StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade

StarCraft #1

by Jeff Grubb

Far in the future, 60,000 light-years from Earth, a loose confederacy of Terran exiles is locked with the enigmatic Protoss and ruthless Zerg swarm. Each species struggles to ensure its own survival among the stars in a war that will herald the beginning of mankind's greatest chapter--or foretell its violent, bloody end. Danny Liberty was a good reporter...too good. When his investigations struck too close to the heart of the corrupt Terran Confederacy, he faced a simple continue his current series of exposés, or take a hazardous new assignment covering the Marines on the front lines of the Koprulu Sector. It didn't take him long to decide...Behind the attacks of the Zerg and the Protoss lies the story of a lifetime, but every piece of information blurs the mystery further. Thrown into the middle of a war where the outcome will determine mankind's very survival, the only thing that Danny Liberty knows for sure is that the only person he can trust to keep him alive is himself.

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

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

He is an author and game designer.

See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Grubb

Reviews

[Nzcgzmt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original StarCraft was released in 1998. Like many people who grew up playing the game, I have a particular nostalgia for the franchise. Nostalgia could be an excuse for poor judgement, but in this case I think I am being fair and clear minded. The book is a decent representation of the original story (being the Terran story in Starcraft I, from the first encounter with Zerg/Protoss to the fall of the Terran Confederacy). The initial chapters are actually riveting. But the characters - despite obvious attempts to reconstruct the depth that the original game had - are seemingly developed in a haste. The story is drawn-out, and gradually loses its suspense. Kerrigan’s tragic cut scene on Tarsonic: “Uh, boys? How about that evac?” - one of the most classic moments of the original game - somehow ended up being a “meh” in the book.

Don’t get me wrong - the book is not a disappointment at all. It has been faithful to the original plot. For people who wanted to rekindle those memories, this is a book that serves this utility. Readers just have to temper their expectations given how positive the reviews are.

It is a shame that market power has shifted to mobile and Activision decided to de-emphasize this franchise. The great minds that originally wrote the game are now mostly somewhere else. Hopefully a world-class studio picks it up again.

[Христо Блажев · Rating 3 out of 5]

Имаме Зерги и Протоси за врагове, но и земляните не са цвете за мирисане: https://knigolandia.info/star-craft-1/

Странно, но никога не бях чел трите издадени у нас в началото на века книги по играта. За щастие, един приятел ми ги даде за лятно ползване и нетърпеливо се зачетох във „Войната на Либърти“. Познавам само бегло историята, вградена в играта (мисиите никога не са ми били слабост), така че в общи линии с изключение на яснотата какво ще се случи с Кериган в края, всичко ми бе ново. А то е добре познатото старо. Далеч напред в бъдещето човечеството се е разпростряло в космоса – всички планети от формираната Конфедерация са обаче заселени от наследниците на изпратени в изгнание каторжници, един вид лош материал, който не се е подобрил особено с времето. Човешкото общество е разяждано от алчност, корупция и вътрешни конфликти, увенчани с изпепеляването на цяла планета, обвинена в бунт срещу властта. Журналистът Майк Либърти има смелостта да се рови в мръсните сделки на столичната планета, но това му донася само спешна командировка на военен кораб, за да спаси кожата си от големците, чиито интереси е засегнал. И там, по добро съвпадение, попада на най-добрата история – първия контакт с извънземни. Само дето не е първи, не е със само една чужда цивилизация и като цяло се състои в изпепеляването от космоса на цяла човешка колония. Протосите са тук със сияйните си кораби, а скоро Либърти ще научи по най-гадния начин за войната им със Зергите. Хората – е, те са на пътя на двете агресивни раси. И хич, ама хич не са невинни жертви.

Изд. "Серпис Ад"
https://knigolandia.info/star-craft-1/

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best if read: right after playing Episode I (Terran) of Starcraft.

This book is actually pretty good. It gives a really good background to pretty much all of the events in Episode I of Starcraft. Though told from the point of view of Michael Liberty, you still get a really good glimpse into the characters of Raynor, Kerrigan and Mengsk.

Being a news reporter, Liberty tries to give you all of the pertinent details that go on as the Zerg start coming into the Koprulu Sector without tainting the events with propaganda. So essentially this is the "truth" of what really goes on during the Terran campaign with no manipulations. Really well done.

