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Marvel Aconyte Novels
Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord
The Guardians of the Galaxy return to Earth to save the world from Doctor Doom in this exhilarating novelization of the acclaimed Marvel scripted podcast
Star-Lord and Rocket are a little older, a little slower, and a lot saltier than they were during their glory days. When they crash land in the desolate Midwest, they soon discover that Earth isn't what it used to be either, thirty years after Doctor Doom seized control and created his new the Wastelands. They aren’t there by the former Guardians are working for The Collector, who’s sent them to find the Black Vortex – an ancient relic reported to yield cosmic powers – before the guillotine collars of their employer snap their necks. In the Wastelands, they encounter the ageless telepath Emma Frost, outlaw Ghost Riders, and the bloodthirsty Kraven the Hunter. Who will find the Black Vortex first and what will be the price of its power?
Star-Lord and Rocket are a little older, a little slower, and a lot saltier than they were during their glory days. When they crash land in the desolate Midwest, they soon discover that Earth isn't what it used to be either, thirty years after Doctor Doom seized control and created his new the Wastelands. They aren’t there by the former Guardians are working for The Collector, who’s sent them to find the Black Vortex – an ancient relic reported to yield cosmic powers – before the guillotine collars of their employer snap their necks. In the Wastelands, they encounter the ageless telepath Emma Frost, outlaw Ghost Riders, and the bloodthirsty Kraven the Hunter. Who will find the Black Vortex first and what will be the price of its power?
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 4, 2023
7 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Cawkwell
59 books45 followersA freelance writer based in the north east of England, Sarah is old enough to know better, but still young enough not to care. When not slaving away over a hot keyboard, Sarah's hobbies include reading everything and anything, running around in fields with swords screaming incomprehensibly, and having her soul slowly sucked dry by online games. Her minimum bribe level is one chocolate orange.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 17, 2023
Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkwell is a Marvel Comics story set in the future. The set-up for this story is the question: what if the bad guys won and Earth was turned into a wasteland? This story is adapted from a Sirius XM and Marvel New Media podcast called Wastelanders by Benjamin Percy. This story is one of five and the way it ends there is a potential for more. After reading this I hope Aconyte Books writes more in the series. Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord has a fantastic beginning that captures the characters of Rocket and Peter Quill (Star-Lord) so well. The banter is perfect as they are instantly in danger and arguing over whose fault it was and how to get out of the situation. The humor is on point and does not let up, I laughed out loud more than a few times. The novel reads at a rapid pace with not many dull parts at all. When there are no action scenes there are humor scenes and sometimes a mix of both making it a very fun read. This novel also serves as a great pallet cleanser for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3. This book like the movie is surprisingly very emotional, and events with Rocket will make you cry all over again. This book is set in the future so the only Guardians of the Galaxy left are Rocket and Star-Lord, the book does fill you in with what happens with Groot, Gamora, and Drax. The novel is filled with twists and turns. There are a couple of twists at the very end that are so good and make you want to read the next book right away. This book features Emma Frost, the sometimes friend and sometimes foe of the X-men equipped with deadly telekinetic powers, Kraven the Hunter, A deadly foe of Spiderman that was raised to hunt and kill, The Collector, a powerful space being that collects objects and people of power, and Victor von Doom aka Dr. Doom, a former scientist that is a genius at robotic wants to rule the world with an iron fist, and is the ruler of the wastelands that is now called Doomwood. I read an advanced copy of Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord in exchange for an honest review thanks to Aconyte Books and Netgalley. Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkwell is published on July 4, 2023. #Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review
Plot Summary: Star-Lord and Rocket are on a mission from The Collector to retrieve an object called the Black Vortex. The Black Vortex is an object that once you submit to it gives you unlimited cosmic powers. The Collector knows Star-Lord and Rocket and doesn't trust them not to steal it for themselves puts an adamantium collar that will tighten in a week and remove them from their heads if they don't comply. The collector gives them a map that points to the Black Hills of Earth. They end up getting trapped on a ship and meet Cora a Rigellian recorder bot that helps them escape and joins them on the mission. Now they head to Earth and Peter who hasn't been there in thirty years notices this is not the Earth he left, there are no trees and no life for miles. They run into trouble immediately and find that Earth's Avengers are dead Dr. Doom rules this territory. Kraven the Hunter is Dr. Doom's lead enforcer and hunts and kills all his enemies. Dr. Doom's robots Doombot patrol the streets. Peter learns that Black Vortex is somewhere in Doomwood formerly Deadwood. Peter and Rocket befriend a local and meet either a friend or a foe in Emma Frost. Can Rocket and Star-Lord find the Black Vortex in time or is it off with their heads?
What I Liked: The story is really solid, not just for a Marvel book just a really solid story. The humor is spot on I kept hearing the voices of Bradley Cooper and Chris Pratt in my head as the lines were delivered. This story is emotional and I was not prepared for it. This book will give you all the feels and a potential ugly cry. I loved the twists in this book especially at the end. Kraven the Hunter has some epic fight scenes and he is quite brutal. This book is a hard PG-13 for brutality alone the knife to the eye scene is a brutal one. The side character of Red Crotter is a great character, I was happy with his arc and how he got to serve the characters. Side characters do not get a lot of love it was nice for this character to have some good scenes and great dialogue. I also liked Cora the recorder bot and her story arc.
What I Disliked: The story was great but sometimes how it was told was not. I got a little tired of seeing the word "earlier" and it would bounce back and show what happened earlier. It happens about 6 times in the novel. This was a choice and was probably the way it was in The Wastelanders podcast it was adapted from. I felt it sometimes gave too much of the story away before it had to.
Recommendations and Rating: I can not recommend this story enough. I liked it and was surprised at how good the story was. The novel is a lot of fun that put a smile on my face the whole time. I like that the McGuffin is the Black Vortex, Which was featured in one of the best storylines from The Guardians of The Galaxy comics that crossed over with the X-men. People that read this book that only know the Guardians of the Galaxy from the movies could be a little confused as Star-Lord's dad is J'son aka Mr. Knife in the comic and not Ego like he was in the movies, but the book does a pretty good version of setting up who J'son is. I rated Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkell 5 out of 5 stars. This is my first read by Aconyte Books and their Marvel titles and will not be my last they set a pretty high bar with this book, but look forward to reading more.
This is a link to the Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord trailer to the podcast featuring the voice cast of Timothy Busfield as Star-Lord, Chris Elliot as Rocket, and Danny Glover as the Narrator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0fpx...
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
Plot Summary: Star-Lord and Rocket are on a mission from The Collector to retrieve an object called the Black Vortex. The Black Vortex is an object that once you submit to it gives you unlimited cosmic powers. The Collector knows Star-Lord and Rocket and doesn't trust them not to steal it for themselves puts an adamantium collar that will tighten in a week and remove them from their heads if they don't comply. The collector gives them a map that points to the Black Hills of Earth. They end up getting trapped on a ship and meet Cora a Rigellian recorder bot that helps them escape and joins them on the mission. Now they head to Earth and Peter who hasn't been there in thirty years notices this is not the Earth he left, there are no trees and no life for miles. They run into trouble immediately and find that Earth's Avengers are dead Dr. Doom rules this territory. Kraven the Hunter is Dr. Doom's lead enforcer and hunts and kills all his enemies. Dr. Doom's robots Doombot patrol the streets. Peter learns that Black Vortex is somewhere in Doomwood formerly Deadwood. Peter and Rocket befriend a local and meet either a friend or a foe in Emma Frost. Can Rocket and Star-Lord find the Black Vortex in time or is it off with their heads?
