Starcraft II: Heaven's Devils

By: William C. Dietz

Narrated by: Neil Kaplan

For the poor, hardworking citizens of the Confederacy's fringe worlds, the Guild Wars have exacted a huge toll. Swayed by the promise of financial rewards, a new batch of recruits joins the fight alongside a slew of mysteriously docile criminals -- and a few dubious military leaders. Eighteen-year-old Jim Raynor, full of testosterone and eager to make things right at home, ships off to boot camp and finds his footing on the battlefield, but he soon discovers that the official mission is not what he's really fighting for.

For the first time ever, StarCraft enthusiasts will learn the origins of the enduring friendship between the young upstart Jim Raynor and the streetwise soldier Tychus Findlay. Watch as they battle on the front lines of a fierce interplanetary war and bear witness to the Confederacy's rank corruption - corruption so reprehensible that it rains immeasurable death and destruction upon the government's own people.

©2010 William C Dietz (P)2010 Simon & Schuster

awesome story

couldn't put it down until it was done, and was very sad when it did. action packed story totally recommended.

Great story with an exceptional narrator. I

I found myself on multiple occasions finding some excuse to listen to this audiobook. the narrator's changing tone for each character really set the story off. few audio books that I have heard have kept me this involved in a story. definitely look to hear more from this narrator.

surprisingly good

surprisingly good. voice actor is great, cept for his women. lol. if you like sc2 terrans and their lote then this a must

good book, makes me wanna play Terran

good book from a starcraft player perspective. the voice is Crystal clear too which some books have issue with

love it!

Great book, I've read it many times. Though the narrator left much to be desired, just my opinion though. Otherwise great book.

Great for Starcraft lore lovers

Would you listen to Starcraft II: Heaven's Devils again? Why?

The characters are very interesting and you learn a lot about Raynor, Kydd and Findlay.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I tried to listen to the book about 4 times but the first hour or so did not catch my interest. After deciding to listen it all the way through i listen to it in two sittings. After the first hour/hour and a half you are introduced to more characters and the story becomes more interesting.

Any additional comments?

A great book for Starcraft lore lovers. If lore doesn't interest you, dont listen to it. If you are looking for a good si-fi story, look else where.

Fantastic performance

What made the experience of listening to Starcraft II: Heaven's Devils the most enjoyable?

Never listen to an audiobook so well directed. I had a feeling I am in an exclusive theater watching a play. Excellent

Have you listened to any of Neil Kaplan’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time - but it was fantastic

Any additional comments?

Loved it

A great prequel for the games

I admit to loving game and media tie-in fiction the way I love McNuggets. They're bad for me but I often have a craving for them anyway. Heaven's Devils is, sadly, one of the few Starcraft novels still available despite there being dozens of them in the past. It's a prequel to the video games so there's no Protoss or Zerg. Instead, it's an exploration of the Confederacy and the characters who would eventually star on the "human" side of the video games. I found the world brought out by William Deitz and all levels of society explored.

The Confederacy is a corrupt and vile organization but it's not unrealistically bad so you understand why people just endure in it. I had a lot of fun with the book and recommend people pick up the audiobook version if they can since the acting really lends itself to the story. What is the story? Well, Jim Raynor and Tychus Finnley among other characters find themselves in the Marines. They think they're going to be heroes fighting against evil terrorists, only to discover they're cannon fodder. It's a fairly easy to comprehend story and relevant to many people's wartime experiences.

I definitely recommend this, even for non-fans of the video game. Mind you, you will appreciate it a lot more if you do know the original game. Voice-acting wise, the voice of Tychus from the games narrates the book and I think he does an excellent job.

As a StarCraft fan I loved it!

As a long time StarCraft fan, and fan of the main terrain hero Jim Raynor, I loved this book. I really wish there were more StarCraft books on audible.

I have heard that blizzard doesn't let officially licensed material out if it is non-cannon. I am not sure if this is true or not, but the author really seems to have a good understanding of the StarCraft world, and it serves as a great prequel to the games.

Even if you aren't a fan of StarCraft, but just like Military Sci-Fi in general it is good. The characters feel human and I was glad to go along for the ride.

Takes a while to get rolling

If this were a series of books the long setup might be more worth it, but here it takes a while for the book to really get rolling. There is a deluge if information and backstory which feels more lile studying for a quiz than being taken for a ride, yet it all makes sense and feels right by the end. The last two chapters, for instance, are a rollercoaster, one particular character utterance in the last chapter bringing me close to tears, so obviously the payoff is well worth it. However, without the audio version I never would have finished this book. the first 5 chapters or so are extremely slow; perhaps necessarily I will admit. I would rate it 75/100, but we'll round up to 80 for the 5 star system.

I see potential for expansion on this book. Something like "Heaven's Devils; The Wild Ride" or "Blaze of Glory". Something really Rock & Roll and out of a good-ole-boy vernacular and vibe that these characters just exude. Ark's story is fazcinating by the end and I'd like to know why he doesn't show up in tue Starcraft games. What happens to Ark Bennet? What about their fabled heists? There is a long time between this and the main Starcraft story, some 10 years at least if "I, Mengsk" is any indication of when the guild wars took place. I would quite enjoy a sequel I think. How did Raynor become Marshall? How did Tychus get locked up? That sort of thing.

Overall, I liked it. Recommended for all Starcraft and Sci-Fi fans.