Rob

'The ship was not of Tiamat but was Tiamat and three thousand years was only a breath in the span of her eternity'. I was hooked on this novel when I read the first line of the prologue and by the time I was in the mddle of chapter one I knew the anticipation for Children of the Serpent was not hype! Even for a die-hard fan of the OL series like me, this book is an exceptional gem. Its a showpiece for the talent and imagination of Mark Ellis who can make an eight year old series seem fresh, exciting and brand new again, generating enough great new ideas to carry OL for another eight years—or eighty! The very first page grabs your attention and sets the stage for the enthralling, action-packed and tragic tale that reveals the real story behind the creation of the hybrid barons, the program of unification , Sam the Imperator and the Anunnaki Empire of ancient Sumeria. In Children of the Serpent, Mark Ellis has skillfully taken the complex amount of material established in 32 previous novels of the OL saga, simplified it, explained it and still managed to spin a spellbinding and fast-moving tale that clarifies all sorts of mysteries, inconsistencies and small details such as why the Imperator chose such an ordinary name as ‘Sam”. Best of all, it all makes perfect sense!!! Ellis absolutely nails the all characters we long-term readers have come to love, which comes as no surprise since he created them all. They all show very human qualities such as fear and humor and even heart-ache, but they’re also presented as heroic and intelligent people who aspire to free the human soul from tyranny. Not only with this book does OL seem to make a final break with Deathlands and soar into bright new territories, it also makes a final break with the kind of low-life scum GE has allowed the DL characters to degenerate into. With Children of the Serpent the Cerberus warriors have NOTHING in common with the DL cast—Thank God. The tone and pacing of the plot is perfect and keeps the reader mesmerized up until the final page, following a blazing, explosive MAJOR battle of the kind never seen in the OL series before! There's a great scene between Brigid and Kane right before the climatic battle that shows the deep feelings between the two of them but also symbolizes why the time isn’t right to act on those feelings. Speaking of symbolism theres also a very moving bit with Philboyd explaining to Kane the meaning of the American flag, both past, present and future. Children of The Serpent ties up very nicely sub-plots that have been running for years but its not necessary to have read earlier books to completely enjoy and appreciate the story in this book. Even with all the revelations, this novel is full of high adventure and introduces a fascinating new group of adversaries…hint—the Overlords and their soldier-servants, the Nephilim, make the barons seem about as dangerous as the Village People. Children of the Serpent is a phenomenal story in and of itself and a fabulously entertaining way to wrap up all these years worth of plots and kick into a new, and judging by this book more exciting phase of the Outlanders saga!

Mad God's Wrath is a showcase for what makes Outlanders such an awesome series--a narrative with a vivid flourish, edge-of-your seat pacing and a depth of characterization that's rare in this genre. The character development by Mark Ellis is second-to-none, and it's easy to believe that he cares for each one of the cast. A lot of writers fall back on giving their characters hokey catch-phrases (as in Deathlands) to define them but the OL cast isn't treated that cheaply or superficially. There are a few humorous sequences throughout the book. I had to laugh when Kane, ordered to lie to Brigid and Grant by Pit Boss Breeze Castigelone objected on the grounds his pants would catch on fire. Unlike the previous book in the series by a fill-in writer, the focus here has been returned to the heroic triad of Kane, Brigid and Grant. But Lakesh and Domi are given their chance to shine, in some ways brighter than they ever have. It's great to see the "new and improved" Lakesh handling a major crisis in Cerberus, a violent incursion, something that has never happened before. It was almost painful to read. It's no spoiler to state that Maccan, the insane prince of the Tuatha De Danaan makes his savage return (from the Dragon Kings duology of two years ago) and he doesn't come alone. He also brings an ancient, legendary weapon of his people, the Silver Hand of Nuadhu. He is a vicious and ruthless enemy but majestic almost. He's like a combination of Khan from Wrath of Khan and Magneto from X-Men United. There are a lot of different kinds of action in Mad God's Wrath from a chase through a marina full of half-sunken ships to a really wild running gun-battle on the plains of Mars. And of course, the assault on Cerberus is described so vividly you can almost hear the ricochets. All the main characters are firmly back the way they should be--caring about one other, dealing with each other in a mature fashion (no foot-stomping temper tantrums like in Awakening ) and a respect for one another's abilities. The plot with Maccan stealing the interphaser so he can "walk through the looking glass" is very interesting and original. The true origin of his people was unexpected. I don't want to give away too much except to say that this book is Outlanders in the classic mode as established years ago by series creator Mark Ellis. There is none of the cliched macho postnuke crap, no posturing, no paragraphs on paragraphs wasted on describing muzzle velocties, and all the female characters particularly Domi are back to acting the way they're supposed to. The heroes show off their intelligence and resourcefulenss as well as their expertise in good old fashioned hell raising! Mad God's Wrath is a great adventure story featuring everything that has made this series so popular for so long--three-dimensional heroes, intelligent plots, exotic settings, colorful bad guys with major schemes, a connection to ancient mythology and vivid action! Action! Action! This book would make a fabulous movie epic! So don't miss it when it comes to a bookstore near you!

