Scan barcode
observer_1's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
phoenix_speri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
justinsdrown's review against another edition
2.0
I'd give this a 2.5 but I'm rounding down to accommodate for goodreads not having half stars. I'm opting to round down and not up based on gut feeling.
This is post-apocalyptic pulp fiction. Those giving this one star reviews and acting shocked by the content baffle me. Did you see the cover? I assume you had to do some digging when you found these. Were you not tipped off by any review you ran into when you started reading? Ah well. This book provided exactly what I was looking for. I've been in the mood for some trashy/fun books to read to take my mind off some of the heavier stuff I read earlier in the year. This book delivered. Villains are black and white morally, the action scenes are gratuitous, and the world is fun to read about.
I say read but I listened to the Graphic Audio edition of this book. If I had to rate the production alone this would get a 4/5. The production is likely what kept me engaged the most. The atmospheric soundtrack, sound effects, and decent voice acting elevated what would otherwise be a throw away pulp fiction novel
My major complaint is how women exist in these books. Even among the "good guys" with their moral code they looks are what's discussed first and foremost. I write it off as a product of it's time, but I still winced whenever the book got sexist.
This is post-apocalyptic pulp fiction. Those giving this one star reviews and acting shocked by the content baffle me. Did you see the cover? I assume you had to do some digging when you found these. Were you not tipped off by any review you ran into when you started reading? Ah well. This book provided exactly what I was looking for. I've been in the mood for some trashy/fun books to read to take my mind off some of the heavier stuff I read earlier in the year. This book delivered. Villains are black and white morally, the action scenes are gratuitous, and the world is fun to read about.
I say read but I listened to the Graphic Audio edition of this book. If I had to rate the production alone this would get a 4/5. The production is likely what kept me engaged the most. The atmospheric soundtrack, sound effects, and decent voice acting elevated what would otherwise be a throw away pulp fiction novel
My major complaint is how women exist in these books. Even among the "good guys" with their moral code they looks are what's discussed first and foremost. I write it off as a product of it's time, but I still winced whenever the book got sexist.
nerdofdoom's review against another edition
4.0
It’s exactly what it seems like it would be. It’s not great, but it’s fun and mostly mindless.
dvdjunky's review against another edition
4.0
I think I will say the same thing about every Deathlands book until I find one that is either better or worse than all the others...
They are an insane (inane?) ride through a post apocalyptic version of the movie Hobbs and Shaw on ketamine with mutants and portals through time and space.
If you're interested in the above description, you will more than likely find something you enjoy in the Deathlands series. They are INCREDIBLY formulaic but I thoroughly enjoy the characters, and most story arcs are interesting enough for me to pick up the next one eventually.
The Graphic Audio versions are superbly made.
I'd probably give most Deathlands books a 3.5/5. Since Goodreads doesn't allow that, I'll give them a 4/5.
They are an insane (inane?) ride through a post apocalyptic version of the movie Hobbs and Shaw on ketamine with mutants and portals through time and space.
If you're interested in the above description, you will more than likely find something you enjoy in the Deathlands series. They are INCREDIBLY formulaic but I thoroughly enjoy the characters, and most story arcs are interesting enough for me to pick up the next one eventually.
The Graphic Audio versions are superbly made.
I'd probably give most Deathlands books a 3.5/5. Since Goodreads doesn't allow that, I'll give them a 4/5.
markazarnie's review against another edition
4.0
A long time since I read this the first time, but still enjoyed it
trike's review against another edition
2.0
Even for 1986 this is not a good book. It’s got a whole lot of crazy ideas about the world 100 years after a nuclear war that would eventually make their way into video games (and still used to this day), from monstrous mutations to living fog, but the execution is just severely lacking. Even back then I would’ve thought it was silly and sexist, and I’m the exact target audience for this stuff. I mean, I was into books like [b:Systemic Shock|602927|Systemic Shock|Dean Ing|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1335018495l/602927._SY75_.jpg|589499] by Dean Ing and movies like Escape from New York. It’s not offensive or anything, just really clunky.
I got this on Hoopla as an audiobook with a full cast recording and sound effects, made by GraphicAudio, and I have no issues with the production. They did the best they could given the material. It’s the underlying story that doesn’t work for me.
