Flashpoint

Starcraft II #3

by Christie Golden

The Queen of Blades has fallen.

The sinister zerg leader no longer commands her legions of bloodthirsty aliens against the humans of the Koprulu sector, all thanks to the combined courage and tenacity of Jim Raynor, General Horace Warfield, and a mismatched team of Dominion soldiers and outlaw rebels.

Although the queen is no more, Sarah Kerrigan is very much alive. The woman who once controlled countless alien minds in a rampage across the stars has been spirited away by the man who dethroned her. Now Arcturus Mengsk’s Dominion armada is on her heels, roaring for blood. Jim Raynor will need to test his strength, his wit, and his loyalties against impossible odds to protect the woman he loves.

StarCraft II: Flashpoint bridges the events that take place in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and the upcoming StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. Featuring never-before-seen glimpses into Jim Raynor’s and Sarah Kerrigan’s past, this novel opens a window into a world of passion, action, and adventure.

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

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2012

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

[Filip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jestem pozytywnie zaskoczony, bo próbując przeczytać WarCrafta Pani Golden, odpuściłem po kilku stronach. Było zbyt infantylnie. Tym razem książka okazała się znacznie lepsza i poprawniej napisana/przetłumaczona? W żadnym wypadku nie jest to wybitna literatura i prawie nigdy adaptacje gier w formie książkowej nie mają na celu być „wybitne”. Uzupełnienie tego, co się działo po zakończeniu WOL a rozpoczęciu HOTS, które nie wprowadza za wiele do uniwersum, ale czyta się bardzo szybko i przyjemnie.
Fanom gier i uniwersum (jeśli jeszcze żyją i nie zajmują się swoimi dziećmi) polecam przeczytać, by ponownie poczuć atmosferę gier, spędzając czas z ulubionymi bohaterami.
Wszystkim innym odradzam, bo wątpię, by ktokolwiek zorientował się, o co chodzi, bez znajomości kontekstu.
Niestety cała seria trudna do zdobycia i raczej nie powróci do druku.

[Juan Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good writing, quite enjoyed it. The only criticism is its fast pace, maybe that's how modern books are written for the short attention spans of today... I look forward to reading other older books by Christie Golden.

[Jim Rottinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

In spite of Golden's great character development and dialogue, the content of this book can be described as nothing more than filler material. The book is supposed to serve as a bridge between the campaign stories in the Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm, which are the first two Starcraft II computer games, however, having played both campaigns, how much could really have happened between the two games? Wings of Liberty ends with the defeat of the Queen of Blades, leaving behind her former persona, Sarah Kerrigan, to be rescued by Jim Raynor, while Heart of the Swarm begins with Kerrigan being tested on in a laboratory. It's just a filler story.

One thing I did enjoy about the book, however, is that it filled in some of the details that the campaign stories left out or did not elaborate enough on, such as Narud's corruption, Valerian's reasons for betraying his father, and how exactly Mengsk came to be in possession of the Xel'Naga artifact.

[Ida Jagaric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun! Totally enjoyed it! Got to know some of the secondary characters a little more which was cool. :) I wasn't as engaged as I'd hoped but I find game novels rarely are engaging? They feel more surface-y. But the storytelling, including in this one, is always great.

[Yael · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice book, i love Christie Golden style of writing (which i missed since i read Vampire of the Mists), the events told here will serve as a bridge between Wings of liberty and heart of the Swarm and it tries to give us a new perspective on how much hardship Sarah Kerrigan endured as the queen of blades and how much mistrust and regret she felt when she regain her human self, it also show how much doomed is her relationship with Jim Raynor - which i felt really sad for her as we all know that she will return as the queen of blades for the heart of the swarm expansion, which means that Jim and her will part way once and for all :(

[Daena · Rating 2 out of 5]

feels like a filler story.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheesy Starcraft fan service. Not bad for a video game story, many spoilers discussing the history of Raynor, Kerrigan, and the Ghosts.

[AshBornd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Возгорание Сары Керриган

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". Читал после предыдущей книги автора по "Starcraft" под названием "Долги Дьяволов".

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: рассказ о событиях в коротком, но важном промежутке времени между "Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty" и "Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm".

"Слог": Читается книга немного лучше предыдущих Долгов Дьяволов, но все так же без особенно ловких и приятных оборотов. Имена и словосочетания тоже повторяются, но случается подобное реже.
В российском издании присутствует чрезмерное количество опечаток. В каком-то месте умудрились даже перепутать слова "отец" и "сын", что в момент чтения приводит в ступор, а читателя, не знакомого с Долгами Дьяволов введет в ступор.

"Сюжет": Книга начинает повествование прямо в момент завершения "Wings of Liberty" и плавно подводит к началу "Heart of the Swarm". Достаточно подробно освещаются приключения Рейнора, Валериана, Сары и экипажа Гипериона, раскрываются отношения персонажей.

"Драматичность": В отличие от все той же книги "Долги Дьяволов", "Точка возгорание" - произведение действительно драматичное. Взаимоотношения персонажей и личная драма Сары Керриган показаны весьма достойно.

Персонажи: За Джимом Рейнором все так же приятно наблюдать, как в игре.
Сара Керриган показана глубже, чем где-либо. Терзаемая своим прошлым, как далеким, так и недавним, она ищет в себе силы продолжать жить и бороться.
Отношения Джима и Сары раскрываются не только в настоящем, но и в прошлом, начиная с момента их знакомства и первой симпатии.
Неожиданно во всей красе раскрывается Валериан Менгск.
Присутствует в большем объеме Мэтт Хорнер.
А также эпизодически в событиях участвуют знакомые по игре Рори Свонн, Мира Хан и даже Игон Стетманн.

Юмор: Голден оставила попытки рассмешить кого-либо глупыми эпизодами (к примеру обилие Тайкуса без штанов в Долгах Дьяволов), а оставшиеся моменты легкой иронии стали гораздо более уместными. В целом книга изначально берет довольно серьезный тон и не отпускает его до конца, учитывая трагичность происходящих событий.

Резюме: "Точка Возгорания" - это отличный "мост" между двумя частями одной игры. Сюжетный пробел, оставленный в играх, хоть и не играет критической роли, но тем не менее остается пробелом. Книга же заполняет его, делая общее повествование более плавным.
Не могу не сравнивать данное произведение с книгой "Долги Дьяволов". История приключений Джима с Тайкусом, рассказанная в "Долгах", осталась для меня большим разочарованием, не предлагая ничего ценного ни для фанатов игры, ни для любителей фантастики.
В этот раз ситуация изменилась. Голден освещает важные события, раскрывает персонажей, создает интересные ситуации и не забывает о "драматизме.
Отличная книга для фанатов игры.

Людям не прошедшим игру "Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty" будет совершенно ничего непонятно. Читать только после ознакомления с игрой, или хотя бы пересказом её сюжета.

Оценку выставляю, как умеренный фанат игры. - 8/10
Рейтинг "goodreads" - 3.88/5
Моя группа Вконтакте - https://vk.com/ashborndetv

[Eroldren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eroldren give his thoughts on the latest StarCraft II bridge novel by Christie Golden.

“A slightly flawed gem Christie Golden’s Flashpoint is nonetheless a gem that shows her excellent storytelling is terrific reading material that can appeal to any StarCraft crowd.” – Eroldren, The Founding Fields

Beware; Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm spoilers included in the review down below.

By no means am I’m a stranger of the StarCraft franchise. After all, I've been spotlighting the StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm short stories that been coming out for the past couple of months and it’s been so far yet it’s been a fairly a strong series. However, even short stories can take their toll on me so I've decided to return my attention back to a StarCraft novel I was lucky to obtain courtesy of BlizzPlanet and Blizzard Entertainment: Flashpoint.

