Deathlands is a series of novels published by
Gold Eagle Publishing. The first novel, ''
Pilgrimage to Hell
''Pilgrimage to Hell'' is the first book in the Deathlands Saga of novels. Written by Christopher Lowder under his pen name Jack Adrian and published on May 1, 1986, it follows the adventures of Ryan Cawdor, Krysty Wroth and J.B. Dix, and delve ...
'', was first published in 1986. This series of novels was first written by
Christopher Lowder, under the pen name ''Jack Adrian''. Lowder became ill after developing the plot and writing most of the book.
Laurence James
Laurence James (21 September 1942 – 9 or 10 February 2000) was a British science fiction writer, especially known for his involvement with the " Deathlands" series.
James originally worked in publishing other people's books. In 1972 he embarke ...
, under the pen name ''
James Axler'' then finished the story.
The series exists in both an episodic style and a series format. Some of the novels can be read out of order, while others are dependent on the previous release. There are also a few trilogy sets within the series.
Plot
On the morning of January 20, 2001 the climax of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
set the
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...
stage for the series. The end game began with a pre-emptive strike on
Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
. Underground nuclear bombs were detonated from within the basement of the Soviet embassy, by an elite group of
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz are special forces in numerous post-Soviet states. (The term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or .)
Historically, the term ''spetsnaz'' referred to the So ...
operatives, destroying the central command structure and political system of the United States. For an indefinite period of time a
nuclear exchange between the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
devastated both countries and subsequently the entire planet (but little details are known outside both countries). All manner of genetic contagions were released infecting the survivors of the firestorm with horrible illnesses. The remaining survivors lived harshly during a time of prolonged
nuclear winter
Nuclear winter is a severe and prolonged global climatic cooling effect that is hypothesized to occur after widespread firestorms following a large-scale nuclear war. The hypothesis is based on the fact that such fires can inject soot into t ...
known as 'Skydark'. The
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
,
climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
, and
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
s of the world had changed dramatically. What was left of the United States came to be known as the Deathlands.
100 years later civilization begins again: brutal, short lived, morally confused and crazed from mutation. Between the many hot spots are small plague pits ruled by power hungry individuals who have no limits in order to establish their rule and expand their influence. These individuals are known as the Barons. Their rabble pits are known as Villes and Baronies. Civilization unknowingly resembles the
Dark Ages. Trading resumes between the villes: Jack (a regional currency), Jolt (a hallucinogenic mixture of Mescaline and Heroin), ammunition and slaves are the primary forms of currency. Life is a strange mixture of ancient history and limited technology that is scrapped from the 20th century. Military technology is the most prized possession of all; success is often measured by the number of bullets he or she possesses. A man named Ryan Cawdor leads a group of companions across the deathlands. Ryan has extremely secret knowledge of the 20th century. The understanding of hidden underground complexes, known as redoubts, that contains
Teleportation
Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction literature and in other popular culture. Teleportation is oft ...
technology. He and his companions guard this knowledge with their lives. The technology is called MAT-TRANS.
Each novel usually begins with the companions arriving at a frequently unknown redoubt by MAT-TRANS. If the situation is impossible or hostile the companions can use the "last destination" feature of the transporter to return to the sending location. If the redoubt is unknown then the companions usually explore, looking for weapons and supplies which they rarely find. Sometimes they are lucky and find a working shower or stored food which they always utilize or take. The story picks up speed once the characters leave the redoubt and explore the surrounding countryside. Frequently the companions are captured or forced into a confrontation with the local barons. Each novel reveals a little of the characters' history, motivations and the regional location where they arrived.
Main characters
*Ryan Cawdor: the youngest son of a powerful
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. He first appeared in the novel ''
Pilgrimage to Hell
''Pilgrimage to Hell'' is the first book in the Deathlands Saga of novels. Written by Christopher Lowder under his pen name Jack Adrian and published on May 1, 1986, it follows the adventures of Ryan Cawdor, Krysty Wroth and J.B. Dix, and delve ...
'' by Jack Adrian. His middle brother, Harvey, is responsible for the loss of Ryan’s left eye after murdering Morgan, Ryan's eldest brother. Ryan’s nephew, Nathan Freeman now controls the barony of Front Royal. Ryan was named after his great grandfather, the original founder of Front Royal. He joined the Trader's convoy approximately ten years before the beginning of ''Pilgrimage to Hell'', at the age of 21. Over the years, he climbed the ranks rapidly in Trader's convoy, soon becoming Trader's second-in-command. It was during this time that he met his best friend J.B. Dix, who joined Trader a little over a year later. Ryan is a master of many forms of combat, including knife fighting, and
unarmed combat
Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...
