Ron MilesWebsite Owner  Commander In Chief Posts:864  
| 2/28/2010 9:09 PM |
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This is the official thread for comments on Deathlands #94 - Doom Helix
The bibliography page is located HERE
You can submit your own review HERE
Be warned, this thread may contain spoilers for the book. "Sadly then I knew the answer. All her life she was a dancer, but no one ever played the song she knew." - The Residents
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Nicodemus New Member Posts:17 
| 6/3/2010 4:18 AM |
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Finally, the return of Shadow World. I always wondered what happened to them after "Breakthrough". |
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theduplemanNew Member Posts:19 
| 6/23/2010 2:07 PM |
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i didnt-i hoped they had vanished
The other british one
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aceonthelineNew Member Posts:10 
| 6/23/2010 3:35 PM |
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I'd like to see some reviews before I buy it...although I may not wait that long.
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APPublished Author  Veteran Member Posts:346 
| 6/23/2010 8:00 PM |
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Posted By thedupleman on 23 Jun 2010 02:07 PM
i didnt-i hoped they had vanished If I had ONLY KNOWN ...  AP |
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Ron MilesWebsite Owner Commander In Chief Posts:864
| 6/23/2010 8:17 PM |
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I liked the book quite a bit. I might be a little biased, though, given that I die horribly in it.
"Sadly then I knew the answer. All her life she was a dancer, but no one ever played the song she knew." - The Residents
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| 7/9/2010 9:19 PM |
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AP: Did you know when you wrote Doom Helix, that the title would turn out to be prophetic? Perhaps you can sue for copyright infringement!
"Helix, the Houston-based owner of floating oil platforms and subsea wells, offered its Helix Producer I vessel in late April to help BP collect oil that has been gushing from the Macondo well since an April 20 rig explosion that killed 11 workers, Chief Executive Officer Owen Kratz said today in an interview. BP initially declined the offer, he said. BP notified Helix June 10 that it wanted to lease the Helix Producer I platform to augment two other vessels that are receiving oil from the Macondo well, Kratz said. The delay meant Helix had to construct a collection tube from spare parts that will be plugged into a pipe just one-sixth the diameter of the main opening atop the well, he said."
Spare parts? 
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 7/10/2010 9:38 AM |
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Posted By Mneme on 09 Jul 2010 09:19 PM
AP: Did you know when you wrote Doom Helix, that the title would turn out to be prophetic? Perhaps you can sue for copyright infringement!
"Helix, the Houston-based owner of floating oil platforms and subsea wells, offered its Helix Producer I vessel in late April to help BP collect oil that has been gushing from the Macondo well since an April 20 rig explosion that killed 11 workers, Chief Executive Officer Owen Kratz said today in an interview. BP initially declined the offer, he said. BP notified Helix June 10 that it wanted to lease the Helix Producer I platform to augment two other vessels that are receiving oil from the Macondo well, Kratz said. The delay meant Helix had to construct a collection tube from spare parts that will be plugged into a pipe just one-sixth the diameter of the main opening atop the well, he said."
Spare parts?
Welcome aboard, Mneme. I figured my last-ever DL should encapsulate what I felt was the spirit of the series. Among other things, Doom Helix is about disaster (leading to extinction) written in our DNA. Taking that into account, the BP/Helix "spare parts" business isn't surprising, just disgusting. Of course, anything can LOOK true if you're cross-eyed drunk on something (booze, science, religion, politics, cooking, the NFL, cats, Jonas Bros., missing a book deadline, etc.). Just a side note. My website e-mail has been hosed for a little over a month. I started to switch out the software, then got swamped with work, yard work, fishing, shrimping, crabbing, so I haven't been able to read or reply to OAP e-mails for awhile. Going to fix it in the next few days, I hope. AP |
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Ron MilesWebsite Owner Commander In Chief Posts:864
| 7/10/2010 11:21 AM |
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You know, if you are in need of a new web guy to handle your website and email, I know a fairly competent code monkey I could recommend...
