have a rough time of it, with almost all of them getting wounded, this is one of the most brutal experiences yet for this group. The mysterious man in league with the Senator makes another appearance, adding another overall plot thread in the background, I guess this will play out more in future titles. I was pleased to see the return of Billy Two in this story, and he is even more of an interesting character than ever before after his experience with the Spetsnaz messed with his brain. Again a highly recommended book here.

An excellent book from Robin Hardy, his second in the series. I enjoyed this even more than Show No Mercy. A prologue shows a flashback to the Vietnam days much like those found in book one. This sets the stage for the main villain as well as a side character named Scott who plays a role later in the story. The first half of the novel deals with the SOBs getting rounded up from their lives in civilian life, and then we see an interesting story develop that kind of reminded me of an Indiana Jones kind of movie with stolen artifacts and adventures in Thailand, an odd character named Raoul working with Erika Dykstra, the artifact smuggler. There is a connection between this and the second half of the book that deals with Kon, the main villain and a defoliated section of forest in Cambodia. Kon is one of the most nasty villains I have read, and his scheme is terrifyingly deadly. The SOBs mission shifts to Cambodia to investigate the dying jungle, and dealing with the Khmer Rouge that rules that area. The adventures here are very intense with the dangerous elements of both nature and an evil regime. Great action throughout the whole book, I was on the edge of my seat for several of the great scenes, and the tension builds to the final pages. Great stuff, I am looking forward to the next adventure after seven books thus far, I am still hooked on this series.

This is a sequel to Gulag War, and here we have a terrific action title that is at least as good. This time the tables are turned. Instead of having a target, and the mission is on for said target, we have the SOBs themselves as the target. By the very Spetsnaz they kicked ass on in the last book. Bent on revenge, Balandin, the Spetsnaz captain, is back, this time with a crew of nearly sixty troops to assault the SOBs at their island base. Excellent scenes open the story with Spetsnaz assassins going after a couple of the SOBs individually. Billy Two has an incredible role in this adventure, his separation from the rest of the SOBs gets him a focus that really shows what a unique and powerful member of the team he is. Terrific writing from Philipson again from start to finish, the ending battle at the SOBs base is an intense and well written final set piece. The use of the terrain surrounding the house is a vital tactical use by the SOBs, the team all has important roles in the defense as their are only about eight of them against a large force. No helicopter action here, but still one hell of a battle. Again there is tragedy as a member of the team does not make it, and there are many injuries to the squad, making this one of their most dangerous adventures yet. The price of admission is worth it just to read Billy Two's performance in this title. Great stuff, another highly recommended book in this series.

Book five with Philipson back at the helm, and we have another outstanding adventure. Two missions in one this time, with most of the SOBs tasked with rescuing a scientist prisoner from a Soviet Gulag, and also sabotaging a tank factory elsewhere in the country. Published in 1985, this was in the days of KGB controlled communist USSR, no easy mission here, but hey, the SOBs went into Iran for a successful run there, so here they go. The scenes with the prisoner are a brutal depiction of life in a gulag, and sets the tone for the danger of the SOBs destination and the seemingly impossible feat of getting there in the first place. I liked the section involving the tampered computer board and the cloak and dagger kind of stuff involved with that, some great reading there. A new soldier is recruited to help pilot the crew to the gulag, and the action there is a great battle to close out the story. My favorite scenes were the infiltration of the spetsnaz soldiers and turning the tables on them. Lee Hatton is NOT a woman you want to get on the bad side with! The ending had me a little confused, not sure what the deal was between the KGB guy and the GRU guy and the prisoner going crazy, I kind of had that part of the plot a little muddled, but what an awesome addition to this series, and the story has a sequel with the next book. The Spetsnaz are after revenge, and the SOB Barrabas leaves behind for dead at the gulag is... alive? Excellent series so far, I recommend giving it a go if you can find these books.

The first book in the series from Hardy, which is a different style of writing compared to the Philipson titles before it. While I much prefer the writing of Philipson, Hardy was able to tell a good action story, and the characterizations of the SOBs were accurate enough. The pacing of this book is slower, imagine watching a good action movie, that is slowed down a little from normal speed. This is really the only reason I'm rating this book a 7 rather than an 8, because the story is actually quite good. There are a variety of set pieces throughout the novel, mostly in Central America, with opening scenes rounding up the team and setting up plot elements, and the mission begins. I liked the infiltration of the ship with the stolen arms as it went through Panama Canal, and the action aboard the ships was some of the best in the story. The team was in situations after that where they seemed to be against insurmountable odds, yet the leadership of Barrabas and the skills of the team was able to overcome it and made for great and explosive reading. I liked the interesting plot element involving the cult leader, Jeremiah. One of the main villains in the story, he has developed a Jimmy Jones type of compound where the ending sequence takes place. The situation there is crazy, and made for a excellent ending to the book. There is plenty going on in this book to hold interest, and also a shocker as not all the SOBs make it through this mission alive. Note that this is the first book that introduces the ace helicopter pilot Bishop, who joins the team. If you like good helicopter action, this book has that too. All in all, a solid adventure, the series is looking good so far.

Here we have the third story in the series, with two of the SOBs sitting out this mission, and a return of Lopez from the first book. The first half is really a solo adventure where we get to see Barrabas himself as the sole hero of the story. It isn't until his nemesis, Karl Heiss along with another main villain, captures his girlfriend, that the SOBs team enters the picture. Sri Lanka is the setting for this adventure, with the compound where the woman is being held one set piece, and the other takes place in the town of Colombo. The family that Barrabas helps out in the city makes for some good reading, and later the assault on the compound more good action there. The addition of Jessup to the story made it more interesting, and the father of the family has a terrific scene to close out the book. I always like the kind of books where the main villains get eliminated in unusual and interesting ways, and this book is one of those. Both the vietnamese villain and the corrupt officer in the city get taken out in what you will have to read yourself are shocking. The SOBs themselves again work well together and the banter between the guys during the mission are funny moments in a story that can be serious and dark at times. Another well written book from Philipson, I recommend this series, it is great so far, and Heiss is to Barrabas as Strakhov was to Mack Bolan. I miss the recurring nemesis villains like these!

The first Gold Eagle book published from one of my favorite writers, Alan Philipson, and it is everything I hoped it would be. It is no wonder this series was able to last 38 books after a start like this. With an injured SOB sitting out this mission, Barrabas and his crew are now on a task that seems nearly impossible at the outset. Here we have a location from the start where they know exactly where to go, but the story involves how this team is actually going to pull this off. How do you insert a team into Iran, get to a fortified bunker in the middle of nowhere, and destroy four atomic weapons? You have to read this to find out. A great challenge for the SOBs, and the storytelling is top notch all the way through. Again the team works together like a well oiled machine, but this is a very dangerous mission, and tragedy hits the team. This book was published the same month as Mack Bolan: Day Of Mourning, and it has that same level of impact. Great perspectives from both the heroes and the villains throughout, and the ending literally with a bang, I strongly recommend this title, I'm glad I finally decided to read this book after it sitting on my shelf for 33 years!

This first story for SOBs reminds me of the format used in Argentine Deadline, which was the opening novel in the Phoenix Force series. Much of the writing centers on the introduction of the characters, and the recruitment of them from their various locations to join the team called Eagle Squad, or more well to be known as Soldiers Of Barrabas. Once the team is together, a time is spent on training in a remote location, before the actual mission begins. The cast of characters that make up this squad is interesting, each has their own personality and skill sets. The team works together very well to get the job done. There are good tactics that are used, a lot of tough traveling through hostile environments, and injuries, including a very serious one, afflict the team. Some great scenes take place,some of my favorites involve the character of Al Chen, who might be my favorite of the SOBs thus far. The mission to rescue a captured African leader to his nation and install him as the leader there is a well told one, with plenty of action later in the book, I enjoyed this adventure and am planning on reading more of these books. There is a number of background information included on Barrabas's military history too that I found interesting, as well as a bit more information about his nemesis who apparently will return in more books by the name of Karl Heiss. A solid start for the series, as a side note, the main writer of this book, Jack Canon, never wrote any more of them, maybe he was too busy with the Nick Carter Killmaster series. With Alan Philipson joining the SOBs writing team, these books are only going to get better!

This story starts off with Ryan's group in a position not usually seen in their adventures, in that they are together somewhat, but yet separated. This is intentional, however, as their reputation as a group is a threat to them keeping a low profile as they join a large group of mercenary types that are being recruited by the Magus. A large part of the book deals with their journey to Magus' base, with lots of intense battles with various muties. It was fairly predictable that Magus was up to no good, but the trap that lay in wait for Ryan and his crew was some of the most intense and crazy battles seen yet in this series. What saves this novel from being a seemingly simple mutie massacre story, is the overall plot threads weaved into the book. The operation chronos whitecoats and their plans to find and recruit Doc was an interesting and unique side to this adventure, well written and entertaining, for me the more enjoyable aspect of this story than the mutie battles. The secondary villains working with the Magus were also an interesting touch to this book. Again, Alan Philipson brings something extra special to the table, always entertaining and pushes the boundaries of the Deathlands formula.

The first book in this short-lived series is about two agents in a special subdivision of the DEA who take out drug dealers that target law enforcement officers. The focus of their mission is mostly two brothers, making the cast of villains quite small. This is a good thing, in my opinion, it is a break from the cast of hundreds of mostly straw men in the Bolan series. The Compos brothers are ruthless killers, all the more frightening because of their knack of carving through armed officers and getting away to cause more destruction elsewhere, this time with one of the agents in their clutches as they work a deal to turn her over to a drug cartel for a big payoff. Other characters are woven into the story, the fugitives lawyer, the drug cartel henchmen, and allies on the agents side all add more weight to the story. I would rate this book higher, but for one issue I did have with the author’s writing. A gun nut would be an understatement, and if you can plod through the word count inflating details of every gun, gun part, bullet, magazine, the way it fits in a holster, and all kinds of details like that in the first 90 pages or so, the story starts to take off finally and really gets into gear. All said and done, this is an entertaining book that has enough balance of the badguy and goodguy perspectives, decent action and a conclusion that is a gruesome fate for one of the more vile villains I have read about in a while. I will eventually give the other two books in the Code Zero series a go seeing as this book turned out to be pretty good.

The author had Ryan take on the stickie invasion in Skydark, now in Cannibal Moon Ryan’s group takes on... cannibals! The opening scene is shocking, with what happens to Mildred, well you would have to read it, a great reader grabbing beginning. The plot is very simple for this book, leaving most of the content to a war against the “cannies” of Deathlands. The survivalist gang follow a quest to find a mysterious cannibal queen who has the cure for the oozies, the disease that until now has kept the cannibals in check, but now, with the cure, the threat of cannibals taking over Deathlands is upon them. All along the way Ryan’s group has many harrowing battles against the cannies, providing nonstop action, thrilling adventure till the last page. The battles aboard the ship and the explosive ending is an excellent conclusion to this horror thriller. Along the way the group picks up a couple of unlikely allies, and these characters added spice to the story. My only gripe was that Mildred’s condition was not utilized to its potential. The war on the cannies takes center stage after the opening scenes of the novel, and the effects of what might be happening to her seemed to be lost for too long. I would have liked to see more of the symtoms growing in her to increase the danger of her condition, and the urgency to find the cannie queen. I liked Labyrinth a little better, but I’m still giving this book a nine out of ten, another recommended title in this series.

Another quality entry in the series from Alan Philipson. This story takes place in the New Mexico region, mostly at a predark dam and the town next to it. After a weird dream, Ryan and his companions trek across the desert till they come to this town, where the story really starts to take shape. Before this, nothing much noteworthy takes place, but after arriving at this settlement, things go from weird to bad to worse very quickly for the group. A good series of scenes in the town, captures, escapes, gun battles, and more lead the group separated, to the final portion of the story, which is the highlight of the book, and is what I consider to make this a horror novel in Deathlands. Ryan and JB are thrown into the depths of the Dam, while the rest of the group investigate the mysterious redoubt now exposed by the lowered water level. Within these is the terrifying science gone wrong products of genetic engineering, and the horrors the group deals with inside is great reading indeed. The story elements of the strange townfolk and the predark demons in the dam are tied together in an interesting way. There is science in the fiction. Good action, and edge of your seat terror, and more, this is a book in the series you should not miss!

One thing you can count on with this writer is that you will read something different. I had no idea where this story was going to go, but the strange opening chapter is a clue as to how odd, weird, strange and psychedelic an episode this book is. Ryan’s gang discover a town left looted and the residents killed, and the culprit is a carnival that moved through, and so begins the group on a quest to infiltrate and take out this evil carnival. The main portion of the story takes place in the town where the carnival has now taken up shop, and the bizarre and the strange ramps up more and more. One interesting figure is the Magus, who is really pulling the strings behind this evil carnival. This added more spice to the other variety of villains sprinkled into this tale. One of my favorite scenes was the carny scout Azimuth, as he was off on his own and discovers the roadblock, and eventually the even crazier town on the other side of the mountain. The predicted mayhem eventually ensues, sending Ryan and crew off out of there to eventually come across this other place Azimuth had discovered. Here the crazy weirdness ramps up to a whole new level. This book is more like something that would come from the mind of Stephen King. You just have to read it to see for yourself, this is no ordinary Deathlands title to be sure. Poor Doc seemed to be forgotten in this story, but not to worry, he has a very important role in the ending stages of this adventure. Lots of action, suspense, danger and the creepy abound in this book to make it very entertaining reading. Good show Al.

Here we have the third and final story in the Shadow World trilogy. The scene returns years later to the glass wasteland of the Salt Lake city area. The invaders have returned again, back to mine the ore and enslaving deathlanders once again. This time Ryan and crew are not among the slave miners, this time they are some distance away, and eventually learn of the invaders return. This book deals with the group’s return to the nukeglass to get rid of the invaders once and for all. So, what happened to Connors from the first book after he went off on his own? This book reveals his fate and is one of the more interesting factors in this story. We also find that Big Mike has more of a role in this adventure. And the women in battlesuits have returned with a new leader, thus revealing another plot thread left from the last book. Surprises abound as the book unfolds and the action and intensity ramps up more and more to the very last page of this excellently written novel. As with the other two books, Doom Helix is another dark and gruesome story, with otherworldy high tech elements, to go along with the usual dangers of Deathlands. Action, suspense, mystery, adventure are crammed into this book and all loose ends are neatly tied up by the end. The only bad part is we won’t be seeing any more books in the series from this awesome writer.

This is the sequel to Shadow World, written by the same author. The alternate Earth forces have now invaded Deathlands, and have set up camp in the nuked out remains of the Salt Lake City area. This book again shows the superior technology in the weapons and armor, as one of the five corporate leaders of shadow earth, Dredda Trask, commands a unit set to take over Deathlands, and eventually the world. Another terrific story, this adventure is set in a bleak environment of glass, Ryan and his gang are in a large group of slaves mining ore for Trask’s futuristic technology to continue to function. The companions are up against a power unlike any they have seen before, and the ingenuity and determination of the group is tested to the limits to not only extricate themselves from this horrible situation, but to turn the tide against their oppressors is an amazing series of events to read. Full of action, suspense and gritty adventure, this is a great continuation in the Shadow World trilogy, with Doom Helix being the third book published several years later. Highly recommended book for any fan of this series that has not read it yet, these Shadow World books are among the very best.

This book came out during a time when Deathlands was stepping out of the mould and pushing the storytelling into more interesting and entertaining directions. Shadow World is in my opinion one of the very best books in the series up to this point. The author really cut loose with this installment of the series, making it one heck of a wild thriller, nothing like any DL novel before it, and is a great example of the potential of outstanding writing that can be found even in a pulp series fiction such as this. Imagine a parallel universe to this earth, with one difference. The nukecaust never happened on the alternate earth, and thus things went in a totally different direction afterwards. This book takes a dark side look at what could happen instead of a bright side regarding this earth if the nukes had not happened. And these people discovered a way to transport through a passageway to the other earth. Ryan and his group become wrapped up in this event, propelling Ryan into this other Earth, and he is introduced to the horrors that are in many ways even worse than his own post nuke life. What follows is a non-stop thrill ride through this other world, with hi tech weaponry, political intrigue, and nonstop danger and chaos at every turn, meanwhile Ryan’s companions must contend with the intruders from this world back in Deathlands. I loved this book, I’m not sure how any reader can rate it less than top billing, but I’m one to say if you are looking for a terrific book in this series, and you have not read it yet, this is one you need to track down, it is one of the best. Great Job AP! I will immediately get to reading this book's sequel, BREAKTHROUGH.

This is the last story available from the original writer and creator of the series. I thought it was a good book, and was surprised that a character Kane's crew had dealt with before returned for a round as the main villain here. But much of the story takes place before that point is reached, and I actually enjoyed most the beginning stages of the novel on and around the pirate ship at a small island in the Indonesia area. Brigid had some good scenes in this portion, and all the action was written well. The second phase of the book deals with a major destruction of some of the former overlord's villes, and the quest to find out what and why this is taking place. This leads Kane's gang on another adventure of distant lands, strange discoveries, and more action and danger. From a trek across the Mexican desert to the action in an underground installation, there is plenty of adventure and daring-do and an exciting finish to satisfy my appetite for another excellent Outlanders book. Too bad this is the last title in the series from Mark Ellis, the last adventure of Kane and the Cerberus crew from the original author... or is it?

This book is shorter than the rest of the novels in the series, but it nevertheless stands tall as another outstanding reading experience from Mark Ellis. Kane and crew uncover a crazy project hidden in a New Mexico mesa. Another piece of otherworldy technology is being tampered with by a villain that leads to some of the weirdest and most frightening creature/organisms the Cerberus crew has encountered yet. The story moves along with a brisk pace, and Erica Van Sloane is a great addition to the book. I liked the return to Area 51 installation, where Kane had experienced before in the Imperator Wars trilogy. Good suspense and action, plot twists, and adventure from beginning to end, I very much enjoyed Ghostwalk. Unlike the previous book, Grailstone Gambit, this book actually mentions the current state of the overall story arc of the series, and there is much character and series background to flesh out the story as it moves along. Fans of this series should not miss out on it!

This book is really two separate adventures, with the New York part having nothing to do with the main story. I liked the really creepy villain in this part of the story, I wish there could have been more about him, he would have made a good main villain. The first half of the book was excellent, good action and a good rescue of Grant. The book moves on eventually to the main part of the book, which is really a sequel to the third book in the series called Savage Sun. Fand and Morrigan return as Kane and crew venture to England to find out why the priory of awen needs their help. Lord Strongbow, posing as Merlin this time also returns. His role in the book is very limited however. Most of Kane's crew spend time traveling around and investigating ancient caverns as they hunt for Strongbow at his base. The scenery and the descriptions of their surroundings are more of a focus rather than action, but these visuals are as usual very interesting and amazing. The conclusion is cool, however brief it was, and although not stacking up to most endings of books in this series, the whole book was another outstanding sci-fi adventure. Like Savage Sun, a lot of legends and lore of the Celtic world are a big focus in the storyline. I liked how these myths and legends were tied in to this book. There is no mention of the major events in the grand arc conclusion regarding the fate of the Overlords. This book could just as easily have taken place just prior to Dark Goddess as afterwords. In the series as a whole, Grailstone Gambit is entirely independent as far as continuity goes, and is really a filler novel, but nevertheless a fun adventure well worth reading.

Well, here we have the book that brings the whole storyline with the Barons to a conclusion. The backstory on the Anunnaki is revealed like never before, and the Barons, now in their Overlord form, have been struggling for power over kingdoms on earth... and each other. After the author takes some trash out in the prologue, we get to see Kane and his crew right in the middle of more trouble. This time its some creepy guy in Florida, with some good action to kick off the story, then its on to the meat of the novel, dealing with the power grabbing attempt by yet another of the Overlords. This time it is Lilitu, who is about to bring all sorts of crazy problems for Kane, and eventually for all of the Overlords. The ending chapters of this book had me riveted to the pages, as a major wrap-up of a long story arc reaches its conclusion in a stunning and exciting finish. This book is more than another outstanding adventure from Mark Ellis, it is novel like Children of the Serpent a few books earlier, that makes a major change in the Outlanders universe. Terrific sci-fi adventure, I enjoyed it very much.

I decided to give this author a try, and I am glad I did. This is one unusual book, I had no idea where the story was going to go. Swain is introduced as a fairly normal individual, until he finds himself caught in a very weird situation that catches him by surprise, and he is introduced to a game he finds out he has been picked to participate in. What follows is a terrifying, gripping, fast paced suspense thriller that throws the reader into this crazy game in a big library with strange monsters and sci-fi gizmos and heart pounding excitement. The creatures range from humanlike to insectlike to big bad monsterlike... basicly Swain has his hands full, and he also is racing against time, which adds more of a punch to the story. I don't want to give anything away, so I will just say if you like exciting thrillers, and want to try out an author you never read before, you need to grab this book, I loved it, and I plan to read more books by Matt Reilly.

This book blends several cool things together in one story, making it a very enjoyable adventure. Time traveling Nazi's, Mr. Crowley, dinosaurs, samurai warriors,and the cast of Cerberus heroes are thrown together in a action packed adventure thriller taking place mostly on Thunder Isle. The book begins in the mountains of Slovakia, but it takes a shift to one of my favorite locations in the Outlanders world, Thunder Isle. Danger and action and battles abound as Kane and his group are spread out in different areas, each having their own great scenes, as well as the group as a whole. My favorite had to be Grant's perspective, I really like the focus he was given on the island. What I really thought the author did a great job with throughout the story was the injection of a lot of humor, which I thought was the most well done in this book than in any of the other titles up to this point. Another terrific installment that readers should not miss in this series, it's too bad that the overall story arc of the series comes to somewhat of an end with the next book. Satan's Seed is top-of-the-line sci-fi adventure!

With a return of Sindri, what's not to like with this novel? Here we have another outstanding adventure in the series, this time taking place in the Pakistan area to kick off the story, and later in South America. The imagery in this book is one of my favorite aspects of Skull Throne, with exotic locations and a blend of modern and ancient structures and lands, as well as characters. This novel features the Overlord Nergal and his crazy schemes. No surprise, since he was once the crazy Baron Sharpe. Even his old sidekick, Crawler, is one of the main characters in the novel. Kane and his friends are in the middle of another thrilling adventure, with good characterizations and science-fiction adventure. The plot involving the skulls was very cool, and the action keeps the pages turning, with a good plot twists at the end. Great stuff.

Hydra's Ring brings back the character of Erica Van Sloan, one of my favorites in the series. But more than that, we see the return of Wei Qaing, first seen in Wreath Of Fire. His return has a major suprise, and the scene where Kane and crew meet up with him is one of the highlights of the novel. As always, this OL installment from Mark Ellis brings much adventure, exotic lands, and ancient history and artifacts into the story. The descriptions of the landscapes they travel through in China, and the temples and buildings provide a rich tapestry, background and settings for the Cerberus crew's latest adventure. Another strong point in the book is the excellent scenes taking place on the river. The battles with pirates was a nice touch. I loved the plot with the nine rings and the armor of immortality. An excellent ending taking place in the mausoleum. Again the mixture of ancient alien technology, cultures, characters, and legends make a fascinating reading experience. I don't consider this book to be among the very best, but still Hydra's Ring is good enough to rate a ten. Bring on Skull Throne!

This is a whirlwind of entertaining adventure for 340 pages of some of the author's best writing yet in the series! In this episode we see the Cerberus crew dealing with one of the overlords, named Utu, and his nefarious activities in Africa. Most of the action takes place in the Congo or the Sudan area, with a mixture of futuristic tech and ancient primitive legends and peoples to make a very entertaining story, as is expected from the long track record of terrific titles before it from the talents of Mark Ellis. This is one of those books where twenty or thirty pages fly by while seeming to have only turned the page once. I loved the scenes taking place from the cerberus redoubt as well, the cyberspider, Domi, Philboyd, Lakesh and company had great scenes of their own. The technology of the annunaki is further revealed in this title, both at the redoubt and in Africa. Manta ships, waziri princesses, steam trains, tribesmen, evil overlords, robots, cyber-apes, ancient artifacts, and much much more, weaved into another amazing volume in this series, I consider this to be one of the very best. A solid ten all the way!

