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belchie324's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good book. Dan Abnett plays with the Marvel universe in prose like no one else I’ve seen before, but he doesn’t manage to stick the landing fully. The third act is a bit of a mess but it’s just a fun time all the way through.
toast042's review against another edition
1.0
I love the Guardians from the movies, and especially Rocket, so after a few recommendations I decided to try this out! For anyone else coming here after the movies, I found Rocket and Gamora pretty different to their MCU versions, but it did not take too long to adjust.
Based on the title I was hoping for a bit more of Rocket and Groot, but the story is told from the point of view of a robot, a Rigellian recorder. Sadly there are no quieter character moments for them in this book, it's pretty much all action and humour. Speaking of which..
The humour is, for the most part, not for me. It felt particularly dated for a book releasing as recently as 2014! Especially the way Gamora was repeatedly objectified. She's just *so* sexy that even the robot has to constantly describe her body! At one point the robot implies he got a boner over Gamora?? I'll spare you the excerpts.
Beyond that, Abnett insisted on describing Rocket as having "disturbingly human-like hands", which was instantly annoying, and did not improve in the next 8000+ instances.
There are a lot of instances of pop culture references being listed out by the recorder to help the reader. Basically none of those landed for me, but I imagine this appeals to someone
Honestly, I'm disappointed! I went into this really wanting to like it. And a couple of times I did start to get into it - but then one of the above problems popped up and knocked me back out
I've been told Abnett was half of the team that wrote the most popular Guardians run, so this book has me thinking the comics might just not be for me. Alas
Based on the title I was hoping for a bit more of Rocket and Groot, but the story is told from the point of view of a robot, a Rigellian recorder. Sadly there are no quieter character moments for them in this book, it's pretty much all action and humour. Speaking of which..
The humour is, for the most part, not for me. It felt particularly dated for a book releasing as recently as 2014! Especially the way Gamora was repeatedly objectified. She's just *so* sexy that even the robot has to constantly describe her body! At one point the robot implies he got a boner over Gamora?? I'll spare you the excerpts.
Beyond that, Abnett insisted on describing Rocket as having "disturbingly human-like hands", which was instantly annoying, and did not improve in the next 8000+ instances.
There are a lot of instances of pop culture references being listed out by the recorder to help the reader. Basically none of those landed for me, but I imagine this appeals to someone
Honestly, I'm disappointed! I went into this really wanting to like it. And a couple of times I did start to get into it - but then one of the above problems popped up and knocked me back out
I've been told Abnett was half of the team that wrote the most popular Guardians run, so this book has me thinking the comics might just not be for me. Alas
tanglingxi's review against another edition
5.0
I'm kinda still a kid, love my superheroes. This book was pretty action-packed and hard to put down.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
What a lovable, enjoyable, adrenalized hoot this was! I still would have preferred to see all the action sequences (of which there were many -- many I tell you) play out on the big screen (sometimes the prose falls a little short of adequately capturing the epic scale and magnificence of the fighting, running, space racing, exploding drama) but overall, for a novelization of two notoriously preeminent comic/cinematic heroes this was a thrill.
Rocket Raccoon and Groot utterly ambushed me in last summer's Marvel blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy completely stealing my heart. I was not expecting to have such a reaction. I had never heard of them, had never read the comics and have been late wading into MCU waters. As I mentioned in another review, my geek sci-fi cred is almost nil, embarrassingly so. But I am committed to making up for past sins and lost time. With Marvel anyway. Doctor Who and Star Wars are gonna have to wait.
But back to my two favorite guys: Rocket and Groot (and by guys you know I mean a talking raccoon and a talking giant tree, right?). They are rogues, badasses, heroes, and sometimes, Guardians of the Galaxy. This is their story, though Gamora has a notable kick-assing role to play. She's a lot fiercer and meaner and scarier in these pages (win!) than the "softer side" we get in the movie. I love her.
But back to Rocket and Groot. By coincidence and accident they cross paths with a Rigellian Recorder (#127) who needs rescuing. It seems everyone in the Galaxy - Multiverse wants their version of hands on this guy. He has "recorded" some very vital information, data that could lead to absolute power over reality itself. I loved 127. In my limited comparison capabilities he reminded me of what little I know of C-3PO. He's SUPER smart containing a trillion Wikipedias, but he's an emotional being, with humor and even desires, developing a crush on Gamora herself and forging a lovely bond with his unlikely allies Rocket and Groot.
So much of this story follows the intrepid heroes (soon joined by Gamora) as they race from planet to planet, escaping the clutches of very many species of races from the Kree to the Nova Corps and Badoons not to mention from the Timely Inc megacorp itself (the ones who stand to gain ALL the power if they should successfully recover 127). Oh yeah, and there's a hired SpaceKnight mercenary in the mix too ready to capture and hand over 127 to Timely Inc.
But Rocket and Groot have decided that's not going to happen. Not on their watch. But it will test every bit of ingenuity and tactical skills that they have to avoid failure and/or a horrible death. It's thrilling, let me tell you, and a ridiculous amount of fun, but it's only made me long even more for the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel (that for the record is still TWO YEARS away). ::sad face::
If it was even possible, I'm fangirling even harder for these two now more than ever. This story is a nice treat, a little gift to help ease the pain of the long wait ahead for the next movie. Abnett needs to write another one stat!!!
Meet Rocket --
And Groot --
readerofbooks70's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
lillygabriella's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Readers of other adventures of The Guardians of the Galaxy will find this installment an entertaining addition. We jump right into the action and the adventure and hijinks just keep coming until the thrilling conclusion! No spoilers here, but if you love Rocket and Groot, this book is a must read! I thoroughly enjoyed it and found the ending very satisfying.
krazykentreader's review against another edition
5.0
So far, one of my favorite novels based on the Marvel Universe. Your favorite talking raccoon and tree teaming up to save the universe once again...
Also Gamora is in this story so that's a plus!!
Also Gamora is in this story so that's a plus!!
rogue_leader's review against another edition
4.0
A fun adventure with Rocket and Groot. When they encounter a strange and knowledgeable robot, they find themselves at the center of an intergalactic struggle. This book is a lot of fun and even better if you listen to it. It has a full cast and sound effects. Dan Abnett has done a great job brining these comic book characters into a full length story.