V - The Second Generation
Mar. 11th, 2009 05:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mark_clarkHere are my thoughts on the novel. Enjoy.
Before going in depth with what I thought about the novel, here's some things you should know before you decide to pick it up at your local bookstore or library.
It's a direct sequel to the original miniseries. Therefore, the events that took place in The Final Battle and the ongoing series do not factor into the book. Also, any characters that were introduced in these follow ups do not appear in the novel. Another fact is that any character that had died in those two series may not actually be dead. Case in point, Harmony, who was the human love of Visitor William (or Willie as he is commonly known as) is alive and well.
Here's a list of characters that appear in the novel from the original miniseries:
Resistance Fighters
Juliet Parrish
Mike Donovan
Harmony
Robert Maxwell
Fifth Column Visitors (This term was coined in V the Final Battle but used in the novel)
Martin
Willie
Visitors
Diana
That's pretty small list and I was disappointed about not having others in this book or even hear what happened to key members of each group that weren't part of the book.
Now, on with what took place in the novel.
Here's the summary from the Wikipedia entry:
Over the course of the novel, we learn that back in the late 90s, the Resistance was dealt a crippling blow due to a purge (something along the lines of the Jedi purges in Star Wars). This nearly wiped out the Resistance but they somehow continued on. Mike Donovan was taken prisoner by Diana several years before the purge and the Resistance believed him to be dead until he was found alive on one of the motherships. Unfortunately, Donovan wasn't the same man as he once was because he was brutally tortured and kept alive for Diana's amusement and because of this, he was unable to walk. Due to his time as a captive, Mike was not the fighter he once was phsyically or mentally.
Luckily, the Resistance got some help from people who joined their cause which included people who once supported the Visitors. With the aid of the Zedti, they were able to finally put a stop to the Visitors and reclaim the Earth.
The Zedti came to the resistance to help, they even treated Donovan so he could walk again. Their only concern was that they would do ANYTHING to stop the Visitors from going after them next. If that meant sacrificing Earth and it's inhabitants, that is what would happen. Luckily, Mike figured this out and they were able to convince the Zedti to aid their cause without destroying the Earth.
There were also several new characters introduced on both sides, which limited the use of some of the more popular characters from the series and that wasn't bad. Several of these characters played key roles in the plot of the novel.
If you were a fan of the original miniseries, you should enjoy this novel.
Before going in depth with what I thought about the novel, here's some things you should know before you decide to pick it up at your local bookstore or library.
It's a direct sequel to the original miniseries. Therefore, the events that took place in The Final Battle and the ongoing series do not factor into the book. Also, any characters that were introduced in these follow ups do not appear in the novel. Another fact is that any character that had died in those two series may not actually be dead. Case in point, Harmony, who was the human love of Visitor William (or Willie as he is commonly known as) is alive and well.
Here's a list of characters that appear in the novel from the original miniseries:
Resistance Fighters
Juliet Parrish
Mike Donovan
Harmony
Robert Maxwell
Fifth Column Visitors (This term was coined in V the Final Battle but used in the novel)
Martin
Willie
Visitors
Diana
That's pretty small list and I was disappointed about not having others in this book or even hear what happened to key members of each group that weren't part of the book.
Now, on with what took place in the novel.
Here's the summary from the Wikipedia entry:
Set 20 years after the original miniseries, The Second Generation depicts an Earth still under Visitor domination with the Resistance fighting a losing battle. They desperately try to persuade the masses that the Visitors are evil aliens bent on mankind's destruction. However, they are largely ignored, as the many technological and social advancements brought by the Visitors to the planet have convinced the majority that the aliens have their best interests in mind. They are halfway to taking all of the planet's water, under the guise of cleansing it of all polluting substances. Many people were also convinced to join the Visitors' civilian militia, the Teammates (an evolution of the miniseries' Visitor Youth), for the purposes of hunting resistance members.
Just when all seems hopeless, the message that Resistance leader Juliet Parrish sent into space at the end of the original miniseries is finally heard. An alien race called the Zedti, who are long-standing enemies of the Visitors, reinforces the Resistance in their time of need and soon the war is turned in their favour. However, all is not as it seems, as the Resistance is wondering whether they have found salvation...or have replaced one alien dictator for another.
Over the course of the novel, we learn that back in the late 90s, the Resistance was dealt a crippling blow due to a purge (something along the lines of the Jedi purges in Star Wars). This nearly wiped out the Resistance but they somehow continued on. Mike Donovan was taken prisoner by Diana several years before the purge and the Resistance believed him to be dead until he was found alive on one of the motherships. Unfortunately, Donovan wasn't the same man as he once was because he was brutally tortured and kept alive for Diana's amusement and because of this, he was unable to walk. Due to his time as a captive, Mike was not the fighter he once was phsyically or mentally.
Luckily, the Resistance got some help from people who joined their cause which included people who once supported the Visitors. With the aid of the Zedti, they were able to finally put a stop to the Visitors and reclaim the Earth.
The Zedti came to the resistance to help, they even treated Donovan so he could walk again. Their only concern was that they would do ANYTHING to stop the Visitors from going after them next. If that meant sacrificing Earth and it's inhabitants, that is what would happen. Luckily, Mike figured this out and they were able to convince the Zedti to aid their cause without destroying the Earth.
There were also several new characters introduced on both sides, which limited the use of some of the more popular characters from the series and that wasn't bad. Several of these characters played key roles in the plot of the novel.
If you were a fan of the original miniseries, you should enjoy this novel.
