Resistance: The Gathering Storm

Resistance: The Gathering Storm

Author	William C. Dietz
Language	English
Genre	Science Fiction
Publication date	April 28, 2009
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	352 pp Media:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WEkHqcZoL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

Resistance: The Gathering Storm is a science fiction novel based on the Resistance series. It was written by William C. Dietz. It will detail what happened to Nathan Hale during the two years between the events that unfolded in Iceland; which detailed Hale's original mission with the SRPA shortly after his "departure" from Britain, and later in San Francisco; where the Chimera launch the invasion of the United States of America. It was released in late April 2009.

Product description

The following description has been detailed for release on the book;

"Great Britain. July 1951.

Three years ago, Russia went dark. Nothing got in. Nothing got out. The world assumed it was political strife. But it was the Chimera: voracious extraterrestrial invaders. And in December 1949, they burst across the Russian border and poured into Europe. The luckiest humans died. The less fortunate succumbed to an alien virus-and changed.

Within a year, most of Europe had fallen. Only Great Britain, after struggling desperately, had kept the conquerors at bay. But as the Chimera were repelled, they were evolving. Building. Planning.

America. November 1952.

The Chimera have crossed the Atlantic. Their lightning strikes on American borders are devastating. Cities are lost. Small towns overrun. Citizens transformed into monstrosities. Enter Lieutenant Nathan Hale, U.S. Ranger. A veteran of the Chimeran conflict, he is uniquely immune to the alien virus. And when regular troops can't stem the Chimeran onslaught, Hale and his special-operations team meet the menace head-on.

But while they battle the relentless Chimera, deadly power games rage in the White House. And when Hale discovers a far-reaching conspiracy, one with deadly consequences for the human race, his allegiance to country and mankind is stretched to the breaking point."

Characters

The following characters, who have made repeated appearances, have been confirmed to be featured;

• Cassandra "Cassie Aklin" Acklinka
• Richard Blake
• Steven Cartwright (mentioned-only)
• Noah Grace
• Nathan Hale (Main Protagonist)
• Fyodor Malikov (mentioned-only)
• Harvey McCullen
• Jordan Adam Shepherd/"Daedalus"
• Hannah Shepherd

Plot Development

The book expands details on key characters; most notably Nathan Hale (and others being Noah Grace and Jordan Shepherd, and the people they are). Other storylines are expanded upon as well, and some unanswered questions are revealed. Revelations include;

• Hale holds the rank of Second Lieutenant.
• Hale is one of the original Sentinels.
• Hale is infamous throughout SRPA, despite his attempts to keep a low profile, not only due to him being the only survivor of the American force sent to Britain, but because of what happened to him and what he did to liberate the country.
• Hale's entire foster family, save for his foster sister - Susan Farley, are all dead: killed by the Chimera.
• Cassie Aklin, still working as an Army-employed psychologist supporting SRPA, currently assigned to a team of psychologists treating the Sentinels, reconnects with Hale before his departure for Operation Iron Fist.
• Aklin & Hale's relationship during Project Abraham (hinted at during the website videos) was strictly and clinically professional, but there was underlying tension between them. When they meet up in the general public, eventually Hale and Aklin become (secret) lovers
• Aklin holds tremendous guilt over what Hale endured, and is still enduring, as a result of Project Abraham, where she was the one who got him involved with in the first place.
• Richard Blake is revealed to be a Sentinel.
• Blake is a member of the SRPA leadership; and so, while other officers are technically senior, he is generally the head of military operations.
• Fyodor Malikov is one of the three co-founders of SRPA, and was the head of Project Abraham.
• Operation Overstrike was mentioned: it confirms its official purpose was to destroy the hub tower in Paris, which doing so disrupted Chimera throughout Western Europe, but un-officially was to implement the virus to kill the Carriers and shut down the Conversion Centers, which succeeded.
• Cartwright's name is mentioned as being "Stephen Cartwright" rather than "Steven Cartwright".
• SRPA's designation is officially given as "Special Research Projects Administration".
• While officially SRPA is classified top-secret, an increasingly larger number of the population know about its existence.
• The truth behind the death of Noah Grace is revealed; Grace, becoming increasingly totalitarian and megalomaniac and instituting increasingly tighter control of the United States, made the outrageous attempt to negotiate with the Chimera - through Jordan Shepherd; by first luring him to rescue his wife from torture by government agents, and then being captured and personally met by Grace where he made un-successful attempts to force Shepherd; under threat of death by electrocution, to make the Chimera leave and stay away from the United States, but instead can have the rest of the world (as Grace planned to withdraw America's forces from other conflict theaters). Grace, privately, intended the negotiations to save himself, and only himself. Unfortunately, Henry Walker, the present Secretary of War, recognizes Grace's treason and secretly records Grace's plans and, while being captured and killed by Chimera, and despite Grace's own efforts to discredit Walker as a traitor, his recordings are salvaged by Hale (ironic as Hale saved Grace from an assassination attempt by Susan - his foster-sister and an anti-Grace administration rebel, not long ago). Hale, as head of the SRPA Sentinel detachment of the president's security team, easily accesses the chamber Grace is interrogating Shepherd in and, instead of killing Shepherd when he has the chance, he shoots Grace in the head with his rifle - killing him, while Shepherd escaped to a waiting Chimera battlecruiser. Grace's death is blamed on Shepherd and covered up to the general population.
• Jordan Shepherd is welcomed into the Chimera due to the shared belief that Shepherd is in control of, and can even manipulate, the Chimeran virus.
• Jordan has the ability to sent his consciousness to any Chimera type or unit on Earth; while remaining linked to his body.
• Jordan still possesses his human memories, primarily those of people who have significance to him (specifically his wife and Hale).
• Jordan did not murder his wife; Hannah, as was implied in the comic book series. Instead, Jordan (because he did have blood on his hands later on) only murdered Mr. Hetterwood.
• Hannah, like every other family member of soldiers drafted into the SRPA, was informed her husband was dead. She was informed of the truth, initially in a limited capacity - she discovered the true scope of it when she met Jordan as "Daedalus". She accepted it, however, having never lost her feelings for him.
• The Chimera are still using Angels - but in a increasingly diminished capacity.
• The Chimera species is explored - they describe their species as being part of a "great whole"; in which lesser units serve the larger ones. They also refer to themselves as "Chimera" (as well as the names given to them by humans e.g. Hybrids, Titans, Steelheads etc.) The Chimera, also, have a strong thirst for human blood.
• The Chimera hub tower in Holar, Iceland; next to SRPA Station Igloo, is described as being the Chimera's headquarters on Earth.