Legacy Review #03: ROBOTECH Novel 2 (Battle Cry)

[desrocfc]

The second book detailing the SDF-1’s continued battle, playing cat-and-mouse with the Zentraedi as they traverse from Pluto back to Earth. Rick Hunter, now a Veritech Pilot, finds himself battling Zentraedi up close and personal, including a face-to-face interrogation at the hands of their Supreme Commander, Dolza. Macross civilians provide greater plot influence as cultures clash, seeing an unexpected influence over the Zentraedi warrior culture.

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Full Review: https://www.scholarlyadventures.com/pos ... battle-cry

What did you think of Battle Cry? How do you think Khyron fits into the pot arcs?

Novelization Main Page: https://www.scholarlyadventures.com/pos ... velization

Cheers.

[Library Ogre]

Battle Cry was my first book to get, back in the day. I like Khyron as a wild card... presents himself as a Zentraedi traditionalist, but only when compared to Breetai, and has his own ways of being unorthodox... but THEY'RE fine, because they're HIM.

[taalismn]

Given how in one of the original storylines for Macross, Khyron's appearance was going to be assigned to Max Sterling(there's development art of a non-blue-skinned Khyron in a UN Spacey/RDF uniform).
There was also going to originally be a subplot Zentraedi Male coming over to the SDF-1 and seduce/fall in love with the fortress's FEMALE captain.

In the end, though, Max Sterling's art was assigned to a wildcard Zentraedi warlord(Khyron), the SDF-1 got a more conservative male captain, and the alien romance was Miriya.
So Khyron's character has had a wild history in development.
But they kept the interracial (and mature) romance between Claudia and Roy.

[desrocfc]

Given how in one of the original storylines for Macross, Khyron's appearance was going to be assigned to Max Sterling(there's development art of a non-blue-skinned Khyron in a UN Spacey/RDF uniform).
There was also going to originally be a subplot Zentraedi Male coming over to the SDF-1 and seduce/fall in love with the fortress's FEMALE captain.

In the end, though, Max Sterling's art was assigned to a wildcard Zentraedi warlord(Khyron), the SDF-1 got a more conservative male captain, and the alien romance was Miriya.
So Khyron's character has had a wild history in development.
But they kept the interracial (and mature) romance between Claudia and Roy.

Not gonna lie, there is a lot of the original series development and release issues that I am competely ignorant of; not necessary for the review of the novels or the RPG products. But blimey, that is one hell of an interesting background peek into the Macross development, LOL.

[taalismn]

I have a copy of the ENORMOUS Macross Memory book(all in Japanese) that has many of the preproduction sketches...The original SDF-1, for example, looked like something from 'Tranzor Z', and it all had a 'blunt end' stage before its BFG got prow-spikes. And the VFs were originally power-armor-sized. But the book also had the early Khyron sketch-work. Max Sterling would have had opaque shades too, that made him look like Zeta-Gundam's Char Aznable.

[desrocfc]

I have a copy of the ENORMOUS Macross Memory book(all in Japanese) that has many of the preproduction sketches...The original SDF-1, for example, looked like something from 'Tranzor Z', and it all had a 'blunt end' stage before its BFG got prow-spikes. And the VFs were originally power-armor-sized. But the book also had the early Khyron sketch-work. Max Sterling would have had opaque shades too, that made him look like Zeta-Gundam's Char Aznable.

Man, I had to look both of those references up. LOL. Tranzor Z is an aesthetic I'm super-happy they veered from; Zeta Gundam, now *that* is something I could look to get into.

