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Four years after the end of the Brood War, Emperor Arcturus Mengsk has rebuilt much of the Terran Dominion and consolidated a new military force despite an ever-present alien threat. Within this boiling cauldron of strife and subversion, a young woman known only as Nova shows the potential to become Mengsk's most lethal and promising "Ghost" operative. Utilizing a combination of pure physical aptitude, innate psychic power, and advanced technology, Nova can strike anywhere with the utmost stealth. Like a phantom in the shadows, she exists only as a myth to the enemies of the Terran Dominion.
Yet Nova wasn't born a killer. She was once a privileged child of one of the Old Families of the Terran Confederacy, but her life changed forever when a rebel militia murdered her family. In her grief, Nova unleashed her devastating psychic powers, killing hundreds in a single, terrible moment. Now, on the run through the slums of Tarsonis, she is unable to trust anyone. Pursued by a special agent tasked with hunting down rogue telepaths, Nova must come to terms with both her burgeoning powers and her guilt -- before they consume her and destroy everything in her path....
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 28, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
June 10, 2016
I can sincerely recommend this novel to every StarCraft fan and also to everyone in need of an enjoyable sci-fi story. It's a flicking good book!
I've always liked Blizzard Entertainment and their games but sometimes their lack of originality would make me pretty angry. In case of Nova the main purpose of introducing her into the story was replacing Sarah Kerrigan as a badass female sniper who could turn invisible. Even her genuine character portrait was the same as Kerrigan's but with blonde hair instead of red. Story writers at Blizzard have named some of their creations in a rather idiotic way (e.g. Warcraft's Valeera Sanguinar - sanguinis means blood in latin and I think it's a bit too much a common knowlegde to use it in a fantasy story set in a totally alternative universe) but when I first heard the full name Nova had been given I laughed out loud. "Terra Nova"? Seriously?
All this doesn't change the fact that I have really liked Nova since I've first seen her in-game. I found out later that despite my first impression she has her own background story and it's quite an interesting one. I've enjoyed the novel by Keith DeCandido very much - the story focuses on the path that led Nova to become a Dominion Ghost and what I really liked about it was the subtle way the author marks the main in-game events that take place during the same period. Beside the cool swearing and distinctive language of the Gutter that's what makes the universe depicted deeper than I've actually expected. A really enjoyable read.
I've always liked Blizzard Entertainment and their games but sometimes their lack of originality would make me pretty angry. In case of Nova the main purpose of introducing her into the story was replacing Sarah Kerrigan as a badass female sniper who could turn invisible. Even her genuine character portrait was the same as Kerrigan's but with blonde hair instead of red. Story writers at Blizzard have named some of their creations in a rather idiotic way (e.g. Warcraft's Valeera Sanguinar - sanguinis means blood in latin and I think it's a bit too much a common knowlegde to use it in a fantasy story set in a totally alternative universe) but when I first heard the full name Nova had been given I laughed out loud. "Terra Nova"? Seriously?
All this doesn't change the fact that I have really liked Nova since I've first seen her in-game. I found out later that despite my first impression she has her own background story and it's quite an interesting one. I've enjoyed the novel by Keith DeCandido very much - the story focuses on the path that led Nova to become a Dominion Ghost and what I really liked about it was the subtle way the author marks the main in-game events that take place during the same period. Beside the cool swearing and distinctive language of the Gutter that's what makes the universe depicted deeper than I've actually expected. A really enjoyable read.
August 10, 2018
STARCRAFT is the somewhat underappreciated kid brother to World of Warcraft. It's by no means a small franchise, especially in South Korea, but it doesn't have same huge cultural weight as Warcraft/World of Warcraft. I'm also a bit annoyed that it doesn't have nearly as much of its Expanded Universe available on Kindle or in print anymore. On the other hand, it's not like its vanishing anytime soon either with Starcraft II being technically three different games.
Still, one of my favorite characters in the franchise is Nova. She's a brainwashed assassin working for the EVIL Confederacy and later the equally evil Dominion then the not-so evil Dominion. Basically, at the end of the day, whoever the government is in charge will be her boss. This is her backstory written by one of my favorite "popcorn fantasy/sci-fi" authors in Keith R.A. DeCandido.
November Annabella Terra is the daughter of a luxurious Southern Plantation IN SPACE family that has (unknowingly) hidden her psychic abilities from her as just her being, "empathic." Her life goes through a series of horrible tragedies as she faces up against anti-Confederacy rebels, Confederate corruption, and eventually into the hands of an evil crime lord.
Much of her backstory was meant to be involved in a 3rd person shooter which was never released but would become the basis for a lot of Starcraft II: Winds of Liberty. It's especially poignant because Nova is eventually going to have most of her memories erased by the corrupt Confederacy. However, by the time the story is done, you probably will think this is a blessing rather than a curse.
Fans of Starcraft expecting much in the way of alien on human action will be disappointed since this is set before humanity discovers the Zerg or Protoss. As such, all of the enemies are despicable humans. It does, however, give a lot of insight into the Pre-Dominion human cultures of the setting.
Sadly, this book is not available in ebook format and must be bought as a paperback second-hand. I hope Blizzard will change its mind and somehow get the rights back for this for a re-release because it is such an entertaining story. Nova's adventures are continued in the Starcraft: Ghost Academy manga after this that are also, unfortunately, expensive and hard to find.
9/10
Still, one of my favorite characters in the franchise is Nova. She's a brainwashed assassin working for the EVIL Confederacy and later the equally evil Dominion then the not-so evil Dominion. Basically, at the end of the day, whoever the government is in charge will be her boss. This is her backstory written by one of my favorite "popcorn fantasy/sci-fi" authors in Keith R.A. DeCandido.
November Annabella Terra is the daughter of a luxurious Southern Plantation IN SPACE family that has (unknowingly) hidden her psychic abilities from her as just her being, "empathic." Her life goes through a series of horrible tragedies as she faces up against anti-Confederacy rebels, Confederate corruption, and eventually into the hands of an evil crime lord.
Much of her backstory was meant to be involved in a 3rd person shooter which was never released but would become the basis for a lot of Starcraft II: Winds of Liberty. It's especially poignant because Nova is eventually going to have most of her memories erased by the corrupt Confederacy. However, by the time the story is done, you probably will think this is a blessing rather than a curse.
Fans of Starcraft expecting much in the way of alien on human action will be disappointed since this is set before humanity discovers the Zerg or Protoss. As such, all of the enemies are despicable humans. It does, however, give a lot of insight into the Pre-Dominion human cultures of the setting.
Sadly, this book is not available in ebook format and must be bought as a paperback second-hand. I hope Blizzard will change its mind and somehow get the rights back for this for a re-release because it is such an entertaining story. Nova's adventures are continued in the Starcraft: Ghost Academy manga after this that are also, unfortunately, expensive and hard to find.
9/10
April 16, 2008
The main character's name is Nova Terra(kinda funny cause a strange test was called the Terra-nova). She is a psychic who is working in the Terran military and this is her story of before she became a dog of the military.She was born a telepath but did not know the extent of her own powers until she unleashed her powers upon some killers that killed most of her family in her own home.She ran away from authorities into the “slum” district of the city called The Gutter. She was forced to work under a crime lord who called himself Fagin and led a miserable existence in the time she spent in the Gutter. Fagin saw her abilities as a way to implant fear into the people he controlled. The authorities sent a military agent to search for Nova to be a telepathic ghost soldier that would aide them greatly in the ongoing war against the two alien species, the Protoss and the Zerg.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2014
A note for anyone considering this novel: There is zero appearance of the Zerg or the Protoss in this title. It is primarily a character exploration story, with minimal action. It is definitely worth a read, but not a good target for normal expectations of Starcraft carnage.
November 20, 2019
Read this book after moving to South Korea and finding it in a shop; figured Starcraft is a thing largely because of this country, so why not? Admittedly I know nothing about the Starcraft universe, videogames nor any other media, so went into this based on the back of the book; telekinetic future soldiers and alien armies, good enough.
