It took me a while to get into this novel, with a different author at the helm and a beginning that was a little confusing, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the book, but fortunately I found it to be a rather good story and full of action, with a decent plot.

After realizing that a group of ore convoy raiders were coming out of nowhere, It was determined that they had come through a gateway that Kane's gang didn't know about. When Kane discovers this redoubt, the gateway there takes them to another redoubt on some Islands off the California coast, or whats left of it. This is where the story goes in a new direction, with the leader of the raiders, a woman called Ambika, is the central figure for the remainder of the book.

This is one of the more interesting villains I've read in a while. What happens with her and Kane was captivating reading, especialy the scene in her bedroom and the great fight in there.

I also liked the confrontation between Kane and Wei Qiang in the restaurant. It wasn't clear what eventuly happened to this character.

One thing I wasn't too thrilled with was the way Brigid was written in the novel. Her attitude around Kane was too childish and these scenes became predictable.

I was a little disappointed with Kearney's role in the story also, I was hoping there was going to be a further plot development with him, and the continuity didn't seem to work right with what happened at the end of Armageddon Axis.
And who were Ambika's informers inside Cobaltville?

All in all, this book was full of adventure and action, with some suspense and mystery, I rate it a strong 8.

Wreath of Fire is an exceptionally well written novel. Mel Odom was able to introduce a brand new enemy in the form of a sensual female warrior named Ambika.

He did an excellent job in bringing over the tension between Kane and Brigid and was able to write the characters in the manner that we've all come to expect over the past few years. He also did a wonderful job in bringing up new questions regarding the Barons and their needs for ore and computer equipment.

The data brought up about the western islands was very well written and I enjoyed the history that he created for the novel. That includes all the history on Ambika as well.

This novel is an exceptional tale and I hope that Mel will continue to produce them when he gets the time from his hectic writing schedule.

Wreath of Fire was the best of the OL books written by fill-in authors but I found out awhile ago that Mark Ellis did have a hand in it at least with editing.

Ambika was a well developed adversary--no pun intended! I liked the way her origin was connected to Mission Invictus the same project which spawned Hell Eyes from the DL novel Nightmare Passage.

My main complaint was that Brigid was handled in a kind of bitchy and sullen way, almost childish, still angry at Kane over what happened in the previous book Armageddon Axis.

The action scenes were good but there wasn't much humor among the heroes.

Despite that, Wreath of Fire overall a very entertaining book.

Mel Odom wrote his best here, as far as I'm concerned. In Deathlands, his best was The Mars Arena. But here in the Outlanders series, this was his shining moment in full blown glory.

Wreath of Fire introduced an intriguing new character in Ambika, whom I was infatuated with as a reader. More than an amazon warrior, Ambika burned up the pages with Kane, leaving this reader wanting more. I hope she makes a surprise comeback someday. She was intriguing and an interesting character in many ways.

The introduction of the Western Isles here with Asian pirates was an awesome added bonus. It fitted perfectly in this colorful setting. I love samurai and ninja and pirate movies and books, and the meshing of all of these elements was fresh and new to me. A heady brew for adventure reading.

Definately one of the best in the series.