I had been meaning to post a recap of the StarCraft short story, Collateral Damage, last week, but I was unable to because of all of the hoopla StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty spawned. For the week of its release, all I or anyone else could talk about was StarCraft II. It didn’t matter if we were talking about the gameplay, looking back on our anticipation of the game, or just talking about what we believe could be future expansions; StarCraft II was the trending topic. And heck, it still is! But the show must go on, so now I will give my thoughts on Collateral Damage as a whole.
Overall, I enjoyed the story of Collateral Damage. I praised it for its abstract feel, and the fact that it gave so much detail regarding what was going through the main character’s mind was a breath of fresh air in today’s world where so much storytelling is blandly straightforward. It was a science fiction tale with a lot of psychological storytelling, and it had plenty of action in just the right spots.
That said, there were a few minor issues I had with Collateral Damage. For starters, there were certain moments where the storytelling would shift from past tense to present tense. It didn’t detract too much from the tale, but sometimes it just read a bit strange. Also, a little more background on the main character’s best friend would have gone a long way, and it would have helped to make him feel more important.
Still, those minor issues aside, Collateral Damage is a solid story set in the world of StarCraft. Anyone who loves the franchise and enjoys literary works set in the StarCraft universe would do well to check out Collateral Damage. Just be aware that you really need to pay attention; this story doesn’t hold your hand and guide you step by step.