The author took a different turn in this installment of the series. This is a story centered far away from the redoubt, aliens, spaceships, other planets, or high technology. Out in the elements of nature, among the American Indians, Kane and his friends have much of their adventure in the cold mountain regions of Wyoming. I liked the interesting Indian lore that Ellis weaved into this story. Catamount was a fascinating character, her story was interesting, and Sky Dog has his own history revealed as well. The harsh elements made a good backdrop as Kane battles with ex mag gangs, and a journey to a mountain holding great secrets. Action mixes with well told storytelling, and then the conclusion of the book at the mountain is the best part. Finally Mr. Snow is confronted, and once again the author's portrayal of a villain is done very well, and the final pages are very exciting. Another high quality addition to this series very well worth getting your hands on.

This book is a major event in the overall story arc of the OL series. From the beginning, in Exile to Hell, Kane and his friends begin to discover the tip of the iceberg about the presence of aliens and a history of humanity and alien that goes back thousands of years. Here in Children Of The Serpent, is the story of the return of the Annunaki overlords to reclaim earth. This is a good entertaining episode in the OL series, but what seperates this book from the norm, not just from OL, but from the standard boundries that Gold Eagle sets for their many action series. Mark Ellis has taken his series to many exotic lands, far out places, super high technology, both modern and ancient, and has a wide variety of interesting and memorable villans. Children Of The Serpent kicks this up another notch. You might say it tips over the apple cart. In this book we see the Barons, who have been part of the storyline since book one, are no longer what they once were. They are now something much more. Sam's true self is revealed at last. The fate of Quavel and of her baby is revealed. Who the barons were and have become is revealed. The return of the Annunaki mothership, and what it is, is awesome. Balam plays a major role, and everyone in Cerberus will eventually have to work together to face the new threat of the Annunaki return. This is a book where a lot happens in the resolution of the story arc, and it is entertaining along the way, with Kane's infiltration of the mothership, the adventure in a giant temple in Iraq, a final battle at Cerburus, this is one of the best books in the series yet. If you are reading any books at all in the series, this is one title you don't want to miss!

This title has all the stuff that a science fiction adventure novel demands. While not among the very best books in the series, it is about as good as you could expect from the high quality of writing that Ellis has consistently put out over the years in this series. The opening scene grabs the reader's interest, then its shift to Grant and Kane's adventure in the pits of ragnarville add action and dealings with a pit boss, rescue operation, and dealings with Roamer leaders. The focus shifts to the location of the opening scene, in the jungle of Cambodia. I loved the way the Cerberus members were seperated and each had their own adventure, leading to the conclusion in an ancient city. Each of these adventures were well written and entertaining, with much interesting myths and legends of this interesting culture woven into the story. All of the characters had an important role in the story, and all loose ends were tied up nicely at the end. I liked the cool vimana ships in the story, the background of the Naga and the General and the princess. Action. Adventure. Exotic lands. Interesting heroes and villains. Cool sci-fi stuff. It's all here.

This is a very enjoyable read, from the first page to the last. Every chapter is interesting, imaginative and moves the story forward at a good pace. The opening scenes with the mag called Decard bring the reader into the story even before we meet the regular Cerberus crew. While the overall plot arc of the novel is simple, involving getting equipment to help Quavell stay healthy, the story takes many twists and turns along the way, and before long, the reader is caught up in all kinds of cool and imaginative adventures. They discover an amazing egyptian-like city hidden in the mountains. From animal-human hybrid warriors to psi-ability priests, to animal helmeted warriors to red-eyed egyptian queens, and more, the cerberus crew meets all kinds of interesting characters as they search for the equipment Quavell needs. But wait, there is more... the return of Erica van Sloan and her warriors throws a major monkey wrench into the works for Kane and his friends. The dialogue and drama of the middle portion of the story is done very well, a gripping and intense battle of diplomacy between Kanes crew, Erica, and the queen. The scenes taking place in the necropolis are excellent, and what really was awesome was Kane's vision confronting his father. Fantastic scene! This is among the best books written yet in this series, the writing is nearly flawless and always entertaining. The only mistake that confused me was one scene in the crypt, when Grant and his crew fought the three animal-men and the two skull-capped men. Initially, it was stated that three skull-capped men entered the corridor. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes cool, fun adventure, even if you don't read this series, it is worth your time to check it out. Another 10 star book out of many from this high quality series.

Wow, whenever I think the best books in this series must already have been written, Mark Ellis manages to once again come up with an awesome science fiction adventure blockbuster that blows me away. Here in Mad God's Wrath, we see what is a sequel of sorts to the novel Dragoneye. After Kane's battle with Maccan on the moon base, leaving the crazed alien in stasis in a coffin, we get to see what happens from that point of the story. This book begins with the prologue showing Maccan's release from his prison. But his involvement in the book happens later. First there is a very exciting series of events on the California coast, with Kane Grant and Brigid involved in an adventure that gets from bad to worse in a thrilling action sequence that would be so cool to see in a movie. Come to think of it, this whole book would make for an awsome movie. But while they are occupied here, trouble comes for the crew in the cerberus base. Maccan's invasion of the cerberus redoubt is the next portion of the book that shows a perspective from Lakesh, Domi, and the rest of the crew, in more exciting and page turning action sequences. It was cool to see the Cerberus crew, along with members of the manitus moon base personel, hold their own against an invading force. But there is much more, and here is where Parallax Red, the fifth book in the series, makes a great prequel for this novel. The adventure soon brings Kane and his friends back to Mars. I always wanted to see them return there, and in this book, Ellis treats the reader to another trip to the red planet. More thrilling and fascinating adventure ensues here, bringing the story to a gripping finish. With great action, adventure, incredible weapons, returning characters, fascinating locations, heros struggling against ancient aliens, this novel is among the best stories I've read in this series yet. Cover to cover, it reads like a rocket, I give it a ten!

This second half of the duology brings us back to the regular time in the OL universe. Kane's message from the future makes up the first portion of the novel, and the reaction of what the cerberus rebels see and plan what they must do keeps the reader turning the pages to see what happens next. After discovery of some shocking truths regarding Sam, the barons, and their own futures, Kane and his allies now must go to the disrupting the present to avoid the unwanted future phase of operations. Interesting developments occur near the end of the story, and the ending pages of the book are very gripping. After Talon and Fang, it would be difficult for any novel to follow in its footsteps, and Sea of Plague may not be as amazing, but this book is pretty good, and includes major developments in the OL universe that will mean big changes in the way things have gone up to this point. I didn't think this story was in the same league as most of the earlier OL books, mainly due to the way the review material interupted the flow of the novel too much. And nearly every event since the start of the series and description of the various gadjets and technology is included in this book, which I thought choked the book from reaching a higher potential. And what happened to the plague Sam unleashed in the present timeline? In conclusion, this novel sets up many tasty morsels of story developments, such as Barons Cobalt and Sharpe's future actions, what Sam will do next, and then there is the crafty Sindri, who is going to do who knows what. A solid book that makes the "Heart of the World" duology another great one like the "Dragon Kings" before it.

Seldom does Science fiction adventure writing get as entertaining as this. In this brilliantly crafted novel, Mark Ellis takes the series once again in fresh, new and fascinating directions that are not just entertaining, but memorable. At this point in most series, the magic and freshness of books tend to fall into some form of generic stagnation either in general or at least fall into some sort of predictable or run-of-the-mill product, whether the quality of the writing remains good or not. But with Talon and Fang, being number 25 in the OL series, Ellis has created a novel that is not only well-written, but unpredictable, captivating, and UNIQUE. The storyline at this point is weighed heavily on the reader's familiarity with what has happened before with the characters, and the history of the events in general of the series. While it is not necessary for a reader to have read all the books up to this point, there are a few key novels early in the series and the Imperator Wars trilogy that will be recommended to understand and enjoy the full impact of Talon and Fang. Even so, the author does a good job of including enough backround info to catch up the reader. This novel is told from an entirely new perspective from the beginning, at about 30 years in the future, and revolves primarily on the character of Kane. This is a fascinating look at his future, or at least a probable future, as this is in a sense a time travel novel, with the underlying theme of "if we go back in time and change this we might avoid todays crappy world". While this in itself isn't a new idea, however the way this is weaved into the world of OL is very imaginative and entertaining. One of the reasons I like this series so much is Kane's recognition that thing are not the perfect world everyone else seems to be led to believe, but far from it, the opposite ,in fact, and is willing to be a hunted outcast and go and do something about it. Kane and his friends are just the kind of heroes I want to read about. I was amazed at scenes between Kane and Grant, the portrayal of everyones future and fate, the brief history of the intervening years, a new character called Tanvirah, and most of all... without giving away any spoilers, the instrument by which Kane uses to go back in the past... and I'm not talking about just the amazing sci-fi technology here... I was taken completely by surprise, and I knew at this point in the story, things were REALLY going to get interesting! And does it ever, the revelations at the end of this book are incredible, the adventure is fun and the book leaves off with an epilogue that demands the second book of this duology be picked up immediately. Once again, Ellis has produced an outstanding piece of work sci-fi readers should not miss out on!

I loved the beginning of this book. The crew returns to thunder isle for a dinosaur hunt! Kane and Domi against "monstrodamus" in the jungle of the island was a great start to the book, and then things take an interesting turn. This book features a return of Zakat, an enemy last seen in Iceblood. I liked the intro to this character and the scenes with the vikings. The pace of the novel slows down for a while, but the coolness goes into overdrive as Kane and friends venture to Antarctica. The gateway there is the same one they used in Hell Rising. This time, they discover an amazing underground ancient city. The descriptions of this area, as well as the thunder island intro are excellently portrayed, adding to the many exotic and fascinating locations the author takes the reader in each of these novels. And like many novels, this book has much in myth and legend to add a good backstory to the characters and events the Cerberus crew deal with. Overall, a book filled with lots of cool stuff!

This is an interesting book, and also full of sexual energy as well. The developments around Quavell at the Cerberus base is what the story moves its focus on more as the pages go by. I enjoyed Kane and Grant's introductory scene at area 51, but they are not really much a part of the overall novel. The women instead get center stage, and it was kinda cool to see them have their own chance to get the job done. While much of this book is really an Outlanders series review, there are many fascinating developments between the various characters, the most interesting being the presence of Shizuka at Cerberus. I was also left wondering what Grant is going to do concerning a major decision he makes. And with new personel at the base taken from the moon, I liked the idea of new people working with the Cerberus crew. The ending in this book I thought was anti-climactic compared to most of the books in this series. The aborigine Yindi was an odd ally for the women, and I wasn't sure how it was that he seemed to know how the interphaser worked. The epilogue really was cool, I guessed right who was going to be in the cave, and I am eagerly looking forward to all the loose ends from this story to be revealed in future books. An enjoyable character-driven sci-fi read, but I don't consider this episode among the very top levels of the series.

The conclusion of this duology is loaded with imaginative and gripping adventure. Kane and his friends experience more of the secrets and mysteries on the old moon base. Here we not only finally meet Enki, the last of the Annunaki, but the last of the Danaan as well. Maccan is an odd madman sort of alien, while Enki turns out to be quite a different character than I was expecting. I liked the various perils that Kane, Brigid, and Grant went through in their individual scenes. The manta ships were cool, as was all the tunnels caverns and passages under and on the moon surface. Several side characters made the book more interesting. I liked the developments in the redoubt with Quavel, and the scene with Sam and Erica Van Sloan was quite good. These scenes, among others were teasers for further developments in the books ahead. I look forward to reading more. I was disappointed however with the amount of review material in this volume. Not only does it contain more than even Devil in the Moon did, but much of it was a repeat of the same review material found in that book. With Dragoneye being the second book in the duology, I was expecting less, not more of this material. But, nevertheless, there is so much adventure and developments going on through the whole novel, that material didn't get in the way of the story much. This book has plenty of heart pounding, interesting, and exciting reading to please any fan of quality science fiction adventure.