Though in all honesty, after the Robotech series, my anime was largely limited to Akira and then GitS. I'm am definitively NOT a fan of the anime cliche of the quirky-comedic sidekick that spouts off an angst-ridden exclamation (e.g. Bridge Bunnies); even the Tachikomas grated on my nerves. <shrug>

[taalismn]

Though in all honesty, after the Robotech series, my anime was largely limited to Akira and then GitS. I'm am definitively NOT a fan of the anime cliche of the quirky-comedic sidekick that spouts off an angst-ridden exclamation (e.g. Bridge Bunnies); even the Tachikomas grated on my nerves. <shrug>

"Sorry, Ben, our viewer audience really doesn't dig quirky-comedic sidekicks....you get wasted in the next big battle scene."

Seriously, Robotech-Macross bucked that...Ben was comic relief, but it was only the set-up for the emotional kill-off. Max Sterling was more of a snarker. The Three Zentraedi Spies were cringeworthy Out of their Element(though they do get a few good lines later in which they self-consciously point out their awkward initial reactions), though they kind of slink later into pathetic Impoverished Alien Immigrants.

[Warshield73]

Though in all honesty, after the Robotech series, my anime was largely limited to Akira and then GitS. I'm am definitively NOT a fan of the anime cliche of the quirky-comedic sidekick that spouts off an angst-ridden exclamation (e.g. Bridge Bunnies); even the Tachikomas grated on my nerves. <shrug>

"Sorry, Ben, our viewer audience really doesn't dig quirky-comedic sidekicks....you get wasted in the next big battle scene."

Seriously, Robotech-Macross bucked that...Ben was comic relief, but it was only the set-up for the emotional kill-off. Max Sterling was more of a snarker. The Three Zentraedi Spies were cringeworthy Out of their Element(though they do get a few good lines later in which they self-consciously point out their awkward initial reactions), though they kind of slink later into pathetic Impoverished Alien Immigrants.

A good chunk of the series was cringe but it was the '80's anime and given how just how ridiculous the production was its amazing it was coherent enough to novelize it at all.
More interested in your reviews of the RPG books but I will probably give these a read, especially since I am not likely to ever reread any of these books.

[taalismn]

More interested in your reviews of the RPG books but I will probably give these a read, especially since I am not likely to ever reread any of these books.

Bit of a bias here.

At the time I got my first Robotech RPG book, I'd had only cursory exposure to RPGs; I possessed two D&D monster guides and not the basic set, and being an introverted kid growing up, I never played the game with anybody(D&D was NOT cool in middle/high schools at the time).

When I did get the Palladium RPG, it was at a street fair in Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard, from a small off-the-main-drag gaming shop that didn't survive a year in that environment. I'd watched a few episodes already, missed the chance to get some of the Matchbox toys, and was already thoroughly smitten. I'd seen an ad for Palaldium's Mechanoids, and didn't think much of it at the time. But I did run up the road with that 1st ed. paperback Robotech manual, found a small park overlooking VH Bay, sat in a shaded little veranda far from the noise and clamor of the street fair, and DEVOURED what I had only fleetingly glimpsed on TV, acquainting myself with the stats of Veritechs, Destroids, and Battlepods. It was a PERFECT evening as far as I was concerned.
The rest of the summer I competed with a summer friend of mine who was even more into anime, seeing who could get the next Palladium release as it came out(The RDF Guide, the Zentraedi Guide) and began penciling adventures on paper.
In my otaku life since, it was the BEST summer ever, even though we never played a game of it.

But when I went to college, I finally hooked up with the Gaming Guild, played D&D, Paranoia, Toon, Champions and other games, and even ran a Robotech campaign. I also collected RPGs over the next four years; Mekton, Cyberpunk, Albedo, more Palladium, including ultimately Rifts.

I've since realized Palladium's many weaknesses, but as the first complete RPG I had, the Robotech game remains my sentimental favorite and the high point of my geekdom.

[desrocfc]

A good chunk of the series was cringe but it was the '80's anime and given how just how ridiculous the production was its amazing it was coherent enough to novelize it at all.
More interested in your reviews of the RPG books but I will probably give these a read, especially since I am not likely to ever reread any of these books.

