Customer Reviews

Satan's Seed (Outlanders)

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

 

 

After the pyrotechnics of Skull Throne, Outlanders comes roaring back with a smaller and more personal story. A group of nazi soldiers led by a sadistic German countess (clearly inspired by Ilsa the She Wolf) are transported from the aftermath of WWII to Thunder Isle, where they stage an assault on Redoubt Yankee. Tossed into the mix is a showdown with the Millenial Consorium in Russia, plus a healthy dose of Monstrodamii.

The scope of the story is smaller than your standard Outlanders novel, but that is by no means a detriment. Instead it allows for more character moments and particularly allows for some of the second tier characters like Philboyd and Sinclair to shine. As is usual with this series, the action set pieces are top-notch excersises in high adventure. The pacing is excellent, and the climax is a classic OL one-percenter. I am always impressed by Mark Ellis' ability to take existing plotlines and characters and to tease something new and unexpected from them. While not the very best the series has to offer, Satan's Seed is definitely a must-read.

I bought this for my husband and he has read it already and loved it. He has all the Outlanders series and says they are the best books (along with the Deathlands series) that he has ever read. He has read many books in his 62 yrs.

I've said in many of my reviews over the years that change is a good thing. My reasons have been stated clearly and there has never been room for misinterpretation.

Change, when introduced gradually and with plausible reasons is acceptable. Change when it appears for no reason isn't.

Satan's Seed is a change of pace from the usual fare we've enjoyed (most of us, with the exception of certain biased, so called reviewers aka stalkers) for years.

Instead of the Cerberus crew dealing with world threatening villains or creatures out of legend and myth, we have what amounts to a simple time travel tale.

A group of Germans, remnants of the SS a year after Hitler's Defeat, have found a way to travel into the future. They're lead by a deranged satanist and equally sick Countess. The scientist believes that he has been given a sign from Lam himself to travel into the future, where he and his fellows will rule the world, one to their own liking.

For a change, the long term readers don't have to sift through a great deal of back-story. It's still there, and it's needed for the new readers, but it has been greatly reduced.

Secondly, there is a sex scene, but thankfully it was short. You might be wondering why I said this. Sex is a great thing, when you've got someone in REAL LIFE to enjoy it with. I find it to be nothing more than filler in novels, and besides, I'm not 14 so reading about it doesn't interest me.

I digress...

Third, the novel is very combat heavy. Yes, every Outlanders novel has had combat and many death defying situations. It's something we've all come to expect. The novels wouldn't be quite so entertaining without them.

Like Cerberus before, the facility on Thunder Isle comes under siege by time travelling Nazi's. Several secondary characters, mainly Brewster and Shizuka, really are given a chance to shine.

That being said, it was a nice change of pace. The Cerberus crew had a potentially deadly enemy to deal with, but it wasn't something as Earth Shattering as they've faced in the past.

Now we can get back to our regularly scheduled Save the Earth style novel.

Mark Ellis's latest Outlanders novel is good, but far and away not the best of what used to be a great series.

Although, as usual, the novel contains an abundance of action and adventure, there are a myriad number of editing problems ranging from missing words to geographical errors. And it is way too heavily-laden with a mixed hodge-podge of scientific principles that only a horned-rimmed nerd could MAYBE understand.

The new threat in this latest Outlanders is a time-trawled bald kook named Aliester Crowley with his entourage of black-clad SS troopers led by a blond bimbo clad in blood red garb and riding crop that does absolutely nothing to enhance this storyline. She was just there. After reading Best-Selling novels in this genre, Ellis's latest work comes off too comic-bookish in some areas. (Yes, we know his background in comic-book writing.)

The scenario of this novel having taking place on Thunder Isle is the coolest area of Ellis's work, and it is the saving grace of its colorful backdrop that makes this novel from being truly unremarkable or memorable. We love novels that have time travel and dinosaurs. (If you haven't read James F. David's Footprints of Thunder and its awesome sequel, then you are in for a Jurassic Park-like treat!)

Out of all the Cerberus warriors, Grant definately takes center stage here. Not only does he steal the best scenes, but he finally links back up with his Asian babe, Shizuka. Long time in coming. AND they actually ACT like they should when having been apart for so long. Not only do they talk of their futures, but unlike Kane and Brigid after 40-odd books, they actually consumate their feelings of love for each other. Wow, why can't Kane act like this, instead of like brother and sister? (Maybe with Lakesh's background with them and manipulating their genes, they are!)

Again Mark Ellis ignores the work of character development building for Kane, Brigid, and Domi. (And Domi seems to just disappear in this novel. I guess Lakesh and her ignored the computers that must have shown their transponders showing red during the battle siege inside the Cube.)

Aliester Crowley stands out somewhat as the main threat in this latest book, whereas Countess Von Schiksel and the doomie-like child, Ashaya are totally wasted here. Things are just dropped and never delved into nor explained, like the blind child calling Grant daddy when they first meet. She says nothing and only grips Grant as they travel through the jungle. That's it?! Why was she drawn to the big black man? Ellis doesn't bother to show nor explain this. Things like this didn't make sense, thus making the novel feel rushed and not finished nor properly edited. GE is now known for this.

Ellis does manage to give a fairly fun and exciting adventure caper, if you don't care for plausibility and/or ever-building character development for a series. The cerberus warriors do more snapping at each other here than show their desire for one another or close relationships as tight friends and/or future star-crossed lovers that Ellis has more than once alluded to in the past.

I guess like so much other concepts here, Ellis just decided to drop it, nor explain it. This is a decent enough continuation of the series, with dinosaurs and the backdrop of Thunder Isle saving the day.