Farewell to Deathlands

I have read 115 books from the Deathlands series.  It all began about 14 years ago when I found 6 or so books with vivid cover artwork and promising synopses at a Friends of the Library book sale.  Thus began a search to find the books that came before and after those few books I was lucky enough to stumble across.  Little did I know I would be reading and loving them so many years later.  But, sometimes you luck out like that.

Set in the Deathlands, which used to be known as America, about 100 years after a world-wide nuclear holocaust, these books have everything:  mutations, almost non-existent civilization, violence, and mysterious technology left over from before the nukes fell.  In the Deathlands, you can trade bullets for just about anything.

I found out today that the last novel in this series was published in November of this year.  The. Last. One. Ever.  I have 8 Deathlands books on my TBR.  3 more, including the last one, I haven't gotten yet.  And then, there are no more.

I will miss Ryan, J.B., Jak, Doc, Krysty and Mildred more than I can begin to tell you.  I've spent countless hours being thrilled by their stories and growing attached to them as characters.  I've laughed, cried, been grossed out and been scared silly.  I've loved them.

I've often called this series 'my secret vice' because, I'm ashamed now to admit, I didn't think most people would consider these stories 'quality' literature.  After all, they were serial Sci-Fi and might not be considered 'serious works'.  I was wrong to care what some book snob might think.  The truth is that my life will be less interesting once they are gone from it.

So, as my farewell, I share here the definitive website for all things related to this series and a cover artwork that I really loved (although there were many others I loved, too).  I've never tried the Outlanders series, published by the same publishing house, Gold Eagle, and written by some of the same authors who contributed to this series.  I guess now I'll have to....I just wish I didn't have to..

jamesaxler.com