WARNING: The following review contains several spoilers for the novel in question.
Firstborn is the first book in a trilogy of books titled the Dark Templar saga. The trilogy has been confirmed to take place in the same timeline as the events of StarCraft II, four years after the Brood War, and will tie-in directly to the game itself. The book’s main protagonist is Jacob Jefferson Ramsey, better known as Jake, famous, or rather infamous, for his laughable pseudo-scientific theories regarding some of the ancient ruins he has explored.
After spending several years on a backwater planet, Jake is contacted by Valerian Mengsk, secret son of Arcturus Mengsk and Heir to the throne of the Dominion. Valerian recruits Jake to go to the planet Nemeka and investigate a temple found there that is clearly neither Protoss nor Zerg. Faced with the opportunity to escape the rundown planet, Jake agrees. He and his teams are dispatched to Nemeka in the company of a mercenary squadron commanded by Rosemary “R.M.” Dahl, a beautiful and capable marine.
Once on Nemeka, Jake and his team are puzzled by a passage deeper into the temple that seems sealed. However, after many days of research, Jake finds the answer in the Golden Mean, a mathematical ratio that occurs naturally in nature and biology. Using the ratio of 1:1.6 as a code to unlock the doors of the temple, Jake enters its inner rooms and finds a Protoss corpse. The corpse awakens, however, and subsequently sends Jake into a coma.
Jake awakens to find that his mind is no longer his alone but is now shared by the consciousness of Zamara. Zamara is a Protoss Preserver, with the memories of all deceased Protoss inside her mind. After narrowly surviving to pass her power to another, Zamara is reluctant to give the gift to Jake, but has no choice. Unfortunately, it's revealed that Rosemary has been secretly working for Valerian and so she arrests Jake and his team, only for the two of them to be both captured by a second mercenary group. While in custody, Zamara uses her powers to undo the mental conditioning of a marine that was once a cannibal, and he allows Jake and Rosemary to get to an escape craft before self-destructing the ship and killing everyone on board.
Rosemary flies the two of them to Dead Man’s Rock, a den of lowlifes outside of Dominion control. On the journey to the area, as well as during their stay there, Jake is subjected to the memories of a Protoss named Temlaa, a friend of Savassan. Savassan and Temlaa lived during the Aeon of Strife, and Savassan believes there is more to life beyond killing fellow Protoss. After teaching Temlaa such things as map-making, writing and art, the two abandon the Shiliak Tribe to journey to where Savassan senses a mysterious power.
On Dead Man’s Rock, Jake and Rosemary find shelter with Ethan Stewart, a former comrade of Rosemary’s and an on-going lover as well. Unbeknownst to Rosemary, Ethan is funded by Valerian and has agreed to hand Jake over to him. After agreeing to accept Zamara’s full power, Jake is subjected to a final memory of Temlaa. He and Savassan find an underground cavern of passages and caves in ratios of 1:1.6, and in the depths of the caverns find a massive shard of Khaydarin Crystal. Touching the crystal gives Savassan access to a far more profound mental connection to the Protoss than mere telepathy, allowing him to sense emotions and sensations instead of just thoughts. The two use these crystals to share this connection with others, and Jake realizes that Savassan is the mystic Khas who unified the Protoss people eons ago. Here is a sample of Khas' species-changing discovery.
He stared at Savassan. The older protoss' body was reversing the damage that had been done to it, and Savassan was now enveloped in soft blue light. Jake desperately tried to figure out what was going on. The best guess he could make was that whereas before the crystal was draining energy from Savassan, it was now starting to pour energy into him.He felt Savassan's thoughts brush his own and trembled from the joy he felt there.
"Yes," sent Savassan, "yes, it is nourishing me like the sun...sharing things with me...Oh, Temlaa, Temlaa, so beautiful, so healing...I understand now. I understand!"
With the full force of a Protoss’ psionic power, Jake senses Ethan’s impending betrayal, and he and Rosemary narrowly capture him and plan to escape. After a battle between Stewart’s servant and bodyguard, Randall, and a psychically enhanced Zamara in Jake’s body, Rosemary shoots Ethan in the chest and flees into an escape craft. Pursued by several enemy fighters, Jake is forced to share the same revelation Savassan had from the Khaydarin Crystals. After a brief but very memorable psychic connection among the craft’s occupants, Jake and Rosemary enter warp space and escape.
The book introduces a large cast of new characters. Jake is a likable and very human protagonist, and his humanity stands in stark contrast to Zamara’s cool Protoss demeanor. Rosemary’s sex appeal is slightly exaggerated, but after a time becomes a welcome relief from the seriousness of the memories of Temlaa. Valerian Mengsk, despite his father’s attitude and actions, is a relatively likable young man with a greater sense of honor than Arcturus, although it’s clear he’s willing to compromise this honor for the right cause. The father/son dynamic is well demonstrated even in their brief scene together and the differences between them are made unmistakable.
Overall, the book is an excellent start to the trilogy, gripping the reader with one of the most significant events in StarCraft history while introducing and developing new characters. It’s very enjoyable and I highly advise any StarCraft fan to give it a look.