The first portion of the story is rather odd, I saw it as a kind of spoof of the Deathlands series. This early part of the book has no connection to the rest of the story, and once the action ends here, the setup to the duology begins. This next portion of the novel is heavy on review of the series, which makes this book a great place to start for new readers to jump aboard the series. Although this is a blessing for a new reader, or a reader who has set aside the series for a while and is catching up, it is also a curse for someone who has read all the books up to this point. Keep in mind that the preceeding book was written by a different writer, so consider Devil in the Moon to be a sequel to Tomb of Time. The last third of this book is where it really gets heavy on the coolness factor. Kane, Brigid, and Grant venture to the Moon! The scenes here are quite amazing as they make interesting discoveries and explore the surface of the moon as well as underground. The furies and their leader from Tomb of Time are given a role in this book, as well as answering some mysteries concerning the Annunaki. The book ends in cliffhangers for Grant, and Kane and Brigid. This is a book you want to read with the sequel in the duology on hand, because the story continues in the middle of the action. Another entertaining and fascinating episode in the OL series.

This is Mel Odom's last entry in the series, an improved story over Sargasso Plunder, but not as good as Night Eternal. I enjoyed this novel, however there were parts of the book where it was inconsistant as far as capturing my interest. I really liked the overall storyline concerning the chalice, and the machine it was part of. I also liked Balam's interaction with Kane in bringing him dreams or memories of past lives. These have occured in other novels, and this book offers more scenes from Kane's previous incarnations. I liked the Egypt vignette, as well as other ones, and I thought these were some of the high points of the novel. Also, I thought the ending was excellent, very thrilling and explosive, and I liked the conclusion thoughts Kane and Brigid had concerning the power of the "manna machine". The areas where the book wasn't as interesting was the slave trader part of the storyline, and with that some of the confusing setups going on with the various factions and the Samariumville mags and pirates and Fiddler and Lindstrohm and whatnot. The relationship between the main villain Lindstrohm and his pirate girlfriend Vasquez was weird and I wasn't sure what importance her role really was in the story. They were almost like something out of Buffy or something. Overall I think this is a good effort from Odom, with plenty of action and interesting stuff that fits in well with this series, the characterizations were good, and for a fill-in author's contribution to the series, it it worth including among Mark Ellis's excellent line of OL books.

This book is one of those stories that had me totally absorbed in the action where pages fly by when it seems only one has been read. Once again Mark Ellis has written not only an entertaining adventure, but mentaly stimulating sci-fi themes woven into a pulp adventure novel. The return of one of Kane's notorious opponents, Sindri, makes this book have a special magic seen in his earlier appearances in Parallax Red, and Armageddon Axis. After a thrilling beginning in the ruins of what used to be Chicago, the novel takes a turn with the return of the little Sindri, and it was amusing to see what the power-mad pest was up to this time. Again, as before, this book brings the reader another glimpse into the strange technology found in this land and the awesome power of its capabilities. And Sindri is right in the thick of things. The secrets of Thunder Isle are revealed, and Kane and his friends must contend with some frightening foes in the final pages of the story. And the fate of Sindri? One can only guess... Overall Tomb of Time is among the upper levels of the great books in this series. There is much yet to discover, there is so much potential around the corner in this series, and this book really wets the appetite for more great reading!

I really enjoyed how this book started out. Good action scenes, interesting characters, and a developing plotline kept me interested in the story, and lots of adventure is to be had through the whole novel. This being a book from a fill-in writer, I wasn't going to be expecting the usual amount of continuity that is a strong trait in this series, nor was I going to be too critical of certain mild inaccuracies in the main core of characters. This being said, I thought this book was overall an entertaining novel, but there were other problems that kept this book from being potentialy much better. The plot developments were rather complex, a variety of groups, all with their own agendas, were weaved into this story a little too confusing. Kane and Grant hook up with Remar, who is in league with Falzone, the guy they are ultimately trying to hook up with. His name turned to Falcone for a chapter or two, then went back to Falzone again. Bry is doing something mysterious, and Brigid spies on him, while Domi spies on Brigid. Lakesh seems to have something up his sleeve, Brigid and Domi hook up and they hook up with a guy named Wimmer, who then hooks them up with Mac Olney, who is from another group called the Heimdal Foundation. Meanwhile there is Mallet, the leader of the Cobaltville mags who is after Falzone, who he suspects has doublecrossed Cobaltville. Mallet hooks up with yet another group called the Wiy Tukay worshipers, and then there is the Chinese Tong involved, and various allegiences ensues, and all over some computer tech Falzone is salvaging underwater in what used to be Seattle. Aargh! In general, I thought this book was also a little too long-winded, but at least the ending was suspenseful and the author I thought did a great job with the Mallet character, he was a really nasty bad guy, and was one of the strong parts of the novel. Also I liked the scenes with Domi and Brigid after her snakebite. I will be generous and give this book a 7 out of 10.

The action continues with the battle at the samurai palace, including Brigid's cool swordfight with Yoshika. The final book in the Imperator Wars trilogy kicks off with lots of action. The Tigers of Heaven portion of the story is eventualy wrapped up and Kane's focus turns to his new enemy, Ramirez. With the fate of Domi a mystery and presumed dead, Kane and his friends pursue Ramirez to a mysterious place called Thunder Isle. This was a really cool part of the story, and the scenes taking place there were written very well. The return of Domi was totaly incredible. The book concludes with an amazing reunion with Lakesh and exciting escape from the Imperator. The main characters that drive this series continue to develop, and adds to the depth of these very human heroes as they take on the strange forces that challenge them. The one thing that nagged me about this book was the amount of rehashed material. Heads up to readers, chapters one, thirteen, and fourteen can be skipped in their entirety, as they are reprinted from earlier in the trilogy. Overall, I thought the Imperator Wars trilogy was even better than the other OL trilogy called the Lost Earth Saga. The first two books in this trilogy were a hard act to follow, but still Purgatory Road held it's own and was an entertaining novel.

With the second book in the Imperator Wars trilogy, you get a story that takes off from Doom Dynasty, and ramps up the already ten star quality of that novel to even higher ground with the incredible Tigers of Heaven. This is no filler book or mediocre bridge between a first and third books in a trilogy. No, this one is one of most well crafted and exciting books in the entire series. Like the guitarist's amp in Spinal Tap, this book rating goes up to 11. Mark Ellis turns this trilogy into overdrive, with loads of tense action, battle scenes, heart-wrenching moments, steamy sexual situations, and plot developments that continue to rope in the reader into this fascinating overall storyline. I loved how Domi's character was written in this book. Character development is very strong in this series, and here we see a change in her that we havn't seen before. All the character interaction was outstandingly written in this book. Grant, Kane, and Brigid all shine in their own roles as well throughout the story. And the added tension of the group being seperated, and how the focus of the book shifted from character to character was entertaining. My favorite scenes were Kane's adventure under area 51. There was so many surprises with the various Barons and their shifting loyalties, and I was very interested in Baron Sharpe's actions. And although Lakesh had a small role in this book, what happens to him at the end is a very significant event in the series. The Tigers of Heaven themselves were a latecomer in the book, but it was a goodcliffhanger ending on their island, leaving the reader needing to grab the next book right away. THIS BOOK ROCKS!!!

What else can you give this one but a ten! This first book in the Imperator Wars trilogy contains loads of action, and ends with cliffhangers leaving you wanting to start reading the next book as soon as you put this one down. A good portion of the novel starts off with a continuous adventure scene with Kane and his friends investigating Baron Cobalt's latest mysterious activities. Ending in an exciting action scene, the story then takes an amazing turn, introducing new characters, a first look into the eight remaining Barons, and new shocking story developments solving some mysteries and creating whole new ones. I liked how Kane and Domi found themselves seperated from the party and on their own, very gripping action scenes inside the huge redoubt facility. I was thinking how the place would be a great setting for a video game with Kane and Domi as the star characters. Excellent character interactions, new places explored, and great action takes the reader on another outstanding installment in the Outlanders series. Mark Ellis continues to expand his creative series, with another great book that holds so much promise for upcoming novels. I can't wait to read more!

Wow, this prequel novel to the Deathlands series really surprised me. This writer has been with GE since their earliest days, and I must say he is one of the most talented action writers they have had. After being somewhat disappointed with his first DL novel "Skydark", I thought "Encounter" was a vastly superior book, and a fast flowing page-turner. It wasn't perfect, I thought some of the characterizations were a little cardboard, and I missed seeing more of a deeper look into the relationship Ryan and J.B. had with the Trader. Also there was no "Traderisms" that Ryan and J.B. used to remember so much later on. The baron in this story was a nasty villain, but his fem-fetish was kind of a silly and unnecesary part of his character. But all things considered, I thought this book was not only a great action story centering on an event in Ryan's old war wag days, but some revelations were shown about some things in the series. The origin of Trader's sickness is presented, which is one of the reasons the Trader disappeared in the first book in the series. I also liked the side story involving Doc Tanner. A great depiction of his torment, and his inner anguish. The mist from the first book is not only a part of this story, but Doc's involvement regarding the mist was an awesome scene that was a huge plus for this book. The ending is one of the most explosive and shocking of all the novels in the series, and overall the book exceeded my expectations on many levels. Well worth the read, I give it 9 stars.

The story starts in the heat of action, like most of Mel Odom's books do. Again, there is no section wasted in the usual redoubt mat-trans chamber and exploration used in most novels in the series. Ryan and his companions fight against a number of different groups throughout this adventure. This is one of the few books where there didn't seem to be any one particular villain in the story. That being said, it seemed like the book meandered a bit, with no real plot elements taking shape. I was real interested in the Heimdall foundation concept the author brought up in his earlier novel "The Mars Arena". I was disappointed that this place never was a part of the story, and although the space station debris was involved in this book, it was pretty much brushed off at the end of the book. I really thought there was great potential for story development here, but it was squandered. I wonder if the author wanted to write more on this but was limited by editorial restrictions. At any rate there was plenty of action in this book, in particular the opening sequence at the junkyard, and the action scene against the pirates at the very end was excellent and exciting. The lady called the "chosen" and her effect on Krysty was an interesting addition to the novel. With unmet potential, some minor plotholes, and mediocre scenes at the trading post, I can't rate this book as high as Odom's other DL novels, but it is still better than most of the books I've read in this series. Great job on the DL books Mel, we'll miss ya! It's been a fun ride, but after reading the DL prequel "Encounter", I will be taking a long vacation from this series and dive back into Outlanders. Sweeeet!

This last novel written by the original James Axler is a little bit of a disappointment, like the author was running out of ideas, and in my opinion, it was a good thing by this time that the torch was passed to other writers. The familiar writing of the characters was one of the positive things about the novel, but the book in general was... well, general. I found the book started with about as basic as a typical book starts as you can get, nothing much happens, and no new ground is broken. Further along Ryan and his crew come upon a gun loving religious group, and they stay there, and find themselves in a bad situation. The action heats up in the last part of the book, with the adventure moving along quickly, so it was a decent page-turner at this point, but the story itself wasn't all that great, but at least Doc Tanner got some good scenes in toward the end. The Earthquake was a very contrived way of wrapping up the story, this is the kind of thing that bugs me because of the coincidence of a natural disaster hitting at the right place at just the right time. The book has a western flavor to some scenes that James liked to use, and some gory and shocking moments. A plain book overall with enough action in the later part of the book to keep it from being boring, I give it a 5.

This is a special treat for long-time readers of the series. The story of Doc Tanner is revealed at last in this novel, making it one of the most fascinating episodes in the series. A look is given into various key moments of Doc's experiences involving the time-trawling part of operation chronos. The general backstory, beginning with Pilgrimage To Hell, has been briefly mentioned, mostly in the earliest books, and in Dark Emblem, we see the scenes unfolded in detail in a number of well written cut-scenes. Since Doc has been one of my favorite character's in the series, I was delighted to read a book centered around him. Another interesting thing with this book is a direct connection with the Outlanders novel Omega Path. Here we see from Doc's perspective his brief meeting with the cerberus crew in the same scene found on page 248 of that novel! I thought this was a really cool thing the writers did, and shows that a continuity of this type in the "axlerverse" is a thing that could be done if GE and the writers cared about the books enough. This book took a while to get going, at least as far as action goes, I thought it needed some kind of a punch in the first half of the novel. Other than the story surrounding Doc, the book doesn't offer much, Ryan and some of his companions go off to another redoubt to deal with some vampire creatures, but this part of the story was nothing special, although it did add to some action for the book. For these reasons, I think an 8 is the most I can give it, but overall, a unique, fresh, and intelligently written entry in the series. A must read for anyone who started reading the series from the start.

