Battlestar Galactica

Battlstar Galactica
by Glen A. Larson and Robert Thurston

Zac and Apollo are brothers – and rivals – in the ultimate adventure, as humankind’s heroic star-fighter crews battle the alien Cylon for control of the known galaxy! Battlestar Galactica is an epic multi-media event: the triumphant ABC- TV spectacular with the most expensive special effects ever produced, designed by Oscar-winning genius John Dykstra… and a powerful science fiction novel, a gripping space-war saga of interstellar adventure!

This is one of those books that you would probably never see in a normal bookstore, but is the kind of hilariously awesome find in a used bookstore. Which is precisely where I found it. A Battlestar Galactica book for two bucks? That’s a must have.

Especially for an oddball like me. I have seen both the new and classic series of Battlestar Galactica and I’m the only person I know who prefers the 1978 version. So of course I was going to grab this prize.

As you might have guessed this is a novelization of the pilot episode of the original Battlestar Galactica. The Cylons attack the twelve colonies, Apollo’s brother Zac gets killed, the survivors flee the system to seek out the Earth of old legend, and our heroes must navigate a mysterious alien plot in order to get enough fuel for their refugee ships.

This is pretty much a straight recap of the episode. There’s not much by the way of new information or new scenes for the human side of the story, but you do get some interesting storytelling from the Cylon side of the story. There’s some limited third person narration from the Cylon leader about how they think and why they are pursuing the humans, but that was the only truly new thing in this book if you have already seen the original pilot.

It’s a simple fun book. I’d recommend it if you’d like a preview of what to expect in the 1978 show or if you’d like a short, sci-fi romp to break up some more weighty books, but if you’re genuinely interested in Battlestar, you should probably just watch the show.