Equinox Zero

by James Axler

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 037363837X
• ISBN13: 9780373638376
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: Gold Eagle
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.4" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

A superior Outlanders adventure!

I always wondered by Grigori Zakat never returned after his first appearance in Iceblood, considering the obvious effort involved in creating him.. Now the twisted Russian priest is back to bedevil the Cerberus warriors as they learn Zakat's ultimate goal is to trigger a another ice age and unite the survivors under his rule, his edicts enforced by Norse warriors from the lost land of Ultima Thule!The set-up for Equinox Zero is terrific, featuring a Kane and Domi team-up on another "Lost World", Thunder Isle which is populated by all sorts of creatures pulled from different epochs of time. I think this element of the Outlanders saga is wonderful, offering many story springboards. The scenes of Zakat's piracy with the Thulians are exciting. A standout sequence is a sea battle between Zakat's forces and a trading ship from New Edo, which tips off the Cerberus warriors that their old foe is back. Grant's anger directed toward Kane when he learns this is very realistic .The exotic scenes in the timeless world of Ultima Thule are extremely well- wrought. Mark Ellis portrays the city from the days of ancient Norse mythology with colorful splendor,There are a lot of high points in this novel: a great villain, excellent characterizations, a fast-paced plot, and incredibly exciting action sequences. Add them together and you have a superior Outlanders novel on every level. A must-read!.

Equinox Zero

This latest OL novel features the return of a character that has not been seen for almost five years and was presumed dead. I enjoyed this novel for a number of reasons. First and foremost is that the characters right now are in the midsts of an avalanche of emotional and phsyical changes, that are not going to be easily solved or solved in the near future, which is great. This particular novel in typical OL fashion took of like a cannon shot, on the fourth or fifth page, and didn't seem to slow down at all, until the last three or four pages when the story was wrapping itself up. With a trip to the South pole and a dino hunt that is one of the best written scenes in the entire OL series in my opinion, Equinox Zero has something for everyone. Starting off with Dino hunt that was like something out of Jurassic park only better, and ending in a climatic battle in the middle of the South Pole, this novel couldn't have been better. More of the secrets surrounding Thunder Island are revealed, as well and we learn a bit more about the Cube (the redoubt on Thunder Island.) Secondly this novel returns us to one of my favorite settings, the Artic redoubt on the South Pole which was first introduced in Hell Rising. With the discovery of an old enemy lurking in the shadows, sightings of Vikings raiding all up and down the west coast, and information that the artic ice sheet that makes up most of the south pole threatening to break away and slip into the ocean as cause a new ice age, this novel accelerates to a break neck pace that leaves the reader breathless and somehow feeling satisfied but with the nagging doubt that they missed something in all the excitement. There is bit of rehashed material in this book, but it is information that is essential to the plot, and a bit of a refresher about past novels that have an impact on this latest plot. All in all this book was a great read, which is what most of us have come to associate with Mark Ellis. This one gets a 10 out of 10 from me.

Favorite series

This is the fifth book in the Outlanders series I have read and its become my favorite series.Equinox Zero is an great book in the series. It has it all. I really liked the material about Norse myths and I enjoyed the dinosaur hunt on THunder Island.I wish they would make a movie!!

High energy high adventure

Equinox Zero is another full-speed, balls to the wall, no-holds barred adventure novel. It has all the elements which has made this series so entertaining for so many years. First and foremost there's the return of a villian who last we saw had fallen off a cliff in Asia, way back in Iceblood. It's Grigori Zakat, the ruthless Russian mystic whose religious cult worshiped the mummified penis of Rasputin (I can't think of too many bad guys with that kind of bizarre wrinkle in their backgrounds). He's pretty angry at Kane, but his mission isn't just about revenge--he's making a bid to take over Ultima Thule, the lost land of Norse gods and become a version of Odin! Unlike Sindri who is an idealist bent on world conquest as a means to to an end, Zakat's ambition to trigger another ice age is the end to itself. The way he's portrayed makes the reader believe he could really pull off his mad dream. The lost civilization novels in Outlanders are always my favorite and Equinox Zero might be the best using this theme. The civilization of super-Vikings under the Antarctic is very vivid and colorful. I particularly liked the warrior women, the Valkyries. I also loved the opening chapters set on the Outlanders version of Jurrasic Park, Thunder Isle. There Kane and Domi are engaged in a dinosaur hunt, trying to end the threat of a tyrannosaur that Kane has nicknamed Monstrodamus. The hunt goes really bad but in the process we see a glimpse of a potential Kane/Domi relationship...particularly after she falls into what is a dinosaur latrine!! As usual for Outlanders, it's the three dimensioanal characterizations that make this book so entertaining. Every book is almost like a visit with old friends now, finding out what they've been up to and what's been happening in their lives. All of the characters are in fine form, each one contributing a full share even the new ones from the Moon base. We also learn more about how the Imperator restored Lakesh's youth and find out it may not be the miracle he tried to convince himself it was. Grant also has some distressing news for his friends in Cerberus. My only complaint with the book is that Shizuka has only a minor role. Her first appearance, way back in Doom Dynasty was a case of love at first sight. This is a tight, fast-paced adventure story with plenty of action, exciting twists and unexpected turns. The lost land of Ultima Thule is a great concept, too. Equinox Zero is a solid five stars

DINOSAURS, VIKINGS, RUSSIANS, OH MY!!

In this latest installment of Outlanders, only the awesomely talented writer Mark Ellis can give you dinosaurs, vikings, and a renegade Russian in just one novel!This was definately worth every sacred nuke penny I spent on this exciting and breathtaking book. This author always succeeds in one level or another to keep this series going strong with subtle changes that only seem to enhance future books to come.Where DEATHLANDS is failing miserably (unfortunately) OUTLANDERS delivers in spades with each and every successful novel poring out of this highly talented writer.Kane and Domi start this novel right off while hunting an unusual old foe - Monstrodamus! A dinosaur that Kane had briefly fought on Thunder Isle in a previous book.The action is hot and furious and the characterizations of the leads characters keep you up to the wee hours of the morning, not wanting to put this book down.From the hot jungles of Thunder Isle, to the freezing colds of Antarctica, where vikings out of legend emerge, the excitement never stops in EQUINOX ZERO!I just can't wait for the next one. This is by far the very best in sci-fi/fantasy action/adventure entertainment out there today.Hollywood needs to open their eyes to this series - it would be a mega-hit the likes of which they have never seen!