Destiny Run is the second book in the Outlanders series and it was still finding its way, since the first novel was like a prologue for the series yet to come. It's still a gripping story like almost all Outlanders books, with very exotic locales and memorable characters, from the Tushe Gun to Captain Ivornich, the first in a long string of strong, sexy women which became a hallmark of the OL series. I particularly liked the sequences in Russia although the scenes in Mongolia were colorful as well. The high points in this novel was first learning about the possibility of past lives shared between Kane and Brigid during a mat-trans jump gone bad and the introduction of District Twelve, Russia's postnuke version of both the KGB and the X-Files. The backstory about Kharo-Khoto, the Black City of Genghis Khan was great too. This is also the novel, for those of you who came in late and wonder about it, where Brigid was exposed to the radiation which made her barren.

With Savage Sun, the Outlanders series was really off and running!! This novel had everything which later became hallmarks and touchstones for the series, from the interweaving of myth and legend, the super-science, the vicious super-villains and their , world-threatening plans, the apocalyptic, climatic battles--not to mention some pretty funny dialogue and smart-ass remarks thrown in. Sexy women characters abound in this one, too another hallmark of the Outlanders series...Morrigan the blind but beautiful telepath and Fand, the drop-dead gorgeous but deranged demi-goddess. This is the book which first introduced the concept of the extraterrestrial Annunaki and their ancient pact with the Tuatha De Danaan to keep humanity secretly enslaved. Man--There are so many great things about this book! Action!!Colorful locales!!! Violence! Sex! Fistfights! Did I mention sex?! It would be easier for everyone to just go and read the book that for me to list everything that's wonderful about about it. Just writing about it now makes me want to go and read it again--for about the fourth time.

Over six years ago in the spring of 1997, Exile to Hell, the first in the Outlanders series introduced Kane, Brigid Baptiste, Grant, Domi, Lakesh and all the colorful concepts and vivid ideas that became hallmarks of the Outlanders series. The books were/are filled with great adventure in exotic places, gory battle scenes, wonderfully sexy women characters, armored heroes, world-threatening menaces and fascinating villains, not to mention a surprising depth and complexity of characterization. Readers of the last two and half years worth of books know that the mysterious Sam the Imperator has made in-roads in consolidating all the baronies under his rule. Now 27 years (OL time) after Exile to Hell, the novel Talon and Fang shows the results of all those adventures and it's not pretty. Kane is a battle-scarred wacko living in a half-demolished Cerberus redoubt with only a samurai sword, a crazy plan and the least likely person imaginable as his companions. The world is at peace due to the final victory of Sam many years before but the cost has been very, very high and he secretly arranged it to be exceptionally high for the Cerberus warriors. But Kane is suspicious and when he gets suspicious he takes action. In this case, the action he takes can save all of humanity, throughout history. I can't think of too many heroes who have a duty like that thrust upon them, but since Kane is fundamentally a hero instead of a stone killer, he accepts the responsibility, regardless of the price. He knows that survival at any cost isn't always possible or even desirable. It's a strange world for Kane (and the reader), one in which most of the characters we've come to admire and even love through 24 previous books have changed greatly. It's sad to read about the Consolidation War because of all the personal tragedies suffered by the main characters. Talon and Fang proves once and for all that not only is Outlanders is the best sci-fi series published today, the author shows that an adventure novel can be written that is intelligent and doesn't skimp on the action. The action in this novel is varied from one scene to another and therefore rivets the reader's attention. This book has a great deal of emotional depth to it and there are some scenes that I found difficult to read because they were upsetting (hey, after all these years I consider the characters my friends and family!). Mark Ellis handles all the characters expertly here (even new ones, like the delectable but dangerous Tanvirah as well as unexpectedly returning ones), and finds a full role for Bry, a character who has been around since the beginning but only in a supporting capacity. The author also impresses some of his own ideas about the nature of heroism and self-sacrifice. If any book in the Outlanders series establishes the basic, no-going back differences between it and Deathlands, Talon and Fang may be the one (in my opinion, based on the last couple of DL novels I read, comparing that series to Outlanders is like comparing Longarm to Lord Of The Rings). As usual, the writer has also researched his science, and brings us a new and very original take on time travel. I also loved the cover and all the little details worked into it. This is a wonderful novel to on its own, not just a great Outlanders novel. I can't recommend this one highly enough.

This is another fabulous novel in the Outlanders series and it's such an important, pivotal novel that I truly can say I love this book. I've read it three times. In "Iceblood" the heroes meet the truly evil Russian mystic Gregori Zakat and get involved in his quest to recover the facets of the Chintamani Stone...which apparently is an actual artifact according to the link on the Outlanders Archive site. This quest takes the heroes from New York to Tibet to the legendary underground city of Agartha. This is also the book which establishes the Cerberus alliance with Sky Dog and his band of Indians. The most important element of "Iceblood" is the revelation about the Archons. The entire series changed from this book on, and what was interesting was that hints had been dropped for a number of novels preceding it. There is a lot of great things in this book. The interactions between the main characters are sharp and amusing, the settings are very exotic and fascinating with "Indiana Jones" type of touches. The scenes in the ruins of New York and Agartha just jump off the printed page into your imagination. Very colorful and vivid descriptions with lots of action and mayhem. The scheming but sexy Beth-Li was still around and thinking back on it, she added a certain erotic heat to the series. The heroes team up with Balam and he gains an added depth of dimension. He becomes a fascinating and sympathetic character. This book is full of great characters, both good and evil and in-between. What a terrific movie it would make. "Iceblood" is a classic Outlanders novel, one of the best and most important in the whole series.

Doomstar Relic is one of my top ten favorite books in the Outlanders series for a lot of different reasons. We get to see the take Mark Ellis has on the swampies and are treated to the violent and very picturesque assassination of a baron. When flames start shooting out of the pores of your face, you know you've been assassinated in style. Tara, the holographic assassin with particles of anti-matter mixed in with her energy field suffers from a cybernetic version of a multiple personality disorder and that makes her one of the most fascinating characters to appear in any of the OL novels. I also liked revisiting the huge Alaskan installation from DL Red Holocaust, known here as Redoubt Zulu. The mystery of what lay behind the cold doors was revealed in Doomstar Relic, not to mention the whole purpose of the redoubt in the first place. The book also features one of the most vile villains, the Magistrate who would be baron, Barch. He's manipulative and cunning and uses the love of one of Tara's personalities to advance his career. That part of the story was sad, even tragic. Domi and Brigid team up for the first time in the series, too and their brief "girl to girl" conversation when they're trapped in Redoubt Zulu about what to do about Beth-Li and her designs on Kane was a hoot. Also, Doomstar Relic has one of the very best covers of the entire series. It's classic Outlanders with a great sci-fi twist.

Omega Path is essentially a time travel story, but like everything in Outlanders, there's a twist to it...Kane, Brigid and arch-foe Salvo travel back in time to change history so the nukecaust doesn't happen. Pretty simple and standard plot, right? Wrong! They find out they CAN'T travel back to their own time, they can only travel "sideways" in time due to something called a hypershunt created by that most loathsome of all the Outlanders villains, Colonel Thrush. They end up in a parallel past timeline, which is a neat way of explaining why both Outlanders and DL are still being published when the nukecaust of January 2001 didn't happen in this reality. So, though they're in a past timeline, nothing they do will affect their own future. This is kind of a heart-rending story on a number of counts, but it still has as much action as anybody could possibly want. The character development takes another step forward in this one, particularly the relationship between Kane and Brigid. Lakesh has his chance to shine, too, as does Domi. Omega Path also features my favorite ending of all the books, with a very bittersweet and memorable closing scene. You could almost hear the violins.

Exile to Hell, the first in the Outlanders series showed right from the start that it wasn't your daddy's Deathlands or anybody's Deathlands. Thank God, since there were about a jillion of those type of series published in the 80s through the early 90s. Exile to Hell staked out new territory at the very beginning, and the series itself continues to do so six years later. The courage to take chances instead of going to safe formula stories like in DL was evident even in this first book. It continues to grow and broaden its appeal. Kane, Brigid, Grant, Domi, Lakesh and the rest of the Cerberus warriors have changed and evolved in the six years since Exile was first published and the focus has shifted a little...but the high adventure template was established in this initial outing. Outlanders is NOT a post-nuke series or a survivalist series. It's a sci-fi adventure series first and foremost, that just happens to take place 200 years after a nuclear war. If fans of those kinds of books measure it against the tiresome formula of DL and other generic post-nuke series, then yeah...they'll see most of those cliches are missing. Now that DL has pretty much been turned over the revolving door system of multiple writers it lost whatever uniqueness it had. Its appeal has shrunk and narrowed until it seems the newer books have only two kinds of readers--teenaged boys with sexual orientation issues and long-haul truck drivers...or teenaged boys who will grow up to be long-haul truck drivers with sexual orientation issues. It's not that Outlanders doesn't have certain elements that continue from book to book, but it's more in the way of a philosophy and it's simple: * That friendship is good. * That greed and dominating other people is bad. * That heroes come in various shapes and sizes, all nationalities, religions and even both sexes. * That heroic people have ordinary concerns, and that ordinary people can be heroic. * That personal commitment and moral responsibility to your fellow human beings and the world at large are preferable to seeking power over others and doing whatever you have to do to survive another day. * That surviving is not the same as living. * That both good and evil work covertly and sometimes it requires involvement to a larger cause to discriminate one from the other. * That you might lose a battle, but you can still win the war, as long as you remain cool under fire and are willing to lay it all on the line. * And that in the end, the secret of life is courage, friendship and some smart-ass remarks.

Simply put Parallax Red is a classic sci-fi adventure novel, jumping from knife-fighting survivalist type sequences to a space station (the Parallax Red of the title) then to a long-forgotten colony on Mars. Like all the other Outlanders novels up to this point, its rich and vivid, full of fast action and great characterization with the first "on-screen" appearance of the incredibly sexy Beth Li. But this book is memorable for another reason--the introduction of Sindri, the mastermind dwarf who has fought our heroes four times up to this point--and I hope a lot more. He is a great character, full of life and ego and a sense of humor. He's also vicious and cunning and as Brigid Baptiste says about him in this book "enough ambition to challenge God." He's also, as Brigid finds out, really horny. He's actually a fairly sympathetic character beyond the fact he's their adversary. You definately get the impression he would have become a hero in his own right if not for his apartheid upbringing on the Mars colony. This is a wonderful book and I'm still happy I picked it up five years later in defiance of what some few hardcore Deathlands fnas were saying about the series at the time. It's sort of ironic because those "Some few" don't seem to be around now but Outlanders is still going strong.

This book started it all some 30 yrs ago. I started in 86 with #93 got hooked and started again at #1. This is the greatest action adventure series ever written. I finished #135 a month ago and can boast that I have the entire collection of #1 - #279, all super, and all stonyman, Those collection I have read halfway through. Mack Bolan represents what we all would like to be: the hero who saves the day. Can the executioner make it to #300+ I hope so, can we see an explosive superbolan #100 with all the surviving characters: You betcha. can mack track down bin laden and send on his way to allah: maybe only mack and friends can. Real life gives mack many new adventures but if anybody is up for the task he is. SO stand up, salute the flag, and repeat after me. God Bless America, God Bless Mr. Bush, God Bless our Troops, and God Bless Mack Bolan for living large and never quitting the good fight.