This time, I’ll start from a bit farther back — why a book from the StarCraft series in the first place.
The term “novelization” for games refers to a fictional work created based on a video game. I never used to think novelizations could be interesting, even though it’s a very popular and widespread genre.
However, I once became so fascinated with the StarCraft universe that I couldn’t resist when I saw the first novelizations based on it. At that time, they weren’t available in Russian, so I bought the original English versions, hoping that someday I would be able to read them. When I opened the first page of the first book — Liberty’s Crusade — an even crazier idea struck me: to translate it into Russian. I spent almost two years working on the translation, but I finished it. Moreover, it was published by the Azbuka publishing house, and it became the first book from this universe available in Russian.
Looking back, I now feel a bit embarrassed by this amateur translation, with its fair share of mistakes, and the publisher’s editor added some of their own content without consulting me. However, this project gave me a huge boost in learning English, and after that, reading books in the original language didn’t seem so difficult.
I’ve read a few more books from the series and translated three more novels. Not for sale, just for myself, as a hobby (by the way, the first translation didn’t bring in much money, and with such rates, I understand why so many poorly translated books end up on store shelves).
But back to the books. The last one I translated was Nova — a novel about a girl, Nova Terra, who becomes one of the best soldiers in the elite Ghost unit. There wasn’t such a character in the original game. However, in 2002, Blizzard announced an entirely new game in the StarCraft universe, different in genre, meant for consoles instead of PCs, and featuring a brand-new protagonist. The game was called StarCraft: Ghost. And the main character was Nova, a “ghost.”
However, in 2006, the game was canceled. But the book, clearly written as support for the upcoming game, remained. And Blizzard decided to release it. Compared to the rather mediocre early novelizations in the series, Nova felt much stronger. I still consider it the best StarCraft novel I’ve read. The book didn’t rely on the well-known StarCraft universe; it told its own story: even if you removed the familiar universe, little would change. What’s more, the main character turned out to be a very complex one — a teenager with huge telepathic and telekinetic abilities, yet no idea how to control them. She ends up falling under the influence of a crime lord who quickly finds a use for her powers.
This was the first book that made me see novelizations in a completely different light. So when I found out a second novel about the same heroine was coming out, I had no doubt I’d read it. But the book was delayed, then the author changed, and when it finally came out, I didn’t have time to read it right away.
And now I’ve finally read it. Several things happened in the StarCraft universe between the first and second books. First, a comic called Ghost Academy came out, which told the story of Nova’s training. And second, in 2010, the long-awaited StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty was released. In that game, Nova appeared as one of the secondary characters, along with another Ghost from her class — Gabriel Tosh.
By the time the second book, StarCraft: Ghost — Spectres, was released, Nova was already well-established in the StarCraft universe. She was no longer just “another Ghost.”
So what is the new book about? The first book ended with Nova deciding to join the Academy, where she was promised that upon completing her training, her memory would be erased, allowing her to forget all the horrors she had experienced. The new book is a direct continuation. Only now, Nova is a fully-fledged Dominion agent and one of the best Ghosts. But suddenly, her fellow Ghost agents start disappearing on missions, and it’s up to Nova to figure out who’s behind it all.
Before reading the novel, I recommend first checking out the Ghost Academy comic, which tells the story of Nova’s training. The new book references many events from that time, and several classmates from the Academy reappear. Knowing the comic will help you understand all these references better.
The book itself is quite interesting, but this time, we learn more about Gabriel Tosh, whom I mentioned earlier. Essentially, the book has two main characters — Nova and Gabriel. Both are Ghosts, but their fates are different.
Blizzard does a great job of creating interesting characters. They’re not one-dimensional; none of them can be described as entirely good or entirely bad. But each one has a story — events that made them who they are.
The new book adds depth to characters we already know. It also ties into the game’s events, where players could choose to help either Nova or Tosh.
However, I must admit that I still found the first book, Nova, stronger in this regard. Perhaps changing authors midway through was a mistake. Nevertheless, the book is worth reading if you’re a fan of the StarCraft universe.
My rating: 4/5
