What do you think?
Rate this book
Starcraft: Ghost #2
StarCraft: Ghost - Spectres - Blizzard Legends
Dominion ghosts epitomize the height of terran evolution and physical conditioning. Augmented by technologies that harness their innate psionic potential, these lethal operatives use telepathy and other superhuman powers to isolate and destroy the enemies of the Dominion. But when the hunters become the hunted and ghosts start disappearing without a trace, even the most dangerous human soldiers in the Koprulu sector have something to fear...
Enter Nova Terra, a ghost of unparalleled ability. On orders fromEmperor Arcturus Mengsk, Nova embarks on a secret mission to find her missing comrades. As her investigation leads down a maze of dark corridors, painful memories of her pre-ghost years begin to surface. Soon, Nova learns that there might be a connection between the missing agents and her past, a discovery that will pit her against both the shadows ofher youth and a terrifying new breed of psionic warrior: spectres.
This is the story that StarCraft fans have been waiting for—a pulse-pounding adventure based on the never-released StarCraft: Ghost tactical-action console game. StarCraft: Ghost—Spectres unveils a tumultuous chapter in Nova’s life and the insidious origins of the spectres featured in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the record-breaking sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s highly praised real-time strategy games StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War.
Enter Nova Terra, a ghost of unparalleled ability. On orders fromEmperor Arcturus Mengsk, Nova embarks on a secret mission to find her missing comrades. As her investigation leads down a maze of dark corridors, painful memories of her pre-ghost years begin to surface. Soon, Nova learns that there might be a connection between the missing agents and her past, a discovery that will pit her against both the shadows ofher youth and a terrifying new breed of psionic warrior: spectres.
This is the story that StarCraft fans have been waiting for—a pulse-pounding adventure based on the never-released StarCraft: Ghost tactical-action console game. StarCraft: Ghost—Spectres unveils a tumultuous chapter in Nova’s life and the insidious origins of the spectres featured in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the record-breaking sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s highly praised real-time strategy games StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War.
436 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2010
18 people are currently reading
500 people want to read
About the author
Nate Kenyon
32 books204 followersNate Kenyon's latest novel is the techno-thriller Day One (Thomas Dunne/St. Martins Press). Booklist gave it a starred review, calling it "exciting and inventive." Library Journal called it a "must" and Kenyon's "scariest to date."
Kenyon grew up in a small town in Maine. His first novel, Bloodstone, received raves from places as varied as Library Journal, Fangoria, Publishers Weekly, about.com, Cemetery Dance and The Romance Studio, and praise from authors such as Brian Keene, Tim Lebbon, Douglas Clegg, Mort Castle and Rick Hautala. Bloodstone was a Bram Stoker Award finalist and and P&E Novel of the Year Award winner. It was released in paperback from Leisure Books.
Nate's second novel, The Reach, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called it "superb." The Reach is in development as a major motion picture. His third novel, The Bone Factory, and his science fiction novella, Prime, were released in 2009. The Bone Factory was called "masterful" by Booklist, and Shroud Magazine called Prime "a blistering, fast-paced tale."
Nate's fourth novel SPARROW ROCK was also optioned for film. He has written the novel StarCraft Ghost: Spectres, based on the bestselling videogame by Blizzard and published by Pocket Books, and Diablo: The Order, also based on a Blizzard game and published by Gallery Books.
Nate is one of four authors featured in the Dark Arts Books anthology When the Night Comes Down, March 2010.
Nate's dark fiction stories have appeared in various magazines such as Shroud and The Belletrist Review, and in the horror anthologies Terminal Frights, Northern Haunts, Legends of the Mountain State, and Monstrous, among others. Kenyon has worked at the Brookline Public Library in Brookline, Mass. and the Boston College Law School as their Director of Marketing & Communications. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and International Thriller Writers.
Kenyon grew up in a small town in Maine. His first novel, Bloodstone, received raves from places as varied as Library Journal, Fangoria, Publishers Weekly, about.com, Cemetery Dance and The Romance Studio, and praise from authors such as Brian Keene, Tim Lebbon, Douglas Clegg, Mort Castle and Rick Hautala. Bloodstone was a Bram Stoker Award finalist and and P&E Novel of the Year Award winner. It was released in paperback from Leisure Books.