. He learned a great deal from both Trader and J.B. Ryan was portrayed by
Vincent Spano
Vincent M. Spano Jr. (born October 18, 1962) is an American film, stage and television actor; he is also a film director and producer.
Early life
Spano was born in Brooklyn, New York to Italian-American parents Vincent Sr. and Theresa.
Career ...
in the
Sci Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
original movie version of
Deathlands: Homeward Bound.
*Krysty Wroth: A skilled and talented combatant and markswoman. She is a valued member of the companions' party for both her natural fighting abilities and her limited "feely" (precognitive) abilities. She was initially introduced in the first book in the series,
Pilgrimage to Hell
''Pilgrimage to Hell'' is the first book in the Deathlands Saga of novels. Written by Christopher Lowder under his pen name Jack Adrian and published on May 1, 1986, it follows the adventures of Ryan Cawdor, Krysty Wroth and J.B. Dix, and delve ...
in 1986, and it was in that book that she established a mutually monogamous romantic relationship with Ryan Cawdor. She is a
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
, though possessing a rare combination of beneficial mutant traits, unlike the myriad of mutilated and deformed “muties” the party comes across throughout their travels. Her most notable characteristic is her long red, semi-sentient animated hair as a result of her mutation.
*John Barrymore Dix: J.B. Dix, also known as The Armorer, has been Ryan Cawdor's closest friend and travelling companion since both men worked for and travelled with the Trader. He is a thin, wiry, tough man who wears wire rimmed spectacles and a brown fedora. He is very quiet, never using four words when three will do. He is a living encyclopedia on weapons from pistols to tanks to missiles. He is also an explosives expert and decent hand to hand combatant, although only an average shot. He carries a large canvas satchel containing his explosives and other weapons at all times. Born in Cripple Creek, Colorado, he spent his early years exploring the local area and salvaging trade goods (primarily firearms) from abandoned dwellings and shelters. He developed severe claustrophobia in one such incident as he was trapped in a cave-in with a corpse for several days while exploring an old mine. After serving several years serving with the Trader he entered the MAT-TRANS with Ryan and his other companions. He began a romantic relationship with Dr. Mildred Wyeth. He has also learned that he has
glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...
and will eventually go blind.
*Dean Cawdor: the teenage son of Ryan Cawdor. Despite his youth he is a full member of the team of warrior survivors that comprise the primary characters. Dean is the result of an affair Ryan Cawdor had with Sharona Carson when Ryan was still traveling with his old mentor, the Trader. Dean's existence is first revealed in ''
Time Nomads
Deathlands is a series of novels published by Gold Eagle Publishing. The first novel, ''Pilgrimage to Hell'', was first published in 1986. This series of novels was first written by Christopher Lowder, under the pen name ''Jack Adrian''. Lowde ...
'', and he first encounters the group in ''
Seedling
A seedling is a young sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (embry ...
''.
*Jak Laurent: An
albino
Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino.
Varied use and interpretation of the term ...
distinguished in the books by his unusual syntax when speaking. Jak was introduced in the third book,
Neutron Solstice
Deathlands is a series of novels published by Gold Eagle Publishing. The first novel, ''Pilgrimage to Hell'', was first published in 1986. This series of novels was first written by Christopher Lowder, under the pen name ''Jack Adrian''. Lowder ...
. He is a young man, in his late teens, and is an extremely capable hunter and warrior. His signature weapons are his leaf bladed throwing knives, of which he has between 8 and 12 hidden on him at all times, and often uses them as thrown weapons or for melee when guns are inappropriate, and his .357 Colt Python revolver. He comes from the suburb of West Lowellton in Lafayette, Louisiana, where the group first meet him. At the time, he is leading a group of rebels against an extremely sadistic baron known as Tourment. When Ryan and the other's first met him, and saw just how skillful of a fighter and leader he is, they are surprised to find he is only 14 years old. He is later married to Christina Ballinger, and temporarily leaves the group to settle down in
Latitude Zero, but tragedy strikes and his wife and daughter are savagely murdered, and he rejoins the group. In the ''
Deathlands: Homeward Bound'' movie from the
Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Launc ...
, his personality was altered to that of a "savage".
*Dr. Mildred Winona Wyeth: A stocky black woman, known for her corn rowed hair, and smartass comments to life in general. She is also a medical doctor from the twentieth century who was cryogenically frozen before the
nuclear holocaust
A nuclear holocaust, also known as a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear Armageddon, or atomic holocaust, is a theoretical scenario where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes globally widespread destruction and radioactive fallout. Such a scenar ...
