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.

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.

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

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.

I really love reading all the stuff about Marvel superheroes as old guys, I'm not sure why but it's really entertaining. This one is full of pop culture references (as a Guardians story is going to be) but to the point that it can be too many zingers in a row that are distracting. That's probably my only complaint, they're not bad at all, just a too many right after the other at some points. I have a hard time liking Peter Quill, but this author did an excellent job of making me enjoy him for him and not just for the characters around him. (although Rocket is topnotch here).

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.

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 domain: the Wastelands. They aren’t there by choice: 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 snaps their necks. In the Wastelands, they encounter the ageless telepath Emma Frost, outlaw Ghost Riders, and the blood thirsty Kraven the Hunter. Who will find the Black Vortex first and what will be the price of its power?

Heroes don’t always have superpowers or extraordinary skills, sometimes they are old men with nothing else to lose and decades of rage.
Wastelanders reimagines Star-Lord and Rocket as the last two surviving Guardians of the Galaxy. An old man now, jaded Peter Quill is decades away from the endlessly optimistic, self-assured hero that made a name for himself across the universe. While Rocket, pragmatic as always is even more blistering and fighting the clock on two fronts. Between the pair of former Guardians much lays unsaid and ignored, neither willing to overturn their rhythm.
Dispatched to find the Black Vortex, an artifact with ties to his father, Star-Lord returns to Earth only to find the world, much like himself, has been ravaged by tragedy and despair. A horrific day left Earth’s heroes dead and the world in the hands of three of the it’s worst villains, among them is Doctor Doom. The dictator rules a land already ravaged by radiation and poverty, through fear, aided by Kraven the Hunter. Kraven proves a merciless and fearsome foe chasing Star-Lord and Rocket across the Wastelands, determined to prove himself the ultimate apex predator.
Star-Lord sees in the broken world a chance to redeem himself and assure the Guardians aren’t forgotten to history and his rebellion sparks a flame, rallying those who have suffered under Doom. Peter and Rocket find an unexpected ally in Emma Frost, the former villain has survived in the Doom’s world, managing a bar, and acquiring allies and weapons, waiting for a chance to take down the dictator. Though still manipulative and calculating, she is also tired and desperate, with her powers waning.
The writing adds another layer to the compelling plot introduced in the fantastic podcast. The action is interwoven with humor and moments revolving around loss, trauma, sacrifice, and determination. Star-Lord proves that though darkness may settle in, light can always pierce it and the human spirit (even if half-alien) is capable of bringing about a Second Dawn.
This is a must read for any Marvel fan, reminding us that no matter their age or the cost heroes will fight — and win.

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

this was a great novelization of the podcast of the same name, it kept the magic of the story and give me what I was looking for when reading. The characters felt like the same people in the comic and I thought it worked perfectly. Sarah Cawkwell does a great job in adapting the story and making it unique. I hope the rest of the podcasts for Marvel Wastelanders does as good of a job.

"So while Quill’s off taking care of business… I’ve spotted at least three drones since we left. Lot of these hills are cut clean, logged right down to the stumps. I say we avoid riding in the open. Stick to the forest. Stay in the shadows. We can’t let them spot Quill.”

I've already been a fan of the Marvel: Wastelanders series, bringing together Marvel goodness with action-packed and character-driven dystopia. So I got really excited to learn that Sarah Cawkwell did a book directly scripted from the podcast.
I was curious to see how the podcast translated onto the page, and I was not disappointed at all! Sarah Cawkwell does an amazing job bringing action, humor, dialogue and a very good feeling for the world into the written word. It functions very well on its own, but can also be used as a companion to the podcast.
The story has everything you wish from Marvel. Lots of laughs when Rocket and Peter constantly bicker while Cora is trying to make sense of it. A great quest with high stakes. A perfect villain. And plot twists galore. Reading this, you could totally picture it on the big screen.

4/5 stars


#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review Thank you so much @netgalley and @aconytebooks for the eARC in exchange for an 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. © 2022 MARVEL

Having read and watched Old Man Logan I was intrigued to read a Rocket and Starlord book and see if they had matured like a fine wine, basically they haven’t, Quill is still starchild and rocket is his usual semi psychotic self, there is a lot going on this book, new collector, kraven, doom not to mention Emma Frost! The story charges along really well and it would be great to see marvel make this potential Guardians movie