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Judge Dredd The Early Years #7-9
Judge Dredd Year Three
Judge Joseph Dredd has tackled hardened killers and would-be revolutionaries, he’s taken beat-downs and bounced back, he’s even arrested his own brother. In his third year, he’ll become embroiled in the growing anti-robot movement; he’ll head back out to the Cursed Earth; and he’ll fall afoul of the secretive SJS – and not for the last time…
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 2, 2021
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41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 27, 2024
The first two stories are spot one. But I deducted a star from my rating because the last of the three stories was so atrociously bad. The author abvoiusly had done zero research and didn't understand the character of Dredd, or what makes a great Mega-City One story at all! It's so disappointing to end this series of collected stories with such a dud.
March 12, 2021
Really enjoyed all three stories here. All of them very different. Personal favourite was Bitter Earth, a proper Dredd romp in the cursed Earth, and great have Judge Smee helping out.
March 27, 2021
Having recently read and enjoyed the Judge Dredd short story compilation, ‘Judge Fear’s Day Out’, it was with high hopes and expectations that I started ‘Judge Dredd Year Three’.
As the title suggests, ‘Year Three’ is based on the third year of Judge Dredd as a Judge and consists of three novella length stories from three different authors.
The first story, by long time Judge Dredd author Michael Carroll, focuses on the SJS, the Judges who judge the Judges, and the internal wrangling and conspiracies of this most secretive of divisions.
The second story, by 2000AD editor Matt Smith, looks at the rise of the robots, with a lovely nod towards the Robot Wars and ‘Call-Me-Kenneth’ (which hit the comic book strip in the third year of its, and Dredd’s, publication).
The third and final story, by author Laurel Sills, takes the reader out into the Cursed Earth and introduces them to the world of mutants and new ways of growing and processing food for a radiation-ravaged world.
All three stories are well written and possess enough blood, guts and mindless comic book violence to sate the appetite of fans of the comics. If you like your prose grandiose and thought-provoking, glistening with eloquence and inspiring descriptions, you might want to look away. ‘Judge Dredd Three Year’ is head-down, run-along writing that tells a tale and doesn’t try to be anything else but what it is. And why should it? This is good fun literature, for people who like their novels packed with action and solid plots.
Where I think all three stories do struggle is with character - and I don’t for a minute blame any of the writers for this. The problem which you have with any long word form of Dredd story is that Dredd is an absolutely dreadful character to feature as the lead in a story. Because he has no character. He is a machine. His personality has been plucked out of him in the cloning process of his birth and any remaining residue ground out of him by his training. As a result, you have a central character who lacks any presence or interest to the reader, other than with his guns, boot knife and muscles.
This was not a problem with the ‘Judge Fear’ short story collection, because the rapidity of those stories, and the different scenarios within which they were set, kept every story fresh and new. Likewise, with the comic books, almost every strip is run through with a thick vein of dark humour, as well as the wonderful visuals, which allow you, as a reader, to forgive Dredd’s character (or lack of).
Equally, in his advancing years, Dredd began to develop and conscious and thus a personality - for example, around ten years in to Dredd’s tenure, with the Judda, the Dead Man and Necropolis stories, where Dredd began to wonder about the merits of democracy, or fifteen years in, with the Origins story, after which Dredd began to question whether it was right to keep mutants from out of the Mega City One.
In other words, over the years Dredd has become a more interesting character. But back in the third year of his time as a Judge, he was bloke who would always end up in the kitchen at parties. And, as a result, Dredd in this book and year is terminally dull and, as a consequence, so are the stories beyond the action. There is no character development which means you end up with a rather one dimensional story - something the comic books never are.
So, in conclusion, if you want to park your brain for a few hours and deep dive into the world of Judge Dredd and Mega City One, come on in, the munce is lovely. If, however, you want something more challenging, reach for one of the comic book strips by Carroll, Rob Williams or new, and hugely impressive writer, Ken Niemand. The difference is stark.
As the title suggests, ‘Year Three’ is based on the third year of Judge Dredd as a Judge and consists of three novella length stories from three different authors.
The first story, by long time Judge Dredd author Michael Carroll, focuses on the SJS, the Judges who judge the Judges, and the internal wrangling and conspiracies of this most secretive of divisions.
The second story, by 2000AD editor Matt Smith, looks at the rise of the robots, with a lovely nod towards the Robot Wars and ‘Call-Me-Kenneth’ (which hit the comic book strip in the third year of its, and Dredd’s, publication).
The third and final story, by author Laurel Sills, takes the reader out into the Cursed Earth and introduces them to the world of mutants and new ways of growing and processing food for a radiation-ravaged world.