[Turd Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is okay, but not nearly as transcendent in literature as Pride and Prejudice. 0/10 would not read again.

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This actually started out pretty great, with strong evocation of the video game and a spooky story ahead of it. I thought it devolved quickly into a gloopy mess, sort of like the author had time to spend on the first six chapters but then the publishers sped up the deadline and the rest was uncooked. Bummer!

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book in the StarCraft series. These books are written by various authors. This one is by Jeff Grubb. I was somewhat disappointed by this book. While it was a good story-line it was somewhat disjointed. Facts were injected into the story abruptly with no lead-up or background to support them. Some of the support characters were very shallow also. I already have the second book in this series, which is by Gabriel Mesta, so I will give it a try as I like the concept of this series which is based on the StarCraft computer game.

NOTE: This book received many positive revues, mainly from fans of the StarCraft computer game. I have never played the game. If I had played it I might have enjoyed the book more.

[Antenora Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, If you are a Starcraft fan, there is no point in explaining this to you.
It's the OG Terran campaign presented in an interesting way, which isn't hard, cause it is an interesting story (man, I miss the old SC 1)

But this review is for the folks who will see a book based on a game, roll their eyes, considering it yet another money grab by an already money-grabbing company (man, I miss the old blizzard) And move on to Dostoevsky. Who am I kidding no reader of Dostoevsky will like that book.
But If you are a fan of sci-fi, trust me, ignore that it's a blizzard money grab and read that sh*t. You don't need to know the game, in fact, the less you know, the better, I'll give you a simple premise
In a galaxy far far away... In our galaxy, okay - but far far away in it, live a bunch of people from former prison colonies. They are ruled by an empire-like system called the confederacy. - fitting as they are pretty much space rednecks. As expected the confederacy is corrupted to death. For example, They Nuked one world not too long ago, casue it was raining on their military parade with its rebellious ideas. The story is about a rebel from that planet. This is not a spoiler, really.

Our story starts in the capital city of the capital planet of Tarsonis, which is also named Tarsonis, casue space people have no time for creative naming. In a news building where Our Journalist Michael Liberty (mhm) works. He is sent on a confederate battle cruiser so he can investigate and report on the sudden destruction of a planet in the outer rim of the sector named Antiga Prime
A planet glassed by a bunch of pimp looking aliens with golden ships and big guns
This is the first contact they have with alien life.
Soon liberty realizes How deep the corruption of the Confederacy goes and their blatant disregard for human life and needs to make a choice.
Oh and it has another kind of alien, resembling a bit the Starship Troopers roaches. But scarier.

Liberty himself is not a character from the game. And not gonna lie the characters can feel a bit stereotypical, you can tell they are game characters, but they are fleshed out a bit better here than in the game itself. (In this campaign of the game I mean)
You can start this as any other sci-fi book with no connection to the game, and although the ending will leave you with a cliffhanger feeling, all the plot twists are worth it. This story benefits a lot form the expectation it sets as a simple stereotypical, empire bad, rebels good plot. And our heroic main character who never makes mistakes, and his love interest and whatnot.
Untill it isn't.
I strongly suggest it as an entertaining casual read. Do not expect anything more than that though.
Also, book 2 - nothing to do with that story. It pisses me the hell off, but it is what it is.

[Doc Kinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine for what it was: a tie-in.

Best line: "And as I killed each and every one of them, I knew what they were thinking. Fear. Panic. Hatred. Hopelessness. Breakfast."
-Sara Kerrigan

[Jared Delcamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming into this book as a sci-fi fan, but not having played StarCraft, I didn’t have significant expectations. Delightfully, the book was quite enjoyable. It isn’t for everyone, but as casual sci-fi reader, it sat well with me with plenty to think about. If sci-fi is your main thing, it’s a good book. It describes the first encounter with two waring alien races with humans caught in the middle because of location. The humans are infighting of course. The dynamic is step up such that the two human factions are close in power and the alien races are significantly higher in technology level. The moves made by the human factions are frighteningly logical choices you can imagine actually being made. They aren’t the choices you wish would be made though if this were a reality.

