Purgatory Road

I hope I'm not spoiling anything for the fans who haven't read this book yet, but I'm so happy that reports of Domi's death were exagerated! Not exagerated exactly, but at least she's back. That one thing made Purgatory Road a winner for me!

The story rates a high 4 because it picks up the action from the previous episode, and it reaches a decision tree with this smug kid Sam, who is really too powerful and dangerous to leave alive, because he is also secretly evil...This did not rate a Holy 5 because there was too much backfill in the novel. I realize the series is trying to draw in more readers, but not on my bucks, thank you. I thought the expository preface prior to the novel was sufficient for as much backfill as needed. If one must have all this backfill to update readers of what happened in the previous book then the series is weak because the scenes and action should be self-explanatory, or else the characters could provide the backfill SPORADICALLY with cleverly crafted dialogue. This "History Book" method of using great expositionary lumps is tedious to the reader; and so I had to skip over these literary land mines more often than I felt necessary -- enough to invoke irritation -- and merely because I found doing so kept up the pace this aciton series warrants.

Purgatory Road as usual was hard to put down and from the opening pages drew me in, grasped me tight and pulled me along for the ride. This was one wild ride I did not mind taking. With so many questions left unanswered among all that has been resolved as this novel closes, I for one was left salavating for more. The last third of this latest Outlanders story was comprised of some of the most interesting and thought provoking chapters in this masterfully written series. With so many doors left open to exploration and the ranks of villians, each more dangerous than the last, growing with each new novel I'm left to wonder whats next. Knowing this authur and having come to greatly enjoy this series, I have no doubt I will not be disappointed. Another well written novel, that I highly recommend!!

Purgatory Road is all you would expect from Mark Ellis. Heavy action, great plots, details on the how's and why's. It picks up in the middle of the fight that was taking place between the Tigers of Heaven and the Black Dragons on the Isle of New Edo. Once the battle has been waged, a force of Magistrates led by Ramirez attempt to land on the shores.The results are, as you would expect.The book goes into a lot of rehashing of information that has been explained previously, but that in itself is not a bad thing. It gives many of the new readers (and the series is gaining more and more all the time) all the background data they would need to understand what is happening up to that point. The reader is also left wondering what is going to happen to Lakesh, now that he's regained his youth and vigor. What is going to happen to Domi, did she suffer any adverse side effects to the time trawling?And what of the Isle of Thunder? Who was behind the time trawling experiments? Where did they go after Kane and the others invaded the facility?Also, we now have the imperator, Sam. He was blatantly betrayed by Lakesh, and they know the location of Cerberus. What is to become of the redoubt and the other exiles?What about Cobalt? His ville was under siege at the end of Purgatory Road. These questions leave the reader wanting more.Great work, as usual.

This latest installment of the ending trilogy as usual - leaves you wanting more,and puts more questions in your mind about just what direction is this writer going to take this story? The beginning of the story opens with a bang! Starting just where we left our intrepid heroes in the last book, a war against the two rival clans of samurai vying for power. The relentless pace of the book is just a hallmark trade of Mr. James Axler, aka Mark Ellis, the man just does not write a bad book. This series is steeped in plots within counter subplots and conspiracies that even though I understand whats going on - I dont think I could explain it to someone else, ya know what I mean? I'm not sure which plot to believe in this x-files on acid trip sci-fi action adventure series! But it sure is fun to see the series and characters grow and change. I love the changes of some of the characters, and to tell you what they are in the new book would ruin it, so mums the word. All I can say is, read it and enjoy it - even if you cant tell which is the real reality and which isn't. My only complaint about this book is the re-iteration throughout this particular novel was too much for me, but I know that the writer must do this for new readers to understand, and or to refresh memories of us older folks. And also the dinosaurs that were hinted at in book 2 were only touched on a little in this new novel as well, and I really wanted more of that, but I am sure thats for a future novel right? Outlanders of the Jurrassic coming soon to a bookstore near you!