Review: #449
Title: Transformers: Retribution
Series: N/A - sequel to Transformers: Exiles
Author: David J Williams and Mark S Williams
Read Before: no
Comments: The third in the Aligned Novels, it continues on directly after the events of Exiles, something that I was worried about when they had changed authors. The blurb promises to depict how the Autobots and Decepticons happen to arrive on Earth. Forget that, it does not stray anywhere near that promise until the last page in which it provides a passing remark. Unlike Exiles in which there was a lot of planet hopping, Retribution takes place on a planet called Aquatron. They fight a new foe, one that puts a twist in a classic enemy from the original cartoon. This depiction of the new enemy (trying to avoid spoilers here) is believable. Sadly, the Starseekers and their leader, Thundertron, of which they were prominent in Exiles, make only one entrance in the beginning. This is disappointing especially when they felt hyped up before. The premise of the story in which the new enemy’s cunning proves to be superior to the Transformers is interesting. However, there is a notably change in writing and the novel’s flaws drag it down to be less enjoyable. First of all, there are numerous characters/situations the novel is following in that it often cuts from place to place. This breaks the momentum and can get slightly confusing. The nature of the Transformers is slightly different to what you’d expect. Traits of certain bots don’t seem to fit well with your perception, such as Soundwave showing emotion. It feels as if the author hasn’t grasped the Transformers lore as well as the previous author. This is further supported when you realize there is hardly any easter egg type Transformers references. The Transformers here feel much more human than they need to be. The story is not bad and there are a few good moments including when Megatron undergoes a Transformation but it feels lacking in many areas.
Rating: 6/10