Nate's second novel, The Reach, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called it "superb." The Reach is in development as a major motion picture. His third novel, The Bone Factory, and his science fiction novella, Prime, were released in 2009. The Bone Factory was called "masterful" by Booklist, and Shroud Magazine called Prime "a blistering, fast-paced tale."
Nate's fourth novel SPARROW ROCK was also optioned for film. He has written the novel StarCraft Ghost: Spectres, based on the bestselling videogame by Blizzard and published by Pocket Books, and Diablo: The Order, also based on a Blizzard game and published by Gallery Books.
Nate is one of four authors featured in the Dark Arts Books anthology When the Night Comes Down, March 2010.
Nate's dark fiction stories have appeared in various magazines such as Shroud and The Belletrist Review, and in the horror anthologies Terminal Frights, Northern Haunts, Legends of the Mountain State, and Monstrous, among others. Kenyon has worked at the Brookline Public Library in Brookline, Mass. and the Boston College Law School as their Director of Marketing & Communications. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and International Thriller Writers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 21, 2020
I miss StarCraft so much.
This book is very well written, but definitely requires previous readings:
Starcraft: Ghost--Nova
Starcraft: Ghost Academy, Volume 1
StarCraft: Ghost Academy, Volume 2
StarCraft: Ghost Academy, Volume 3
It was great to see a sort of finale for this story line before StarCraft II, just wish Blizzard had the desire to continue these stories beyond.
This book is very well written, but definitely requires previous readings:
Starcraft: Ghost--Nova
Starcraft: Ghost Academy, Volume 1
StarCraft: Ghost Academy, Volume 2
StarCraft: Ghost Academy, Volume 3
It was great to see a sort of finale for this story line before StarCraft II, just wish Blizzard had the desire to continue these stories beyond.
October 21, 2020
This was a nice continuation to the previous book: Nova. The front cover is a little misleading, though, in that, yes Gabriel Tosh is a significant character in this book, the main character is still Nova. I enjoyed how the story played out and that many of the Dominion military figures that Nova has to work with are still very much the barely resocced criminals they would have been if they were still under the Confederacy. Full of action and heart, this story also gave some nice backstory to the character of Tosh who spends most his time brooding in Wings of Liberty. I did find the final showdown a little like a James Bond in a secret volcano, but it worked fine for what it was.
March 12, 2021
I was disappointed by this. It wasn't for me.
July 22, 2023
It was hard to follow, it felt like there were too many named characters, and the plot was a bit bland.
July 24, 2024
Great book
This was a fun read. Great follow up from nova Tera and ghost program comic. Great development of nova's story
This was a fun read. Great follow up from nova Tera and ghost program comic. Great development of nova's story
February 4, 2025
I liked Nova as a character, but not as much as other characters.
November 27, 2020
Starcraft: Spectres by Nate Kenyon is novel based on Starcraft Video games, and follows up on Keith R.A. DeCandido’s “Starcraft: Nova” novel.
The story follows former spoiled rich girl and current elite assassin Nova Terra as she investigates a string of disappearances among her fellow ghost agents, while also struggling with the sudden return of the terrible memories she joined the ghost program to erase.
I’ll say right out of the gate that I liked this book. This is a very dark, ethically murky, and intriguing story in the finest tradition of the Starcraft universe. Ghost Agent Nova Terra finds herself caught between two different factions, the Dominion and the spectres, both of which seek only to use her as a means to their own selfish ends, and neither of which offer much in the way of redeeming qualities
“Spectres” is a very grim tale, but it’s kept from being too depressing by Nova’s innate goodness as a person. No matter how wicked everyone around her is, Nova is always able to keep to noble intentions. Which is an odd trait for one of the universe’s most lethal assassins.
Along the way, we also learn a great deal of the origins of the renegade spectres, a familiar group for those who have played Starcraft Games, as well as their leader, Gabriel Tosh. Tosh is portrayed in a very poor light in this book, and I expect this may anger his many fans.
And, of course, “Spectres” is filled with the kind of adventure and excitement we’ve come to expect from a Video game tie-in novel.
All that said, there are some problems with this book. My biggest is not so much a complaint with the book itself as with how Blizzard is running their tie-in novels.