The book follows how the leader of the rebel humans navigates the chaos. Mengsk won me over quickly and that didn’t last. Tracking three key subordinates to him with varied motivations: rage/revenge, altruism, and loyalty, I found all three approaches logical and identifiable. The classic approach of overusing the best soldiers while their loyalty and desire to help leads to in intense personal sacrifice is played out. They do not acknowledge their need to recover/rest which leads to some tough situations. Sarah Kerrigan and Michael Liberty were very relatable on their approach to a horribly messed up situation.

The plot is a good sci-fi plot to me. The prose didn’t feel wonderful, so set expectations on those lines. However, the four party war dynamic is interesting and the power balance is well thought through. The technology is interesting and diverse. It was a surprisingly fun read and I found attachment to multiple characters and wanted a few taken out. Sarah Kerrigan is an inspiration.

[Mirna Villena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encantó! Sentí que al leer la historia estaba dentro del juego, pero desde la perspectiva de Michael Liberty. Él es como el jugador, ¿saben? Vas descubriendo el universo de StarCraft junto a él, a personajes iconicos como Kerrigan (la quiero mucho), Raynor (🫡🫶🏻) y Mengsk(no me agrada, siempre hay uno de esos en cada historia). Es una lectura súper fácil y, aunque no juego mucho videojuegos, me hizo sentir sentir la historia como protagonista.

I love Kerrigan, qué mujer tan fuerte, pero a la vez tan trágica. Pobrecita, usada desde niña hasta que termina como la reina de los Zerg! Vaya plot twist. Al final, aunque no estás tomando decisiones como en un videojuego, creo que el libro sí logra meterte de lleno en ese universo! ����

Sobre los Zerg y los Protoss, no me parecen malos en sí, pero siento que aún no los presentan tan bien en este libro. Lo poco que entiendo es que los Zerg son como supervivientes genéticos, mientras que los Protoss son xenófobos genéticos. Ambas razas actúan bajo un propósito que todavía no comprendo del todo, quiero saber más sobre ellos y cómo encajan en todo este conflicto.

Y una vez más entiendo lo mismo: la humanidad está llena de personajes a quienes el poder les queda grande. Son calculadores, fríos, y no les importa sacrificar vidas ajenas por sus propios intereses. Sí, hablo de Mengsk. Es imposible confiar en alguien así. Es el ejemplo perfecto de cómo el poder puede corromper y destruir a quien lo posee.

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was entertaining. I read a Warhammer 40k novel and really enjoyed it. So, I wanted to compare the game lore of Starcraft to Warhammer 40k. Visually speaking, Starcraft seems inspired and influenced by Warhammer 40k. Having read this, the Warhammer 40k lore is inarguably superior, way more in-depth than Starcraft's. Still, this was fun, a low-thought distraction on a cold day with coffee. It focuses on a new character who doesn't show up in the first Starcraft game, Mike Liberty. He is a journalist and serves a "fly on the wall" function as the anticipated events from the first game proceed. Jeff Grubb is a skilled writer. This is not literary art but it is crafted well: the narrative is cohesive and interesting. I read Jeff Grubb's Warcraft novel, *The Last Guardian* (about Medihv, the Last Guardian of Tirisfal), and enjoyed that. This reinforced my respect for the writer. For my part, I wish this had been longer. It is only 260 pages (approx.), so the worldbuilding felt a little thin. Anyway, I'll probably read more Starcraft novels after this.

[Kryptomite · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm 40 years old, and it's been a long time since I played starcraft, but when I did, I really appreciated the game and the story that it revealed. This book is essentially the novel version of the first campaign for the terrans, and it was an exciting trip back down memory lane for me. It only took me a brief time to read, and was comfortably written. The author doesn't make any absurd mistakes and does a solid job of turning a video game into a book. I think a lot of the negative reviews are split between people who never played starcraft and people who remember starcraft too well, and are equating video cut scenes to a novel, with certain expectations in mind. And maybe it doesn't quite portray the expression and story of the original game if I was to compare them immediately one after another, I can't remember it that well. Personally, it was enjoyable for me to read, and I had no complaints. It has made me both want to play the game again and continue on to the next novel immediately. And for that I gave it five stars because I feel it did precisely what I hoped it would, and I'm thankful I waited so long to read it.

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

This is a great novelization of a great video game. I think that about sums it up and would give plenty of reason why some people would like it and others would not.

The bad things I can think of are for those that played the original Starcraft and loved the lore and the story. This novel adds a new character that did not exist in the original game and sequel, and gave that character a very high place in the Starcraft Lore: Michael Liberty. Some people will take issue with this newly added character, but I think it was a fine decision to add Mr. Liberty; reason being is that he serves as a way to communicate the story of the first set of missions.

Another thing that could be a negative is the fact it is a video game tie-in, and with many tie-ins the description is limited so people who didn't play the game may be vastly underwhelmed by not only the Protoss and the Zerg, but the worlds and characters that are at play. Many people will have spent more time with these characters and worlds in the game than they will have spent reading the novel, as well, so that should show you how light this particular offering is when it comes to world building or character building. That being said, those of us who have played Starcraft and related games, will already feel the weight of the demands of each character and each action taken. We already know what will happen. We already know the end.

However, I find that in this novelization, the "getting there" is fun. Since the author does not need to worry about building a world (or worlds), or characters, he can focus on moving along at a fairly brisk pace. The transition of Mr. Liberty's character from the beginning of the novel to the end is fairly well done and moves him from his place in life right back to where he started but with the weight of worlds, and countless of souls, as a new motivation. Since we already know what's happening, the only thing that needed to happen was weaving Michael Liberty through the story and I feel it was done well.

For those that know the Starcraft lore this will probably be a pretty fun weekend read, or even afternoon if you're a faster reader than I. For those that have not played the games, this novel will seem almost a wasteland of information with very light character movements along the way. The writing itself is solid, though no comparison to great epics or space operas, given the very limited detail within the pages, but again most readers will already know and many will quickly recall our imaginations from decades gone.

[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 book takes place during the Terran campaign in the video game StarCraft.

At first i was a bit skeptical as to how the story would be told through the eyes of a Confederate reporter, but it turned out to be very good (in my opinion). The book covers a lot of background story that people weren't able to learn during the campaign, and it offers an opinion of an "outsider" - someone who doesn't really like the Confederacy nor the Sons of Korhal, making it a kind of "neutral" stand point of view, although to me as a reader you should be able to tell the rights from wrongs from a moral stand point.

I was hoping that it would explore a bit more as to how the relationship between Jim Raynor and Saraha Kerrigan began and developed, and how it was before before the game introduces them. There are bits that suggest how they feel, but nothing was said on the matter and no background story was given. That was the only unfortunate thing for me in this book.

Out of the 4 novels listed under "StarCraft Archives", this was by far my most favorite one. I found it very enjoyable and easy to read.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starcraft has to be one of the best games ever created. It has an amazing story line, three unique races, amazing leader characters (my favourite being Kerrigan). I was a bit anxious reading this novel that it would not live up to the high standards of Starcraft but I was pleasantly surprised. The book was well written, fast-paced and kept true to the Starcraft world. I loved the points in the novel where they took lines straight out of the first game.

I would probably not recommend to those that haven't played the game as it would be hard to visualize all the races without playing but a great book for Starcraft fans!

[Jorge L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un buen complemento al videojuego, no es posible que hayan pasado mas de 20 años para enterarme que esta joya tiene un lore tan extenso, es una buena lectura para fanaticos y la redaccion y personajes cumplen.
Ahora entiendo porque el abandono de kerrigan y se nota más el lado humano de los personajes, sobretodo Liberty, es un buen añadido aunque hubiera gustado más profundidad en la estructura confederada, aun asi creo está muy bien para ser una lectura corta.
Apto para fans🦀

[ignus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad. The Polish translation could have been better.