The story is split between following title protagonist Nova and a Wrangler (detective) looking for her. Following a traumatic event and unearthing of psychic powers, fifteen year old Nova flees from her luxurious life and descends into The Gutter, the typical seedy underbelly of a typically extreme class-divided future society. The Wrangler pursues as Nova is drawn more deeper into the Gutter, with a slew of expected awfulness following.
The usage of "typical" and "expected" isn't bias; the main villain here is named Fagin, and it is even explicitly stated that this is a Dickens and Oliver Twist reference. The entire story is Oliver Twist retold; a good person experiences one awful thing after another, begrudgingly participating at times and howling in horror and trauma. While Nova differs from Twist by having psychic powers and the story being told in a (very unoriginal) classist-future society, there really isn't anything new here, particularly because it follows the Oliver Twist storyline beat by beat nearly, which is of the most overused and worn out formats present.
The detective story is likewise dull, not because it follows a format but because it follows the quick outline the author clearly drew up on the first draft and didn't change. It's a useless story that has no effect; eventually it ends, and not by any effort of the detective.
Further, and this is a more personal annoyance but worth mentioning, this is a story which has absolutely zero effect upon finishing. What I mean is that the entirety of the story becomes, not literally but with the same effect, "It was all a dream." Nothing makes me, as a reader, feel robbed more than being told that everything that happened and the 4 hours I spent reading this thing, within the world of the book, either didn't happen or are no longer, in any way shape or form, even relevant. I understand this is a common ploy among tie-in works, a way to tell a unique story in the universe and yet avoid being or damaging canon, but--- it also makes the entire work utterly useless save you being a rabid fan of the series, which I am not.
Overall weak. Had fun with the first few chapters, up until the discovery of Nova's latent powers, but after that, which is 4/5 the book, it becomes a very cheap Oliver Twist that does very little, and even that little is then stripped to nothing at the end.
Weak.
The story is split between following title protagonist Nova and a Wrangler (detective) looking for her. Following a traumatic event and unearthing of psychic powers, fifteen year old Nova flees from her luxurious life and descends into The Gutter, the typical seedy underbelly of a typically extreme class-divided future society. The Wrangler pursues as Nova is drawn more deeper into the Gutter, with a slew of expected awfulness following.
The usage of "typical" and "expected" isn't bias; the main villain here is named Fagin, and it is even explicitly stated that this is a Dickens and Oliver Twist reference. The entire story is Oliver Twist retold; a good person experiences one awful thing after another, begrudgingly participating at times and howling in horror and trauma. While Nova differs from Twist by having psychic powers and the story being told in a (very unoriginal) classist-future society, there really isn't anything new here, particularly because it follows the Oliver Twist storyline beat by beat nearly, which is of the most overused and worn out formats present.
The detective story is likewise dull, not because it follows a format but because it follows the quick outline the author clearly drew up on the first draft and didn't change. It's a useless story that has no effect; eventually it ends, and not by any effort of the detective.
Further, and this is a more personal annoyance but worth mentioning, this is a story which has absolutely zero effect upon finishing. What I mean is that the entirety of the story becomes, not literally but with the same effect, "It was all a dream." Nothing makes me, as a reader, feel robbed more than being told that everything that happened and the 4 hours I spent reading this thing, within the world of the book, either didn't happen or are no longer, in any way shape or form, even relevant. I understand this is a common ploy among tie-in works, a way to tell a unique story in the universe and yet avoid being or damaging canon, but--- it also makes the entire work utterly useless save you being a rabid fan of the series, which I am not.
Overall weak. Had fun with the first few chapters, up until the discovery of Nova's latent powers, but after that, which is 4/5 the book, it becomes a very cheap Oliver Twist that does very little, and even that little is then stripped to nothing at the end.
Weak.
January 22, 2018
The novel that got me into reading, a genuine recommendation.
I read this book for the first time a number of years ago; during a time where I only enjoyed films and viewed imagery/graphic novels. Reading just hadn't grabbed me up until that point.... That was until I read this novel, a novel with such a touching story that tragic protagonist that I simply have not looked back since.
While author Keith R.A. DeCandido's pros are not the most sophisticated; his writing strength lies in his ability to create a truly heart felt story, with sympathetic characters' and an emotionally moving plot. Rarely have I ever felt such sympathy for a protagonist who truly hits rock bottom and despite having read hundreds of books since, never have I ever felt as emotionally invested as I have with this story, its truly a fantastic science fiction tale. Don't get me wrong, other novels have grabbed me as a reader in other spectacular and investing ways, but the heart in this story is truly somewhat of a master-craft that deserves your attention.
a book with a great heart and a must read for fans of tragic heroes, Science Fiction and or great stories, do yourself a favor and give this book a read.
A 5 out of 5
I read this book for the first time a number of years ago; during a time where I only enjoyed films and viewed imagery/graphic novels. Reading just hadn't grabbed me up until that point.... That was until I read this novel, a novel with such a touching story that tragic protagonist that I simply have not looked back since.
While author Keith R.A. DeCandido's pros are not the most sophisticated; his writing strength lies in his ability to create a truly heart felt story, with sympathetic characters' and an emotionally moving plot. Rarely have I ever felt such sympathy for a protagonist who truly hits rock bottom and despite having read hundreds of books since, never have I ever felt as emotionally invested as I have with this story, its truly a fantastic science fiction tale. Don't get me wrong, other novels have grabbed me as a reader in other spectacular and investing ways, but the heart in this story is truly somewhat of a master-craft that deserves your attention.
a book with a great heart and a must read for fans of tragic heroes, Science Fiction and or great stories, do yourself a favor and give this book a read.
A 5 out of 5
January 20, 2013
Well, this one was probably the worst book I read in my entire life. It should have been a novelisation of a game that was never released, and it doesn't work because we have that same clicheed story of a child who has great-up-to-legendary potential. To add an insult to injury, 'f***' words are replaced with 'freck'. And since that is only thing I remember from this novel, you can see how bad it was.
October 21, 2018
If you love StarCraft this is a must read!
July 2, 2021
I reread this after about 3 years, still thoroughly enjoyable. One of my favourites!
September 27, 2022
1) "All around them, the partygoers were partaking of the food on the tables, the servants ably refilling any plates that were in danger of emptying. The punch bowl remained three-quarters full no matter how much of it was imbibed—and, it seemed, old Garth Duke was determined to imbibe most of it himself."
2) "Once, Malcolm Kelerchian was the finest investigator in the Tarsonis Police Force's Detective Squad. But the TPF didn't keep good investigators for very long—they were often snapped up by the military or the government, deemed far too useful to be wasted on mere local policing.
That was a pity, as far as Mal was concerned. He liked being a detective. His clearance rate was three times that of any other detective in the squad. Admittedly, this wasn't a difficult feat to accomplish. The TPF was primarily made up of thugs and bruisers who mostly just made sure that the interests of the rich were protected."
3) "Like everyone else, Markus started out as a runner for the local dealer. In his case, it was Orphy Jones, back when he ran Pyke Lane. By the time Markus worked his way up to being a barker, Orphy got his head blown off by a rival dealer, the guy everyone called Grin, on account of how he didn't never smile. Grin's main lieutenant was a fast-loader named Jules.
Wasn't long before Markus saw the words on the screen: Jules was the brains. Grin was just muscle, and wasn't much longer before a bullet from Jules's T20—this was before the P220s came out—was in Grin's skull and Jules started callin' himself 'Fagin' for some reason and started taking territory."
4) "Mal was suddenly startled by the beeping of his earpiece, with his computer informing him that it was Officer Fonseca. 'Excuse me, ma'am, I need to take this.' Without waiting for Killiany to acknowledge this, he said, 'Go ahead, Larry.'
'I got somethin'—probably shoulda brought it to you sooner, but I figured it was crap like most—'
Mal didn't have the patience for this—not today. 'Spit it out, Larry.'
'Big talk on the street these days is someone workin' with Fagin—calls herself the Blonde. Some kinda enforcer.'
'Fagin?' The name didn't ring any bells with Mal. 'Who's that?'
'You don't know who Fagin is?' Larry sounded incredulous. 'He runs everything down here.'
Mal couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'What do you mean?'
'He runs all the crap down here: the drugs, the protecton rackets, the booze—it all flows through Fagin. I thought you knew that, Mal—how the flick could you not know that?'"
5) Larry shook his head. 'Dammit, Mal, you used to be a good cop. A good cop knows his territory.'
In a weak voice, and knowing it was foggy as the words came out of his mouth, Mal said, 'I never worked the Gutter.'
'Then you shoulda learned. Dammit, Mal, you used to be good police, and good police know how to work a neighborhood. Here's a clue: You don't do it by talkin' to people with a big sign on your flickin' forehead that says you're a confed.'"
2) "Once, Malcolm Kelerchian was the finest investigator in the Tarsonis Police Force's Detective Squad. But the TPF didn't keep good investigators for very long—they were often snapped up by the military or the government, deemed far too useful to be wasted on mere local policing.
That was a pity, as far as Mal was concerned. He liked being a detective. His clearance rate was three times that of any other detective in the squad. Admittedly, this wasn't a difficult feat to accomplish. The TPF was primarily made up of thugs and bruisers who mostly just made sure that the interests of the rich were protected."
3) "Like everyone else, Markus started out as a runner for the local dealer. In his case, it was Orphy Jones, back when he ran Pyke Lane. By the time Markus worked his way up to being a barker, Orphy got his head blown off by a rival dealer, the guy everyone called Grin, on account of how he didn't never smile. Grin's main lieutenant was a fast-loader named Jules.
Wasn't long before Markus saw the words on the screen: Jules was the brains. Grin was just muscle, and wasn't much longer before a bullet from Jules's T20—this was before the P220s came out—was in Grin's skull and Jules started callin' himself 'Fagin' for some reason and started taking territory."
4) "Mal was suddenly startled by the beeping of his earpiece, with his computer informing him that it was Officer Fonseca. 'Excuse me, ma'am, I need to take this.' Without waiting for Killiany to acknowledge this, he said, 'Go ahead, Larry.'
'I got somethin'—probably shoulda brought it to you sooner, but I figured it was crap like most—'
Mal didn't have the patience for this—not today. 'Spit it out, Larry.'
'Big talk on the street these days is someone workin' with Fagin—calls herself the Blonde. Some kinda enforcer.'
'Fagin?' The name didn't ring any bells with Mal. 'Who's that?'
'You don't know who Fagin is?' Larry sounded incredulous. 'He runs everything down here.'
Mal couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'What do you mean?'
'He runs all the crap down here: the drugs, the protecton rackets, the booze—it all flows through Fagin. I thought you knew that, Mal—how the flick could you not know that?'"
5) Larry shook his head. 'Dammit, Mal, you used to be a good cop. A good cop knows his territory.'
In a weak voice, and knowing it was foggy as the words came out of his mouth, Mal said, 'I never worked the Gutter.'
'Then you shoulda learned. Dammit, Mal, you used to be good police, and good police know how to work a neighborhood. Here's a clue: You don't do it by talkin' to people with a big sign on your flickin' forehead that says you're a confed.'"
February 11, 2021
This was surprisingly good. The first two Starcraft novels--*Liberty's Crusade* and *Shadow of the Xel'naga*--were not all that impressive. They were epic in scope, too brief, sometimes fun, but mostly superficial: the Terrans, Protoss, and Zerg fight for supremacy.. This novel was, conversely, on a "street level." It might be fair to say the first two Starcraft novels were "space operas" and this one was a "cyberpunk" story . Subgenres aside, this one was palpably better but didn't feel as connected to Starcraft. The first two felt rushed and superficial in plot, concerned more with showcasing the game lore and less with developing interesting characters. *Nova* was, in contrast, truly character driven, a fun read despite its weird parts. For example, it was strangely structured in that it drew from several genres for tropes and conventions; consequently, it didn't feel like it had a narrative center and was therefore diffused and distracted. There were too many "main" characters, it seemed: Agent Kelerchian, a "Wrangler," a detective who searches for the telepathically sensitive to recruit them to become special agents; Nova Terra, a telepathically talented girl from an "Old Family," who is driven into the crime infested "Gutter" of Tarsonis due to tragedy; Fagin, a sadistic crimelord. And there were lots of minor characters who awkwardly stole the POV spotlight inexplicably: criminals, drug addicts, good cops, marines. It felt like some of these POV characters were introduced and presented as dynamic, like they would be important, but were then abandoned and forgotten by the author. To summarize: this was more ambitious and entertaining than the first two Starcraft novels but it was also awkward in structure and lacking in narrative coherence. It didn't seem to know what type of story it was telling. Is this a picaresque? A crime novel? A science fiction? Starcraft fans might be interested to know that it is set during the Starcraft 1 "Terran campaign" but those events are not narrated. They are just happening in the background.
January 2, 2019
First up, the front cover is a lie. This is literally the end result at the conclusion of the book. November is a young girl who traumatically reaches her psionic potential. Heavily influenced by Alfred Bester’s The Demolished Man this barely qualifies as a StarCraft book in that it’s played out on the streets of poverty but curiously makes the StarCraft universe stronger. There’s more to the Kropulu sector than just the three species war and this book shows how ordinary rich and poor people live as well as their views on the war. Not what I expected, but far better than I had hoped for a book based on a first-person shooter game that never happened.
March 26, 2018
That was... okay. As a matter of fact the book starts quite spectacular - but descends into pulp realms rapidly and remains there for quite some time. The middle part of the book is astonishingly trivial, which is quite a pity given that Nova could be one of the most interesting characters in the StarCraft universe. But she‘s actually playing a surprisingly small role in the book that bears her name.
Also: „flick“? „you scan me“? „curve“? What sort of moron language is that supposed to be? I found that highly cringeworthy.
Also: „flick“? „you scan me“? „curve“? What sort of moron language is that supposed to be? I found that highly cringeworthy.
August 22, 2025
The cancellation of StarCraft Ghost is still my biggest disappointment in gaming. I never knew they made a novel offshoot until I found this in the used bookstore maybe a year ago.
I finally got around to reading it, and it was a perfectly fine sci-fi novel.
There weren't any groundbreaking ideas, apart from what StarCraft already laid out. But the character of Nova was tragic, and I did care for what happened to her.
I don't think the book was award winning, but I enjoyed reading it.
I finally got around to reading it, and it was a perfectly fine sci-fi novel.
There weren't any groundbreaking ideas, apart from what StarCraft already laid out. But the character of Nova was tragic, and I did care for what happened to her.
I don't think the book was award winning, but I enjoyed reading it.
March 3, 2019
It keeps repeating the same idea over and over. The words slike, flick gets also repeated every paragraph, cmon the target audience wasn’t kids below 10.
It abuses the — I found it very displeasing — type of lecture resource.
All in all it doesn’t add up to the Starcraft universe. I should have stop reading it right after chapter two.
It abuses the — I found it very displeasing — type of lecture resource.
All in all it doesn’t add up to the Starcraft universe. I should have stop reading it right after chapter two.
October 31, 2020
Very good book. Keith DeCandido did a great job of bringing the lead character of Nova Terra to life. The story was much better then expected considering the issues involving the never to be released video game. Not a "deep" book but not comic-bookish either. An enjoyable read. I recommend it to any sci-fi fan. A must read for fans.
May 3, 2020
An interesting addition to the StarCraft universe.
March 23, 2021
Neat insight into the world of the Terran elite ghosts
September 18, 2023
Hot garbage. I remember why I stopped reading it in 2017.
May 26, 2024
This shouldn't have been the starting book for starcraft cuz Sirius is bigger than this. But damn mercenary story is fantastic
January 17, 2021
I actually really liked this book? I didn't think I'd really care, given it was likely to be another random tie-in novel, but I think I underestimate the power of both fanfic, and a writer who really cares. This hurt in places, and that never happens if someone never cares.
June 22, 2015
I'm so-so on this one. I am usually a big fan of the author,and enjoy his books immensely. However, I feel that the premise of the book was what failed. It seemed like Blizzard wanted to save all the sneaking, girl kick-butt, ghost stuff for their game (the one that never came out), and we got stuck with everything before any of that. Think about it: When you pick up a book with "Starcraft: Ghost" on the cover, with a girl and a gun, that's what you're expecting, right? The problem is only the first and last (short chapters too) give you any of that.
What we end up getting is drug dealers, drug addicts, and a detective, none of which says Starcraft to me. We have 2 interesting alien races, yet they are never used. But we do get an entire chapter about some random crack head that is trying to get a fix. The entire book feels like it was handcuffed to the desk at some police station, when there was an entire universe out there to destroy.
My one minor gripe with the writing is Nova's kinetic powers were just too over the top, and thus lacked believability. If it were just toned down to minor destruction, instead of comic-esque nuclear bomb style powers, I would have fit into the genre better. I kept thinking about ghosts in the game, and it just didn't fit.
It sounds bad. No ghosts, no aliens, scum of the earth that I really can't care about, and a somewhat interesting detective that is quite lethargic throughout the story. So why 3 stars? Well, the writing is very well done. There are so many different characters and cool dialogues. The book really reads easily and quickly, and I never got the feeling that I just wanted it to be over.
I really would love it if the author actually did the Ghost part of Nova's story. A great author with a great premise would win 5 stars for me, for sure.
So, should you read this? If you like crime novels and Starcraft, yes. If you like the author, yes. If you hate crime novels and want to read about Ghosts, maybe not.
Random thought: Why call her Terra, Nova? Isn't that strange Blizzard?
What we end up getting is drug dealers, drug addicts, and a detective, none of which says Starcraft to me. We have 2 interesting alien races, yet they are never used. But we do get an entire chapter about some random crack head that is trying to get a fix. The entire book feels like it was handcuffed to the desk at some police station, when there was an entire universe out there to destroy.
My one minor gripe with the writing is Nova's kinetic powers were just too over the top, and thus lacked believability. If it were just toned down to minor destruction, instead of comic-esque nuclear bomb style powers, I would have fit into the genre better. I kept thinking about ghosts in the game, and it just didn't fit.
It sounds bad. No ghosts, no aliens, scum of the earth that I really can't care about, and a somewhat interesting detective that is quite lethargic throughout the story. So why 3 stars? Well, the writing is very well done. There are so many different characters and cool dialogues. The book really reads easily and quickly, and I never got the feeling that I just wanted it to be over.
I really would love it if the author actually did the Ghost part of Nova's story. A great author with a great premise would win 5 stars for me, for sure.
So, should you read this? If you like crime novels and Starcraft, yes. If you like the author, yes. If you hate crime novels and want to read about Ghosts, maybe not.
Random thought: Why call her Terra, Nova? Isn't that strange Blizzard?
June 23, 2011
Being a Starcraft fan, I fully enjoyed this book. You learn more about Terran society and the lore related to GHOST units within the game - although these versions of ghost are MUCH more powerful than the ghost's that set off nukes/cloak in SC1. You see the world through the super elite - the old family's who obtained their status being the first to colonize Tarsonis (capital planet of the Terrans) as well as those inhabitants who are the complete opposite - lowlifes that no one cares about.
Many of the characters in the "gutter" (basically the slums full of drug junkies) don't give a crap about the outside world (ie: protoss/zerg / Mengsk's revolution...) as it hardly affects their day to day living. The author gives us a feel for the outside world, but it doesn't seem like a big deal which helped keep my focus on the main character and her hardships. I enjoyed the growth where NOVA gets better at utilizing her PSI powers via the will to survive and looked forward to the day she would finally free herself from the misfortunes in the "gutter".
Many of the characters in the "gutter" (basically the slums full of drug junkies) don't give a crap about the outside world (ie: protoss/zerg / Mengsk's revolution...) as it hardly affects their day to day living. The author gives us a feel for the outside world, but it doesn't seem like a big deal which helped keep my focus on the main character and her hardships. I enjoyed the growth where NOVA gets better at utilizing her PSI powers via the will to survive and looked forward to the day she would finally free herself from the misfortunes in the "gutter".