All three stories are well written and possess enough blood, guts and mindless comic book violence to sate the appetite of fans of the comics. If you like your prose grandiose and thought-provoking, glistening with eloquence and inspiring descriptions, you might want to look away. ‘Judge Dredd Three Year’ is head-down, run-along writing that tells a tale and doesn’t try to be anything else but what it is. And why should it? This is good fun literature, for people who like their novels packed with action and solid plots.
Where I think all three stories do struggle is with character - and I don’t for a minute blame any of the writers for this. The problem which you have with any long word form of Dredd story is that Dredd is an absolutely dreadful character to feature as the lead in a story. Because he has no character. He is a machine. His personality has been plucked out of him in the cloning process of his birth and any remaining residue ground out of him by his training. As a result, you have a central character who lacks any presence or interest to the reader, other than with his guns, boot knife and muscles.
This was not a problem with the ‘Judge Fear’ short story collection, because the rapidity of those stories, and the different scenarios within which they were set, kept every story fresh and new. Likewise, with the comic books, almost every strip is run through with a thick vein of dark humour, as well as the wonderful visuals, which allow you, as a reader, to forgive Dredd’s character (or lack of).
Equally, in his advancing years, Dredd began to develop and conscious and thus a personality - for example, around ten years in to Dredd’s tenure, with the Judda, the Dead Man and Necropolis stories, where Dredd began to wonder about the merits of democracy, or fifteen years in, with the Origins story, after which Dredd began to question whether it was right to keep mutants from out of the Mega City One.
In other words, over the years Dredd has become a more interesting character. But back in the third year of his time as a Judge, he was bloke who would always end up in the kitchen at parties. And, as a result, Dredd in this book and year is terminally dull and, as a consequence, so are the stories beyond the action. There is no character development which means you end up with a rather one dimensional story - something the comic books never are.
So, in conclusion, if you want to park your brain for a few hours and deep dive into the world of Judge Dredd and Mega City One, come on in, the munce is lovely. If, however, you want something more challenging, reach for one of the comic book strips by Carroll, Rob Williams or new, and hugely impressive writer, Ken Niemand. The difference is stark.
Read
September 16, 2021Judge Dredd: Year Three Omnibus collection follows the familiar format of three different stories of Judge Dredd's third year on the streets of Mega-City One, one by Michael Carroll, one by Matthew Smith, and a third by a guest or featured author. All three stories in this edition were excellent, full of thrills and twists, and individually they are great short stories. However, it is a little jarring having them back to back due to the authors different styles, so I recommend pausing between the stories to reset expectations.
This collection contains:
1) Fallen Angel, by Michael Carroll
2) Machineries of Hate, by Matthew Smith
3) Bitter Earth, by Laurel Sills
FALLEN ANGEL, by Michael Carroll
Michael's writing style feels like a comic book, full of fast action and adrenaline. Even when there isn't an action sequence his writing style maintains the same adrenaline and excitement to see where the story leads.
In Fallen Angel, there is a secret that must remain buried. Anyone that starts asking questions ends up dead. An SJS Judge teams up with Judge Dredd to investigate, and typical mayhem ensues. We get to see Dredd coming into the character we know, both self assured and utterly committed to the law regardless of who he needs to stand against. 5/5
MACHINERIES OF HATE, by Matthew Smith
Matthew Smith writes from within characters heads. You get a lot more depth in his stories, and his ideas are intriguing. The only challenge I had was the adjustment from the previous novel to this slower paced story. Once I made the adjustment, I started to really enjoy myself.
As the title hints at, this story is about robots. Robots who end up without a master or a role in society, and have to adapt, but are not given the rights of citizens. What are they really thinking inside their metal minds? Can they be trusted? Judge Dredd is on the case. 5/5
BITTER EARTH, Laurel Sills
Judge Dredd has caused a lot of noise in the previous two stories, and upset some powerful people. As such, Chief Judge Goodman decides to send Dredd out of town for a while until things calm down. He's assigned with some other judges to a relatively boring scientific outpost in the Cursed Earth. But from the moment he arrives, trouble kicks off. One of the other judges in his team is a Psi Judge, and Dredd gets some first hand experience of why they are a needed element of the Justice Department.