I liked this adventure, very action-packed and kept me turning the pages. All the characters were written perfectly, as if the author had been with the series from the beginning. Ryan and his companions spend the first two thirds of the book in a town called Hazard. A great series of action takes place here, and the gang finds themselves blasting their way out of another prediciment. The final battle here was a little bit of a coincidence with the arrival of the clown wag at the last second, but I really liked this portion of the story. The group even gets some help from a dwarf, an interesting addition to the party, even for just one book. The last third of the novel takes a major turn, almost like it was a seperate book tacked on to the first. I would have liked to see some sort of connection between the two, but at least it was a great finish to a well written action book. Excellent final pages, I knew the dwarf wasn't gonna make it, but the ending was an exciting and gripping finish to the novel. Overall, this book wasn't as good as the author's first couple books in this series, but I'm still giving it a 9.

This adventure has Ryan's gang starting from a redoubt, traveling to a ville that is really a big mall converted into a sort of self contained town. That's about all this book was really about. This novel had some good and some bad, I will describe some of this as follows: Positive aspects of the story are the interesting things the party encounters during the course of the book. The cryo lab, the scene with J.B. getting an eye exam, the various stores the group finds in the mall, including a funny scene at a comic shop, and a number of references to "pre-dark" stuff. The characterizations were good. A fair amount of series continuity is present in this book, and starting out of the gate, the episode got me interested because of the return of Lester from the novel "Skydark". But this book has its negatives. Overall I got the impression that there was a lack of excitement or a kick to the story, there was no underlying getup-and-go to it at all. The book plodded on with very little action and no promising plot emerged. It was unsatisfying. Kind of like ordering a steak dinner, and finding out the steak is missing. There was no meat to the book. And most of the action scenes were dull and uneventful. And the continuity I mentioned? Well here is an example of how too MUCH continuity can be a problem. For example, when Dean and Jak are in the video arcade, when Jak finds out Dean doesn't remember their first experience with video games in the earlier novel "Shadowfall", Jak then explains what happened the first time. This created three problems. First, at least a page and a half was pretty much cut and pasted from the scene from the earlier book. That is a little overdoing it, and it also led to the second problem, which was the way the scene was entwined in the present. I got confused about where the flashback started and ended, and had to get the other book off the shelf and compare the two to see what was going on. The third problem was that this all takes place in a part of the book that was long overdue for an action scene. Getting a cut and paste from an earlier book instead, I felt kind of cheated out of something better that should have been there. But this kind of feeling was the norm for much of the novel, and it really in my opinion was nothing more than filler in the series. Since this book was steeped in mediocrity, I can't rate "Freedom Lost" any higher than a five, which considering its drawbacks, I am really being generous with that rating.

This story has a theme of ancient Egypt. A very unique villain stars in this episode of Ryan's travels, and this book is one of the more interesting adventures in the series. I liked how the background of the villain was explained, how he came to be and he had some unusual abilities. Several supporting characters in the novel made the story more complex, and you get to see various viewpoints between all the characters in the novel. The Aten city most of the story takes place in is a very colorful and exotic location for this adventure, and Ryan and his friends get some funny makeovers in the Pharaoh wanna-be's kingdom. This is an imaginative tale with a good balance of action, intrigue and adventure. The characterizations were perfect, and it was nice to see each member of Ryan's party play their own key roles in the book. The ending left me wondering what the future holds for the town with their new ruler.

I was impressed with this author's first book in the series. An enjoyable adventure with accurate characterizations and a book that shows continuity in the series. The humor in this book was a welcome addition, and raised my rating a star. The novel Dark Carnival is refered to quite heavily early in the story, with Ryan and his gang emerging from the same redoubt in Florida they had been to before. Although the book starts off not breaking too much new ground, the story gets more interesting as it goes along and toward the end, it turns out to be a unique and well crafted adventure. Good action scenes at the military base and in the submarine, and I liked the way Krysty's power was used to escape her captors. The main villain was interesting, and I liked Ryan's confrontations with him. This writer is very talented, and it's too bad only three books were done, the series would be better if this author continued to write for it.

Mel Odom writes an excellent, non-stop action adventure even better than his first DL novel. In a nutshell, this book is a lot of fun, one of the very best books in the series. Another book to break the pattern of the mat-trans jump, explore redoubt, travel to a ville, eat dinner at Baron's table, Baron turns on them type of story that LJ relied on in many of his novels. This book is fresh and well written, good plot and characterizations, and very good action scenes. No redoubt is even involved in this novel. But what really makes me rate this book as much as the ten-star status is the way the whole storyline involving Dean was written. I loved the perspectives from Dean and his classmates at the Brody school and at the Arena. Dean hasn't been featured since Crossways, and in The Mars Arena, we see the story of Dean's return to Ryan's group. Odom wrote this part into the book very well, I liked Dean's escapades at the school, especialy the great scene in Phaedra's bedroom. All the party members manage to come together in a great ending sequence at the arena, with exciting and suspenseful action and an interesting twist from the usual Baron theme. The ending could have been a little more fleshed out, but still very good. From cover to cover, this is a great DL novel. Books like this and Demons Of Eden by Ellis, are the kind of stories that I consider to be the models by which the DL series should be held to.

I never thought I would give ten stars to a Deathlands novel, but in this case, you gotta give it what it deserves. No small wonder Mark Ellis is the author behind the Axler name on this title. Demons of Eden is a fantastic entry in the DL series, so much so that it is almost a stand-alone adventure novel of classic stature anyone can enjoy, wheather or not you read any other books in this series. The book is full of epic battles and journeys, full of adventure taking place near the rocky mountain area of the future post nuke America. Ryan and his friends spend much of the first portion of the book in a clash with prairie pirates, in an exciting defense of a village. This is where a connection to Stoneface enters the picture. The Indian Ryan meets in that novel has a huge role in Demons of Eden. And the development with this character plunges Ryan and his gang into a world unlike any they have ever seen before. The author weaves an interesting and mysterious element of Indian legend into the story, with great plot twists, and creates a fascinating world hidden from the rest of Deathlands, well drawn characters and grand adventure. And don't forget the action. Tons of that here! I also really enjoyed the wolf called Blood-sniffer. If you like wolves, you've got to read this story! This book is without question the best book in the series I have read so far, and I doubt there could be many that could match the quality of this novel. Superb writing from the start to the last page.

Another new author joins the DL writing cast, making it the fourth writer in the last four books. First off, I thought he did a good job with the characters, and the quality of the writing itself was a positive thing for the novel. However, I got the general feeling that this author's talents were wasted on this DL novel. I never could get into the story, which was mainly about hordes of stickies, killing stickies, blowing up stickies, and more hordes of stickies. I guess the thing is if you are in the right frame of mind, such as if you decided to read a book titled: The Great Stickie Massacre, you might like the book, but for me I was looking for a different storyline. And as Raboy mentioned in his review, there were parts that were just plain gross. I did like the descriptions of the landscape, and the setup of Willie ville. I liked the concept of the way the Mat-trans chamber had the effect on Ryan's friends with the stickie presence in the gateway. There were some errors here and there in the novel, such as Doc using his LeMat like it was an auto shotgun, and some minor plotholes, but there was enough action and some tense moments that the book was an ok read, even if my disinterest in the story caused it to be a drag in many places.

Mel Odom's first novel in the DL series is very impressive. This is one of the best books in the series so far. It brings a unique story and nonstop adventure to the reader. Another episode where Ryan and his crew find themselves outside of Deathlands, this time in England. Pursued by an army squad, Mildred getting captured, Ryan finding a strange plant controlled town with tunnels of giant roots underground, various rebel groups, and world threatening plague about to be unleashed are some of the many storylines thrown into the novel, providing a great level of entertainment, with a crazy ending with the "plant-thing" capping off the story. The characterizations were done well, the fast paced action never let up, and a fair amount of sci-fi fantasy mixed in. Fun stuff.

After reading the first 33 books in the series by one author, reading a book by a new writer took some getting used to. My first impressions of the characterizations of the crew were that JB, Mildred, Jak, and Krysty were pretty much spot-on. That of Doc and Ryan I found to be different. In the case of Doc, I found LJ's version of the character more preferable, but there wasn't any major differences. With Ryan we see more of a change. But I would say definitly for the better. He seemed to be more intelligent and displayed more a desire to stand and make right of the situations around him, as well as a curiosity to explore the mysteries of the Anthill complex. The beginning half of the book was fairly standard as far as pulp action-adventure goes in the DL universe, but what really makes this book shine is the way it kept getting better and better, the last third of the book was awesome as Ryan and Mildred infiltrate the mysterious anthill complex and discover some interesting secrets. The rest of the gang has their own adventures, a good escape from their weird Charlie Manson loving captors and battle it out in the canyons of the Black Hills. Having already read the Outlander novel Armageddon Axis, I knew about the anthill complex and what Ryan was going to find there, but still reading about Ryan and Mildred's adventures inside the mountain a hundred years before Kane and Grant found it was an excellent adventure to read. This is really the first time that sci-fi has been depicted on any major level in the series. Mark Ellis has woven an exciting action packed tale that stands above any of the previous novels in the series. Stoneface would be a good example of how bold and intelligent writing should and could be the standard for current novels in the series.

The story begins from the cliffhanger of the last book. Ryan is seperated from his friends and the first third of the novel centers around his lone adventures and the rest of the party goes on without knowing what his fate is. The middle third is their adventures aboard a ship on the Mississippi river. Old enemies are back, Gert Wolfram, and the mysterious man known as The Magus. It was interesting to finally see this character in a book. My only problem with the storyline was the way Wolfram and The Magus had spent so much of their efforts to track Ryan and capture him only to let him go so he could make his way to their base and help them with their stickie problem. They knew what Ryan was really going to do, so it was more of playing a cat and mouse game against Ryan. Ryan and J.B. are seperated from their friends for the last third of the story, as they make their way through the dangerous forest to rescue the others from the clutches of Wolfram's armed base. Without Dean at his side Ryan seemed to degenerate somewhat, I thought his plan to rob the merchant at the riverside so he could buy tickets for the boat ride was kind of ridiculous. I don't think he would have done this if his son was with him. The adventure and the action is packed in like sardines between the covers of this book. So much so that even the details of everything everyone eats all through the novel doesn't detract from the pacing of the adventure, and the last chapters are very intense and explosive.

A good episode in the continuing adventures of Ryan and his companions. Not up to par with many of the earlier novels in the series, but satisfactory enough. This is another book without Dean, who is still in the school. A basic start, redoubt exploration, and some dream sequences, which I found entertaining, and then the story shifts to a river rafting voyage down the Tennessee river. A variety of people and muties and bizzare situations are experienced, the confrontation with the priest in the church being one of the tense moments of the book. James based many of his novels on places he actualy traveled through in the US. He must have toured Graceland and the Civil War battleground of Shilo, because he used both of these places as tours Ryan's group took during their journey. These were simply filler sections of the novel. This is the book that Doc gets his appendix taken out. That brought back some bad memories. A returning villain from Shadowfall is back, this time under the control of another ill-intentioned ville leader. I liked the ending to this book. It was very tense and suspensful in the last few pages and has a great cliffhanger ending.

The last volume of the Cade series has more of the fast paced action found in the first two books. New York City is again the starting point, and after a round of adventure there, Cade and his partner Janek are off to Kansas in pursuit of Brak, the main villain. Here they meet mutants, ride horses, and storm another bad guy's business. The last third of the book takes place in the future setting of L.A. The intensity picks up as the chase continues, and an assassin named Ryker joins the action, causing more problems for Cade. I enjoyed all three of these Cade novels and Firestreak leaves off with a wide open opportunity for further adventures. Hopefully someday there will be more. Cade rocks!!!

