First and foremost, let me state that with this entry in the ongoing Outlanders saga, the series has finally removed the shackles that bound it to the ultimately inferior storyline that spawned it: Deathlands.

Gone are the barons; gone are the traipsing and stench of a series that should have been laid to rest years ago, instead of rotting into something that is vile beyond belief.

In a nutshell, the series has received a rebooting, so to speak. Plans set out thousands of years before have finally come to fruitation with the arrival of the massive living ship, Tiamat.

This begins a change in the hybrids, specifically the Barons, Sam, and the Quad V hybrids.

The old god-kings and their personal soldiers have been reborn. Enlil, supreme leader of the Annunaki and the council of nine are back to reclaim their previous kingdoms.

So much so that they've abandoned their old Baronies, seeing them as totally useless in the schemes they have planned for the world.

That's the plot in a nutshell.

In this novel, the reader is given - very clearly - the emotions and the reactions of the main characters. There is no longer any reason for authors other than Mr. Ellis to `misinterpret' how a character acts or reacts.

Domi isn't a sex-crazed maniac. Grant isn't Kane's yes Man. Brigid Baptist isn't a motherly member of the `ya-ya sisterhood.

Each character shines in their strength and weaknesses in the novel, and more than ever do you see the friendship and the feelings that exist not only between the main characters, but the supporting characters like Bry, Philboyd and even Decard.

Respect is shown, and it's earned. It's not demanded among the characters.

With the massive changes that have taken place in this book, things are no longer what they might seem. Old enemies might become allies. Entire vistas can be explored in a way that they couldn't with the old series.

Once again, it's all because of the severing of ties with the founding series.

With each new novel written by Mr. Ellis, the reader will see how he originally intended to write the series, but due to formulas and rules, he wasn't able to full exploit.

I just hope that he'll stick with the series, or if and when he finally does leave, that GE will have enough foresight to bring in a writer who'll continue on in the tradition that Mr. Ellis is setting up with it, instead of using staff writers who're only interested in receiving a paycheck, instead of putting the effort that the mythology and universe that Mr. Ellis created deserves.