What else can you give this one but a ten! This first book in the Imperator Wars trilogy contains loads of action, and ends with cliffhangers leaving you wanting to start reading the next book as soon as you put this one down.

A good portion of the novel starts off with a continuous adventure scene with Kane and his friends investigating Baron Cobalt's latest mysterious activities. Ending in an exciting action scene, the story then takes an amazing turn, introducing new characters, a first look into the eight remaining Barons, and new shocking story developments solving some mysteries and creating whole new ones. I liked how Kane and Domi found themselves seperated from the party and on their own, very gripping action scenes inside the huge redoubt facility. I was thinking how the place would be a great setting for a video game with Kane and Domi as the star characters.
Excellent character interactions, new places explored, and great action takes the reader on another outstanding installment in the Outlanders series. Mark Ellis continues to expand his creative series, with another great book that holds so much promise for upcoming novels. I can't wait to read more!

With the destruction of the Mesa redoubt, the hybrids are scrambling to find a way to survive. Baron Cobalt has discovered a facility that suits their needs. AREA 51, or Dreamland. However, he doesn't wish to share this information with his fellow barons, so he sends a hit and run team into Snakefishville territory to capture 'merchandise' for his own personal use.

This catches the attention of Kane and the other exiles in Cerberus. They go to investigate and during their travels, they meet with the Tigers of Heaven. Grant is almost instantly smitten by one of the female warriors, causing even more tension between him and Domi.

It also gives a deeper look into Grant's feelings and attitudes towards being an exile and a criminal, after spending so many years as a magistrate and in the service of the Barons.

This novel reveals a deeper insight into the hybrids and their now desperate struggle to survive, introduces a new 'ruler' to the baron's themselves, as well as the fate of several characters that were introduces earlier in the series.

For those of you who have also been following Deathlands, this novel reveals what happened to Front Royal, and the role it played in the unification program. No, it isn't revealed what happened to the Cawdors.

As with all trilogies, this novel left me wanting more, but I have to wait to get the second in the series. The author simply couldn't cram all the background data into one novel and make it readable, without adding at least another hundred or so pages.

The novel is a little more combat intensive than some of the previous books, but that doesn't take away from the overall storyline.

As per usual, it's the kind of novel one would expect from Mark Ellis and expands the already rich mythology behind Outlanders.

Excellent work once again!

The start of the Imperator Wars promises to be an astounding two-parter with a cliffhanger that has to be seen to be believed. Plus, I'm a sucker for a book where I get so wrapped up in the characters that when one of them gets her come-uppance, like Domi gets from Shizuka, I'm having a ball.

Like always, this is a thinking man's book, and if you happen to know anything about the modern mythologies of Nellis AFB/Dreamland/Area 51, or just appreciate a blend of Samurai slice-and-dice and John Woo gunslinging, you'll find this a great little series.

This is where SAM starts to come into the greater picture. Mark Ellis again creates a character that, though only seems like a child, is a hybrid with powers much stronger than any baron.

This novel debuts another shift and changing of the overall storyline to this series, but yet keeps the integrity of the characters and the genre, taking yet again to new heights.