Devil Riders by Nick Pollotta
Release Date: September 2003
Publisher: Worldwide Library/Gold Eagle
Audience: Mature
Pages: 346
Buy the Book: Amazon
GraphicAudio Length: 7 hours
Buy the Audiobook: GraphicAudio
Book Rating: 3/5
Audiobook Rating: 3/5
Book Synopsis:
Legend Reborn: Stranded in the salty desert wastes of West Texas, Ryan and his companions find pre-Dark wheels and set out on a treacherous journey across inhospitable terrain. Hopes for a hot meal and clean bed in an isolated ville die fast when the companions run into a despotic baron manipulating the lifeblood of the desert: water. But it's his fortress stockpiled with enough armaments to wage war in the dunes that interests Ryan, especially when he learns the enemy may be not other than the greatest - and long dead - Deathlands legend: the Trader.
Review:
"A good old fashioned water monopoly" Doc Tanner's comment in regards to the ville they encounter sums up the second half of the novel as the companions, in the middle of a salt desert in Texas, enter a barony only to face a long bloody fight to escape as the baron is convinced they are agents of the thought long dead Trader. Ryan and his companions, faced with their own deaths, question the certainty of Trader's death so long ago...
Much like the previous book, 'Devil Riders' has little, if anything, to do with the Devil Riders, a biker gang. Their purpose in the book is to operate as a Trojan Horse for Trader's troops to infiltrate a ville of cannibals. However, the ruse is immediately uncovered and Trader's troops promptly blow the ville sky-high, making the Devil Riders for all intents and purposes, worthless.
My main problem with this book is that it serves as a 'setting up of the pieces' for the author, the only point showing that Ryan, Traders troops, the baron, and his men, are all going to meet up and have a big fight. Unlike the Gate trilogy, the first book in this entry doesn't really operate as a stand-alone novel. The plot of this novel is their clash with the baron and destroying his town, but, as I said, it feels more like a vehicle to move the necessary people into the necessary position rather than plot plot. Not to mention the plot is extremely rushed. No sooner do they get into town do they get attacked, then uncover the hidden water supply, blow it up, and escape into the desert.
However, despite this, the book kept me interested enough to see it through to the end, though, upon reflection, the book's plot, as it stands, really has no consequence other than possibly reintroducing the Trader. That, and the city, regardless of how little we see of it, is pretty interesting. I will hold my opinion on whether it is a read or skip until I finish the trilogy.
GraphicAudio Component:
Like the last audiobook, my complaints are similar. 1. They still have the new voice actor for Krysty which I don't care for. 2. The scream of the millipedes the companions fight for the first half of the book gets extremely annoying after the 20th time. Otherwise, a decent rendition of the book.
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