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Deathlands #96
Downrigger Drift
The nuclear cataclysm that maimed America altered the rules of existence. The new reality guarantees a grim battle for survival, but the higher human instinct to exist in peace and good will lives on. Legends endure and Ryan Cawdor is a warrior of his time. When the good fight needs to be won, Ryan and his band take a stand.
In the nuke-altered region of the Great Lakes, Ryan and his group face the spectrum—from the idyllic to the horrific—of a world reborn. Close to enclaves of peace and sanctuary, Deathlands' most distorted spawn of humanity, cannibals, spread terror. Against the battered shoreline of Lake Michigan, an encounter with an old friend leads to a battle to save Milwaukee from a force of deadly mutant interlopers—and to liberate one of their own.
In the nuke-altered region of the Great Lakes, Ryan and his group face the spectrum—from the idyllic to the horrific—of a world reborn. Close to enclaves of peace and sanctuary, Deathlands' most distorted spawn of humanity, cannibals, spread terror. Against the battered shoreline of Lake Michigan, an encounter with an old friend leads to a battle to save Milwaukee from a force of deadly mutant interlopers—and to liberate one of their own.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 20, 2021
Another foray into my not so secret vice; the Deathlands series.
Depending on what site you use, Downrigger Drift is either #95 or #96 in the series.
As the title suggests this entry has a more nautical theme. This theme, throughout the series, has probably been my least favorite over all. Downrigger Drift does not fall into that category however.
Set on the shore of Lake Michigan, we find our intrepid group of survival warriors meeting up with an old friend. We get a taste of Native American culture mixed in with the ultra violence that is the hallmark of the deathlands books.
We meet a new kind of monster here which adds to the appeal of the story and even a bit more character development than usual. Fear not however, there is no shortage of violence, death and dismemberment.
Again these are my private unapologetic indulgences and I thoroughly enjoy them offering no apology or literary defense. They are good escapist entertainment. Enjoy!
Depending on what site you use, Downrigger Drift is either #95 or #96 in the series.
As the title suggests this entry has a more nautical theme. This theme, throughout the series, has probably been my least favorite over all. Downrigger Drift does not fall into that category however.
Set on the shore of Lake Michigan, we find our intrepid group of survival warriors meeting up with an old friend. We get a taste of Native American culture mixed in with the ultra violence that is the hallmark of the deathlands books.
We meet a new kind of monster here which adds to the appeal of the story and even a bit more character development than usual. Fear not however, there is no shortage of violence, death and dismemberment.
Again these are my private unapologetic indulgences and I thoroughly enjoy them offering no apology or literary defense. They are good escapist entertainment. Enjoy!
November 15, 2024
This is the first book written by John Helfers in the series and I'm excited to read more by him. The main story, at least what the title and blurb on the back suggest, doesn't happen until the end of the book and it's such a refreshing change. Not the usual "We've arrived in (location). Oops we're captive. Ok, we killed everyone, let's go back." Those are all action, which I suppose is the heart of the series, but this entry is several isolated, though consecutive, events that happen as they travel (or rest). All of which are more memorable themselves than a good chunk of the books in this series. And it's nice to see an author that's familiar with the characters and doesn't make them feel like cardboard cutouts.
Most authors would've dragged feces infested wounds for 250+ pages but this guy knows how to wrap up a good story into digestable bits.
Most authors would've dragged feces infested wounds for 250+ pages but this guy knows how to wrap up a good story into digestable bits.
August 17, 2011
Amusing bit of trivia. Golden Eagle Publishing, publisher of the Deathlands series, is a division of ... wait for it, Harlequin Enterprises LTD. Heh.
Downrigger Drift is one in a loooong series of books following a group of adventures in post-apocalyptic America. As per its 1986, Cold War-esque origin, the world-destroying calamity is a nuclear strike by the Russians.
The book is what it is. Pure action adventure. It's an easy, approachable read despite the fact that it is book sixty-something (?) and this is my first exposure to the series. Most notable is the fact that I actually can remember all six adventurers--unusual. Typically, my wee little brain forgets names quickly. Especially, with a novel like this one, which is fun, but ultimately forgettable. The team is lead by one-eyed Ryan Cawdor, the main POV character. Then there's his girlfriend, Krysty, who, besides being good with a gun, has sentient hair. J.B., The Armorer, is the obligatory weapons expert. His main squeeze is Mildred, a woman who was somehow transported from our time to this future. Doc, another time traveler, hails from the 1800s, and is the brains of the operation (when he's cogent, that is). Jak is an albino youth with an almost supernatural ability with throwing knives.
The team hops from one "mat-trans" unit to another, never quite knowing where they'll end up next. It's sort of reminiscent of Sliders, Quantum Leap or perhaps Stargate. At each new locale, they battle mutants, cannibals and other unfriendly denizens of Deathlands. The story, consequently, feels like a long episode in a television series.
The action never lets up. The instant the team materializes in the mat-trans unit, they are beset by mutant pig-rats. The story never slows down, never gets dull.
