Devils' Due

Starcraft II #2

by Christie Golden

It was at times like this that Jim Raynor, former marine lance corporal, proud citizen of the Confederacy and erstwhile farm boy, felt most alive. At the speed at which he was urging the vulture, the wind cooled his face so that the oppressive heat vanished. He felt like a wolf hunting down prey, except the purpose of today's adventure was not the death of a living being but the death of the empty state of Raynor's and Tychus's wallets. This was a cargo train, not a passenger train, and inside its silvery innards was--if Tychus's tip was right, and Jim had every reason to believe it would be--a very lovely, very large safe filled with Confederate credits.

"Why, it's a rescue mission, Jim," Tychus had rumbled, his blue eyes dancing with good humor as he had filled Raynor in on the plan. "Those poor creds--they'd just be condemned to lining the pockets of some Old Families who don't need any more money. Or else put to some nefarious scheme that could hurt somebody. It's our duty--hell, it's our calling--to liberate them creds to where they could do something that really mattered."

"Like buying us drinks, women, and steak dinners."

"That's a good start."

"You've got a heart of gold, Tychus. I've never met such an altruistic man in my life. I got goddamn tears in my eyes."

"It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it."

Jim grinned as he recalled the conversation. He and Tychus were behind the train, catching up to it quickly. He stayed right and Tychus veered left. Tychus crossed over the maglev tracks, adjusting the magnetic frequency on his bike to compensate so that he, like the train itself, could cross easily. Jim increased his speed, moving alongside the maglev until the right car came into view. He and Tychus had spent hours analyzing all kinds of transportation vessels over the last few years, sometimes simply from blueprints or images, but usually up close and personal, as they were about to do now. They had "liberated" other credits before--it seemed to them like hundreds of thousands over the years, although the liberated credits never seemed to stay with them very long. That was all right too. It was part of the ride that life had become.



***



The year is 2494. Almost five years ago, Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay were members of the Heaven's Devils, an elite Confederate marine unit praised for its nerves of steeland combat expertise. After making a stand against their corrupt commanding officer, the two men were forced to go AWOL or risk being unjustly prosecuted and resocialized.

Now, Raynor and Findlay are outlaws hounded by an unyielding interstellar marshal. Life, however, has never beenbetter. Each day is another chance to pilfer more credits from the Confederacy's deep coffers. Each night holds the promise of spending their hard-earned profits in bars, brothels, and gambling halls. But a man can only run so far before the law--and his past--catch up with him. . . .

Devils' Due recounts an unforgettable period of Jim Raynor's life as he descends into the Koprulu sector's criminal underworld alongside the street-savvy Findlay. Here, far from his humble upbringing on the fringe world of Shiloh, Raynor will face some of the most trying challenges of his life. The decisions he makes will alter his destiny forever and put his father's oft-spoken wisdom, "A man is what he chooses to be," to the ultimate test.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Gaming, Video Games, Fantasy, Games, Adventure

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2011

About the author

Award-winning author Christie Golden has written over thirty novels and several short stories in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror. She has over a million books in print.

2009 will see no fewer than three novels published. First out in late April will be a World of Warcraft novel, Athas: Rise of the Lich King. This is the first Warcraft novel to appear in hardcover. Fans of the young paladin who fell so far from grace will get to read his definitive story.

In June, Golden’s first Star Wars novel, also a hardcover, sees print. Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi—Omen is the second in a nine-book series she is co-authoring with Aaron Allston and Troy Denning. Also in June comes the conclusion of Golden’s StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga with the release of Twlight, the third book in the series. The first two are Firstborn and Shadow Hunters.

2004 saw the launch of an original fantasy series called The Final Dance, from LUNA Books. The first novel in the series, On Fire's Wings, was published in July of that year. The second, In Stone’s Clasp , came out in September of 2005. With In Stone’s Clasp, Golden won the Colorado Author’s League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel for the second time. The third book, Under Sea’s Shadow, is available only as an e-book

Golden is also the author of two original fantasy novels from Ace Books, King's Man and Thief and Instrument of Fate, which made the 1996 Nebula Preliminary Ballot. Under the pen name of Jadrien Bell, she wrote a historical fantasy thriller entitled A.D. 999, which won the Colorado Author's League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel of 1999.