What I Liked: The story is really solid, not just for a Marvel book just a really solid story. The humor is spot on I kept hearing the voices of Bradley Cooper and Chris Pratt in my head as the lines were delivered. This story is emotional and I was not prepared for it. This book will give you all the feels and a potential ugly cry. I loved the twists in this book especially at the end. Kraven the Hunter has some epic fight scenes and he is quite brutal. This book is a hard PG-13 for brutality alone the knife to the eye scene is a brutal one. The side character of Red Crotter is a great character, I was happy with his arc and how he got to serve the characters. Side characters do not get a lot of love it was nice for this character to have some good scenes and great dialogue. I also liked Cora the recorder bot and her story arc.
What I Disliked: The story was great but sometimes how it was told was not. I got a little tired of seeing the word "earlier" and it would bounce back and show what happened earlier. It happens about 6 times in the novel. This was a choice and was probably the way it was in The Wastelanders podcast it was adapted from. I felt it sometimes gave too much of the story away before it had to.
Recommendations and Rating: I can not recommend this story enough. I liked it and was surprised at how good the story was. The novel is a lot of fun that put a smile on my face the whole time. I like that the McGuffin is the Black Vortex, Which was featured in one of the best storylines from The Guardians of The Galaxy comics that crossed over with the X-men. People that read this book that only know the Guardians of the Galaxy from the movies could be a little confused as Star-Lord's dad is J'son aka Mr. Knife in the comic and not Ego like he was in the movies, but the book does a pretty good version of setting up who J'son is. I rated Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkell 5 out of 5 stars. This is my first read by Aconyte Books and their Marvel titles and will not be my last they set a pretty high bar with this book, but look forward to reading more.
This is a link to the Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord trailer to the podcast featuring the voice cast of Timothy Busfield as Star-Lord, Chris Elliot as Rocket, and Danny Glover as the Narrator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0fpx...
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
November 17, 2023
I consider myself a longtime Star-Lord fan. From his classic space opera adventures of the ‘70s to his revival in the events leading up to the rebooted Guardians of the Galaxy series by Abnett and Lanning. Then the movies happened. I like those movies, but the Star-Lord depicted in them is a very different character with only a few superficial commonalities with his comic counterpart. In an effort to capture Chris Pratt’s characterization, the Marvel Comics would often depict the character in a more comedic light. This was done at the cost of the character’s intelligence and competence. In order for Star-Lord to be funny like the movie one, he must be made stupid apparently. It took years, but slowly the comics started to remember that the comic character has a rich history and isn’t first and foremost a moron who enjoys pop songs.
Now we get to this book. On the surface, it sounds like a lot of fun. Post apocalyptic future. The Guardians are mostly dead. Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon are old and shadows of their former glory. One last mission. There’s a lot of fun to be had with the wasteland of the apocalyptic USA and it plays out like a fun Marvel western. There’s nothing wrong with the story. Where the Star-Lord book falls abysmally short is with Star-Lord himself. Our central protagonist for this adventure.
Unfortunately, this book leans HARD into the notion that Star-Lord is a moronic man baby whose foolishness is matched only by his ineptitude. Every joke falls flat and is almost always at his expense, whether it’s the dumb things he says or how he seems to stumble and bumble into everything. He fails at pretty much every task he sets out to do. His only redeeming feature appears to be his childlike optimism. Heavy emphasis on childlike. Rocket accompanies him mostly to remind him about how idiotic he is, relentlessly assaulting him with insults and complaints. If I didn’t know better, I might suspect the author hates Star-Lord as a character.
These character traits, which I can only assume come from a feeble attempt to match the Chris Pratt version of the character feel especially wrong with the context that the character in this book is supposed to be about 60 years old. He acts like a petulant child most of the time and it’s jarring. It makes every chapter (except the precious few without much mention of the hero) a drag to read. When a character you enjoy’s every appearance is accompanied by an outward groan, you know in your heart that something has gone terribly wrong.
Now we get to this book. On the surface, it sounds like a lot of fun. Post apocalyptic future. The Guardians are mostly dead. Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon are old and shadows of their former glory. One last mission. There’s a lot of fun to be had with the wasteland of the apocalyptic USA and it plays out like a fun Marvel western. There’s nothing wrong with the story. Where the Star-Lord book falls abysmally short is with Star-Lord himself. Our central protagonist for this adventure.
Unfortunately, this book leans HARD into the notion that Star-Lord is a moronic man baby whose foolishness is matched only by his ineptitude. Every joke falls flat and is almost always at his expense, whether it’s the dumb things he says or how he seems to stumble and bumble into everything. He fails at pretty much every task he sets out to do. His only redeeming feature appears to be his childlike optimism. Heavy emphasis on childlike. Rocket accompanies him mostly to remind him about how idiotic he is, relentlessly assaulting him with insults and complaints. If I didn’t know better, I might suspect the author hates Star-Lord as a character.
These character traits, which I can only assume come from a feeble attempt to match the Chris Pratt version of the character feel especially wrong with the context that the character in this book is supposed to be about 60 years old. He acts like a petulant child most of the time and it’s jarring. It makes every chapter (except the precious few without much mention of the hero) a drag to read. When a character you enjoy’s every appearance is accompanied by an outward groan, you know in your heart that something has gone terribly wrong.
May 22, 2023
Star-Lord and Rocket aren't the spry young heroes they used to be. They're older, slower, a bit stiffer and a lot grumpier. At least Rocket is. After crash landing in the midwest, sent to hunt for the Black Vortex by The Collector, they realize that things on Earth are a lot more different than when they last visited. Doctor Doom and several other villains have taken over and all of the heroes are dead. Can Star-Lord and Rocket find the Black Vortex and try to set everything right and lead the oppressed people of the Wastelands to revolution?
This book was A LOT of fun. I was really excited to get a chance to read this adaptation of the Marvel podcast called Wastelanders originally by Benjamin Percy. Rocket is one of my favorite Marvel characters and who doesn't love the Guardians as a whole? Reading about two of my favorite Marvel heroes past their prime but still trying to do the right thing was a great experience. It feels like their characters were really well realized in this book. The banter between Rocket and Quill is on point and the action scenes are broken up with their usual forms of comedy. While this all holds true, this book is surprisingly more emotional: Groot, Gamora and Drax are all dead and Quill blames himself for it. You eventually are shown why he has internalized this and how he still, years later, lives with that guilt. The story is heavy and emotional but still very entertaining and funny.
I absolutely flew through the first probably forty percent of the book; there was a bit in the middle of the book that was perhaps a bit slower and didn't hold my focus as well but the end of the book I couldn't put down again. All-in-all I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Marvel comics or movies.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
This book was A LOT of fun. I was really excited to get a chance to read this adaptation of the Marvel podcast called Wastelanders originally by Benjamin Percy. Rocket is one of my favorite Marvel characters and who doesn't love the Guardians as a whole? Reading about two of my favorite Marvel heroes past their prime but still trying to do the right thing was a great experience. It feels like their characters were really well realized in this book. The banter between Rocket and Quill is on point and the action scenes are broken up with their usual forms of comedy. While this all holds true, this book is surprisingly more emotional: Groot, Gamora and Drax are all dead and Quill blames himself for it. You eventually are shown why he has internalized this and how he still, years later, lives with that guilt. The story is heavy and emotional but still very entertaining and funny.
I absolutely flew through the first probably forty percent of the book; there was a bit in the middle of the book that was perhaps a bit slower and didn't hold my focus as well but the end of the book I couldn't put down again. All-in-all I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Marvel comics or movies.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
August 31, 2023
As you might have seen on my Instagram, I really like the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. One of my cosplays is Gamora from the GotG. So, when I saw this book I really wanted to read this and was really curious about it. Thanks for providing me with this arc @netgalley and Sarah Cawkwell.
So the story is set mostly on earth. And main characters are, ofcourse as the title does suspect, Star-Lord and his loyal companion Rocket. They go on this incredible hunt for an ancient relic, working for The Collector, but soon find theirselves in a tough situation. They get help from this droid that seems to know a lot and Star-Lord finds help with his old friends. But does this save them from the disaster that is coming onto them?
This story makes an older Star-Lord and Rocket return to Earth to save the world from Doctor Doom. Earth however, isn’t what they are used to. Doctor Doom took control and created the Wastelands. In their hunt for this relict hey have no time to lose, since they have both been collared with some kind of guillotine collar that ultimately will snap their necks if they don’t finish their job in time. During this job they find allies and enemies, like Emma Frost, outlaw Ghost Riders and the bloodthirsty and savage Kraven the Hunter. So the question is.. who of them will find the ancient relic, named the Black Vortex, first and what will bet he price of its power? Will disaster strike or will our Guardians save us all?
As much as I love Guardians of the Galaxy, I don't think this was as good. It was a nice story but I thought it could have been more adventurous and space-like. The villain wasn't really much of a villain in my opinion. The skinbot was weirdly added to the story. She did have her good moments, but I mostly thought she wasn't that interesting.
I did like how Quill and Rocket were portrayed. The writer nailed their characters just like they are in the movies. Quill a bit of a teenage boy character (although in this book he's in his 50's) and Rocket the all time grumpy raccoon. The ending was quite sad, but it also had a cute addition to it.
I'm not sure if I would recommend reading it to anyone per say. But it might be a nice book for people who don't mind that the original GOTG idea is altered a bit. I gave the book 3 stars.
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.” – Red
“You gotta make your own greatness.”
#guardiansofthegalaxy #novelization #30yearslater #book67 #starlord #rocketraccoon #gotg #marvel #wastelanders #kraventhehunter #emmafrost #ghostriders #books #readingchallenge
So the story is set mostly on earth. And main characters are, ofcourse as the title does suspect, Star-Lord and his loyal companion Rocket. They go on this incredible hunt for an ancient relic, working for The Collector, but soon find theirselves in a tough situation. They get help from this droid that seems to know a lot and Star-Lord finds help with his old friends. But does this save them from the disaster that is coming onto them?
This story makes an older Star-Lord and Rocket return to Earth to save the world from Doctor Doom. Earth however, isn’t what they are used to. Doctor Doom took control and created the Wastelands. In their hunt for this relict hey have no time to lose, since they have both been collared with some kind of guillotine collar that ultimately will snap their necks if they don’t finish their job in time. During this job they find allies and enemies, like Emma Frost, outlaw Ghost Riders and the bloodthirsty and savage Kraven the Hunter. So the question is.. who of them will find the ancient relic, named the Black Vortex, first and what will bet he price of its power? Will disaster strike or will our Guardians save us all?
As much as I love Guardians of the Galaxy, I don't think this was as good. It was a nice story but I thought it could have been more adventurous and space-like. The villain wasn't really much of a villain in my opinion. The skinbot was weirdly added to the story. She did have her good moments, but I mostly thought she wasn't that interesting.
I did like how Quill and Rocket were portrayed. The writer nailed their characters just like they are in the movies. Quill a bit of a teenage boy character (although in this book he's in his 50's) and Rocket the all time grumpy raccoon. The ending was quite sad, but it also had a cute addition to it.
I'm not sure if I would recommend reading it to anyone per say. But it might be a nice book for people who don't mind that the original GOTG idea is altered a bit. I gave the book 3 stars.
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.” – Red
“You gotta make your own greatness.”
#guardiansofthegalaxy #novelization #30yearslater #book67 #starlord #rocketraccoon #gotg #marvel #wastelanders #kraventhehunter #emmafrost #ghostriders #books #readingchallenge
August 29, 2023
Even superheroes eventually grow old, if fate is kind to them. In Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkwell, Peter Quill, A.K.A. Star-Lord, and Rocket Raccoon have managed to achieve old age. But they’re no longer the heroes they once were. The rest of the Guardians Of The Galaxy are gone, it’s just Quill and Rocket trying to make ends meet. So they take a questionable job from an unknown employer for a huge sum of credits. What could possibly go wrong? Since it’s the Guardians, the answer is everything. Everything could, and will, go wrong.
The Guardians of the Galaxy were once heroes known across the universe. They had even saved it a few times. But that was then. Now, Quill and Rocket are just a couple of aging mercenary thieves pulling jobs to scrape by. Their latest one is set up with someone they don’t know doing who knows what. When they show up to meet with the client they discover it’s the new Collector.
She wants the Guardians to track down an item called the Black Vortex. It’s an ancient object of immense cosmic power. Legend has it that if someone is willing to submit to the Vortex then they will be granted unlimited power. To ensure that the Guardians don’t double-cross her, the Collector tricks them into putting on adamantium guillotine necklaces that will decapitate them in exactly one week if they don’t deliver the Black Vortex to her. The Collector provides them with a map to the Black Vortex. The map leads them back to Earth, to the black hills of South Dakota. But the map is incomplete (of course). So once they get to Earth they still have some searching to do.
Unfortunately, their return to Earth isn’t quite the triumphant arrival that Peter Quill envisions. They crash land in a desolate wasteland that used to be the American midwest after being attacked without warning as they approached Earth. They quickly learn that Earth is not the planet they left so many years ago.
Furthermore, in true Guardian fashion, they manage to run afoul of the authorities pretty much as soon as they land. Now they get to search for the Black Vortex while avoiding capture. As time begins to run out for Quill and Rocket, it turns out that they’re not the only ones looking for the Black Vortex. Others seek its formidable power for their own villainous reasons. Will Rocket and Quill find it in time to avoid a gruesome death? And what will be the cost to recover this dangerous cosmic relic?
What I found most interesting about Wastelanders: Star-Lord was seeing Peter Quill and Rocket as old men (okay, Rocket’s not a man, but you get it). Heroes are always presented as young and virile. But if we’re supposed to really think of them as real people then eventually, assuming they aren’t killed, they will get old. While it might be hard for us to see our heroes get old, think about what it must be like for them. To go from being super powerful and saving the world to being weak and vulnerable has to be really hard on someone psychologically.
Showing Rocket and Quill like this humanizes them and makes them feel very real. But the inspiring thing is that even if their bodies aren’t what they once were, their spirits are still those of heroes. When they see an injustice they are compelled to act. It’s not so surprising out of Quill, his boyish enthusiasm and slightly warped view of himself and his abilities have always driven him to do great things. But Rocket has always worked so hard to appear disaffected. So when his golden heart comes shining through it’s a real heart-wrencher. And it makes a great point that we can all be heroes, even if we aren’t the perfect archetype like Captain America or Superman.
The Guardians of the Galaxy are known for being the funny bunch of Marvel. They always have a lot of zingy one-liners and a huge part of their charm comes from the way they bounce comedic retorts off each other. Cawkwell keeps this humor alive in Wastelanders: Star-Lord but mixes it with a Grumpy Old Men vibe as Rocket and Quill rip on each other.
Their chemistry is absolutely hilarious. And the care and sentiment that obviously lies just under their barbed words make it endearing. I loved how they were constantly going at each other but in the way that best friends or old married couples do. You can feel the love and it’s a great feeling. Their squabbling somehow makes them more likable. It works very well for them and it’s exactly how I would have envisioned these two aging if I had thought about it before reading Wastelanders.
Author Sarah Cawkwell manages to cash in on that Marvel magic with Wastelanders: Star-Lord. She really nails the blend of comedy and emotion that works so well for Marvel. Now it should be mentioned that she adapted her tale from a scripted podcast by Benjamin Percy. So the overall story isn’t her creation. That nod goes to Percy and he absolutely created a great story. But Cawkwell has filled in the basic story and dialogue with a rich background and internal worlds that are very enjoyable.
