By Timothy Zahn
In the annals of cinema history, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day have been justly praised for the inventiveness of James Cameron and his crew (especially in terms of special effects) their impact on the sci-fi genre and their clever use of one Mr Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role by of a…erm…monosyllabic robot. But, much like the Alien films, The Terminator has become a worldwide franchise, expanding (some would say diluting) the central tenet of its original source material – individuals running for their lives whilst being hunted by malevolent machines – in favour of the back story. The latest spin-off in this new-look franchise is Terminator Salvation: From The Ashes, a prequel to the upcoming Terminator film starring Christian Bale, and no, there isn’t a transcript in the book where the author has a sweary tirade at his editor for making him break character…
Written by Timothy Zahn who is best known for his numerous Star Wars spin-offs, the book follows John Connor as he leads a ragbag of resistance fighters against the machinations of evil computer, Skynet, in a post nuclear holocaust LA. When the resistance discover a base of strategic importance to Skynet, they decide that striking at the heart of their enemy is the thing to do. Whilst they make plans, the inhabitants of a dilapidated penthouse do their best to eke out an existence whilst defending themselves against marauding gangs and the threat of Terminators. Soon it becomes apparent that the aims of the Resistance and the survival of the compound are dependent upon each other. As the battle begins, everyone must try and stay alive including a teenage boy who goes by the name of Kyle Reese.
Zahn’s writing style is brash and basic and no-doubt heavily influenced by contemporary action films where the mantra is “forget subtlety and keep pouring on the action” but then again, if you want subtlety and sophistication in the writing, what on Earth are you doing reading a Terminator novelisation in the first place? Zahn’s aim here is to provide one action scene after another which he does with an almost fetish like glee, drooling over makes, models and specifications of guns and ammunition and describing so many types of bomb that you wonder if his research came from DVD’s of the film or a lifetime subscription to Soldier Of Fortune. He deals with the the characters in much the same way, doing away with any pretence at character development and having them spout clunky, expository dialogue solely to get us on to the next big fight with robots.
But it would be churlish to criticise the book on these elements. Terminator Salvation: From The Ashes delivers exactly what it promises, a slam-bang, no-brainer, rock ‘n’ rolling adventure that can be polished off in a single sitting on the train to work. Terminator fans will find a nice preview of the upcoming film whilst everyone else will simply wonder if there’s a chance that any of the bad guys will speak in Arnie’s accent.
Terminator Salvation: From The Ashes is published by Titan Books and is available now from Play.Com, Blackwell and all good book stores.
Timothy Zahn’s official website can be found here.
Review: Laurence Boyce