Starcraft Novels

[Scott Tortorice]

Has anybody tried any of the StarCraft novels?

I was going through them on Amazon in the hopes of finding a good read, but none of them seem that interesting. From the reviews I have read, most of them (if not all) are typical game tie-in novelizations: mere retellings of the game's various missions, campaigns and characters. I hate stories like that. I might as well skip the books and just play the game if that is all I am gonna get!

The StarCraft universe seems to have as much potential for original stories (i.e., stories beyond those found in the games) as does the 40K universe. Case in point: I am increasingly impressed by the fanfic found on various forums - some of that stuff is very good (not to mention the great fan art and comics). Again, it all reminds me of the early days of 40K.

I just wish Blizzard would follow in the footsteps of GW and hire a cadre of writers to flesh out the universe beyond what is found in the game. Like GW, Blizzard should just tap some of the better fanfic writers on the shoulder and throw a few bucks their way. Blizzard certainly can afford to do that far more than GW could ever afford to do!

Here's hoping....

 

[kawaiku]

Most books from Blizzard seem to be anthologies of several fan made stories. I haven't seen any that really caught my eye. And when I read threads or forums there are more references to the game than the books whereas in forums catering to 40k I've seen a far amount of discussions based around the books, games, and even the short stories from White Dwarf. I can't really say the same for Warhammer or Warcraft.

 

[Scott Tortorice]

Most books from Blizzard seem to be anthologies of several fan made stories. I haven't seen any that really caught my eye. And when I read threads or forums there are more references to the game than the books whereas in forums catering to 40k I've seen a far amount of discussions based around the books, games, and even the short stories from White Dwarf. I can't really say the same for Warhammer or Warcraft.

I think the problem with SC is that the game is dominating the lore. In other words, the game is so popular (and such a hot IP), that I think Blizzard is afraid to let the books take off in a different direction from the games (this was a problem with the early years of Star Wars fiction, too. IIRC, Lucas put in place some strict rules about what could be written about the SW universe so he wouldn't lose control of his IP). 40K didn't really have this problem because it started out as a niche hobby and GW was probably glad just for the attention. Once 40K went mainstream, it was too late to try to reel in the active fanfic community even if they wanted too - which they didn't because it was proving profitable in its own right.

I think Blizzard needs to let the fiction splinter off in its own direction, too. They might lose control over what is "cannon", but the fiction will be better for it. As long as every story is closely tied to the SC game du jour, the SC literature is never going to be worth squat.

 

[gursikh11]

No, I haven't tried it anytime. I'll start it after Identity Crisis comic.