The story is good, but the only reason I am marking it down a bit is because a lot of the time Dredd felt like he was only recently out of the academy. While the other two stories depicted a Judge with three years street experience, this story felt more like a first year version of Dredd. Still excellent, just not entirely in-line with the theme. 4/5
This collection contains:
1) Fallen Angel, by Michael Carroll
2) Machineries of Hate, by Matthew Smith
3) Bitter Earth, by Laurel Sills
FALLEN ANGEL, by Michael Carroll
Michael's writing style feels like a comic book, full of fast action and adrenaline. Even when there isn't an action sequence his writing style maintains the same adrenaline and excitement to see where the story leads.
In Fallen Angel, there is a secret that must remain buried. Anyone that starts asking questions ends up dead. An SJS Judge teams up with Judge Dredd to investigate, and typical mayhem ensues. We get to see Dredd coming into the character we know, both self assured and utterly committed to the law regardless of who he needs to stand against. 5/5
MACHINERIES OF HATE, by Matthew Smith
Matthew Smith writes from within characters heads. You get a lot more depth in his stories, and his ideas are intriguing. The only challenge I had was the adjustment from the previous novel to this slower paced story. Once I made the adjustment, I started to really enjoy myself.
As the title hints at, this story is about robots. Robots who end up without a master or a role in society, and have to adapt, but are not given the rights of citizens. What are they really thinking inside their metal minds? Can they be trusted? Judge Dredd is on the case. 5/5
BITTER EARTH, Laurel Sills
Judge Dredd has caused a lot of noise in the previous two stories, and upset some powerful people. As such, Chief Judge Goodman decides to send Dredd out of town for a while until things calm down. He's assigned with some other judges to a relatively boring scientific outpost in the Cursed Earth. But from the moment he arrives, trouble kicks off. One of the other judges in his team is a Psi Judge, and Dredd gets some first hand experience of why they are a needed element of the Justice Department.
The story is good, but the only reason I am marking it down a bit is because a lot of the time Dredd felt like he was only recently out of the academy. While the other two stories depicted a Judge with three years street experience, this story felt more like a first year version of Dredd. Still excellent, just not entirely in-line with the theme. 4/5
April 18, 2021
These stories read like they are straight from the early 2000AD days. It's fun (for those of you who can) to imagine key moments in the tales as frames drawn by Carlos Ezquerra or even McMahon-bot:)
It's like a comic strip in your mind:)
They stick closely to the feel of the original Dredd stories, each keeping to the attitudes, social mores and the tech from Mega-City 1 -computers are rarely mentioned and its always a support clerk who checks through databases and finds information for Dredd, then reads it out to him while he's riding:).
Well worth reading if you liked it when Dredd was skinny and black'n' white:)
It's like a comic strip in your mind:)
They stick closely to the feel of the original Dredd stories, each keeping to the attitudes, social mores and the tech from Mega-City 1 -computers are rarely mentioned and its always a support clerk who checks through databases and finds information for Dredd, then reads it out to him while he's riding:).
Well worth reading if you liked it when Dredd was skinny and black'n' white:)
March 6, 2021
An excellent book of three stories, the first was by the best based on the SJS. While I find that the modern day interpretation of MC by authors compared to the past may be problematic by my perspective, the stories are nonetheless wonderful entertainment and add to the myth that is Judge Dredd.
June 14, 2021
Solid judge dredd stories. There were a couple times I felt dredd did a couple things that a very young dredd would not have done or not let slide, but they were minor and the logic behind why he did these things was solid.
February 8, 2022
Three of judge dredd adventures in year 3
Joe dredd has entered his third year as a full judge, these three tales of his adventures cover bigotry, corruption and medical testing very good as always
Joe dredd has entered his third year as a full judge, these three tales of his adventures cover bigotry, corruption and medical testing very good as always
November 13, 2022
Fallen angel: 4 stars
Machines of hate: 1 Star
Bitter earth: 3 stars
Machines of hate: 1 Star
Bitter earth: 3 stars
February 26, 2024
Average group of 3 Dredd tales circa 2088.
February 7, 2026
Dredd’s continuous professional development documented.
January 18, 2022
Judge Dredd: Year Three Omnibus by authors Michael Carroll, Matt Smith, and Laurel Sills is an anthology novel based on the universe of the comic book character “Judge Dredd”.
Judge Dredd: Year Three, Contains three short stories that give us a look into the early years, specifically year three, of Judge Dredd’s early career as the pure form of the law fighting crime in Mega City One. This time around we get authors Michael Carroll, Matthew Smith, and Laurel Sills who give us three stories that take place close together that provide plenty of action, investigation, and Dredd kicking all sorts of criminal but with that ever-present scowl on his face.