Picking straight right up from the very ending of Wings of Liberty Christie Golden continues the story of Jim Raynor, Sarah Kerrigan, Valerian Mengsk and the Raynor’s Raiders. We start part way into the Showdown cinematic as Jim Raynor shot his old friend Tychus Findlay dead and carries out Sarah Kerrigan out from primary hive cluster as Dominion battlecruisers fight far above in the heavens. After that point the road the story turns into a rather fascinating ride as we push onward which will eventual set up the starting area of Heart of the Swarm. Throughout the course of Flashpoint we see some more of the Raiders aboard the Hyperion seen during of Wings of Liberty storymode that offers us a wider perspective into the motley company outside from Raynor’s own narrow minded POV and the troubles he’s confronted with after saving Kerrigan.

For what’s it worth, despite Flashpoint’s story set within a tight timespan of 10 days it was a delightful read and quite informational page by page. Even if you haven’t dabbled with StarCraft fiction beforehand Flashpoint is packed with enough background material - both old and new - that any newcomer can appreciate it as a gateway novel which they can jump into without worrying about previous titles yet still see progression in the franchise’s ongoing storyline.

One thing that I found most interesting Christie addressed in the flashback aspects of Flashpoint that it greatly fleshed out the relationship between Sarah Kerrigan and Jim Raynor into something much more concrete. In Wings of Liberty we see Raynor has been lamenting over the loss of Kerrigan, a women he loved until betrayed by Arcturus Mengsk and transformed into the unrelenting Queen of Blades. Except that notion was something new brought into the StarCraft II trilogy. Where did Raynor and Kerrigan having a romantic relationship ever come from? Jeff Grubb’s Liberty’s Crusade and Queen of Blades by Aaron Rosenburg had seeded that Raynor and Kerrigan had developed a relationship on good terms behind-the-scenes after their first impressions of meeting each other, yet even there it felt something that eventually became a bygone friendship. For the majority of old school StarCraft gamers who played the campaign thought that relationship had died, or perhaps even considered a nonexistent romance that never happened after 12 years of knowing StarCraft and Brood War. Only mutual respect. It was out of the blue and there was nothing clarified to how and why this happened until Flashpoint came around.

For myself, I’m not entirely settled on the idea the Queen of Blades was an overriding persona that took control and repressed Sarah Kerrigan, who was unable to direct her own actions as a monstrous creature slaughter billions. It was an understandable reinterpretation of the events but it still robbed much meaning to the atrocities the Queen of Blades committed and her sadistic nature. In turn, that diminished her character as one the top favorite villainess in gaming history. (i.e. “Omega”)

Alongside that series of flashbacks Christie had also interweaved Mike Liberty from Liberty’s Crusade partially as a sideline character which I found quite interesting. Let’s say “You Pig!” been given a whole new meaning and waffles make a comeback. Too add with that, readers of StarCraft tie-in media can discovery nods to other works such as Cameron Dayton’s Kerrigan – Hope and Vengeance comic which some collaboration was done with Christie Golden, "Homecoming" by Chris Metzen (Frontlines Vol. 4), and Christie’s own The Dark Templar Saga. Finding those little in-universes references as minor layers of consistency were a pleasure to see uphold.

However, having played Heart of the Swarm before getting my hands on Flashpoint I did notice likewise the discontinuity between the two StarCraft II games and that in turn affected part of my immersion in a lesser extent. As a lore enthusiast I do keep out my eye for those background details that may reinforce previously written source material, see different interpretations, push forward my understanding of any fictional universe etc.

Without a doubt I found Christie’s storytelling in Flashpoint kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish in whichever area – dialogue, humor, action, pacing – it was mostly all in the green and I cannot give her fault from her end. Even authors licensed by Blizzard are not entirely in the loop of things as a game is being developed.

One matter I’ll nitpick is General Horace Warfield. Whilst I understand Warfield wasn't somebody who was deemed who wouldn't have an important role in the overall big picture for Flashpoint’s storyline it did feel rather irksome without him holding a presence in some way. After all, he was the Dominion general who been supervising Dominion military operations as soon Second Great War begun and help lead Valerian Mengsk’s invasion against Char together with Raynor’s Raiders. Now in Flashpoint set in the aftermath of Wings of Liberty and their victory disinfesting Kerrigan as the Queen of Blades – crippling the leadership of the Zerg Swarm – and our general been left in the dust and everyone stays silent as though they all forgotten about him. Trailers showed he would make a comeback in the expansion and pre-release press coverage noted him having established a Dominion base on Char but nothing that said was definitively explained to why Warfield remained on Char and continue to serve under Arcturus Mengsk’s reign. And this same train of thought can also be applied to an unexpected plot twist which I won’t spoil here. (And also a trivial area, a character who became somewhat aware of the “complicated” matter surrounding Matt Horner’s relationship with the charming crime lord Mira Han.) We as readers and players can speculate theories to why things happened as they did, yet then again, we don’t have yet anything to support them since nothing in Flashpoint was able to help explain or suggested through seeded breadcrumb plots being as valid enough reasons.

Other than that, Flashpoint is by no means a perfect StarCraft book as I found it to be but it was entry that I would regard as perhaps one the top five favorite novels.

At any rate, I sorely do hope Christie Golden will return to write the second novel that’ll bridge together Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void to uphold that storytelling continuity that Christie offers to readers. Besides, Heart of the Swarm ended on a point which can be thought as a cliffhanger in one aspect which I can see she would no doubt like to pick right up and explore further much to our delight.

Overall Verdict: 9/10

[MarcMiccia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il capitolo più inutile della saga
Jim si sentì spinto a parlare. "Su una cosa hai ragione" disse, bevendo una sorsata di brandy. Il liquido scese giù per la gola procurandogli una bellissima sensazione di bruciore. "Quelli vanno fermati. Va fatto. Se c'è una vita dopo la morte, quei bastardi dovranno rispondere di un bel pò di cose. Le loro polizie non fanno altro che imbottirsi le tasche, al prezzo di vite umane." Vite di persone oneste e per bene, che provano solo a condurre una vita normale. Persone che si fidavano, perchè dannazione, DOVEVANO potersi fidare. Fiduciose che il loro governo sarebbe stato felice di nutrirle, nutrirle di cibo e non di veleno. Fiduciose che se fossero partite volontarie per combattere una guerra per il governo, combattere e forse uccidere, se lì fossero cadute sarebbero state fatte tornare a casa con tutti gli onori. Fiduciose che i loro capi si sarebbero sbattuti per loro.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the odd souls who actually found the Starcraft II story to be compelling, this book will make a good read for those wishing to extend the whole experience.

It is nice to once again be in the company of these characters. Golden does a good job of drawing sharp, accurate portraits scene after scene.

A seasoned author of many similar books and some in the Starcraft universe, Golden writes from a place of knowledge of the universe, more so than I can claim to have and thus judge from. The story is not overblown. It takes its place in the epic saga calmly and with grace.

It is a nice read, the dialogue is good, and I would recommend it.

[Kumyin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book by chance off the shelves of the library on a whim. Gotta admit, I don't play StarCraft, so I did a little research about the backstory. Turns out, there's quite an interesting narrative behind it.

Anyway, back to the book. In my opinion, this book shouldn't be read by itself without knowing the characters or broad outline of the world of StarCraft. It's mostly just trying to escape from one recurring threat. By necessity, most of the main problems aren't resolved by the end of the book (since they are addressed in the game narrative if I'm not mistaken).

What I enjoyed from the book is how the characters thoughts, feelings and personalities are crystalized in the book. Wikipedia isn't much help when it comes to getting a sense of who the characters are. So it is with this mindset that I read the book and enjoyed myself thoroughly.

[Kate Woźniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flashpoint ties into the end of WoL and beginning of HotS and does an AMAZING JOB at portraying Raynor's and Kerrigan's relationship. It also explores Kerrigan and shows us how she's feeling about the entire situation. If you love her as much as I do and you have a lot if empathy to give, you may even find yourself crying at her self hatred.
All in all, Christie succeeded in showing not only Raynor/Kerrigan dynamics with current events and flashbacks, but also explain Kerrigan better. Amazing novel and I'm keep rereading chapters!

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a very enjoyable short read if you like Starcraft and Starcraft Lore. If you dont, you'll probably be lost, you need to have played Wings of LIberty for sure, but I think that's pretty obvious. the book is slightly slow in some places, and Jim Raynor is a bit over-tormomented about stuff if you ask me, but the material is great on the escape from Char and ends with a bang that kept me up late to finish

[Neurocomp · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprising engrossing. Not sure why people base their stars on if it'd be a literary classic....
its not targeted towards universal audience but the SC fan-base. Think i might pick up the rest of the series ...workign thru Evolution right now.

Still gotta play SC2 before they make SC3 mmo/rts (whcih i hope they learn from that valve game or that battflefield look alike)

[Lucrecia Berridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

One heck of a girl... or monster

Oh my god, I saw the blast when I closed my eyes (through Jim’s) and after i woke up, I just died after seeing Valarian and Egon’s faces!! PRICELESS!!!

[Krasimir · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knowing that it is between the Wings of Liberty and Hearth of the swarm- You can expect some characters to stay alive- there was no suspence, if You really want to know how the characters went from point A to point B You can read the wiki.

[Phillip Wyrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A enjoyable book for any Starcraft fan. Has tons of references to the SC2 Campaign and previous books. Sheds a lot of light on the connection between Kerrigan and Raynor. Highly recommend!

[Eidrian Mora · Rating 5 out of 5]

QUE ESTA INTEREZANTE, LA SERIE

[Svnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

ja chcę jeszcze raz

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story that bridges the gap between the end of Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm that nobody asked for. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy reading another book set in one of my favourite universes, but this had a preordained conclusion as established in the beginning of HofS so there was a certain sense of inevitability about the survival of known characters and demise of characters introduced in this book. An affliction that befalls most stories that slot in between to previously established events.
I enjoyed it, I just don't think it was able to justified it's existence.

[David King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the late 1990’s I discovered a PC game called Starcraft that I loved from the moment I installed it. Since then it has become a video game franchise that has continually entertained me although I never seemed to find the time to read any of the related novels. However, as the next game in the series was being released today I decided that I would read Christie Golden’s novel entitled “Flashpoint” which serves as a link between the newly released game and its predecessor. I probably did this mainly because I had to find some way to calm my anticipation that was running in overdrive.

The plot picks up directly from where the single player campaign in “Starcraft 2 – Wings of Liberty” concluded with Jim Raynor carrying Sarah Kerrigan out of a cave on Char following her transformation back into partly human form. From then on, the reader gets to follow Jim & Sarah as they attempt to firstly flee from Zerg infested Char and then escape the continued machinations of Emperor Arcturus Mengsk who is more determined than ever to ensure their deaths. Of course there are hidden dangers as well, especially as some of those who help them in their journey are after more than just simple gratitude.

The writing and pace seemed tidy and competent which I was happy to see in a video game tie in novel like this one but unfortunately I felt that the plot itself was a bit limited. For example, whilst there are some interesting developments and revelations in the book, they are all rather minor and I can’t say that any of them really surprised me. In addition, due to the book needing to tie in with the games there was no real sense of drama or risk as I knew that all the main characters were going to survive. I will add that Golden does try to deal with this by killing off a secondary character but this just felt a little forced and therefore it didn’t really work for me.

Whilst the story itself may have been a little bit lacking I found that the characters themselves were captured perfectly. Golden has done a great job in making it feel like all the major and minor characters have stepped out of the game and onto the page. The main character element of the book however is probably the relationship between Raynor and Kerrigan and how both of them react to Kerrigan’s return to humanity. I specifically appreciated seeing how Kerrigan was no longer the same woman she had been before infestation as she was now troubled by desperation, guilt and rage. These elements have all combined to create a highly damaged persona which is very understandable considering the billions of lives she has on her conscience.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable appetiser for the new Starcraft game that captures the characters perfectly. However the plot itself was probably a little bit limited in scope which I suspect this may be due to the constraints enforced by the games it is linking. Without doubt, this book’s appeal is limited to fans of the Starcraft franchise only and I couldn’t imagine someone enjoying it without any of the background that playing the games can provide. However, even for fans I am not sure if it will add much now that the latest game has actually been released which will probably cover most of the limited points revealed in this book anyway.

[Dino · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, i'd question my objectivity on any book that's related to StarCraft, simply because i consider myself to be a HUGE fan of the series and the story. Bearing that in mind, this is my opinion on the book.

The events in the book takes place after the last mission in StarCraft 2 : Wings of Liberty and before the first mission in StarCraft 2 : Heart of the Swarm.

I would like to start off by saying that quite a few people fault this book for being a "filler" or a "bridge" between two StarCraft games...and it really is that, BUT i don't find that to be a fault at all. Why should it be ? The book provided very interested background information regarding the events that happen between two games, and i LOVE that it does that. Above that, the book provided more background about Raynor's and Kerrigan's relationship, and the words "I love you." were finally said! (I'm all for the Raynor/Kerrigan love story so this was a huge plus for me)

I assume that the majority of people who take the time to read StarCraft literature are fans of the series and play the game, and i'm sure a lot of people were wondering what happened between Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm - well, this explains it. I personally found the story very interesting, action packed, informative but also very emotional. I think that Christie did a very good job writing this, given that it's MEANT to be a book that bridges two games, and made the most of it. Story about love, loss, betrayal (actually a lot of that going on), self-finding, trust (or lack there of) and the list goes on. I mean, when you start caring for a "minor" side character, you know that you're on to something good.

All in all, is it as good as Christie's "Dark Templar Saga" ? No. But not because the writing isn't on pair, but simply due to it's limitations as "Flashpoint" wasn't meant to be anything other than a "filler" (and in my opinion, a pretty good one). Is it worth reading ? I say yes. If you're a fan of the series, i definitely this that you should. I personally enjoyed it, but in full honesty, mostly because it was about Raynor and Kerrigan. I can't stress how much i enjoy their relationship, and learning more about it, what it used to be, where it might lead. Both of these characters have lead a hard and unfair life, and yet they still can't catch a break. Finding out about how their relationship started brings a little solace to my mind, knowing that there's a chance at least (PLEASE BLIZZARD) that they might find happiness and peace in the future.

[Frank Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I would like to introduce a book that I found was very interesting to read and had a lot of good stories and morals within the story. This book was a interesting book because in the book, it had a lot of morals even if it was actually a game related story. The name of the book is Starcraft- Flashpoint and it talks about the story of one man who found his love who was betrayed by his leader 10 years ago. In this book’s story, the man who’s name is Jim Raynor tries to find his old love who is now captured by the enemies because of the betrayal of his leader. Along the story, he has to go through a lot of dangers that affected him such as the pursue from his leader’s army, attacks from alien organisms, and the conflict inside of him as he wonder if he can actually find his love or not. This story had a lot of moral meanings such as not losing hope and always pursue the things that you wish to achieve. A example of this can be found in the books quote where the man says “I never gave up on you Sarah, don’t you give up on me.” This quote was said by Jim (the Man) when his love Sarah was trying to give up on escaping and turn herself back in to the aliens. This was a moral that was very important in this book because the whole book is about escaping and not losing hope and this quote was a very important part of the book that was needed in order for the author to explain the morals of the book. Another moral of this book was that everyone will pay eventually. This was portrayed with the death of the leader by the hands of Jim and Sarah’s hands at the end. He was thrown down to the aliens that was attacking the base of the leader. This was a good portrayal since the leader was the one who betrayed Sarah in the beginning and this book portrayed that everyone pays for their wrong doings in the end by making the leader get killed by the hands of Sarah. I suggest this book to people who are from 12 and above. This book is suitable for teens because there are the contents that all teens love which is fighting and the victory of the good. However, I also suggest this book to adults since this book has hidden meanings and morals that are suitable for adults as well.

[Sayomara Vesper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over all I found the book to be lacking. It wasn't that the characters or dialog was off in fact I felt they were the strongest part of the book.

But the book has such a narrow focus it gave the characters little room toe grow or change and with all the main characters confirmed for the next game there wasn't much drama in the book either.

Golden continues her tradition of killing females characters to create drama something that seems to been happening in all here resent novels.

Valerian Mengsk has become a huge Mary Sue with his only character fault being his father is evil. But of course he isn't the books makes many half hearten efforts to call his loyalty into question but is never feels true.

You don't need to read it to enjoy the Starcraft game and its not worth your money

Audio review can be found here
http://grandoldpodcast.blogspot.com/2...

[Ryan Finney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read books that tie into games, but seeing how I am a Starcraft fan and are eagerly awaiting the expansion (Heart of the Swarm), I thought I would give this "bridge" a shot. I must say that Christie Golden can write rather well. I bought the book for a fun read, and that's what I got plus more. The author did a great job portraying the characters you interact with in the game accurately, and even goes into some detail on their back story which I found helpful because I haven't read any other previous books dealing with Starcraft. The action was nicely done, and the plot minimal but still entertaining enough, Flashpoint was an interesting character-driven book. So, from a skeptic of cross media tie-ins, I am impressed and will be looking forward to reading whatever else she writes in the series, and perhaps others prior to this book that I haven't before.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Christie Golden. She really has a voice for these Blizzard franchises. The story itself was very solid, capturing the brief time between Starcraft II and its first expansion. Sometimes it felt as if it was constantly looping itself. Rayner was always boohooing about Marcus and having to shoot him at the end of Starcraft 2. It was interesting to see them "retcon" the romantic relationship Rayner and Kerrigan had throughout the initial Starcraft 1 Terran Campaign. They even squeezed in some old favorites from the book series, like Michael Liberty, so that was a treat. Overall, it's worth a read, but don't feel as if you'll be missing out on any pertinent information for Starcraft II Heart of the Swarm if you don't read it.

[Tiff Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun, easy read. Good dialog, good character development, great action sequences, all in a pretty believable outer space, science-fiction setting. In spite of being smack in the middle of the StarCraft lore, I was able to follow everyone's stories and backgrounds pretty easily, thanks to several flashback chapters. Blizzard hired a good writer for this particular story, and I wouldn't mind reading more.

That said, the writing is very basic, and feels (to me) to be at a junior high level or so, though some of the content is more adult. This kind of book is the kind I would read between more heavy-hitters, to give my brain a break while still feeling like I went to another world.

[Matt McRoberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great action story for joining the two Starcraft 2 games (Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm) picking up right at the end of Wings of Liberty. It's nice to see more life given to these characters then just what is in the computer games. The Starcraft universe is fun to read about and this story does a good job of taking elements and stories from the games and making something more with it.

Great for anyone who has played the Starcraft games, if not Flashpoint is still good for a sci-fi action lover as are any of the other Starcraft books out there.

[Lonnie Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could, I'd give it a 3.5, but I wouldn't go up to 4.. so I rounded down to 3.

I enjoyed Flashpoint, but it was mostly out of a need for more Starcraft 2 story as Heart of the Swarm's release approaches. The writing is not great, though there were a few great/hilarious lines.

Story-wise, it was somewhere between fine and pretty good. I did really enjoy the flashbacks that explored Kerrigan and Raynor's relationship pre-infestation. In terms of the bits of story bridging the gap between WoL and HotS, it did a good job. And there were some great action/fight sequences.