Mike Linaker pulls out all the stops in this second installment of the Cade mini-series. A wall to wall action extraviganza assaults the reader as Cade and his partner Janek the cyborg take on an Industrialist, who is plotting to take over power of the country. If you like futuristic battles with cyborgs, combat droids, outer space platforms, air cruisers, shuttles, helicopters, tanker trucks, monorail cars, regular cars, than this book is for you. The action is fast and furious, great chases and escapes and plenty of blasted bad guys, blown up droids and high-tech adventure. This book is a sci-fi-action-adventure reader's pot of gold! This novel must be one of the inspirations for the author's awesome Bolan story Zero Option. Some similar plot elements are seen in Hardcase. Give the Cade series a try, you won't be disappointed.

This is an excellent book by one of the Bolan authors. The setting is in the future with a kind of Executioner style action taking place both on earth and in space. Cade is the main character, and he has a sidekick named Janek. Janek is a very lifelike cyborg who has lots of capabilities, like driving or piloting all kinds of vehicles, and can tap into computers to absorb information. Some good banter between these two as they track down an Industrialist who is using slave labor to mine titanium in dangerous locations on an asteroid. I like the future cop type of stories, and Mike has written a page turning action novel set in this interesting future world. Any fan of Mike's work should get this series if you happen to come across it in a used bookstore.

The setting for this book is one of the few that take place outside of Deathlands, this time in what is left of Japan. One of the samurai called Yashimoto Ryan had dealt with in Ground Zero is one of the main characters in this story. Overall there is some interesting Japanese samurai and shogun themes throughout the novel, but underneath the surface is a pretty typical rehash of storyline and scenes that have appeared in various novels earlier in the series. I was interested in the concepts that were brought up, such as how the Japanese had discovered how the gateway worked, but those never really came about. Much of the novel deals with the battle between the shogun and the ronin warriors that are opposing him. Some grisly scenes are shown about warriors committing seppuku. I was looking forward to a good confrontation that was imminent between Ryan and Yashimoto, but it turned out to be rather disappointing. There was enough general adventure and interesting scenes to give this book a 6. I was hoping for something much better.

The book starts off in a redoubt in the Colorado rockies. Ryan's gang deal with some wierd twin brothers in the redoubt, then leave there with a water pipe broken, flooding the complex. This adventure deals with two things the party decides to do. One is to enroll Dean in a nearby school for a year for some education. Ryan separates from the group to bring Dean to the school. The parting with Dean was done very well. After leaving the school, Ryan must meet with the rest in a village some miles away. I liked the action that is depicted from both Ryan's perspective, and that of the rest of the party. A lot of the novel deals with the travels through the rocky mountains and the various villages around there. The scene where Ryan is trapped in a collapsed house with the flooding and the mice was suspenseful. Krysty and the others battle against mutie wolves. I liked the scenes in the various restaurants also. This novel has a strong western flavor. Once the party is united again they are off to do the other thing they wanted. This was to visit Krysty's nearby hometown of Harmony. The last part of the book deals with this along with the battle against the gang of killers that are ravaging the area. The battle with killers in the town was not the highlight of the book, and the last pages of the novel were kind of filler as the group makes their way back to the redoubt. But overall I thought this book was pretty good, loaded with adventure and interesting characters.

The adventures of Ryan's group bring them through another mat-trans jump to a gateway in the bayou of Louisiana. The party is unable to get into the actual redoubt, which is devoted to scientific biological experiments. This I believe is the same redoubt unveiled in the Outlanders novel Shadow Scourge. They journey to a town where a confrontation leads to Ryan being temporarily blinded. This was an interesting element to the story, because much of the adventure is seen from the perspective of a blind Ryan. He must rely on his friends, especialy Krysty, to lead him around and describe what they are seeing. After Ryan's exciting battle in the swamp against an aligator, the gang end up meeting with an odd albino who invites them to his mansion near the town. This is where the novel gets real spooky. The last half of the book takes place inside the large old home of these strange people known as The Family. This part of the novel was spooky and suspenseful. This was the strength of the book, balancing out the fact that this was not the typical action and excitiment of most of the novels in the series. I liked the fresh direction this book went, all the vampire theme and creepy and smelly rooms of the house made an atmoshere of a fun to read adventure novel. A good battle with the vampires and another cliffhanger ending cap off this solid Deathlands episode.

The gateway Ryan and his friends emerge from is just that, no redoubt this time, and they find that only for the second time they are somewhere outside of Deathlands. The whole story takes place somewhere in the Amazon jungle. I liked the descriptions of the jungle and the environments they journey through, all the vegetation and wildlife were a great setting for the book. And the first half of the novel had a feeling of suspense to it, as the party explores the jungle and old military outpost, and runs into various natives and groups of slavers. A good portion of the second half takes place in and around a village, where they stay and help the natives there. These are descendents of the Aztecs. Battles with other natives, an army of ants, and the slavers make up much of the action. The ritualistic ceremonies, food and god worship of the tribe are depicted, and Ryan's gang is caught up in the middle of it all, with Jak being looked at as the god the natives have been told about in their legends. This creates the last part of the novel, with the tribe wanting to keep Jak, and Ryan must form a plan to rescue Jak. I thought this was a pretty decent adventure, the only thing that dragged it down some was that the novel seemed to be a little long, many of the jungle scenes were similar to other scenes after a while. Overall I give the book a strong 6. This has another ending that leaves a cliffhanger for the next book.

Having parted company with Trader and Abe at the end of Shadowfall, Ryan and his companions jump to another redoubt, this time in the Washington DC area. They meet a woman named Emma, who has powers of seeing the future to some extent, and she joins the party. A variety of adventures and action in the story eventualy leads them to the ville of Baron Sharpe. I'm guessing this is the future location of Sharpeville, found in the Outlanders series. The Baron (crazy as predicted) is interested in the woman with strange powers, and wants her as one of his caged pets. This leaves the usual situation where one or more of Ryans gang is held captive and a rescue ensues. Jak's love interest in Emma further binds the party for her rescue. Although the formula is fairly standard for books in this series, I thought this adventure was written very well, and had some tense moments. I liked the rescue of Ryan from the quicksand after the tornado hit the town, and the freaky monsters the Baron kept in his zoo. The Baron's demise was nasty, and quite deserving. Overall, several decent action scenes sprinkled throughout the book. Doc Tanner had a good role in this novel, and I liked his humor at the dinner table. A strong 7.

This episode starts off with a rather run-of-the-mill beginning, with the group finding themselves in another new redoubt, exploring it and the surrounding environs, and finding their way to a settlement of people, battling muties along the way. A suspenseful rescue of Dean in the gateway and the battle with the scabbies and a giant crab were the highlights of this section of the novel. There was a good description of the landscape in this story, Ryan's group travel through bubbling sulpher pits and geysers and other bleak areas. I liked the way Ryan and Dean's relationship was portrayed in this book, and the ending was a surprise, dealing with Abe and Trader. For once it seemed the baron was a good guy, and Ryan ended up helping him defeat the tribe of "brushwooders" before they attacked the ville. One of the villains called Straub, was a typical creepy Deathlands bad guy, and his method of taking out the sec men was interesting. Overall, however, there some areas in this book where it failed to hold my interest. The storyline was kind of weak, and the whole thing with the mutie pigs just didn't seem something to base a story around to make all that great a reading experience. And the part where Straub was attempting to snip off Jak and Krysty's hair in the middle of the night was so silly it made me laugh. I would rate Shadowfall near the bottom end of the 26 novels I've read so far in the series.

After the reunion of Trader with the rest of the group at Jak's home, the party must leave the place for good, heading back to the most commonly used redoubt in New Mexico. A brief exploration of another redoubt, the location of which is undetermined has some good suspense and then it's on to another gateway jump. Halfway into the book, the story begins at the hospital in Maine. I found this to be a a much better written second half than earlier novels like Cold Asylum or Twilight Children. The goings on at the hospital gave an atmosphere of mystery, as well as suspense, and some horror. Mildred's discovery of the "experiments gone wrong" creeped the hell out of me. The novel overall was very well done, I thought, the story held my interest and the action picked up more as the book went on. A solid 8.

Hell Rising is a sequel to Savage Sun, bringing Kane and Grant back to England to find out what the latest problem is arising there. Some characters return, like Fand, Morrigan, and Phin, and many of the scenes occur in the same places Kane and Grant were before. I was a little confused about Morrigan's role in the earlier book, but it was more clear what she was doing in this book. Fand has a link to Kane in his dreams, but more than that, there is a whole history behind Fand and Kane, as well as the main villain Quayle, as past lives are involved in the story as well. Some of these past lives are briefly depicted, adding some interesting look into the history of the heroes and villains. The adventure is action packed and full of gunfights, swordfights and an awesome finish. One of my favorite parts of the book was the beginning, when Kane and his friends are in an Antartican redoubt in a bloody battle with a sasquatch named Jacko, who is controlled through an implant in his brain by Otto Skorzeny. Followed by a duel between Brigid and Otto himself with giant wrenches. Awesome stuff! Once again, Mark Ellis has written a top-notch sci-fi adventure novel that will keep you reading into the early morning hours.

Ryan and JB have found the Trader at last, and this book deals with the adventures of Trader, Abe, Ryan, and JB as they explore Seattle and then their journey back down to Jak's home in New Mexico. It was interesting to see the relationship between Ryan and Trader, and how things had changed between them since their war wag days. Plenty of thrilling action and adventure in their trek back south, suspenseful scenes on the river and I liked how Ryan was not letting Trader be the boss. The only part of the story that I didn't care much for was the old baron in the hotel and his two fat daughters and his plot to have them married to Ryan and Trader. Doc and his feisty mule, Judas, get their own part in the novel, as Doc wanders from the house to get some time to himself. Some interesting developments going on there with his meeting Sukie. I liked the part where the two travelers came to Jak's home and what resulted from that. It was a surprise, and kind of shakes things up a bit in the ongoing adventures of Ryan's group. This is one of the better books in the series so far, and would have given it a nine rating if it wern't for the silly part with the old baron and his two girls. The ending once again leaves off with more going on in the story in the next book.

Road Wars is about a journey Ryan and JB take together from Jak's home in New Mexico to a meeting with Trader in Seattle. There are three main perspectives, that of Ryan and JB, the rest of the group remaining at Jak's place, and also with the Trader himself along with Abe. At Jak's, the group has to deal with some religious crazies attacking them, and one of the things I liked about this part of the book was the further escipades of Doc Tanner and Judas the mule. The scenes with Abe and Trader showed more of their savage life, and also how Trader seemed to be getting more senile. The meat of the novel was Ryan and JB's travels in their war wag on a long journey with little gas and a struggle to make ends meet. This part of the story was more like a series of vignettes. They encountered a variety of villes, people both good and bad and found themselves in all kinds of situations. This is the first book I can remember where no redoubts or mat-trans gateways were involved. I liked this adventure, although it didn't have much of a plot, I thought it was an entertaining book, and the ending leaves you wanting to read on to the next book to continue the story, which really is a two book dualogy with Trader Redux.

This episode deals with the demise of Michael Brother and the group's reunion with Jak. For the most part, this book is about a journey through the New Mexico wastelands on a quest for revenge against a "General" responsible for the destruction of Jak's family. A lot more of an emotionaly charged book, as well as breaking the usual formula of the gateway/explore redoubt/become guest of insane baron mold. This was a good change of pace, but I did find parts of the book a little on the dull side though. The Navaho indians, who for a time became their allies, were predictably against them in the end, something I've read before in Pony Soldiers. I was hoping for a different result this time, but at least the indians weren't portrayed as nasty torturers. I liked how the action picked up at the end in the caves, and the scene outside with Dean was done very well. The return of Jak isn't something I'm thrilled about, but his role was important to the storyline, and I got used to him once more, and it felt like the the gang was complete again. The highlight for me about this novel had to be the mule named Judas. His antics with Doc Tanner were a hoot, and Judas had a great scene getting involved in the action with Dean outside the caves. I felt like the book could have used some more exitement, but overall a pretty decent book in the series, I'll rate it a seven.

