Customer Reviews

Infiltrator (T2, Bk 1)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Well, after a long hiatus, Skynet(Pesky thing just will not die) is back again, and after those rascally rabbits, I mean the Connors, and we are treated to a well written lazy weekend yarn to boot. Skynet, getting clever in his old age designs half human cybors called I-950's which are actually humans at their core, born and bred by Skynet, and fanatically loyal to Skynet, with the ultimate goal of the extermination of the human species in the future after Judgement Day. Even though the Connors beat Skynet again in the T2 movie, it manages through some monkeying around with temporal anamolies (Kind of glossed over in the book) to send back it's top of the line I-950 model named Serena to the present. Here S.M. Stirlings fans (I am one) will find many pleasant and disturbing similarities with Gwen the female atagonist from his incredibile "Draka" series. She quickly sets up shop here in the present and starts working hard on hunting down the Connors, and getting Cyberdyne systems back on it's feet again. Extremely well written, all main characters are very engaging, and it is interesting to see how much Sarah Connor has mellowed over the years. Stirling exercises a bit of tounge in cheek, as one of the Connors human allies is an Austrian national, who was used as the template for the Terminators in the future. Also check out Sarah's horses name, if you're paying attention, you'll get another inside joke. John Connor is seen at sixteen, while intensely vulernable in some ways, we are being given strong glimpses of the leader he will become no matter what Timeline eventually occurs. Well thought out and researched, Stirling has provided a very strong platform for a series based on the films. I can only hope that the sequel, if not written by him, will be as enjoyable a read. (As a nonrelated item, this is the only sci-fi book I have ever read where some of the action takes place in Wilmington DE, my hometown. Just thought it was kind of neat.) Buy this book, you will not have wasted your money as you would with so many of the Star Wars, and Star Trek novels.

I picked up "T2-Infiltrator" due the fact that I didn't enjoy "T3 Rise of the Machine" movie. This book is really great! It picks up serveral year after T2 Judgement Day and tells the story of John and Sarah Conner in their quest to stop the war from ever happening. Old Characters from the movie including the Dyson family and Enrique are around and new ones are introduce, such as where did Skynet discover the model for the T-100? The writer does not lack in action and keeps the reader's interest. This a great book for any fan of the movies and should not be missed.

As one expected, I'm a fan of the film series. I was a bit late to
learn about a novel sequel to the last movie. So, I swooped this
up. I used to always buy paperback version of hardback novels, but
now I feel I was wrong. There's a certain power that comes with a
hardback book, weight and visual presence. It does for me anyway.
Oh well. This is an excellent popcorn book. A fast read at 389
pages. Great novel to ease into your couch or recliner and absorb.
Stirling did a good job recreated the mood and feel of the last
feature. Though this novel has nothing to do with next summer's
"T3" (2003) movie. Well, one thing. The next villain like this
book is female. And not all muscles, but very very feminine. Oh
my. The I-950 is new to the saga and is a welcome addition. Didn't
see that going there, makes sense. SkyNet is just plain wicked.
Serena Burns is described as quite the hottie. Someone needs to
check her back to see if she has a switch like that Krusty the
Clown doll. Can she be set from EVIL to GOOD? And a kicks ass
ending. Like the Romero flicks, dead don't always mean dead. There
are a few things I want answered in the sequel book which is
already out. (1) What happens to Serena's tummy nuke? (2) Does the
Phased Plasma Rifle in the forty-kilowatt rage get built in his
altered history-present? (3) What happened to her second clone? I
hope these get resolved in "T2: Rising Storm". For those who are
purists, bummed out that this isn't what "T3" is going to be
about. Just take it like this. There are infinite timelines at
play, this novel series takes place in one. Or two. Or three of
them. And as an added bonus. Several Terminators for the Conners
to battle with.

In the present, Cyberdene built a computer chip to power Skynet, a military computer that eliminates the human error. Problems begin when Skynet turns sentient and attacks its former masters deeming them unfit to live. Sarah Connor and her son have knowledge of a future where the lad will lead the human resistance against Skynet. Sarah felt that with the death of the Skynet creator and the Cyberdene complex burned to the ground, the future would change. However, the American government declares the Connors as terrorists forcing them to flee to Paraguay.

In 2021 John Connor, the resistance leader, tries to destroy Skynet, which has created a new weapon to end all counter insurgence. Cyborgs are attached to a neural link to send Serena back to the present to insure Skynet is built. The weapon system Serena becomes head of Cyberdene security and actively tries to kill the Connors, once again having Sarah and John fighting for their lives and that of the future of humanity.

It has been about a decade since T2 hit the screen, yet S.M. Stirling captures the essence of the movie while taking it one step further beyond the icons. The story line is as exciting and fluid as the two movies so that even James Cameron will not want to terminate this series; judging it as worthy.

Harriet Klausner

I thought the book T2: Infiltrator was a lot better to make into a movie than what I watched in Terminator 3. To me, this had answers where the movie T3 left out. After reading this book then seeing T3, they should have made a movie from this book and left T3 buried.

T2: Infiltrator is a well-written sequel to the second Terminator movie--Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In fact, this book and the two subsequent titles in this series by S.M. Stirling are a much better sequel to Terminator 2 than is the third movie in the series.

I had hoped, in vain as it turns out, that the next movie (Terminator 3) would follow Stirling's series. Stirling is a powerful fiction writer and his understanding of combative behavior is refreshing. (See some of his other works such as Drakon and Island In The Sea Of Time.)

This one is a good read.

Many science fiction readers often hold high hopes for books based on movies such as this one, and are more often than not dissapointed. They usually end up as rubbish, as the authors indulge their own fantasies and produce something extremely stupid. As you probably know, by the time you get to the phrase, 'HIVE MIND', it's time to throw it in the trash.

However, this book was a very entertaining reading! It did justice to the whole concept Terminator and its characters, and is definantly one of those books I've had trouble putting down. It was slow to begin with, but particularly in the second half of the book, became 'action packed' to use a cliche. And the best thing is, it leaves the story wide open to more books, which I will certainly be looking for.

There were niggling details that a fan like me did not like, but they were few. The infiltrator could be annoying at times, having (limited) emotions, however the final battle between her and the Connors is great fun (and rather gruesome). I did not like the fact that at least one Terminator despised humans, which I found spoiled the feel of a relentless emotionless machine. I always liked the idea of a Terminator having emotionless judgement, without any capability of liking or disliking anything (apart from the end of T2).

There is also some comedic situations in the book as the socially inept terminators deal in conversation with human beings, particularly near the end (Whoops, I've revealed the fact that there are several terminators in this book).

Worth reading. If you can't get it in the library and you are a die-hard Terminator fan, spend the money. It was worth it.

For those of us who have viewed the two Terminator films over and over and over again, the wait for the 2002 release of "Terminator 3" seems endless. Consequently, the appearance of an alternative literary version of a sequel to the Terminator films is an exciting event, indeed. Overall, Stirling has succeeded in continuing the Terminator saga in authentic and convincing fashion, and we can only hope that *Infiltrator* is the first in a series of Terminator stories in book form.

I'm guessing that Stirling hoped that this story might provide the basis for the Terminator 3 film, as he has provided more than ample opportunity for Arnold Schwarzenegger to be featured prominently in the cast. Unfortunately for Stirling, Linda Hamilton decided not to participate in the T3 project, so the prominent role of Sarah Connor in *Infiltrator* relegated this story to the realm of literature only. Oh, well.

The world of Skynet and the Terminators is a complex one, filled with all kinds of time travel-related anomalies and contradictions. Stirling has done a credible job here of fleshing out some of the mysteries of how the previous Terminator stories came to be, and he also advances the saga by suggesting that Skynet would create cyborgs, human/machine hybrids, that would help Skynet in its apparently never-ending battle to exterminate fleshupoid humanoids. Stirling also suggests that misanthropic humans would aid Skynet in this effort, motivated by an ultra-"green" desire to rid the world of an ecologically destructive human race.

The resulting story is fast-paced, intriguing, and highly readable, and fans of all things Terminator owe it to themselves to add *Infiltrator* to their current "must read" list. There are a few things about the book that I found bothersome, however. For example, much of the plot depends upon some highly implausible coincidences, i.e., the appearance of an Arnold lookalike retired special agent right next door to Sarah and John's Paraguayan hideout. There also is a thread to the story involving an ultra-green political extremist who resembles the Unabomber in some ways. This subplot is interesting, but for the life of me I can't figure out what this character ultimately has to do with the story presented. I suspect that in including this element Stirling is setting the stage for a future sequel to *Infiltrator*, and hurray for that. Finally, the plot development definitely deepens some of the time travel-related anomalies to the point where thinking about them too much could cause migraines--so I recommend to readers just letting the fantasy wash over them; it's better that way.

I am not a person who usually reads novels based on movie properties so I reluctantly started this one. Since I'm a big Terminator fan I put aside my biases and tried it. I'm glad I did. It is a very engrossing read and sets up situations that further books can build upon. Rather than getting bogged down in lots of time travel mumbo-jumbo to explain apparent inconsistencies the author makes it clear that changing the future is not as easy as it may seem. But, again, he doesn't get carried away with the science. He's more concerned with telling the story. And the story takes place a few years after the T2 movie. Sarah and John are "retired" in South America. In the future, SkyNet has created the I-905 Infiltrators which are mostly human. Their most efficient and successful model, Serena, is sent back. But it's not the usual mission. It's much more complicated than just killing the enemies of SkyNet. Meanwhile, an anti-technology anti-capitalist group is growing in the United States and will have a real impact on the formation of SkyNet.

Stirling captures the bleakness of the dark future where mankind has been brought to the brink of extinction by the sentient computer SkyNet. He also captures the bleakness of today where a new terminator has surfaced, and plans on taking out the Connors along with prompting the birth of its own creator, SkyNet. Follow me? The book is a fun read, and I hope that another sequal follows. Stirling did some heavy research, and that shows through actual use of dialogue, and written description of scenes from both of Cameron's movies. Try to find the original two novels as well, and make a great day of it! One dark note is Stirling continued reminder that John Connor is the savior of the human race, and also that his speech patterns haven't changed much since T2. I don't believe anyone uses the word radical anymore let alone twice in one chapter. it's a fun read, and leave it at that. enjoy, and hopefully He'll Be Back!!!!