Speed of Darkness (StarCraft #3)

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Customer Reviews:

Nice, quick, sci-fi fun [Posted on 2007-04-16]
I enjoyed Hickman's books as a teenager and thought I would try reading some of his books again. I have not read any of the other StarCraft books, so I cannot compare it against those, but I thought it was a wonderfully well written sci-fi/game book. It reads fast, has enough twists to keep it interesting, and personally, I loved the build up and the ending. It even made me want to play StarCraft again.

Disregard the Cynics and the Militant Fanboys ... [Posted on 2007-08-22]
Speed of Darkness tells an outstanding story, but unlike most others in the series it caters to adult readers (or mature younger ones). There are several critical reviews posted here, and I am going to respond to the general "gist" of each of them:

1.) "This novel wasn't full of StarCraft action and violence."

The writer cannot help the fact that the narrative of StarCraft is told through the skeleton of a super-violent Real Time Strategy game. I love the StarCraft universe -- it is one of my absolute favorites (even above classics like Star Wars), but I did not love it because it was an incredible video game. I had fun *playing* StarCraft because it was an incredible video game -- I loved it because it told a mature, gripping story. When one considers the rise, betrayal, and fall of characters like Sarah Kerrigan, the trials that Speed of Darkness's protagonist (Ardo) is subjected to begin to make more sense. The world of StarCraft is gritty, if not outright disgusting when you peel back the layers that are slapped on and sugar-coated for the preteen crowd. Corruption, genocide, betrayal ... these are all quintessential elements of this world, and Speed of Darkness illustrates this mood as no other novel in the series has before or since. If you want a novel that is full of nothing but crappily-written Zerg vs. Protoss vs. Terran death, go read the most embarrassing novel in the series: Shadow of the Xel'naga.


2.) "This novel is full of Science Fiction cliches."

This is an awfully easy criticism to make of a work of fiction that is so deeply entrenched within a specific genre that it can barely breathe. Personally I did not find that Speed of Darkness was overburdened by cliches, though obviously there are going to be some given the very framework the author was constrained to. Speed of Darkness is morbid, dark and depressing. While there are certainly examples of Science Fiction that fit this mold, I consider them to be few and far between. Some other reviewers have commented that the novel is completely depressing -- it is, and the entire story is about finding meaning and purpose within the darkest depths of one's misery and sacrifice. It is a beautiful story, and one that boldly goes into domains not commonly explored by contemporary literature in a premanufactured Science Fiction genre. If you weren't pressed to the verge of tears the last time you read the word "golden" before the curtains close ... you either missed the point or desperately need therapy.

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This is, without a doubt, the single best story in the StarCraft line thus far. I have read all of them. If you want to supplement this story with other decent StarCraft literature, this is my personal list of favorites in descending order:

1. StarCraft: Speed of Darkness
2. StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade
3. StarCraft Ghost: Nova (technically a sequel to #2)
4. StarCraft: Dark Templar #1: Firstborn
5. StarCraft: Queen of Blades
6. StarCraft: Uprising (ebook)
7. StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'naga (DO NOT buy this!)

Surprised at the 3rd book. [Posted on 2007-09-24]
The last book in the so called "trilogy" was a pleasant surprise for me. After the second book I almost didn't want to read "The Speed of Darkness", but as I got into the book, I could not put it down.

The author pays great attention to the details of the Starcraft universe, the units, vehicles, buildings, close to perfect.

But at the same time (as many of you pointed out already) this is a sci-fi book in a StarCraft universe not the other way around.

All in all it's a great read!

A Good Hero Story [Posted on 2007-10-01]
I've always enjoyed Tracy Hickman's novels particularly in the Dragonlance and other Sci-Fantasy series. Hickman's departure from the usual Sci-Fantasy literature to write Science Fiction piqued my curiosity so I decided to get this book and I was not disappointed.

Hickman has a talent of invoking a sense of empathy for each of his characters, particularly his protagonists. Hickman makes the characters believable enough that the reader can relate to them and create circumstances for each character that actually makes you care how the characters make decisions (i.e., should we stay to fight the Zerg or save ourselves and get off the planet).

Hickman has done well to make the protagonists unique enough that they avoid becoming clichéd stereotypes, but still manage to portray a sense of heroism. For example, I thought two of the characters in Speed of Darkness (Cutter and Littlefield) bore several similarities to two other Hickman characters (Cameron and Sturm) yet those familiar with all four characters know they are quite different in character. Anyone that has created characters for Role-Playing Games of any sort, either as a Player or a Game-Master know how hard it can be to create believable non-clichéd stereotypical characters. In Hickman's case he does well at making archetypical rather than stereotypical characters.

It's good to read a hero story once in a while because it sometimes seems we are in need of them these days. In the case of "Speed of Darkness" it shows that sometimes when we're looking for heroes we need not look any further than the hero in ourselves.

A really good one! [Posted on 2008-01-20]
Out of the three StarCraft novels, this book is really the most entertaining.

Unlike the linear, static plot of "Liberty's crusade" and the fairy-talish "Shadow of the Xel'Naga", this story is gritty, more realistic and far more belles-lettres like. It features tough inner experiences of the main character, the heroism and sacrife, the realities of war and even love.

A unique story telling manner makes me admire the author.

If there was ever a StarCraft movie, it should be like this novel.

A truly great book for for StarCraft fans or any sci-fi reader.

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