raphaelt New Member Posts:2  
| 1/31/2011 1:05 PM |
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Hi everyone,
I have been aware of the Deathlands and Outlanders series for a few months now, and am very interested in taking the plunge into the series, however the sheer volume of books makes the concept a little daunting.
Can anyone give me advice about where to start with either or both of these series? I was hoping that one of the currently in-print installments would make a good jumping-on point for a new reader. I would prefer not to start with tracking down used copies of the early volumes if possible; that can always come down the road. A good jumping-on story doesn't necessarily have to give me the lowdown on every aspect of the world and history, but it would be great if there was a story that at least gave me a fighting chance to take the plunge into the fictional setting without getting hopelessly lost in references to events and characters I haven't yet learned about.
On a related note, I've been browsing the internet in search of a guide or FAQ for newcomers to the Deathlands universe, and have so far not been able to find anything. Some kind of introduction to the series or guide to characters and history seems like it could help a curious but timid newcomer like me.
If anyone has any tips or advice for someone just starting out on these two series, I would be very grateful! Thanks in advance!
Raphael
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Ron MilesWebsite Owner  Commander In Chief Posts:864 
| 1/31/2011 1:38 PM |
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Raphael,
First of all, welcome to JamesAxler.com. We are always happy to see new faces here!
Regarding a jumping off point, both series are specifically designed so that theoretically a new reader can pick up any book in the series and have enough back information within the story itself to be able to follow them without a problem. Obviously there is quite a bit of history in both series, and the history in Outlanders is particularly convoluted, but honestly you should be able to start pretty much anywhere. Occasionally there are 2-3 book story arcs, but neither series is in the middle of one right now.
That being said, if you go over to The Books section of this website you can find information about each book in the series along with reviews and average ratings. That might help give you a feel for which ones are particularly good (or bad).
For a guide, you should check out the Wiki page on this website. It is maintained by the esteemed Kerrick, and contains plenty of information regarding characters and backgrounds for both series.
Hope you find the site useful!
- Ron
"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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Sin-EaterNew Member Posts:42
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raphaeltNew Member Posts:2
| 2/1/2011 12:50 PM |
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Thank you, Ron! I've perused the Wiki and the info about the books here at the site and now feel a little more confident to try and grab a couple of the in-print volumes from both series. Thanks again!
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raphaeltNew Member Posts:2
| 2/2/2011 4:42 PM |
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Thanks, sin-eater (your post did not show up when I did the original reply). This looks like an appealing starting point for me -- I'll give them a try! Also, I've chosen one recent novel from both Deathlands and Outlanders to start with, based on the reviews of the recent books from here at the site.
Thanks again.
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Jeff SichtaNew Member Posts:12
| 2/15/2011 9:49 PM |
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Personally, if you're interested in the Deathlands series, begin with the first title, "Pilgrimage To Hell" (some editions have a small fold-out map showing how the United States was turned into the Deathlands, with an illustration of the primary characters on the flip side of the map), and then about forty books into the series was a prequel of sorts called "Encounter".
You could probably start with "Encounter", but it draws upon the rich history of the DL series established to that point, so you'll better appreciate "Encounter" if you read "Pilgrimage To Hell" first.
I am a fairly new arrival to this forum as well, so I do not know if there is a similar "Encounter"-type book that serves as a prequel to the Outlanders series. Nor have I taken the time to peruse any Wiki attached to this site in great depth, so it could very well be that all of your questions can be answered there.
Everyone on this site that I've dealt with thus far has been extremely helpful and polite, so you should have no problem finding what you're looking for.
Hope this helps.
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