Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

Bee talks, which reminded me of another subsection of this review.   I want to write that one and others I thought about down before I forget. 

1. Mythology, focusing on the Thirteen Primes - the first Cybertronians, in fact and incorporating The Covenant of Primus - although there will be mention of Omega Supreme.   As well as the artefacts, and Primus/Energon vs. Unicron/Dark Energon.

2. Identity, and caste - these are interrelated, especially as references of Megatron being identified as a gladiator first and foremost are made throughout the novel. 

3. Power structure, and how that changes.  A lot of Starscream vs. Shockwave vs. Soundwave vs. Megatron.   Also, Sentinel Prime's power structure - caste system - and how that changes when Orian Pax is renamed Optimus Prime.

4. Optimus Prime and Megatron as funhouse mirror images of each other; even when they start with the same desire - change for the good of all Cybertronians - their methods are different, and their thought patterns are different.   The emphasis is on how they came from different places - different castes, different jobs, different lives - so this changes how they think.

5. Continuity errors between this, Prime, and Covenant of Primus.   Keep in mind the Aligned continuity was supposed to span new projects for a minimum of ten years and there was a five hundred page bible devoted to this to keep down continuity errors.   Given that this bible was supposedly going year by year, there are a higher number of continuity errors than I'd expect, especially on the big reveal of OP being Thirteen.   That should have been hammered out before these were written. 

6. Voices.   Voices are a massive part of this, from Bee being literally mute, but gaining a high ranking position in OPs army where he arguably has one of the loudest metaphoric voices to the unnamed, voiceless masses that are part of Megatron's origins - and that chant loudly in the gladiatorial pits.   They use their voices whenever they can, it seems.

7. Starscream abuse.   It's started to bother me, rather than amuse me after watching Prime enough.   And Prime, keep in mind, is Aligned continuity as is this book.     

8.  Adult entertainment versus children's entertainment.   Prime glosses over Megatron's origins and rise to power, as well as much of the subtleties of the power struggles.    Is this necessarily a good thing?   Profitable no doubt, as kids just want to see action, and Prime does do a good job of showing the trauma of prolonged war without scarring children.   But would pushing a little more complexity and sympathy for those nameless masses - Vehicons are portrayed as mindless, identity-less drones whom are merely cannon fodder - be bad?   I argue that Exodus, by providing a more complex, realistic world in these cases is superior; if one is going to use voiceless masses, there isn't need to traumatize children by showing horrific things happening, but there should be more care to give them a personality and foster some sympathy for them!

9. Minor gripes.   Such as Six Lasers, a Cybertonian 

10. The sexy, dear Primus, the sexy.  Omega Supreme.   Ultra Magnus.   Bee.   Shockwave. Soundwave.   Nom, nom, nom. 

Oh, yeah, this is gonna be a bitch, but I'm just intimated because I haven't done this in a while.  I'm pretty sure this will come back to me fairly easily, especially since there's not as much pressure as there was when writing my thesis :D