[Hellion Shark · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, If you are a Starcraft fan, there is no point in explaining this to you.
It's the OG Terran campaign presented in an interesting way, which isn't hard, cause it is an interesting story (man, I miss the old SC 1)

But this review is for the folks who will see a book based on a game, roll their eyes, considering it yet another money grab by an already money-grabbing corporation (man, I miss the old blizzard), And move on to Dostoevsky. Who am I kidding no reader of Dostoevsky will look at that book.
But If you are a fan of sci-fi, trust me, ignore that it's a blizzard money grab, cause it is, and read that sh*t. You don't need to know the game, in fact, the less you know, the better, I'll give you a simple premise:

In a galaxy far far away...
In our galaxy, okay - but far far away in it, live a bunch of people from former prison colonies. They are ruled by an empire-like system originally called the Confederacy. - fitting as they are pretty much space rednecks. As expected the confederacy is corrupted to death. For example, some citizens on planet Korhal were raining on the Confederate military parade with their rebellious ideas like "Maybe corruption and dictatorship are not cool you guys?" and in return got promptly nuked from orbit.
The story is about a rebel survivor from that planet. This is not a spoiler or exaggeration. The OG Terran campaign is the Mengsk show - he is the one moving the plot along.

Our story starts in the capital city of the capital planet of Tarsonis, which is also, unoriginally, named Tarsonis, casue space people have no time for creative naming. In a news building where Our Journalist Michael Liberty (See what I mean about naming?) works. He is sent on a confederate battle cruiser so he can investigate and report on the sudden destruction of a planet in the outer rim of the sector named Antiga Prime
Turns out the planet was glassed by a bunch of pimp-looking aliens with golden ships and big guns
This is the first contact they have with alien life.
Soon liberty realizes How deep the corruption of the Confederacy goes and their blatant disregard for human life and needs to make a choice.
Oh and it has another kind of alien, resembling the Starship Troopers roaches.

Liberty himself is not a character from the game and does not appear anywhere else. And not gonna lie the characters can feel a bit stereotypical, you can tell they are game characters, but they are fleshed out a bit better here than in the game itself. (In this campaign of the game I mean)
You can start this as any other sci-fi book with no connection to the game, and although the ending will leave you with that cliffhanger taste in your mouth, all the plot twists are worth it. This story benefits a lot from the expectation it sets as a simple stereotypical, empire bad, rebels good plot. And our heroic main character who never makes mistakes, and his love interest and whatnot.
Untill it isn't.
I strongly suggest it as an entertaining casual read. Do not expect anything more than that though.
Also, book 2 - nothing to do with that story. It pissed me off at the time - enough to learn English and find out what happens - but the story has a continuation in the game itself. you can read about it anywhere.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a long time StarCraft fan. I have been playing the game since I was a kid and it came out for the N64 in 2000. Unfortunately, I was not a child who was excited about reading so when the original trilogy of StarCraft novels were released, I missed out. I’m now an adult and have since rekindled my love for the franchise and managed to borrow a copy of this book from a friend before buying StarCraft: Archives online.

Now the first thing I need to say about this book is that you have to appreciate it for what it is - a book based on a video game. In movies, that carries a certain stigma and it could be argued that you can expect a similar quality in books. Here’s what I’m ultimately looking for though when it comes to a book like this: it has to be fun. I’m not reading a StarCraft book to deeply reflect or ponder some larger theme. I just want some extra exploration into the lore and universe of the franchise and some decent action.

All this being said, Liberty’s Crusade was a quick and entertaining read. It follows alongside the events of the first Terran campaign in the original game but introduces an original character by the name of Michael Liberty who is more or less shoehorned into most of the significant conversations one would recognize from the game. I found this to be kind of cheesy but it doesn’t ruin the book. What Mr. Grubb did well with his character though was use him as a catalyst to examine the main characters of the game more such as Mengsk and Kerrigan more thoroughly. Each time Liberty has a conversation with the main cast of the game, it sort of reads like an interview (he is a reporter after all), which I found to be a fun spin on things.

What I liked most about this book however was the more detailed look we got at the events that took place in the game. For example, the planet Mar Sara gets invaded by the Zerg and through the lens of Michael Liberty, who had no idea what the Zerg were, we get a glimpse at what it would have been like to not only discover the existence of horrific alien life but also survive it. The book also offers a more detailed look into what happens during the different missions of the Terran campaign such as when Kerrigan first meets Raynor and assassinates a bunch of Confederates on Antiga Prime or when the Sons of Korhal attack Tarsonis.

All in all, this was a fun book to read especially if you are a fan of StarCraft and its lore. The book is very short and you could easily finish it over a weekend. As soon as I finished it, I immediately went back and replayed the Terran campaign with newfound insight and reignited appreciation. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 because while it is good and entertaining, it’s not a totally original story set in the StarCraft universe - it’s just piggy backing off of the main story introduced in the game. Finally, while Mike Liberty is a decently written character, he doesn’t add much to the story in my opinion. The whole book could be rewritten without him and just follow Raynor and crew and I think it would still retain all thats good about it.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great novelization of a great video game. I think that about sums it up and would give plenty of reason why some people would like it and others would not.

The bad things I can think of are for those that played the original Starcraft and loved the lore and the story. This novel adds a new character that did not exist in the original game and sequel, and gave that character a very high place in the Starcraft Lore: Michael Liberty. Some people will take issue with this newly added character, but I think it was a fine decision to add Mr. Liberty; reason being is that he serves as a way to communicate the story of the first set of missions.

Another thing that could be a negative is the fact it is a video game tie-in, and with many tie-ins the description is limited so people who didn't play the game may be vastly underwhelmed by not only the Protoss and the Zerg, but the worlds and characters that are at play. Many people will have spent more time with these characters and worlds in the game than they will have spent reading the novel, as well, so that should show you how light this particular offering is when it comes to world building or character building. That being said, those of us who have played Starcraft and related games, will already feel the weight of the demands of each character and each action taken. We already know what will happen. We already know the end.

However, I find that in this novelization, the "getting there" is fun. Since the author does not need to worry about building a world (or worlds), or characters, he can focus on moving along at a fairly brisk pace. The transition of Mr. Liberty's character from the beginning of the novel to the end is fairly well done and moves him from his place in life right back to where he started but with the weight of worlds, and countless of souls, as a new motivation. Since we already know what's happening, the only thing that needed to happen was weaving Michael Liberty through the story and I feel it was done well.

For those that know the Starcraft lore this will probably be a pretty fun weekend read, or even afternoon if you're a faster reader than I. For those that have not played the games, this novel will seem almost a wasteland of information with very light character movements along the way. The writing itself is solid, though no comparison to great epics or space operas, given the very limited detail within the pages, but again most readers will already know and many will quickly recall our imaginations from decades gone.

[Lawrence Carrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta es la novelización de la primera parte de la campaña Terran en el juego original.

Está narrada desde el punto de vista del reportero Mike Liberty, quien tiene que abandonar la ciudad de Tarsonis y recorrer los mundos exteriores, reportando sobre los intentos de rebelión, y una misteriosa amenaza alienígena.

Advertencia: Spoilers para el juego
Siguiendo la narrativa de las primeras misiones del juego y proporcionando backstory para personajes heroicos como Raynor y Kerrigan, así como villanos como Mengsk y Duke, se devela poco a poco la conspiración de la Confederación para utilizar a los Zerg como un arma, y el gambito de Mengsk para manipularlos junto con los Protoss para coronarse Emperador del dominio Terran.

El libro concluye con la misión donde Mengsk abandona a Kerrigan a su suerte en Tarsonis ante los Zerg, una movida que tendrá repercusiones épicas.

Siempre tengo algunas dificultades con las traducciones al castellano, ante la (para mí) chocante insistencia española de traducir términos específicos del universo StarCraft: "escalofrío" en lugar de creep, "murciélago de fuego" en lugar de firebat, "baliza" en lugar de beacon. Cuando surgen esos términos, en lugar de escucharlos en mi mente con un acento neutral, los escucho con un fuerte acento español que me saca de la lectura.

Dicho lo cual, es una lectura muy disfrutable y más si eres fanático del universo StarCraft

[Eamonn McHugh-Roohr · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a fan of StarCraft and... books, I was hoping that this adaptation of one of Gaming's most compelling narratives would be a slam dunk. Unfortunately it really isn't. Using a reporter as the audience insert character was a neat idea, but it turns out that what we end up with is a character who's got no real arc or motivations who just kinda drifts through the narrative.

It's an adaptation! So naturally we get descriptions of game elements. However the nature of the story is that the monsters are unknowns so we instead get silly descriptions like "crab things" etc. Human hardware gets obsessively named by the narrator, which also makes little sense because the character is supposed to be a big city reporter rather than a military buff.

Finally, the author misses the emotional arc of the story and guts in in a few key ways. One is that he sets up a conflict between Raynor and Duke before Mengsk's act of betrayal. Next, the betrayal itself is off-screen. The most important section of the story is over in a page or two, and then he inserts a fanficy section where Raynor goes off to try and save Kerrigan, but fails, because Reasons. Finally, our character never trusts Mengsk for a minute so Mengsk's betrayal isn't really impactful for the reader. Yeah it's cool that our hard nosed reporter saw right through the guy, but the reader now no longer cares about the characters who do. And that's a death sentence for a novel.

Terran 1 is an operatic story of heroes with fatal flaws that lead them to ruin, and that just didn't carry over. If I didn't love Terran 1 probably wouldn't care so much, but if you're not a StarCraft fan there is zero reason to read this book anyway, because it positively does not stand on its own.

[Twinhelix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book as someone who at least watched some one else play StarCraft and played StarCraft II myself, this book feels off. It's like they created one other character and stuffed him into the story. Thanks to that all you get from this book is another angle of the story of the terran campaign of StarCraft I. Nothing really new or super interesting in my opinion. Still it's written well so can't say it's all bad. I just don't know whom I would recommend this book. If you played the game, you don't need this. If you didn't, you'd probably be better of playing the game or watch someone play it. So this is just for people who want to absorb everything there is about this series and if you are not such a person I wouldn't recommend picking up that book, as much as I would love to tell you otherwise.

[Benjamin Alig · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could give this book 3.5 stars I would but I don't think it's deserving of 4. As someone who really likes the lore of StarCraft I did enjoy the book and getting to know some of my favorite characters a little more. What makes this book weak in my eyes is that I felt like the main character was shoehorned into the settings and scenes I've known. StarCraft (particularly at the point of this book), to me, is more about raynor, kerrigan and Mengsk. I didn't really particularly care about Michael liberty and some scenes felt awkward with him in it. Also the book could have used another round of edits. There's a few errors throughout.
To wrap up if you like starcraft and want to know more about the characters then definitely read this book.

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never played Starcraft and have very little knowledge on its lore or characters. I went in the blind and was surprised.
It's a really good story, it pacing is a bit strange but since it through a first person view it's not bad. It jumps from one event to another, and I wanted to know what happen inbetween. Those moments can build and deepen characters, relastionships, and the world. But I understand Mike was telling the story, so he wouldn't necessarily tell you those momments.
Good book, looking forward to read the next one.

[Dennis Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read. Gives a very nice view of the rise of the Terran Dominion. I found myself having a hard time getting through the book at times... but I really liked the back story that it provided since i'm a serious fan of all blizzard games and the worlds they created. I am currently reading Queen of Blades, which follows the story right after this book, and that book is a much better read.

[DJNana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically covers the events of the first campaign of the Starcraft 1 game.

I enjoyed it - I was playing the game, while reading the book - and it definitely added a lot of nuance and interest (and some extra logic) to the plot and characters.

Not the greatest writing or anything, and I definitely only enjoyed it because I'm heavily invested in the Starcraft universe. Not recommended otherwise.

[Todor Panchev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Нелошо написана бърза и динамична история от света на StarCraft. Би се харесала доста на хард феновете на играта. Ако пък съществуват хора, които нямат никаква представа какво е StacCraft, то те няма да получат добра представа от тази книга. Биха срещнали известно затруднение с четенето и разбирането, поради слабото описание и обрисуване на тази вселена и героите в нея. Дори аз като фен на играта бих искал да има по-задълбочено и детайлно описание, а не само действие.

[Nikolai Filippov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buena novela, entretenida sobretodo si te gusta la saga de videojuegos ya que acá se encontraran con caras tan familiares como La Teniente Kerrigan o Jim Raynor. Cuenta con algunos momentos de tensión bastante buenos así como también personajes un tanto planos, con buenos muy buenos y malos muy malos.

[Mohan Karthik · Rating 3 out of 5]

The quintessential SC book that describes the fall of the confederacy and the rise of the Terran Dominion. In terms of pure readability, could have been better written with more connection between the plots / characters and some more character building. Worth a read if you are a fan of SC games and want to know the background.