Once upon a time, there was a kind of logic to which authors were assigned what novels. The Starcraft novels were less consistent, but there weren’t as many of them, so it didn’t much matter.
I guess I just wish Blizzard would be a bit more consistent in who writes what.
Finally, the ending did leave a little something to be desired, but it wasn’t lacking enough to cast a pall over the entire book.
Still, taken all in all, this was a very enjoyable book that I would recommend to any Starcraft fan.
Overall, One of the best Starcraft books I’ve read in a while.
The story follows former spoiled rich girl and current elite assassin Nova Terra as she investigates a string of disappearances among her fellow ghost agents, while also struggling with the sudden return of the terrible memories she joined the ghost program to erase.
I’ll say right out of the gate that I liked this book. This is a very dark, ethically murky, and intriguing story in the finest tradition of the Starcraft universe. Ghost Agent Nova Terra finds herself caught between two different factions, the Dominion and the spectres, both of which seek only to use her as a means to their own selfish ends, and neither of which offer much in the way of redeeming qualities
“Spectres” is a very grim tale, but it’s kept from being too depressing by Nova’s innate goodness as a person. No matter how wicked everyone around her is, Nova is always able to keep to noble intentions. Which is an odd trait for one of the universe’s most lethal assassins.
Along the way, we also learn a great deal of the origins of the renegade spectres, a familiar group for those who have played Starcraft Games, as well as their leader, Gabriel Tosh. Tosh is portrayed in a very poor light in this book, and I expect this may anger his many fans.
And, of course, “Spectres” is filled with the kind of adventure and excitement we’ve come to expect from a Video game tie-in novel.
All that said, there are some problems with this book. My biggest is not so much a complaint with the book itself as with how Blizzard is running their tie-in novels.
Once upon a time, there was a kind of logic to which authors were assigned what novels. The Starcraft novels were less consistent, but there weren’t as many of them, so it didn’t much matter.
I guess I just wish Blizzard would be a bit more consistent in who writes what.
Finally, the ending did leave a little something to be desired, but it wasn’t lacking enough to cast a pall over the entire book.
Still, taken all in all, this was a very enjoyable book that I would recommend to any Starcraft fan.
Overall, One of the best Starcraft books I’ve read in a while.
March 23, 2012
I'm a gamer, but I've never played Starcraft. Nevertheless, I found the story line accessible. Despite its origins, Spectres makes a reasonable attempt at character development, delving both into the protagonist(s)' internal and external conflicts.
Nova Terra is a Ghost, a special operative for the Dominion, highly trained and with psionically enhanced abilities. When another Ghost, Kath Toom, and a Ghost Wrangler (basically, a kind of Ghost handler) go missing on the dismal planet of Oasis, it's up to Terra to find out what happened. On Oasis, she discovers an invasion of the insect-like zerg. The aliens appear to be drawn to the planet by the presence of a mysterious green gas. The gas, terrazine, brings out and amplifies psionic powers. Nova finds the wrangler, Mal, but there is no trace of the missing Ghost. In the process, Nova is exposed to the gas, and starts remembering her past; not a good thing, especially for Terra, who willingly joined the Ghosts because she knew her mind would be wiped after every mission.
As her memories return and she learns more about the missing Ghosts--Kath Toom isn't the first to disappear--Nova uncovers truths that will challenge her loyalty to the Dominion and the Emperor.
For a game tie-in, Spectres isn't bad. But it isn't great, either. In fact, I find this review difficult to write because it was so .... vanilla. Well, vanilla isn't right either, because good vanilla is delightful. Spectres starts out strong, but ultimately is burdened with too many character POVs, and the primary character relationship--Nova's kind-of/sort-of attraction to Mal--is poorly drawn and feels like an artifice. There are a few good action scenes, but I just didn't empathize with the characters enough to care what happened to them. It's not that the narrative didn't try to explore emotional reactions; but there was something flat about the internal dialogue. I'm inclined to think the story might have been better off taking a straight "shoot 'em up" approach. As a character-driven reader and writer, I usually need some degree of character identification to enjoy a story, but this may have been a case where it wasn't needed. The attempts at angst in a story that should have been been pure action, felt contrived and at times slowed the narrative down to a crawl.
A mildly entertaining trip into a gaming universe.
Nova Terra is a Ghost, a special operative for the Dominion, highly trained and with psionically enhanced abilities. When another Ghost, Kath Toom, and a Ghost Wrangler (basically, a kind of Ghost handler) go missing on the dismal planet of Oasis, it's up to Terra to find out what happened. On Oasis, she discovers an invasion of the insect-like zerg. The aliens appear to be drawn to the planet by the presence of a mysterious green gas. The gas, terrazine, brings out and amplifies psionic powers. Nova finds the wrangler, Mal, but there is no trace of the missing Ghost. In the process, Nova is exposed to the gas, and starts remembering her past; not a good thing, especially for Terra, who willingly joined the Ghosts because she knew her mind would be wiped after every mission.
As her memories return and she learns more about the missing Ghosts--Kath Toom isn't the first to disappear--Nova uncovers truths that will challenge her loyalty to the Dominion and the Emperor.
For a game tie-in, Spectres isn't bad. But it isn't great, either. In fact, I find this review difficult to write because it was so .... vanilla. Well, vanilla isn't right either, because good vanilla is delightful. Spectres starts out strong, but ultimately is burdened with too many character POVs, and the primary character relationship--Nova's kind-of/sort-of attraction to Mal--is poorly drawn and feels like an artifice. There are a few good action scenes, but I just didn't empathize with the characters enough to care what happened to them. It's not that the narrative didn't try to explore emotional reactions; but there was something flat about the internal dialogue. I'm inclined to think the story might have been better off taking a straight "shoot 'em up" approach. As a character-driven reader and writer, I usually need some degree of character identification to enjoy a story, but this may have been a case where it wasn't needed. The attempts at angst in a story that should have been been pure action, felt contrived and at times slowed the narrative down to a crawl.
A mildly entertaining trip into a gaming universe.
December 3, 2014
Ok, well, it's clearly just like formulaic pop whatever. And it's set in the Starcraft Universe (which, if you're not aware, is a pretty popular game), so, uh, it's going to be a video-game tie-in novel.
I picked this up because someone on reddit mentioned it was "what the plot _StarCraft: Ghost_ [a canceled game] was going to be."
For what it is, I enjoyed it. I could've used a bit less gore and a bit less "we need to explain what this is in case you've never heard of Starcraft before" (which I would have expected to stop by the 4th or 5th chapter, but continued more or less unabated throughout the whole novel).
It's a fun, light, read. There's super-spy-assassins and backstabbing and intrigue and space! and computers and all that. Some psionic-power drugs and messed up romances. Just what I needed since I'm working through a lot of denser non-fiction at the moment.
Nothing unexpected, nothing unpleasant, nothing sublime.
I picked this up because someone on reddit mentioned it was "what the plot _StarCraft: Ghost_ [a canceled game] was going to be."
For what it is, I enjoyed it. I could've used a bit less gore and a bit less "we need to explain what this is in case you've never heard of Starcraft before" (which I would have expected to stop by the 4th or 5th chapter, but continued more or less unabated throughout the whole novel).
It's a fun, light, read. There's super-spy-assassins and backstabbing and intrigue and space! and computers and all that. Some psionic-power drugs and messed up romances. Just what I needed since I'm working through a lot of denser non-fiction at the moment.
Nothing unexpected, nothing unpleasant, nothing sublime.
July 18, 2015
StarCraft Ghost
Spectres by Nate Kenyon
In this addition to the StarCraft Universe, Nova, part of the Ghosts Special Forces division of the Dominion army made up of powerful Humans with exceptional telepathic and telekinetic abilities, is tasked with a new mission. Her job is to track down rogue members of the Ghost program, and to discover what has occurred. However, when she is paired with an old friend, suppressed memories of her childhood appear, nearly overwhelming her. Will Nova be able to overcome her childhood tragedies and complete her mission? Or will she fail, and never be able to discover the dark secrets of her past and present.
To find out the epic conclusion, pick up a copy today.
For more information on the author, go to this site:
http://natekenyon.com/
Spectres by Nate Kenyon
In this addition to the StarCraft Universe, Nova, part of the Ghosts Special Forces division of the Dominion army made up of powerful Humans with exceptional telepathic and telekinetic abilities, is tasked with a new mission. Her job is to track down rogue members of the Ghost program, and to discover what has occurred. However, when she is paired with an old friend, suppressed memories of her childhood appear, nearly overwhelming her. Will Nova be able to overcome her childhood tragedies and complete her mission? Or will she fail, and never be able to discover the dark secrets of her past and present.