June 10, 2010
Starcraft Ghost Nova is a story about the Ghost named Nova who is supposly a strong Psi Ghost. But before she came a ghost she was a daughter to a weathy family. Then it all change when most of her family was murder right infront of her and she goes crazy unleashing her power. She then runs away and the Ghost programs finds a spike about her and want to recruit her into their program. They send an agent after her trying to find her in the slums of the world. Before he can find Nova she is taken into by a underground crime ring who is trying to rule the slums. Now you will follow the story of seeing how Nova will start to become a Ghost.
April 26, 2014
A pretty good book. The only reason it didn't make 4 stars is because I thought there was too much ink given to the random thoughts of people that were irrelevant to the story. The first couple of times it was an interesting and enlightening detail, but I felt it was a bit overused.
Aside from that, I liked it. Wish I could give it 3.5 stars, because it's a little more than a 3, but not quite 4. I like the character development and background. Would like to read more about Nova's adventures as a qualified Ghost.
Aside from that, I liked it. Wish I could give it 3.5 stars, because it's a little more than a 3, but not quite 4. I like the character development and background. Would like to read more about Nova's adventures as a qualified Ghost.
September 13, 2010
Another 3.5 for me (I really wish we could do half stars). I actually quite liked the ending! It's cool to take a look at the life that the probably-never-going-to-be-published Starcraft: Ghost star began with. Also neat that we got to see a glimpse of her in Starcraft II :)
So anyway. Not bad, I enjoyed it. Some things felt a little forced though I have a hard time pinpointing exactly why it felt like that. I think I also have a small pet peeve with young girls in their teenage years calling their parents mommy and daddy - I don't think I know anyone who did that at that age :P
So anyway. Not bad, I enjoyed it. Some things felt a little forced though I have a hard time pinpointing exactly why it felt like that. I think I also have a small pet peeve with young girls in their teenage years calling their parents mommy and daddy - I don't think I know anyone who did that at that age :P
March 8, 2012
This book was awesome.
It relied enough on the game's lore, but still would be readable and understandable if you'd never played the games.
It follows the story of Nova, girl with incredible psionic abilities she discovers after a traumatic experience. The idea behind the story was a generally gloomy and sad one, but I would still recommend the book to anyone who likes Starcraft or a good sci-fi story.
It relied enough on the game's lore, but still would be readable and understandable if you'd never played the games.
It follows the story of Nova, girl with incredible psionic abilities she discovers after a traumatic experience. The idea behind the story was a generally gloomy and sad one, but I would still recommend the book to anyone who likes Starcraft or a good sci-fi story.
August 2, 2016
It took me a while to get into this story. It's told in medias res and for a brand new genre and new mechanical concepts, it took a few chapters to follow along and pick up the story.
Nova's story is a tragedy, to be certain. I am glad that her final mission was what it was, though I am saddend that the story line of the past dies.
I look forward to reading more about this world, and the conflicts arising from unidentified sources, as well as leadership on the homefront.
Nova's story is a tragedy, to be certain. I am glad that her final mission was what it was, though I am saddend that the story line of the past dies.
I look forward to reading more about this world, and the conflicts arising from unidentified sources, as well as leadership on the homefront.
February 29, 2016
A thoroughly enjoyable and well written book. An exciting story for fans, as well as a very good introduction to the Star Craft universe. The story takes nice twists and turns, with solid characters. A very good prequel to the game (as intended), sadly however the game was cancelled.
I thought the author did a great job of putting the reader in Nova's mind and how she experiences her telepathy.
The best of the the author, in my oppinion.
I thought the author did a great job of putting the reader in Nova's mind and how she experiences her telepathy.
The best of the the author, in my oppinion.
January 30, 2008
This was an okay book. I mean, it was good, but just not enough of what was needed to make the book really good. It is cool, as this girl, Nova, I think, can use telekinesis and make people like go insane and dead. Read it definately, but if there are other video game novels out there, read them instead
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