"Sadly then I knew the answer. All her life she was a dancer, but no one ever played the song she knew." - The Residents
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theduplemanNew Member Posts:19
| 7/17/2010 2:38 PM |
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i stand ready to have my mind changed.but the shadow world thing never sat well with me.....iv enjoy all your books as i remember so your probably the best one to pitch it to me
The other british one
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 7/18/2010 10:27 AM |
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Posted By thedupleman on 17 Jul 2010 02:38 PM
i stand ready to have my mind changed.but the shadow world thing never sat well with me.....iv enjoy all your books as i remember so your probably the best one to pitch it to me thedupleman, First off, I have no financial interest in pitching the DL SW books to anyone. No matter how well they sell I have already been paid in full. The converse is also true: if they tank I don’t have to return a payment spent years ago. The SW trilogy (Shadow World, Breakthrough, Doom Helix) is about the earth of a parallel universe where the "calamity of calamities" (the nukecaust) never happened, where human science and civilization continued on their merry way, and in the course of a couple hundred years managed to scrape the planet so clean that by comparison DL becomes The Promised Land, the New Wild West. DL is a place for refugees to escape to, not from. This says that unchecked by global disaster, science and civilization (features of humanity dictated by our DNA and evolution) will have us all watching Gordon Ramsay while we eat rocks and pretend they’re hamburgers. That whitecoats destroyed the world and learned nothing from the experience is a central theme in LJ’s DL books; that the whitecoats would have done an even more thorough job of it if GIVEN THE CHANCE is a logical (and ironic) extrapolation of that concept. One of the reviewers of SW on this site totally nailed this idea. Unfortunately her review was lost along with many, many others (Breakthrough had 17 reviews at one point) during one of Ron's upgrades. In Doom Helix, the final book in the trilogy, Ryan's own DNA and the science of the parallel earth bring to DL the seeds of its absolute and unstoppable destruction. |
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mikeclr Basic Member Posts:197 
| 7/18/2010 10:53 AM |
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For what it's worth...Shadow World is my personal favorite entry in the series.
"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." - Atticus Finch
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The PhantomBasic Member Posts:219 
| 7/18/2010 7:45 PM |
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Shadow World is the next DL on my list to read, whenever I get around to getting back to reading them.
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theduplemanNew Member Posts:19
| 7/20/2010 9:02 AM |
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I never suspected you did have any financial gain from it. It's just far more interesting to hear it from an author point of view. I always read them, and it will be interesting to see it brought to a close
The other british one
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The PhantomBasic Member Posts:219
| 7/26/2010 6:15 PM |
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One of Alan's books was in my first ever GE shipment of books way back in the summer of 1984. Just now received my new shipment, containing Doom Helix, Alan's last book for GE. Has it really been 26 years??! -sees gray hairs starting to grow in temples in mirror- I guess it has!  Thanks Alan for all the great books you have written that are all still sitting on my shelf. I have quite a few to read yet, and I know I will enjoy them. |
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 7/26/2010 6:58 PM |
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The Phantom, Yep, it's been that long. Thanks for the kind words. Haven't actually seen DH, yet. Don't remember it all that well (I wrote it 18 months ago). Lost my only copy when my hard drive died. What does an ex-GE writer do of a morning? Went out and fished for king salmon in the saltwater, caught two (vertical) jigging but only landed one (about 13 pounds) because the hook broke on the other at the net, and found a brandnew, five-gallon, plastic, boat gas tank and connector hose just floating around offshore. Hey, it was full of gas, too. Bizarre. No name on it so ... it's spoils of the sea.  AP P.S.: Wrong about the fish weight. Didn't actually weigh it in the boat, just guessed. My friend who cut it up said it was 18 pounds. |
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mikeclrBasic Member Posts:197
| 7/27/2010 12:44 PM |
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Summer of 1984...I'm thinking it must have been an early SOBs?
"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." - Atticus Finch
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The PhantomBasic Member Posts:219
| 7/27/2010 6:01 PM |
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Posted By mikeclr on 27 Jul 2010 12:44 PM
Summer of 1984...I'm thinking it must have been an early SOBs?
