Guest Review by Nick Katzmarek Fans of the
Terminator film series get what they are looking for in
Trial by Fire, a new novel by noted sci-fi guy
Timothy Zahn. The book takes place during the immediate aftermath of the
Salvation film; Connor is still recovering from the injury he suffered during the San Francisco invasion, and Kyle Reese and Star are trying to find their place in Connor's camp. The book deals with Skynet's testing of the new Terminator Hybrid, a breed of Terminator that is basically indetectable by the civilian groups it is trying to infiltrate. (Marcus Wright, played by
Sam Worthington in the film, is one of these new models.)
Blair, Williams and Reese from the films play sizable roles in the book, but most of the plot centers around a group of civilians scratching out a living in a community called Baker's Hollow. Something is not quite right in the Hollow, and Zahn does an admirable job of pacing, causing readers to snap though the pages to find out exactly what is going on in the tight-knit little community. Action scenes are well-balanced with character development, and there's even a bit of mythology advancement, as we learn a bit about the Hybrid program (and Skynet's plans for John Connor) from an antagonist's rant toward the end.
Author Zahn is best known for his eight
Star Wars novels; he brings the same breakneck pace and attention to detail he used in those books to this installment.
Trial by Fire is a good, quick read, and definitely a must for hard-core
Terminator fans.
Author Bio Timothy Zahn is the Hugo Award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling
Terminator Salvation: From The Ashes. He has written over 20 original novels, including thrilling science-fiction series
Quadrail, The Conquerers Saga and the young adult series
Dragonback, and a number of best-selling
Star Wars novels, including the hugely popular
Thrawn Trilogy.
Terminator Salvation: Trial By Fire 978-1-84856-088-8
$7.99/$8.99C
Ctn: 48
Titan Books • Science Fiction
320 pp • 4 1⁄8 x 6 3⁄4