The first story, Fallen Angel by long time author Michael Carroll, focuses on the SJS, the Judges who judge the Judges, and the internal wrangling and conspiracies of this most secretive of divisions. As Judge Dredd and SJS officer Marien Gillen get caught in a conspiracy that could rock the very foundations Mega City One and the Hall Of Justice.
The second story, The Machineries of Hate by Matt Smith, when a bunch of young people are brutally gunned down at a party the blame is put on rouge machines. As anti robot movements spread though Mega City One. It’s up to Judge Dredd to solve the case before an all out race war between man and machine consumes Mega City One.
The third and final story, Bitter Earth by author Laurel Sills, takes the reader out into the Cursed Earth and introduces them to the world of mutants and new ways of growing and processing food for a radiation-ravaged world. Where Judge Dredd is assigned to a remote research station experimenting on voluntary prisoners, but things at the research station and it’s head researcher are not what they seem. It’s up to Judge Dredd to solve the mysterious case.
All three stories are well written and possess enough blood, guts and mindless comic book violence to sate the appetite of fans of the comics. If you like your prose grandiose and thought-provoking, glistening with eloquence and inspiring descriptions, you might want to look away. ‘Judge Dredd Three Year’ is head-down, run-along writing that tells a tale and doesn’t try to be anything else but what it is. And why should it? This is good fun literature, for people who like their novels packed with action and solid plots.
Where I think all three stories do struggle is with character – and I don’t for a minute blame any of the writers for this. The problem which you have with any long word form of Dredd story is that Dredd is an absolutely dreadful character to feature as the lead in a story. Because he has no character. He is a machine. His personality has been plucked out of him in the cloning process of his birth and any remaining residue ground out of him by his training. As a result, you have a central character who lacks any presence or interest to the reader, other than with his guns, boot knife and muscles.
This was not a problem with the ‘Judge Fear’ short story collection, because the rapidity of those stories, and the different scenarios within which they were set, kept every story fresh and new. Likewise, with the comic books, almost every strip is run through with a thick vein of dark humour, as well as the wonderful visuals, which allow you, as a reader, to forgive Dredd’s character (or lack of).
Equally, in his advancing years, Dredd began to develop a conscious and thus a personality – for example, around ten years into Dredd’s tenure, with the Judda, the Dead Man and Necropolis stories, where Dredd began to wonder about the merits of democracy, or fifteen years in, with the Origins story, after which Dredd began to question whether it was right to keep mutants from out of the Mega City One.
In other words, over the years Dredd has become a more interesting character. But back in the third year of his time as a Judge, he was bloke who would always end up in the kitchen at parties. And, as a result, Dredd in this book and year is terminally dull and, as a consequence, so are the stories beyond the action. There is no character development which means you end up with a rather one-dimensional story – something the comic books never are.
Overall, if you want to park your brain for a few hours and deep dive into the world of Judge Dredd and Mega City One, come on in, the munce is lovely. If, however, you want something more challenging, reach for one of the comic book strips by Carroll, Rob Williams or new, and hugely impressive writer, Ken Niemand. The difference is stark.
Judge Dredd: Year Three, Contains three short stories that give us a look into the early years, specifically year three, of Judge Dredd’s early career as the pure form of the law fighting crime in Mega City One. This time around we get authors Michael Carroll, Matthew Smith, and Laurel Sills who give us three stories that take place close together that provide plenty of action, investigation, and Dredd kicking all sorts of criminal but with that ever-present scowl on his face.
The first story, Fallen Angel by long time author Michael Carroll, focuses on the SJS, the Judges who judge the Judges, and the internal wrangling and conspiracies of this most secretive of divisions. As Judge Dredd and SJS officer Marien Gillen get caught in a conspiracy that could rock the very foundations Mega City One and the Hall Of Justice.
The second story, The Machineries of Hate by Matt Smith, when a bunch of young people are brutally gunned down at a party the blame is put on rouge machines. As anti robot movements spread though Mega City One. It’s up to Judge Dredd to solve the case before an all out race war between man and machine consumes Mega City One.
The third and final story, Bitter Earth by author Laurel Sills, takes the reader out into the Cursed Earth and introduces them to the world of mutants and new ways of growing and processing food for a radiation-ravaged world. Where Judge Dredd is assigned to a remote research station experimenting on voluntary prisoners, but things at the research station and it’s head researcher are not what they seem. It’s up to Judge Dredd to solve the mysterious case.
All three stories are well written and possess enough blood, guts and mindless comic book violence to sate the appetite of fans of the comics. If you like your prose grandiose and thought-provoking, glistening with eloquence and inspiring descriptions, you might want to look away. ‘Judge Dredd Three Year’ is head-down, run-along writing that tells a tale and doesn’t try to be anything else but what it is. And why should it? This is good fun literature, for people who like their novels packed with action and solid plots.
