Review of Sentinels Vols. 1-3

by Mark S. Halegua

Intrigue, humor, paranormal humans, aliens, androids, paranormal aliens, robots, mystery, amnesia, other planets, other galaxies, other dimensions, betrayal, cosmic villains, and battles, battles, battles.

All of these are in Van Allen Plexico’s first trilogy of the Sentinels.

From the first book through the third in this trilogy I was enthralled. I had a hard time putting them down and after each ended I wanted to read more.

From the beginning this read very much like a Jim Starlin cosmic tale, with mostly earth bound super heroes facing off against villains, robots, and groups with multi-dimensional/universal goals of conquest and galactic power and abilities.

There’s no doubt Marvel comics and the Avengers were a large influence for the Sentinels, who are, or will, come together as a super-team on Earth. Its nascent members include a powerful, government authorized powerhouse, Ultraa, with a mysterious past – even to himself; a paranormal teenager with the power, more than even she knows, over electro-magnetic forces; a billionaire inventor with aspirations of wearing the armor he’s designing instead of giving it to the double agent the government has selected; a robot/android over 1,000 years old with memory issues – who is himself an agent of a galactic entity wanting the resources of the planet; an alien woman finding herself a slave then holder of unexpected powers and also an agent of yet another civilization which may be inimical to Earth; a man who allows an otherworldly material to attach to him symbiotically; and more.

The first three books of the series are titled “When Strikes the Warlord,” “A Distant Star,” and “Apocalypse Rising.” Each one raises the stakes and the threat to Earth, and each one adds a potential new member to the team taking shape.

The only issue I have with the books is the pace. It’s like riding a roller-coaster that never slows down, only going faster as it moves up down and around the track. Its pace is such the reader almost has no chance to breathe, and neither do the heroes.

Van Allen Plexico has created a world of continuing and mounting danger, of interesting people, and never-slowing-down action. I enjoyed them and still want more.

But first, a little time to breathe.