Customer Reviews

Terminator Salvation: From the Ashes: The Official Prequel Novelization

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a fan of the terminator franchise I've been looking forward to the upcoming movie and this book has only increased the anticipation. This is a great read and provides a believable and gripping back story for the upcoming movie. The characters are hardened from years of war with Skynet and it shows in their battles against the fierce T600s. Connor proves himself as a witty, passionate and tough leader and the way the humans have adapted to the environment is impressively written. There were plenty of times my heart begin pounding as I read through each chapter. A well written book that is just a few paragraphs short of being perfect. The beginning starts alittle too "comic bookish", which is something you do not want to read or see in a Terminator franchise. Otherwise I could not put this book down. If this is really the prequel I cannot imagine the movie being better, and if it is... WOW!

This book, which takes place 5-6 months before the movie, is an excellent introduction to the post-Judgment Day world of 2018. We meet most of the main characters of the movie and get some insight into their history, character, and motivations. We also get a real look at what day-to-day life is like in the post-apocalypse, not just for the epic heroes but also for average people trying to survive in a dangerous and terrifying world where Skynet's ever-expanding army of killing machines are just one of several hazards.

And scary it is. Zahn does his usual perfect job of keeping the tension level up. It's dark and gritty but also surprisingly human, with just a touch of humor here and there to provide a contrast to the action.

From The Ashes stands on its own as a superior page turner set in the Terminator universe, but it also enhances the movie by providing insight into both the world and the people in it.

"From the Ashes" is a good book for the die-hard Terminator fan. John Conner and the resistance are determined to use preemptive strikes on Skynet to get the upper hand, in their struggle for survival. Timothy Zahn will wet your appetite for the upcoming movie "Terminator Salvation." I am glad I read it because I feel now I have a better context for the upcoming film as many of the characters and the scenery will likely be the same. Be aware though that the book reads more like a screenplay than it does a good novel. What I mean by this, is the book is simply action and characters talking to each other, the book lacks passion. I would have liked for Zahn to spend more pages exploring the characters thoughts, there's nothing wrong with "freezing time" and spending a page or two describing the fear in someone's mind when he sees a terminator approaching him, instead the book is just action and talking, there is no character depth or passion in the story. To me, that gets boring, I would rather watch a movie if I can't have the pleasure of knowing in depth what the characters are thinking and feeling. If you're a die-hard fan and want to know as much as possible before the film comes out, then you may want to read this book, otherwise don't bother, there are far better books out there.

I normally don't read books relating to an upcoming movie, since sometimes you find yourself reading something that's completely not needed to read or even unworthy of your attention. I can't speak for everyone, but some of the previous attempts by Star Wars novel authors to write prequels and/or books related to previous terminator films have been faulty. Take Aaron Allston's Terminator Dreams, which put me to sleep.
Timothy Zahn, on the other hand, is one of those sci-fi authors who can come into differing series', and write books in them without compromising the integrity of the storyline it follows.
Such is the case with Terminator Salvation: From the Ashes. From the very first pages, in which you meet a Marine and find out his distaste for being called a 'gringo' since he is full-blooded Mexican, you can feel a pull. Having the events of Judgement Day written out from the point of view of someone who has NEVER been expecting this is much more interesting than reading the novels where its all from the point of view of the Connors or one of their guardians. This Marine and those around him, I think, show a very realistic view of what people in our world today would feel like if mushroom clouds began popping up all over the map.
Reading about the politics of the Resistance is a good laugh, especially for hard-core Terminator fans I think, since we know that John Connor's going to become the leader, and so seeing someone bossing him around and actually considering his current unit to be not worth sending in more weapons and equipment is something I laugh at. Add this to the council in the Lost Ashes Hotel, and you got an interesting bit of politics to read about.
The only problem for me was that I wished the book was longer! Of course, any longer and it might as well be one of the paperback version's of Robert Jordan's books, or Timothy Zahn's Star Wars novels for that matter. Well, this book is worth the money, I say. I am looking forward to seeing the movie, and am already planning on a midnight showing. No freaking way am I waiting in a line during the day, unless I've already seen it.

It must be a daunting task for any author to create a world full of death and destruction and still make the reader want to feel inspired enough to read about it until the very end. In Terminator Salvation: From the Ashes, Tim Zahn uses his creative writing ability to construct a world where the characters must look within themselves in order to survive; not only from Skynet but from each other. Zahn spins a wonderful web of suspense and turmoil that pulls the reader into a post apocalyptic world.

The first part of the book sets the stage and introduces us to all the main characters from the movie and introduces us to a few new ones along the way as well. As the book continues on, two factions separated by enemy lines fight their arch villains until the battle lines become blurred and the two separate groups begin to fall under one flag. In a heart-beating conclusion our heroes fight to the bitter end against wave after wave of death dealers.

As a huge fan of both the franchise and Tim Zahn as well, I was right at home within the pages of this book. Zahn's writing and imagination is a saving grace in today's market and is a sure bet to bring the reader a good time.

ALL FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED. THANKS AND GOOD READING.

Well i was going to try to read it before seeing the Terminator Salvation movie in theatres, but i couldnt get to it in time as i saw the midnight showing of the film. i did however read it this past weekend. i think it does set up the feel of the new movie fantastically. however, i do agree with most everyone else, it lacks emotions of any kind except for a few select lines between john and kate. aside from that thought i really couldnt put this book down. it is a must read for terminator fans!

One of the best sci-fi authors tackling one of the best sci-fi universes, you cannot possibly go wrong with this book. The writing and the plot are excellent - it's quite difficult to put down once you start reading, and yet something seemed missing. After pondering for a while, I believe what was missing was scope. Whereas many of his other book span worlds and universes, this was really only one battle in an epic war. It reads like a good movie. It moves along well and keeps you interested, introduces a large cast of characters and gives each one a distinct personality, but doesn't delve deep into the psyche of any one character. This is a war book. It's not a character book like the S. M. Sterling's Terminator series. If you like the Terminator movies or TV series, then you'll like this book, but just don't expect it to be earth-shattering.

This book was so good and makes a great addition to any terminator fan's collection. It makes for a great transition from Terminator 3 :Rise of the Machines to Terminator Salvation. It contains all the original characters and even adds new ones that show up in the new film!!!

Well I have to admit that I almost didn't pick this book up and read it because I initially thought that it was the novelization of the upcoming movie. I have done that before, bought the novelization of a movie and then read it before the movie itself, and I won't ever make that mistake again. I did that with X-Men - The Last Stand (Collector's Edition) and with Spider-Man 2 (Widescreen Special Edition) and although it didn't totally ruin the movies for me, it did make them a lot less fun to watch since I already knew pretty much everything that was going to happen.

Anyhow, I passed up this book the first week it was out and then a couple of days ago I took a closer look at the cover and realized that it was the prequel novel to the movie. Suddenly I had an epiphany and bought this book as quick as I could so that I could go home and start reading it, and let me tell you I am sure glad that I did.

I have been a HUGE FAN of Timothy Zahn's work ever since I read Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 1), Dark Force Rising (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Book 2), and The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 3). Zahn is a phenomenal writer and he really seems to be able to capture any character that he writes about, and that is exactly what he does in this novel.

According to the back cover, the story in this book supposedly takes place just prior to the upcoming movie, Terminator: Salvation, which stars Christian Bale in the title role of John Connor. Now I am not going to give the story away, as I really hate it myself when somebody spoils the story for me, but I will tell you the following:

You will be introduced to a young teenage Kyle Reese.

You will learn that John and Kate Connor were not always the leaders of the resistance.

You will be introduced to a USMC Marine that exemplifies the best ideals of the corp.

You will see the beginnings of the battle with Skynet before all the plasma rifles, etc.

You will get a very unusual surprise in the last two sentences on page 311.

Trust me explicitly on this one and definitely pick up this book and read it before you see the movie. It will only add to the movie experience by understanding a bunch of the back-story.

I would also highly recommend getting Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - The Complete First Season (DVD Widescreen w/Exclusive Steelbook Packaging) and Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Season 2 on DVD as it is a very good series and gets better with every episode.

Shawn Kovacich
Creator of numerous books and DVD's.

When I heard that my favorite author, Timothy Zahn, was selected to write the new Terminator prequel story, I groaned. I was not, repeat NOT, a fan of the Terminator series. I had seen enough of the movies to know I didn't like them, far preferring Schwarzenegger's other offering of Predator.

But upon seeing the low mass-market paperback pricing of the story I decided I would round out my Zahn collection and buy it, read it, and place it on the shelf. I figured Zahn might be able to pull out something at least partially enjoyable from the Terminators, so it wouldn't be a complete waste of money.

So the book arrived, and I read it. And couldn't put it down. Zahn's signature sci-fi style fit quite well in the post-apocalyptic world, drawing out details and situations that leave you sitting on the edge of your chair/bed/lounger/preferred-reading-area. The characters, who I knew absolutely nothing about, came to life and I could honestly feel myself cringing every time a T-600 was spotted or even heard.

Despite, again, having absolutely no clue as to any details about these characters (it's been years since I deigned to watch a Terminator film) I could still follow along with the action and make educated guesses about the various people involved. The details of the world they lived in were not too long, and yet gave you a good picture of what life is like for those living within it.

The biggest fear I had about this story would be that Zahn, who writes clean stories, would surrender his soul and make the story live up to its gory, profanity-laced silver-screen brethren. That fear was gratefully laid to rest, and once again Timothy Zahn has proven that a good story does not need gallons of blood, hours of sex, or mountains of profanity in order to entertain.

In short, well worth the price and the time spent on it, giving Zahn another 5 out of 5 stars. This Terminator work will find its way off my shelf quite often in the future.