To find out the epic conclusion, pick up a copy today.
For more information on the author, go to this site:
http://natekenyon.com/
September 25, 2011
Spectres by Nate Kenyon
A titanic clash of psionic powers as Ghost meet Spectres in this action packed story based on the StarCraft science-fiction real-time strategy game.
Nova Terra is a complex character who is beginning to question her allegiance to an empire of questionable value. Her own personal standards of loyalty conflict with her emotional turmoil and intellectual prowess. Combine this personal angst with enough action to satisfy the most demanding reader and you have a book that is sure to be a success.
This book is not just for StarCraft fans. I did play StarCraft and perhaps that impacted my perception of the book but I feel you can read and enjoy this book as a stand alone. You need not to have played or even heard of StarCraft to enjoy the book.
I recommend it.
A titanic clash of psionic powers as Ghost meet Spectres in this action packed story based on the StarCraft science-fiction real-time strategy game.
Nova Terra is a complex character who is beginning to question her allegiance to an empire of questionable value. Her own personal standards of loyalty conflict with her emotional turmoil and intellectual prowess. Combine this personal angst with enough action to satisfy the most demanding reader and you have a book that is sure to be a success.
This book is not just for StarCraft fans. I did play StarCraft and perhaps that impacted my perception of the book but I feel you can read and enjoy this book as a stand alone. You need not to have played or even heard of StarCraft to enjoy the book.
I recommend it.
February 9, 2012
The reason I liked 'Nova' was because there was actually a story separate from the game. This one just seemed like the writer tried much too hard to tie it in to the StarCraft universe. Basically, this book steals the two protagonists from the first 'Ghost', and throws them in to a watered down version of a plot fans of the game (basically, the only people that would actively seek to read this) already know. There were no surprises, nor any development of the characters. I recommend everyone to skip this one.
November 14, 2013
The book title is misleading this book dwells into Nova's missions. Nothing really big happened, her missions are not memorable and she is becoming too similar with Sarah Kerrigan which often confuse me with what the writers are intending to do in the future. Only interesting part is at the end her encounter with Gabriel Tosh
Read
May 23, 2019Auf Seite 268 von 350 abgebrochen... Nova hat mich genervt. Oh ja, ich bin ja so loyal. Bla. Zehntausendmal Bla ihre Eltern, dieser eine Gangster für den sie gearbeitet hat. -.- ne, echt nicht. Das interessanteste waren noch die Phantoms und der Gedanke der Befreiung alles ghost. War ja von Anfang an klar, dass das sowieso nicht klappt.
May 3, 2012
Not as good as Ghost: Nova, but still enjoyable. Felt a bit gameish (is that a word?) and was emotionally disconnected from the events in SC2 single player campaign. A must read for Starcraft universe fans, otherwise - no loss, no gain. Read it for fun.
September 21, 2012
A sequel to a prequel of a cancelled spin-off game that tries to explain the back-story of a subplot in Starcraft II. Any character development is rendered pointless however, as it shares the same ending as the first book.
May 7, 2013
I found this book tremendously disappointing, and ended by asking myself "what's the point?"
At the end of the book, the status is quo (probably because it has to be, because of the established timeline) but it made the whole book seem a waste of time.
At the end of the book, the status is quo (probably because it has to be, because of the established timeline) but it made the whole book seem a waste of time.
December 12, 2011
great story but somehow the ending is abit dissapointing
May 9, 2012
Nova is a bitch.
April 6, 2013
Great story using some characters from the games as a set up for some things in Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty. Enjoyed reading this story.
February 19, 2014
An acceptable storyline, though not a strong one. Finishing of this book is dissapointing.
June 28, 2015
Excelent story, darn, now i want to play again Starcraft... i have this crave for zergs and protoss... D:
Read
June 28, 2017As everything about StarCraft the book series is huge! The short story timeline is 8% of the book %) The book was selected randomly appeared pretty strong detective story, packed with action and keeping involved :)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews