The Inflatable Dalek's Read-Along Eugenesis Thread.
Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:57 pm
Having had the files for ages now, I've began reading Eugensis (the self published decade old Transformers fan fiction novel by everyone's favourite IDW writer James Roberts for those who don't know, it can be downloaded with the authors blessing from this very site: http://tfarchive.com/fandom/features/eugenesis/) properly for the first time on my Kindle.
I am, according to the little bar at the bottom, 15% of the way through, and these are my [SPOILERIFIC and no doubt likely to be proven wrong as I go along] thoughts so far...:
The opening scene of the aliens having their sub attacked was really hard to get into, lots of creatures with silly names talking gibberish at each other before dying. Thankfully things pick up almost instantly when we reach Autobot City Earth with a much more confident and approachable prose style.
The big thing to note is that this is very much steeped in the history of both Marvel and the other TFUK stories, it can't really stand alone. Thanks to the continuity notes included with the above link I've got enough of a bluffers knowledge of the TFUK stuff for most of it to make sense, but this is something that couldn't really be taken as a complete standalone (which of course it was never supposed to be, it was self published in a small run to be sold to people who were familiar with the rest of the groups fan fics, the idea it would still be available to read a decade later on the internet is probably something Roberts' never conceived of).
You can also tell it's a first novel, the style isn't as strong as we've come to expect from Roberts and some of the dialogue is a bit ropey in places (Rodimus calling someone a bastard is a bit silly seeming). There's also a weird tendency for the characters to be very exact about the date past events happened in ("Centurion hasn't been seen since 1994!" "No, that was an FC, the original vanished in the Thames in 1987").
Also, at this stage, I'm not sure what the plot is. It feels like what was intended to be three or four short story fan fics loosely linked together. Some threads are begining to pull together (with the three mysterious Decepti-jets meeting the Death's Head story) but it's all feeling very disparate thus far. I've the faith in Roberts to have it all link up nicely though. Mind, I'm baffled as to what the return of the dull Professor Morris-less Ancient Relics version of Centurion will have to do with anything, within a couple of pages he's pretty much reduced to generic background Autobot, unless the book winds up doing something with him that could only be done by that character it's going to feel a very odd inclusion.
Oh, and Soundwave actually having designs on the Decepticon leadership before Galvatron even vanishes doesn't feel very like the Marvel version to me.
Now, as all that sounds a little harsh, lets talk about the good: All the stuff with the Autobots is brilliant. The contrast between the brow beaten Cybertron based troops and the more relaxed and breezy Earth based ones and the conflict that creates has been very nicely handled thus far. Bar some of the rough edges everyone is very well written, with the often under used Wheeljack being an especially nice surprise.
Nightbeat's plot and trauma at being back from the dead is interesting, and the mystery what's making various Transformers disappear without a trace (even if Longtooth is the only character this has obviously happened to I can't see Galvatron and Thundercrash being out of the book for good) is building nicely. It's nice to see Rung mentioned as well, even if this version seems to be a Decepticon (I can't see either Galvatron taking the time to sit on the couch with an Autobot psychiatrist, nor Soundwave caring what he thinks).
I am, according to the little bar at the bottom, 15% of the way through, and these are my [SPOILERIFIC and no doubt likely to be proven wrong as I go along] thoughts so far...:
The opening scene of the aliens having their sub attacked was really hard to get into, lots of creatures with silly names talking gibberish at each other before dying. Thankfully things pick up almost instantly when we reach Autobot City Earth with a much more confident and approachable prose style.
The big thing to note is that this is very much steeped in the history of both Marvel and the other TFUK stories, it can't really stand alone. Thanks to the continuity notes included with the above link I've got enough of a bluffers knowledge of the TFUK stuff for most of it to make sense, but this is something that couldn't really be taken as a complete standalone (which of course it was never supposed to be, it was self published in a small run to be sold to people who were familiar with the rest of the groups fan fics, the idea it would still be available to read a decade later on the internet is probably something Roberts' never conceived of).
You can also tell it's a first novel, the style isn't as strong as we've come to expect from Roberts and some of the dialogue is a bit ropey in places (Rodimus calling someone a bastard is a bit silly seeming). There's also a weird tendency for the characters to be very exact about the date past events happened in ("Centurion hasn't been seen since 1994!" "No, that was an FC, the original vanished in the Thames in 1987").
Also, at this stage, I'm not sure what the plot is. It feels like what was intended to be three or four short story fan fics loosely linked together. Some threads are begining to pull together (with the three mysterious Decepti-jets meeting the Death's Head story) but it's all feeling very disparate thus far. I've the faith in Roberts to have it all link up nicely though. Mind, I'm baffled as to what the return of the dull Professor Morris-less Ancient Relics version of Centurion will have to do with anything, within a couple of pages he's pretty much reduced to generic background Autobot, unless the book winds up doing something with him that could only be done by that character it's going to feel a very odd inclusion.
Oh, and Soundwave actually having designs on the Decepticon leadership before Galvatron even vanishes doesn't feel very like the Marvel version to me.
Now, as all that sounds a little harsh, lets talk about the good: All the stuff with the Autobots is brilliant. The contrast between the brow beaten Cybertron based troops and the more relaxed and breezy Earth based ones and the conflict that creates has been very nicely handled thus far. Bar some of the rough edges everyone is very well written, with the often under used Wheeljack being an especially nice surprise.
Nightbeat's plot and trauma at being back from the dead is interesting, and the mystery what's making various Transformers disappear without a trace (even if Longtooth is the only character this has obviously happened to I can't see Galvatron and Thundercrash being out of the book for good) is building nicely. It's nice to see Rung mentioned as well, even if this version seems to be a Decepticon (I can't see either Galvatron taking the time to sit on the couch with an Autobot psychiatrist, nor Soundwave caring what he thinks).