Golden launched the TSR Ravenloft line in 1991 with her first novel, the highly successful Vampire of the Mists , which introduced elven vampire Jander Sunstar. Golden followed up Vampire with Dance of the Dead and The Enemy Within . In September of 2006, fifteen years to the month, The Ravenloft Covenant: Vampire of the Mists enabled Jander Sunstar to reach a whole new audience.

Other projects include a slew of Star Trek novels, among them The Murdered Sun , Marooned , and Seven of Nine , and "The Dark Matters Trilogy," Cloak and Dagger , Ghost Dance and Shadow of Heaven .

The Voyager novel relaunch, which includes Homecoming and The Farther Shore , were bestsellers and were the fastest-selling Trek novels of 2003. Golden continued writing VOYAGER novels even though the show went off the air, and enjoyed exploring the creative freedom that gave her in the two-parter called Spirit Walk, which includes Old Wounds and Enemy of my Enemy .

Golden has also written the novelization of Steven Spielberg's Invasion America and an original "prequel," On The Run , both of which received high praise from producer Harve Bennett. On The Run, a combination medical thriller and science fiction adventure, even prompted Bennett to invite Golden to assist in crafting the second season of the show, if it was renewed.

Golden lives in Loveland, Colorado, with her artist husband and their two cats.

Reviews

[Devon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a strange relationship with franchise tie-in novels. They seem to suffer from strange maladies, sometimes of writing and craft, sometimes of plot and character. I don't often read them, but sometimes I'll feel tempted because I've been given a book to read, or one will tickle my fancy against my better judgement. In the case of Devil's Due, my brother ended up with an extra copy and gave it to me, thinking I'd like to get some StarCraft backstory and find it a fun, light read.

He wasn't wrong. The book is very light fare - easy to read without thinking too hard, and I found myself moving rather quickly through the book's 300 pages. And it was entertaining; a lot of action without much downtime and some pretty good banter between the two main characters, Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay. I found it interesting that Christie Golden dedicated the book in part to Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I could see she had tried to craft the camaraderie and friendship between Findlay and Raynor after the title characters of that film, which seemed a nice touch.

But...I can't say the book was actually "good", as entertaining and light as it was. And this is where the complicated relationship between myself and tie-in novels comes to play.

Golden seems a competent writer - the writing in the book is not that bad, though a little heavy on the adverb use, which grated in many places as it seemed unnecessary - so it's hard for me to tell what I should lay against her as the writer, or against the publisher (Blizzard Entertainment) for how the book is carried off. It suffers from three forms of tie-in malady: Corny Writing, Too Many Plots, and Cliched Characterization.

As competent as the writing seems, is rather corny - almost ridiculous at moments, and flat at others. It almost reads, at moments, like a movie script, describing things in a way that's supposed to sound dramatic (or look dramatic, via a film or in the reader's imagination - I think) that seems silly. Why not just say Tychus reached over his shoulder and pulled his whatever fancy gun it was out of its holster, rather than describing deliberately the motions to do so as if the gun is some grand reveal (which it wasn't)?

And then there are Too Many Plots. This is a huge problem I find in tie-ins; as if the writers/publishers are writing a "book" for people who don't read, who will be bored if the action stops for a second, there is always something happening at any given moment, with layers of plots that are never resolved properly. I figured out early on that the real point of the book was getting Jim Raynor out of the criminal life; hints are dropped occasionally and it seems clear, early on, in his differences in temperament from Tychus Findlay that the ultimate resolution of the book would be Raynor walking away from his life of booze and theft and carnal delights for good. But the beginning of the book introduces the pair running away from a persistent lawman, and then they are set-up and hunted by a sadistic bounty hunter from whom they flee to the protection-not-protection of a galactic crime-lord, and then Raynor receives word his mother is ill which dredges up complex emotions, and then they have to complete the final heist and - SOMEHOW - wrap everything up in a satisfying way. Which doesn't happen.

