After a number of alleged "Outlanders" titles by several people who were not Mark Ellis, I began to wonder if Mr. Ellis had left the series--despite what I had read to the contrary. So I was relieved to pick up "Warlord of the Pit," and see the familiar acknowledgment to him on the title page. That said, I must admit there were more than a few times when I began to doubt just how involved Mark Ellis was with this title. Maybe he just needed to get a book behind him to get back on track, because although this story had a great premise, it was sluggish reading and felt somewhat unfinished, with plot lines that were left dangling, and others that were given short shrift.

But once again, the author still manages to blend real locales and actual clandestine technology to create the basis for another piece of the "Outlanders" puzzle. After a quick prologue in the recently liberated ville of Snakefish, an odd segment finds the usual Cerberus away team getting drenched and shot at on an island of tropical rain forest. They briefly meet up with some local cannon fodder, and an alluring and curiously knowledgeable woman.

In a change of strategy, this mission had started out as a diplomatic venture, hoping to gain allies against their reptilian enemies, but the team soon discovers to their surprise, that a familiar rival organization is one step ahead of them. After killing off a bunch of locals, and blowing stuff up, this story line gets dropped and the Cerberus 3 make their way to the remnants of the California coast in support of another Cerberus team, and to investigate why strange earthquakes seem to be leveling recently liberated villes.

This is where the book seems to recover the old "Outlanders" swagger, as the team grabs a Sandcat and treks deep into the Mexican desert, chasing signs of an unknown machine that operates underground. This machine appears to be responsible for the quakes and destruction of three former baronies. A series of minor adventures culminates in an alliance with a beautiful, but enigmatic Mexican witch to track down an evil local slaver in the nearby mountains.

Both the Cave of Swallows and the Subterrene exist. The Mexican mountain Cave is the deepest cave of it's type in the world. The Subterrene is a monstrous tunnel-digging machine that has been in operation since at least the mid-'80's. I have an image of one with a big US Air Force logo on the side. Although this technology has been public for some time, surprisingly little can be verified. The type that appears in the book--if real--would have to make you wonder just how many of these tunnels exist and why.

"Warlord of the Pit" sort of wanders to a conclusion. It's a decent read and probably better than the previous 5 books, but it's like a short side tunnel in the world of "Outlanders." The end comes too quickly, and the overall plot goes absolutely nowhere.