Yep, it must have been Butchers of Eden. I still remember all the GE books that were on the store rack at the time: Dagger - Ride of the Razorback, Track- Atrocity, Able Team- Five Rings of Fire, Phoenix Force- Return to Armageddon, Mack Bolan- Cambodia Clash, SOBs- Plains of Fire... Ah, the good ol days.  |
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The PhantomBasic Member Posts:219
| 7/27/2010 6:03 PM |
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Posted By AP on 26 Jul 2010 06:58 PM
What does an ex-GE writer do of a morning? Went out and fished for king salmon in the saltwater, caught two (vertical) jigging but only landed one (about 13 pounds) because the hook broke on the other at the net, and found a brandnew, five-gallon, plastic, boat gas tank and connector hose just floating around offshore. Hey, it was full of gas, too. Bizarre. No name on it so ... it's spoils of the sea.
AP
You can use the gas tank as bait, fishing in the Gulf, you can catch some free crude!  |
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 7/28/2010 9:29 AM |
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Posted By The Phantom on 27 Jul 2010 06:01 PM
Posted By mikeclr on 27 Jul 2010 12:44 PM
Summer of 1984...I'm thinking it must have been an early SOBs?
Yep, it must have been Butchers of Eden. I still remember all the GE books that were on the store rack at the time: Dagger - Ride of the Razorback, Track- Atrocity, Able Team- Five Rings of Fire, Phoenix Force- Return to Armageddon, Mack Bolan- Cambodia Clash, SOBs- Plains of Fire...
Ah, the good ol days.
The first book I did for GE was SOBs-Plains of Fire. It was the second title in the SOBs series. I got the gig because SOBs book #1 did so poorly, sold just 17K copies--or so I was told. I really wanted to write Executioners, had sent in sample chapters which they liked, but there was no room for me in the Bolan stable. BTW, PoF sold eight times better than the initial SOBs book, as did Butchers of Eden. I know because that was back in the GE royalty statement days. |
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mikeclrBasic Member Posts:197
| 7/28/2010 4:28 PM |
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Any idea who wrote that first book in the SOBs?
They really changed the cover from the first volume to the second IIRC...the first was kind of a bland black and white wasn't it?
"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." - Atticus Finch
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Sin-EaterNew Member Posts:42
| 7/28/2010 5:35 PM |
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Posted By mikeclr on 28 Jul 2010 04:28 PM
Any idea who wrote that first book in the SOBs?
They really changed the cover from the first volume to the second IIRC...the first was kind of a bland black and white wasn't it?
My list shows Jack Canon, Robin Hardy and Alan Bomack. |
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 7/28/2010 8:07 PM |
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Posted By Sin-Eater on 28 Jul 2010 05:35 PM
Posted By mikeclr on 28 Jul 2010 04:28 PM
Any idea who wrote that first book in the SOBs?
They really changed the cover from the first volume to the second IIRC...the first was kind of a bland black and white wasn't it?
My list shows Jack Canon, Robin Hardy and Alan Bomack.
Don't know anything about the other guys ("Alan Bomack" has the ring of a pseudonym  ), but I heard that Robin Hardy died in a freak hiking accident, must've been at least 15 years ago. Perhaps part of the first SOB book's problem was that it had three authors? AP |
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Sin-EaterNew Member Posts:42
| 7/28/2010 8:15 PM |
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Pseudonym be that as it may, the name Alan Bomack also wrote several Executioners as well.
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The PhantomBasic Member Posts:219
| 7/30/2010 4:20 PM |
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Posted By mikeclr on 28 Jul 2010 04:28 PM
They really changed the cover from the first volume to the second IIRC...the first was kind of a bland black and white wasn't it?
Yes, it is a rather poor choice of a cover to launch a series with, and may have been another reason the first book did not sell as well. There is a reprinted edition of that book with the style of cover used beginning with book #13. I have the original black and white version. |
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The PhantomBasic Member Posts:219
| 7/30/2010 4:23 PM |
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Posted By AP on 28 Jul 2010 08:07 PM
Don't know anything about the other guys ("Alan Bomack" has the ring of a pseudonym), but I heard that Robin Hardy died in a freak hiking accident, must've been at least 15 years ago. Perhaps part of the first SOB book's problem was that it had three authors?
AP
According to Stephen Mertz, Alan Bomack's real name is David Wade. I remember seeing a photo of him somewhere even, but I forget where. |
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 7/30/2010 8:03 PM |
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Posted By The Phantom on 30 Jul 2010 04:23 PM
According to Stephen Mertz, Alan Bomack's real name is David Wade. I remember seeing a photo of him somewhere even, but I forget where.
That's what my last remaining GE source tells me, too. |
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DiabloBasic Member Posts:125 
| 9/2/2010 9:20 PM |
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AP you should come and fish with us in NE Florida.Maybe after you land a Black Drum over a 100 pounds you could write your own "Old Man and the Sea"...
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Wordsmith-repriseFreelance Editor Basic Member Posts:150
| 9/4/2010 6:56 PM |
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Well, everyone, this is an extremely sad month for me, as it sees the publication of the last Deathlands book written by the absolutely fabulous Alan Phillipson. I cannot began to tell you what a pleasure it was to be his line editor, what a joy it was to edit one of his manuscripts. Al, I miss you already. I salute you!
Cathy
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 9/5/2010 10:07 AM |
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Posted By Diablo on 02 Sep 2010 09:20 PM
AP you should come and fish with us in NE Florida.Maybe after you land a Black Drum over a 100 pounds you could write your own "Old Man and the Sea"... Sounds like a plan. Only I'll fight the fish--you can write the book. Never been to NE FL, only the Keys and around Sebastian Inlet. Where are you fishing for the drum? |
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 9/5/2010 10:14 AM |
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Posted By Wordsmith-reprise on 04 Sep 2010 06:56 PM
Well, everyone, this is an extremely sad month for me, as it sees the publication of the last Deathlands book written by the absolutely fabulous Alan Phillipson. I cannot began to tell you what a pleasure it was to be his line editor, what a joy it was to edit one of his manuscripts. Al, I miss you already. I salute you!
Cathy Dear Ti, Miss you, too. The GE work, not so much. We'll always have Paris.  AP |
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DiabloBasic Member Posts:125
| 9/10/2010 12:52 AM |
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Bro we fish for drum startin in Feb and bye March they have moved north.Its not like we have to go off shore,we catch them in backrivers.Its crazy to hear them "grunt" in the evening.It shakes the boat.I'm on the Fla/Ga line,Fernandina Beach is where we fish.email me at johnsonrsj@bellsouth.net and I'll send ya some fish pics. |
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GrantboNew Member Posts:46
| 9/23/2010 9:50 PM |
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This book was absolutely outstanding. I couldn't find even one mistake to nit-pic. The depth of story, various subplots combined with a believable ending made this book one of the best in the series.  |
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 9/24/2010 12:03 PM |
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Posted By Grantbo on 23 Sep 2010 09:50 PM
This book was absolutely outstanding. I couldn't find even one mistake to nit-pic. The depth of story, various subplots combined with a believable ending made this book one of the best in the series. Grantbo, Thanks. I was hoping to go out on a high note. AP |
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Ron MilesWebsite Owner Commander In Chief Posts:864
| 9/24/2010 12:11 PM |
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I wonder if Grantbo is any relation to Ronbo? Maybe they have matching tattoos....
"Sadly then I knew the answer. All her life she was a dancer, but no one ever played the song she knew." - The Residents
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chekrdemonNew Member Posts:3
| 9/24/2010 2:21 PM |
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i'm really sorry, but i haven't been here in a while--can anyone please tell me why alan isn't writing any more deathlands? he is my no.1 deathlands favorite (i like mark for outlanders). i enjoy his books so much that i save them for my vacations--my all time fave APOCALYPSE UNBORN i read in japan and last years PLAGUE LORDS and DARK RESURRECTION i read in the mediterranean and i will always associate those trips with his terrific writing.when i first read DAMNATION ROADSHOW i was buying it over and over to give copies to my friends. NOONE (including james) ever gave the magus the kind of character developement AP could and i have been slogging through awful andy boot just waiting for when AP would finally give us magus' ultimate demise at the companions hands---and now i want to cry. when close friends of mine pass away i mourn for the future not spent with them, and now i have similar feelings.
i also want to say how much it meant to have such a great ending to last years dualogy with doc dancing a jig and ryan and his double enjoying their sea voyage with their new friend and skipper. the new guy hoskin blew it for me when he chopped that little girls neck off in such a dehumanizing way---but knowing that i had another AP novel to look forward to kept me going. is gold eagle that blind or is it once again one of life's constants: money makes the world go round?
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 9/24/2010 4:06 PM |
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Posted By chekrdemon on 24 Sep 2010 02:21 PM
i'm really sorry, but i haven't been here in a while--can anyone please tell me why alan isn't writing any more deathlands? he is my no.1 deathlands favorite (i like mark for outlanders). i enjoy his books so much that i save them for my vacations--my all time fave APOCALYPSE UNBORN i read in japan and last years PLAGUE LORDS and DARK RESURRECTION i read in the mediterranean and i will always associate those trips with his terrific writing.when i first read DAMNATION ROADSHOW i was buying it over and over to give copies to my friends. NOONE (including james) ever gave the magus the kind of character developement AP could and i have been slogging through awful andy boot just waiting for when AP would finally give us magus' ultimate demise at the companions hands---and now i want to cry. when close friends of mine pass away i mourn for the future not spent with them, and now i have similar feelings.
i also want to say how much it meant to have such a great ending to last years dualogy with doc dancing a jig and ryan and his double enjoying their sea voyage with their new friend and skipper. the new guy hoskin blew it for me when he chopped that little girls neck off in such a dehumanizing way---but knowing that i had another AP novel to look forward to kept me going. is gold eagle that blind or is it once again one of life's constants: money makes the world go round? Chekrdemon, Very gratifying to hear that you liked my DLs so much. As to my departure from GE, yes, it was a matter of money and the lack of royalty income from the body of work I had produced for them. The fact that I could make twice as much editing and doctoring other people's books (much easier work, too) made me lose interest in GE as an employer. I was also burned out on DL after writing so many books in the series, which made it increasingly difficult for me to maintain momentum and the quality of the material. I've started several original novels (you can read the first few chapters of one of them for free if you click the Slaughter Realms link on the left side of the ja.com homepage), but haven't finished anything, yet. I am scaling back on the editing work starting this month so I can get the original fiction done in an orderly fashion. Again, thanks for your kind words. AP |
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chekrdemonNew Member Posts:3
| 9/24/2010 6:12 PM |
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thanks so much for replying to my post and of course i don't blame you --i blame the cheapskates at gold eagle for not recognizing and keeping such talent by paying you what you are worth (which to me would mean giving you a raise and the royalties you deserve!) but obviously to them the bottom line is when people will buy DEATHLANDS no matter what (and i am afraid i am in that catagory) they will get the same amount of money whether it is well written or not. oowww.
Alan, i will buy and read anything you write and i have and will check out your links. and keep a small hope that one day the people at gold eagle will realize that you are worth more money and make you an offer you can't refuse to re-enter the axlerverse. i have DOOM HELIX and am rereading SHADOW WORLD and BREAKTHROUGH.
thank you on behalf of myself and an awful lot of people (like me) who don't post on message boards often, if ever, for many years of fantastic fiction and i will look forward to your new books where you get to keep the royalties!
ps i work at the library of congress so when i say books are my life, i'm not joking around
pss i loved that after all the mayhem in APOCALYPSE UNBORN the survivors sat down and had a big party together! GO DOGS GO! (seuss reference) |
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theduplemanNew Member Posts:19
| 9/25/2010 4:38 AM |
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just finished reading this.
Have to admit,this is the first shadow world novel i have really enjoyed.I think this is certainly the best of the shadow world books and was a very easy read indeed plus its a suitable finish to something i never really enjoyed but did stick with.well done ap
The other british one
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darkravenangelNew Member Posts:48
| 10/1/2010 2:46 AM |
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Hey, Mr. Philipson. Good job on writing your version of the Deathlands. I am trying to become a writer of fiction stories and I do have about thirty-four story ideas started, but I still feel lost and I do not know where to start. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 10/7/2010 11:31 AM |
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Posted By thedupleman on 25 Sep 2010 04:38 AM
just finished reading this.
Have to admit,this is the first shadow world novel i have really enjoyed.I think this is certainly the best of the shadow world books and was a very easy read indeed plus its a suitable finish to something i never really enjoyed but did stick with.well done ap
Thanks, thedupledman. |
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 10/7/2010 11:38 AM |
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Posted By darkravenangel on 01 Oct 2010 02:46 AM
Hey, Mr. Philipson. Good job on writing your version of the Deathlands. I am trying to become a writer of fiction stories and I do have about thirty-four story ideas started, but I still feel lost and I do not know where to start. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.
darkravenangel, Don't know what you're trying to write, and this REALLY isn't the thread to go into that. A quick suggestion: get some how-to-write books in the genre(s) you're interested in. That should give you a basic framework to work from, and to apply to your original material. That's what I did ... Best wishes, AP |
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KerrickBasic Member Posts:322
| 10/8/2010 9:21 PM |
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I have a couple questions: I noticed that Dr. Huth was back. I read Breakthrough several years ago, so I can't recall how or why his death got retconned. I have a copy, but it's in a box of books I'm *still* waiting to receive... so, what happened with him?
Also, what was that macroentity? How did it work, with the specters (I don't want to spoil too much in my question)?
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 10/9/2010 11:43 AM |
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Posted By Kerrick on 08 Oct 2010 09:21 PM
I have a couple questions: I noticed that Dr. Huth was back. I read Breakthrough several years ago, so I can't recall how or why his death got retconned. I have a copy, but it's in a box of books I'm *still* waiting to receive... so, what happened with him?
Also, what was that macroentity? How did it work, with the specters (I don't want to spoil too much in my question)?
Kerrick, At the end of Shadow World, Dr. Huth got sucked through the trans-universe gateway when Ryan and the others blasted it shut with a redirected missile--he ended up in DL all by his lonesome. At the end of Breakthrough, Dredda and the she-hes took Huth (their only whitecoat) with them when they evacuated DL for universes unknown. As to the specters, they are entities that exist outside the bounds of ALL realities. There is no way the DL characters can explain or understand them, and certainly not short term, with the limited resources at their disposal. The closest analogy for them in human experience is "virus." (Or perhaps, "watchdogs." Or "toll collectors.") If you jump parallel universes, you cross their home turf, which is the void between universes; and if you jump enough times eventually their spores will latch onto you--when that happens it's endgame for entire worlds. They destroy the species that trespassed and therefore the technology that made trespass possible. Because they are apparently indiscriminate, the collateral damage (toll) is off the scale. In my opinion, leaping before looking (or ignoring possible downside consequences) is an integral part of the depiction of human nature/science in the DL series. We humans are doomed (in DL by nukewar, on Shadow Earth because of overpopulation) because of who we are and what we do, by our own DNA. And by our inability to come to grips with who we are. Ergo, Doom Helix. That said, DH is a comedy of sorts. Perhaps a Jennifer Aniston or J-lo vehicle?  AP |
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KerrickBasic Member Posts:322
| 10/9/2010 11:57 AM |
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Ah, I s ee. So how did they all vanish when the gate was closed? Huth hypothesized they were part of a macroentity, which made sense. If they're freeform beings, closing the gate wouldn't have prevented them from wiping out Earth. (Sorry, I know I'm being annoying, but I'm just curious.)
BTW, the comment on humanity being doomed to wipe out any planet they come to is interesting; technology taken too far will eventually doom the species instead of delivering us to a Golden Age. It certainly fits with the overall archetype of the series.
