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Sentinels Superhero Novels #3
Sentinels: Apocalypse Rising
Menaced by no fewer than three alien invasion forces, the Earth cries out for its heroes. But the Sentinels have vanished! And now Pulsar stands alone, down but not defeated, and determined to rescue her teammates... and her world. APOCALYPSE RISING is a dynamic and gripping novel in its own right-- and the climactic chapter in the Sentinels saga! "One gifted writer." --Ron Fortier, author of Terminator: The Burning Earth
272 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2007
38 people want to read
About the author
Van Allen Plexico
75 books46 followersVan Allen Plexico has written a dozen novels and contributed to at least that many anthologies, but is best known for his popular and critically-acclaimed SENTINELS superhero novels, as well as the two-time Novel of the Year Finalist LORDS OF FIRE and its sequels in the "Shattering" space opera series. In the realm of nonfiction, he co-wrote the best-selling DECADES OF DOMINANCE and SEASON OF OUR DREAMS books about Auburn football and created the ASSEMBLED! books, exploring the history of Marvel’s AVENGERS comics. He writes and edits for numerous publishers including Airship 27, Pro Se Press, Permuted/Swarm Press, Maple Street Press, New Babel Books, Adamant, and White Rocket, along with occasional columns for RevolutionSF.com and the War Eagle Reader. He serves as an Associate Professor at Southwestern Illinois College.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 28, 2020
Oh wow!!! I loved this series. You definitely need to hear all three books in the trilogy as together they make up one big adventure, but if you like action adventure with a side of sassy humour then you will love it too. You meet a lot of characters over the course of the three books (but with a brilliant narrator you have no problems knowing who is who) and a lot of them come back in this book (which is why you need to have heard the previous books). The characters are great (even the baddies) and with all the one liners you are sure to be chuckling at some point. As a super hero team they could definitely give the Avengers a run for there money on he silver screen, even if they can't come up with a name for the team. There is so much action going on and with everything over the previous books being explained it is easier just to say get the books sit back and enjoy. Oh there is one more thing I hope there is more to come.
With a number of baddies on the way to wipe out earth it is up to Pulsar to rebuild a team of super heros. With team mates missing in action she will need to turn to new friends in order to find old ones and give earth a chance. But who to trust? Will Esro the team's inventor and brains every return to earth? Her mentor and friend Ultraa has disappeared with out a clue and Vanadium an alien cyborg seems to have switched sides. Even her own sister is working for the team that has replaced her team. Does a teenage girl have what it takes to take on three super powers? Not with out back up.
The narrator is brilliant, he has so much fun with this recording and it really comes across in his telling of the story and his voices are just out of this world.
With a number of baddies on the way to wipe out earth it is up to Pulsar to rebuild a team of super heros. With team mates missing in action she will need to turn to new friends in order to find old ones and give earth a chance. But who to trust? Will Esro the team's inventor and brains every return to earth? Her mentor and friend Ultraa has disappeared with out a clue and Vanadium an alien cyborg seems to have switched sides. Even her own sister is working for the team that has replaced her team. Does a teenage girl have what it takes to take on three super powers? Not with out back up.
The narrator is brilliant, he has so much fun with this recording and it really comes across in his telling of the story and his voices are just out of this world.
September 29, 2013
This is the third book in Van Allen Plexico's excellent Sentinels series of superhero novels, and the conclusion to The Grand Design trilogy. As a writer moves further and further into a series, some of the magic that was present at the beginning can begin to fade. The characters become overly familiar, the surprises grow less surprising, and there's a sort of "sameness" that develops.
Although I enjoyed the second book in this series, A Distant Star, there was a sense that it was more set-up for Apocalypse Rising than its own entity. So I was a little worried that Van may not have been able to capture the lightning in a bottle he harnessed so effectively with the inaugural Sentinels novel, When Strikes The Warlord.
Fortunately, my fears were unfounded, because Van certainly brings his A-game to this book. The plot threads that began in When Strikes The Warlord and continued and expanded on in A Distant Star are brought to an awe-inspiring finale that serves as both the end of the first phase in the lives of these characters, and the beginning of something more.
In a world where The Avengers was one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and turned what was once an unknown property to anyone outside of the comic book community, it's become very frustrating to watch Marvel consistently fumble the ball with their premiere superhero franchise. Of the core titles, one is more concerned with the characters arguing amongst themselves than fighting supervillains, another shows the supposed "heroes" debating the merits of mass genocide in favor of the greater good, and the third features pretentious plot lines and characters who serve little purpose than to act as wallpaper.
It's extremely disappointing. And that's why we need people like Van Allen Plexico, who can still give us the same thrilling superhero tales that Joss Whedon and co. delivered so effectively with The Avengers. Van follows in the footsteps of some of the greatest superhero writers in history, names like Roy Thomas, Jim Starlin, Chris Claremont, Kurt Busiek, and Grant Morrison. These men are giants when it comes to superheroes, and Van has proven he is more than capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with them.
If you're looking for stellar characterization, larger-than-life stories, and, most-importantly, superheroes who aren't ashamed to act heroic, then you need to be reading Sentinels. Because no one, either in comics or prose, is doing superheroes better than Van Allen Plexico.
Although I enjoyed the second book in this series, A Distant Star, there was a sense that it was more set-up for Apocalypse Rising than its own entity. So I was a little worried that Van may not have been able to capture the lightning in a bottle he harnessed so effectively with the inaugural Sentinels novel, When Strikes The Warlord.
Fortunately, my fears were unfounded, because Van certainly brings his A-game to this book. The plot threads that began in When Strikes The Warlord and continued and expanded on in A Distant Star are brought to an awe-inspiring finale that serves as both the end of the first phase in the lives of these characters, and the beginning of something more.
In a world where The Avengers was one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and turned what was once an unknown property to anyone outside of the comic book community, it's become very frustrating to watch Marvel consistently fumble the ball with their premiere superhero franchise. Of the core titles, one is more concerned with the characters arguing amongst themselves than fighting supervillains, another shows the supposed "heroes" debating the merits of mass genocide in favor of the greater good, and the third features pretentious plot lines and characters who serve little purpose than to act as wallpaper.
It's extremely disappointing. And that's why we need people like Van Allen Plexico, who can still give us the same thrilling superhero tales that Joss Whedon and co. delivered so effectively with The Avengers. Van follows in the footsteps of some of the greatest superhero writers in history, names like Roy Thomas, Jim Starlin, Chris Claremont, Kurt Busiek, and Grant Morrison. These men are giants when it comes to superheroes, and Van has proven he is more than capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with them.
If you're looking for stellar characterization, larger-than-life stories, and, most-importantly, superheroes who aren't ashamed to act heroic, then you need to be reading Sentinels. Because no one, either in comics or prose, is doing superheroes better than Van Allen Plexico.
May 26, 2021
Great stuff. Superheroes in prose, done extremely well. Loads of fun. Looking forward to experiencing future volumes. Audiobook was well done.
July 10, 2020
The Sentinels save the world (sort of). They get a little help from off-world factions, but never mind. They'll take the win.
February 7, 2013
Plot is not well thought out.
December 16, 2013
Apocalyptic is a good term for the story here. Plexico throws everything at our heroes - and that makes for an unmissable adventure. Don't make other plans if you start to read this.
March 15, 2019
Weird series with probably too many plots, but it comes together okay in this book.
December 16, 2013
Excellent.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews