So I'm about half way through the new Alan Dean Foster ROTF prequel novel and thought I'd check to see if anyone else has had an oppurtunity to take a look at this.
I'm pretty familiar with Alan Dean Foster from not only his previous Transformers novels tied to the first film but his many Star Wars novels as well.(He actually wrote the first ever Star Wars Expanded Universe novel, Splinter of the Minds Eye in 1978.)
While I enjoyed Ghosts of Yesterday in 2007 it was lacking in quite a few ways, issues that are fixed in this sequel-prequel.
Foster captures a bit of surprise and mystery with this book as we have new characters joining our established bots like Prime. Here's a list of bots that appear as of page 150 or so in the book.
Autobots:
Optimus Prime
Ironhide
Ratchet
Beachbreak(Jet Ski Alt Mode)
Salvage( Pick Up Truck-TFTM Toy)
Knock Out (Motorcycle Alt Mode)
Longarm(Tow Truck-TFTM Toy)
Decepticons:
Star Scream
Drop Kick(Truck-Like TFTM Toy)
Macerator(Garbage Truck)
Payload(Tank-Not like the TFTM Toy)
Frenzy(His disembodied head anyway...)
Ruinination(Osprey)
Blademaster(Helicopter.....I think)
The book itself follows the tale of the combined human/Autobot task force named
NEST which operates out of Africa.
In the first 140 pages we get two large battles between Bot's, pretty good stuff. Foster captures Prime very well to the point that I can hear Cullen when I read his lines.
As for the human characters we have Epps and Lennox returning as a part of
Nest with a couple newbs as well.
We also learn that Starscream has recruited some African militia of somekind to help him, as well as utilizing the above mentioned 'Cons.
My favorite parts of the whole book thus far are the parts featuring former Agent Simmons of Sector 7 and his continuing quest to find out as much as he can about the "invaders" as he calls them.
Now working in his mother's Deli he spends his day making sandwiches and his nights researching everything he can about Transformers.
As well Simmons has somehow gotten possession of Frenzy's head(still somewhat functional no less). He has some great original lines and exchanges with Frenzy's severed head, as well having to bite his tongue everytime someone orders a corned beef on rye with mustard(because as Simmons point out to one customer, those do not go together
)
So far so good. I'm very much enjoying this read.
