The Cylon Death Machine (Battlestar Galactica, Book 2) [Paperback]

Glen A. Larson (Author), Robert Thurston (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; 1st first edition (January 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425040801
• ISBN-13: 978-0425040805
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,779,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Gun on Ice Planet Zero, August 11, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cylon Death Machine (Battlestar Galactica, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the novelization of the TV episode of "Gun on Ice Planet Zero." It faithfully recreates the story of the daring raid by the Galactica crew to destroy the massive Ravishol Pulsar weapon that is about to destroy the Colonial fleet. Glen Larson and Robert Thurston do a good job in fleshing out the characters and adding in a few twists to the plot of this original 2-part tv episode. The character of Croft, the leader of the criminal demolitions team, really gets the treatment in this book. He comes across as an inidividual who has real depth and emotion. In fact, much of the book is told from his point of view. Of course, fans of the show will recognize what happens in the story except for a few little things that are changed, of course. The biggest thing is the ending, with Croft hanging from a wire attached to a stolen Cylon raider trying to rescue Boxey who is a stowaway in a remote-controlled Cylon ship!!! Unbelievable!!! But it still makes a good read for all of us who knew and loved this late '70's sci-fi show. If you like Battlestar Galactica, get all of these novels and relive the show like you never have before. Great fun.

3.0 out of 5 stars Follows the original episodes fairly well, fails when it does not, November 29, 2007

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Cylon Death Machine (Battlestar Galactica, Book 2) (Paperback)

This book is a novelization of the two-part episode "Gun On Ice Planet Zero" of the original series. That episode is one of the best episodes of the series, the special effects of the ice planet are superb and still wear well after thirty years. While this book is kept close to the original story, there are some areas where it is much weaker.
In the original story, Baltar is commanding the base ships and his interaction with the Cylon Lucifer was one of the best aspects of the episode. However, in this story, it is the Cylon Imperious Leader who commands the base ships. Furthermore, the Cylon leader interacts with a simulacrum of Starbuck, which is forced and a bit absurd. The section in the book where Boxey is in a Cylon fighter and Apollo flies another fighter above it so that Croft can use mountaineer equipment to jump from ship to ship and rescue Boxey by pulling him out is absurd. These are space ships designed for combat. The idea that someone could so easily access such a ship is nonsense. The book would have been much better if that section had been edited out.
One positive aspect of the book is the sections narrated by Croft. This is an opportunity to get inside the mind of the man and understand his actions. There are some statements concerning his past in the episode, but it is too limited to be helpful. Overall though, I found the book disappointing.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your normal good battlestar galactica book, May 22, 2001

By 

Megan Taggart (A Galaxy far, far, away....) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cylon Death Machine (Battlestar Galactica, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Well very intertaining. I couldn't keep my nose out of it, I found it in the thrift shop, a rare find indeed. Starbuck and Apollo at their best, and of course the normal action of the series. When my Dad saw me reading this book, he said that sometimes he'd watch it on the T.V, and he didn't turn it off. Which means the series were good, because it doesn't take alot for my dad to turn the switch. The plot was entertaining, and the humor was good. Read it, you wont regret it.