Customer Reviews

Cerberus Storm (Outlanders)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cerberus Storm is a great adventure yarn that frankly surprised me because it was so low-tech.

I was expecting the second chapter in the conflict with the Overlords but instead, the book expanded upon the Millennial Consortium who briefly appeared back in Evil Abyss and featured Sky Dog a lot more prominently than any other OL book.

In a lot of ways, Cerberus Storm reminded me of the movie Last of the Mohicans since almost all of it was set in the wilderness and set Kane, Brigid and Grant against the forces of nature and creepifying Indian magic.

There are overland treks and boat journeys down rivers and frontier scum-buckets and ambushes. There's a lot of graphic violence in this book.

The Millennial Consortium is a very interesting new group of adversaries, particularly their weird leader, Benedict Snow. I'm pretty sure we'll see a lot more of these guys in future OL novels.

My two favorite things about Cerberus Storm are the scenes where our heroes are stripped pretty much to their bare essentials yet still come out victorious. Even Kane talks about how they might have become too reliant on their guns and tech instead of their wits.

After Successors with its fixation on big guns, big ATVs, big grenades and big mouths, this attitude was a refreshing change.

My most favorite thing about Cerberus Storm: Catamount!

A crazy American Indian version of Catwoman!

She's a great character, fascinating, sexy, sympathetic and scary! Her loving relationship with the vicious cougar, Deathmaul is really strange, too. There's even some hints of lesbo stuff between her and Brigid.

Spicy!

If warrior women characters make certain readers uncomfortable, then Catamount will really shake them up.

She's like Fand, Ambika and Sif all rolled into one but with a degree of depth that those characters didn't have.

Catamount is a great character, one of the most memorable to appear in any OL book.

[...]
Overall, Cerberus Storm is a very different kind of OL adventure, a little more paranormal than s.f., but it's a fast-moving and colorful tale with plenty of action and boatloads of interesting characters.

This book starts with a full-out run (by a Lakota warrior) and doesn't let up for an instant. It was very difficult to set this book down (which I find typical of the Outlanders series).

It is amazing that, after the years of combating and finally triumphing over the Baronies, a new antagonist could so convincingly be proposed. It shouldn't come as a surprise based on the past performance of this series, but as merely a reader it seemed a difficult achievement. The author draws upon clues and presumably minor events in previous books to form the basis for the new antagonists (former Lakotan tribeswomen and the Millennial Consortium) without any breaks in tempo or belief.

Several have described this episode as a "Western," but it seems to me that this is just an attempt to attach a label. Sure, it's a story with horses, Amerindians, and located in the "West", but it is an adventure story like its predecessors - plain and simple. Whether the characters wield swords, guns, or lasers seems irrelevant to me. It is a another great story of several individuals trying to do what is right and just in a land that is rife with treachery, greed, and oppression. It is less reliant on technology than previous episodes due to the events that transpire, but this does not increase or reduce the level of danger to the protagonists.

The fallability and vulnerability of the characters continues to keep these stories believable even in fantastic scenarioes. Cerberus Storm's events are less fantasic than previous episodes, but this does not reduce the story's strength. The combat encounters that the protagonists endure do not always go in their favor; in fact, only when they were optimally outfitted do they seem to triumph - a fact pointed out by Kane. The author also manages to keep the reader guessing as to the depth of their fallability when they appear to make the same mistake several times.

Overall, I found this novel to be highly entertaining and a great addition to the series!

With regard to some comments made by individuals with an obvious agenda, this is not a Deathlands novel. It is not an attempt to write a Deathlands novel nor show how a Deathlands novel should be written. This suggestion is an absurdity. If the author wanted to write a Deathlands novel, Gold Eagle would certainly not hesitate to allow him to do so. There is a recapitulation of past information in this novella, but only to the extent of fleshing out a current event. The presence of such summaries are no more intrusive than any other description of settings or characters. Complaints of recapitulation are as useless as complaining of an author's description of a sunrise (it is assumed that the reader already knows what a sunrise looks like). Also, readers complaining about whether or not two characters have sex or not need to take a good look at what they're reading. Even though Gold Eagle is owned by Harlequin, that relationship does not edict descriptive sexual encounters. The author has developed a series of characters who happen to not have sex with each other. The author is telling a detailed and complex adventure story - not sell sex. Get over it. There are plenty of other authors out there that will sell sex to you - patronize them.

It is also obvious that the particular reviewer that I refer to has not read the book thoroughly (or those obnoxious recaps he complains about). Otherwise, he would know why Kane and Grant aren't killed by Catamount and the Lynx Soldiers, that Brigid has an eidetic memory, she has been trained in hand-to-hand and weapons combat, etc.

It is true that there are a number of copy editing errors in the novel. If this is the reason to condemn a novella, then I guess we should all dislike most books and movies ever made.

Another excellent book in the Outlanders series by Mark Ellis! Not quite as sci-fi as usual, there was a tad more paranormal in it, with all the American Indian lore. But it was still fast-paced and full of vivid characters.

This novel was a somewhat nice change of pace, considering that we have so many earth shattering stories to contend with, especially Children of the Serpent, which changed the whole outlook of the series in one single shot.

So, the fact that this novel was straight-forward was, in a way, kind of refreshing.

Eight months have passed between this novel and the last one written by Mark, Children of the Serpent.

A lot can happen during eight months, and hopefully some of the events that took place will be detailed in future novels.

It begins with a young Indian being hunted down by a group of warrior women, and leads into an encounter between the Cerberus exiles and a group of renegade Magistrates, who after the fall of the Baronies into pure Chaos, have decided to eke out a living as highwaymen and slavers.

It's through this meeting that Kane and company discover that the warrior women are linked with the Hellhounds, the former Magistrates, and a third party as well.

You have a Warrior maiden (well, considering what happened to her, you really can't call her a maiden now, can you?) named Catamount, who is after a sacred indian artifact.

It's not revealed until well over half way into the novel the reason she's looking for this artifact, or the motivation behind her throwing her lot in with the Millennial Consortium. You'd think that a proud, powerful woman like Catamount would never have anything to do with a man, especially a white man, but the reasons become quite clear.

I won't give away too much more of the plot, as what I have said pretty much covers the gist of it.

It was nice to finally learn about those behind the Consortium, and the plans that they have for the Outlands now that the Baron's have disappeared.

The author once again shows his knowledge of Native American history and mythology, blending both into a well written, exciting adventure.

If I had a single complaint, it would be how the novel ended. It seemed too abrupt.

As is the standard with all of The main author of the series novels, we have familiar interaction between the main characters, although some have begun showing signs of changes, like Lakesh - and this time because it's slow and gradual, it's not a bad thing. With his youth still more or less intact, he is taking more chances and heading out into the wilds with Kane, Brigid and Grant more often, and seems to be showing interest in his Eastern Indian heritage once again.

We have a powerful, exotic and beautiful woman introduced, one that may or may not be an enemy in the future.

The only thing missing was the really exotic location - we have had adventures set in space, on the moon, Mars, all over the world, even other dimensions and times.

Was it really a bad thing though? No, not at all. The fact that the novel dealt with Native American's made that pretty much impossible. So an adventure stuck pretty much in their own back yard was a nice change of pace.

I am interested in seeing if the villan, the Towasi, will return. It wasn't clear if this 'evil spirit' was destroyed or merely defeated at the end of the book.

Several months have passed since the events depicted in the turning point novel, "Children of the Serpent", and in the "Axlerverse" as imagined by Mark Ellis, the world has changed. The baronies have fallen and people are leaving them, seeking new destinies in the Outlands.

A pack of ex-Magistrates known as the Hell Hounds led by a character who showed up briefly in the very first novel, Exile to Hell, preys on the convoys of the settlers. It's no surprise who sets out to the stop them. That simple mission leads Kane, Brigid and Grant on a wild ride through the frontier, Native American myth, and even the residue of the old predark government.

Although I was hoping for more about the Anunnaki Overlords, I enjoyed the fleshing out of the Millennial Consortium, introduced in "Evil Abyss". I also liked the smaller scale of Cerberus Storm, without the world hanging in the balance or some deadly science-fiction device counting down to doomsday.

Mark Ellis does his usual splendid job of characterization and laying the groundwork. He is masterful at creating characters we love and respect, characters we can both despise and sympathize with, like the beautiful but tormented Catamount.

This novel is not an "instant classic" book like "Children of the Serpent", but Mark Ellis has set such a high standard with the Outlanders series that any of his contributions are very good indeed compared to the fill-in work of other writers. This is what we have here, despite the fake reviews posted by an embittered wanna-be.

However, "Cerberus Storm" has all the necessary elements to hook and hold a reader; a fascinating concept and compelling characters you want to know more about, whether or not you personally find them likable.

Catamount is definitely not likable but she's certainly one of the most compelling of the memorable characters who have appeared in this series over the years!

I enjoyed the interactions of all the characters and I was very glad to see Sky Dog show up again and play a prominent role in the adventure. It was also illuminating to see the heroes as flawed and being outmanuevered by a cunning enemy. Even Kane has to shamefacedly admit that he and his friends have been over-relying on their technology and their reputations.

There are a multiple mysteries being set up within the narrative of "Cerberus Storm", the most obvious being what's so mysterious about Medicine Mountain.

By the end of the prologue you are intrigued and as the story continues to build, the more you want to know. That's the hallmark of a great writer and a great book!

Mark Ellis's latest is not his greatest.

