Pilgrim Stars (Wing Commander: Movie Universe, Book 2)

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Summary: Pilgrim Stars
Review: I have been interesed in The Wing Commander series since Chris Roberts first published the game in the 90's. The first version of WC was about the game. Mr. Telep has moved the story to about the people, and what fighting war in space will be like. Peter Telep writing compares more than favorably with David Webber and his Honor Harrington series. Now the question arise is there more?????

Rating:
Summary: Tiring and not a real Wing Commander universe book
Review: I have may times said that when someone writes a review must look and judge on the: plot, characters, narration, language. Well and excuse me saying that Mr. Telep and other dear readers, but this book excells in few of the above areas. Why ? Plot: none whatsoever. It is simply a straight line, no twists, no arcs, no suspense, nothing. Only at the end (last 10 pages) a small intensity and a twist that is left unexplored. Characters: surely Telep wants to present a space drama, but the characters are not delved as deep as it seems the author wanted. Also the superheroism is not avoided, like Telep wanted to sell his novel for a movie. Mission incomplete then. Scenes & narration: good but never tense, even the battle scenes are not tense or capturing (only a little at the end), they become so standardised and slow that the book flows like the turtle, it never grasps the reader and the interest is declining. Intensity is also missing and there is no climax but at the end, where instead of the blast, the plot and scenes are hurriedly ended, leaving the taste of incomplete. Also some arcs are started and let aside till the end (e.g the Blair's holo, the Tiger Claw heroes). Language: Telep uses a good language, never becomes too literate, but also makes some verbal mistakes, but I guess it's the editor's fault. The book overall becomes tiring and I would say out of the Wing Commander climate (e.g Palladin leaves with the Pilgrims, Blair becomes a kind of superhero with telekinsesis, etc). I would like to know if it was commissioned to Mr. Telep by Chris Roberts or anyone else. Don't spoil the Wing Commander universe image that you have by reading this book then.

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Summary: Oh no, you got Star Wars in my Wing Commander!
Review: I haven't liked the whole Pilgrim story since I first heard of it. First of all the idea of evolution so quickly is laughable, second these people with this 'magic' powers in a sci-fi universe is nothing more than a silly ripoff of Star Wars (at least Mark Hamill didn't have to face this in the WC games). I for one do not even deem these books as part of the WC universe, but rather some silly offshoot universe where pilots are teen hearthrobs and Star Wars ripoffs abound. It's all gone so downhill since Baen stopped making the books. First WC: Prophecy, now this. ::sigh::

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Summary: Fascinating
Review: I might add that I am not so much used to Wing Commander - accordingt to the title of this review I am absolutely not!
But this excellent work was fascinating from the first to the final page. Why? Because even the non-WingCommander-Fan will be able to "feel" and - that's much more important - understand the story and the whole WingCommander universe. Sometimes it is very good to look beyond "my" universe and it will be good for you as well.
Live long an Prosper!

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointing (But not a bad effort!)
Review: I read the first novel by Peter Telep and was quite impressed by his abilities to transform a okay script into a very entertaining story. His characters were interesting as were his explainations of the various issues overlooked in the film (which I also liked.) However, Telep's latest work leaves much to be desired. The course the story takes in Pilgrim Stars seems unrelated to the previous book as the actions of the characters. His depictions of people like Paladin and Angel are very different than the people presented to us in the previous story. Paladin's final defection (spoiler) seems incredible and more than that not credible. The force like powers Telep gives his characters also fails to distance Wing Commander from Star Wars. I am a big Wing Commander fan and have read all the novels. I would like to see Telep continue the series, but attempt to make more use of the expansive universe created by Roberts.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good read....
Review: I'm one of the few, I think, who actually liked the Wing Commander movie, so I'll start by saying that I thought Pilgrim Stars was pretty good. The characters' personalites from the movie were there. Blair was Blair. Paladin was Paladin. And Maniac was Maniac. It was pretty cool. But I have to admit I did not like the destructive powers the Pilgrims possessed, it gave them a strange Jedi feeling.

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Summary: A lesson from Wing Commander
Review: I've been a Wing Commander fan since 1990. I've read all the novels>except for End Run and parts of Action Stations. But I am not totally devoted to just WC. I like all kinds of science fiction, such as Star Trek, Starship Troopers (but I hated the movie, it required no intelligence to watch, but the book and CGI series are good), Star Wars,and seaQuest. I must say, this book isn't even close to describing the real WC universe. But it is rather good reading. If you don't consider it being a "real" WC book. Read it for the lessons it teaches and the story itself. Peter Telep, describes with a certain flair, the way he describes certain things definitely better than William R. Forstchen (he's pretty good, but not as good as Telep), one of the other WC authors. I suppose it is an artistic touch. The novel itself is not really centered on action and space combat. I view it as a moral lesson. The story involves genetically mutated humans known as Pilgrims. They were explorers that somehow mutated, have various special abilities, and they then somehow lost their humanity. These Pilgrims then try to conquer the "normal" humans. They get defeated, and the bitterness lasts among many of them. There's also a lot of prejudice as well from the normal humans. So one female Pilgrim and her followers try to inflict as much damage to the humans as possible. A story of revenge. The classic story of revenge... I know this sounds like racism from our time period, and it should. Why do people judge others by how they look, because they are different from you, who were their ancestors, and because they do things differently than you do? One of the reasons we have science fiction is to see into the future, and to see what remains from the past, so that we may ponder the intricate ways of fixing what is wrong. Still, we never even learn from history itself. Peter Telep has definitely given me some insight into what the future may be like if we don't fix what is going on now. Will there be more wars? Will there be racism? Will we finally achieve peace? I'll never live to see that far into the future, but we must change the present, before our descendants future is ruined...

Rating:
Summary: It's Not Faith -- It's Good SciFi
Review: In the ending to Baen's 7th and final Wing Commander novel, False Colors, Admiral Tolwyn tells Jason to "... just remember what I was and what I believed in." Peter Telep's first original addition to the Wing Commander canon does just this... it retains the universe's spirit and tradition -- and it relays a great story while doing so. Set, for the most part, in the familiar Vega Sector, Peter Telep uses this second installment of his trilogy to add dimension and threat to the enigmatic Pilgrim faction, previously only touched upon by the Wing Commander Movie. Of note is the fact that the author is particularly adept at his treatment of the various pre-existing Wing Commander characters -- especially Maniac Marshall. The book is one of the most internally consistent -- both with the original Wing Commander Movie novel and Baen's series. Potential buyers beware, however, that the story ends in a cliffhanger that will make the months until the release of Pilgrim Truth will seem more like years.

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Summary: A wonderful, interesting sequel to a great film!
Review: Peter Telep is a master of transforming a television show or film into a great novel. He stays loyal to the characters and makes them seem more real and vivid. Pilgrim Stars is a masterpiece and one of the best book sequels I have read in a long time. I hope to read many more WIng Commander novels from a master of words-Peter Telep.

Rating:
Summary: My thoughts
Review: Pilgrim stars is very fast paced. The reader must read very carefully to fully comprehend the events. Otherwise, it is everything that we expect wingcommander books to be.