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Robotech #13
Devil's Hand
It was 2020. Six years had passed since the destruction of the Super Dimensional Fortresses 1 and 2, that final tragedy of the First Robotech War. But Earth was on the mend now, and from the wreckage of those ships the Robotech Defense Force had succeeded in fashioning a new battle fortress the SDF-3. Its mission: to cross the galaxy and make peace with Tirol's Robotech Masters.
It sounded straightforward enough; but unknown to Admirals Rick and Lisa Hunter and their crew of thousands, the Robotech Masters were already on their way to Earth!
Nevertheless Tirol would have a greeting in store for the Expeditionary Mission: an incendiary salute from the warlord whose hordes had conquered half the galactic Quadrant the Invid Regent! Threatened with a swift and violent end, and suddenly torn by internal struggles for power, the RDF would find itself thrust into a savage war for survival!
It sounded straightforward enough; but unknown to Admirals Rick and Lisa Hunter and their crew of thousands, the Robotech Masters were already on their way to Earth!
Nevertheless Tirol would have a greeting in store for the Expeditionary Mission: an incendiary salute from the warlord whose hordes had conquered half the galactic Quadrant the Invid Regent! Threatened with a swift and violent end, and suddenly torn by internal struggles for power, the RDF would find itself thrust into a savage war for survival!
214 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 12, 1988
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September 5, 2017
Another Robotech War begins here!
This is the first prose novel in the five-book series of “The Sentinels”, part of the “Robotech” franchise.
FINALLY THIS WAR IS TOLD
Maybe you’ve heard about or watched the direct-to-video “Robotech II: The Sentinels” movie, that in reality wasn’t a movie per se, but the first episodes of what would be the next animated series in the Robotech franchise, back then in the good ol’ 80s.
While Robotech was in reality the grouping of three different anime series by Tatsunoko Studios: Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeada, where a brilliant American production team edited them (some of those series originally wasn’t set on Earth, so they had to “erase” extra moons in certain episodes) to make them look like one big linear animated series (The reason? None of them, separately, were long enough for American TV Cartoons’ standards back then, so they united them to be longer on American airing)…
…Robotech II: The Sentinels would be the first really original production from zero in the franchise, however they weren’t able to continue due lack of Budget (that honestly I don’t understand since Robotech was kickin’ butts back then and I am shocked that they didn’t get the financial support to continue).
This first prose novel narrates all what was produced in the mentioned direct-to-video production, but…
…the good thing is that it’s that the publishing continued and the following four books, you’d be able to know what happened next and how was the Robotech War that it wasn’t shown on TV.
THE FIRST ROBOTECH WAR WAS WON, BUT…
The RDF and the crew of the SDF-1 did the impossible, to beat the five million armada of ships of the Zentraedi, but they lost very dear people, and the Earth never would be the same.
Even in the aftermath, the mad last strike of Khyron obliterated the last remnants of the SDF-1 and even destroyed the still in construction SDF-2 and New Macross City was no more, and more dear people died.
And finally, during the production of the SDF-3, using Breetai’s Battlewagon as base for it, at the captured Zentraedi Satellite Factory; the RDF and the rising Southern Cross Army had to deal with the Malcontent Uprisings (provoked by some Zentraedi cells still loyal to their old ways)…
…but the goal for humankind’s survival was clear…
…they need to go to Tirol (third moon of the Fantoma planet, in the Valivarre System), the Robotech Masters’ homeworld, and doing everything possible to obtain a peace treaty with them.
The Robotech Expeditionary Force was formed with the last remnants of the RDF (including the legendary Skull Squadron, now lead by Commander Max Sterling), the Wolf Pack (lead by Colonel Jonathan Wolff), Breetai’s Zentraedi brigade, and even a small contingent of the rising Southern Cross Army (The Ghost Squadron, lead by the insidious General T.R. Edwards). A mission overseen by a Plenipotentiary Council (made by civilans and militaries) and with a field command by Admirals Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes-Hunter (they get married just before the launching of the REF’s mission to Tirol).
Where while peace was prefered, they get onboard all the military mecha possible: Old First Robotech War’s Veritechs, brand-new Alpha Veritechs, along with their Beta support modules, even Hovertanks and Logans; since this “peace” mission was business as usual…
…and the humans’ usual business is war.
IRONIES OF WAR
However, unknown to the Earth’s remaining civilization, the Robotech Masters weren’t at Tirol anymore, they were traveling in lightspeed (short of Protoculture to make a fold jump) to Earth, with their last supplies of Bioroid mecha to make a final attempt to recover Zor’s Protoculture Matrix.
So, a cruel irony was in process.
The SDF-3 was making a fold jump to meet the Robotech Masters at Tirol, while the very Robotech Masters were travelling to Earth.
Tirol, without the protection of the Zentraedi fleet and even without the Robotech Masters’ Bioroid main guard, was an easy target for the Invid and it was already occupied by them. The old and sick remnants of the Tiresian civilization, that the merciless Robotech Masters refused to take with them in the travel to Earth, were doing a desperate effort to remain hidden and avoid to be exterminated by the Invid patrol force of mechas…
…between those hopeless remains of Tiresian society were Cabell (once teacher of Zor) and Rem (a clone of Zor but that fact was unknown even to Rem himself) and when they watched on their sensors that a Zentraedi-like fortress appeared on the Valivarre System, they thought that the mighty Zentraedi fleet was returning to save them, but…
…soon enough they noticed that it wasn’t really a Zentraedi Battlewagon nor Zor’s Fortress, but something new, something different to the known players at hand in the dangerous game of powers in the Local Star Group (a cluster of star systems where the Invid, Tiresians and other alien species lived there)…
…but when Cabell and Rem noticed that the new military mechas were battling in a joint effort with Zentraedi’s Battlepods against the Invid Occupation Force, they knew that they should risk of revealing their hideout and to make communication contact with the new arrivals.
A new Robotech War begins!
This is the first prose novel in the five-book series of “The Sentinels”, part of the “Robotech” franchise.
FINALLY THIS WAR IS TOLD
Maybe you’ve heard about or watched the direct-to-video “Robotech II: The Sentinels” movie, that in reality wasn’t a movie per se, but the first episodes of what would be the next animated series in the Robotech franchise, back then in the good ol’ 80s.
While Robotech was in reality the grouping of three different anime series by Tatsunoko Studios: Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeada, where a brilliant American production team edited them (some of those series originally wasn’t set on Earth, so they had to “erase” extra moons in certain episodes) to make them look like one big linear animated series (The reason? None of them, separately, were long enough for American TV Cartoons’ standards back then, so they united them to be longer on American airing)…
…Robotech II: The Sentinels would be the first really original production from zero in the franchise, however they weren’t able to continue due lack of Budget (that honestly I don’t understand since Robotech was kickin’ butts back then and I am shocked that they didn’t get the financial support to continue).
This first prose novel narrates all what was produced in the mentioned direct-to-video production, but…
…the good thing is that it’s that the publishing continued and the following four books, you’d be able to know what happened next and how was the Robotech War that it wasn’t shown on TV.
THE FIRST ROBOTECH WAR WAS WON, BUT…
The RDF and the crew of the SDF-1 did the impossible, to beat the five million armada of ships of the Zentraedi, but they lost very dear people, and the Earth never would be the same.
Even in the aftermath, the mad last strike of Khyron obliterated the last remnants of the SDF-1 and even destroyed the still in construction SDF-2 and New Macross City was no more, and more dear people died.
And finally, during the production of the SDF-3, using Breetai’s Battlewagon as base for it, at the captured Zentraedi Satellite Factory; the RDF and the rising Southern Cross Army had to deal with the Malcontent Uprisings (provoked by some Zentraedi cells still loyal to their old ways)…
…but the goal for humankind’s survival was clear…
…they need to go to Tirol (third moon of the Fantoma planet, in the Valivarre System), the Robotech Masters’ homeworld, and doing everything possible to obtain a peace treaty with them.
The Robotech Expeditionary Force was formed with the last remnants of the RDF (including the legendary Skull Squadron, now lead by Commander Max Sterling), the Wolf Pack (lead by Colonel Jonathan Wolff), Breetai’s Zentraedi brigade, and even a small contingent of the rising Southern Cross Army (The Ghost Squadron, lead by the insidious General T.R. Edwards). A mission overseen by a Plenipotentiary Council (made by civilans and militaries) and with a field command by Admirals Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes-Hunter (they get married just before the launching of the REF’s mission to Tirol).
Where while peace was prefered, they get onboard all the military mecha possible: Old First Robotech War’s Veritechs, brand-new Alpha Veritechs, along with their Beta support modules, even Hovertanks and Logans; since this “peace” mission was business as usual…
…and the humans’ usual business is war.
IRONIES OF WAR
However, unknown to the Earth’s remaining civilization, the Robotech Masters weren’t at Tirol anymore, they were traveling in lightspeed (short of Protoculture to make a fold jump) to Earth, with their last supplies of Bioroid mecha to make a final attempt to recover Zor’s Protoculture Matrix.
So, a cruel irony was in process.
The SDF-3 was making a fold jump to meet the Robotech Masters at Tirol, while the very Robotech Masters were travelling to Earth.
Tirol, without the protection of the Zentraedi fleet and even without the Robotech Masters’ Bioroid main guard, was an easy target for the Invid and it was already occupied by them. The old and sick remnants of the Tiresian civilization, that the merciless Robotech Masters refused to take with them in the travel to Earth, were doing a desperate effort to remain hidden and avoid to be exterminated by the Invid patrol force of mechas…
…between those hopeless remains of Tiresian society were Cabell (once teacher of Zor) and Rem (a clone of Zor but that fact was unknown even to Rem himself) and when they watched on their sensors that a Zentraedi-like fortress appeared on the Valivarre System, they thought that the mighty Zentraedi fleet was returning to save them, but…
…soon enough they noticed that it wasn’t really a Zentraedi Battlewagon nor Zor’s Fortress, but something new, something different to the known players at hand in the dangerous game of powers in the Local Star Group (a cluster of star systems where the Invid, Tiresians and other alien species lived there)…
…but when Cabell and Rem noticed that the new military mechas were battling in a joint effort with Zentraedi’s Battlepods against the Invid Occupation Force, they knew that they should risk of revealing their hideout and to make communication contact with the new arrivals.
A new Robotech War begins!
November 4, 2021
My mileage will vary on this. I first read the Robotech novel series when they were released, and 1988, 13 year old Nick, was amazed by the continuation of the series after the main series novelization. I am one of the people who loved how “Jack McKinney” fleshed out the disjointed stories that made up the animated series, and I loved some of the hard sci-fi elements that were used to fill in some of the gaps.
While re-reading The Sentinels at 46, I am still pleased with the sequel. Yes, there are some mistakes in continuity, but I feel like these books keep true to the spirit of the story. The carry over characters act like themselves, and the new and expanded characters like T.R. Edwards, Dr. Lang, the Grants, Janice Em, etc. bring a lot to the proceedings. The Devil’s Hand sets up The Sentinels well, and I am excited to explore these books again.
While re-reading The Sentinels at 46, I am still pleased with the sequel. Yes, there are some mistakes in continuity, but I feel like these books keep true to the spirit of the story. The carry over characters act like themselves, and the new and expanded characters like T.R. Edwards, Dr. Lang, the Grants, Janice Em, etc. bring a lot to the proceedings. The Devil’s Hand sets up The Sentinels well, and I am excited to explore these books again.
November 19, 2019
Caveat: I am a huge fan of this IP. So my rating is a bit inflated for most people.
Devil's Hand is the beginning of an experiment. Robotech was an 85 episode cartoon blending three preexisting stories to create something new (It was controversial, yes, but I do view Robotech and Macross/Southern Cross/Mospeda as inherently different.
In other words, they had reference material.
Sentinels was a bit different. Scripts for each planned episode existed, but only about three were ever animated. Those scripts were the basis for this series, but the authors (Brian Daley and James Luceno under a pseudonym) started wit those, but went in several directions apparently not present in their baseline, and the story is better for it.
Devil's Hand is the beginning of an experiment. Robotech was an 85 episode cartoon blending three preexisting stories to create something new (It was controversial, yes, but I do view Robotech and Macross/Southern Cross/Mospeda as inherently different.
In other words, they had reference material.
Sentinels was a bit different. Scripts for each planned episode existed, but only about three were ever animated. Those scripts were the basis for this series, but the authors (Brian Daley and James Luceno under a pseudonym) started wit those, but went in several directions apparently not present in their baseline, and the story is better for it.
December 13, 2021
This is the first of these Robotech novels I have read without first seeing it in cartoon form, so it was refreshing to not have to constantly make mental comparisons. Without the cartoon, the visuals are hard to imagine as it has become evident that the author has been less than thorough in his descriptions. He probably, maybe even subconsciously, counts on his readers getting their idea of what characters, places, and machines look like from other sources. The story was mildly interesting and mildly entertaining.
August 23, 2020
The inconsistencies are continuing to build, in ship makeup, personalities, and path.
December 3, 2023
To see Lisa and Rick finally getting married was great!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2025
First part follows Robotech 2: The Sentinels. The rest was never shown on tv as it was lost. Really good and fast pace.
April 18, 2016
Maybe it is all for the best that
The Sentinels
never made it to television. Where the duo that make up McKinney did an excellent job adding depth and maturity (to a degree) to the novelization of the Macross saga, they appear to have simply gone through the motions in trying to adapt the scripts for the follow-up series. They struggle to introduce characters in a smooth manner, have a worse time trying to represent the political scheming, and the action is almost non-existent (they choose to let most of it happen off-screen for some reason).
Had I read this in the late 1980s when I was positively starved for new Robotech, I may have had a much more favorable view of it. I also would have been in my early-to-mid teens, so that would also have an impact on how I viewed it. My hope is that the McKinney team find a way to show more of the story in the following books.
Had I read this in the late 1980s when I was positively starved for new Robotech, I may have had a much more favorable view of it. I also would have been in my early-to-mid teens, so that would also have an impact on how I viewed it. My hope is that the McKinney team find a way to show more of the story in the following books.
June 23, 2013
I'm not sure how many books 'Jack McKinney' actually sold in this series, but it has to be pretty stupendous. Nonetheless, the 4th, or Sentinels Series is another great example of finding a groove and sticking to it. McKinney is pressed for the first time with making it up as he goes, because unlike the first three Robotech Series this one never made it past initial production. He does, however, use his talent and knowledge of the universe to begin to cobble together a cohesive story that inspires the reader to continue on the quest of the SDF-3, which in the end, is all that could really be asked of said series.
March 29, 2011
Great series of books for kids that enjoy or are interested in science fiction. I read these books in middle school (I'm now in my 30s) and loved each one. The stories are fun, engaging and relatively fast paced. I'd be tempted to reread them now just for old time's sake if I didn't have so many new books on my to-read list.
I knocked it down a peg because, in retrospect, there are some aspects that are a bit too cheesy. I'm sure when my kids are old enough, they'll get thier own copies.
I knocked it down a peg because, in retrospect, there are some aspects that are a bit too cheesy. I'm sure when my kids are old enough, they'll get thier own copies.
March 8, 2014
I loved Robotech growing up and the Sentinels series was the series that I wanted to see animated the most after the original. Settling for the books instead, sadly the book doesn't match the appeal of a cartoon series. Nevertheless, it's good to see how the storyline progresses and learn about the events between the RDF and the Masters' home world.
May 24, 2009
Godawful. So disappointing, not worth the effort. Hard to believe Brian Daley was parially responsible for this tripe.
November 13, 2018
Mostly a prologue.
April 15, 2018
Devil's Hand (Paperback)
by Jack McKinney
the struggle may cost them everything
June 2, 2013
Read it back in the summer of 1991, and just reread it in 2011 still really enjoyed it. Though most of this series I admit to not remembering the finer details so it had it page turning moments.
January 5, 2015
Good start
Nice to see what happened to the sdf3 after so many years. Glad I delved back into the lives of the old crew.
Nice to see what happened to the sdf3 after so many years. Glad I delved back into the lives of the old crew.
May 12, 2015
Great SiFi series. Giant battlesuits battling outer space monsters, what more can you ask for. Very recommended
May 9, 2016
Good read. Very nostalgic
Good read. Been a long time since I read this series. I watched and own all the episodes. Never read sentinels, this fills a lot of holes.
Good read. Been a long time since I read this series. I watched and own all the episodes. Never read sentinels, this fills a lot of holes.
October 13, 2016
took me pretty long before i got into it... there's a lot of political factions involving various alulien species as well as humans. edwards is such a self-serving, selfish bastard.
April 27, 2017
Thinking caps and timelines aside, The Sentinels is light years closer in spirit to the original series than the officially endorsed fan fiction film The Shadow Chronicles could ever hope to be.
Recently, I decided to read this again for the first time since it was originally published in 1988. To my surprise, I found it as enjoyable as ever. It captures the feel of the TV series brilliantly, even if that style happens to be 1980's sci-fi giant robot drama. I'm looking forward to rereading the other books in the series. For me, the McKinney novels will always be the definitive sequel to Robotech because Luceno and Daley did what no one else has managed to do in over thirty years—finish the damn story.
Recently, I decided to read this again for the first time since it was originally published in 1988. To my surprise, I found it as enjoyable as ever. It captures the feel of the TV series brilliantly, even if that style happens to be 1980's sci-fi giant robot drama. I'm looking forward to rereading the other books in the series. For me, the McKinney novels will always be the definitive sequel to Robotech because Luceno and Daley did what no one else has managed to do in over thirty years—finish the damn story.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews