Rating: 
Summary: Good job. This would make a great movie.
Review: A lot of people didn't like this book because the story has nothing to do with what happens in the game, but in my opinion that's what makes this book better than the first one. This book goes beyond the basic battles of the game and depicts the kind of life the civilians in StarCraft universe would live. The husband-wife team created new creatures and tried to explain certain things about Zerg. Some points they make are very interesting, some I wish they'd never done. They build Edmund Duke's character a lot better than Jeff Grubb did. They don't follow the combat rules of the game very strictly and that makes a more realistic and enjoyable battle scene. The book starts out very interesting and the ending is also good. However, the middle section is a little monotonous. I'd like to conclude by saying that this book would make a very nice Hollywood blockbuster.
Rating: 
Summary: This book really destroyed starcaft It shouldnt get a star
Review: As a starcraft player, and a fan of the game, I expected this book to be interesting. Unfortunatly, it isn't. To me this book destroys all the ideas created by starcraft, and it is obvious that the authors who created this so called work, did not play the game but only read the instruction manual. Where to start, there are too many mistakes. The main idea of the book is a calling from a Xel-Naga creation. Xel-Naga? If you never played starcraft then you would never know much about the Xel-Naga since the authors forgot to place descriptions of the alien race. It took a while though to figure out the main idea, since there was too much jumping around from race to race that figuring out the idea was a challenge. The authors describe most of the ships and technology exactly as it is in the manual. Example:(book) "...On cue, both Terran warships fired their powerful guns, intense magnetic fields focusing a small nuclear explosion into a cohesive beam of energy..." (manual)"Yamato Cannon...a terrifying weapon that uses an intense magnetic field to focus a small nuclear explosion into a cohesive beam of energy...". Also the authors made no attempt to expand upon the game format; no new vehicles or ships. The first book in this series expanded by adding in new battlecruisers, as well as descriptions on other ships (i.e. Scavenger-class). If the authors played the game fully, they would've noticed the many different ships in some movies, not just 3 Terran types. The descriptions on units are also very textbook and disappointing. Apparently, the maker of this book did not research the game much more than the manual. They used the pictures and artists creations to base their character discriptions on, which since the pictures are artists view of things it is not what it really looks like. Another thing that lowers this book's rating as stated earlier is the jumping around. One chapter you are looking from the Protoss' point of view, then as things start to get good the chapter ends and you are Zerg, then Terran, then Zerg again. If it was only one point of view or less jumping the book could be better. The ending of the book also is not really believable compared to the game, and the first book. Certain parts where colonist hold off an entire Zerg brood are unbelievable as well. From my gaming experience holding off just a couple hundred Zergs is too much. To sumarize though, this book is not worth the effort of reading. If you are new to the Starcraft world, then the first book is enough, and veteran players like me would be disapointed to find this book decimates all the ideas, and logic found in Starcraft and Brood War.
Rating:
Summary: Not recommended at all
Review: First of all this book seemed like it was written like a 4th grader. Then I seemed to notice a similar pattern with several other really bad books I've read. After reading about the author I find out that Gabriel Mesta is actually Kevin J. Anderson, author of those same really bad books I've read. After wasting a few days reading Darksabre, I swore I'd never read another one of his books. Looks like he has to resort to changing his name to get people to read his books. Truely a waste of time. Books #1 and #3 on the other hand were far better.
Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled by the authors name.
Review: First of all this book seemed like it was written like a 4th grader. Then I seemed to notice a similar pattern with several other really bad books I've read. After reading about the author I find out that Gabriel Mesta is actually Kevin J. Anderson, author of those same really bad books I've read. After wasting a few days reading Darksabre, I swore I'd never read another one of his books. Looks like he has to resort to changing his name to get people to read his books. Truely a waste of time. Books #1 and #3 on the other hand were far better.
Rating: 
Summary: STARCRAFT AT ITS FINEST!!!
Review: For all of those sci-fi strategy games out there, everyone knows there is no competition when it comes to StarCraft. Author Gabriel Mesta has managed to write a wonderful epic. For those who don't know about the StarCraft Universe, it involves three races. The strong and vigilant Terrans, the savage hordes of the Zerg, and the technologically advanced Protoss. This second part of the StarCraft series takes place where the last one left off. This is a wonderful piece of sci-fi literature. For those who have played the game before, you will definitely have a feeling of de'ja vous. Do yourself a favor and immediately pick this book up!
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a book worthy of the StarCraft universe
Review: For those who don't know, Gabriel Mesta is an acronym for Kevin J. Anderson and his wife. Kevin J. Anderson is a veteran sci-fi writer, who has contributed great material to such universes as Star Wars and Dune. I think his talents are quite welcome in the StarCraft universe. He and his wife did an awesome job on this book, which completely outshines "Liberty's Crusade" which was almost painful to read. As a die-hard Protoss fan (like the reviewer below) I could have done with more of one of the most incredible sci-fi races ever created, as well as some recognizeable characters like Aldaris, Fenix, or my complete all-time favorite, Zeratul. Even still, there were much more Protoss scenes than in the first book, which contained approximately zero. Hopefully the next book will have even more. Overall, this book is AWESOME! Get it!!!!
Rating:
Summary: WHAT?! Are these reviewers crazy?!
Review: How can you give this book 3 or 4 stars, unless you were being paid to give it a good review?! Let's get this straight, you can't learn anything about Starcraft from this book. This book isn't a real Starcraft book. It's also written like it's done by a seventh grader. The first book was okay, but this book "Shadow of the Xel'Naga" was a waste of time. There was also NOTHING about the Xel'Naga! Want to know how stupid and comic book-like this book was? Here's an example. (spoiler) >>>> The characters who died come back to life in the end for a stupid happy ending because, they weren't really dead -- although they got absorbed and digested to become nothing!
Rating:
Summary: AHHHH!!!
Review: I am a humungo fan of starcraft and i got this book strickly becuase i like starcraft. The begining was ok to say the most. I kept reading it thnking it would get better. When i finished it, i closed the book and threw it against the wall then stompt on it. It didn't follow starcraft at all. The characters were stupid and not the same, the whole story was dumb. Boring! WARNING- read at your own risk of passing out from boredom! If you spent six or seven dollars on this book, you just got done flushing it all down the toilet. Be smart, save your life, don't buy this book. I'm sorry but it stank.
Rating:
Summary: Does this book come with crayons?
Review: I am quite a fan of the Starcraft Universe and it was with great excitement that I learnt about the two paperbacks written on the storyline. I guess part of my enthusiam for the game stems from the excellent work that Blizzard put into the storyline and background for the game, as well as the game itself. I found the books however to be well below class. I read something of the comments made by others on the book and how the author didnt seem to know anything about Starcraft and would have to agree with this. However, my main complaint was with the way it was written. It seemed to me as though I was reading a short story written by an excited kid, trying too hard to be descriptive and not putting the right words together. A level of writing that assumed the reader was either 10 or with an IQ of that. The words dont flow and if the author claims to be a writer, then ...(I won't be)reading any of the other books. I question why Blizzard contracted such useless writers for these books given the excellent work done in the manuals and in the game storyline. I think of books like "Dune" that I have read and how pathetic this book is in comparison.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than the first one, but not by much.
Review: I enjoyed Shadow of the Xel'Naga more than Liberty's Crusade, but still less than I expected to. The plot was original this time, not just lifted from the in-game storyline. However, the series seems to be written for little kids instead of avid StarCraft fans. Nevertheless, the book is enjoyable and the battle imagery greatly improved from Liberty's Crusade. It was refreshing to read about SC units acting quasi-real, instead of just in the context that you see them in the game. The story line is original and the ending is neither predictable nor boring. If you didn't like the first one, I would give Shadow of the Xel'Naga a chance, you might like it better, however, speaking as a long-time SC fan, the authors take too much liberty messing around with unit traits and abilities. (It is not up to them to decide what psi-powers the protoss have in addition to the ones in the game...)
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