My strongest reaction was a profound sense of closure...and relief that an open wound can now begin to heal and the fate of the characters and concepts of my creation will no longer be left up to others...or consigned to limbo.

<The last book will by written by Victor Milan.

That seems just so....appropriate.

Posted By RPGjunkie on 12/16/2014 5:49 PM
I'm curious as to how this will effect the existence of JamesAxler.com. I'm hoping that this site will continue to operate after the closing of Gold Eagle's doors.

Short version: I'm not sure.

Medium version: I have every intention for JamesAxler.com to remain for many years to come. Whatever the site does or does not mean to anyone else, it has been my primary online identity for over seventeen years now and I have no intention of letting it go.

Long version: Honestly, I am a little bit worried. When I first launched the site I fully expected to get a Cease and Desist letter from the lawyers at Harlequin. And if that had happened early on I would have shrugged and handed over the domain name. After a few years, though, my position changed. I knew that the senior editors at Gold Eagle were aware of the site's existence, and for whatever reason (probably indifference) they chose not to try to shut me down. 

I have always done my very best to ensure that the content on this website remains well within my understanding of Fair Use laws. Of course, I'm in the United States and Gold Eagle / Harlequin is based in Canada, so even if I am correct in how I read the Fair Use statues in the U.S. that does not necessarily apply internationally.  Still, I have done my best to be honest in my dealings with Gold Eagle and the authors and editors with whom I have become acquainted. I think if push came to shove and there were some kind of intellectual property dispute between Gold Eagle and this website I would have a very strong leg to stand on in defense of this website.

I honestly have no idea what happens to the intellectual property once Gold Eagle folds. I have some educated guesses on what might happen to the Bolan properties, but they are only guesses. 

With the Axler properties, the most likely thing is that they will simply fade into oblivion. There will literally be nobody left with any legal standing who will care enough to say anything to be about the site either way. In that case, the site goes on for years to come and I try to find some way to keep it relevant.

On the other hand, if another publisher comes along and takes ownership of the Axler intellectual property (and don't hold your breath on that one), that's where I become nervous. Because if I am the lawyer at a publishing house that just acquired a new piece of IP, the first thing I am going to want to do is enforce my IP rights to protect my new trademarks. In that case, I still think I am on fairly solid footing to push back if I get a Cease and Desist. But at a certain point I would have to do a cost/benefit analysis and make a reasonable choice.

If a white knight comes along and continues the Deathlands legacy, I hope that I can continue to be seen as a valuable resource to them and not as an infringer. I should hope that I could have a reasonable dialog with the new owners and reach an accommodation. But frankly, that is such a remote possibility right now that I can't really expend any energy on it. If another publisher comes along, it won't happen anytime soon. Think Easter at the very soonest, given how the industry works.

In the meantime, you've got another Alan Philipson book coming in a few months. You've got three more coming from Victor Milan, and if they are anything like Desolation Angels they will be real humdingers. On top of that, a little birdy has whispered in my ear that you will have some Chuck Rogers news in the not-too-distant future that you will be excited to hear. Mark Ellis continues to produce both graphic novels and high adventure prose. There is a cornucopia of great action writing out there, written by your favorite Axler authors, and the very best thing you can do is support them by buying their books and recommending them to your friends.

I ain't going anywhere, not anytime soon.

Posted By <span class='af-profile-name'>Jax2</span> on 12/17/2014 9:28 PM
Kane, Brigid, Grant, Domi, Lakesh and the rest will be back where they belong, too.

*starts watching* 

Posted By <span class='af-profile-name'>Jax2</span> on 12/18/2014 9:55 AM
Just watch this space...presuming of course this space is still here in the next six or so months...

It's a shame to hear this news.  I've recently started posting on these forums and just found this thread.  Definitely a bummer.

 For me the Deathlands experience is all relatively new.  I was lucky enough to get my hands on a mostly complete collection and have read 88 of the books over the last 2 1/2 to 3 years.  So I've covered most of it and was hoping for the best as I worked my way up to the current works.

Since the books branched into multiple authors it hasnt always been pleasant.  But overall the stories are generally a decent to excellent read.  And I have just loved the setting itself all the way through.  Characters as well (when they are acting in character).  Its been a very nice entertainment for me in recent years and I will be sad to see it end.

