Centauri Dawn

By Michael Ely

After a ship malfunction leads to the death of the captain, members of the starship Unity break into factions, hindering plans for building peaceful human civilization on their new planet.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671040774
• ISBN13: 9780671040772
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: Star Trek
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

fantastic series

I'm a latecomer to the series, but becuase of that I got to read them all at once. As video game books go, they are fantastic. I was expecting flat characters and cliche's, but got an ambitious book with characters' lives set against a brutal war.It's the mixing of individuals with big events that made this first book a compelling read. If I had to pick a fault it's that the writing is kind of rough around the edges at time, but this doesn't get in the way of the fast-paced story. And it is fast-paced...more action than sci-fi.

Great Book For A Great Game

This book is truly for anyone familiar with the computer game. I wish it had come out about a month after the game came out. The universal theme of man's inhumanity towards itself is present throughout this book. Having escaped Earth's destruction history seems to repeat itself. Would this happen in real life is an interesting question brought up by the author. Each faction represents a different aspect of mankind. I'm looking foward to the next two titles in the trilogy. I hope this trilogy eventually leads into a series so the authors can have more space and time to get into the details of the origins of each faction.

Couldn't put it down

I got this book for christmas and didn't start it for awhile. But once I did start it I couldn't put it down. The story really moves along, and I finished the whole book in a day and a half. If you're looking for a book with some great action and interesting characterizations (and a cut above the usual novelization), I'd recommend this one. In particular, the ending is interesting for what the writer does with (and to) his main characters. No one escapes this book unscathed.

Breaks the Mold

For those of you who are tired of reading Star Trek novels; this one has characters that experience change. I look forward the the other two novels in this triology. It's refreshing to see a new world that doesn't adhere to any rules,that must preserve a franchise that sells action figures and toys. Michael Ely has taken the concept of the Alpha Centarui game and gave it a life I never expected. The characters and story in this first volume are worth a look.

A tribute to Sid Meier's game

I bought Centauri Dawn yesterday, and I enjoyed it a lot! I stayed up until I was done reading it. I have to admit, every time I played the Alpha Centauri game, I wondered how it would look like for "real", and this book, I think, has brought that image into my mind like I always expected it would be. Although it might be a tad more easy to understand things that occur in the book if you have played the game, it's still an excellent book! I recommend buying it!