This is another fabulous novel in the series I somehow forgot to review...and it's such an important, pivotal novel I could kick myself. If there was any book in the entire series that I can say I love it has to be this one.

In "Iceblood" the heroes meet the truly evil Russian mystic Gregori Zakat and get involved in his quest to recover the facets of the Chintamani Stone...which apparently is an actual artifact according to the link on the Outlanders Archive site. This quest takes the heroes from New York to Tibet to the legendary underground city of Agartha.

This is also the book which establishes the Cerberus alliance with Sky Dog and his band of Indians.

The most important element of "Iceblood" is the revelation about the Archons. The entire series changed from this book on, and what was interesting was that hints had been dropped for a number of novels preceding it.

There is a lot of great things in this book. The interactions between the main characters are sharp and amusing, the settings are very exotic and fascinating with "Indiana Jones" type of touches. The scenes in the ruins of New York and Agartha just jump off the printed page into your imagination. Very colorful and vivid descriptions with lots of action and mayhem.

The scheming but sexy Beth-Li was still around and thinking back on it, she added a certain flavor to the series.

The heroes team up with Balam and he gains an added depth of dimension. He becomes a fascinating and sympathetic character.

This book is full of great characters, both good and evil and in-between. What a terrific movie it would make.

"Iceblood" is a classic Outlanders novel, one of the best and most important in the whole series.

I finished re-reading Iceblood last night and it's even better from how I remember it from the first time, nearly six years ago.

The book not only introduces great concepts and characters that are now staples of the OL series(mainly Sky Dog and the war-wag 'Titano') but it moves the whole storyline about Archons forward and puts Balam in a sympathetic position for the first time.

It also features the first appearance of Grigori Zakat the Russian homicidal maniac-mystic who shows back up in a later book, Equinox Zero.

But more than anything, Iceblood is about high adventure with the heroes going from one fascinating exotic setting to another, from the ruins of NYC to Tibet to the underground kingdom of Agartha, meeting all sorts of fasciinating and nasty people along the way.

Mark Ellis was at the top of his form here, and all the characters are presented with razor sharpness...and it was this book that Kane began his change from a shoot-first, almost immoral character to a more thoughtful kind of hero who realizes actions have consequences and you can't always judge by superficialities. His relationship with Balam who he wanted to hate but couldn't is a good example.

If you put all the best scenes in the 25 Deathlands novels I've read and jam them into one book, it still couldn't compare to the high-adventure classic that is Iceblood!

The prisoner in the redoubt finaly gets to have his day in this novel. Up to now there is a lot of mystery and speculation about the Archon Directorate and all that is involved with it, but this novel really goes into unexpected directions, answering many questions, and adding more wonders in this imaginative and fascinating series.

It took me a while to get into this book, the opening chapters didn't really grab me the way the earlier books did. But as I read along the story got more and more interesting, and I got totaly absorbed in the novel. Another outstanding entry in a series any fan of sci-fi should read.

Well, having read Iceblood, I have to say that it was one of the best Outlanders novels to date! Let me explain my reasoning behind it. First, take everything that you thought you knew about the Archons and toss it out the window. A huge number of questions have been answered regarding their origin, what happened to them, and about Balam as well. There are going to be two parts of the novel that should surprise you as much as they have surprised me. Another thing that got me. There is an incident that occures in a museum in the ruins of New York city that just has to be read to believe. I burst out laughing when I read it! Very well written. And Grant's comments about New York should induce a great deal of humor as well! Finally, as of this book I have a feeling that the direction of the series is about to take a different direction. I have no idea if my thoughts on this are correct or not, but I guess with the release of the first book in the upcoming trilogy: Hellbound Fury, I'll find out if I am correct or not. The series has been built up, came to what I consider a major turning point, and can only continue to get better from here on in. Don't get me wrong of course, I loved the first seven novels, and they just kept getting better and better. If the novels continue this way, the series should go for many years to come. A personal note to the Author. Keep this up man! You have a fan for life!

ICEBLOOD for me personally was much better than the previous novel. It had more action and adventure with locales that made me shiver.
I loved the ever-building characters, Balam's speaking, the powerful stone, and every thing else that this awesome epic had to offer.
I love Asian settings, and Mark Ellis writes this stuff as if he has been there.
After this book, I know I felt as if I had. That's a mark of an excellent writer. Laurence James made me feel that way. Mark Ellis takes it to the next level.
Another must read.