 
  
BTW, can someone explain to me - or point me to a thread around here - about who Chuck Rogers and Alan Philipson are and why people seem to revere them? Thanks.

Both are  authors of Deathland's novels. And authors of GREAT DL books more importantly

As a long time member, though no longer posting, I too am sad at this news.  I guess it was foreshadowed in my copy of Polestar Omega.  There was no subscription card insert.  No point in soliciting subscriptions when you're not going to be around.

I hope they print enough copies so that we can all get our last ones.  After all these years, I wouldn't want to miss out on the last Deathlands story.

The Phantom,

Thanks. I wrote for GE for a very long time, off and on since 1982. I'm sad about the closure because it means I won't get to keep working with people who have become dear friends (W-R!). I'm glad that END DAY turned out to be my final book in the series, though. I had a lot of fun with it. Go out with a bang, right?

I'm going to keep writing fiction, but not sure what as yet. I was negotiating a three-book deal with GE when the bottom fell out. One of the ideas was way too good to be a writer-for-hire novel, so I might do that--without the companions in it. GE never saw it. I have another novel half finished--not Slaughter Realms--something different. So, who knows, you might see more books from me in the future.

Hey, it's been a kick to interact with you and everyone else on this site. Best of luck to you all.

AP

I started reading Deathlands and Outlanders years and years ago back in early 2000 and I have read almost every single book.

I get online for the first time to look up my favorite book series of all time only to see that it is being shut down. How is this possible? It seems so popular and has a dedicated fan base.

The snake faces are going to win after all.

I started reading Deathlands and Outlanders years and years ago back in early 2000 and I have read almost every single book.

I get online for the first time to look up my favorite book series of all time only to see that it is being shut down. How is this possible? It seems so popular and has a dedicated fan base.

The snake faces are going to win after all.

As far as Kane, Brigid, Grant and the rest of the Cerberus crew are concerned...no, the snake-faces are NOT going to win.

This might give you a better, if general,  idea of how it came about...

http://markellisink.com/b...agle-folds-its-wings

Hi all...been a very, very long time since I've visited the site. Probably about 7 years or so. Ron, Mark and some of the members from the start may remember me but perhaps not. The site has change much (read as improved) and likely a lot of my content has been pruned. I'm shocked my login still works and I'm back to the ranks of a 1 post newbie

 It had been a long time since I had read a Deathlands or Outlanders book. They both got just too formulaic for more...no one could live up to the work that Mark did on Outlanders and those post-Ellis books in the Deathlands series went downhill for awhile and then dropped off a cliff. I still have every one of the paperback copies in my basement including PTH with the color art insert. I actually read a few DL books recently for grins and while not the crap (sorry, DL got really bad for awhile) that they were a while back, they're still lacking any feeling of spontaneity and the plots aren't very robust or dynamic. Same old, same old. Like a favorite old sneaker, they are fondly comfortable but still stink a bit

Anyway, I didn't drop in to belittle either series nor the authors. I just wanted to say that while I'm sorry both series are ending, I also think it's time. I started reading both at their inception, Pilgrimage to Hell in my late teens and Exile to Hell much later. I'd love to see each series reach some sort of finale to bring closure but based on what I'm reading, it's not going to happen for DL at least. I wrote some fan faction DL stories, some of which I discussed with Mark on this site but never really pursued it...sometimes I wish that I had. Maybe they can live on as fan fiction contributions. I know Ron was big on that - did you ever get anything published? I hope so.

Good to see Mark and others still active here and kudos to Ron for persevering with the site this whole time. A labor of love I'm sure.

I'll probably stop back in here and there to see what's going on and bore you some more with my ruminations.

P.S. It's still hard to believe that the world blew out 14 years ago...

Posted By Jax2 on 12/17/2014 9:28 PM
Kane, Brigid, Grant, Domi, Lakesh and the rest will be back where they belong, too.

Hello fellow Deathlanders, been a while since i've been on. Lot going on. And thanks for updating my password Ron. 

I would just like to say how much this saddens me to hear that the Deathlands will be no more, been reading them since I was 19 and am now 43, no-matter what was going on in my life.And it will feel like something is missing without them...But to all the authors I would like to say...thank you for giving what you had to the continuing Deathlands Saga and with that I am looking forward to the upcoming novels post-haste.

With that being said, Good Show I say!  I SAY GOOD SHOW!

Shawn