THE WARLORD #6 KILLER’S KEEP BY JASON FROST

Copyright 1987

The story finds Eric Ravensmith is tracking his son when he is set upon by a savage group of men. These green men are cannibals that ambush any traveler through there lands. Eric barely escapes with his life. The green men are part of a much bigger plan.

Mt. Calm is a secret government installation designed to house the government in the aftermath of a nuclear war. Major DeGraff now rules with an iron fist. Supplies are running short and DeGraff has plans. Like modern Mongols his troops emerge and start pillaging the countryside.

Now Eric must unite the various survivors to fight this new scourge. At Coup Town the largest settlement in the new California he makes a final stand that will determine who rules the island of California.

The sixth and final book in the Warlord series. This was not written by the original author and creator but another guy named Rick Rainey. I can’t find anything about this guy but the story was interesting and he seems a competent writer. There are two things that I did not like. The first was how he handled Eric’s reunion with his son. It was very brief and had Eric deciding that his son was a different person. They just went their owns ways with no reconciliation. I wonder how Raymond Obersfeld would have handled it.

The second was that the ending seems kind of rushed. Like the writer realized he had to finish up so just wrote in a quick final battle. Yes Eric wins and it ends with him taking control of Mt. Calm and I assume that he lives happily ever after. I guess that I would like to know how the creator would have ended this series.

My final thoughts on this series. I enjoyed it. I remember spending Saturday afternoons engrossed in this strange savage world of California cut off from the rest of the world. Sure the whole chemical bubble perfectly covering California is downright absurd. It was a fasted paced story that kept me interested than and still kept my interest all these years later.

Oh and I can not give any goofy sex scenes to quote from this book. Rich Rainey had Eric too busy in this story so he didn’t have any time for sex.

THE WARLORD #5 TERMINAL ISLAND BY JASON FROST

The story finds Eric and his new companion D.B. in the ruins of San Diego. Dirk Fallows is in the area and offering food and supplies for gold. Going into the old San Diego zoo looking for food, both are captured by Dr. Wendy Chen. Chen has been taking care of the surviving animals in the hope of one day releasing them to repopulate the island of California.

Eric finds Fallows and his son who has been effectively brainwashed by Fallows. Also there is a Soviet submarine that has snuck through the naval blockade of the island and set up a base in the area. Masquerading as an American sub they are setting up a nuclear missile that can be launched on the mainland. Fallows has an agreement with the sub commander to pay gold for safe passage for him and Tim under the Long Beach Halo.

Eric must act quick and kidnaps his son. Unfortunately he is too far gone and escapes back to Fallows. A final confrontation ensures were Eric finally kills Fallows but his son goes off vowing to form his own gang. Now Eric must find his son to either deprogram him or kill him.

This is another fun story in the saga. We finally get the confrontation with Fallows and it sets up the continuing story to find his son. Jason Frost is a pen name for Raymond Obstfeld. Raymond is a creative writing professor at a college in California. I found his website and he seems an interesting writer. He still writes mostly mystery and historical books. He has written some Mack Bolan and movie adaptations in the past. He wrote a screenplay for The Warlord that was seriously considered by Arnold Schwartzenegger. Sadly Arnold decided to pursue other projects and a classical cheezy movie was never made.

This is the last Warlord story written by Raymond. I don’t know the reason why but the final book was written by a Rich Rainey. I would have liked the original author to finish the saga. It would have been interesting how he would have handled the ending.

And I have to end with the goofy sex scene passage. “As she came, he felt a hum at the back of her throat travelling along her tongue and into his mouth.”

THE WARLORD #4 PRISONLAND BY JASON FROST

Copyright 1985

The story opens with Eric Ravensmith tracking Dodd a former member of Fallow’s gang. Eric hopes to get information on the whereabouts of Fallows so he can rescue his son Tim. The trail leads to northern California around San Francisco. Fisherman’s Wharf is now an armed community run by the former inmates of San Quentin. Now its called Aesgard and run by Thor. Thor was a former mob hitman on deathrow and fan of Norse mythology. He dresses in ties and freshly ironed shirts. He also carries around a large hammer that he occasionally uses to cave in the skull of those that annoy him. This usually results in blood on his freshly ironed shirts which causes all sorts of grief to his personal launderer.

Eric catches up to Dodd in the local infirmary and while questioning him is kidnapped by some women. The woman are from a community living on Alcatraz. They used to live at Fisherman’s Wharf until Thor and his men attacked and took over. Most of the men were killed and now the survivors consist of women, children and the elderly. They thought Eric was Aesgard’s doctor which was why they took him. Now he must lead a desperate defense of the island from Thor.

The fourth book in the series is another side adventure from his quest to rescue his son. Seems like the pattern for this series is the odd books deal with Fallows and the even are adventure with other various baddies. The main development in this book is that Eric gets a new sidekick. D.B. is a seventeen year old girl that he rescues from slavery. She is a singer and wants to become a sort of bard for this post-apocalyptic California. I thought she was a great choice for his companion. She is optimistic and reminds Eric of his humanity. Another great book in the series.

Can’t end it without the goofy sex scene. “Finally rivulets of sweat rolling down his arms, chest, buttocks he entered her.”

THE WARLORD #3 BADLAND BY JASON FROST

Eric Ravensmith and Tracy have tracked down Dirk Fallows and his gang around the ruins of Santa Barbara. The two almost don’t survive their first encounter and must retreat to recover from their wounds. While in the area the government drops leaflets warning that they are conducting tests on the Long Beach Halo. Everyone should evacuate from a fifty mile radius. Eric doesn’t believe the governments warning and knows something is up. He also knows that Fallows won’t buy the government’s story and will be right in the center of the action which is where Eric plans to be to rescue his son.