The problem with the story is that all that action feels kind of meaningless. This may be a function of reading the tale-end of a long running series. Perhaps, if I had read earlier books, I'd feel like I was visiting old friends. As I noted above, the characterization isn't bad for this kind of story. But I don't think the narrative ever explains why the characters are constantly moving from one mat-trans unit to another. What are they looking for? What's the point?
But if action is what you're looking for, then Downrigger Drift has got your fix. (I'd rate the action-y stuff a 5.) It gets a 3 for the sort of aimless nature of the plot.
Downrigger Drift is one in a loooong series of books following a group of adventures in post-apocalyptic America. As per its 1986, Cold War-esque origin, the world-destroying calamity is a nuclear strike by the Russians.
The book is what it is. Pure action adventure. It's an easy, approachable read despite the fact that it is book sixty-something (?) and this is my first exposure to the series. Most notable is the fact that I actually can remember all six adventurers--unusual. Typically, my wee little brain forgets names quickly. Especially, with a novel like this one, which is fun, but ultimately forgettable. The team is lead by one-eyed Ryan Cawdor, the main POV character. Then there's his girlfriend, Krysty, who, besides being good with a gun, has sentient hair. J.B., The Armorer, is the obligatory weapons expert. His main squeeze is Mildred, a woman who was somehow transported from our time to this future. Doc, another time traveler, hails from the 1800s, and is the brains of the operation (when he's cogent, that is). Jak is an albino youth with an almost supernatural ability with throwing knives.
The team hops from one "mat-trans" unit to another, never quite knowing where they'll end up next. It's sort of reminiscent of Sliders, Quantum Leap or perhaps Stargate. At each new locale, they battle mutants, cannibals and other unfriendly denizens of Deathlands. The story, consequently, feels like a long episode in a television series.
The action never lets up. The instant the team materializes in the mat-trans unit, they are beset by mutant pig-rats. The story never slows down, never gets dull.
The problem with the story is that all that action feels kind of meaningless. This may be a function of reading the tale-end of a long running series. Perhaps, if I had read earlier books, I'd feel like I was visiting old friends. As I noted above, the characterization isn't bad for this kind of story. But I don't think the narrative ever explains why the characters are constantly moving from one mat-trans unit to another. What are they looking for? What's the point?
But if action is what you're looking for, then Downrigger Drift has got your fix. (I'd rate the action-y stuff a 5.) It gets a 3 for the sort of aimless nature of the plot.
August 7, 2012
It has been about 20 years since I last read a Deathlands book (I think the series was in the teens at the time). I remember thinking the series was going stale - the characters weren't changing and were doing out-of-character things. So I stopped reading them.
Then I got this from a friend and decided to give it a read.
It was so good to rejoin Ryan Cawdor, Kyrsty, J.B. and the gang in their adventures again. It didn't hurt that they jumped into Wisconsin where I grew up and recognized the places mentioned.
I was a little surprised to see the same cast of characters as when I left off the series, as the first dozen books had a number of cast changes, but I suppose this is to be expected with a pulp series like this.
The story covered four different settings: the group's arrival via mat-trans (teleporter) and time spent in the redoubt, their first stop in the ville of Toma (formely Tomah, WI), Poynette, and Waukee (Milwaukee). From what I remember of the other books in the series, the group typically stayed in a single location for the duration of the book. This meant the settings weren't as tightly tied together as a plot as in other books.
There were some bonuses to this, however. The events in Toma created the possibility of a new character to run into again in the future, while the results of their time in Poynette foreshadowed and dovetailed nicely with the decisions the group made in the climax in Waukee.
Overall, Deathlands books are a "fun" light read about an apocalyptic world, and Downrigger Drift brought back my interest in Ryan Cawdor's adventures.
Then I got this from a friend and decided to give it a read.
It was so good to rejoin Ryan Cawdor, Kyrsty, J.B. and the gang in their adventures again. It didn't hurt that they jumped into Wisconsin where I grew up and recognized the places mentioned.
I was a little surprised to see the same cast of characters as when I left off the series, as the first dozen books had a number of cast changes, but I suppose this is to be expected with a pulp series like this.
The story covered four different settings: the group's arrival via mat-trans (teleporter) and time spent in the redoubt, their first stop in the ville of Toma (formely Tomah, WI), Poynette, and Waukee (Milwaukee). From what I remember of the other books in the series, the group typically stayed in a single location for the duration of the book. This meant the settings weren't as tightly tied together as a plot as in other books.
There were some bonuses to this, however. The events in Toma created the possibility of a new character to run into again in the future, while the results of their time in Poynette foreshadowed and dovetailed nicely with the decisions the group made in the climax in Waukee.
Overall, Deathlands books are a "fun" light read about an apocalyptic world, and Downrigger Drift brought back my interest in Ryan Cawdor's adventures.
July 19, 2011
Great post apocalypse novel. Believable characters with personalities.
I will have to try to get the early novels in the series.
Easy reading.
I will have to try to get the early novels in the series.
Easy reading.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews