Independence Day: Silent Zone

Independence Day #1

by Stephen Molstad

In the official prequel to Independence Day, Dr. Brackish Okun, head scientist of Area 51, begins to suspect that a massive government cover-up has successfully buried all evidence of alien visitation throughout the years—a cover-up in which Okun is now an unwilling participant.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction Fantasy, Thriller, Aliens

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Adam Czarnecki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so this book is surprisingly good. I got it as a gift some time ago and was going through my book collection the other day and, with the new movie on my mind, decided to read a little of it. I know what you're thinking, though, and I thought it to. It's a movie tie-in, right? Put out twenty years ago to further capitalize on the ID4 craze. I wasn't expecting much, but the first chapter was so intriguing I decided to keep reading.

The novel centers around Dr. Brackish Okun, the character played by Brent Spiner in the movie, and how he got to become the Director of Research at Area 51. The author captures the character's memorable quirks and mannerisms so precisely it's hard not like him. And while that particular story is entertaining enough, what I liked most about the book is how rich some of the other characters (not seen in the movie) at Area 51 were. Again, I know what you're thinking... all I can say is that Stephen Molstad (the author) should really be writing original novels. He's very, very good and certainly has the imagination for them. (Unfortunately, a quick search reveals that he seems to only work on movie-tie in material.)

Otherwise, I liked how the book details a few alien abduction stories and makes part of the overall ID4 narrative, and the many, many small details about the alien's technology and culture, such as the fact that the "biomechanical suits" are actually [MINOR SPOILERS HERE ON OUT] the carcasses of cattle-like beings from a world they previously conquered and their ships seem to have been grown rather than built. It's all very interesting, and adds something to the otherwise over-the-top movie everyone pretends to look down on. The upcoming sequel would do well to incorporate some of these little, creepy details.

[Frans Werrij · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's obviously more to come. Nice reading.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silent Zone is a good prequel to the movie ID4: Independence Day. The story mostly takes place in Area 51 with the scientists trying to figure out how to make the alien ship function. Since only one of the characters is in the movie, it is impossible to say whether Molstad is true to the movie. I found that I had to sit down and watch the movie again just to be sure that Okun was who I though he was.

But Molstad does a good job explaining why the aliens came back when they did, leaving you to do the math and figure out why they came back in the movie. He also explains why the ship crashed and how it functioned, none of which appeared in the movie. I got so involved with the last 80 pages of the book; I had to finish it quickly.

So, if you loved the movie and want to know more about how it all started in 1947, pick up Silent Zone and enjoy. It is not action-packed…but it is good storytelling.

I rated this book an 8 out of 10.

[John Stinebaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cool prequel. Makes Dr. Okun a much more interesting character and makes Nimzeki a complete villain.

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally a novel about everyone's favorite Brent Spiner character: Brackish Okun!

But seriously, the strength of this book is that the author crafted a whole book around a cameo. I enjoyed this book. This three star rating is a happy three stars.

Here are my notes:

*I wanted more 70s stuff. This book is set in 1972, I wanted to see how the current events intersected with this story.
*I wanted even more Brackish Okun--I thought we could have gotten inside his head a little more. How does a hippy reconcile working for the military industrial complex?
*WHY WASN'T THIS A MOVIE!!?? Seriously we could have had 90s Brent Spiner in a 70s conspiracy movie. It would have been like X-Files meets Ocean's 11 meets Barney Miller meets me for dinner this sounds awesome.
*The story is fun, but I wanted to take my time with various story elements--I think it could have been more focused. I compliment the author for having so many fun ideas, but I felt like this also made the book a little mushed together in parts, particularly the ending.
*More casinos! So Okun is stuck in an underground lab with four elderly scientists who like to take monthly trips to Vegas who use math to beat the house. I want to be at the tables with these guys and see what their methods are. I want to learn how to count cards!
*Hat's off to the author for writing a prequel to one of the biggest blockbuster action movies with pretty much no action scenes. I loved that.
*I didn't like the ending, I thought it was too much telling and not enough showing. It also felt kind of shoe horned in.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)

I'm finally going through my tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.

I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)

First time read the author's work?: Yes

Will you be reading more?: Yes

Would you recommend?: Yes


------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked

Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)

[Gene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked reading this book. It was certainly better than I expected, though I had no idea about the plot before reading it. I expected an immediate sequel to Independence Day that detailed the days after what we saw in the movies. What I got was a prequel that focused solely on Dr. Brackish Okun and government cover-ups, and it worked. The story was good and at times compelling. The only reason I gave it 3 stars is because a lot that we learn in this prequel does not line up well with what happens in Independence Day (as far as what the scientists do and don't know in 1996). It's worth a read if you're into the genre, and a must read if you like/love the movie.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit to loving this book. It tells the story of how Dr. Brackish Okun (played by Brent Spiner in the films) first came to Area 51 straight out of college, and revolves around the intrigues in the lab and with the previous head of research there. It's...not an intellectual read, but I liked the film character and so enjoyed getting to see his backstory. This book is probably not considered strictly "canon" to the films, but I can't think of anything specifically contradictory, either. A few other familiar faces also show up here and there. It's a great side-jog into a universe that's always been fun to explore.

[Lady Earth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ez a könyv, bár először úgy tűnik a Függetlenség Napját folytatja, aztán viszakapcsol korábbi eseményekhez, méghozzá Okun, a filmben látott őrült hosszú őszhajú tudós feljegyzéseihez évtizedekkel korábbról, amelyet rejtélyes módon a lezuhant űrhajó roncsai közt találnak meg…. Hogyan és miért került oda? Erről szól ez az előzmény történet. Amúgy elég érdekes és jól megvilágítja a hátterét az egész sztorinak, kivéve, hogy a történelmi eseményeket elég szabadon kezeli (l. Manhattan-terv, V-2, Peneemünde, rakétakísérletek és hidrogénbombák, Bikini-atomrobbantás). A többi viszont érdekes fikció, úgyhogy nem volt rossz elolvasni, a levonást az előbbiekért adtam.

[R.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly good movie tie-in! I read it as background for a writing project, and it was low-key fun. A looot of talking and trying to figure things out with probably questionable science logic, but I expected that from this franchise. I did like the background characters that were introduced, as they were fun to hang out with for a bit, and overall it felt like some good crunchy background for Okun's character.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn't think I'd like this book at all... I'm not really into stories about battling aliens. But once I started I couldn't put it down. Great character development, great story. Loved it!!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly good.

[AronJean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whole lot of fun, gave a lot of interesting insight on one of the more interesting characters in the film. I'd read more like this!

[Annemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good for a movie tie-in, and it left me wanting more! A nice, fast paced read which makes you appreciate the movie(s) even more. And a little sad because Dr. Okun deserved better.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, interesting prequel that builds on the lore of the movie to introduce a well-thought-out expanded universe

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting prequel to the first movie, fills in some gaps of the Area 51 research they were doing on the Roswell crashed ship.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3 Star, interesting little addition to the lore.

[Zoltán · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahogy már mások is jelezték, a könyv címe voltaképpen egy hoax, átverés. Beetetés, amire ez a könyv egyáltalán nem szorult volna rá. A nyitó fejezet paragrafusait leszámítva ugyanis a regény retrospektíve azokat az előzményeket tárja elénk, melyek egymásutánisága végül a filmet ismerő közönség számára oly ismerős pillanatig, a földönkívüli idegenek inváziójáig vezet. Ily módon nem a Függetlenség Napja folytatását, hanem a mozisiker prelude-jét tartja az olvasó kezében, középpontjában a vászonról már ismert, a szórakozott zseni klasszikus figuráját megtestesítő fiatal tudóssal, a kiejthetetlen nevű Brackish Okun alakjával.
A Csendzóna az ő sztorija, személyes története, mely egy ponton egybeforrni látszik az emberiség modern történetének egyik legtalányosabb rejtélyével: mi történt 1947-ben Roswell közelében? S mi folyik azóta az 51-es körzetben? A sci-fi regény írói ezzel a történettel ágyazták be a mozifilm eseményeit az ufókutatók alapozómítoszába, így válik érthetővé – és talán kissé valószínűbbé – annak a forgatókönyvnek a vázlata, mely a Földet „napjainkban” az emberek és egy idegen faj élet-halál harcának helyszínévé tette. A Függetlenség Napja és ez az előzményregény azonban nem is különbözhetne jobban egymástól. Ugyan a Csendzóna sem több, mint könnyed, szórakoztató délutáni olvasmány, súlytalan ponyva, ám annak a szerethetőbb fajtájából. Kevesebb pátosz, több humor, emberközelibb karakterek, néhol egészen P.G. Wodehouse-ra hajazó irónia. Sci-finek csupán közepes alkotás lenne, de a találó karakterválasztások ezt a regényt az igazán kellemes olvasmányok szintjére emelik.

[Jesse Poland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, So yes, Movie is coming out, and yes I saw the Omnibus at chapters and said, "wth!", picked it up with the prequel to the new movie and since it comes out in a week, ya I am burning through them all. To give you a bit of context how fast, I picked the Omnibus up on Tuesday, Finished the ID4 part on Thursday Morning, and am half way through Silent Zone now.

On so obviously as seen by you the reader and written/reviewed by others, It centers on the character Brent Spiner plays in the first movie. Dr Okun.

Also, before i go on, and not as spoiler, But based on the Trailer of Resurgence and Chapter 7 of this book, YES! It is all cannon! 100% legit! And i freaking love it!

Ok, now my take. Wicked. Not as fast the ID4 book, but its a hell of a page turner and i expect to be done this book by the end of the day and continue on into Independence Day: War In The Desert.

That is pretty much as far as i will go. Everyone else has said it already, but i will say it again, this book gives a deeper backstory to the Area 51 'real life myth' and movie cannon as described in the novelization.

Again, I want to add for everyone's benefit, these novels are cannon, they are considered official and are apart of the overall story line. I highly recommend reading them!

[Anwesh Ganguli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brackish Okun... The crazy hippie scientist! What a character. The fact that this is a prequel, I thought I would miss David, Mr Levinson, Prez Whitmore and the gang! But somehow, Okun and his 'hippy' kinda mannerism with an excellent scientific mind kept me distracted and more grounded to this prequel. Loved the characters, the dark ones the morally strong ones. And after reading this book, there are many parts in this book which are connected to the main movie, which you can't miss and you get a better understanding about the alien race. Anyway, all in all, if you are a SciFi lover and loved the movie, you would most definitely dig this book. It was Okun all over the place.

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just another book. It neather moved me nor made me cringe. If it was a longer book, I probably wouldn't have bothered to finish it. That being said, it was easy to visualize the antics of Dr. Okun (especially since Brent Spinner fits Okun's personality) and they were enjoyable in themselves. I probably wouldn't recommend this book because, though entertaining, it didn't add anything to build on an important part of the story the movie was based on or give the reader anything to take away.

[Heather's Mum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Offshoot of movie ID4, The Silent Zone details the early career of Dr. Brackish Okun (played by Brent Spiner in the movie)and also delves into the aliens' technology. In addition, this book discusses the crash at Roswell, New Mexico.

Dr. Okun finds a second craft in Mexico in an area nicknamed the "Silent Zone." The Secretary of Defense Albert Nimziki, director of the CIA, shreds a report by Okun on the possibility of aliens visiting Earth someday.

See the 1996 movie ID4 - sensational

[Bradley]

Prequel to the ID4 movie. I thought it was surprisingly well written for this type of thing but the story itself.... just didn't interest me as much as it could have and so stopped after about 150 pages. The beginning takes place just after the movie and then quickly moves back into the past. That taste at the beginning only left me wanting more of the after events of the movie so for the rest of the book to be a prequel was disappointing....

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

After fighting back the attack of Aliens soldiers of Delta Company find in an alien battleship a notebook of young scientist from 1970s. The notes say about researxh in supersecret lab. In 1970s there was a report on possible Alien invasion on Earth, but someone wanted to hide it.

[Bryce Tidd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very good. It had a very good storyline with mystery, and it always kept me wondering what would happen next. I definitely recommend it because it is very sci-fi and all about the mysterious spacecraft that landed at Roswell. Overall a very good book.

[Lee Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's actually not a bad story, written well enough and is solid companion piece to the film.

There is one major plot element introduced in the beginning which is left unresolved and several unanswered questions but I enjoyed it

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great compendium for ID4 fans. Definitely a "popcorn" book, a quick read.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Filled gaps from the film.

[Mike B · Rating 5 out of 5]

wish there were more, I enjoyed this novel

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book. Answered a few questions that came from the movie. Also brought up a few more. This book also made me like Dr. Okam. Before reading this I never really gave him much thought.