Review: #195
Title: Transformers: Exiles
Series: N/A - sequel to Transformers: Exodus
Author: Alex Irvine
Read Before: no
My Comments: Once again, this is a great book, I find it really surprising to have read such a good book that is based on Transformers (usually, they’re pretty shoddy since the focus of Transformers is on the toys). The writing was good, and hooks you in, and the writer’s knowledge of Transformers and its terms were excellent. However, I found that in the first third of the book or so, it felt like the plot was going to be the same as the cartoon Transformers: Cybertron, from visiting other planets, to the actual planet they visited on (Velocitron) to even the robots they met (Overdrive, Ransack, Clocker etc). It felt like a rip off and loss of originality. Especially when it was revealed they were going to find lost artefacts, I found it too similar to be a coincidence. Then the direction changed a bit, and they went to Junkion, and the rest of the book is based on there. This is where I found that the book dragged on for too long, if the author could have cut down some of the parts that happened on Junkion it would have been so much better. I didn't like how at the end the author added in a third faction of robots, in which they are the enemies of both Autobots and Decepticons (at least you can view the Junkions as Autobots by this point), it makes things more confusing. I did like the suspense the author put in, and how Optimus encounters three of the original Thirteen, they were really interesting. Sadly, this does not wrap up the story, and the ending hints strongly at a sequel. Not that there is anything wrong, but it feels like I wanted it to end already. As good as the first book, but I prefer the first one due to the story being more to my tastes.
Rating: 7/10