T2: Infiltrator [Hardcover]

S.M. Stirling (Author)

Book Description

Series: T2 | Publication Date: April 24, 2001

Sarah Connor and her son, John, know the grim tomorrow that awaits their species if the Cyberdyne Corporation gets their Skynet system on-line. Targeted for annihilation because of their future destinies, the Connors have already survived two separate attempts on their lives by advanced Terminator killing machines. But enough T-800 detritus remains from their last life-and-death struggle to enable Cyberdyne to recover.

The nightmare is back on track. And the most fearsome and relentless cyborg weapon of all has been dispatched through time to ensure Skynet's victory: a machine so like its human prey that detection is virtually impossible.

Considered a dangerous terrorist by the U.S. government and hiding out in Paraguay, Sarah sees another T-800 similar to the cybernetic killer from whom she once narrowly escaped. But while his form and features will eventually be duplicated on many Terminator units, former counterterrorism operative Dieter von Rossbach is very much a man, irresistibly drawn to the puzzling, beautiful, deadly serious Sarah Connor and her brilliant teenage son. And once Sarah reveals her dark history and awakens him to the impending possible extermination of all human life, Dieter is drawn to her revolution as well.

But the machine masters of the near future have ensured that they will not be thwarted again. A new breed of enforcer, one designed to effortlessly infiltrate the ranks of the enemy, has been firmly entrenched in the uppermost level of Cyberdyne Corporation. With a vengeance-seeking FBI agent on a tight leash and the inexhaustible resources of Cyberdyne to support the hunt for the Connors and their allies, the 1-950 Infiltrator is relentless, programmed to pursue Skynet's goal until all targets are dead. But unlike its technological predecessors, the Infiltrator understands how humans think and feel...and she truly enjoys the blood and the chase.

Exploding out of the long shadows cast by Terminator 2: Judgment Day -- the cinematic action masterwork that rocked the world -- T2: Infiltrator marks a bold new beginning in the stunning apocalyptic epic that has already become a legend.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You've got to feel sorry for Sarah Connor. Try as she might, she just can't seem to finish off Cyberdyne Systems--the eventual progenitor of the malevolent super-AI Skynet--with any sort of finality, despite blowing up their headquarters in Terminator 2. And every time she turns around, there's yet another pesky Terminator who has just beamed back through time to finish off her son John, who (as we all know) is humanity's only hope in the machine-controlled future.

Skynet and its minions chalk this up to the persistence of "several alternative world-lines" coexisting in "a state of quantum superimposition." But how's this for an explanation: it's fun to watch Sarah, John, and company run from, then run to, then ultimately beat up on Terminators, and as long as there's an interested audience, Skynet will keep sniffing out these devilish little temporal loopholes.

Military-SF juggernaut S.M. Stirling takes the helm in a "fully authorized" new series that picks up where T2 left off: mom and son are on the lam in Paraguay, lying low and running a shady trucking company. Then a retired spook moves in next door, a burly Austrian type who--get this--looks just like Arnold Schwarze... um, the 800 Series Model 101. The harried John and mom, paranoid by necessity, suspect something's afoot and soon find themselves embroiled in yet another adventure involving this mysterious new stranger, the old family of Miles Dyson (the Cyberdyne scientist who took it in the kisser in T2), and a super-sexy I-950 whom Skynet has sent back in time to set things straight.

Now realize that just because this sequel is "official" and "fully authorized" doesn't necessarily mean that the story lines will jibe with the T3 movie--assuming it ever comes out. But, of course, any discrepancies can just be blamed on yet another temporal anomaly. --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly

Based on the world created in the motion picture written by James Cameron and William Wisher, this superior franchise fiction is the next best thing to Terminator 3. Stirling (Against the Tide of Years, etc.) is a skillful writer of action SF who has studied both the first Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) carefully. He gets the details right, and he's also thought about how, after two failures, the evil master computer of the future would modify the robots it sends back in time to kill its nemesis before he grows up. The new Terminator is female, mechanically and genetically enhanced but able to masquerade as a normal woman. She interacts with and attempts to manipulate a large cast of characters that includes, naturally, Sarah Conner and her now-teenaged son, John. Mother and son imagine they're safely hidden in Paraguay, their anti-machine crusade over, until they are noticed by a retired secret agent who happens to be a double for the nasty Arnold Schwarzenegger/first Terminator. When he innocently discovers who they are, the new Terminator also finds out and sends mechanical assassins after them. And the novel, which has been moving along steadily and efficiently, shifts into high gear. Stirling structures the plot well, and the action builds to a gripping climax which doesn't really conclude much, since this series obviously is intended to run many more books. If they're done this well, it will be an enjoyable ride. (May 8)Forecast: Robots from the future won't be able to stop this sequel to the $204-million domestic grossing T2 film from charging up genre bestseller charts.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment; 1st edition (April 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380977915
• ISBN-13: 978-0380977918
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,563,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft -- I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars He's back! Ummm, kind of. WARNING *SPOILERS*, May 1, 2001

By 

"cyberboogers" (Wilmington, DE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: T2: Infiltrator (Hardcover)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than the Movie T3, July 28, 2003

By 

M. E. Newell (Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Infiltrator (T2, Bk 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SkyNet never sleeps., August 5, 2002

By 

John I. Sharpe (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: T2 : Infiltrator (Hardcover)

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.