The "reveals" are heavy-handed and awkward. Raynor's visit to his ailing mother, and receiving the holorecording his father made just before he died (which basically tells Raynor he should leave his lawless ways) was sopping with pathos to the point it felt more annoying to me than heartfelt. It felt like my hand was being held, as if I couldn't be trusted as a reader to realize how important the moment was (even though I'd figured something was going to happen from the beginning). The "reveal" of the true villain - the evil Colonel who was supposed to be dead but wasn't - wasn't that much of a reveal, either, as I'd figured that out, too. The layering of plots - which come to their resolution pretty much all at once - was jarring. Raynor leaves (saved by a noble and surprising self-sacrifice by Tychus), the bounty hunter is arrested, the lawman gets his prize (or half of it), and, after that's said and done, Raynor takes his ultimate vengeance. All that in about twenty pages. None of those plot lines felt particularly important, and it was tied up too neatly (and quickly) for me to feel satisfied with what had happened. (Though, I will admit, as cliched as it may have been, Tychus' self-sacrifice felt good, especially as it tied back directly to a bit of dialogue earlier in the book.)

Despite piling on too many plots, it might have been saved if the characterization had been tight - but pretty much all characters were cliched, flat archetypes, who can be described in only a few words - even the two main characters. The Colonel is a power-mad raging invalid, the bounty-hunter is a sociopathic sadist, the crime-lord haughty and assured of power, Findlay is a believer in the criminal way who is loyal in his way, the Marshal is an upstanding lawman with an obsession with getting his quarry though he'll never break the rules, Raynor the good farm-boy who realizes he's not cut out for criminality forever. Side characters are read and forgotten, though a couple do return in the end of the book. There is some backstory to flesh out (at times) why the characters are the way they are, but that isn't really necessary as they all act in a pretty predictable fashion.

I don't mind reading light or action-oriented fare, but I do expect a little from what I do read. Even if a story is predictable, I want surprising things from the characters (or, perhaps, vice versa). I don't want to feel like my hand is being held, as if I've not got the mental capacity to understand what the book is trying to tell me. Devil's Due wasn't like that. But it was a quick and entertaining read for what it was.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

STARCRAFT: DEVIL'S DUE is the direct sequel to HEAVEN'S DEVILS, which was the backstory of Terran campaign protagonist Jim Raynor and his friend Tychus Findley. The two of them began as idealistic soldiers (or at least Jim did), only to become jaded criminals who pulled off a heist of epic proportions. Well, sort of. They've run through all the money and are now running small time criminal activities to make ends meet. The enemies they made aren't willing to leave them alone, though, and they soon have a bounty hunter on their trail who has killed the third protagonist of the previous novel.

I was out off by the death of Rykk Kydd at the beginning as he was my favorite character in Heaven's Devils. Rykk Kydd ends up as an assassin after a story arc of becoming a heroic Marine Sniper. It felt like a waste of a fascinating character and soured me on much of the book's remaining plotline. However, despite this, I overall enoyed the storyline. Jim Raynor and Tychus vs. Boba Fett felt much like the Han Solo movie I wanted versus the Solo movie we got. It also managed to be surprisingly poignant at several points with Jim dealing with the fact he's become a disappointment to his parents as well as himself.

This trilogy is probably the best of Starcraft's fiction and the author did an exceptional job here. I really recommend it. The Starcraft universe has never been as developed as other sci-fi universes but this feels like a living, breathing and atmospheric place. It's gritty, dirty, and full of strong human stories. This is a universe where people are desperate for money, sleazy, and use guns first as well as last. In other words, it feels a lot like Firefly and that's a high compliment. The book also adds a lot of depth to the events of Starcraft II but, honestly, I didn't care for that game and think the prequels are better.

8.5/10

[Jarosław · Rating 1 out of 5]

Powiedzieć, że to słaba książka to powiedzieć niewiele. Twórczość Christie Golden nigdy nie uchodziła za szczyt literackiego kunsztu, autorka nigdy nie ukrywała zaś, że jej celem jest dostarczanie ciekawych, niespecjalnie zawiłych historii, ale jej książki, które dotychczas miałem okazję przeczytać były zajmujące, spójne i bardzo dynamiczne.
W Devil's Due Golden próbuje zrobić dokładnie to samo - większość książki wypełniają mordercze pościgi, efektowne strzelaniny i krwawe bitki. Czyta się to lekko i łatwo, ale na tym plusy powieści się w zasadzie kończą. Dialogi są wyjałowione i ułagodzone (bo nie ma nic dziwnego w tym, że gdy oprych z kryminalistą i mordercą wlewają w siebie litry alkoholu przy podziwianiu występu nagich tancerek w przeciętnej klasy burdelu, to słowo "cholera" jest najbardziej plugawym bluzgiem jaki z siebie wydają), postaci podejmują kretyńskie decyzje (znany ze swojej skuteczności w całej galaktyce seryjny morderca, którego jedynym celem jest zabicie głównych bohaterów za obrzydliwie wysoką opłatą bawi się w jakieś psychodeliczne szopki rodem z najniższej klasy thrillerów, przez co oczywiście przegrywa - i to nie raz), koincydencja zdarzeń jest aż nadto absurdalna (skok na bank na tej samej planecie co międzygalaktyczny zjazd szeryfów), powieść opiera się o nielogiczne, kretyńskie założenia (Tychus, który wyróżnia się swoją nienaturalnie potężną posturą i licznymi bliznami, co autorka podkreśla co najmniej kilka razy, jakimś cudem na każdej planecie jest anonimowy i bez ściągania na siebie żadnej uwagi zwiedza wszystkie bary i burdele) a fabuła jest płytka i przewidywalna.
Wielkie rozczarowanie, bo to pierwsza w moich rękach tak zwyczajnie głupia książka tej autorki

[Filip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Książka typu: pitu-pitu. Dla świata przedstawionego, który stanowi uzupełnienie gier i relacji głównych bohaterów to nawet warto. Poza tym wątek osobisty Raynora ckliwy i naiwny, a fabuła nieciekawa z głupim plot twistem. Sam finał historii występuje nagle na kilku stronach, podkreślając tylko jak bardzo pospiesznie i niedbale został napisany ostatni akt książki. Dla przykładu nagle w ekwipunku bohatera pojawiają się cudowne gadżety pozwalające zrealizować trudny do osiągnięcia cel. Bo tak będzie szybciej. Niemniej jak ktoś potrzebuje kompletnego prologu z wyjaśnieniami, co się działo tuż przed rozpoczęciem StarCraft 2, to wystarczy przeczytać ostatnie dwa rozdziały z epilogiem.
I pierwszy, żeby wiedzieć, skąd jest szafa grająca : )

