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Deathlands #89
Time Castaways
In the nuke-altered America of the twenty-first century, time conspires against survival, especially for a legendary group of warriors led by Ryan Cawdor. Born and bred in Deathlands, Ryan dares to unlock the secrets buried deep in the wreckage of a planet. Time may be the enemy in the daily struggle to stay alive, but perhaps it can reveal something better….
Barely escaping a redoubt hidden in an old aircraft carrier guarded by killer droids, the companions emerge into the backwater world of Lake Superior's Royal Island. Here, metal and salt are commodities worth killing and dying for, and two rival barons rule mutant-infested land and water with blood will. But though Ryan was hoping for honesty and fair trade, he's soon in a death race to stop the secrets of the gateways from becoming an open passage to the future's worst enemies….
Barely escaping a redoubt hidden in an old aircraft carrier guarded by killer droids, the companions emerge into the backwater world of Lake Superior's Royal Island. Here, metal and salt are commodities worth killing and dying for, and two rival barons rule mutant-infested land and water with blood will. But though Ryan was hoping for honesty and fair trade, he's soon in a death race to stop the secrets of the gateways from becoming an open passage to the future's worst enemies….
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 8, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 29, 2021
Wowza. I read book one in this series a couple of years ago and it was ok. Not good enough for me to remember much about it or actively seek out more entries in the series but alright enough for me to check one out from the library when I saw it. I know this is book 88 but there is a metric shit-ton of stuff going here. Quantum leap kind of jumping, time travelers, and a freakin' kraken all by page 30! I'm pretty sure this is written by a group of precocious 10 year olds who got strung out on Fun-Dip and binge watched B-movie sci-fi adventure classics. And I love them. I will definitely be looking for previous novels in the series.
June 11, 2015
There are books which are grim, hopeless studies of life in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, informed by Cold War fears and radiating a very real dread. And then there are books in which the protagonists include a doctor brought forward in time from 1896 who is nonetheless, we are assured, a bodacious fighter.
This book is not one of the former.
It's pulpy, trashy, spends a silly amount of time discussing things in its made-up slang - blaster, chill, sec men - and basically comes across as episodic, gleefully bloody fluff. A couple of the characters fade HARD into the background - I kept forgetting Dix existed, for example.
But it did have a couple of clever moments, and it's not afraid to embrace its own weird. I'm glad I read it, although I'd hesitate to recommend it to anyone who isn't looking for this kind of thing in particular.
This book is not one of the former.
It's pulpy, trashy, spends a silly amount of time discussing things in its made-up slang - blaster, chill, sec men - and basically comes across as episodic, gleefully bloody fluff. A couple of the characters fade HARD into the background - I kept forgetting Dix existed, for example.
But it did have a couple of clever moments, and it's not afraid to embrace its own weird. I'm glad I read it, although I'd hesitate to recommend it to anyone who isn't looking for this kind of thing in particular.
November 2, 2018
Time for another guilty pleasure read. Time Castaways (Deathlands # 88 according to Goodreads, 89 on Amazon) by house name James Axler. As usual, I do not know who the actual author is (nor do I particularly care), I like the series and have so far enjoyed all I have read.
This go around the warrior survivalists are in the Great Lakes area of what is left of the U.S. As usual they are battling ruthless barons intent on their destruction. The twist? In this part of the nukescape the items of value, and hence the basis for power are; salt and metal. The inhabitants believe their small section of the planet is the whole world. They live according to the dictates of The Book. A genealogy of sorts which directs who can mate with whom in this small population to avoid excessive inbreeding.
As Deathlands books go, Time Castaways is a pretty good entry. It even has an epilogue. First one I recall seeing. We have the requisite violence and mayhem, but also one sided romance (not a good idea for an outsider to have romantic inclinations towards one of the companions).
I always count on The Deathlands series to provide good escapist post-apocalypse reading. Time Castaways was well balanced and entertaining. Enjoy!
This go around the warrior survivalists are in the Great Lakes area of what is left of the U.S. As usual they are battling ruthless barons intent on their destruction. The twist? In this part of the nukescape the items of value, and hence the basis for power are; salt and metal. The inhabitants believe their small section of the planet is the whole world. They live according to the dictates of The Book. A genealogy of sorts which directs who can mate with whom in this small population to avoid excessive inbreeding.
As Deathlands books go, Time Castaways is a pretty good entry. It even has an epilogue. First one I recall seeing. We have the requisite violence and mayhem, but also one sided romance (not a good idea for an outsider to have romantic inclinations towards one of the companions).
I always count on The Deathlands series to provide good escapist post-apocalypse reading. Time Castaways was well balanced and entertaining. Enjoy!
June 3, 2013
You know, this is the kind of Summer Book I like, post-apocalyptic beach reading! The Earth has been destroyed by nuclear warfare, and a small, ragtag band of time-traveling folks transport from place to place, scavenging for highly specific supplies and fighting mutated whatevers, shooting a lot, and doing a lot of unnecessary damage in the process. But it's all in good fun. Or is it?! Dun-dun-DUHN!!!!! For fans of the post-apocalypse, mutant whatevers, GUNS and ordinance-porn.
October 9, 2010
one of the better deathlands, fast paced and redoubts. good stuff.
also Graphic Audio keeping up with quality releases
also Graphic Audio keeping up with quality releases
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews