Evil Abyss (Outlanders)

Rating:
Summary: Worth the wait and more
Review: Evil Abyss was well worth the wait, even if it doesn't match the manic heights of novels like Talon and Fang or even Mad God's Wrath, it's a welcome adventure full of action and drama and a very intriguing mystery.

There's a slew of colorful characters: Boss Klaw, Colonel Puyang, The Magickers and. the fascinating new character of the warlord, General Zhou Tzu. The first quarter of the book, set in Ragnarville's Tartarus Pits takes the reader back to Kane, Grant and Domi's roots and it's a very violent reintroduction, not to mention hot-since they end up burning down half of Tartarus.

The main plot is about Kane's search for a missing interphaser jump team from Cerberus. Brigid Baptiste, Brewster Philboyd and Nora Pennick go missing in Cambodia and he takes a Manta ship to find them. Unfortunately, he crash-lands and then meets an interesting assortment of people who help him achieve his goal-for their own reasons.

The subplot deals with destiny, fate and karma and the balancing out of old sins. All of those elements, woven throughout the story are very interesting. The characterization of the heroes is razor sharp, with no missteps. I really enjoyed Brigid's own individual adventures in Cambodia, showing she is quite capable in her own right without having to rely on Kane.

Like almost all of the Outlanders novels by Mark Ellis, Evil Abyss is enjoyable, smart entertainment for both new and old fans of the series. There is an air of tragic inevitability about the characters, particularly Zhou Tzu.

If this book doesn't quite attain the wild sci-fi level of some of the previous adventures, the book still delivers a fun, action-packed time in the "Axlerverse". More than anything, it was wonderful visiting with all the characters again.


Rating:
Summary: The master is back!
Review: Evil Abyss like all of his books proves if there is a current master of the action-adventure/sci-fi genre, it has to be Mark Ellis, no question.

To begin with, Evil Abyss probably seems so good to me because it washes the taste of the previous book Uluru Destiny out of my mind.. I don't think Abyss is among the top five of the Outlanders series, but it's still very good and very entertaining.

As usual with a book by Mark Ellis, the strong points are character development-Ellis can introduce a new character and in a couple of pages you have the 'feel' of him or her, particularly with the mystical and colorful General Zhou Tzu, who keeps you guessing about his true motives throughout the entire adventure.

All of Evil Abyss is peopled with characters that are colorful and cool, larger than life yet quite human and emotionally engaging. It is easy to care about all these folks and to become involved in the world of Outlanders.

The very flamboyant Boss Klaw who we haven't seen in many years makes a comeback and her reintroduction in a funny scene (she and Kane both pretend to be drunk so the other will let slip some information) is one of the high points of the book.

The characters are as vivid as in the other books and though takes awhile for the main plot to start, it's completely gripping when it does. The "prequel' part in Ragnarville is full of blazing action-literally, with gunfights in the middle of an inferno as Kane, Grant and Domi try to rescue the daughter of an abducted Roamer cheiftain, who it turns out doesn't want to be rescued. A new potential adversary is introduced, the mysterious Millennial Consortium.

The main plot deals with Brigid, Nora Pennick, one of the Moon base scientists and Philboyd testing the newly completed interphaser 2.5, mentioning that the last one they had was destroyed on Mars...so that makes Sun Lord another parallel casement story, since Brigid used the interphaser in that book.

They phase into a Cambodian temple and are immediately caught up in a three-way war between General Zhou Tzu, the Devi-Naga's Cobra Guards and the Magickers. The war is being waged for control of a nexus of earth energies hidden deep inside the ancient city of Angkor Wat.

There is far more going on than meets the eye, which usual for an OL novel by Ellis. The Cambodian setting is very exotic, described in picturesque detail, beautiful but with its own deadly threats, like giant Komodo dragons and a revolting Asian offshoot of the swampies, known as Bottom Feeders.

Its been mentioned that Ellis has a affinity for Asian settings and Evil Abyss shows it off once again. The jungles, the temples, the people of Cambodia all seem very real and authentic.

In Cambodia, Kane hooks up with Nora and Zhou Tzu in his search for Brigid and Philboyd and is trapped in the General's "karmic wheel' which is connected to the fate of the entire Cambodian people and the beautiful Devi-Naga in a way I didn't expect. In many ways, this is almost a "retro' OL novel...there is no overt science-fiction until the near the end, and even that isn't too wild.

Evil Abyss is more about characters than a complicated story, even though it's not a simple plot. I couldn't help but feel sorry for everyone in this book. All the characters, even the main bad guy of the story, the disfigured Colonel Puyang, are all trapped in replay of ancient myths about the Nagas and the rulers of Angor Wat which ends in tragedy.

Of course, the writing is top notch and the dialogue and description of combat is exceptional, as always. Readers like me who were annoyed by the poor characterization of the main cast in Uluru Destiny won't find anything to be unhappy about in Evil Abyss.