Where I think all three stories do struggle is with character – and I don’t for a minute blame any of the writers for this. The problem which you have with any long word form of Dredd story is that Dredd is an absolutely dreadful character to feature as the lead in a story. Because he has no character. He is a machine. His personality has been plucked out of him in the cloning process of his birth and any remaining residue ground out of him by his training. As a result, you have a central character who lacks any presence or interest to the reader, other than with his guns, boot knife and muscles.
This was not a problem with the ‘Judge Fear’ short story collection, because the rapidity of those stories, and the different scenarios within which they were set, kept every story fresh and new. Likewise, with the comic books, almost every strip is run through with a thick vein of dark humour, as well as the wonderful visuals, which allow you, as a reader, to forgive Dredd’s character (or lack of).
Equally, in his advancing years, Dredd began to develop a conscious and thus a personality – for example, around ten years into Dredd’s tenure, with the Judda, the Dead Man and Necropolis stories, where Dredd began to wonder about the merits of democracy, or fifteen years in, with the Origins story, after which Dredd began to question whether it was right to keep mutants from out of the Mega City One.
In other words, over the years Dredd has become a more interesting character. But back in the third year of his time as a Judge, he was bloke who would always end up in the kitchen at parties. And, as a result, Dredd in this book and year is terminally dull and, as a consequence, so are the stories beyond the action. There is no character development which means you end up with a rather one-dimensional story – something the comic books never are.
Overall, if you want to park your brain for a few hours and deep dive into the world of Judge Dredd and Mega City One, come on in, the munce is lovely. If, however, you want something more challenging, reach for one of the comic book strips by Carroll, Rob Williams or new, and hugely impressive writer, Ken Niemand. The difference is stark.
April 11, 2021
There are three stories in Judge Dredd Year Three written by three authors. The first story concerns the internal affairs of the Judge Corps. The second story is about an android/robotic revolution. The final story concerns Earth's inhabitable zone (everything outside of MegaCity). All threee stories are well-written. If you like straightforward action, mindless violence and your graphic novels written in prose - this, as well as the other Judge Dredd: The Early Years books are for you. I highly recommend this book.
I thank Rebellion Publishing for providing this novel to me in exchange for a fair-minded review.
I thank Rebellion Publishing for providing this novel to me in exchange for a fair-minded review.
June 10, 2021
My Grud!
This is some good drokkin’ stomm!
As with the first 2 omnibuses from Abaddon press, Dredd Year 3 delivers on every front. Every story is fantastic, giving us a more realistic and serious Dredd, more in tune with our present time than the comics of the 70s and 80s.
I honestly can’t pick any particular story in this collection as being better than any other, however, “Machineries of Hatred” stands out as probably the most action packed of the bunch…though they’re all great.
This is some good drokkin’ stomm!
As with the first 2 omnibuses from Abaddon press, Dredd Year 3 delivers on every front. Every story is fantastic, giving us a more realistic and serious Dredd, more in tune with our present time than the comics of the 70s and 80s.
I honestly can’t pick any particular story in this collection as being better than any other, however, “Machineries of Hatred” stands out as probably the most action packed of the bunch…though they’re all great.
July 3, 2021
I'm a Dredd fan.
This does exactly what it sets out to do -- three stories about the development of Dredd. The authors are very good at channeling the feel of a good 2000AD Dredd thriller strip. As in a good strip there is enough of the silly world building to give comic relief, and the world remains... Horribly fascinating.
Really enjoyed this, but I am a Dredd fan!
This does exactly what it sets out to do -- three stories about the development of Dredd. The authors are very good at channeling the feel of a good 2000AD Dredd thriller strip. As in a good strip there is enough of the silly world building to give comic relief, and the world remains... Horribly fascinating.
Really enjoyed this, but I am a Dredd fan!
July 22, 2022
One. Dredd is on the wrong side of the law as corrupt Judges fight against him and want him dead. Two. Artificial Intelligence has made huge advances and now it looks like robots may be about to kill off the humans. Three. Dredd is on duty in the Cursed Earth, and finds psi-monsters and evil mutants are being created and they are unleashed against him and two other judges.
June 25, 2024
Audio book review
Fantastic set of stories based on dredds third year as a judge and well narrated. Well qorth checking out if your a fan.
Fantastic set of stories based on dredds third year as a judge and well narrated. Well qorth checking out if your a fan.
January 25, 2022
Two good stories and one middling one. Pulpy fun.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews