This was a decent read, and I have been waiting for Dean to resurface for quite some time. Having Ryan kill his girlfriend was quite predictable when she picked up the vest and put it on. It would have been nice to see Dean reunite, and stay for an episode or two, then maybe set out on his own, as he had grown up to become a young man, and maybe go after Sharona, or even stay with the group. Good read just a bit disappointing.

For a 100th milestone in the series, with the long-awaited return of Ryan's son, Dean, this was a major let-down of a book. I really wish that the publishers at Gold Eagle had produced the best quality writer to pen this one.

After all, this was supposed to be a special edition, commemorating not only the 100th edition of the longest running post-holocaust series, but also the much anticipated return of Dean Cawdor.

What fans got was a mishmash of half-developed concepts and too much mindless action. After a while, the action just didn't mean anything. Nick Polatta came up with some half-baked ideas, but never seems to want to nurture the storyline. Instead of what should have been a major blockbuster of a book, due to us fans having been waiting such a long time for the return of Dean, instead we got a heavy dose of hodepodge and careless action sequences with no true heart to the book.

That's what seems to be missing with Polatta's writing. Heart and soul of the characters. It touches upon it, then leaps away from it and adds an action scene. I wanted to see some strong emotions from Ryan and Dean's reunion, but as a reader and huge fan, I got little to nothing of that much needed emotion and energy. It felt like the writer got lost and didn't know how to pull it off correctly, and instead, opted to finish it due to a deadline or something, and just threw some shit together.

What a shame, really. I truly hope the superior writers - especially newcomer Chuck Rogers - brings back Dean in the correct manner. Long-time author Allan Phillipson also proved he had the writing chops to've pulled off a classic comeback of Dean. He did it with pulling a unknown daughter of Ryan's in one book! That takes chutzpah!

I don't see how any fan of this series can give this any more than a 2 star review. If you're just in it for the mindless violence, maybe. But I demand more for my hard earned money! Is it too much to ask Polatta for a solid storyline and bring some heart and soul of the characters to the frontline?