7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A dumbed-down disappointment, August 22, 2001
This review is from: Sargasso Plunder (Outlanders) (Mass Market Paperback)
It's been awhile since I reviewed an Outlanders novel...I guess I got to the point that since the quality was usually so high I expected it to go on forever. Sargasso Plunder is a real wake-up call.
This book should have been subtitled "Outlanders For Dummies". Everything in it was dumbed-down, all the characters seemed like their IQs had dropped several points since the last book and the story was about as emotionally and intellectually engaging as a kid's cartoon. There's no continuity to speak of between the previous book and this one, so all the loose ends left dangling at th end of the Imperator Wars trilogy are still dangling. That was bad enough but I might have overlooked it if this book hadn't obviously been written like a Deathlands novel. The only thing I liked about this book was the cover.
Hey, Gold Eagle--I've been a fan of this series for years but that doesn't mean I'll buy anything with the Outlanders name on it, no matter how bad. If the regular author has left the series and if Sargasso Plunder is an example of what future Outlanders books will be like, then I'm taking my business elsewhere.If the days of such great epic adventures like Parallax Red, Savage Sun, Hell Rising and Tigers of Heaven are gone, then I will be too.
Shame on everyone involved in pushing this book on the fans of the Outlanders series.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
OUTLANDERS TAKE A DIVE!, September 19, 2001
This review is from: Sargasso Plunder (Outlanders) (Mass Market Paperback)
This new novel was written by a exciting author named Mel Odom, whom in my opinion, fits right in this universe better than he does his fantasy novels. He may make mistakes in some ways as far as consistancy, but he adds a new element in the characters that are refreshing and new - sometimes! But you know that Mark Ellis will return and make things alright again, so don't fret you diehard readers, just sit back and relax and feel lucky that a good and exciting writer is helping out once in a while. The only questions I have are - WHERE DID KANE COME UP WITH ALL OF THOSE CIGARS? And where did he store them all? Why did Brigid and Domi not seem to trust one another after all this time? Why can't Kane and Brigid just get along? Why doesn't Kane have sex with willing partners that don't come around everyday in that crazy world turned upside down? These are things that need to be addressed real soon in this series, this playing hard to get is getting redundant, in a world like that you would be worrying about things more substantial and make love every chance you could instead of playing mind games - wouldn't you?
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Sargasso Blunder, September 7, 2001
This review is from: Sargasso Plunder (Outlanders) (Mass Market Paperback)
Sargasso Plunder is more apt to be known as Sargasso Blunder.
Everything was off with the book.
Lets start with the redoubt exiles themselves. First, there never has been an exile named Collins. Ever. I have no idea where this unknown person came from. Secondly, what security teams? The only security that Cerberus has ever had have been Kane and Grant. Third, who was that un-known person in a white coverall that came to inform Lakesh in one scene?
Anyone who has read the series, for more than a couple of novels, know who the exiles are.
Now, about Domi. In this book, Domi wasn't Domi, she was Jak Lauren in drag. Throughout the novels, it has become quite clear that the only time she talks in a clipped manner, is during times of exceptional stress. It's not all the time. She was doing that throughout the entire book. Secondly, she doesn't carry a .357. That's Jak Lauren's weapon of choice.
Again, anyone who has read the series would know this.
Third, the characterization was totally off. Yes, the exiles disagree on a number of subjects, but the underlying FRIENDSHIP has always been there. In this book, everyone was suspicious of one another, especially between Domi and Brigid. That was just plain wrong. They're friends. Brigid would never wonder if Domi had ulterior motives in saving her.
While I'm on the topic of Brigid, she isn't Krysty Wroth from Deathlands. She's never expressed any interest in finding a better life and eventually leaving the redoubt, the way that she threatened to do at the end of the novel.
Yes, the relationship between Brigid and Kane is strained, but not to the point where they're going to snipe at one another at her bedside.
Now, for the novel itself.
First, It read like a Deathlands novel. The series has split so far away from Deathlands they can't be compared any more, and most of the readers don't want to see a Deathlands style novel written in Outlanders.
Secondly, at the end of Purgatory Road, Cobaltville was under attack from combined forces. There is no way that Cobalt would have the manpower to mount a hunt for a software trader. Hell the way the novel was going, I doubt that Cobalt is even in charge of Cobaltville any longer.
This novel was an exceptional letdown, especially after how well written Wreath of Fire was.
For the rating, if this was a Deathlands novel, it would have been clearly a five out of five. But Outlanders is NOT Deathlands, and it's clear that all ties to the series are being cut with each novel that comes out. So it deserves the rating I am giving it
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