Customer Reviews

Warhawk: Battlestar Galactica

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Richard Hatch and Chris Golden authored a splendid novel in Battlestar Galactica: Armageddon. But in its sequal, they manage to outdo themselves with a deft mixture of action, plot twists, and superb character interplay, all of which were in plentiful supply in Armageddon but fleshed out even more here.

Armageddon basically reintroduced the characters and premise of Battlestar Galactica. This being the case, that story had a minor drag to it; it was by no means a flaw, simply a minor drag. In Warhawk there is the advantage of familiarity, and the result is a faster paced story with more surprising twists.

The Galactica discovers a planet in the Xerik system, and to the surprise of Commander Apollo, Colonel Athena, and others, the planet is populated by survivors of the Twelve Colonies who had fled the Final Destruction at the hands of the Cylons during the chaotic period of time before the Galactica could assemble other survivors into its ragtag fleet of refugees. As if that weren't enough, this new human homeworld, known as Poseidon, is under the defense of the battlestar Pegasus, led by Commander Cain, both thought lost in the battle of Gomoray decades earlier.

But there's more. Poseidon has managed to create an industrial base with which it has built battlestars and battlecruisers. This small warfleet is the nucleus of what Cain intends to be the push that liberates the Twelve Worlds and overthrows the Cylon Empire once and for all. Apollo, Athena, and Quorom President Tigh vehemently point out that such a campaign is impossible, but Cain will not listen. Further, Cain has allied with an alien race known as the Chitain, whom he hopes will assist his mad scheme to overthrow Cylon.

But exploration by Apollo of Poseidon shows that it was once populated by elements of Kobol's Thirteenth Tribe. As he, Starbuck, and others explore further, they discover a horrifying secret as to what became of the planet's predecessor civilization, a secret tied directly to the Chitain.

The basic story is branched by several subplots, most notably the shocking autonomy held by the Great Traitor, Baltar, and his success at winning over converts to his story that he was forced by the Cylons to aid their cause rather than his having sided with them of his own volition.

The book is a winner in almost every respect. Only minor nits are evident to pick - the Cylon role in the story is unsatisfyingly minor - but they don't detract from an overall story that leaves the reader pleased and eagerly awaiting the inevitable third chapter of this new Battlestar Galactica continuity.

One of my favorite quotes from TV's "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (spoken during a 1970s TV-movie): "At least I'll have 'Battlestar Galactica'...that'll *never* be cancelled!" Ulp. Well, at least Galactica lives on in this series of novels by show star Richard Hatch--no, not the fat naked guy from "Survivor," but the one and only Captain Apollo from the cult 1970s TV series.

Hatch drops us into a familiar world several years (or yahren) later: Commander Adama has passed on, Apollo has assumed command of the ragtag human fleet, Starbuck's a Captain, and the son of Apollo (the former Boxey, now called "Troy" in the only nod to the abortive and generally ignored "Galactica 1980" sequel) and the daughter of Starbuck are now top Colonial Warriors. But this isn't "Battlestar Galactica: The Next Generation"--most of the familiar TV cast are back, including popular TV series guest-stars like Commander Cain.

I enjoyed "Warhawk" a good deal more than most "Star Wars" novels because this provided what "Star Wars" books don't seem to give me anymore: the humor and adventure of the original. The dialogue is crisp and authoritative, each character sounding like his/her TV original, and the climatic Viper spacefight is as exciting as a fourth-act special-effects fest from the TV series. It's obvious the book is a sequel to Hatch's earlier book (which I haven't read): Apollo now has telepathic powers and the fate of human traitor Baltar picks up a storyline I was unfamiliar with, but Hatch does a good job of bringing readers up to speed on what has gone before that you don't need to have read "Armageddon"--but you'll want to.

Last I heard, the fate of bringing "Galactica" back to TV or movie screens was held up in a legal battle between series creator Glen A. Larson and Richard Hatch. While I'm the first to admit that surely Larson has the right to handle his creation as he sees fit, everyone would benefit from a truce and partnership between Larson and Hatch--Hatch shows here that his affection and care for the Galactica legacy benefits and entertains everyone--especially the fans.

N.B. This review is in 2 parts.

Do not be put off by the uninspiring cover art! The sequel to Armageddon, also written by Hatch & Golden, is indeed a triumph. Hatch not only captures the essence of the original TV series but actually improves on it. I found the writing to be better than Armageddon but this could also be down to the fact that Warkhawk does not have the same number of plot strands and devices as Armageddon, and so the writing and story does seems more linear and structured.

"Warhawk" is a Colonial term refering to a military overlord. The term is indeed a reference to Commander Cain who was a character who appeared in the "living Legend" episode of the TV series, and subsequently was believed to be killed in a battle with Cylons at the end of the episode. However in the story of Warhawk, Apollo leads the Galactica to the planet Poseidon, believing it to be one of the outposts of the fabled 13th tribe. Instead, Poseidon is a planetary fortress of Cain who had surived the confrontation with the Cylons, and since then had joined up with a small lost fleet of ships that had fled the Colonies at the time of the massacre before establishing a base with them on Poseidon. Apollo and his followers are overjoyed at finding Cain but the celebration soon becomes sobered once Cain's ambitions, which are contrary to the Galactican mission of finding the Earth, are finally revealed.

Apollo learns that Cain has turned Poseidon into a vast armaments facility which is in production of a war fleet. There is something of a power clash between Cain and Apollo, as Cain wishes to go on the offensive against the Cylons. Apollo opposes the notion and is shocked to find that Poseidon is under martial law. There are other shocking developments, as it is revealed that Cain is trying to make allies with a mysterious warlike race known as the Chitain, who appear to have an agenda of their own. These developments result in Apollo leading Starbuck and Boomer on a diplomatic mission to the Chitain homeworld, leaving the galactica under the command of Athena.

But unknown to the Colonials, the Imperious leader (a villian which unfortunately was never explored in the TV series, thanks to the studio execs favouring a rather camp Baltar as the series main villain!) is hot on their heels due to receiving their coordinates from the mysterious Count Iblis. All this results in a brilliant and superbly written space battle which will have the reader hanging on for dear life on the edge of every page, as the Galactica finally goes on the offensive (which makes a welcome change from the Galactica trying to simply run from every threat it encounters).

Despite what other readers of said, Warhawk is very well written. Although there is not much action in most of the story, there is a brilliant climatic space battle which makes up for it. There are also new additions to the BSG saga such as new weapons like the viper-duet - a type of viper bomber developed by Cain's military. Also there are new aliens such as the Chitain who are a creepy insectoid/reptillian race, that are equipped with a scorpion-like stingers, and who seem to "glide" on a snake-like trunks. The Chitain certainly make a worthy addition to BSG saga since the TV series, I felt, never showed enough alien races during it's brief run.

The characterisation of Cain is also interesting, he appears to be a much more stern and aggressive character than his TV counterpart. I found this interpretation of Cain much better than the Lloyd Bridges portrayal of the character in the TV series. I felt that Bridges was miscast as Cain as he seemed to be at times merely lampooning general Patton with his overuse of "swagger-stick gesturing", rather than portraying a great Colonial warlord. His Cain appeared more shifty and smug rather than a hardened, fascist officer that the character seemed to be conceived as. But in Warhawk, Hatch does do justice to this concept as Cain appears to be a very militaristic and brave anti-hero among the Colonials. In the novel Cain requests advice from Colonial prisoner Baltar about the reptillian Cylons and their genetic make-up. Cain exudes delight upon hearing from Baltar that the Cylons, despite their cybernetic implants, can indeed feel pain and suffering, and he swears to Baltar & present company that he will make the Cylon race suffer for it's crimes against humanity.

(To be continued in part 2 of the review!)

(Continued from part 1)

With regards to Baltar, Hatch uses a touch of revisionism when it is explained how Baltar managed to be in control of Cylon baseship in the Armageddon novel. Hatch rightfully ignores the final TV episode "Hand of God" where Balter was released by Adama in return for providing him the information about a Cylon baseship that was threatening the Galactica. In Warhawk, Hatch cleverly rewrites Galactica history by explaining that Balter merely escaped from the Colonials by bribing a prison warden before stealing a viper and flying back to the Cylons.

I do think Hatch is doing the BSG saga a service by simply omitting any of its faults from his continuation, but there seems to be an instance where he seems to rewrite some of the revisions which he previously included in the Armageddon novel. I refer of course to his explanation of the Cylons and their make-up. In Armageddon, Hatch correctly explains that the Cylons are organic (which corresponds with the original concept of the Cylons before the studio-execs wrongly interfered and had them re-written as fully mechanical robots for the TV series). But in Warhawk Hatch backtracks a little and pays some lip service to this studio-maligned concept of the Cylons by providing some unneeded exposition explaining that the organic Cylons did create some fully mechanical drones to augment their military near the end of their thousand year war with the Colonials. I feel that Hatch should not have become a "revisionist" about his own revisonism which he created regarding the Cylons. He should have left the explanation of Cylons as being reptillians-cyborgs, period!! Even if it was contrary to any scene in the TV series where the Cylons are referred to as being robots. This awful concept of Cylons being mindless mechanical robots was one which was forced upon the BSG TV saga by the studio-execs, much to the regret of Glen Larson. Even Robert Thurston, in his novel adaptions of the Galactica TV episodes, totally ignored the TV series and continued to refer to the Cylons as being organic. I felt that Hatch should have done this as well.

Another aspect that I didn't like about Warhawk was the revelation regarding Count Iblis :

*****SPOILERS******!! In the Warhawk novel it is revealed that Count Iblis is the Cylon Imperious leader. This totally contradicts the previous novel where Iblis himself explains to Apollo that he had only helped the Cylons in their evolution to being reptillian cyborgs but that he did not interfere in their affairs. It also contradicts the TV series where Iblis did not have any control over the Cylons and their empire. Personally I think that Hatch should have kept the characters of the Imperious Leader and Iblis as separate entities and not have them as being the same person. However I will give Hatch the benefit of the doubt as it could be explained in later novels that Iblis had either taken the form of the Cylon Imperious leader (like he did with ambassador Puck in the Armageddon novel) or had simply possessed the Leader, in order to control the Cylon forces and usethem against the Colonials. *********End of Spoilers!!******

Finally I would recommend Warhawk to any BSG fan, whether they be casual or purist. It is very well written and has great action sequences. It also has a cliffhanger ending of sorts (I won't mention any more about it in this review!) which will surprise the readers and make them even more impatient in their wait for the next brilliant novel.

Alas this novel is another startling example of how the BSG TV saga would have fared in the hands of creative people like Richard Hatch.

I am really enjoying these new Battlestar Galactica books. I always loved the show and the intricate and well though out plots (at least the first half of the season). And these books seem to continue in this same vein. The characterizations and connections are intricate and moving. I have always wondered what might have been. Richard's ability to keep things exciting and intriguing is wonderful. I had only one nit. In the book, Rigel is characterized as a man -- in the TV show he was a she. (The girl who always got that great line, "You may launch when ready." I can't wait for the next installment. May the Lords of Kobol bless and keep you, Richard!

The second installment of Richard Hatch's trilogy of the Battlestar Galactica universe is filled with interesting action and unique characters. Other reviews have listed the main plot lines so I won't go into that here, but I did want to give my impressions of the book. Readers who have read Book 1, "Armaggedon," will be pleasantly surprised with the incredible action in this book. The Chitain battle is pretty awesome. The story is more believable and is rather focused on the task at hand. Dialogue is also a bit better in moving the story along and the intrigue factor is still present leaving us with more unanswered questions at the end of the book. What does the black mass now want with Baltar and the Cylons? Will Starbuck survive? Will Apollo and Sheba get sealed? Will Cain stick around for the next novel? I cant' wait until the next book to find out. The only nit to pick with this one is the increasing usage of the telepathy that Apollo and Athena use. It is really starting to bother me. It seems to me that they hardly say anything to each other out loud anymore. They just think to each other!! It's getting old real fast. Also, I wished that the homeworld of the Chitain was explored a little more and the Cylons should have played a larger role. But overall, a great read and a job well-done in furthering the BSG storyline. Ruch out and get this book!

Over the past few months I have begun watching the Battlestar Galactica televison program for the first time. I was never much of a science fiction fan and had limited access to televison while growing up. I didn't see the Battlestar Galactica televison series until my husband purchased the complete series on DVD.

I became an instant fan after Saga of a Star World. I then began reading my husbands collection of Battlestar Galactica books by Richard Hatch. Both the books and the series have flaws (what doesn't?), but they also have wonderful characters, heart, imagination, and warmth. There's a special charm to Battlestar Galactica. Watching the episodes and reading the books has been five star experience for me.

There are some books you don't want to put down. This is one of those. Hatch and Golden have faithfully continued the Galactica Saga with a great piece of work. If you liked the series, you will love both Armageddon and Warhawk. For the many of us which sorely miss the series, these books give us a second chance to relive the exciting lives of the rag tag fleet.

Cain returns along with all your favorite characters carefully and thoughtfully brought to life again, ever true to their original characters in the TV show.

In a word, read-it (okay 2 words). You'll love it.

I was hooked reading this book until the very end. It also seemed as if it was finished early with so many storylines left hanging. Preferred the first book overall but will definately read the third if/when it is published. Good to see the books written in a similar fashion to the original TV series.

I liked Warhawk very much, though it was not as good as Armageddon, in my opinion. I think that Hatch and Golden portrayed Commander Cain very well, Lloyd Bridges would be happy with the way the charcter turned out. The Viper Duet was an interestingly fresh idea as well. Only two small nit-picks though: 1-Didn't Captain Hecate die in the first novel as well? I recall reading a passage where Dalton saw Hecate's Viper collide with a Raider. 2-I got the impression that there would be a greater interaction between Baltar and Iblis in this novel, though I liked how Iblis was revealed in the final lines of the novel.