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zaphod46's review
1.0
He transcribed the TV show. If this hadn't been free, I'd feel really stupid right now. As it is, I just feel cheated of a few hours.
buoymehome's review
4.0
I read it via the Tor website and it was an easy enjoyable read.
Having seen the Miniserie way too much, and the author having retaken all the dialogues and actions happening in the Miniserie, it was as if I was replaying everything in my head.
The author did a very good job at transcritpting the characters feelings and expressions on paper.
Having seen the Miniserie way too much, and the author having retaken all the dialogues and actions happening in the Miniserie, it was as if I was replaying everything in my head.
The author did a very good job at transcritpting the characters feelings and expressions on paper.
prideguy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
One of the best pilots out there. This book is a product of its time with this said. Descriptions of characters skin tones are-antiquated at best. As it happens multiple times is why I’m deducting so much. Distracting for sure.
pussreboots's review
3.0
I am old enough to have watched the original Battlestar Galactica. I watched it when it was new and I grew up watching it over and over again in reruns at my grandmother's house. It came on after The Twilight Zone, right during lunch.
When the new series started, I was asked to review the second and third books in the companion book series. I really wanted to read the first in the new series too, Battlestar Galactica by Jeffrey A. Carver. Recently I realized I could get the book via an interlibrary loan and was finally able to mark it off my wishlist.
After years of not seeing the Cylons, they are suddenly back and out for blood. They have decided to kill humanity to make way for their kind. They fail in the goal of complete annihilation and end up having to chase the survivors across space. What the humans don't realize is that there are Cylons living among them. Some who know and some who don't know the truth behind their origins.
The miniseries and the book both begin with an explanation aimed at the folks who remember the original: why don't the new Cylons look like the walking toasters of yore? In trying to make that tie to the original the plot opens up more questions than are possible perhaps to answer. Ones that came to my mind were: is this just a clean retelling from scratch and are the current bunch repeating the war and migration of their forefathers? Those questions aren't addressed in the book or the miniseries but hints are dropped as fan service.
Did I like the book? Yes, slightly more than I did the miniseries. The book is faithful to the miniseries and it seems that adaptations from films to books are more faithful to their source material than when the process is the other way around. I would have liked to have seen things told in a different order than they were shown in the miniseries. The miniseries did a lot of jumping around between locations to show all the events happening simultaneously. In book form, the result is extremely short chapters with very little segue. I think things would have played out better had more time been given to each location.
That said, I'm still glad I went to the effort to find and read the book. I'm glad to have gotten it read while the mini series is still relatively fresh in my mind.
When the new series started, I was asked to review the second and third books in the companion book series. I really wanted to read the first in the new series too, Battlestar Galactica by Jeffrey A. Carver. Recently I realized I could get the book via an interlibrary loan and was finally able to mark it off my wishlist.
After years of not seeing the Cylons, they are suddenly back and out for blood. They have decided to kill humanity to make way for their kind. They fail in the goal of complete annihilation and end up having to chase the survivors across space. What the humans don't realize is that there are Cylons living among them. Some who know and some who don't know the truth behind their origins.
The miniseries and the book both begin with an explanation aimed at the folks who remember the original: why don't the new Cylons look like the walking toasters of yore? In trying to make that tie to the original the plot opens up more questions than are possible perhaps to answer. Ones that came to my mind were: is this just a clean retelling from scratch and are the current bunch repeating the war and migration of their forefathers? Those questions aren't addressed in the book or the miniseries but hints are dropped as fan service.
Did I like the book? Yes, slightly more than I did the miniseries. The book is faithful to the miniseries and it seems that adaptations from films to books are more faithful to their source material than when the process is the other way around. I would have liked to have seen things told in a different order than they were shown in the miniseries. The miniseries did a lot of jumping around between locations to show all the events happening simultaneously. In book form, the result is extremely short chapters with very little segue. I think things would have played out better had more time been given to each location.
