Reviews for Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday

The average rating for Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-09-06 00:00:00 Jj Smith You can really tell that Foster wasn't exactly enthusiastic with this project, and that's a little sad, because this could have been a wonderful opportunity to give the movie lineup the depth and stage time denied them in the film. It's not a total loss here, though - Foster hilariously over-focuses on setting details for the exotic little pocket of space and its unnamed moon, replete with ravenous insectoid monsters. What does this have to do with the Transformers franchise, you ask? Well, not a whole lot, actually. Sure, Optimus and crew set foot on the world, poke around in space, and so on. But this is largely just a quick paycheck, and it becomes easy to read early on in his lackluster writing - especially for anyone familiar with his superb writing for the Commonwealth series (his own creation). There are a few unusual, quite interesting things to take note of, though - Megatron thaws out and wakes up, for one. He manages to maim and kill quite a few S7 operatives before they manage to put him back to sleep, and it's a pretty memorable scene. In addition, the empty character of Blackout from the movie is given personality here, and he's a rather interesting 'Con. He serves essentially the same function here as Soundwave did in G1, but he does a little more than simply whine in monotone - he actually challenges Starscream. The resulting battle is a very cool read for fans, and is a saving grace in a largely forgettable novel.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-11-04 00:00:00 David Benedetti Have you ever wondered what happened to the Transformers before they landed on Earth in the Michael Bay films? Me neither, but via various means I have found out anyway. Having played the Cybertron games I was aware of the mythos behind the robots in disguise, so what did 'Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday' have to offer? Firstly, a new book by Alan Dean Foster, a great author in his own right, but also one of the best tie in novel specialists ever. Secondly, this is not a tale that tries to explain the entirety of the Transformer's past, but instead takes a glimpse back into the late 60s to a couple of days that would prove an future echo for Earth. When Armstrong, Aldrin etc. set off for the moon, did you know that another advanced spaceship was being sent up in a hidden Alaskan location? Using tech found on the remains of a sleeping mechanical beast the US fired a covert rocket into space. What are the chances that the crew of this ship would stumble across the intergalactic conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons? If 'Ghosts' is anything to go by, it is a 100% chance. The mistake that Foster would have made is to go into too much detail in 'Ghosts', therefore it is a relief that he decided to write a contained action adventure. The story is split between the mysterious base on Earth and a skirmish between the Transformers in space. There is plenty of action on offer; the conflict in zero gravity is especially well written. There is also a surprisingly nuanced look at how the two races of Transformers differ. The Decepticons bickering and disloyalty really plays a role in their downfall. 'Ghosts' is certainly not great fiction and non-fans of the series will get next to nothing from reading the book. However, fans of the Transformers themselves, or science fiction, will get some good military sci fi as well as a few interesting questions about how a long living mechanical race see the Universe. If this does not float your boat, there are also plenty of explosions and action. A fun, if forgettable, read.