Overall, Anyone who likes Marvel, and especially Guardians of the Galaxy fans will love seeing how that band of misfits ended up as they aged. Just be aware, this story isn’t all fun. There are a lot of emotions explored in Wastelanders: Star-Lord and readers should keep a box of tissues handy, they’re gonna need it. So make sure to check out the newest Guardians adventure now!
The Guardians of the Galaxy were once heroes known across the universe. They had even saved it a few times. But that was then. Now, Quill and Rocket are just a couple of aging mercenary thieves pulling jobs to scrape by. Their latest one is set up with someone they don’t know doing who knows what. When they show up to meet with the client they discover it’s the new Collector.
She wants the Guardians to track down an item called the Black Vortex. It’s an ancient object of immense cosmic power. Legend has it that if someone is willing to submit to the Vortex then they will be granted unlimited power. To ensure that the Guardians don’t double-cross her, the Collector tricks them into putting on adamantium guillotine necklaces that will decapitate them in exactly one week if they don’t deliver the Black Vortex to her. The Collector provides them with a map to the Black Vortex. The map leads them back to Earth, to the black hills of South Dakota. But the map is incomplete (of course). So once they get to Earth they still have some searching to do.
Unfortunately, their return to Earth isn’t quite the triumphant arrival that Peter Quill envisions. They crash land in a desolate wasteland that used to be the American midwest after being attacked without warning as they approached Earth. They quickly learn that Earth is not the planet they left so many years ago.
Furthermore, in true Guardian fashion, they manage to run afoul of the authorities pretty much as soon as they land. Now they get to search for the Black Vortex while avoiding capture. As time begins to run out for Quill and Rocket, it turns out that they’re not the only ones looking for the Black Vortex. Others seek its formidable power for their own villainous reasons. Will Rocket and Quill find it in time to avoid a gruesome death? And what will be the cost to recover this dangerous cosmic relic?
What I found most interesting about Wastelanders: Star-Lord was seeing Peter Quill and Rocket as old men (okay, Rocket’s not a man, but you get it). Heroes are always presented as young and virile. But if we’re supposed to really think of them as real people then eventually, assuming they aren’t killed, they will get old. While it might be hard for us to see our heroes get old, think about what it must be like for them. To go from being super powerful and saving the world to being weak and vulnerable has to be really hard on someone psychologically.
Showing Rocket and Quill like this humanizes them and makes them feel very real. But the inspiring thing is that even if their bodies aren’t what they once were, their spirits are still those of heroes. When they see an injustice they are compelled to act. It’s not so surprising out of Quill, his boyish enthusiasm and slightly warped view of himself and his abilities have always driven him to do great things. But Rocket has always worked so hard to appear disaffected. So when his golden heart comes shining through it’s a real heart-wrencher. And it makes a great point that we can all be heroes, even if we aren’t the perfect archetype like Captain America or Superman.
The Guardians of the Galaxy are known for being the funny bunch of Marvel. They always have a lot of zingy one-liners and a huge part of their charm comes from the way they bounce comedic retorts off each other. Cawkwell keeps this humor alive in Wastelanders: Star-Lord but mixes it with a Grumpy Old Men vibe as Rocket and Quill rip on each other.
Their chemistry is absolutely hilarious. And the care and sentiment that obviously lies just under their barbed words make it endearing. I loved how they were constantly going at each other but in the way that best friends or old married couples do. You can feel the love and it’s a great feeling. Their squabbling somehow makes them more likable. It works very well for them and it’s exactly how I would have envisioned these two aging if I had thought about it before reading Wastelanders.
Author Sarah Cawkwell manages to cash in on that Marvel magic with Wastelanders: Star-Lord. She really nails the blend of comedy and emotion that works so well for Marvel. Now it should be mentioned that she adapted her tale from a scripted podcast by Benjamin Percy. So the overall story isn’t her creation. That nod goes to Percy and he absolutely created a great story. But Cawkwell has filled in the basic story and dialogue with a rich background and internal worlds that are very enjoyable.
Overall, Anyone who likes Marvel, and especially Guardians of the Galaxy fans will love seeing how that band of misfits ended up as they aged. Just be aware, this story isn’t all fun. There are a lot of emotions explored in Wastelanders: Star-Lord and readers should keep a box of tissues handy, they’re gonna need it. So make sure to check out the newest Guardians adventure now!
June 4, 2023
"Rocket...Earth officially sucks."
Star-Lord (Peter Quill) and Rocket Raccoon, the two remaining Guardians of the Galaxy, are living out their twilight years accepting jobs in exchange for petty cash when they find not only their lives at risk - but also their home planet. Earth...
'Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord' is a prose novel written by Sarah Cawkwell, adapted from the scripted podcast by Benjamin Percy. The story is told through 3rd person narration, focusing through the perspective of Peter Quill. Alongside this, the story is told many flashbacks and incorporates the character Cora - a sentient mechanical humanoid that has the ability to store any kind of information she hears.
What's it about?
'Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord' follows the story of Peter Quill and Rocket Raccoon in a race against time to collect a celestial artifact known as 'The Black Vortex'. The power of this artifact is unknown to the characters, but what is known is that if they do not retrieve it for The Collector within a week, then the collars around both Quill and Rocket's necks will quickly decapitate them. Suddenly money is not the most important thing for our main characters...
Not only this but on their adventure, alongside a sentient humanoid 'Cora', Quill and Rocket find the location of the artifact is on non other than Earth. Earth is not what it was when Peter last visited however...upon arriving it is merely a wasteland with a clear devotion to the evil 'Dr Doom' - shown by the carvings into the famous Mount Rushmore and constant patrolling of 'Doombots' keeping 'Law and Order'.
And then there's the issue of the murderous Kraven who just absolutely wants to destroy our two main characters...
Why it is awesome!
I absolutely had a blast reading this novel! As a huge 'Guardians of the Galaxy' fan, this book was everything I hoped it would be...and more!
The characterisation of both Peter and Rocket was well developed and detailed perfectly the struggles that they had gone through. Quill is nearly 60 and is struggling with both the guilt he feels about the death of the rest of his team, and Rocket with illness and older age. The years have not been generous to them and Cawkwell did a fantastic job of expressing this. The bond between the two characters is clearly stronger than it's ever been in any iteration of 'Guardians of the Galaxy', as Quill and Rocket are the only family each other has left.
Final Verdict
'Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord' is a fun, exciting and emotional read that builds fantastically on the stories of Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon. It's an absolute page turner and is full of drama that never leaves the reader with a dull moment. This is the first Marvel prose novel I have read and with this standard, it will definitely not be the last!
Rating 5/5
Many thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for providing me with a review copy of this text in exchange for a honest review!
This is a link to the Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord trailer to the podcast featuring the voice cast of Timothy Busfield as Star-Lord, Chris Elliot as Rocket, and Danny Glover as the Narrator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0fpx...
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
Star-Lord (Peter Quill) and Rocket Raccoon, the two remaining Guardians of the Galaxy, are living out their twilight years accepting jobs in exchange for petty cash when they find not only their lives at risk - but also their home planet. Earth...
'Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord' is a prose novel written by Sarah Cawkwell, adapted from the scripted podcast by Benjamin Percy. The story is told through 3rd person narration, focusing through the perspective of Peter Quill. Alongside this, the story is told many flashbacks and incorporates the character Cora - a sentient mechanical humanoid that has the ability to store any kind of information she hears.
What's it about?
'Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord' follows the story of Peter Quill and Rocket Raccoon in a race against time to collect a celestial artifact known as 'The Black Vortex'. The power of this artifact is unknown to the characters, but what is known is that if they do not retrieve it for The Collector within a week, then the collars around both Quill and Rocket's necks will quickly decapitate them. Suddenly money is not the most important thing for our main characters...
Not only this but on their adventure, alongside a sentient humanoid 'Cora', Quill and Rocket find the location of the artifact is on non other than Earth. Earth is not what it was when Peter last visited however...upon arriving it is merely a wasteland with a clear devotion to the evil 'Dr Doom' - shown by the carvings into the famous Mount Rushmore and constant patrolling of 'Doombots' keeping 'Law and Order'.
And then there's the issue of the murderous Kraven who just absolutely wants to destroy our two main characters...
Why it is awesome!
I absolutely had a blast reading this novel! As a huge 'Guardians of the Galaxy' fan, this book was everything I hoped it would be...and more!
The characterisation of both Peter and Rocket was well developed and detailed perfectly the struggles that they had gone through. Quill is nearly 60 and is struggling with both the guilt he feels about the death of the rest of his team, and Rocket with illness and older age. The years have not been generous to them and Cawkwell did a fantastic job of expressing this. The bond between the two characters is clearly stronger than it's ever been in any iteration of 'Guardians of the Galaxy', as Quill and Rocket are the only family each other has left.
Final Verdict
'Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord' is a fun, exciting and emotional read that builds fantastically on the stories of Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon. It's an absolute page turner and is full of drama that never leaves the reader with a dull moment. This is the first Marvel prose novel I have read and with this standard, it will definitely not be the last!
Rating 5/5
Many thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for providing me with a review copy of this text in exchange for a honest review!
This is a link to the Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord trailer to the podcast featuring the voice cast of Timothy Busfield as Star-Lord, Chris Elliot as Rocket, and Danny Glover as the Narrator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0fpx...
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
May 27, 2023
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte for an advanced copy of this novel featuring members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, doing what they do best, messing up while trying to do right.
As a comic book fan we like our characters not to change, or if they change get rebooted back to where they were before the change. Marriages, families, crippling wounds, even death, are just story arcs. Soon our favorite characters will be back, unlucky in love, unlucky in jobs, fighting the same villains, making us happy again. Age is also something that comic book characters don't seem to do, though the average comic book reader's age has grown older and older over the years. Soon AARP will be giving a Marvel Universe subscriptions hoping to lure other older readers into the retirement group. Older means the characters just don't seem the same. The hits hit harder, recovery isn't so fast. There are aches, a cough, and a lot more regrets. Maybe it is that I am getting older but I like these kind of stories. Lions, Lionesses in winter, still fighting the good fight, while fighting bed time and creaking joints. Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkwell takes the leader of the grand Guardians of the Galaxy with his companion into a future where the heroes of today are gone, and Doom is everything.
Peter Quill might be older but Quill is definitely not wiser, nor has time tempered his feelings about fighting for what is good or right. Nor eased his guilt for all those who have been lost. a new Collector has sent Quill aka Star-Lord with Rocket Racoon to Earth to claim a long lost relic hidden in the Black Hills of the Dakotas. However Earth is not as Quill remembers is. This is the future. A future without heroes, and a populous that is resigned and accepting of their fate as slaves to Doctor Doom. Pursued by Ghost Riders, hunted by a blood-craving Kraven, and with few allies, Peter Quill has only one chance. Find the perfect fight song to be awesome too.
A very good story dealing with being a hero, family, loss, death, denial, honor, persistence and of course hope. No matter how bad the situation, no matter how screwed up Quill makes something, Quill always has hope that something will happen, and I enjoy that aspect, especially as I am not a big Guardians fan. Also I love the political undertones that Doom and the other villains did all these humans a favor getting rid of those heroes, will living without power, breathing corrupted air, and working as slaves. Seems about right what half our populous would think. Sarah Cawkwell is a very good writer with a real understanding of the characters not only in dialogue and thinking but in action. The action scenes are great, thrilling, different and exciting. Though I have to admit a bit gory, unless people love eye gouging. Than this adventure is for you. I understand this is an adaptation, but this book is extremely well written, held me from beginning to end, and like I said early though not a fan of Quill, I want to see where this character winds up. This is a sad book, especially for the people who help Quill and Rocket, but a book that understands the cost of being a hero, and for doing what is right.
Another great book from Aconyte a publisher that has never led me wrong, and one that I look forward to reading every month. This is the first that I have read of Sarah Cawkwell, but I can't wait to read more.
As a comic book fan we like our characters not to change, or if they change get rebooted back to where they were before the change. Marriages, families, crippling wounds, even death, are just story arcs. Soon our favorite characters will be back, unlucky in love, unlucky in jobs, fighting the same villains, making us happy again. Age is also something that comic book characters don't seem to do, though the average comic book reader's age has grown older and older over the years. Soon AARP will be giving a Marvel Universe subscriptions hoping to lure other older readers into the retirement group. Older means the characters just don't seem the same. The hits hit harder, recovery isn't so fast. There are aches, a cough, and a lot more regrets. Maybe it is that I am getting older but I like these kind of stories. Lions, Lionesses in winter, still fighting the good fight, while fighting bed time and creaking joints. Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkwell takes the leader of the grand Guardians of the Galaxy with his companion into a future where the heroes of today are gone, and Doom is everything.
Peter Quill might be older but Quill is definitely not wiser, nor has time tempered his feelings about fighting for what is good or right. Nor eased his guilt for all those who have been lost. a new Collector has sent Quill aka Star-Lord with Rocket Racoon to Earth to claim a long lost relic hidden in the Black Hills of the Dakotas. However Earth is not as Quill remembers is. This is the future. A future without heroes, and a populous that is resigned and accepting of their fate as slaves to Doctor Doom. Pursued by Ghost Riders, hunted by a blood-craving Kraven, and with few allies, Peter Quill has only one chance. Find the perfect fight song to be awesome too.
A very good story dealing with being a hero, family, loss, death, denial, honor, persistence and of course hope. No matter how bad the situation, no matter how screwed up Quill makes something, Quill always has hope that something will happen, and I enjoy that aspect, especially as I am not a big Guardians fan. Also I love the political undertones that Doom and the other villains did all these humans a favor getting rid of those heroes, will living without power, breathing corrupted air, and working as slaves. Seems about right what half our populous would think. Sarah Cawkwell is a very good writer with a real understanding of the characters not only in dialogue and thinking but in action. The action scenes are great, thrilling, different and exciting. Though I have to admit a bit gory, unless people love eye gouging. Than this adventure is for you. I understand this is an adaptation, but this book is extremely well written, held me from beginning to end, and like I said early though not a fan of Quill, I want to see where this character winds up. This is a sad book, especially for the people who help Quill and Rocket, but a book that understands the cost of being a hero, and for doing what is right.
Another great book from Aconyte a publisher that has never led me wrong, and one that I look forward to reading every month. This is the first that I have read of Sarah Cawkwell, but I can't wait to read more.
July 1, 2023
My thanks to Aconyte Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Marvel Wastelanders Star Lord’ by Sarah Cawkwell in exchange for an honest review.
This novel is based on the first series of Marvel’s ‘Wastelanders’ scripted podcasts. In it, the surviving Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Lord/Peter Quill and Rocket Racoon, return to Earth on a mission for the Collector to find the Black Vortex, an ancient artefact of great power. As an incentive the Collector has placed guillotine collars around their necks that will activate in seven days.
Their spaceship ends up crashing in the desolate wastes of the Midwest and they discover that Earth has changed radically since a group of super-villains have taken over the planet thirty years previously. This area, the Wastelands, is under the strict control of Doctor Doom.
They are accompanied on the mission by a robot, a Rigillean Recorder that Quill nicknames ‘Cora’. As they travel through the Wastelands, they encounter a number of characters including the ageless telepath Emma Frost, the grizzled farmer Red Crotter, and the terrifying Kraven the Hunter. No further details to avoid spoilers.
