For once in quite a while I can say I enjoyed a DL book, the last few have all been well below par but to me Thunder road is up above that par.

We don’t get continuity from the last book -then again we do, as it starts somewhere and possibly some when else from the previous book just like the last dozen or so. Hence in a perverse sort of way we have continuity!

The story revolves around the main antagonist "Thunder rider" and his one man quest to bring his idea of law and order to Deathlands. This quest is set off at a tangent when he comes in contact with Ryan and co. and sets about trying to get the group to join his good fight. I won’t give away the plot further and spoil it for you but I will say we have the descendant of a famous Mr. Hughes, the return of an old group of semi-allies and some good (in my opinion here) characterization of the group and other characters. We also have NO silly muties to laugh at and no pointless sex scenes.

Overall I enjoyed this book and whoever the writer is I sure hope he does another few DL's like this. I'm not going to give this a 10 out of 10, that’s silly saying its perfect, its not (some of the sub characters are placed to do nothing but get killed in place of the main heroes !), however I am going to rate it above the average as it kept me entertained and looking forward to finding just what happens next.

I gave this book a solid 8 mostly because it was not a standard DL novel. It was a bit of a departure. This is the best DL novel I have read in a while. We all read these books because we care about the characters and it was the characterization that was dead on. All the companions were written to perfection. Is it a perfect book? No, of course not. Any of my small complaints would give away some of the story. It's a solid DL read which, sadly, is a rare thing.

Just like finding a cache that has been untouched, this is almost as good. The time line for where this would fit in is off. Almost as if they forgot to print this one in the right order. Good too see the fantasy return to this Hell Spawn landscape. I'm still waiting for Dean's return....

I will have to give this a bit above 8. Not quite nine, but a very good read, where the series has faltered lately.

I was hoping to see the end come a little more explosive, and maybe instead of a few of the unknown characters getting blown away as cannon fodder, one of the group sustain some injury of sorts, as they were up against what should have been anihilation.

I enjoyed the tie to a past that was plausable. Good writting.

I was turned on to The Deathlands only 7 years ago now and have been spending every available moment catching up from the begining. I have noticed recently he has somewhat sagged in the series and this book stirred some of the old feelings up in me. The crew joining forces is always one of my fave plots ya can always expect Ryan to have one of the others get under his skin enough for a good chilling.

 I am always waiting for the next installment...........

I have to say in my own opinion that when it comes to ghost writer Deathlands books, they can be summed up into one of three catagories - The good, The extremely bad, and the fillers !!! And this one I would put in the third catagory, but say that it is an enjoyable, if slightly light-hearted story compared to other novels in the past.

This particularly story is mainly about Ryan and his companions coming up against a new costumed Nemesis going by the name of `Thunder Rider' , a post-nuclear - if somewhat warped - version of Batman, who after years of family interbreeding sets forth from his own `Batcave-like redoubt on his quest to bring his own version of TV and comic based justice to the world of the new America.

Cawdor and the group get invloved when the vigilante decides to kidnap Krysty and turn her into his new side-kick `Storm-Girl' and go conquering villainy and wrong-doing in a land that has no idea what the words mean ! Obviously, Ryan, JB, Jak, Doc and Mildred go to the aid of one of their own and with the help of the mysterious Tech-Nomads plan to storm the heavily defended base.

I found that the book read very smoothly and I actually enjoyed it far more than other `fillers' in the past, probably because the story line I felt was more outrageous and slightly silly than most of the DL stories in the past. Maybe Gold Eagle though that the series needed a little bit of light humour to bolster the series, or the editor had come up with a story for a ghost writer after watching re-runs of the lone ranger and 2001 A Space Odessey!

I cannot say what the real James Axler (James Lawrence) would have made of this, though I would like to think that he would have seen the funny side of it, so i'll give it a 8 out of 10. But, if your a serious DL follower you may be slightly disapointed with Andy Boots slightly sarcastic look at the DL world !!

 

Man, my wife and I read this book a months ago, and could not wait to review it.
Well, it seems with Gold Eagle's latest installments of Deathlands and Outlanders, there are two writers onboard, as well as a seemingly new 312 page limit, not the normal 347.

And Deathlands has another new cover artist - John Van Fleet. This one seems more in line of the classic Michael Herring's artwork. The next cover art for the next Deathlands is even better, James Axler, aka Alan Philipson's Plague Lords looks like a step in the right, older fashion cover art direction.

The times of this economy are showing everywhere.

But at least this newest Deathlands by Andy Boot is not only much better than some of the past ones, as well as a solid wordsmith and good storyteller, but seemingly smarter than the latest writer of Outlanders. Not only are they doing a good job of keeping themselves in the shadows, but they are not ticking fans off.

Thunder Road is probably one of the more intelligently written books in the James Axler universe. Andy Boot really showed panache and definately finally showcased that he knows the Deathlands companions of old. Very impressive.

As great as the last one was in sheer bloody mayhem and muties, Thunder Road takes another path entirely. One of broad characterizations, of both the companions and the new bad guy who calls himself - Thunder Rider.

Sure there are elements that have been used before. But they soon take twists and turns that are unexpected. And that was the fun of this one, albeit it felt it needed more action at times. But the writing was so good and different, and yet so familiar as to give the original writer, Laurence James, a solid pat on the back that he so deserves.

Hardcore fans of the series will like this aspect. But not having battles with muties, (of which there is none in this one at all!), nor with any sec men of any type, made me kinda miss something of that aspect. Those elements really make the world of Deathlands. But Andy does such a good job, soooooo much better than Nick Polatta's more recent works and Van Belkoms past books, that it is somewhat easy to overlook this. We hope that Andy continues this type of dedication and smarts with the series. If he does, then he has a grand new future in the Axlerverse.

If Andy would only utilize these aspects in his next endeavor, then he will have a 5-star sure winner. And those aspects are:
1: Krysty using her Gaia powers. She never uses them anymore.
2: Have muties in the storyline. Especially new breeds that fit within the framework.
3: Battle humans on some level.

Without these elements, Thunder Road felt very different indeed. But that is not a bad thing. Thunder Road is a fun and exciting tale. More character driven than normal. We love that.

Deathlands: Thunder Road is probably one of the most intelligently written installments that we can remember. But still had enough savagery and lost high-tech gadgetry to make it feel post-holocaust.

And it has the return of the Tech Nomads! (Something Victor Milan created)

Well, I will admit that I like the way this book began. Did not expect it and that is what kept me reading it. I did like the way the Thunder Rider met, and then kidnapped Krysty; I liked the way that Thunder Rider (Howard) showed her the Redboubt and also the way it was explained how it came to be.......

 The part of the story where I lost interest was the way it ended...... All of a sudden Ryan and crew can't find a way in....send out a beacon and the Tech Nomads appear.....with all of the right gear to take on (and beat) all of the redoubts defences......Sid opens the doors, all rush in save Krysty and rush out...... redoubt destroyed etc etc etc. There were no surprises in there. Even when they attacked the defences.....the Tech Nomads take ALL the casualties.....REALLY?

I am finding it extremely surprising that Ryan and crew have the BEST LUCK in everything....imagine that, an armoured wag shows up when they are in the middle of the desert with a full tank of gas too.

Great story line........decent sequence of events...........predictable ending.