Satan's Seed

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.

Satan's Seed is a fast-paced, fun read! All the characters are colorful, especially the over-the-top Countess Von Schisckel and Aliestar Crowley. The history of the Brotherhood of the Black Sun was very interesting, and even it's more folklore than fact, they make for great adversaries. Mark Ellis doesn't disappoint with the Outlanders tradition of mixing history and myth to make a grand adventure story. The scenes on Thunder Isle were great. Loved the two squabbling Monstrodamii! Having Shizuka playing an important role in the proceedings was refreshing. I also really enjoyed the way Brigid and Kane worked together to outwit the Brotherhood of the Black Sun. All in all, Satan's Seed is classic Ellis--action-packed, colorful and fun!

Every Outlanders novel has its share of bizarre elements, whether it's characters, locales or concepts. Satan's Seed has all three, and Mark Ellis balances them all to make a very entertaining entry in the OL series. You wouldn't think a novel that features Aliestar Crowley, SS troopers from WW2, dinosaurs and time-travel would be so gripping, but Satan's Seed definitely delivers thrills and chills and even a couple of laughs stuck in among the gunfights, explosions and T. Rex chases. Another Mark Ellis novel that is highly recommended.