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.

For the manga series by Johji Manabe, see Outlanders (manga).
The core characters of the Outlanders series: Brigid Baptiste, Kane and Grant. Cover by Cliff Nielsen

Plot

Set in the same fictional universe as the 'Deathlands' series but separated by a century, 'Outlanders' follows the adventures of a core group of explorers, Kane, Grant, Brigid Baptiste and Domi who operate out of a secret military base known as the Cerberus Redoubt.

Although both 'Deathlands' and 'Outlanders' bear the "James Axler" byline, the latter series is primarily (although not exclusively) written by its creator Mark Ellis whereas multiple authors produce 'Deathlands'.

Two hundred years after a nuclear holocaust devastated the Earth, the chaos and barbarism as depicted in the 'Deathlands' series gave way to a centralized, despotic government ruled by nine mysterious barons.

Material taken from redoubts, secret preholocaust military installations with stores of weapons and the home of the gateways, MAT-TRANS (matter-transfer) devices, supplied the baronial rule in what was known as the “Program of Unification.”

Rearmed from redoubt stockpiles, the barons consolidated their power and reclaimed very advanced technology created two centuries before by the so-called “Totality Concept”.

Their power bolstered by the invisible authority known only to an elite few as the Archons extended beyond the fortified city-states into what came to be called the Outlands. There, the rootstock of humanity survived, eking out an existence in hellzones and hounded by black-armored Magistrates, the enforcers of the barons’ laws.

When Cobaltville Magistrates Kane and Grant came across a piece of misplaced technology and Brigid Baptiste, an archivist began an investigation on their behalf, they found themselves branded as sedititionists, their citizenship stripped from them and they were reclassified as Outlanders.

Since 1997’s Exile To Hell, the first book in the series, the heroes and heroines of Outlanders slowly uncovered the truth behind the barons, the Archons and the nuclear holocaust and finally the hidden history of humanity.

They learn that Earth and humankind has been influenced since the dawn of time by the reptilian Anunnaki and the Tuatha Dé Danann. They realize that the baronies are a revival of the god-king system of ancient Sumeria.

Besides the nine barons, other threats arise in the early books, namely Sindri, a brilliant but deranged dwarf who rules a secret colony on Mars. First appearing in Parallax Red (1998), Sindri becomes the most persistent foe of the Cerberus warriors, appearing in several novels.

Other recurring enemies include Colonel Thrush, Sam the Imperator, Grigori Zakat and Maccan, the last prince of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

In Shadow Scourge (2000), the heroes contend with Ocajinik, apparently one of H. P. Lovecraft’s Old Ones.

In Children of the Serpent (2005), the Cerberus warriors discover that the nuclear holocaust and the institution of the baronies were part of an ancient plan formulated over a thousand years before by Enlil, the last Anunnaki on Earth in order to reincarnate the pantheon of Sumerian gods and re-establish their rule over the world.

The reincarnated Enlil becomes the Outlanders' main villain. He is considerably more evil and powerful than any of the barons, and has much of the knowledge and technology of the Anunnaki.

Employing conspiracy theories and myths from all cultures as underpinnings, 'Outlanders' quickly distanced itself from the survivalist tone of 'Deathlands' and struck out in new directions, providing explanations and a backstory for many of the unresolved science-fiction elements in the earlier series.

Series History

According to series creator Mark Ellis, 'Outlanders' was not originally conceived as having any connection whatsoever to 'Deathlands'. [1]The link between the two series came after all the other elements had been envisioned and was suggested by Ellis who had already authored several novels in the Deathlands series.[2]

The “Axlerverse”, a term coined by Mark Ellis, is inclusive of events in both 'Outlanders' and 'Deathlands'—however there is very little in the way of a cohesive fictional universe in the latter series.

'Deathlands' did not develop much depth in the way of setting and Ellis introduced many new concepts to make the Axlerverse into a plausible fictional world, particularly important in the books published post-2001.

Outlanders has established a reputation for featuring strong yet sexy female characters both in the books and on the covers, particularly those produced by artist Cliff Nielsen.

Other writers who have contributed to the 'Outlanders' series are Mel Odom and Victor Milan.

The 'Outlanders' series is also available on audiobook up to Outlanders #53 (Infinity Breach, released February 2018), through a company named Graphic Audio.

Series # Title Author(s) First Edition ISBN Date Released
001 Exile to Hell Mark Ellis 0-373-63814-0 June 1997
002 Destiny Run Mark Ellis 0-373-63815-9 September 1997
003 Savage Sun Mark Ellis 0-373-63816-7 December 1997
004 Omega Path Mark Ellis 0-373-63817-5 March 1998
005 Parallax Red Mark Ellis 0-373-63818-3 June 1998
006 Doomstar Relic Mark Ellis 0-373-63819-1 September 1998
007 Iceblood Mark Ellis 0-373-63820-5 December 1998
008 Hellbound Fury

The Lost Earth Saga Book 1

 Mark Ellis 0-373-63821-3 March 1999
009 Night Eternal

The Lost Earth Saga Book 2

 Mark Ellis, Mel Odom 0-373-63822-1 June 1999
010 Outer Darkness

The Lost Earth Saga Book 3

 Mark Ellis 0-373-63823-X September 1999
011 Armageddon Axis Mark Ellis 0-373-63824-8 December 1999
012 Wreath of Fire Mel Odom 0-373-63825-6 March 2000
013 Shadow Scourge Mark Ellis 0-373-63826-4 May 2000
014 Hell Rising Mark Ellis 0-373-63827-2 August 2000
015 Doom Dynasty