This is a very different kind of OL novel. The theme of this book is creepy-scary-monster-voodoo-vampire. Another title for the book could be "The Louisiana Swampie Massacre". In a rather simple plot, Krysty and DeFore jump to a Louisiana gateway to find the source of an outbreak of the "black death" plague, where they get captured. After Grant and Kane investigate a redoubt in South America, they return to go rescue the women. The book has a lot of strange tribal ritual type stuff going on, lots of swampies, and lots and lots of rats. The action in this novel never lets up, and there is a lot of suspense. The origin of the swampies is explained in this book, and it was interesting how they and the vampire villain had a tie to the project Excalibur experiments. This isn't one of my favorite of the Outlander books because of the wierd subject matter, but a very well told story, full of action and gore, and it was nice to see Brigid portrayed like herself again after her lame role in Wreath Of Fire.

This episode starts off with Ryan's party checking out a couple more redoubts, one of which leads to an old town that contains some strange giant mutie insects. The first half of the book was very good, I found it to be exciting and entertaining. The second half of the novel wasn't as good, it was ok, but nothing spectacular. With what seemed like a combination of a Star Trek episode and Logan's Run, the book takes an interesting turn when Ryan's group discovers a ville where all seems fine, but all the people in the ville are very young, and all blonde. At age 25, they get the ax. This place is run by a ruler who makes himself some sort of a god to the people, and hides behind a mirror. This is one part of the story I thought was kind of hokey, and the ending wasn't all that great, at least concerning how Ryan's gang dealt with this particular baron, and what he ended up being. The side plot with Abe and the Trader continues, but the Trader seemed to be more of a jerk than anything else in his limited exposure in this novel. Plenty of good adventure, particularly in the first half, and some good character interaction make for a good enough book, but this one is not among the best of the stories in the series.

It took me a while to get into this novel, with a different author at the helm and a beginning that was a little confusing, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the book, but fortunately I found it to be a rather good story and full of action, with a decent plot. After realizing that a group of ore convoy raiders were coming out of nowhere, It was determined that they had come through a gateway that Kane's gang didn't know about. When Kane discovers this redoubt, the gateway there takes them to another redoubt on some Islands off the California coast, or whats left of it. This is where the story goes in a new direction, with the leader of the raiders, a woman called Ambika, is the central figure for the remainder of the book. This is one of the more interesting villains I've read in a while. What happens with her and Kane was captivating reading, especialy the scene in her bedroom and the great fight in there. I also liked the confrontation between Kane and Wei Qiang in the restaurant. It wasn't clear what eventuly happened to this character. One thing I wasn't too thrilled with was the way Brigid was written in the novel. Her attitude around Kane was too childish and these scenes became predictable. I was a little disappointed with Kearney's role in the story also, I was hoping there was going to be a further plot development with him, and the continuity didn't seem to work right with what happened at the end of Armageddon Axis. And who were Ambika's informers inside Cobaltville? All in all, this book was full of adventure and action, with some suspense and mystery, I rate it a strong 8.

The group is seperated because the damage to the redoubt in Florida causes some malfunction in the gateway. The first third of this book deals with the seperate adventures of the party members as they find themselves in different gateways, and try to get back together again. This was my favorite part of the story, and Cold Asylum earns as much as a 7 rating because of Doc Tanner. I loved his part in this book, although he wasn't much of a focus the second half of the book. The gang then finds themselves as guests at a fancy old ville in Kansas. As can be expected, the baron there has darker motives behind his generosity, and it doesn't take long before Ryan and his friends realize they need to get out of there. The final escape scene has the usual mayhem and the ville is left in ruins. This is the book where Abe finally finds the Trader, and they send messages out to try to let Ryan know he is still alive. A pretty standard DL outing, made better by Doc Tanner, who is my favorite of the characters.

Ryan and his group start off with the typical new gateway and explore their new surroundings, this time having to go through a flooded redoubt to get out. This wasn't that great of a book, but not because of a lack of action, instead it was that this story didn't seem to have any direction. No plot whatsoever, so I just went along for the adventure. The whole setting with the institute, the scientists and their pet dolphins, as well as the threat of the pirates offshore, just didn't make for all that compelling of a story, nothing seemed to be vital to any plot or story advancement, but at least the characters were done well, and enough action and some suspense to make a decent read. There was potential for something to develop with the Miranda character and her attempt to lure Michael against Ryan, but that angle just went away when Doc found out about it. There could have been something good storywise there, but it didn't happen. It was never clear what the head scientist's true motivations were, he didn't seem like a good guy or a bad guy, and Ryan just shoots him later without any real reason. I did like the continuing side plot of Abe trying to track down the Trader, but that only took up three chapters out of the book. Not one of James' better DL novels.

This is a decent book in the series, although it has some filler here and there, it would have been a better novel if it was a tight 220 page story. The action picks up at the end and everything gets wrapped up nicely. A rather unusual plot, Ryan meets a traveling group that performs plays, and joins them and uses the play for a sneaky way of capturing some bad guys. One of these guys has a tie to JB, I thought this was an interesting element in the story. What really made the slow part of this book enjoyable was the character of Rosie Owens. I laughed my ass off, the humor involved with her part in the novel was great. I liked the book, it could have been better though, without some of the filler, so I will give it a 6.

I think this is the best book in the series since the first one. Not only is it crammed with the action and adventure I expect from the series, but it also has a lot of other good things going for it. Early in the story contains a little more of a sci-fi direction, I liked the jump to the space station, some exploring there (I'm assuming this is Parallax Red?), and eventualy Ryan's group makes a jump to the Chicago redoubt. Here they discover a chron jump chamber. This is cool and they experiment with it, thanks to Doc Tanner's knowledge, are able to mess with it and trawl some people from the past. This leads to another member joining the gang, Michael Brother. Not too exiting of a character, but interesting. This also sparks Doc's interest in his long lost family, now he realizes a possability to use the chron jump to go back in time again. This novel deals partly with Doc finally going over the edge, he really gets fused out, kind of funny, I loved his part in this book. I liked the war wag they find and after a journey with that they find themselves in underground Chicago, good scenes with Dean and the captured Krysty, lots of firefights and finally a race to keep Doc from trawling himself to the past. James did a great job with this story, a major turnaround from the disappointing Moon Fate. Good book, I'm giving it 9 stars out of 10.

This is a brilliant masterpiece of science fiction adventure. I stayed up till four in the morning to finish this entertaining book, this story had me glued to the pages until the last word of the last chapter. I rate Armageddon Axis up there with my favorite titles in the series, Exile To Hell and Doomstar Relic. The adventure starts outside the New Mexico redoubt, with Kane and friends discovering an Aurora craft, which is the smaller version of what they get to fly in later in the story. After wreaking havoc on the intallation there, they return to base to discover a request for help from their old "friend" Sindri. You need to read Parallax Red first to fully understand the background to this character. I found the return of Sindri to be a surprise, and I was delighted at the way Mark weaved his role into this story, I thought he was a more entertaining character than his first appearance. The whole scene with the Aurora jet was thrilling, I thought this book would make a great movie, the cinematic scenes involving both auroras would just be awesome! I also enjoyed the perspective of Abrams in the administation Monolith. Some very interesting developments going on there, I liked the Kearney character, he was written very well, a character I hope to see more of in future titles. And this book has much, much more, Mark Ellis is simply the best writer in a talented group of GE writers. My socks have been knocked off once again!

A cool title and one my favorite art pieces from Herring grace the cover of this book, but unfortunately the story didn't live up to the awesome cover. The story begins with Ryan coming back from rescuing Dean from the slave camp, only to find that Jak's home is in ruins, and the rest of his gang are missing. After a duel with the remaining robot from the caves, Ryan goes on a search to find Krysty and the others. The adventure is pretty simplistic, they encounter a gang of stickies, Ryan and Krysty are captured, and along with a number of other prisoners, manage to escape into the canyons. What I didn't like about this book, aside from it being a so-so story and a very rushed ending, was the level of savagery in this particular novel was too much for my taste. Not a book to recommend to anyone wanting to check out the series. What is interesting is Jak becomes a father, but this isn't much more than just a footnote at the end of the book. The final confrontation with the stickie leader was anti-climactic too. I liked the suspenseful battle at the movie theater, and some other action scenes, but overall I enjoyed this book the least of all the Deathlands books so far.

An action filled adventure in the ongoing series, this book features mostly Ryan Cawdor on his own for most of the story. He finds a woman hiding in some caves and she becomes his ally as he searches for his son, who is enslaved in a mining camp. The villain in here was first introduced in Red Holocaust, and later in Red Equinox. The rest of the gang is at Jak's place in New Mexico, while Ryan goes this adventure alone. His fight with some sec droids in the caves was cool, and I liked the tense escape through the caves and the icy underground river. The scenes at the mining camp were so so, but the book was good at the end, with the final confrontation with the villain and one of the sec droids. This book has one of my very favorite Herring artworks, so I'm glad it was a good story too. Not the best novel in the series so far, but I enjoyed it more than most. I will give it an 8.

This final volume in the Lost Earth saga deals with the third parallel casement to once again deal with the entity known as Thrush. Unlike the first two books which took place on Earth, in less than desirable world conditions, the casement in Outer Darkness takes place in space, where humanity had taken a much more positive direction in history, and Kane is in a position of command of a space ship. This is an entertaining and very different side trip for this series, almost like a star trek episode, with Grant, Domi, Brigid, and other parallel casement people from the Cererus redoubt as the crew aboard the spaceship. My only knock on this story was it was a little too much like a star trek setting, and I thought the book lagged a bit in the middle, at least as far as pacing was concerned. But what a interesting and enjoyable look at a possible future mankind could experience if "reaching for the stars instead of the slag heap". The opening six chapters was really the part of the novel I enjoyed the most, the part where they fix the War Wag for the Indians, and the battle with the mags sent after them. And the ending has a great fight between Domi and Beth-Li. Overall a very fun and fascinating trilogy for this series, I enjoyed it very much.

The Lost Earth saga goes into full swing with this book, and it was a very entertaining story. Night Eternal deals with the second of the three lost worlds, with Grant being a leader of a band in the Eastern part of the US, and Kane is Thrush's right hand man in the Western US. Brigid is Kane's ex wife working in a historical division in the Sante Fe ville. This book has a lot of action, jumping between the different perspectives as they try to find each other in this alternate world, as well as taking over control of their doppelgangers, which doesn't come easy for Kane and Brigid. The plot is rather simple; to find and kill Thrush. The complex adventures in this story are a fun read, and although this book isn't perfect, I still give it a full 10 stars. Great stuff!

The first book in the Lost Earth trilogy starts right where Iceblood left off. I recommend reading Iceblood first, it is really a prelude to this trilogy. The pieces of the stone Kane gets in Iceblood are the keys to alowing he and Grant and Brigid to travel to parallel casements. A very imaginitive story, the viewpoints of the alternate earths are fascinating, and further broaden the whole world of possibilities in the OL universe. The Thrush character in the alternate world is the main villain, with Kane and Grant under his command, in a world where the Nazis had won World War II. The scenes involving the giant OGRE tank were my favorite of the novel, Kane faces a terrifying army of master race monster warriors, and another confrontation with his old enemy Salvo. I liked the scene where Kane blows up Hitler's face off Mt. Rushmore. I also liked the goings on concerning Beth-Li and the trouble she causes in the redoubt. One thing strange about this book is it has the most technical blunders I've ever seen in a book. It's like the manuscript went through a blender and then wasn't edited. It was annoying at times, but I tried not to let it distract me from the enjoyment of the novel.

Starting where Seedling had left off, this story begins at the moment Ryan finally meets his son Dean. A strong start to the book, the groups escape from New York, back to the redoubt and jumping to another redoubt in Florida. Ryan's life takes a new direction at this point, now dealing with being a father, and it was interesting to see the interaction between the two, which is the main focus of the first third of the book. However, when the main part of the novel takes shape, in a theme park in Florida, I wasn't impressed with the direction the book went, the characters just didn't seem themselves, especially Ryan, maybe due to his sons presence at his side, I don't know, but it just seemed that he wasn't reacting properly to the strange situations they found themselves in. A weird Charles Manson type of villain with his psycho killer followers, had taken power over the Baron and the theme park. I thought it all was just silly, not up to the level of adventures I was used to in the series. One interesting part of the book was Ryan's reunion with Jak, which was a side trip he made to keep Dean safe from the freaks at the theme park. This sets up the next novel, while in Jak's custody, something happens to Dean. A noteworthy book for Ryan's meeting with his son, and a glimpse of Jak's new life, but as a book overall, Dark Carnival falls flat in my opinion.