. After her introduction in the series she joined Ryan Cawdor and the other characters in roaming the Deathlands via the Redoubts. She has been romantically linked to
J.B. Dix, one of the original characters of the series. Mildred is both a skilled physician and a person to contend with firearms wise, having been an Olympic pistol champion before her cryonic freezing, she has the ability to shoot with a level that almost defies belief, notably hitting Stingwings, small fast terrors that are generally feared in Deathlands, as they attack the group while in flight.
*Dr. Theophilus Algernon Tanner: Also known as "Doc", was rescued by Ryan Cawdor and his people from the ville of Mocsin, where he was being kept captive by Jordan Teague, the ville's
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
. Dr. Tanner speaks in a very strange,
Victorian way. Physically, he is very tall and skinny. His face is deeply lined and framed by long gray hair. He has perfect teeth and speaks with a deep, rich voice which commands attention. He is a doctor of
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
, as well as having studied
ichthyology
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octob ...
. Tanner was actually born on February 14, 1868 in South Strafford, Vermont. During a
time travel
Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
ing experiment by scientists, he was brought one hundred years into the future, to 1998. Since he proved to be a nuisance and kept trying to escape, the scientists pushed him a further one hundred years into the future, to the Deathlands. The time travel has put a strain on his body, and his memory has partly lapsed. His knowledge of pre-apocalypse redoubts (hidden government fortresses) proves invaluable to Ryan Cawdor and his team. He possesses knowledge of several other projects besides the one which "Time Trawled" him to the deathlands time period, notably TITAN, there is a past drug induced psychotic break whenever something brings that particular project to the forefront, and Doc fails to think clearly until the moment passes or he is distracted to another subject. Dr. Tanner was left out of the 2003 film ''
Deathlands: Homeward Bound''.
* Trader: There are many people in Deathlands who bear the title "trader", but only one who used it as his name. Trader is a legend all over Deathlands - a man known for fair deals, a distinct lack of mercy, and the largest and most powerful convoys anywhere. Trader was about 56 years of age at the time of his final appearance (and, it is presumed, death); he had grizzled salt-and-pepper hair and a beard, a burly build, and a chronic cough from his radiation sickness (though he was later cured of this). He carried a battered Armalite rifle, often using it as a crutch.
Enemies
Over the course of the series, Ryan Cawdor and his band have fought and defeated countless power-mad villains, and most died within one book. Many villains were Barons- rulers of small dictatorships scattered across The Deathlands (notably, Barons are also the primary antagonists of the sequel series Outlanders, except there are now only a small number of technologically adept superhuman barons instead of the hundreds of lesser kingpins). Another notable group are the mutants- humanoid beings that have adapted and gained inhuman powers, psionic and otherwise, due to radiation exposure and natural selection. There are a few notable villains in this list, which include:
* Cort Strasser: Former Security Man for Baron Teague and sado-masochistic mastermind behind many plots against Cawdor's crew. He appeared three times: as the Sec Chief in ''Pilgrimage to Hell'', as the leader of a group of formidable soldiers in ''Pony Soldiers'', and finally as the leader of a group of raiders who travel by railway in ''Latitude Zero'', in which he killed himself in an attempt to kill Ryan Cawdor.
* Major Zimyanyin: Major-Commissar Gregori Zimyanin was a member of the Russian Security Bureau (sort of an amalgam of the KGB and the army). He appeared multiple times throughout the series, opposing Cawdor's team. He kills himself after a plot to kidnap Ryan Cawdor's son because he was too honorable to allow a small child to bear such a heavy grudge.
* Straub: A powerful psionic mutie who had the abilities of mind-reading and hypnosis. He was encountered two times throughout the series: as a leader of a group of bandits in ''Shadowfall'' (where he also presumably killed major characters Abe and Trader), and as cohort to evil Baroness Katya Beausoleil in ''Circle Thrice'', where he was shot by Doc Tanner.
* Magus: A former slaver of genetically engineered mutants, he had his eyes, hands, and jaw destroyed in a fight against the Trader, and later was repaired and learned to master pre-dark technology. He's believed to have magical abilities by the more superstitious in the Deathlands.
* Baron Harvey Cawdor: The brother of Ryan Cawdor and the leader of a barony in Virginia. He tried and succeeded, with the help of his father's young wife, to kill his father and brothers so he could rule the barony- although Ryan escaped with one less eye. Because of a breech-birth, he was a misshapen hunchbacked man with a proficiency in guns and knives. He was killed in his first appearance in ''Homeward Bound''.
* Dredda Trask: A woman who lived in an alternate universe where the nuclear detonations never occurred. She was the CEO of a corporation that controlled most of the world, and was genetically altered to be the "perfect" human being. She was later destroyed by parasites that inhabited the void between the universes.
* Baron Willie Elijah: A powerful Baron who believed in genetic purity and sentenced all other kinds of humans to forced labor. While never being more of a secondary antagonist himself, he has caused a number of villains incidentally, such as...
** Johnson Lester: His former Sec Man who was later badly burned and later became the leader of an army of mutant stickies.
** Kaa: A powerful psionic mutant under the captivity of Baron Elijah, but eventually making it into his good graces. He had the ability to control mutants with his pineal third eye. He then tried to commit genocide of all non-mutants in the Deathlands.
Series history
The series had begun as a joint project by Christopher Lowder (pen name "Jack Adrian") and Laurence James (pen name "James Axler"), with the first book called ''Pilgrimage To Hell''. Laurence James then solely wrote the Deathlands series up to and including ''Eclipse at Noon''. However, due to failing health he was forced to leave the series in 1995. Prior to his death in February 2000, James wrote one last novel, ''Crucible of Time'', which was released in 1998. All other Deathlands novels have been written by a number of other authors, including
Mark Ellis who produced the first post-Laurence James entry, ''Stoneface''. Gold Eagle is owned by Harlequin. In 2014, Harlequin was purchased by HarperCollins. It was decided that Gold Eagle would be shut down. After December 2015, Deathlands novels stopped being produced following the company's closure, with the rights transferred to Graphic Audio and all subsequent sequels being in an exclusive audio drama format. Below is a list of the books in the Deathlands series.
Gold Eagle novels
Post-shutdown titles (audiobook exclusives)
Following the closure of Gold Eagle Publishing in 2015, Graphic Audio, the primary provider of audiobook adaptations of the Deathlands franchise, acquired the rights to produce more content for the series. All titles produced in-house by Graphic Audio are exclusively in a narrated audio drama format.
Adaptations
''Deathlands'' also made it to film in 2003 as a low-budget
telefilm
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
that aired on the
Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Launc ...
. ''
Deathlands: Homeward Bound'' starred
Vincent Spano
Vincent M. Spano Jr. (born October 18, 1962) is an American film, stage and television actor; he is also a film director and producer.
Early life
Spano was born in Brooklyn, New York to Italian-American parents Vincent Sr. and Theresa.
Career ...
and
Traci Lords
Traci Lords (born Nora Louise Kuzma; May 7, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She entered the adult film industry using a fake birth certificate to conceal that she was two years under the legal age of eighteen. Lords starred in adult fi ...
. Ryan, Krysty, J.B., and Jak were featured characters in the movie. Cannies, Sec Men, War Wag, and a Redoubt were depicted in the movie. The characters of Doc Tanner and Lori Quint were absent.
All of the ''Deathlands'' and many of the ''Outlanders'' novels have been adapted to the
Graphic Audio audiobook format. The Deathands Saga was initially produced by Random House Audio, though the Saga was never completed. Currently these titles are produced by The Cutting Corporation and are called Graphic Audio. They are primarily targeted at long-distance drivers. With an average running time of nearly 8 hours, each of the books is a definite favorite of many OTR (over-the-road) truck drivers. The Cutting Corporation sets the ''Deathlands'' and ''Outlanders'' audio books apart from others by using a multicast. Each character has their own voice, and so makes it easy to picture the events from the book actually taking place. Music and background sound effects also accompany the sound track, setting their productions apart from most normal audio-books. The ''Deathlands'' Graphic Audio series continued from the events of the books end, with the first completely original story, ''Survival in Doubt'' released in Fall 2016.
Related works
Created in 1996 by Mark Ellis, ''
Outlanders
Outlanders is a long-running series of science-fiction novels created by Mark Ellis and published by Gold Eagle, an imprint of Harlequin Enterprises.
Plot
Set in the same fictional universe as the ' Deathlands' series but separated by a centur ...
'' is the official
spin-off series from ''Deathlands'', although it established an identity distinct from Deathlands with the first novel, ''Exile To Hell''. Outlanders provided a more expansive and complete backstory for the "Axlerverse" and the causes for the nuclear holocaust rather than relying on the "
US vs. USSR" template.
References
External links
*
* {{isfdb series, id=1393, title=Deathlands
Official James Axler siteOfficial Mark Ellis siteGraphicAudio BooksDramatized audio adaptations of ''Deathlands'' & ''Outlanders''
Science fiction book series
American post-apocalyptic novels