Szybka, nieangażująca, ale w sam raz, by spełnić obowiązek czytelniczy i zupełnie nie zmarnować czasu.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starcraft: Devil’s Due is the continuation of the origin story of popular Starcraft character Marshal Jim Raynor as started in Willam C. Dietz’s Heaven's Devils. However, even though it was something that I never even considered as something worth finding out about, this was a very entertaining and fulfilling read. Here is the opportunity to get to know the real James Raynor and how deep his friendship with Tychus Findlay really was. The threat from the bounty hunter chasing them was palpable as was the feeling of loss when the other Devils fell into his hands. The action was exciting and well realised (no shaky cam here). Raynor's return to the homestead was a little by the numbers, but still tugged the heartstrings effectively. Raynor's final confrontation was actually quite moving. The story ended as expected, all ready for the original games to kick off. It also makes Raynor's actions at the end of Starcraf: Wings of Liberty all the more heartbreaking.
These may have had the glaring omission of Protoss or Zerg, but the larger than life characters, the action and adventure as well as a good dose of heart, made it so that I hardly noticed. Overall, I’d say this was a great prequel novel to the games, and would definitely recommend any Starcraft fan give Devil Due a read.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the continuation of the origin story nobody asked for as started in Heaven's Devils. However, even though it was something that I never even considered as something worth finding out about, this was a very entertaining and fulfilling read. Here is the opportunity to get to know the real James Raynor and how deep his friendship with Tychus really was. The threat from the bounty hunter chasing them was palpable as was the feeling of loss when the other Devils fell into his hands. The action was exciting and well realised (no shaky cam here). Raynor's return to the homestead was a little by the numbers, but still tugged the heartstrings effectively. Raynor's final confrontation was actually quite moving. The story ended as expected, all ready for the original game to kick off. It also makes Raynor's action at the end of Wings of Liberty all the more heartbreaking.
These may have had the glaring omission of Protoss or Zerg, but the larger than life characters, the action and adventure as well as a good dose of heart, made it so that I hardly noticed.

[MarcMiccia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ragazzacci Blizzard
Il tetto era una cupola coperta da una membrana semitrasparente, che raccoglieva il calore del giorno per convogliarlo nelle celle di energia della fattoria. Di notte la membrana veniva ritratta. Un tempo aveva l'abitudine di mettersi su una sedia del soggiorno a guardare le stelle e a chiedersi cosa ci fosse là fuori.
Adesso che lo sapeva, avrebbe dato tutto per tornare a essere quel ragazzo. un ragazzo che di giorno lavorava duro e di notte guardava le stelle perso nelle sue fantasticherie prima, nel sonno della fatica e dell'innocenza poi.
Deglutì con forza per sciogliere il nodo inatteso che si era formato in gola e gli fu necessario un grosso sforzo per costringere i piedi a scendere dalla rampa.

[Phillip Wyrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did anyone else hear Tychus' voice from SC2 in their head as they read the book? That slow, deliberate south/western drawl? Personally my favorite part of the book. This novel adds in some interesting backstory to Tychus and Raynor. I thought it was very enjoyable.

Note to the people giving this low scores and trying to review it critically: The game its based off of has you controlling space marines and killing aliens. I mean, c'mon. Lighten up.

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Woof. Generally I've enjoyed Golden's stuff, but this was a hard pass for me. The character I liked from the first book gets around one chapter in this one, and I will say it's the only chapter I enjoyed, so there's that. The rest of it is just mostly Raynor & Tychus being unlikable. I skimmed a lot because it felt like nothing worth a damn was happening. It's like it desperately wanted to be Farscape, but just didn't have any of the heart or moral grounding to pull it off. Blah.

[Svnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good if you are a fan of SC and u played/saw games or read “Heaven’s Devils” before, won’t recommend if u have no idea about this universe. Explain the relationship of Jim and Tychus, which SC2WoL campaign haven’t explained well enough (at least for me), takes place a little before terrans campaign from StarCraft 1.

[Kate Woźniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book!!! It made me love Jim and especially Tychus so much more. It also made me understand Tychus better after WoL. It's a great and funny read and I recommend ALL Tychus fans to read this bad boy

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The aftermath from Heaven’s Devils book, tells you how Tychus’ and Jimmy’s adventures unfold and how they live through the fight for morals, ethics and Justice in this bloody Starcraft world.

[Josep Gómez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Un libro innecesario, incluso para fans del universo StarCraft.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overall good book with some wonderful art towards the back few pages. A mixture of heist and space adventure taking place several years after the events of Heven Devil's.

[AshBornd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Приключения блудного Рейнора.

Данная рецензия написана без претензии на объективность и без каких-либо признаков наличия литературного образования. Рекомендую расценивать её просто как мнение случайного человека из интернета.

