Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Honor Blade

Star Trek #96: Honor Blade by Diane Duane
Rihannsu #4
Published October 2000
Read December 15th, 2011

Previous book (Rihannsu): Swordhunt
Next book (Rihannsu): The Empty Chair

Previous book (The Original Series): Rihannsu #3: Swordhunt
Next book (The Original Series - Production Order): The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh: Book One
Next book (The Original Series - Numbered Novels): In the Name of Honor
Spoilers ahead for Honor Blade and the Rihannsu saga!


From the back cover:
At last, the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire have agreed to meet on neutral ground to attempt to resolve the tangle of intrigue and conspiracy that began with the hijacking of the U.S.S. Intrepid many years ago -- but the meeting may be as dangerous as the war they hope to avoid.
As a show of good faith, the crew of the legendary Starship Enterprise has been ordered to attend the talks.  In their informal charge is Romulan renegade Ael, the wanted fugitive who, with Kirk, served as a catalyst of the current troubles.  Kirk must represent the interests of the Federation first and foremost, but the best approach to an agreement remains muddled in the ever-shifting Romulan order.
And the visiting Romulan party is as fractious and divided as their troubled world.  Among the Romulan nobles in attendance are the hero and popular Senator Arrhae, who secretly helped rescue Dr. Leonard McCoy from a Romulan execution, and the very men and women who put McCoy on trial for treason -- and tried to carry out the sentence.
As Kirk and crew attempt to renegotiate a delicate peace, and Romulans attempt to restore their tarnished honor, it becomes increasingly apparent that their only course of action is to prepare for war!

About the Novel:

Honor Blade picks up immediately after the events of Swordhunt.  The Federation and Romulan diplomatic parties arrive at the meeting place, while Commander Ael and the Bloodwing remain hidden away from the sensitive negotiations.  The talks are to take place aboard a neutral starship, and joining the negotiations are several familiar faces.  On the Federation side, both Ambassador Robert Fox ("A Taste of Armageddon") and Samuel T. Cogley, Attorney at Law ("Court Martial") are in attendance.  On the Romulan delegation is Senator Arrhae, who in actual fact is a Lt. Commander in Starfleet, deep undercover in the Romulan Empire (see a prior Rihannsu novel, The Romulan Way).

As the negotiations get underway, it soon becomes apparent that they are just a front for the Romulans to capture or destroy Commander Ael and the sword and begin a war with the Federation.  Determined not to let that happen, Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise intervene in their machinations and attempt to sway the situation in the Federation's favor.

My Thoughts:

As usual with Diane Duane's work, the writing and story-telling are superb.  She has a particular talent for writing Commander Ael and Captain Kirk in a very compelling manner.  There is much to like in the Rihannsu novels, not the least of which is the depth that Duane gives the Romulan culture, an element that was unfortunately missing in the on-screen incarnations of Star Trek.

One particular aspect of the story that I loved was Captain Kirk's (and, by extension, the Enterprise's) reputation and relationship with the rest of Starfleet.  The idea that the Enterprise's exploits have become so famous and numerous that the rest of the fleet would take her and her crew for granted is a very interesting idea.  The Enterprise coming under attack by Romulan vessels in Federation space is no big deal, because everyone knows that Jim Kirk will, as usual, pull a rabbit out of his hat and escape unscathed.  Naturally, this attitude grates on Kirk, who doesn't like to be taken for granted.  An interesting angle on the "larger than life" reputation the Enterprise has that I had not considered before.

As mentioned in the previous review of Swordhunt, Honor Blade is simply part two of three, and the story won't be concluded until the final novel, The Empty Chair.  However, I feel that Swordhunt and Honor Blade together make one fairly cohesive story, with a definite turning point at the end.  Therefore, I have no problem making a full review of these stories, while still finishing reading the final book. 

Final Thoughts:

Great plot and characterizations, the Rihannsu saga has done much to hold my interest.  I am a huge admirer of Diane Duane's writing talents, and look forward to reading more by her.  Already in the queue to be read at some future point are her novels Doctor's Orders and The Wounded Sky.

Final rating for Swordhunt and Honor Blade together: 8.5/10.


I am (of course!) reading the final novel in Diane Duane's Rihannsu saga, The Empty Chair.  I can't wait to see how this all ends!



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Monday, December 12, 2011

Swordhunt

Star Trek #95: Swordhunt by Diane Duane
Rihannsu #3
Published August 2000
Read December 11, 2011 

Previous book (Rihannsu): The Romulan Way
Next book (Rihannsu): Honor Blade

Previous book (The Original Series): New Earth #6: Challenger
Next book (The Original Series): Rihannsu #4: Honor Blade
Spoilers ahead for Swordhunt and the Rihannsu saga!


From the back cover:


The sword was the ultimate symbol of Romulan power, tradition, and pride.  It lay in the senate chamber of the Romulan Star Empire, revered and untouched for centuries, until the day Dr. Leonard McCoy was tried for treason -- and both were stolen during a daring attack on Romulus itself.
Now, to avenge that insult and save face in eyes of their deadly enemies, the Empire must recover the sword at any cost.  Their envoys to the Federation demand the return of the sword and the extradition of the Romulan renegades who aided the Starship Enterprise in McCoy's escape.  If diplomacy fails, the Romulans will trap the Klingons and the Federation in open war.
In such dangerous times, the Starship Enterprise is assigned the most valuable -- and volatile -- element of all: the fugitive Ael, her stolen bird-of-prey, Bloodwing, and the sword they carry.  Ael will undoubtedly attempt to use ship and sword to foil her enemies and play her hand in the dangerous game that she's begun.  But she will do it all under the watchful eyes of Captain James T. Kirk, the Federation starship captain who knows her dangerously well...

About the Novel:

The Romulan Empire is incensed over the escape of Commander Ael with Dr. McCoy and, more grievously, the Sword of S'Task in the previous Rihannsu novel, The Romulan Way.  The sword, which traditionally sat in the "Empty Chair" of the Romulan Senate, reserved for S'Task, the man who led the Romulan exodus from Vulcan, is a beloved symbol of the honor of the Rihannsu (Romulan) people.  Honor which Commander Ael believes no longer exists in the current Romulan government.

In a bid to get Ael and the sword back, the Romulan government decides to open negotiations with the Federation.  However, the negotiations appear to be largely a pretense to begin a war.  Assigned to the Romulan delegation is Arrhae, former housekeeper and now a Senator in the Romulan Senate.  Unknown to the rest of Romulus, however, is the fact that Arrhae is a deep-cover Federation operative, assigned to cultural studies of the Romulan Empire.  In the preceding novel, The Romulan Way, Arrhae elected to remain behind on Romulus rather than be "rescued" by Dr. McCoy.

My Thoughts:

Rather than feeling like a complete novel, Swordhunt ended abruptly and is continued in the next Rihannsu entry, Honor Blade.  Because I was reading on an e-reader rather than a "dead tree" copy, the end was completely unexpected.  The novel seemed to meander for quite awhile.  There is a lot of setup for the diplomatic mission, but by the end of the book, it has not yet begun.  I love character development, and Commander Ael is a fascinating character, but I kept wanting the story to commence.  Instead, the action never really takes off for our heroes, and the novel ends just as things start to happen.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the next book obviously picks up immediately after.  However, I am curious as to why the novel was split into two parts to begin with.  This entry isn't particularly long, and I think both books in one volume would have made more sense.  Although, I suppose, the financial aspect of it means that Pocket Books can sell two volumes as opposed to only one.

I'd like to make a small note about the continuity of the Rihannsu series.  A staggering thirteen years pass between the publication of this novel, Swordhunt, in 2000, and the publication of the last entry in 1987.  In that time, many changes occurred in the Star Trek universe.  The first two novels in the Rihannsu series, My Enemy, My Ally and The Romulan Way take place during a supposed second five-year mission between the events of the original Star Trek television series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  However, by the time Swordhunt was written, the timeline had been revised and the second five-year mission had never happened.  So, the decision was made to place Swordhunt and its follow-up, Honor Blade, during the original five-year mission of the original television series.  However, this means that references to various details between this novel and the previous ones don't match up perfectly.  Muddying the issue even more is the sequel, The Empty Chair, which again revises the timeline of the Rihannsu series to a post-Star Trek: The Motion Picture period.  Confused yet?

The good news is that a revised edition of the Rihannsu saga has been published in the form of an anthology comprising the first four books.  Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages corrects many of these small continuity errors into a cohesive narrative that is internally consistent for the most part.  The small discontinuities in the books are a little distracting, but don't impact the overall enjoyment much for me.  However, readers who are bothered by these issues have another option!  In addition, Swordhunt and Honor Blade are presented as a single story in The Bloodwing Voyages, solving one of my issues with these novels.

Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages was published in 2006, fixing
many of the niggling continuity errors in the Rihannsu series.
Click to order from Amazon.com!

Final Thoughts:

I feel that Swordhunt does not stand sufficiently on its own to warrant full consideration.  Therefore, I think I will reserve final judgement until I've had a chance to finish the follow-up story, Honor Blade.  While I have been informed that Honor Blade doesn't complete the story, I would still like to chime in with my thoughts at that point.  To get the entire story, I will have to read The Empty Chair.  I will, of course, post a review of the entire story once I have done so.  What I have read thus far I have very much enjoyed, as I have enjoyed most of Diane Duane's work.  While the story seems to be meandering a bit, what action there has been has been exciting, and I hope the payoff will make up for the lengthy setup.


I am, of course, reading the next novel in the Rihannsu saga, the continuation of Swordhunt, entitled Honor Blade.  Full review coming soon!

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Rise Like Lions

Star Trek: Mirror Universe - Rise Like Lions by David Mack
Published December 2011
Read: December 5th, 2011

Previous book (Mirror Universe): The Sorrows of Empire
Spoilers ahead for Rise Like Lions and The Sorrows of Empire!


From the back cover:


IN THE MIRROR UNIVERSE... 
Miles 'Smiley' O'Brien struggles to hold together his weary band of freedom fighters in their war against the overwhelming might of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.  Every day pushes the rebels on Terok Nor one step closer to defeat, but with nowhere left to run, the time has come to make their last stand.
Light-years away, Mac Calhoun and his Romulan allies harass Klingon forces with devious hit-and-run attacks.  But Calhoun has a grander ambition: he intends to merge his fleet with the Terran Rebellion and lead it to victory--or die trying.
Meanwhile, a bitter feud threatens to shatter the Alliance from within.  The old rivalry between the Klingons and the Cardassians erupts into open warfare as each vies for the upper hand in their partnership.
Manipulating events from its hidden redoubts, Memory Omega--the secret operation initiated by Spock a century earlier--sees its plans come to fruition sooner than expected.  But striking early means risking everything--and if the revolution fails, Spock's vision for the future will be lost forever.

About the Novel:

In the mirror universe, Spock's secret plan, "Memory Omega," begins to take shape.  Because of incursions from "our own" universe (in the Deep Space Nine episodes "Crossover," "Through the Looking Glass," "Shattered Mirror," "Resurrection," and "The Emperor's New Cloak," along with many other stories in the form of Star Trek prose), the timetable for the implementation of Spock's plan is moved up.  The Terran Rebellion, being a viable revolutionary group with a fair chance of succeeding, is the focus of Memory Omega's efforts.  Their recruits, sprinkled throughout the quadrant, work to undermine the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance and support the Rebellion.  With sleeper agents in the form of the Vulcan servants in the homes of Cardassians and Klingons, Memory Omega operatives are perfectly placed to cause as much damage as possible when the time comes.

Through it all, a Romulan fleet commanded by Mac Calhoun (the mirror counterpart of the enterprising captain of Peter David's New Frontier series) seeks to join forces with the Rebellion.  Together, and with Memory Omega's help, they hope to finally overthrow the Alliance and usher in a new age of peace for their corner of the galaxy.

My Thoughts:

After reading The Sorrows of Empire and hearing the news that David Mack was writing the conclusion to the Memory Omega storyline, I was extremely excited.  Too excited, I worried.  Oftentimes, when I get really worked-up and eager for a new book, the results are disappointing.  Not so with Rise Like Lions.  This book lived up to nearly every expectation admirably!

I found myself genuinely caring about
characters in the Mirror Universe,
such as Ezri Tigan and her wife, Leeta.
The Mirror Universe is a concept that has not always been treated well in Trek lore.  While visits there were fun and exciting, they were never really taken all that seriously.  Over-the-top characters, grandiose pontifications of mustache-twirling villains, and no real impact on the day-to-day lives of the characters in OUR universe made them easy to overlook.  What I feel that David Mack has accomplished is the legitimization of the mirror universe.  With both The Sorrows of Empire and Rise Like Lions, I found myself genuinely caring for the characters and truly invested in the outcome of their stories.  In particular, the characters of Miles 'Smiley' O'Brien and Jean-Luc Picard were very well written.  Ezri and Calhoun also come across as real, sympathetic people whom readers will be invested in.

I did find that I missed out on a bit of the story, not being familiar with all of the stories that have taken place in the mirror universe.  If all you have read is David Mack's The Sorrows of Empire, you may find yourself in a bit of a need of catching up.  I'm still a little unclear about how Neelix and Kes found themselves embroiled in the affairs of the Rebellion and Memory Omega, but I suspect the answer is in one of the short stories I neglected to read.  Even so, I found the story very enjoyable and easy to follow, even without all of the dots connected.


Duras -- hated in our reality,
hero in the mirror universe.
I love the concept of the mirror universe because it allows the writers to take our preconceptions and turn them on their heads.  For example, the role that Kes plays in Rise Like Lions involves her character taking an especially dark turn.  Inversely, Duras (of the Next Generation episodes "Sins of the Father" and "Reunion") comes across as a hero, and we find ourselves in the strange position of rooting for one of the most hated characters from Worf's past (in our universe, at any rate).

As is usual with a David Mack story, the body count is extremely high!  Without going into too much detail, there are many, MANY casualties on the way to the resolution of this story arc.  Also, this particular mirror universe story continues the tradition of Ferengi death that started in Deep Space Nine's crossover episodes.  In a big way.

I felt that the entire story was wrapped up very well, and of course it being an alternate reality frees up the author to take more liberties than in a typical Trek story, making it just that much more fun.  The stakes felt real, and the resolution was eminently satisfying.  David Mack even finds a way of dropping hints that the ending may not be, in fact, the end!  There is certainly more room for further adventures in the mirror universe.

Final Thoughts:

I highly recommend this story, but only if you have already read (at the very least) The Sorrows of Empire.  An amazing follow-up and possible conclusion to the story of the Mirror Universe.

Final rating: 9.5/10.

More about Rise Like Lions:

 Also by David Mack:

My next read:

Right now, I'm waiting on my copy of William Shatner's The Return.  In the meantime, I'm reading book three of Diane Duane Rihannsu mini-series, Swordhunt.  Review coming soon.  In the meantime, as always, LLAP!
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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Excelsior: Forged in Fire

Star Trek: Excelsior: Forged in Fire by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels
Published December 2007
Read: November 30th, 2011

Previous book (The Original Series): Vulcan's Soul #3: Epiphany
Next book (The Original Series): Errand of Fury #3: Sacrifices of War


Spoilers ahead for Forged in Fire!

From the back cover:
A vicious pirate known as the Albino is cutting a deadly swath across space, creating turmoil in the Klingon Empire that threatens to spill into the Federation.  But this criminal also has a secret that could shake the halls of imperial power, and his genocidal plans against the race the bore him will have consequences even he cannot imagine, as several unlikely allies join swords to bring the Albino to justice: Hikaru Sulu of the USS Excelsior; Klingon captains Kor, Koloth, and Kang; and a hot-headed young Federation diplomat named Curzon Dax.  Tempered in the flames of their shared adversity, a captaincy is forged, a blood oath is sworn ... and a hunt begins that will stretch from one generation to the next.

About the Novel:

Born of a terrible genetic malady caused by a hopeful treatment for the "smooth forehead" curse, a criminal known as "The Albino" threatens peace talks between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.  When Commander Sulu, first officer of the USS Excelsior, receives intelligence about the threat to the negotiations, his commanding officer, Captain Styles, is skeptical.  Sulu, however, is not content to allow the attack to proceed, so he contacts Ambassador Sarek and manages to get the Excelsior assigned to the defense of the negotiations.  When the attack occurs, Sulu finds himself teamed with Federation Ambassador Curzon Dax, and three Klingon captains named Kor, Koloth, and Kang in pursuit of the Albino, who has a dark and shocking link to Sulu's own past.


My Thoughts:

Forged in Fire provides answers to a few questions regarding the period between Star Trek V and Star Trek VI.  It is generally accepted that six years pass between those movies, leaving a large space of time we don't know much about.  In that time, the crew of the Enterprise seems to have fractured somewhat, with Uhura working at the Academy and, of course, Scotty buying a boat.  The largest change, however, is Sulu becoming the commanding officer of the USS Excelsior.  In Forged in Fire, we finally see how that came to pass.

As I've mentioned in the past, I love novels that fill in the gaps in Star Trek lore.  Forged in Fire accomplishes that admirably.  I had always assumed that Sulu was simply promoted to captain at some point and assigned to the Excelsior.  I was surprised to see Martin and Mangels' take on that event was somewhat different.  It never occurred to me that Sulu might have served on that ship under Captain Styles.

Speaking of Styles, I thought that Forged in Fire handled his character quite well.  When he was introduced in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Styles was typical of other captains who weren't Kirk: arrogant, off-putting, and certainly not someone who seemed to fit in the role of a captain.  This is a familiar trope in television or movies: people outside of our main group of heroes are set up as incompetent or worse in order to make the stars of the show look better by comparison.  While the Styles in Forged in Fire is still certainly arrogant, Martin and Mangels also humanize him to an extent.  The reader is able to see things from his perspective a little better, and while we still may not like him, his character is advanced further than simply a set piece designed to make the hero look good.

Captain Styles - still swaggering, and kind
of a dick, but definitely more depth.
Another character who is exceptionally well fleshed-out beyond his original appearance is the villain of the story, the Albino, whose given name we learn is Qagh.  A genetic aberration, Qagh (whose name means "mistake") is a twisted and sadistic man who will go to any means to prolong his life.  In Forged in Fire, we see the beginning of the quest of vengeance that Kang, Kor, Koloth and Dax embark on, which is finally resolved in Deep Space Nine's "Blood Oath."  Simply a one-note villain in "Blood Oath," we finally learn his motivations and why he acted the way he did.  Because his story continues on televised Trek, Forged in Fire feels a little like it doesn't resolve itself completely, but that is, of course, by design.

Qagh - the "Albino" - is finally given a backstory
Finally, another aspect about Forged in Fire that I appreciated was tying in the story with the "fix" to the smooth-foreheaded Klingon issue in Star Trek.  Qagh's maladies turn out to be the result of one family's attempt to hide the shame of their human-like appearance.  Also explained in the novel is how the Klingons came to be cured of the condition.

Forged in Fire does tend to drag on a bit in some places.  I feel like the story could have been trimmed somewhat, as some chapters seem to veer most verbose, but on the whole, the writing is crisp and the story engaging.

Final Thoughts:

Great characterization and an engaging plot make up for the story plodding in some areas.  As "Blood Oath" is one of my favorite episodes of early Deep Space Nine, the revelations about the antagonist and the motivations of the Klingons from that episode were greatly enjoyed.  Filling in the gaps in Star Trek's timeline also push this book's rating a little higher in my opinion.

Final rating for Excelsior: Forged in Fire: 8/10.

Right now, I'm reading the newest novel by David Mack, his follow-up to The Sorrows of Empire: the latest entry in the Mirror Universe line, Rise Like Lions.  Look for a review soon!

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