Hanging Judge by James Axler

Title:  Hanging Judge
Author:  James Axler
Pages:  314
Genre:  Action / Adventure, Sci-Fi
Publisher:  Gold Eagle, 2014
Series:  Deathlands #116

Synopsis:  In the Deathlands, the game of survival offers no reprieve. There's nothing to win in nuke-blasted America except the chance to fight another day. Still, Ryan Cawdor and his fellow travelers hope for sanctuary somewhere. Until they find it, they face each dawn as if it's their last. Because it just might be.

Justice is a damning word in what used to be called Oklahoma, thanks to a sadistic baron known as the Hanging Judge. Crazy, powerful and backed by a despotic sec crew, the judge drops innocents from the gallows at will. When Jak narrowly escapes wearing his own rope as a necktie, a rift among the companions sends them deep into the mutie-infested wilderness outside the ville. Separated and hurting, time is running out for the survivors to realize they're stronger together than they ever could be alone before a ruthless madman brings them to the end of their rope.

Review:  Set in the Deathlands, which used to be known as America, about 100 years after a world-wide nuclear holocaust, these books usually have everything:  mutations, almost non-existent civilization, violence, and mysterious technology left over from before the nukes fell.  However, James Axler is a house name used by Gold Eagle for this series.  In other words, many different authors have written these books over the course of time.

This, unfortunately, was just not a very good book and I blame the author.  It was a good premise for the story, but far too much time was spent on the violence, the guns and the mutants.  The emotions that the story should have engendered were lost in all the chaos.  I've read 116 of these books now.  I expect the violence and etc, but I also expect a good story to go with them.

I'd planned on reading seven more of these books this year, but after dragging myself through this one, I just don't think I can.  I know the next book isn't written by the same author.  It doesn't matter, especially not since I know he *did* write two more of the books I do have.  I just can't do any more of these right now, not with the way I feel cheated by this one.  I have too many other books I've been dying to read to waste my time right now.  I've revamped my planned reading list.  If there's time left at the end of the year, maybe I'll try again.  For now, I've had enough.

I'm so very sad to note that this same author has also written the very last book for this series.  I'll still read it, since I'm invested in this series.  I only hope he does a much better job.

Rating:  1.5 / 10