Mad God's Wrath

Mad God's Wrath is the return of Mark Ellis to the Outlanders series with a solid, lucid story that rolls along smoothly with no missteps. He gets all the characters and conventions of this series exactly right, from the interactions between the lead characters to the tie-ins with mythology.Even though there's nothing terribly new in this book except for the assault on the Cerberus redoubt, the story is familiar and comfortable, like a TV series you love but haven't seen in a while. The science-fiction elements which were noticeably absent in the last book are back in full force, at least. Mad God's Wrath puts the trinity of Kane, Brigid and Grant on center stage again but Lakesh has a large part to play too. The most interesting thing about the book is the villain, Maccan, returning from the Dragon Kings two-parter of a couple of years ago. He's a much nastier in this one --with the Silver Hand of Nuadhu he splits open heads and tears apart chests like the wrappers off candy bars. Able to murder at will but seeming to be immune to retaliation, Maccan is an effectively menacing and frightening enemy. His final fate is grimly appropriate...but I have a feeling he could return in the future. The real joy comes with visiting our old friends at Cerberus again, feeling a part of their interactions and their on-the-edge lives. It's too bad Domi doesn't have a larger part to play (she gets graphically tortured). For that matter, a number of Cerberus personnel are either wounded or killed. Despite scenes like that sort, there are a lot of enjoyable details thrown into the story, like the return of the vicious little David from Parallax Red or the uber-bizarre Tasha who comes off as a player in an S & M Kabuki play. One of the great delights of this series is its unpredictable quality-- you never know just what you're going to encounter. Mad God's Wrath may have a familiar feel to it, but it is in no way as hidebound or locked into a by-the-numbers formula as other series of this ilk are, like the predictable monotony of most entries in the Executioner or Deathlands series.A very enjoyable book all the way around.

Mad God's Wrath was only the fourth book I've read in this series and like all the others it was a lot of fun. I never read the other books with Mars or Maccan but I'll be trying to order them soon. I've very pleased I found the Outlanders series.

Mad God' Wrath by Mark Ellis is a nice return to the Outlanders series. Lately the flair was missing but this book has brought a nice return to the popular series' magic. Thanks !!

It feels like a long time since I last read a "real" Outlanders novel (Awakening by a fill-in writer doesn't count) and Mad God's Wrath was well worth the wait!This book has all the tradtional elements of a "Classic Outlanders", from the different kinds action sequences, a science-fictional plot and the return of one of the most fascinating characters in the entire series, Maccan, the last of the Tuatha De Danaan.Last seen a couple of years ago in Dragoneye, I've been hoping he would come back. Considering how important he is to the background mythology of the series, it seems only natural Mark Ellis would bring Maccan back to bedevil our heroes again. Mad God's Wrath reveals the origin of the Tuatha De Danaan as well as the real purpose of the huge pyramid on Mars and both were unexpected and original.It's interesting how this book with the last quarter of it set on Mars comes out when exploration of the Red Planet is back in the news for the first time in years. A case of precognition on the part of the writer? There are varied action scenes in Mad God's Wrath, all of them thrilling although there is a long violent sequence that I found a little too graphic. But it was gratifying to see the heroism from the other Cerberus warriors besides Kane, Brigid and Grant.There are so many high points to cover in this novel: a great villain, heightened motivation, excellent characterizations, a super-fast-paced plot, and incredibly exciting action sequences. Mad God's Wrath is superior on every level, and a must-read for any serious Outlanders fan.I'm proud to say I'm one!