What began as an unfinished post-apocolyptic sci-fi story by a Brit mystery writer, has remarkably spawn into one of the largest series of books ever created in the last two decades. The Deathlands series, including the spun-off Outlanders, includes over 50 books (most thanks to the late James Axler aka Laurence James, after finishing the first story Pilgrimage to Hell continued to write another 32 of the novels). One of the favorite's in the series was the novel, Deathlands: Homeward Bound, which has now inspired a film adaptation for the SciFi Channel.

The scared, patch-eyed Ryan Cawdor leads a ragtag group of nomads through a post-apocolyptic countryside, drifting from small community to another. This new world has been scorched by a nuclear war, creating both good and evil in the generations of man that has survived it. Many have formed their own communities, and often their own rules. A few others have begun to carve out entire territories, called baronies, forcing their rule upon the settlements within, called villes. But these tyrants, and the armies they build, are not the only worries the last remnants of mankind must deal with ... as other forms of man have also banded together in this devastated wasteland - mutants. These creatures, some humanoid others animal, have no use for power and domination over what's left of the world, but rather have other needs and far more horrifying desires. But like humans, not all mutants are bad guys ... some are kind and just trying to live with their various abilities, or disabilities.

Now, I could go on and on about the various mutations and other baronies scattered throughout this desolate world, but for this new film we are only concerned with one, the Cawdor family of the Front Royal barony in a section of what used to be Virginia. The Front Royal was built upon the rich soil of the Shenandoahs, by Ryan's Great Grandfather following the war. The generations of Cawdors continue to rule and protect this area from raiding mutants, called muties. But things began to go very wrong within the family, when the rather cruel Titus Cawdor took power.

Ryan's father, Titus, had 3 sons before his wife Cynthia passed away when Ryan, the youngest of the 3, was very young. Morgan, the eldest, took over looking after his baby brother, Ryan. While middle brother Harvey, cruel and deformed from birth, often took out his frustrations on Ryan. Morgan tried to protect Ryan from Harvey's cruelties, but eventually Harvey would have the eldest brother murdered, and blaming the young Ryan. Then, Harvey went after Ryan in a vicious attack that left both men wounded, and Ryan at only 15 years of age, forever scarred and blinded in one eye. Ryan was able to escape the assassination attempt, but it would be 20 years until he would finally return to set things right in the house of Cawdor.

This is where the story of Homeward Bound begins, Ryan and his band of not-so-merry pals trying to battle their way out of some rather "stickie" situations, in what used to be the state of New York:

• Ryan Cawdor, played by Vincent Spano (Medusa's Child, Prophecy 3: The Ascent, and The Rats)
• Krysty Wroth, the flaming red-haired "mutie" and Ryan's love interest, played by Jenya Lano (Shrieker and Blade)
• J.B. Dix, a man of few words but carries maximum firepower for the group, played by Cliff Saunders (Johnny 2.0, Joan of Arc, and David Cronenberg's Spider)
• Jak Lauren, an albino teenager with extreme fighting abilities, played by Nathan Carter

But before they reach Front Royal, they meet a young man leading a patrol named, Nathan (Matthew Currie Holmes - Sightings: Heartland Ghost and Steven Spielberg's Taken). Nathan and Ryan get to sit down and have a rather enlightening conversation for a little while, before one of Nathan's men betrays them. The group is then forcibly brought to the Front Royal, where Ryan finds what remains of his strange family ruling the barony:

• Lady Rachel Cawdor, played by Traci Lords (everyone's fav ex-porn star, Stephen King's The Tommyknockers, Blade, and the asskickin' hottie Jordon in SciFi Channel's First Wave)
• Harvey Cawdor, played by Alan C. Peterson
• Jabez Pendragon Cawdor, played by Max Danger

The inevitable confrontation of this twisted family, and the 20 year old blood debt will finally decide the fates of all in this stylish sci-fi adaptation. And be sure to check out the entire (and still ongoing) Deathlands/Outlanders series from Gold Eagle Books.

Deathlands: Homeward Bound airs Saturday, May 17th 2003 at 9pm on the SciFi Channel:

http://www.scifi.com/deathlands/