Copyright 1990.
Shantytown is a rundown cesspool in the northwestern part of Wisconsin. One day a mysterious stranger comes into town. A seven foot tall giant with twin Bowies that goes by the name of Blade. He saves a young bartender at the Booze N’ Women from some unruly ruffians. He gets noticed by the local strongman Daniel Brount and works his way up to his second in command.
Blade has an ulterior motive for coming to Shantytown. A group of raiders had slaughtered some families of Moles on an outing. They were armed with brand new assault rifles. The only clue to the source of the rifles points to Brount. Eventually Blade gets to Brount’s boss Crusher Payne. Crusher heads the Union which controls this part of Wisconsin. He got his name because he likes to crush his enemies with his Monster Machines, construction equipment converted into vehicles of war. He uncovers an alliance between Crusher and the Soviets to flood the Outlands with weapons and eventually destabilize the area for the Soviets to take over.
This book is unique in that it is the first story that features Blade in a solo adventure. There is no other Warriors or the Force to back him up. Just Blade and you know what? Blade is a big enough badass to get the job done himself. Before he is through both the Soviets and the Union are crushed and the Union is pretty much finished. Also we find out that the Soviets are becoming more aggressive and are actively planning to expand their occupied territory. Something that will be prominent in the next Endworld book.
An interesting trivia note. This story takes place close to where I was born. It’s just outside the area to the east.
Oh, neat. There’s something special about a book that takes place somewhere close to home.
Do you recognize landmarks or anything in particular?
I never really lived in the area. Seven days after I was born my parents moved to West Virginia.
Have there been any movies based on the Blade character? Was the Wesley Snipes movie (which, admittedly, I’ve never seen) based on this Blade?
Where do you find all these books?
The movies are based on a Marvel comic character and are not related to this series.
The books I bought back in the ’80s & ’90s. They are mass market paperbacks that were sold in bookstores, grocery stores, drug stores etc.