However, it is still an engaging and fun read. But I have to agree with a previous reviewer about some of the action sequences, and the way too convient absence of the newly-made overlords and their supposedly all-sentient smart starship, along with rehasing the same 'ol background info.

And it's like Ellis just cuts and pastes the exact same paragraph wording!! Ver batim. Whether it is about certain equipment or people's background...or lack of loving feelings towards each other - namely Kane and Brigid. Why is it the same reasons given in each book?

I don't get why Ellis made this big turnaround in the series - then ignores it for two whole books!

With all their supposed combined powers, you mean to tell me the overlords just can't seem to utilize all they have to defeat a trio of mere humans...? Not buying that.

And if they are out and about in Europe or whatever, trying to get back their homeland, then why is that not being shown? It's like Ellis thought about a great concept...then just tossed it conviently to the side.

Personally, aside from my qualms here, I liked Cerberus Storm's more visceral and savage feel and overtones. I liked Catamount and her big-ass Cat. (But why kill the Cat off?!) Didn't like that one bit.

And this Mr. Snow - when Ellis finally gets him into the story - seemed a bit one-dimensional to me. He just turns out to be a somewhat fancy redneck in huge goggles. Felt a bit cheated, I did.

The action scene in the river was pretty atrocious. I could just visualize the B-movie-like movements here. C'mon, you've seen 'em! The B-movie where the good guys are all outgunned but never get hit. While the overwhelming bad guy odds can't hit a lick - even though they have heavy firepower!!

Kane never got a cut or a bruise here, and why didn't he and all the rest concentrate their fire - together! Hmmm, great concept, eh, Ellis? They all seemed to take their turns here.
First, you have Kane firing his puny pistol towards a group of heavily-armed, (and heavily protected by boulders!), and manages to hit them, while they all seem to miss...?

And then its Brigid's turn. And the same thing happens here, too. What, no one but these people know how to shoot accurately?

And when Kane fell for the wounded, one-eyed ex-Mags' stupid trick,(which I saw automatically!), and his hardcase ex-magistrate training and know-how doesn't kick in...? Tomfoolery, there, Ellis! C'mon, surely you don't think ALL of your readers are dolts?

I thoughtthe last novel, Successors, was better. But, like this current novel, the bad guys seemed kinda comic-bookish. But fun to read, nonetheless. But this all could be better written and displayed hoefully in the near future.

The next novel, Refuge, sounds like it is going to be real cool and differently exciting. But again, I don't hear anything about these new Overlords. What, yet another novel ignoring these world-wide, star-spanning supposed new threats?

Mark Ellis's latest Outlanders novel - though a decent enough action/adventure read - is chock-full of problems.

For starters, we have a Deathlands-like Western feel to the novel. Nothing wrong with that, in and of itself, but Ellis seems to be yearning to write another DL, but won't to save face with his cadre of reader/reviewers. Shame.

There is the typical rehashing of info-dumping here. Another waste of my hard-earned money. The writer needs to quit hoping for new readers to come in at this point, and rely on them to like it enough to purchase the past ones.

And then there's the overdone and lame same excuses on why Brigid and Kane just can't seem to quite get together, fall in love, or at the very least - have post-nuke sex. It is a no, no, for some reason. Why? You can't respect someone after having made whoopee the night before...?

I'll bet Harlequin romance novels give you more than this!

The author needs to delve deeper in the real-life soldier phyche. Or really, people under stressful conditions in general. He would see that normal, healthy people enjoy, need, and have sex on a regular basis. Sex sells, Mr. Ellis!

And why is so convient that Kane and Grant don't get killed by Catamount and her Lynx Soldiers? Oh, so they can live another day and thwart her plans later on, right? Weak...

And how is it that Brigid knows about every single place, its people and customs, no matter where it is, with each and every book? And when has it been shown that she has trained hard, like some sort of Special Forces soldier, both in hand-to-hand combat and weapons training? When has she found time for all of this...?

The editing is atrocious in this novel. It contains everything from missing words to the wrong arrangement of words...and the list goes on.

I also didn't like the fact that Kane and Grant don't need food or water during all of this strenuous activity, climbing freezing cold mountains. No coverings for their heads from their shadow suits, where most of a person's heat escapes? Gloves that are not there one minute, but are there all of the sudden when needed for climbing? And Amerindians not freezing to death, dressed only in breechclouts....? None of this is very plausible.

The action sequences in some areas are pretty bad. You have coldhearts hidden behind solid boulders, with heavy ordnance, from machine guns to RPG's - but they hit only side characters?! And they stand-up just in time to be shot by Kane and Comapny? It was like a bad B-movie.

But despite all the numerous problems, I have to say that because of my love of Amerindian lore, along with my love of this type of scenario, I now know that the other writer of this series can definately write just as good - if not somewhat better.

You'll see that for yourself in - REFUGE. The next novel in this series. It sounds like a breath of fresh, unrehashed air.