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Ron MilesWebsite Owner Commander In Chief Posts:864
| 10/9/2010 12:23 PM |
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Posted By AP on 09 Oct 2010 11:43 AM
That said, DH is a comedy of sorts. Perhaps a Jennifer Aniston or J-lo vehicle?
AP
I am sure that Ti would be more than happy to be played by Jennifer Aniston. Do you think we could get Jason Statham to play Ronbo? "Sadly then I knew the answer. All her life she was a dancer, but no one ever played the song she knew." - The Residents
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 10/9/2010 1:23 PM |
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Posted By Ron Miles on 09 Oct 2010 12:23 PM
Posted By AP on 09 Oct 2010 11:43 AM
That said, DH is a comedy of sorts. Perhaps a Jennifer Aniston or J-lo vehicle?
AP
I am sure that Ti would be more than happy to be played by Jennifer Aniston. Do you think we could get Jason Statham to play Ronbo?
Statham is a bit stumpy to play Ronbo. What about Ray Stevenson ("Titus Pulo" in HBO's Rome)? |
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 10/9/2010 1:49 PM |
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Posted By Kerrick on 09 Oct 2010 11:57 AM
Ah, I s ee. So how did they all vanish when the gate was closed? Huth hypothesized they were part of a macroentity, which made sense. If they're freeform beings, closing the gate wouldn't have prevented them from wiping out Earth. (Sorry, I know I'm being annoying, but I'm just curious.)
BTW, the comment on humanity being doomed to wipe out any planet they come to is interesting; technology taken too far will eventually doom the species instead of delivering us to a Golden Age. It certainly fits with the overall archetype of the series.
Annoying ain't the half of it. I wrote the book a couple years ago. Now I have to fess up that I didn't remember the ending correctly. (Hey, it all tends to blur and fade--I have read and/or edited at least 500 other people's books in the interim) You're right, it appears from events that the specters weren't "individuals." Although Huth has no way of testing his hypothesis. Just kidding about your being "annoying." It's refreshing to be reminded that people read these books with a critical intelligence. AP |
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KerrickBasic Member Posts:322
| 10/10/2010 1:09 PM |
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Posted By AP on 09 Oct 2010 01:49 PM
Annoying ain't the half of it. I wrote the book a couple years ago. Now I have to fess up that I didn't remember the ending correctly. (Hey, it all tends to blur and fade--I have read and/or edited at least 500 other people's books in the interim) You're right, it appears from events that the specters weren't "individuals." Although Huth has no way of testing his hypothesis.
Just kidding about your being "annoying." It's refreshing to be reminded that people read these books with a critical intelligence.
AP
That's quite all right - I laughed when I read your post. I should have realized that you wouldn't remember details, but that's all right. |
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DiabloBasic Member Posts:125
| 10/18/2010 2:42 AM |
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Hold on Cat.Whats a line editor?Is that the next step up from a writer?Do you still work for GE?
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DiabloBasic Member Posts:125
| 3/25/2011 10:57 PM |
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how did Dr Huth infect the she/hes when they never come out their battlesuits..did i miss something
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 3/26/2011 10:23 AM |
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Posted By Diablo on 25 Mar 2011 10:57 PM
how did Dr Huth infect the she/hes when they never come out their battlesuits..did i miss something
Diablo, Do you mean how did the creatures infect the she/hes? My memory is I never described in detail the point of first infection. I might be remembering wrong, but I think the idea was: infection picked up on the outside of the suits jumping between universes, brought unknowingly to a universe/planet where they could step out of battlesuits; infection discovered, they put suits back on to stop the spread in their ranks--and jump away. AP |
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Ron MilesWebsite Owner Commander In Chief Posts:864
| 3/28/2011 10:18 AM |
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Yeah, the way I remember it is exactly that - they were infected while outside their suits during a jump.
I am sure Ronbo could have saved them all if he hadn't been so cruelly martyred.
"Sadly then I knew the answer. All her life she was a dancer, but no one ever played the song she knew." - The Residents
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DiabloBasic Member Posts:125
| 4/2/2011 3:04 AM |
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I hear ya AP...To me when Dr Huth though "a little test was in order" that meant he was gona infect them.
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| 4/10/2011 1:08 PM |
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This was the first book I ever read in the series. I found it in Afghanistan, at an MWR center and finished it shortly after I cracked the cover! I am hooked! Thanks for sharing your talent!
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 4/14/2011 12:07 PM |
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Digitty,
Glad you liked it. DH is the third book in a widely-spaced DL trilogy I started in 2000. Kind of the wrap-up/swan song to my GE/DL career as well. The other two books, Shadow World and Breakthrough, might also interest you.
Thank you for the kind words and for your service. Both are much appreciated.
AP |
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| 5/8/2011 2:25 PM |
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I did read Shadow world since my last post. It was also in the MWR center. I thought it was great as well! To be honest, I used to only read non-fiction. Biographies of interesting people, lots of books for dummies etc. I still dont think that I would be able to stray to far away from DL with regards to Sci-Fi.
I thought that the SL were a major part of the series and I am kinda bummed to find out that it was only limited to the three books. I don't understand some of the harsh criticism against SL, everyone is entitled to an opinion. It's not like its anymore far fetched than Mat-Trans or anything else in the DL universe, maybe I am missing something that the older fans see.
Since I read the two, I purchased 1-4 and I bought encounter. I finished Neutron Solstice last night and started on Crater lake and realized that I had to get up in a few hours. I have you to thank for that.
Can you explain to me how you got to write for the series?
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damoniteNew Member Posts:8
| 7/11/2011 12:04 AM |
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Sorry to jump off the subject.
I have been reading death lands for some time and just realized that all my
Favorite books are written by you AP. You are some witty m.f. thank you.
I don't know why more people don't like damnnation roadshow. It
Is simply the best book i have ever read. Please do more deathlands.
Seriously thank you. You have taken me to more places then i ever thought
Possible. D.
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 7/11/2011 7:40 AM |
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Digitty,
Sorry I didn't see this post until now.
As to how I got to write DL, I had been writing in GE's other action series for 14 years when I was told (in 1996) that LJ was too ill to keep writing DL. Something that may or may not have been true at the time. In other series (Destroyer, OL) I know GE used replacement series writers to bend the current author to its will in terms of rate of pay, book output, etc. I now believe this was the first instance of that "business strategy." I was really tired of writing contemporary men's adventure, so I'm not sure knowing about the strategy would have made any difference, but I like to think it would. If I'd suspected it was a game, I think I would have at least tried to contact LJ to get his side of the story.
Best,
AP
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APPublished Author Veteran Member Posts:346
| 7/11/2011 7:51 AM |
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Damonite,
Thanks for the kind words.
As to DRS, you can never tell what readers are going to take away from a book. You can never tell what they BRING to a book, either. Some reviewer on Amazon thought DRS was about glorifying drug use. When I saw that I laughed.
Sorry to disappoint, but this witty m.f. isn't going to write any more DLs. I'm working on original stuff. If you want to read some of it click on the link to Slaughter Realms on the ja.com homepage. Be interested to know what you think.
AP
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silentalbino Advanced Member Posts:742
| 3/5/2014 6:19 PM |
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Just finished this, what a cracking read. I really enjoyed the Shadow World books, something a wee bit different. It was good to see some old "friend's" get there just desserts. Poor Ronbo, what a way to go. The Whitefaces were pretty neat too.
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MaximusAdvanced Member Posts:518 
| 3/5/2014 7:54 PM |
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The Shadow World trilogy rocked! Wait until you read his duology Xilbalaba. (Or however the hell you spell that. )  |
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The PhantomBasic Member Posts:219
| 3/6/2014 1:31 AM |
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I jumped ahead in my reading in the series to read those Shadow World books, and I am glad I did. I loved them, and recommend this trilogy to anyone who has not tried it yet, they are among the best books in the series.
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