That's fair, and I concur about the cringe factor. Macross not so bad (Minmei as an exception). The voice actor for Danad Sterling in Second Generation was just.... off. Invid Invasion suffered from serious anime cliche injects.

That the two of the authors were able to novelize and "rescind on the cringe"(TM) makes it that much more of an achievement! But fair if you are more interested in the RPG books. Legacy #4 is the RDF Manual, Legacy #6 Zentraedi - coming out over the next few weeks.

[taalismn]

That's fair, and I concur about the cringe factor. Macross not so bad (Minmei as an exception). The voice actor for Danad Sterling in Second Generation was just.... off. Invid Invasion suffered from serious anime cliche injects.

I didn't mind Dana Sterling's voice....she was, after all, a young woman, and I thought hit the right stride of 'girldom growing up in war'..
Invid Invasion? Yeah, cliches, but occasionally the characters managed to poke fun at their own cliches(Annie Labelle's remark about "How'd you think I got my reputation(as a pest)?' still brings a smile to me).

[Library Ogre]

Now I'm wishing I could find the books to read. Alas, my library does not have them (and my own paperbacks are long since sold).

[desrocfc]

Now I'm wishing I could find the books to read. Alas, my library does not have them (and my own paperbacks are long since sold).

There are sources on eBay, some for not too bad a price. If you are within Contiguous US, shipping should be fine too. Just north of the border, shipping is downright ludicrous.

The omnibus editions are easy enough to find on Amazon as well.

[desrocfc]

I didn't mind Dana Sterling's voice....she was, after all, a young woman, and I thought hit the right stride of 'girldom growing up in war'..
Invid Invasion? Yeah, cliches, but occasionally the characters managed to poke fun at their own cliches(Annie Labelle's remark about "How'd you think I got my reputation(as a pest)?' still brings a smile to me).

LOL, I actually found the woman's voice for Dana to be way too mature; a mid-to-late 30-something trying to sound like an early twenty-something. <shrug>

[rem1093]

I have a copy of the ENORMOUS Macross Memory book(all in Japanese) that has many of the preproduction sketches...The original SDF-1, for example, looked like something from 'Tranzor Z', and it all had a 'blunt end' stage before its BFG got prow-spikes. And the VFs were originally power-armor-sized. But the book also had the early Khyron sketch-work. Max Sterling would have had opaque shades too, that made him look like Zeta-Gundam's Char Aznable.

" And the VFs were originally power-armor-sized" this I'm a little curious about. Are we talking normal flying power armor or flying versions of the Cyclone?

[taalismn]

" And the VFs were originally power-armor-sized" this I'm a little curious about. Are we talking normal flying power armor or flying versions of the Cyclone?

We're talking maybe 10 ft tall...closer to Rifts Glitterboys, rather than jetfighter-sized. No separate headpiece, but a hood-canopy affixed ti the torso.

[Warshield73]

Now I'm wishing I could find the books to read. Alas, my library does not have them (and my own paperbacks are long since sold).

There are sources on eBay, some for not too bad a price. If you are within Contiguous US, shipping should be fine too. Just north of the border, shipping is downright ludicrous.

The omnibus editions are easy enough to find on Amazon as well.

Are any of them available digitally? I kind of doubt it given their age but it would make it a lot easier.

One of the big reasons I actually enjoyed PB temporarily getting back the Robotech license is I know own legal PDFs of all the 1e books while they were briefly on DriveThru and I even own Kindle versions of a few of the 2e books as well.

[desrocfc]

Are any of them available digitally? I kind of doubt it given their age but it would make it a lot easier.

One of the big reasons I actually enjoyed PB temporarily getting back the Robotech license is I know own legal PDFs of all the 1e books while they were briefly on DriveThru and I even own Kindle versions of a few of the 2e books as well.

I know there are Kindle versions on Amazon. Links to each below:

ROBOTECH Battle Cry (Books 1-3)

ROBOTECH: Doomsday (Books 4-6)