The Imperator Wars Book 1

 Mark Ellis 0-373-63828-0 November 2000
016 Tigers of Heaven

The Imperator Wars Book 2

 Mark Ellis 0-373-63829-9 February 2001
017 Purgatory Road

The Imperator Wars Book 3

 Mark Ellis 0-373-63830-2 May 2001
018 Sargasso Plunder Mel Odom 0-373-63831-0 August 2001
019 Tomb of Time Mark Ellis 0-373-63832-9 November 2001
020 Prodigal Chalice Mel Odom 0-373-63833-7 February 2002
021 Devil in the Moon

The Dragon Kings Book 1

 Mark Ellis 0-373-63834-5 May 2002
022 Dragoneye

The Dragon Kings Book 2

 Mark Ellis 0-373-63835-3 August 2002
023 Far Empire Mark Ellis 0-373-63836-1 November 2002
024 Equinox Zero Mark Ellis 0-373-63837-X February 2003
025 Talon and Fang

Heart of the World Book 1

 Mark Ellis 0-373-63838-8 May 2003
026 Sea of Plague

Heart of the World Book 2

 Mark Ellis 0-373-63839-6 August 2003
027 Awakening Victor Milan 0-373-63840-X November 2003
028 Mad God's Wrath Mark Ellis 0-373-63841-8 February 2004
029 Sun Lord Victor Milan 0-373-63842-6 May 2004
030 Mask of The Sphinx Mark Ellis, Chris Van Deelen 0-373-63843-4 August 2004
031 Uluru Destiny Victor Milan 0-373-63844-2 November 2004
032 Evil Abyss Mark Ellis 0-373-63845-0 February 2005
033 Children of the Serpent Mark Ellis 0-373-63846-9 May 2005
034 Successors Victor Milan 0-373-63847-7 August 2005
035 Cerberus Storm Mark Ellis 0-373-63848-5 November 2005
036 Refuge Victor Milan 0-373-63849-3 February 2006
037 Rim of the World Mark Ellis 0-373-63850-7 May 2006
038 Lords of the Deep Victor Milan 0-373-63851-5 August 2006
039 Hydra's Ring Mark Ellis 0-373-63852-3 November 2006
040 Closing the Cosmic Eye Victor Milan 0-373-63853-1 February 2007
041 Skull Throne Mark Ellis 0-373-63854-X May 2007
042 Satan's Seed Mark Ellis 0-373-63855-8 August 2007
043 Dark Goddess Mark Ellis 0-373-63856-6 November 2007
044 Grailstone Gambit Mark Ellis 0-373-63857-4 February 2008
045 Ghostwalk Mark Ellis 0-373-63858-2 May 2008
046 Pantheon of Vengeance Douglas Wojtowicz 0-373-63859-0 August 2008
047 Death Cry Rik Hoskin 0-373-63860-4 November 2008
048 Serpent's Tooth Douglas Wojtowicz 0-373-63861-2 February 2009
049 Shadow Box Rik Hoskin 0-373-63862-0 May 2009
050 Janus Trap Rik Hoskin 0-373-63863-9 August 2009
051 Warlord of the Pit Mark Ellis 0-373-63864-7 November 2009
052 Reality Echo Douglas Wojtowicz 0-373-63865-5 February 2010
053 Infinity Breach Rik Hoskin 0-373-63866-3 May 2010
054 Oblivion Stone Rik Hoskin 0-373-63867-1 August 2010
055 Distortion Offensive Rik Hoskin 0-373-63868-X November 2010
056 Cradle of Destiny Douglas Wojtowicz 0-373-63869-8 February 2011
057 Scarlet Dream Rik Hoskin 0-373-63870-1 May 2011
058 Truth Engine Rik Hoskin 0-373-63871-X August 2011
059 Infestation Cubed Douglas Wojtowicz 0-373-63872-8 November 2011
060 Planet Hate Rik Hoskin 0-373-63873-6 February 2012
061 Dragon City Rik Hoskin 0-373-63874-4 May 2012
062 God War Rik Hoskin 0-373-63875-2 August 2012
063 Genesis Sinister Rik Hoskin 0-373-63876-0 October 2012
064 Savage Dawn Douglas Wojtowicz 0-373-63877-9 February 2013
065 Sorrow Space Rik Hoskin 0-373-63878-7 May 2013
066 Immortal Twilight Rik Hoskin 0-373-63879-5 August 2013
067 Cosmic Rift Rik Hoskin 0-373-63880-9 November 2013
068 Wings of Death Douglas Wojtowicz 0-373-63881-7 February 2014
069 Necropolis Douglas Wojtowicz 0-373-63882-5 May 2014
070 Shadow Born Douglas Wojtowicz 0-373-63883-3 August 2014
071 Judgment Plague Rik Hoskin 0-373-63884-1 November 2014
072 Terminal White Rik Hoskin 0-373-63885-X February 2015
073 Hell's Maw Rik Hoskin 0-373-63886-8 May 2015
074 Angel of Doom Douglas Wojtowicz 0-373-63887-6 August 2015
075 Apocalypse Unseen Rik Hoskin 0-373-63888-4 November 2015
gollark: So you can conjure "simple" things easily? Fascinating.
gollark: ++data inc xp
gollark: Oh.
gollark: While the goblin is distracted I attempt to steal arbitrary things from it. d6.
gollark: Make sure you're all tracking your XP!

References
  1. Statements made on Jamesaxler.com and MarkEllisInk.com by Mark Ellis
  2. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/mark-ellis/
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