The first three novels were originally published in the 1990s based on the 1996 release of the first film, and were republished in March 2016 as a single-volume edition (The Complete Independence Day Omnibus).
The novel presents the film's finale as originally scripted, with the character played by Randy Quaid stealing a missile and roping it to his cropduster biplane.
Following the film's success, a prequel novel entitled Independence Day: Silent Zone was written by Molstad in February 1998.
Set in Saudi Arabia on July 3, it centers around Captain Cummins and Colonel Thompson (ranks corrected to Squadron Leader and Group Captain respectively in the Omnibus reissue[1] which only contains the first three novels), the two Royal Air Force officers seen receiving the Morse code message in the film.
[4] Independence Day: Resurgence, by Alex Irvine, is the novelization of the film of the same name, and the fifth book in the series.