Ryan's gang emerge from a redoubt in New York City, and work their way over to Manhatten Island. Most of the book takes place in the ruins of the city, most of the buildings left are only two or three stories and the rest is rubble. By coincidence they meet a woman that has been trying to find Ryan to tell him about his son, which at this point he doesn't know he even has. Using a building cellar as a hideout, he now quests to find his son. This is the book that is notable for the introduction of Dean, who apparently is still with the series. Many people are on the island, some are hostile, but the main villains are a large military camp of "scalie" muties that for some reason are organized, and wear berets with a symbol on them, but the author never explains the reasoning for this or get to see the leader of these organized muties. They just seem to be thrown in there in stead of the usual baron sec force in other books. Ryans learns his son is captured by these muties and goes there for the rescue. I enjoyed this book, it had a lot of adventure, and some suspense, the action was plenty, probably one of the better books in the series. Seedling is the first novel since book two that didn't have Jak in it (except Time Nomads), which is probably why I liked it. The ending was more abrupt than usual, the scene ends just as Ryan meets his son, I was hoping they would meet earlier in the story, I have to read the next book to see what happens.

This book is full of surprises. The prisoner in the redoubt finaly gets to have his day in this novel. Up to now there is a lot of mystery and speculation about the Archon Directorate and all that is involved with it, but this novel really goes into unexpected directions, answering many questions, and adding more wonders in this imaginative and fascinating series. It took me a while to get into this book, the opening chapters didn't really grab me the way the earlier books did. But as I read along the story got more and more interesting, and I got totaly absorbed in the novel. Another outstanding entry in a series any fan of sci-fi should read.

This one starts off a little differently. Ryan and his crew don't start in a jump chamber, instead they are stranded in the Texas desert due to the destruction of the redoubt in the previous novel. Their adventures take them to a town where they meet up with their old enemy Cort Strasser. First appearing in book one, and again in book six, I was glad this villain returned again, he is one sick bastard, and the scene at the town showed he was even crazier than ever. The capture of Mildred, and the chase after Strasser, on the train tracks, the river rafting scene and the final showdown were well done, the action was more intense than in some earlier books. I like the continuity of having one author writing these stories, the books are connected beginning and end to the last and next book, making it better to read them in order. Another little twist at the end of this one making you wonder what is going to happen to Jak.

With eating hundred year old food the possibility of getting food poisoning makes sense, and Ryan gets a dose of it at the beginning of this novel. I was hoping the time travel would have something to do with the gateways themselves, but instead this story deals with the memory of a past event in Ryan's mind while he is in a poison induced coma. This novel, through Ryan's memory, takes him back to the time with the Trader, with the warwags, before the first book. I liked this novel, it had more of a Pilgrimage to Hell feel to it, and was interesting to see events with the war wags as well as the first time Ryan saw Krysty, and also the prelude of sorts to the novel Seedling, involving the mother of Ryan's child. A better book overall then the last two or three books, good action, and a suspenseful ending getting out of the ruined redoubt before it blows. The death of the Baron was anticlimactic though, he was the one character in the book that was kind of weak and boring. A good adventure.

An outstanding entry in the Outlanders saga, Kane and his friends, hunted by the Barons, try to distract their pursuers by making it look like they have been living in various redoubts, diverting attention away from their true hiding place. It doesn't take long for them to get caught up in another power hungry villain's plans to take over the villes. The redoubt from Deathlands novel Red Holocaust plays a major role, and the redoubts from Neutron Solstice and Northstar Rising are also represented in this novel. Barch, the main villain, has discovered a very powerful weapon hidden in the Alaska redoubt, and along with mind control, attempts to bring Kane on his side. A great plot with lots of adventure, character interaction and everything else you could want in a sci-fi novel is here. I enjoyed this book as much as the first novel in this series, and the writing seemed to flow more smoothly and the story moved along at a brisk pace, the pages just flew by. There are too many great aspects of this novel to list them all, all I can say is Mr. Ellis has a very simple formula with these Outlanders novels: to knock your socks off!!! A definite ten star book and complete with a great Herring cover, get your paws on this one, it's awesome.

Ryan's group find themselves in Minnesota near another of the cryo facilities. A new member is added to the group, Mildred Wyeth, who is thawed out from a hundred years earlier. Some good scenes early on in the story, battling mutant bees and ants on the way to discovering a town of vikings. This place has racial issues, the norseman thinking Jak as some god and Mildred as a devil because of skin color. Add in toxic waste radiation to the mix makes this place a pretty messed up town and Ryan's crew leaves it the way they leave most places. Nearly destroyed. A decent read, lots of adventure, battles, and mayhem, a strong 6.

In this chapter of Ryan's travels, he ends up in a Russian Mat-trans gateway, located under a big house, which is the same one Kane goes to in Destiny Run 100 years later. This novel is pretty much a yawner through the first two thirds of the story, dealing mainly with the group having to find tools to repair the broken gateway, traveling back and forth from the house and exploring their surroundings. The action and tension pick up when Ryan is in Moscow, pursued by the same Russian they had met once before in book 2, Red Holocaust, as well as an urgency to get back to the gateway before the "freezie" with his repair knowledge, died from his sickness. The plot is thin, and the slow start to the story, as well as a little too much "we gotta kill every russian we see cause they will kill us" kind of thing going on in the book, so I consider this overall an average read, nothing more. I did enjoy the ending, it was well done and with a cliffhanger too.

I was surprised how good this book turned out to be. A very entertaining, fun story by the writer of a few Bolan books. A good mixture of action, adventure, humor, and suspense make this an enjoyable read. I like the characters in here, especially the hero, Christian Daguerre, who isn't out to be any hero at all, but circumstances bring him from a normal life into a world of villains and he deals with the scum pretty damn good. This book is a gem in the pile of also rans in the used bookstore racks, pick it up if you see it.

Ryan and his group are in a redoubt where cryogenic experiments had been, and get a chance to thaw out a guy from being frozen for a hundred years. The first half of the book centers around this, being the "ice" part of the story, then, with their new companion in tow, they enter a town where precious gas is the treasure of the ville. This ends in an explosive conclusion, thus the "fire" part of the book. A decent adventure overall, but not the best of the DL novels so far. And one more member of the party bites the dust in this novel. The thawed out dude joins the party for the next book. His state of mind is kind of like Doc Tanner's was when Doc was first discovered. A good book.

This book is a gem if there ever was one, this one gets a ten star plus from me. Some of the most realistic and brilliant writing I've ever seen in an action/adventure novel is contained in a mere 200 odd pages of this tale of a group of soldiers in the Vietnam war. The beginning of this excellent series begins before the camp-555 even exists, nothing more than a field in a dangerous area in vietnam, where these soldiers must build a base from scratch, with hostile forces nearby, then defend this base against enemy troops. This isn't just a book that you read, words on pages, but rather transports you right into the action, looking over the shoulders of the soliers, like a fly on the wall, observing, as if you were there yourself, the realism, danger, and suspense of these troops in the field. The characters are realistic, three dimensional, and you get to know several viewpoints, not just one main character. The authors were there, and they know how to write it the way it was. I couldn't recommend more an awesome book than this one, get this one wherever you can find it!

This novel contains plenty of adventure and action as Ryan and his friends end up in a redoubt by the coast of Maine. The scenes on the water in the whaling ship was well done, and the Apache they met in Pony Soldiers helps them out in this novel, and he decides to stay in the whaling business. It would have been cool to see him in more books, I kind of liked the character. Wierd muties and monsters and villains and loaded with adventure, this book is a good read. One of my favorite Herring covers too.

The fifth entry in this series takes Kane and his friends to a redoubt in the Washington DC area, then on to a space station, and even to Mars! They are introduced to some interesting weapons, like the powerfull MD gun, and the cornball "harp gun". This novel, I can only describe as FUNKY CHICKEN! Both villains in this book, Baron Sharpe, and the very interesting little man calling himself Sindri, are looney tunes. And some wierd dwarf monkey men as Sindri's helpers. Scenes taking place in zero gravity are an amusing treat in this novel. This book really went in some unexpected directions, a very imaginitive story. This isn't as good a book as the first four novels in the series, in my opinion, but even though it is rather zany, and in some parts not much action, it nevertheless answers the question "Are we having fun yet?", with a resounding "yes!". Enough entertainment to be worth rating this one as a 9.

This book slam dunks the full ten stars! The fourth volume in this cool series has Kane's group rescuing Lakesh from the Cobaltville prison. This is the first return there for the exiles since they left in book one. Very tense and exciting scenes in the rescue and then its on to the redoubt to go back in time to just before the nukecaust to try to thwart that disaster. The ending is unexpected, a real twist to the story, leaving a cliffhanger for the next book. Another great book from Ellis.

This book moves this series furthur in a different direction than it's cousin, Deathlands. Sci-fi fantasy takes a much greater role and the extensive backround of history and legend is a large part of this novel. There is much to absorb on each page. This book isn't perfect, but good enough to give it the full ten stars. Great adventure and enough action to slake anyones thirst for a really great reading experience. Very imaginitive and interesting characters and events make this series a fun way to read science fiction.

Ryan and his gang find themselves in New Mexico, where they discover an old enemy has resurfaced. This book has kind of a cowboys and indians type of theme, its a decent book, but I was disappointed with the ending because their indian allies turned out to be just as creepy as the sec men, except for the shaman, who joins the party for the next book.

I enjoyed this one more than book 3, and the mysterious Doc Tanner has a lot of interesting secrets that he reveals, I liked finding out more about him. The band of wanderers grows a little smaller, down to 6 by the end of this novel, as they discover a bunch of insane scientists in a mountain complex in Oregon. Good action at the end of the book in particular, great stuff.

Although I didn't think this one is as good as the first two books, I liked this one. The party loses another member in here, but picks up a new guy named Jak Lauren, a 14 year old albino, who becomes a permanent addition to the team. A little more is revealed about Ryans past, and more info about what happened 100 years earlier. Kept me interested in learning more secrets about this land.

I liked this book, Cawdor and his friends discover a big redoubt in Alaska, and explore the place, adding a new member to his wandering group. I like the aspect of wonder and discovery in these early Deathlands, as these people explore these strange places built long ago, leaving behind all kinds of food and supplies that they can use to survive better in a hostile and mutant infested world. Doc tanner reveals a little bit at a time about his unusual past. This book has a lot of good action too.

This book introduces the main characters that continue in this long running series. Ryan Cawdor, who has been scarred from a fight with his brother, has one eye, Krysty Wroth is his girlfriend, who has a touch of mutant powers due to the radiation that covers much of the land. And his friend, JB Dix, a gun expert, find themselves in a mutant infested land where the nuclear bombs had devestated the land 100 years earlier. They rescue a strange old man, Doc Tanner, who joins the party, and has many secrets about his strange past. They discover a gateway left over from the pre nuke time that is capable of sending people to other gateways around the country. Much of the series is based on the party wandering from these gateways and fighting mutant monsters, and confronting power crazy Barons who have taken over small pockets of civilization. A pretty cool book, I liked it.

Continuing their journey in the nuke blasted Deathlands, Ryan Cawdor and his friends emerge in a redoubt in New York state. He decides to go back to his hometown in Virginia to confront his twisted brother, who is now the Baron of the ville there. Good adventure on the trek to his old home, and gets revenge on his brother after 20 years of absence. Trading complex plots for high Adventure, the Deathlands books are pretty good, although not as brain cell stimulating as Outlanders, but for what it is, Homeward Bound was an enjoyable novel.

The second Outlanders novel takes Kane and his friends to Russia, and then to the desert of Mongolia. They quest to further find the truth behind the mysteries they are cought up in, more of the complex backround of this imaginative world is revealed, setting up more interesting stuff in the outlands universe. An excellent novel, not quite as good as the first, but very entertaining, and leaves you hungry for more. Great stuff.