Everybody is back "on model' from Domi, still beautiful and deadly but NOT a psycho-slut to even the annoying Philboyd who comes off as very brave in this one, just inept-which he shamedly has to admit.

Kane is once again the quick-witted and driven warrior and Brigid, more or less on her own, is her usual tough, brilliant and formidble self.

Speaking of Domi, she and a middle-aged Lakesh are shown in a loving relationship again (even though there's a nude scene with her, theres a reason for it), Kane is clean-shaved with no mention of grey in his hair, and though a couple of the characters argue, nobody gets nasty or pulls a gun on anybody. The Cerberus staff are presented as mature and professional. No previously dead characters like Beth-Li are resurrected either which was a relief...and Quavell is back, too...the due date of her baby pretty close now.


Overall, I gotta say I loved this book. The only problem that I have with the OL series is how long I have to wait for the next one. This is made worse by the fact that I'm a fast reader. Its going to be a long wait between Evil Abyss and Children of the Serpent!

Five solid stars!!


Rating:
Summary: Great writing and a great story!
Review: Great writing carries this unusual story in the Outlanders series.

Evil Abyss works on all levels, the most important being it is simply a gripping story told with flair and very tight pacing. This is the kind of book I love in an ongoing series--a great treatment of great characters that I have known and loved for so many years. This novel easily ranks with the best of the early Outlanders series and that is saying a lot.

Evil Abyss puts on the heat from the first few chapters and carries it through to the dramatic and unexpected conclusion. The plot and dialogue are tight, and the characterization strong, even among the new players like General Zhou Tzu (apparently a homage to Robert Culp's character from the I Spy episode, The Warlord--the book is dedicated to him!) and the Serpent Princess, Kumudvati. Established characters like Brewster Philboyd and Nora Pennick become fully-realized people in this novel, too.

For me the best aspects of Evil Abyss were those that featured Brigid's travels and adventures in Cambodia, as the wheel of Karma brings her, Kane, Zhou Tzu and all the principals in the story to the same place from separate directions.

I don't want to spoil this rich story with too many details, but the plot is actually somewhat reminiscent of the "turning point" book in the series, Savage Sun and brings each of the heroes' personalities into clearer perspective, particularly Kane and Brigid.

And for those of you who read Outlanders mainly for the fight and sex scenes, this book should satisfy you as well.




Rating:
Summary: The Anghor Wat Adventure!
Review: Mark Ellis's latest Outlander's installment was an excellent adventure read.
Chock-full of his usual scientific and fantasy-like aspects of strange Earth energies, EVIL ABYSS was a fun and exciting read.
However, it was also chock-full of missing words. Editors are falling asleep at the wheel in editing these works. Last issue, Victor Milan's sentences were overlong and awkward. This issue, Ellis's work was just plum missing simple words. Weird and distracting.
The artwork of these novels - though excellent - miss the marked chracteristics of the characters.
Why is Grant bald, and without his gunfighter's mustache? Why is Kane looking different in every book cover art? Where is his wolf-like build and facial scar? He looks like a clean-shaved and nicely har-cutted college student.
Such excellent artwork, but missing such vital details. Is no one awake out there in Gold eagle Publishing Land?? What a shame.
The story of Evil Abyss - the main plot leastways - takes almost half the book to get to. There was a tad bit of backwash backstory starting to resurfece again, but not as badly as it has been in the not too distant past.
Not as good as Mask of the Sphinx, Ellis still manages to balance writing a solid action/adventure story, along with rich characterization.
I like the fact that he is delving into Kane's and Brigid's feelings towards one another, but it still seems way too long and drawn out in this type of world scenario.
I also liked the fact that Kane goes off on the Cambodian adventure alone, giving the reader more time with him, instead of having to balance Grant, Domi, and Lakesh into the mix. Nice change. I wish Deathlands writers would do more of the same with Ryan Cawdor.
The story for me really took off as kane crash-lands in Cambodia, fighting off giant mutie monitor lizards and meeting up with his fate and/or destiny once again, unbeknownst to him, of course.
As usual, Ellis's scientific principles sound interesting and well researched, but I could never explain them, nor pretend to totally understand them myself. But they lend a realism to the fantasy, sci-fi aspects of the story. He's always been good at that.
This was kind of a strange journey for me, as well as kane and company, but still a solid read, nonetheless. Well worth the time to read.
I'm really looking forward to the next installment that is suposedly marking a major change in the series.
Again, excellent artwork and coloring on the cover, but characteristics all wrong. Drives me crazy.





Rating:
Summary: Most excellent!
Review: What a relief it is to have Mark Ellis back on Outlanders, writing the characters and the kind of OL stories the way they SHOULD be written. Evil Abyss is a most excellent book in this outstanding series containing everything I love about it--gunfights in pestholes, mythology, sci-fi, colorful characters, wild action in exotic locales and of course the sexy babes!

I read this book in only two days... once I picked it up, I wasn't able to put it down! Highly recommended for all fans of SF, adventure and just good old rock 'em-sock 'em action!