slipheed's Full Review: Gabriel Mesta - Starcraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga
The husband-wife team of Kevin Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, writing under the pseudonym of Gabriel Mesta, brings us the second book in the series based on the hit computer game Starcraft. This book, unlike the first, is an original story that is not based on any storyline from Starcraft or the expansion pack Brood Wars. The book mainly tells of the finding of a Xel'Naga artifact found on the Terran colony of Bhekar Ro. Each chapter essentially tells the story from one of four different viewpoints: the Terran colonists lead by a new character named Octavia, a Protoss scout team, a Zerg swarm, and a Terran armada commanded by General Duke.
While the first book contained great storytelling and fills in many of the gaps that the game had, this book is very drab and boring. The authors, for some reason, describe in excruciating detail each and every unit in the game, from the Zerglings to the Protoss observers. While this may be useful for readers who are not familiar with the Starcraft universe, most people who read this book will read it with a full knowledge of the game and what each unit can do. The authors also take a long time setting up the conflict between the alien races. It is not until halfway through the book until something interesting happens. The battle sequences are also not compelling, as they are essentially by-the-book descriptions of game play. The characters are very one-dimensional, including the new character Octavia. Also, the set up of the book with the four viewpoints leads to short, unfullfilling chapters. The average chapter is about 5 to 6 pages long and doesn't really let the reader really settle into the book, as the viewpoint shifts very quickly.
I would not recommend this book for anyone to read. Even hardcore Starcraft fans should stay away from this book.
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