by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)
Welcome to the next part in my 2012 Robotech Experience, a quick review of the third book in the Del Ray books series adaptation of Robotech episodes 13-18. If you need to start from the beginning to find out more about my year long look at Robotech, click here.
This next six episodes (I have been basically watching/reading six episodes at a time since the books cover that much each volume) I decided to read the book first, then watch the show then read the comic. I want to see how I perceive it when I experience it in that order.
In the last review I went on and on about how I had a memory of reading this series of books and was impressed as to how closely the followed the show BUT in this reading (it's been years since I read them last) I got this nasty surprise. For some reason it seemed like the books didn't follow the action quite as closely as I had remembered. Well... lo and behold it's happened again! This book seems to be following the shows very closely. I think I figured it out! I think that Brian Daley and James Luceno each wrote alternate books. One of those guy's style was very 'loose' and one was very 'strict' when it came to adapting the show. There, I hope that covers it. BTW, I happen to like the closer following of the cartoon.
This book picks up where the last one left off. The cartoon is added to by having a bit of suspense added to the return of Lisa, Rick, Ben, and Max. This wasn't in the show but it gave a nice buffer of new material which basically caught the reader up to the current events.
After the escapees make it back the book focuses on the spies. This is some great stuff and I'm glad the writer that sticks to the cartoon got this part. There is some really funny stuff here.
After they make their transition into Macross city it is noted that their pod 'dissolved'. I guess that would be the smart thing to make happen since it might have been discovered.
Minmei's rise to stardom happens here and the more popular she gets the more we hate her. She hits this point where she has made it to the top and she begins to level out and become more human (not such a flighty air head) as she yearns for the simple life again.
Earlier on in the book the SDF-1 needs to change into a giant robot mode to fire the guns. Once again Macross city is destroyed in many places (this time with Rico, Konda, and Bron in the middle of it). Wouldn't the engineers on the SDF-1 have figured out what parts of the city would be destroyed from the first transformation and NOT rebuilt the city in those areas? Just asking...
Also there is a bit of a visual misstep of the author during the transformation. I am assuming they watched the show on VHS when they were writing this book so the detail on the screen wasn't as crisp as it would be in the DVD age. When the author describes the transformation there is a spot where 2 giant servo motors join and cables snake out to attach themselves to the motors. In actuality you can make out the cables snaking out are infact guys in space suits. I didn't realize this until I saw the DVD many years later.
Vern (the tall skinny buddy of the Mayor) is finally given a last name here. He was always just a background character there to get the dialogue going. He name is Vern Havers. I guess that was the author's creation.
'Gloval's Report' and 'Phantasm' are MERCIFULLY cut waaaaayyyyyy back for the books. Those have to be the most tedious episodes to sit though.
Captain Kramer (much like Vern Havers, a plot device) bites the big one in this book. He is talked to and mentioned a couple of times during the first 12 episodes and I guess the author noticed that he wasn't mentioned again in later episodes. He death helped explain why Roy didn't receieve proper medical care (leading to his death) since he was distraught and left the hospital. P.S. I think he name was Kramer after script editor Steve Kramer.
That is the end of this book. Knowing the backgrounds of the two authors I am guessing that Brian Daley wrote this book (an all subsequent books that are very close to the cartoon in action). James Luceno was a Vietnam Vet and I am guess his writing style is the one that has a lot of military jargon in it. That jargon appears in the books that are more 'loosely based' on the action in the episodes. Both are fine, I just take a shine to the closer representation of the show.
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