История знакомства с книгой: Узнал о ней, будучи умеренным фанатом игры "Starcraft II".

Автор: Кристи Голден - внештатная, а с какого-то времени и вполне официальная сценаристка "Blizzard" и автор множества произведений по вселенным из произведенных данной компанией игр.

Замысел произведения: Предыстория ключевых персонажей игры "Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty" - Джима Рейнора и Тайкуса Финдли, повествующая об их приключениях ещё до событий первой части "Starcraft".

"Слог": Читается книга вполне сносно, но особенно ловких и приятных оборотов замечено не было. Также очень часто имена и словосочетания повторяются уже через несколько слов, что сбивает с темпа чтения и в целом звучит очень неказисто.

"Сюжет": Книга рассказывает в основном о разгульном образе жизни двух приятелей и нескольких злоключениях, что им доводится пережить.

"Драматичность": Драмы, сложных душевных переживаний и "внезапных поворотов" в большей части книги практически нет. Под конец нечто подобное, конечно, появляется, но раскрывается достаточно слабо и весьма схематично.

Персонажи: История повествует исключительно о Джиме и Тайкусе, оставляя остальных персонажей шаблонными и нераскрытыми. Более того, даже главный герой книги, каким казалось бы является Рейнор, тоже почти не раскрыт. И чуть лучше дела обстоят с Тайкусом Финдли, которому уделяется чуть ли не основная роль в данном произведении. Возможно замысел и заключался в том, чтобы лучше познакомить читателей именно с ним?

Юмор: Местами Голден пытается в юмор, создавая ситуации и используя различные фразы, которые, к сожалению, в лучшем случае можно назвать немного забавными. Возможно более юной и неискушенной аудитории понравится.

Резюме: Лично я ожидал большего от предыстории этих персонажей. По факту же мы имеем типичный рассказ из вселенной Starcraft, коих в обилии можно найти на официальном сайте Blizzard. Просто рассказ более расширенный до объема книги.
Для ценителей указанной вселенной, вероятно будет все-таки интересно узнать немного об отношениях Джима с Тайкусом, и как Рейнор в целом "дошел до жизни такой".
Людям, не причастным к "Starcraft", настоятельно рекомендую проходить мимо. Художественной ценности данная книга не представляет.

Оценку выставляю, как умеренный фанат игры, уважающий Джима Рейнора. - 6/10
Рейтинг "goodreads" - 4.06/5
Моя группа Вконтакте - https://vk.com/ashborndetv

[William Bentrim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devil’s Due by Christie Golden

A space opera with old fashioned riders of the sage feel, this books provides lightweight entertainment.

Considering how many people love this series I know I am going to tread on some toes. The book was entertaining but seems more suitable for a graphic novel. The characters were more like silhouettes than people. I felt they lacked depth.

One of the best parts of the book was the afterword that gave an overview of the series and a timeline. That was interesting and enlightening.

The book had plenty of action and included moral growth and change that helped. The lack of nuances and studied action made it a quick and painless read. I suspect it will be a huge hit for the adolescent who is reluctant to read and is looking for entertainment alone.

It is not a bad book, it just seems very light weight, kind of a diet or space opera lite. Much like the low cal potato chips, the book was worth reading but was lacking in the full bodied, heavy calorie, over salted true space opera.

I am sure I would have gotten more out of the book had I read more of the series.

[William Bentrim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devil’s Due by Christie Golden

A space opera with old fashioned riders of the sage feel, this books provides lightweight entertainment.

Considering how many people love this series I know I am going to tread on some toes. The book was entertaining but seems more suitable for a graphic novel. The characters were more like silhouettes than people. I felt they lacked depth.

One of the best parts of the book was the afterword that gave an overview of the series and a timeline. That was interesting and enlightening.

The book had plenty of action and included moral growth and change that helped. The lack of nuances and studied action made it a quick and painless read. I suspect it will be a huge hit for the adolescent who is reluctant to read and is looking for entertainment alone.

It is not a bad book, it just seems very light weight, kind of a diet or space opera lite. Much like the low cal potato chips, the book was worth reading but was lacking in the full bodied, heavy calorie, over salted true space opera.

I am sure I would have gotten more out of the book had I read more of the series.

I recommend the book.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the year 2494, Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay go AWOL (Away With Out Leave) from the military and begin a life of crime, stealing money from trains. Unfortunately, their commanding officer with from their past, seeks revenge for being AWOL, so he hires a notorious bounty hunter. They ask the boss of a criminal organization for protection, in exchange they have to work for him. As they are robbing a bank, the bounty hunter appears, but is killed by Tychus. As the cops arrive at the bank, Tychus distracted the cops, so Jim could escape to another planet called, Mar Sara and settled down.

I picked up this book because it was the continuation of the book StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils which I've already read.

I finished this book because I wanted to find out if Jim could escape his past and live peacefully.

I would recommend this book to readers who play Starcraft II because the book is based on the game.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Raynor and Tychus may have just hit their biggest’s mark yet...a Confederate cargo train. Jim and Tychus make off with heir goods including Confederate credits and a Jukebox.

To be honest, I am a computer game junkie. Though, I have not played the Starcraft games as much as Diablo or World of Warcraft. So, what drew me to this book was first the cover, I thought it was cool looking, second…the fact that it is based around the game, and third…I read the book summary and thought it sounded good. I have however read several books from author, Christie Golden. You can tell she is a dedicated gamer as well. She really brings the characters to life and as well as the story. It is as if you stepped into the game. I thought that Tychus and Raynor worked well together. They have each other’s backs. Tychus and Raynor reminded me of good ole fashion outlaws but the ones that everyone wanted to win. Starcraft: Devil’s Due is out of this world!

[Andrius · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're familiar with Starcraft universe and, specifically, with Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay, I can promise that you will laugh your ass off. Personally I couldn't stop laughing half the book.

Then came the second half... And everything became much darker and gloomier, but it was still enjoyable. The only thing that bugged me through out the book was somewhat rushed story. Two or three book series would have been so much nicer.

P.S. For full enjoyment, read Heaven's Devils first - references are all over this book.

[Casey Hodges · Rating 2 out of 5]

The sequel to an unnecessary back-story of Jim Raynor, and Tychus Findlay. It ties up the lose ends from the first book, in order to smoothly lead into Starcraft II. However, the opening chapters renders a lot of the previous book pointless. It definitely felt like two different ideas were being presented between the two books. This could be caused by the different authors, or Blizzard changed their minds about the direction of the story.

[Eli Skinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the main villain of the book got a bit tedious after awhile, and I hated some of the earlier decisions Christie made regarding characters in the last book, but what this book did brilliantly was establish the relationship between Tychus and Raynor in a very personal endearing way. It was similar to reading a cowboy crime novel, only in space and with higher stakes.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to like Jim Raynor.That being said, no one else is likeable.Their carousing is overboard and sickening, and overdone "boys will be boys " type deal.
It was a quick entertaining read. Once again , missing love.

[Jesse L · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was amusing...but not much beyond that. The writing is SO CORNY and bad it is just plain hilarious. Worth the read if you want to laugh and enjoy the starcraft world. Not worth the read if you don't like campy junk.

[Ivan Leong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part 2 of Jim Raynor's and Tychus Findlay's adventures. Really fun book to read since. I especially like how the book contains some artwork in the middle.
**SPOILERS***This was such a fun book to read its a shame there will not be a part 3 since Tychus is no longer alive in Starcraft 3.

[Micheal Pinkney]

Excellent

[Alan Ortega · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good background story of Jim Rayner and Tychus findlay's relationship but a very simple story

[Junho Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a nice interesting look into Raynor's earlier life.

[Keira F. Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fall of Jim and Tychus's shenanigans. Like the space-outlaw thing. Otherwise didn't really stick with me. Ho-Hum.

[Cesar Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun fun book!!