This is the first Marvel novel that I have read and while I have watched many of the MCU films, including the first two Guardians of the Galaxy ones, I am not as familiar with the characters and interlaced plots than some readers might be. Still, I feel that due to this I was able to ascertain how relatable this novel is for a reader like myself.
I was very pleased to find that I was quickly caught up in the story, which was full of action, thrills, and some great twists. I will caution that some of the scenes were quite graphic, especially when Kraven the Hunter was involved.
The dialogue was brilliant, including the lively banter between Quill and Rocket. I also found myself becoming quite invested with the fates of the supporting characters as well as theirs.
Overall, I enjoyed ‘Marvel Wastelanders Star Lord’ very much. It was exciting and exactly what I look for in a SF adventure: just enough of an action filled romp though there were some moving scenes that deepened my engagement with the narrative.
I felt that Sarah Cawkwell clearly had an understanding of the Wastelanders source material as well as respect for the wider Marvel Universe.
While complete in itself, the Epilogue teases for further series in the Wastelanders podcasts and I certainly will be interested in finding out how the story continues.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2022 MARVEL
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review
This novel is based on the first series of Marvel’s ‘Wastelanders’ scripted podcasts. In it, the surviving Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Lord/Peter Quill and Rocket Racoon, return to Earth on a mission for the Collector to find the Black Vortex, an ancient artefact of great power. As an incentive the Collector has placed guillotine collars around their necks that will activate in seven days.
Their spaceship ends up crashing in the desolate wastes of the Midwest and they discover that Earth has changed radically since a group of super-villains have taken over the planet thirty years previously. This area, the Wastelands, is under the strict control of Doctor Doom.
They are accompanied on the mission by a robot, a Rigillean Recorder that Quill nicknames ‘Cora’. As they travel through the Wastelands, they encounter a number of characters including the ageless telepath Emma Frost, the grizzled farmer Red Crotter, and the terrifying Kraven the Hunter. No further details to avoid spoilers.
This is the first Marvel novel that I have read and while I have watched many of the MCU films, including the first two Guardians of the Galaxy ones, I am not as familiar with the characters and interlaced plots than some readers might be. Still, I feel that due to this I was able to ascertain how relatable this novel is for a reader like myself.
I was very pleased to find that I was quickly caught up in the story, which was full of action, thrills, and some great twists. I will caution that some of the scenes were quite graphic, especially when Kraven the Hunter was involved.
The dialogue was brilliant, including the lively banter between Quill and Rocket. I also found myself becoming quite invested with the fates of the supporting characters as well as theirs.
Overall, I enjoyed ‘Marvel Wastelanders Star Lord’ very much. It was exciting and exactly what I look for in a SF adventure: just enough of an action filled romp though there were some moving scenes that deepened my engagement with the narrative.
I felt that Sarah Cawkwell clearly had an understanding of the Wastelanders source material as well as respect for the wider Marvel Universe.
While complete in itself, the Epilogue teases for further series in the Wastelanders podcasts and I certainly will be interested in finding out how the story continues.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2022 MARVEL
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review
August 11, 2023
First things first, I got this book from NetGalley, so thank you NetGalley and Aconyte Books for this opportunity.
I wanna start with a little confession, I initially requested the ARC for this one due to interest in the Wastelands setting but totally forgot about it. I only remembered the book after watching 'Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3' and starting to miss Quill, Rocket and the gang. I am quite glad that I did start reading it, as I loved the book and finished it in only a few days despite my busy work schedule.
The book is set in an alternate universe where things have taken a very bad turn for both the Guardians and planet earth some 30 years into the future. The much older duo of Star-Lord and Rocket returns to earth to complete a job for the Collector, but things are not as it used to be on the planet which they realise in a matter of moments after their crash landing. Soon, the duo with their robot companion Cora gets embroiled in an adventure that will introduce the readers to a very different western influenced post-apocalyptic Marvel universe.
Quill and Rocket are the main stars as to be expected, and their banter will keep the readers chuckling despite being very emotional at times. Quill behaves just as optimistic as always and keeps on jumping into no win situations headlong. Rocket Raccoon is also on character, acting all gruff with a much softer interior. Another character that steals the show at times is Cora with her dialogues and mannerisms. The character of Red Crotter is also really well fleshed out.
As this is based on a podcast, the dialogue is the main driving force rather than action most of the time. And the dialogue is very skillfully written, one can get so engrossed in the oftentimes humorous banter it could really drain time. The chemistry between Quill and Rocket has always been one of the main reasons why I love the Guardians movies, so I rather enjoyed their banter.
The ending could have been a bit more action oriented if you asked me, but you have to consider the original source material. It has to be said, all through the book there is not a single boring page and this is mostly due to the excellent characters and the dialogues. This is a definite recommendation for any fan of superheroes or post-apocalyptic fiction.
I will give this 4 out of 5 stars.
For more reviews and stuff check out my blog -
http://ihate00critics.blogspot.com/
Hashtags - #Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
I wanna start with a little confession, I initially requested the ARC for this one due to interest in the Wastelands setting but totally forgot about it. I only remembered the book after watching 'Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3' and starting to miss Quill, Rocket and the gang. I am quite glad that I did start reading it, as I loved the book and finished it in only a few days despite my busy work schedule.
The book is set in an alternate universe where things have taken a very bad turn for both the Guardians and planet earth some 30 years into the future. The much older duo of Star-Lord and Rocket returns to earth to complete a job for the Collector, but things are not as it used to be on the planet which they realise in a matter of moments after their crash landing. Soon, the duo with their robot companion Cora gets embroiled in an adventure that will introduce the readers to a very different western influenced post-apocalyptic Marvel universe.
Quill and Rocket are the main stars as to be expected, and their banter will keep the readers chuckling despite being very emotional at times. Quill behaves just as optimistic as always and keeps on jumping into no win situations headlong. Rocket Raccoon is also on character, acting all gruff with a much softer interior. Another character that steals the show at times is Cora with her dialogues and mannerisms. The character of Red Crotter is also really well fleshed out.
As this is based on a podcast, the dialogue is the main driving force rather than action most of the time. And the dialogue is very skillfully written, one can get so engrossed in the oftentimes humorous banter it could really drain time. The chemistry between Quill and Rocket has always been one of the main reasons why I love the Guardians movies, so I rather enjoyed their banter.
The ending could have been a bit more action oriented if you asked me, but you have to consider the original source material. It has to be said, all through the book there is not a single boring page and this is mostly due to the excellent characters and the dialogues. This is a definite recommendation for any fan of superheroes or post-apocalyptic fiction.
I will give this 4 out of 5 stars.
For more reviews and stuff check out my blog -
http://ihate00critics.blogspot.com/
Hashtags - #Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
July 31, 2023
Introduction
I was given an ARC to review for by Aconyte Books & Netgalley. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #WastelandersStarLord #Marvel MarvelEnt #NetGalley #SarahCawkwell #ARCBookReview #ARCReview #AconyteBooks #BookReview #gifted #ad
Review
Wastelanders: Star-Lord sees something I didn’t know I needed but I did, an older but not wiser Star-Lord and Rocket (he is wiser by the way it’s just Peter who is still, well Peter). They are a little slower and a lot saltier than before. Now crash landing in the desolated Midwest of Earths America they soon find that it isn’t what it used to be either. Especially after thirty years of Doctor Doom’s control over the now newly named Wastelands. But it’s not like they came to Earth by choice either, the form Guardians are working for The Collector. Who sent them to find the Black Vortex, an ancient relic reported to yield cosmic powers. That shouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the guillotine collars their employer has snapped on their necks which will finish them off if they don’t complete the job. Add to that the fact that they aren’t exactly alone in the wastelands meeting the ageless telepath Emma Frost, outlaw Ghost Riders and the bloodthirsty hunter Kraven. All with plans and schemes of their own. Who will find the Black Vortex first and what will be the price they have to pay for its power?
Okay so before the semi spoiler I want to say that Cawkwell is brilliant at capturing the characters and bringing them to life. Although the Star-Lord and Rocket we see here are older they still are very much the characters we know and love (well we do Rocket, Quill is just sort of there for me) and I have following on from that she made me actually laugh and like Quill. Now that is a hard task to complete. I love the Guardians don’t get me wrong and Quill is, well, an integral part of the team but much like Rocket I do get a bit fed up of him. That said he is still frustrating but that is a good thing. For me at least. It means his character is captured perfectly. On top of this so are the other characters that we see make cameos and appearances. I particularly loved that Kraven and Emma Frost make appearances and of course Doctor Doom (arguably my favourite Marvel Villain).
Not only does Cawkwell nail the characterisation the novel is action packed and reads a lot like a comic. That isn’t to say it’s telling not showing or overly heavy on description but rather it is punchy and keeps you on your toes. Something is always happening to either aid or hinder our heroes and it is brilliant but we have the added bonus of getting to know characters more intermittently with thoughts and feelings.
Spoiler
Firstly you know I hate spoilers but I am putting a warning here that while I will not spoil anything overly major or go in great details of the plot there is one thing I feel I need to say because I will not lie this is the first marvel prose novel to make me emotionally upset. I am talking literally pausing and being on the verge of tears. The reason will be mentioned below and prefaced by a spoiler warning section but first lets discuss what the novel is about.
Now for the mini spoiler a testament to Cawkwell’s further skill of capturing the characters and bringing them to life was Rocket and his death. No one can live forever but honestly that scene just broke me emotionally and helped me realise Quill isn’t so bad after all. This after rather rudely thinking, why couldn’t Star-Lord of is this have died. I honestly haven’t been that emotionally hit by the book in a while actually. And while it was a fitting way for him to go it still struck me. Now it’s not a bad thing. Quite the opposite as I said it goes to show how amazing Cawkwell is. I literally had to take a break from reading. That hardly ever happens. So yes, if you are a fellow Rocket fan prepare to be amused by our snarky friend but perhaps bring some tissues too!
End Spoiler
All in all this novel was amazing and one I really enjoyed. While it will be a must for Guardian of the Galaxy fans I think most marvel fans would enjoy this and potentially even those outside the Marvel. With elements of old westerns, action, adventure, science fiction it really has something to offer everyone. On top of this we get to see our heroes a little older but not that much changed. While their bodies might betray them they still are the Guardians of The Galaxy and will still try to save the day.
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About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
I was given an ARC to review for by Aconyte Books & Netgalley. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #WastelandersStarLord #Marvel MarvelEnt #NetGalley #SarahCawkwell #ARCBookReview #ARCReview #AconyteBooks #BookReview #gifted #ad
Review
Wastelanders: Star-Lord sees something I didn’t know I needed but I did, an older but not wiser Star-Lord and Rocket (he is wiser by the way it’s just Peter who is still, well Peter). They are a little slower and a lot saltier than before. Now crash landing in the desolated Midwest of Earths America they soon find that it isn’t what it used to be either. Especially after thirty years of Doctor Doom’s control over the now newly named Wastelands. But it’s not like they came to Earth by choice either, the form Guardians are working for The Collector. Who sent them to find the Black Vortex, an ancient relic reported to yield cosmic powers. That shouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the guillotine collars their employer has snapped on their necks which will finish them off if they don’t complete the job. Add to that the fact that they aren’t exactly alone in the wastelands meeting the ageless telepath Emma Frost, outlaw Ghost Riders and the bloodthirsty hunter Kraven. All with plans and schemes of their own. Who will find the Black Vortex first and what will be the price they have to pay for its power?
Okay so before the semi spoiler I want to say that Cawkwell is brilliant at capturing the characters and bringing them to life. Although the Star-Lord and Rocket we see here are older they still are very much the characters we know and love (well we do Rocket, Quill is just sort of there for me) and I have following on from that she made me actually laugh and like Quill. Now that is a hard task to complete. I love the Guardians don’t get me wrong and Quill is, well, an integral part of the team but much like Rocket I do get a bit fed up of him. That said he is still frustrating but that is a good thing. For me at least. It means his character is captured perfectly. On top of this so are the other characters that we see make cameos and appearances. I particularly loved that Kraven and Emma Frost make appearances and of course Doctor Doom (arguably my favourite Marvel Villain).
Not only does Cawkwell nail the characterisation the novel is action packed and reads a lot like a comic. That isn’t to say it’s telling not showing or overly heavy on description but rather it is punchy and keeps you on your toes. Something is always happening to either aid or hinder our heroes and it is brilliant but we have the added bonus of getting to know characters more intermittently with thoughts and feelings.
Spoiler
Firstly you know I hate spoilers but I am putting a warning here that while I will not spoil anything overly major or go in great details of the plot there is one thing I feel I need to say because I will not lie this is the first marvel prose novel to make me emotionally upset. I am talking literally pausing and being on the verge of tears. The reason will be mentioned below and prefaced by a spoiler warning section but first lets discuss what the novel is about.
Now for the mini spoiler a testament to Cawkwell’s further skill of capturing the characters and bringing them to life was Rocket and his death. No one can live forever but honestly that scene just broke me emotionally and helped me realise Quill isn’t so bad after all. This after rather rudely thinking, why couldn’t Star-Lord of is this have died. I honestly haven’t been that emotionally hit by the book in a while actually. And while it was a fitting way for him to go it still struck me. Now it’s not a bad thing. Quite the opposite as I said it goes to show how amazing Cawkwell is. I literally had to take a break from reading. That hardly ever happens. So yes, if you are a fellow Rocket fan prepare to be amused by our snarky friend but perhaps bring some tissues too!
End Spoiler
All in all this novel was amazing and one I really enjoyed. While it will be a must for Guardian of the Galaxy fans I think most marvel fans would enjoy this and potentially even those outside the Marvel. With elements of old westerns, action, adventure, science fiction it really has something to offer everyone. On top of this we get to see our heroes a little older but not that much changed. While their bodies might betray them they still are the Guardians of The Galaxy and will still try to save the day.
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About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2024
“Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord” by Sarah Cawkwell is a prose novel covering the twilight years of the titular Star-Lord. Leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord is a ripe 60 year old man. Leader is a strong word: his whole team is dead, save Rocket Raccoon, his last furry friend. These two geriatric guardians return to Earth, now a Wasteland, to recover a powerful artifact for a tyrannical alien. Sounds interesting? Well, unfortunately, it’s not. At all.
There are so many issues with this book. Plainly, the writing is not good. It is frequently difficult to understand what is physically happening during a scene. Locations and characters are rarely, if ever, described. Star-Lord might have his gear? I’m unsure, honestly. Many fight scenes are nonsensical, or they just get completely skipped.
The dialogue is its own beast. Star-Lord is unabashedly an idiot. I mean stupid as a bag of bolts. I wouldn’t trust this guy to drink water, let alone be the revolutionary leader of a three-decades long oppressed Earth. I wanted nothing more for him to die.
Marvel’s world is filled with so many interesting characters. This book does nothing with them. You get Forge, White Queen, and Kraven. That’s it. How in the world do you waste such a great cast of characters? Why write a Marvel book when you barely use Marvel characters? It boggles the mind.
The plot sucks. The characters frequently solve issues by complete contrivance or by literally doing nothing. The primary motivation for the cast just ends 60% of the way through. The finale is flat and disappointing with the main character’s doing nothing to solve the problems presented. Just garbage.
I struggle to say anything good about this book. There is one unintentionally hilarious scene where a kid dies, so points for that I guess? Honestly, the book wasn’t offensively bad it just was not good. I’m not sure why this ever got published. Somehow this is better than “God of War”, so that’s kinda neat. 1.5/5, would only recommend if you are a desperate Marvel fan scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel. Even then, I bet there are probably 1000 shitty comics with higher quality than this book.
There are so many issues with this book. Plainly, the writing is not good. It is frequently difficult to understand what is physically happening during a scene. Locations and characters are rarely, if ever, described. Star-Lord might have his gear? I’m unsure, honestly. Many fight scenes are nonsensical, or they just get completely skipped.
The dialogue is its own beast. Star-Lord is unabashedly an idiot. I mean stupid as a bag of bolts. I wouldn’t trust this guy to drink water, let alone be the revolutionary leader of a three-decades long oppressed Earth. I wanted nothing more for him to die.
Marvel’s world is filled with so many interesting characters. This book does nothing with them. You get Forge, White Queen, and Kraven. That’s it. How in the world do you waste such a great cast of characters? Why write a Marvel book when you barely use Marvel characters? It boggles the mind.
The plot sucks. The characters frequently solve issues by complete contrivance or by literally doing nothing. The primary motivation for the cast just ends 60% of the way through. The finale is flat and disappointing with the main character’s doing nothing to solve the problems presented. Just garbage.
I struggle to say anything good about this book. There is one unintentionally hilarious scene where a kid dies, so points for that I guess? Honestly, the book wasn’t offensively bad it just was not good. I’m not sure why this ever got published. Somehow this is better than “God of War”, so that’s kinda neat. 1.5/5, would only recommend if you are a desperate Marvel fan scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel. Even then, I bet there are probably 1000 shitty comics with higher quality than this book.
November 27, 2023
The story follows the last two surviving Guardians of the Galaxy; Star-Lord and Rocket as they embark on another adventure. This time they are older, even more cantankerous and no-less incompetent. The constant bickering between the two should have begun to grate, but the underlying, unstated love that the two have for each other takes the callousness away. Plus, it's funny. For Peter Quill, wisdom has not followed age as he continually and optimisitcally bumbles his way across the pages Forrest Gumping himself out of one situation and into another. Rocket has a secret, one that has such an obvious conclusion I saw it coming straight away, but there you go. They are joined by an alien recorder droid meaning the story is often told out of order and the recorder is used to bring certain characters up to speed with events so far. This might be confusing for some, but it has been done in such a way that it should be easy enough to follow.
In the Wasteland stalks Kraven the Hunter and my first main issue with the story. Anything not including Kraven the Hunter is generally light-hearted, even when it's dismal, but Kraven's scenes are extremely violent and visceral. Tonally, I don't feel this worked all that well, as we go from Quill's hilariously useless rescue attempt to a savage murder by Kraven.
The story also follows the usual outsider trope of being the catalyst to a revolution which, though it was a significant part of the story, felt more like the backdrop (it was, but so much so, it was barely worth having in the first place).
The end of the book sees the start of some new thing in motion and... there's no follow-up book. This story is based off of a podcast series that follows a series of elderly heroes and villains in this Wasteland but at the time of reading, and writing this review, this is the first and only novel of the series. A quick Google shows no intimation of book 2 potential existence or release date. Yes, there's the graphic novels and the podcast, but book 2 would be nice.
In the Wasteland stalks Kraven the Hunter and my first main issue with the story. Anything not including Kraven the Hunter is generally light-hearted, even when it's dismal, but Kraven's scenes are extremely violent and visceral. Tonally, I don't feel this worked all that well, as we go from Quill's hilariously useless rescue attempt to a savage murder by Kraven.
The story also follows the usual outsider trope of being the catalyst to a revolution which, though it was a significant part of the story, felt more like the backdrop (it was, but so much so, it was barely worth having in the first place).
The end of the book sees the start of some new thing in motion and... there's no follow-up book. This story is based off of a podcast series that follows a series of elderly heroes and villains in this Wasteland but at the time of reading, and writing this review, this is the first and only novel of the series. A quick Google shows no intimation of book 2 potential existence or release date. Yes, there's the graphic novels and the podcast, but book 2 would be nice.
May 28, 2023
Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord finds an aging Peter Quill and Rocket Racoon on one last adventure full of action and trouble. Taking a job for the Collector puts Peter and Rockets necks on the line literally has they have a deadline to complete their job before their collars remove their heads. From taking on the horde and doom bots, the wise cracking duo find trouble and unlikely friends in their last attempts to save the world from villains like Kraven and Dr. Doom. Told through the documenting of their new sidekick a recording bot, the duo prove there are heroes left on a desolate earth. Action packed, the story is a little heartbreaking but stays true to the Rocket and Starlord characters right until the end. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.
July 3, 2023
Thanks to Sarah Calkwell, Aconlyte Books, and NetGalley for access to this advanced reader copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I found the story entertaining and fun. The dialog was sufficiently sarcastic and aligned with my view of the characters – it was great to read about them in another adventure.
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media
I found the story entertaining and fun. The dialog was sufficiently sarcastic and aligned with my view of the characters – it was great to read about them in another adventure.
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media
June 4, 2023
I downloaded this for my son who is a huge marvel fan, and in particular GOTG. He loves to read the comics and the graphic novels and note the differences between them and the films, as he likes that they seem darker.
He enjoyed reading this and got through it in a couple of sittings. He liked the concept of it and said it was written well. His selective hearing was definitely switched on when reading it so I could tell he was fully engaged!
He enjoyed reading this and got through it in a couple of sittings. He liked the concept of it and said it was written well. His selective hearing was definitely switched on when reading it so I could tell he was fully engaged!
July 5, 2023
Got this book as an ARC by Marvel via NetGalley. I’ve never read a Marvel novel completely (I’m currently reading the novelization of “Original Sin”) but this book was amazing. It did a great job in painting the marvel universe in the novel form , with references to the grander world and characterizations that reads like the characters.
November 1, 2023
[audiobook/podcast free on audible]
Honestly, dramatised audiobooks are the only ones i can start and be sure to like. I loved the various characters and all their unique voices and how everything was put together.
Honestly, dramatised audiobooks are the only ones i can start and be sure to like. I loved the various characters and all their unique voices and how everything was put together.
March 11, 2025
Should be called the death of the guardians of the galaxy
Really good story kind of bugged out that the guardians got killed everybody but quill Spoiler alert sorry. Left off on kind of a cliffhanger Is there gonna be another story or I don't know but I'd like to know
Really good story kind of bugged out that the guardians got killed everybody but quill Spoiler alert sorry. Left off on kind of a cliffhanger Is there gonna be another story or I don't know but I'd like to know
June 9, 2023
Perfect timing on the release for this book! After seeing guardians of the galaxy 3, I wanted more. This fed my marvel addiction. Very cute.
dnf-abandoned
January 13, 2024*I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
August 15, 2024
Amazingly written. I laughed; I cried. Great for Guardians fans and others.
December 12, 2024
Loved this! Laughed and cried so much. A highly recommended read for anyone who is a fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy! 😭😭😍😍👌👌💕💕😭😭😭😭
June 30, 2025
very solid story. I never listened to the podcast, so I didn't know what to expect. but I love the Guardians, so I had to check this one out.
April 29, 2023
NetGalley ARC Educator 550974
An emotional ride, taken with Quill and Rocket. There are some Marvel characters that appear who have not been mentioned in the movies. I can see this being an offshot of the next Guardians movie. It was absolutely beautiful.
An emotional ride, taken with Quill and Rocket. There are some Marvel characters that appear who have not been mentioned in the movies. I can see this being an offshot of the next Guardians movie. It was absolutely beautiful.
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