Posts Tagged ‘the novel post’

The Novel Post: StarCraft: Ghost AcademyVolume 1 Review

5 May 2010 | 1 Comment » | iTZKooPA

This review of StarCraft: Ghost Academy Volume 1 is of the spoiler-free variety.

StarCraft: Ghost Academy is an odd beast.  It’s the fifth manga from Tokyopop set in the StarCraft universe, but it’s the first time one of the products contained a single story.  The StarCraft: Frontline series is built like Warcraft: Legends, a collection of shorts.  However, Ghost Academy isn’t a start and a finish, it’s the beginning of a trilogy surrounding Nova, a high-powered telepath.

That’s what makes it even more odd.  Nova was to be the main character in the scrapped StarCraft: Ghost console game –  A title that was so close to being done that Blizzard began marketing it with a tie-in novel, StarCraft Ghost: Nova.  The prequel book showcased Nova’s early struggles with wielding psionic powers and a troubled young life before becoming a powerful Ghost.  Keith R.A. DeCandido envisioned the original prequel novel, and returns to fill in the gap in his novel thanks to the three-part manga series focusing on Nova’s intense training.

Now that you know how we got here, hit the jump to find out if the story is worth reading. Continue Reading

The Novel Post: World of Warcraft: Stormrage Review

23 April 2010 | 3 Comments » | iTZKooPA

This review of World of Warcraft: Stormage is of the spoiler-free variety.  We’ll discuss the deeper meaning of the book in a follow-up post(s).

It’s no secret that Richard A. Knaak is not my favorite writer in the extended universe of Warcraft.  The man has penned numerous books for Blizzard, across all their franchises, and has had characters he created become integral parts of World of Warcraft.  I’ve enjoyed his story arcs, but balked at his dialog, characters and — here’s the clincher — his lack of understanding the universe he’s contributing to.

When I found out that he’d be tackling World of Warcraft: Stormrage, a book about Malfurion Stormrage (the most famous druid in the universe), I was excited and terrified.  On the one hand, it’d be difficult for Knaak to bring in his pet characters to a book about Malfurion Stormrage.  But on the other, he could turn Malfurion into an annoying twit just as easily.  With much trepidation, I cracked open the second hardcover WoW novelization and dove in.

Hit the jump to see how my swim went. Continue Reading