I suppose that I should throw out a couple things before we get into the crux of this review. First, in case you somehow missed it, this novel is actually a prequel to the Terminator Salvation movie. And second, I read the book after I saw the movie; so any extra benefit of knowing what little things led into the bigger movie were kind of lost on me. Why did I read the book then? I've read Timothy Zahn's Star Wars novels and thought here was a chance for him to build upon existing characters in a Science Fiction movie and make them better, to give them grand adventures. Alas, that didn't really happen. Zahn does a perfectly adequate job within the Terminator universe. A story is told. Characters are present. People and machines die. All the normal things you expect in a Terminator movie are there. What was missing was some of the action and excitement; the suspense leading to things blowing up is difficult when you don't really care about the characters. One of the hard things to do when working with characters in an established, and licensed, universe is to make the characters develop and change over the course of the story but to then leave things pretty much the same at the end as the beginning. John Connor can't lose an arm unless it happens in a movie; the books fill in gaps and provide off-screen character development but don't evolve too much. Zahn is good with following that rule and yet making it feel like he isn't. Zahn's Thrawn saga for Star Wars is awesome! But he didn't bring the magic to this book. Instead you have a story that you'll get through and go "OK" and move on. Maybe it will be better if you immediately watch the movie afterwards. ( )

The prequel to Terminator: Salvation. I truly enjoyed this. Zahn does a masterful job of introducing us to the characters. Reese, Star, their protector Orzohc [or something like that], John and Kate Connor and their tight knit group of Resistance fighters.

Skynet prepares to cleanse a particular region of L.A. and the Connors prepare to pull of a coup to secure their place in the Resistance. And the group Reese and Star are living with are caught squarely in the middle.

This was written well, engagingly, with flashes of humor and sadness. ( )

Timothy Zahn has written an engaging and accessible military-sf novel that happens to be set in a movie tie-in world. This book is a prequel to the movie Terminator Salvation, and introduces us to the post-Judgement Day world in the ruins of LA.

John & Kate Connor are leading a Resistance cell and there's some kind of command structure co-ordinating resistance (across the US alone, I presume, no hint of any other countries anyway). Meanwhile in a broken up hotel, a teenage Kyle Reese is part of a small community of civilians trying to stay alive against the threats both of Skynet and other humans.

The book follows the attempts of Connor's cell to capture a Skynet "staging post" while all its defences are out murdering the remaining humans in this part of the city. The action is seen from many viewpoints, both fighting in the streets & aerial battles, and Zahn's ability to keep the reader gripped is as good as ever.

The book comes to a resolution and a satisfying close, but it is clearly just a chapter in a longer story.

http://rmc28.dreamwidth.org/411454.html ( )

Fan-favorite Timothy Zhan has proven that he can create incredibly readable, highly addictive original works and tie-in novels during his long and distinguished career. He helped launch the modern "Star Wars" novel over 20 years ago and now he turns his attention to the "Terminator" universe with a prequel to this summer's "Terminator: Salvation."

Given Zhan's solid background is creating futuristic military battles that are both engaged and easy for the reader to follow, the match of Zhan with the "Terminator" universe is a match made in heaven. Set just before the events of the upcoming film, Zhan chronicles events in Los Angeles in the aftermath of the initial Skynet attack and leading up to what we'll see on the big-screen later this year. The military battles are the strength of this story, with Zhan making them both thrilling and accessible to readers.

However, because this is a prequel story, there are some limits on what Zhan can do--especially when it comes to the characters. There are some instantly recognizable characters such as John and Kate Connor and Kyle Reese. There are also a lot of other characters in the story, who I presume will be included in the upcoming film. Zhan's job is clearly to give some backstory on how certain players get into certain situations and places by the start of the film and while he does a good job telling that story, you can tell the constraints are limiting him. (For a good comparison, read any of Zhan's original "Star Wars" trilogy of novels where he has more freedom to play with the characters).

This weakness leads to some character moments that are too obviously telegraphed and some characters who are clearly brought into the story to be little more than red-shirts where on classic "Star Trek."

However, there is more that works in the story than doesn't. Fans of the "Terminator" franchise will want to devour this one before they hit theaters. And casual fans may find themselves wanting to pick it up after seeing the film. Either way, you're in for a treat in the universe of media tie-in novels. ( )

For any fan of the Terminator series this is a must-read prior to the release of the new T4/ Terminator Salvation movie this summer. It is a well-written story set just before the events of the new movie.

The novel is the story of one battle (and the events leading up to it). It follows John Connor's band of Resistance fighters as they plan an attack on a Skynet staging area in Los Angeles. It also introduces the character of Kyle Reese (important to the Terminator franchise) as a young teenager and what he is doing to survive prior to meeting John Connor. Kyle is living in the remains of a former luxury high rise apartment building in Los Angeles. A former Marine heads up security for the group living here and has become a mentor to Kyle.

A very quick read, but exciting and well-crafted. ( )