That said, I'm still glad I went to the effort to find and read the book. I'm glad to have gotten it read while the mini series is still relatively fresh in my mind.
mustlovemustypages's review
3.0
If I had read this without ever having seen the television show, I don't think I would have had nearly as good of a time. As it were, I was able to picture the events of the show and I was able to fill in the significant gaps left in the story line. One of things I like most about novelizations is their ability to expand the story, add scenes, add additional perspective. This one was almost the opposite and felt more abbreviated. Key pieces were left out (at least in my opinion, although I'm sure I'm biased since this is one of my favorite shows of all time and anything being left out seems like a crime). It definitely wasn't terrible, but if anyone reads this without having seen the show, I beg you to not let it influence whether or not you continue on to watch the full series.
yonnyan's review
4.0
I just want to start off saying that I will not compare this to the original novels or original TV series because for me they are very different, too different for a proper comparison. Now, moving onward.
I loved the 2004 television series. It is by far one of my favorite shows of all time. Keeping that in mind, Battlestar Galactica the novel is basically just the literary version of the show. As I read this book, I very vividly pictured the episodes unfolding beautifully before my eyes.
I noticed that not many people like the writing of this novel. But I honestly have to say that I rather enjoyed it. It was not a poorly written book in any sense. The technical mumbo-jumbo was explained very nicely without making things sound overly complex. The space battle descriptions were smooth and very decently paced, and most importantly the emotions that are running on extreme highs is delivered with great execution. The tension, the fear, the grief, and the rage--you will feel all of it as you simply read one page after another. So, safe to say I didn't have an issue with the writing at all!
The novel did, however, feel like it had somewhat of a sluggish start. The first 50 pages didn't really grab my attention with hooks, but afterwards I was totally itching to finish. The sluggish aspects does come up sporadically throughout the novel. I think it's less of the style and more in part due to the content. There are just some scenes where you have to take it slow to set the atmosphere and I was perfectly okay with that.
The ending obviously leaves you with the hint that there is much more to come (meaning more books!). I highly recommend the novels to people who have not had the chance to watch the 2004 TV series. If you just don't have the time for it, then at the very least check out the books. They are not as well-done but definitely a great way to experience this fantastic piece of sci-fi. If you have seen the show, then I would say read the book if you want to re-experience the show without having to watch it all over again.
I loved the 2004 television series. It is by far one of my favorite shows of all time. Keeping that in mind, Battlestar Galactica the novel is basically just the literary version of the show. As I read this book, I very vividly pictured the episodes unfolding beautifully before my eyes.
I noticed that not many people like the writing of this novel. But I honestly have to say that I rather enjoyed it. It was not a poorly written book in any sense. The technical mumbo-jumbo was explained very nicely without making things sound overly complex. The space battle descriptions were smooth and very decently paced, and most importantly the emotions that are running on extreme highs is delivered with great execution. The tension, the fear, the grief, and the rage--you will feel all of it as you simply read one page after another. So, safe to say I didn't have an issue with the writing at all!
The novel did, however, feel like it had somewhat of a sluggish start. The first 50 pages didn't really grab my attention with hooks, but afterwards I was totally itching to finish. The sluggish aspects does come up sporadically throughout the novel. I think it's less of the style and more in part due to the content. There are just some scenes where you have to take it slow to set the atmosphere and I was perfectly okay with that.
The ending obviously leaves you with the hint that there is much more to come (meaning more books!). I highly recommend the novels to people who have not had the chance to watch the 2004 TV series. If you just don't have the time for it, then at the very least check out the books. They are not as well-done but definitely a great way to experience this fantastic piece of sci-fi. If you have seen the show, then I would say read the book if you want to re-experience the show without having to watch it all over again.
bzedan's review
1.0
I've read a decent number of novelizations. And this one was not good. Descriptions are bulky, everything lacks life, which is even more awful when it's an attempt to write out a very vibrant and engaging show.
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