1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cross Over to Desolation Crossing Adventure!, July 7, 2009
This review is from: Desolation Crossing (Deathlands) (Mass Market Paperback)
This latest edition of Deathlands is my Andy Boot, and we would give this 4.5 stars since it seems this author has finally reached his much-needed peak after his 10th book. His last, Thunder Road, was by far his best since his 1st, Rat King.
But with stronger storytelling concepts, along with deeper characterizations, Thunder Road felt more fresh and inventive, whereas his latest here, Desolation Crossing, although also fresh and inventive, also takes us diehard fans back to the War Wag years with the legendary Trader. Something the last book and author tried, but didn't pull off nearly as successfully as Andy Boot has done here with his latest, giving us diehard fans what we've been craving for awhile, and has been obviously taken to heart by the authors and the publisher.
Desolation Crossing will take diehard, longtime fans back to the glorious earliest works of Laurence James, but with a present day spin that works extremely well. The chapters go back and forward in time, explaining the mystery behind a young woman's dark journey to find J.B. Dix and the rest of the group.
Never dull, very character-driven, and extremely fresh in mutant concepts, without making it feel too comic-bookie, Desolation Crossing will quickly make the diehard fans forget all about the attempt made in Eden's Twilight when it comes to war wagging across the hellscape of Deathlands. All the characters seem IN character in this book, harking back to the original old books, as does the Trader and Hunnaker, one of our favorite female green-haired warrior characters from the beginning of the series. It was great to get to read a glimpse back to those glorious war wag days with the old characters.
Thank you Andy Boot for coming into your own. Keep up the fantastic work.
Unlike the past, now we very much look forward to your next new Deathlands book. What a fantastic turnaround!
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
*YAWN*, August 25, 2009
This review is from: Desolation Crossing (Deathlands) (Mass Market Paperback)
I've been reading the Deathlands series of books since their inception. The series certainly what it once was when LJ & ME were at the helm and this is mainly due to the variety of writers, spotty continuity (not necessarily the fault of the writers), and the cookie cutter templates GE imposes on the writers. However, occasionally there are gems that pop up with Plague Lords being a recent example. Sadly, Desolation Crossing is not one of those gems even though the potential was there.
Andy Boot is the author of this iteration and although he has written a few decent books in the past, this one doesn't measure up. Without giving spoilers, there are many flashbacks to J.B.'s time with the Trader which is what gives it potential and the main characters are more or less true to form. That's about the extent of the positivity. The plot is weak, the dialogue trite and uncomfortable, and overall content is lackluster (mainly due to no plot to drive the story) making it nearly impossible to hold my attention. It felt like something that was written in one sitting after watching a Mad Max movie.
I had a difficult time even finishing the book. I'm not sure what the first reviewer is smoking but I think I'm being generous with 2 stars. Sorry Andy, I think you can do better.
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