Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Borderlands: Unconquered-John Shirley

Borderlands: Unconquered


John Shirley

Pocket, Sep 25 2012, $7.99

ISBN: 9781439198483



Needing to escape Pandora, the deadliest most lawless planet in the galaxy; Roland needs to get to the Crystalisks to harvest Eridium so he can buy off world passage. He seeks the toughest fighter on the orb, all brawn and no brain Brick to help him. Instead he runs into the best sniper Mordecai who agrees to join him for a share of the loot. The pair locate Brick defending a mine against the psycho soldiers of General Goddess Gynella who uses off world science she stole to control her army of lunatics. Roland distrusts Brick’s partner Daphne Kuller the Killer so he chooses to leave without the big bruiser.



Gynella tells her loyal Lieutenant Smartum that she wants Roland and Brick captured as she has plans for both of them. Her horde traps Brick and Daphne though the pair kills many psycho soldiers. Roland and Mordecai barely make it to the well-fortified Bloodrust Corners where families live. While Mordecai plans to leave though a back door exit in a cave, Roland chooses to help the townsfolk stay alive. At the same Gynella arranges for a concussed Brick to fight her meanest warrior Goliath with the prize being Daphne.



The second Borderlands science fiction (see The Fallen) is an exciting action-packed thriller that once again captures the essence of the videogame. The fearsome foursome comes across with diverse personalities while Gynella is the queen of mean. Although the use of metafiction by having Marcus the bus driver tell the tale of the magnificent quartet to a kick butt passenger and a claptrap robot seems unnecessary even as these chapters at beginning, ending and one in the middle enhance the dangers of Pandora, readers will enjoy this fast-paced tale.



Harriet Klausner

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