Called "a cornerstone of anime SF," Japan's Gundam franchise that began in 1979 now boasts a worldwide cult of devotees. In the Gundam universe, the Earth Federation battles rebellious off-world colonies, and "Newtype" warriors with evolved mentality pilot gargantuan suits of high-tech armor. This novelization presents creator Yoshiyuki Tomino's unvarnished vision for his own core series, with richer characterizations and a shocking ending. Controversial when it first appeared in English in 1990, the trilogy is being brought to fans in a single re-edited volume.Introduction by Gundam expert Mark Simmons.Yoshiyuki Tomino is a writer and one of Japan's best known SF directors. Translator Frederik L. Schodt has written extensively on Japanese culture and lives in San Francisco.