The Seen and Unseen by Chris Chaplin

This was an exploration of the Reman society.

The species was introduced in the movie Nemesis.  They were an oppressed slave race of the Romulan empire.

I found the story a bit ponderous.  Although it did a good job of filling out the society in terms of the movie I wanted it to come to some more satisfying conclusion.

But it did what the best of Star Trek does, it reflects our past back to us, to allow us to see our mistakes.

The Sunwalkers by Kelli Fitzpatrick

The Enterprise is dispatched to a world to lend assistance in a medical emergency.

The story centres on Beverly Crusher, her struggle to come to terms with having to say goodby to Wesley and how that separation speaks to her abilities as a mother.

The story felt like a found script for an episode that was never shot. But, I guess, all these stories will feel that way, considering the length of them. 

As in all good Star Trek this story works on more than one level. Sure there is the adventure of the mission, but from it there is character growth.  This made the story satisfying. 

Kelli Fitzpatrick's website:  https://kellifitzpatrick.com/

Kelli Fitzpatrick

A Christmas Qarol by Gary Piserchio & Frank Tagader

This was a fun riff on Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol.

In it, Q decies to throw Picard into a simulation of the classic tale.  But something goes wrong - when he snaps his fingers it's not Jean-Luc who is forced to play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge but Q himself!

Honestly, this was an absolutely charming story. Not only did it capture the spirit of Christmas it also was a story of hope for the Star Trek universe.

Hard to believe these writers are amatures. 

Very well done indeed.

Gary Piserchino's website:  http://garypiserchio.com/wp/

Frank Tagader has no dedicated website but his Goodreads link is:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13994748.Frank_Tagader

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Armageddon's Arrow by Dayton Ward - Book Report #179

I always find the books that have come out since the end of all the television series to be a bit daunting to read.  For years it's been a lot like comic books where the stories are tightly interlaced requiring the reader to read dozens of books to have a deep understanding of what is going on.

Even after I've written those words I'm thinking that it can be no other way.  The series have continued on in book form and the characters have been allowed to grow and change.  So if I feel like I've missed something it's because I HAVE.

A long time ago a book would be written as if it was an episode of the TV series.  More recently, it's all been about the "mini-series" where one story is told over multiple books and it's those stories that made reading current titles a bit daunting.

Which is why I enjoyed reading this book so much; it was one single story contained in a single volume.  Plus, it was written by one of my favourite Star Trek authors.

In this one, the crew of the Enterprise are finally back to exploring space and are now entering a region of the galaxy known as the Odyssean Pass.  As soon as they enter the area they discover a massive derelict ship and stop to investigate it.  On board they find a crew in hibernation and all kinds of shenanigans ensue once they've been revived.

Dayton Ward can write a story that is fast-paced, packed with humour and action.  He has mad skills to keep a story going but there were times where it was obvious that he was just padding to reach a contractual page count.  At one point it took an entire paragraph just to answer the door.  I am sure he could have trimmed the book by 75 to 100 pages had he had his way with it.

I am always happy to read one of his books and I am thrilled that Pocket Books has discovered his talents.

Dayton Ward

Q Are Cordially Uninvited ... : Star Trek: The Next Generation by RudyJosephs

019/150/2016

This was a fun story of Q giving Picard and Crusher a gift on the eve of their wedding. 

As tends to happen in the Star Trek literary world, a minor character is brought back to play a role in the story. This is part of the fun and serves as a tip of the hat to fans who might remember the character in question. 

The story was charming and the pay-off was well done. My only complaint was the lack of Q in the story.  He's there to get the story started and at the end but otherwise he was nowhere to be enjoyed. 

It was a shame, really.  But, as I mentioned, he is terrific in the end.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Death in Winter by Michael Jan Friedman- Book Report #132

One of my reading goals is to read most of the post-Nemesis novels in the Star Trek universe.  This is quite the challenge, not only because there are so many books but also because the plots have become so intermixed and complex that I need a flow chart just to keep track of it.

Luckily there are two sources that offer such charts.  My favourite is from Jim's Books where he has taken the time and effort to create a beautiful map using the cover art of each book.

http://www.shastrix.com/books/star-trek-reading-order.php

The other is provided by the Trek Collective and takes on the monumental task of charting all the books that fall outside The Original Series.  It's quite the head-scratcher, but also a lot of fun.

http://www.thetrekcollective.com/p/trek-lit-reading-order.html

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Death in Winter begins by explaining how Picard's genetic material was gathered in order to create Shizon from the movie Nemesis.

Crusher is on a mission to save a race of people who are suffering a plague while also suffering under Romulan occupation.  This is a covert operation that finds her held captive by the Romulans.  Call in Picard and two men from his past to rescue her.

The reason this book exists is to finally have Picard admit to Crusher that he loves her.  It is also the first treatment of the Star Trek universe free from the limitations placed upon authors of a TV or movie series that is still in production.  Death in Winter's job is to set up this new environment.  By doing so Friedman tells many important stories.  There is firstly the story of Picard and Crusher, which was the dullest of the plot lines that the whole book relies on to expose the other sub-plots.

Picard's two friends, from his days on the Stargazer,  Pug and Greyhorse, are re-introduced into the time line.  Tasha Yar's evil Romulan "twin", Sela also makes a welcomed appearance.  And the power vacuum in the Romulan Empire, that was created by the events in the movie Nemesis, is explored with yet more characters dredged up from the TV series.

The story of Picard rescuing Crusher was the least entertaining as it was used as a device to add exposition.  For the most part Picard and company spend a lot of time walking through snow storms and tunnels to avoid Romualn patrols.  While hiding, there was plenty of time to think about the past.

In the end, although I was disappointed with the Picard / Crusher thread, I was happy with the rest of it.  I was given a greater understanding of the bigger picture that is the Star Trek Universe.

Michael Jan Friedman's website is:
http://www.k8cooke.org/michaeljanfriedman/

Michael Jan Friedman

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Takedown by John Jackson Miller - Book Report #130

Oh my god - what fun.

It's Riker vs. Picard in a battle to save the Federation.  Yup William T. Riker is in a battle against our beloved captain.

What's going on?  Why did Riker sneak off to a super secret meeting and why is he and others from that meeting now attacking key infrastructures?

It's a mystery and a race against time to figure it all out and stop the attacks.

The novel was pure, thumping good fun.  I found the voices of the main characters were well captured and the plot felt like it could have come from a two-part episode of the TV series.

This is John Jackson Miller's first Star Trek novel and I believe we will be hearing more from him in the future.

Never a dull moment here.

Recommended.


Miller's website is:
http://www.farawaypress.com/

John Jackson Miller

Book Report #49 - Star Trek: Risistance by J.M. Dillard

This book filled the need I had of reading some science fiction where I didn't need to learn all about a new universe.

There is something comforting about being able to dip into a world and have it be familiar.

This book takes place just after the last of the Next Generation movies. Picard is trying to assemble a new crew and is assigned the task of negotiating peace between two races. One of which has joined the Federation. (How many times has that situation been used?)

The mission is interrupted when Picard hears the thoughts of the Borg for the first time in years. He tries to convince Starfleet to let him investigate this new threat. You know how it goes; Picard disobeys his orders to wait for an expert to join the Enterprise and heads off, on his own, to confront the Borg.

I found the book a bit dry and slow, to tell the truth. Although I was happy to read about the crew that remains; Picard, Dr. Crusher, LaForge and Worf; the story was bogged down by the author continually trying to tell three stories at once and by repeating scenes from the different points of view.

Even in the climactic battle Dillard kept taking us back in time to tell every angle of it. I found it distracting and frustrating. I don't want to find out what happens next by first having to hear about what happened to somebody in the next room, especially if it has no bearing on the main plot.

This type of story telling is used a lot in thrillers but, in most cases, the differing story lines merge for the "thrilling conclusion" so there is only one plot line to tell in the final chapters.

This book was only okay.

At least I got my Star Trek fix from it.

More on the author can be found HERE.  (Dillard is a pen name for Ms. Kalogridis)