They find out that the government is sending in the space shuttle Columbia to penetrate the Halo. Lead by Paige Lyons she is there to find her father Ronald Lyons. Dr. Lyons was working on a space defense system and the government is desperate to recover his work. Eric cuts a deal that he will help them if they will take his son. Of course he has to rescue his son in a short period of time.

The search for Paige’s father lead them to his cabin which is now inhabited by children that have turned to cannibalism. It also puts them in direct confrontation with Fallows. Eric fails to rescue his son and decides to stay while his partner Tracy departs for civilization. Paige stays to continue her search for her father but will do it alone. Eric is now all alone to continue his quest to rescue his son.

The third book in the series is another solid story. Eric is now alone on his quest and we get some more insight in the history between Eric and Fallows. The most fascinating aspect of this book was Fallows brainwashing techniques he uses on Tim. It involves some heavy psychological games which I could see as being quite effective.

And of course you can’t have a Warlord story without the over the top sex scene. The goofiest passage the stood out was “He bucked up while forcing his hips downward. His penis spurted like a lawn sprinkler. They hugged each other close, claws buried in flesh, while they rode out Eric’s continued spasms.”

THE WARLORD #2: THE CUTTHROAT BY JASON FROST

Copyright 1984.

The story starts with Eric and Tracy traveling by a canoe up the new coast of California. They hope to catch up with Fallows and rescue his son Tim before he hooks up with his gang of killers around Santa Barbara. Along the way the two get waylaid by the pirate Rhino. Rhino is a former executive who was horribly scarred in trying to get through the Long Beach Halo. His first mate Angel is a former enemy of Eric’s from his days in Vietnam. He thought that he had killed her and now she wants to get revenge. Rhino keeps them alive because he suspects they know about Alabaster’s map.

An attack on Rhinos ship provides the opportunity for Eric and Tracy to escape. They make their way to one of the skyscrapers that stick out of the water where Los Angeles once stood. They find it inhabited by a community growing hydroponic vegetables that have hired another pirate by the name of Blackjack. Blackjack is a former pediatrician who now lives his dream of being a pirate. He tells them about Alabaster’s map. Back before the quake the government confiscated firearms of private citizens. Alabaster was a guardsman and knows the location of one of the storage sites. The guns could make anyone the undisputed king of California and Rhino wants them. Blackjack finds out that Angel is double crossing Rhino and she knows the location. He enlists Eric in his plan to kidnap Angel in exchange for helping Eric get to Santa Barbara.

The story takes Eric to Liars Cove. It is the Hearst Castle that is now a port run by Bebop. Bebop was a failed Holiday Inn lounge singer that built his own empire after the quake. A series of betrayal and intrigue bring the story to an explosive conclusion.

Pirates sailing the Sea of Los Angeles. How could anyone resist a story like that. This is the first book of the series that I read and also my favorite. Eric Ravensmith and his trusty crossbow bring plenty of action and excitement to this series. The main feature of this story is men living out their adolescent fantasies. Blackjack is dying of cancer and living out his pirate fantasies. Rhino lamented his boring name of John Smith and revels at his new persona of Rhino.

The story of course has plenty of violence and an obligatory graphic sex scene. It goes on for about four pages with descriptions like this, “He hurried a few more strokes, tensed his buttocks, and gushed bubbling lava into her.” When you start writing like this its actually a lot more funny than erotic. At least I think so. So this is another enjoyable adventure of Eric is the crazy island that was once California.

THE WARLORD BY JASON FROST

Copyright 1983.

Eric Ravensmith is living a quiet normal suburban life in southern California as a history professor. One night his past comes back to haunt him in an assassin that comes in the night to kill him and his family. Years ago Eric was part of a covert military unit in Vietnam called the Night Shift. He turned in his commanding officer Col. Dirk Fallows for massacring a village. Now Fallows is out of prison and set on revenge.

Things really get tough when a giant earthquake tears California from the coast and forms an island. Chemical and biological weapons stored at Long Beach are unleashed and form a bubble over the island called the Long Beach Halo and cuts off California from the rest of the world. Eric and his family form a community in the ruins of the university. Fallows has survived and still seeks revenge on his former comrade. His army of killers attack the community and kill his daughter and kidnap his wife and son.

Eric and his companions track Fallows to a place called Savvytown. The founder is a frozen pizza ad exec who is living out his dreams of being a mafia bigshot. His town is a sort of Las Vegas build on slavery. Eric and his gang free Savvytown but his wife Annie is killed and Fallows escapes with his son Timmy. He is determined to raise him as his own son. Eric sets off after him with his new girlfriend Tracy. The guy clearly bounces back quick.

Now I am not a meteorologist but the concept of the Long Beach Halo not only seems impossible but kinda silly. Still is serves its purpose to isolate California for the post-apocalypse society. It was actually a nice change of pace to read one that was not a post-nuclear war series. It has the typical themes of a lawless society and how the people adapt to survive. Some try to rebuild maintain civilization while others embrace the new disorder to rape, pillage and kill. It’s a theme to any post-apocalyptic story and this series does it quite well.

Being a Zebra book there is the typical gratuitous sex and violence. Indeed the sex is described in graphic detail so you have no doubt that sex is taking place. The story is quite well written with believable characters and situations. All the major and some minor are given interesting backstories. The set up of the quest to rescue his son is classic and made it a fondly remembered book series from my childhood.