I got this on Hoopla as an audiobook with a full cast recording and sound effects, made by GraphicAudio, and I have no issues with the production. They did the best they could given the material. It’s the underlying story that doesn’t work for me.
tarana's review against another edition
4.0
I was surprised how much I liked this audiobook by Graphic Audio. Violent, of course, but I normally don't like Armageddon type plots but this one has so much going on, the plot moves... Book takes place about 100 years after the nuclear war.
thecrankyreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Its start slow and it has so many moving parts. I didn't really know who or what the story was about till half way through. Then it tried to bring everything together. I really wanted to like it! I'm going to try the second one and hopefully that is much better
bahbadook's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
This was...odd. Admittedly, this is my first foray into 1980s science fiction so I do not quite know if this is a usual text or not.
Full disclosure, I did not listen to the GraphicAudio version. I found the text online. So there were some formatting issues that made the POV changes hard to deal with. Also worth commenting on is that the first 1/2 - 2/3 of the book was flipping around in time and it is very clearly a non-linear narrative. So that on top of the formatting made what I read not easy to read. I do not know if the GraphicAudio version clarifies things and makes them easier.
But the book was good enough that I'm curious to see if that is the case; as in, I would willingly listen to something that I've already read.
On to the story aspect. It reminds me a lot of the Fallout universe. And I mean, I've done a lot of research into the Fallout timeline, especially Pre-War. Give it a slightly different style and remove the radiation magic and it could be Fallout canon or fanfic. So if you like Fallout for the story and backstory, you'll probably greatly enjoy that book.
The worldbuilding was great. The descriptions were a little graphic for the violence and gore but certainly nothing I haven't read before. The language is Fallout or Doom levels.
I'm still lost as to what was happening in the first couple of chapters and I lost track of one guy. Also, it was a little...I don't know. Most of the plot threads wrapped themselves up more or less neatly. But the book doesn't do a super great job of letting the reader know where the characters are. I don't mean not knowing where the Darks are. There were several instances where I had thought characters had gone one way and they had actually got a different way.
Despite these flaws, I did enjoy the book. It kept me curious through most of the thing, especially about where it was leading. The plot did meander quite a bit before it got to the point but I spend enough time with fantasy novels that do the same thing and neatly tie up the disparate threads. Because this was my first time reading this author, I didn't know if he would do that, but I trusted he would and he did, more or less. I still have some questions but they're questions that the characters have too and I'm very curious about Pre-Boom America (again, I think this is a Fallout translation that makes me want to know how they got to the point at where they're at).
All in all, a pretty decent book. Would read book 2 but not immediately. Definitely could make a good audiobook for long car rides.
This was...odd. Admittedly, this is my first foray into 1980s science fiction so I do not quite know if this is a usual text or not.
Full disclosure, I did not listen to the GraphicAudio version. I found the text online. So there were some formatting issues that made the POV changes hard to deal with. Also worth commenting on is that the first 1/2 - 2/3 of the book was flipping around in time and it is very clearly a non-linear narrative. So that on top of the formatting made what I read not easy to read. I do not know if the GraphicAudio version clarifies things and makes them easier.
But the book was good enough that I'm curious to see if that is the case; as in, I would willingly listen to something that I've already read.
On to the story aspect. It reminds me a lot of the Fallout universe. And I mean, I've done a lot of research into the Fallout timeline, especially Pre-War. Give it a slightly different style and remove the radiation magic and it could be Fallout canon or fanfic. So if you like Fallout for the story and backstory, you'll probably greatly enjoy that book.
The worldbuilding was great. The descriptions were a little graphic for the violence and gore but certainly nothing I haven't read before. The language is Fallout or Doom levels.
I'm still lost as to what was happening in the first couple of chapters and I lost track of one guy. Also, it was a little...I don't know. Most of the plot threads wrapped themselves up more or less neatly. But the book doesn't do a super great job of letting the reader know where the characters are. I don't mean not knowing where the Darks are. There were several instances where I had thought characters had gone one way and they had actually got a different way.
Despite these flaws, I did enjoy the book. It kept me curious through most of the thing, especially about where it was leading. The plot did meander quite a bit before it got to the point but I spend enough time with fantasy novels that do the same thing and neatly tie up the disparate threads. Because this was my first time reading this author, I didn't know if he would do that, but I trusted he would and he did, more or less. I still have some questions but they're questions that the characters have too and I'm very curious about Pre-Boom America (again, I think this is a Fallout translation that makes me want to know how they got to the point at where they're at).
All in all, a pretty decent book. Would read book 2 but not immediately. Definitely could make a good audiobook for long car rides.