Car Wars Fans, How Did I Miss “The Outrider” Series in the Eighties?
Over at claytonology.com is this post about the 1980s post-apocalyptic series of books titled “The Outrider,” and reading the description makes me wonder just how I’ve missed these books for two decades now. As an old school Car Wars fan I should have been all over these books back in the mid-eighties, but I’ve never once read the books.
The Outrider series is very much in that universe. Owing 99% of it’s existence to the Australian science fiction classic Mad Max and its sequel, The Road Warrior, the first of the five installments in The Outrider series was released in 1984. Set in a harsh, post-nuclear America, the stories follow the exploits of the rugged warrior Bonner, as he struggles for survival in a world with very few (if any) friendly faces.
Well, today I’m fixing my mistake and have ordered all five books in the series. At less than $16 for the entire set (at Amazon.com*) I figured it was worth taking a leap of faith and ordering all five books at once. I figure the way my luck goes if I had ordered only the first then the others would have become tough to find.
Anyway, see the claytonology.com Outrider post. And if these are any fun at all I’m sure to mention the series again after I start reading the novels.
I didn’t realize there was a book series based on Car Wars. I loved that game! I may actually still own it
@raf – As Nick said, these are not Car Wars books. Just in the same genre. I’ve got the three official Car Wars novels. I should review those.
I don’t think it’s based on Car Wars, but has a similar theme. (A lot of such things popped up after The Road Warrior.)
Car Wars novels came later, in the 90s. Epic had a Car Warriors comic as well.
@Nick A – Lots of people disliked the comics. I thought it was a fun mini-series.
Hey, thanks for the shout out! I was hoping someone would dig these books!
Yeah, these are really raw, tough and wild little adventures. There are a bunch of this kind, as I mentioned, but these seem cooler somehow, with a mild twinge of Thundarr the Barbarian.
Let me know what you think when you read them!
@Clayton – I’m hoping they’re fun. Thundarr + Car Wars certainly sounds like it will be stupid levels of enjoyment.
Is that supposed to be Kevin Costner as Mad Max? lol
@Kevin – Thanks, now I cannot unsee Kevin Costner. I’m gonna need to avert my eyes when looking at these or else I’ll start wondering where the water is in the story.
Water World – The Drought Years! 😀
@Kevin – Water World – WTF Happened to the Water?
Is anyone else getting “this site has not been published” when going to that link?
@SeanMike – Yep. Worked yesterday. I have no idea what went wrong there. Too bad. It was a fun overview of the series.
Hey guys. My site got hacked and destroyed, so I had to start over again. Here’s the new link!
http://phantomempires.weebly.com/the-mad-buumlcher/the-outrider-series-by-richard-harding