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Deathlands #109
Chrono Spasm
SURVIVAL INSTINCT
Remnants of humanity have managed to regroup after a global nuclear showdown that decimated the planet. But life in Deathlands is a far cry from actual living. And the survivors must believe they'll find something better, because surrendering to the inhospitable forces of a nuked world means giving in to death. Or worse.
HELL FREEZES OVER
Fear and human depravity permeate the frigid air in a once-dynamic Alaskan city. Ryan Cawdor and his group of survivalists go on red alert the moment they set foot on the forbidding tundra, but regardless, they find themselves rounded up by cannibal coldhearts. The companions quickly discover there's a fate much worse than becoming food. Dangerous new experiments are taking place in a long-abandoned military base and, in the bitter heart of the frozen North, new horrors reach out to poison their hope for a better tomorrow.
Remnants of humanity have managed to regroup after a global nuclear showdown that decimated the planet. But life in Deathlands is a far cry from actual living. And the survivors must believe they'll find something better, because surrendering to the inhospitable forces of a nuked world means giving in to death. Or worse.
HELL FREEZES OVER
Fear and human depravity permeate the frigid air in a once-dynamic Alaskan city. Ryan Cawdor and his group of survivalists go on red alert the moment they set foot on the forbidding tundra, but regardless, they find themselves rounded up by cannibal coldhearts. The companions quickly discover there's a fate much worse than becoming food. Dangerous new experiments are taking place in a long-abandoned military base and, in the bitter heart of the frozen North, new horrors reach out to poison their hope for a better tomorrow.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 18, 2016
Chrono Spasm by James Axler is book #109 in the Deathlands Series.
The Deathlands books are my guilty pleasure in the book reading world. I have to pay for them, oh well. They are not great literature by most standards, but I find them immensely enjoyable reading.
We know Ryan Cawdor and his companions are going to be abused, beaten and otherwise mistreated, but they are going to kick butt before it's all done and over. C'mon it's their books after all. The question, as always, is how are they going to pull the fat out of the fire this time, and what new twisted adventures have the authors inflicted on them.
Chrono Spasm is one of the better offerings in the Deathlands Saga. As most everyone who follows this series knows, there is no James Axler. Several different authors write these books. It's not difficult to find out the actual authors name for each book, but I don't. I just go along for the ride.
This time the story is set in far north Alaska. There have been others set there as well (What are you gonna do? 50 states 120 books, you do the math). This time though there is a really good twist. Think Stephen King's The Langoliers. Not the same but similar.
As always, lots of graphic violence, of course those "chilled" mostly deserve chilling. There are, as is often the case in Deathlands, sexually twisted sickos, less than intelligent sheep who follow demented leaders, and the helpless victims of these people.
As the title Chrono Spasm would lead one to believe, the story does have to do with time manipulation, so Doc Tanner figures predominantly in this edition.
Post apocalyptic fiction is one of my favorite genres, if it is one of yours, The Deathlands Saga is great escapist reading (probably says something about me). Chrono Spasm by the ever mysterious James Axler, is a good entry in the series. Enjoy!
Mike
The Deathlands books are my guilty pleasure in the book reading world. I have to pay for them, oh well. They are not great literature by most standards, but I find them immensely enjoyable reading.
We know Ryan Cawdor and his companions are going to be abused, beaten and otherwise mistreated, but they are going to kick butt before it's all done and over. C'mon it's their books after all. The question, as always, is how are they going to pull the fat out of the fire this time, and what new twisted adventures have the authors inflicted on them.
Chrono Spasm is one of the better offerings in the Deathlands Saga. As most everyone who follows this series knows, there is no James Axler. Several different authors write these books. It's not difficult to find out the actual authors name for each book, but I don't. I just go along for the ride.
This time the story is set in far north Alaska. There have been others set there as well (What are you gonna do? 50 states 120 books, you do the math). This time though there is a really good twist. Think Stephen King's The Langoliers. Not the same but similar.
As always, lots of graphic violence, of course those "chilled" mostly deserve chilling. There are, as is often the case in Deathlands, sexually twisted sickos, less than intelligent sheep who follow demented leaders, and the helpless victims of these people.
As the title Chrono Spasm would lead one to believe, the story does have to do with time manipulation, so Doc Tanner figures predominantly in this edition.
Post apocalyptic fiction is one of my favorite genres, if it is one of yours, The Deathlands Saga is great escapist reading (probably says something about me). Chrono Spasm by the ever mysterious James Axler, is a good entry in the series. Enjoy!
Mike
July 25, 2019
For the most part, the summary on the back of these books and my expectations for it seems to mostly fall short. We build and build, then we get let down. There is some nice action from time to time, but it just does not go over the top. Maybe I should start from the beginning of this series to fully enjoy it.
The companions come out in Alaska to a woman running for her life. They get taken prisoner and have to mine weapons in an old military compound. They escape and enter His Ink Orchard, a place where time is distorted. This is where things break down for me. I liked the first part, before this though. I'll try again soon.
The companions come out in Alaska to a woman running for her life. They get taken prisoner and have to mine weapons in an old military compound. They escape and enter His Ink Orchard, a place where time is distorted. This is where things break down for me. I liked the first part, before this though. I'll try again soon.
August 3, 2018
Fantastic Read
Fast paced, action packed. A great SF read. The characters act together as a great team. A must read for all action-packed science fiction buffs.
Fast paced, action packed. A great SF read. The characters act together as a great team. A must read for all action-packed science fiction buffs.
May 3, 2013
Probably the best of the recent Deathlands books I’ve read. “Chrono Spasm”’s big success is that it balances the traditional brutal violence and post-apocalyptic despair of the series with a satisfying science fiction concept. Often in previous novels that have had a SF conceit, it felt tacked on and somewhat out of place amongst the frontier ruthlessness. Here the time distorting experiments that are wrecking this particular corner of the USA feel properly integrated into the main story about Ryan’s gang being captured by a powerful cannibal tribe. Whilst owing something to Stephen King’s Langoliers, the eerie time carnivore monsters are an entertaining SF touch as well. In addition it’s interesting that the team have to struggle in a hostile wintery environment, which raises the stakes some more.
There are several excellent set pieces. An attack by a mutant polar bear on Jak and Ricky is gripping stuff, whilst J.B.’s gladiatorial contest, seemingly completely outmatched by a chainsaw-wielding champion, is a classic “how on earth can he get out of this” situation. What makes the action work is not just Rik Hoskin’s compact, efficient writing style but that the resolution to each battle is believable, relying on our heroes’ ingenuity and experience rather than “with one final effort they won”.
Continuity is well used to add to the tale and please long time readers. Most obviously we have the return of Operation Chronos and more of Doc’s history with them. It’s also good to read Ryan thinking about his missing son, whilst a little mystery that was begun in Hoskin’s Outlanders novel “Scarlet Dream”, concerning some strangely familiar zombies is also explained.
This instalment is winning mixture of Weird West gothic, gun-blazing battles and time paradoxes and Rik Hoskin’s most confident Deathlands entry yet.
There are several excellent set pieces. An attack by a mutant polar bear on Jak and Ricky is gripping stuff, whilst J.B.’s gladiatorial contest, seemingly completely outmatched by a chainsaw-wielding champion, is a classic “how on earth can he get out of this” situation. What makes the action work is not just Rik Hoskin’s compact, efficient writing style but that the resolution to each battle is believable, relying on our heroes’ ingenuity and experience rather than “with one final effort they won”.
Continuity is well used to add to the tale and please long time readers. Most obviously we have the return of Operation Chronos and more of Doc’s history with them. It’s also good to read Ryan thinking about his missing son, whilst a little mystery that was begun in Hoskin’s Outlanders novel “Scarlet Dream”, concerning some strangely familiar zombies is also explained.
This instalment is winning mixture of Weird West gothic, gun-blazing battles and time paradoxes and Rik Hoskin’s most confident Deathlands entry yet.
July 16, 2013
Deathlands is one of my favourite series. Getting hold of the audiobooks here in England is a chore, but I love the product Graphic Audio put out there.
Deathlands was started by an author that became ill and and was ghost-written by a author with the pseudonym of James Axler. A few series have that pseudonym. Deathlands, Outlanders and Earth Blood. All of which can be somewhat cheesy. I Probably wouldn't have listened to the Outlanders audiobooks without the Deathlands link(of which was soon left behind by the author of Outlanders) Earth Blood was good too. I guess I became a fan of this none existent author.
So. The Deathlands author that took over written around 30 of the Deathlands series. The early series is really good and keeps you well gripped. Then. The author dies, but James Axler lives on through several different authors. This unfortunately causes much of a headache. They seem to fluctuate from really really good to really realy bad. Terrible bad and no inbetween.
Well. Chrono Spasm definitely fits the deathlands bill. Story wise. It was one of the best of the latest releases(last 10-15) there have been a few stinkers to say the least. So if you have been discouraged. Feel safe, you might like this one.
Deathlands was started by an author that became ill and and was ghost-written by a author with the pseudonym of James Axler. A few series have that pseudonym. Deathlands, Outlanders and Earth Blood. All of which can be somewhat cheesy. I Probably wouldn't have listened to the Outlanders audiobooks without the Deathlands link(of which was soon left behind by the author of Outlanders) Earth Blood was good too. I guess I became a fan of this none existent author.
So. The Deathlands author that took over written around 30 of the Deathlands series. The early series is really good and keeps you well gripped. Then. The author dies, but James Axler lives on through several different authors. This unfortunately causes much of a headache. They seem to fluctuate from really really good to really realy bad. Terrible bad and no inbetween.
Well. Chrono Spasm definitely fits the deathlands bill. Story wise. It was one of the best of the latest releases(last 10-15) there have been a few stinkers to say the least. So if you have been discouraged. Feel safe, you might like this one.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews