Where It Was Particularly Pulpy

Homeward Bound by James Axler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was close to a 2 for me--and I usually don't finish books like that. However, it picked up a lot in the final quarter of the book, and I enjoyed reading the rest of the way to the end. I'll give it a 3.

I've been checking out various kinds of pulp fiction, most from the 70s, some a bit more recent, and this series popped up. The setup is pretty great--a post-apocalyptic America filled with mutated humans and every kind of danger. Everyone carries weapons, mostly handguns and rifles, and here and there people are trying to civilize the place again. I wondered what made this series work, and I'm not too sure right now.

I kind of understand the appeal of others, like Doc Savage and Tarzan, The Executioner and The Destroyer, Hellboy and Rogue Angel. They all have some hooks to catch your attention, some superhero mojo and some beat-the-bad-guys adrenaline bringing the reader back. This series, though, doesn't have any of that that I can see. I've only read one so far, but it reads like a typical science fiction story, mostly derivative and uninspired, and not only is it long for pulp, I found big chunks of it tough to wade through. I'm a little surprised it was good enough to publish at all. However, I realize I'm probably overlooking some fun stuff. It's got a couple hooks, I guess, depending on the interest of the reader, and it does pick up toward the end. In any case, the series was successful enough that it stretched out past 150 titles. Somebody was buying it. Something drew them in.

So I didn't love it, but it was good enough to finish and good enough to look into some of the other titles. I bought 5 or 6 used ones all at once, so I hope I enjoy the next one more. Those more familiar with the series might be able to tell me what to look for, which titles work best, how to get the most fun out of the books.

After I've read a few more, we'll see what kind of recommendations I have.

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