Taking Wing

Star Trek: Titan
Taking Wing by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels
Published April 2005
Read March 26^th 2019

Previous book (Post-Nemesis Continuity): The Next Generation: Death in Winter

Next book (Titan): The Red King
Next book (Post-Nemesis Continuity): Articles of the Federation

Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Taking Wing!

From the back cover:

After almost a decade of strife against foes such as the Borg, the Cardassians, the Klingons, and the Dominion, the United Federation of Planets is at the dawn of a new era. Starfleet is renewing its mission of peaceful exploration, diplomacy, and the expansion of knowledge. Among the starships spearheading that endeavor is the U.S.S. Titan, commanded by Captain William T. Riker and manned by the most biologically varied and culturally diverse crew in Starfleet history.

But their mission does not begin according to plan.

In the wake of Star Trek Nemesis, Praetor Shinzon, slayer of the Romulan Senate, is dead. The power vacuum created by his demise has put the Romulan Star Empire, longtime adversary of the Federation, at the brink of civil war. Competing factions now vie for control of their fragmenting civilization, and if the empire should fall, that entire area of the galaxy may destabilize.

To restore order to the region, Titan 's long-anticipated mission of exploration is delayed as Starfleet assigns Riker to set up power-sharing talks among the Romulan factions. But even as the first tentative steps are taken toward building a new Romulus, the remnants of the Tal Shiar, the dreaded Romulan intelligence service, are regrouping behind the scenes for a power play of their own. With no other help available, Riker and the Titan crew become the last hope to prevent the quadrant from falling into chaos.

My thoughts:

When Star Trek Nemesis first hit theatres, I remember thinking that it would be very cool to be able to follow Riker to the Titan and learn about his adventures as the new captain of that vessel. We didn't have to wait too long as Simon & Schuster picked up that particular ball and ran with it, introducing the Star Trek: Titan novel series in April of 2005. It was clear that the idea for the series as a whole was as a re-invigoration of Starfleet's primary mission to "boldly go where no one has gone before," with the Titan leading a new mission of discovery. However, there was one small detail to contend with: as Riker told Picard at the end of Nemesis, Titan's first mission would be go to Romulus to help pick up the pieces after Shinzon's coup and attempted attack on the Federation.

This novel marks the beginning of the voyages of the Starship Titan under the command of Captain William T. Riker.

I didn't pick up the series right away, instead first reading it in 2009. I remember being very interested in a new "strange new worlds" series, with an increased focus on exploration. The initial foray into Romulan politics didn't interest me very much, and I kind of saw it as something I had to get through in order to get to the good stuff.

Fast forward ten years, and my attitude has completely changed. Reading Taking Wing this time around, I found myself fascinated with the Romulan political situation and the various players involved. I think part of the reason for the changed attitude comes from having already read the rest of the Titan series. Whereas the first time around, I was endlessly fascinated with the diverse crew and learning their stories and always wanting to get back to that part of the novel, this time I was already familiar with this crew and the diversity of Titan, allowing me to focus more on the story and really get into it.

Titan arrives at Romulus to take part in power-sharing talks between a number of factions vying for control of the Romulan Empire, including the self-proclaimed Praetor Tal'Aura, the Tal Shiar, Spock's reunification movement, the Remans, the military, and other aspects of the Romulan government. As one would imagine, backroom plots and intrigue abound as each group maneuvers to gain power in the Empire.

The Romulan military, represented by commanders Donatra and Suran, has a stake in power-sharing talks on Romulus.

As I mentioned above, I found the Romulan political story to be quite intriguing. Characters such as Commander Donatra (whom we first met in Nemesis) are more complex that it would appear at first blush; when you think you have someone's motives and plans figured out, they often surprise you by going in a completely different direction.

An interesting addition to the story is Commander Tuvok, who was caught on Romulus while carrying out an undercover mission to make contact with Ambassador Spock's reunification movement. This character has a long history with Admiral Akaar, who is also aboard the Titan for the mission, adding some interesting unanswered questions about their backstory.

Commander Tuvok finds himself aboard the Titan after being rescued from a failed undercover mission on Romulus.

The final resolution to the Romulan power-sharing plot was unexpected and an interesting turn of events as Riker engineers a situation in which all sides agree to the Klingons acting as an intermediary and admitting the Remans as a protectorate of the Klingon Empire, while still residing within the Romulan sphere of influence. It is a solution that is unorthodox to say the least, and it will be interesting to see how it affects events moving forward, especially given what we know will happen to the Empire in the books to come. No spoilers on that point here, however; you'll just have to keep reading the books if you want to know more!

The end of the novel features a surprising cliffhanger in which the bulk of the Romulan fleet has disappeared into the "Great Bloom," the anomaly that resulted from the destruction of Shinzon's warbird in the Bassen Rift (Star Trek Nemesis). Commander Donatra enlists Riker's aid in trying to determine what has happened to the ships, and of course both the Titan and Donatra's warbird, the Valdore, are pulled into the anomaly only to reappear heaven knows where... TO BE CONTINUED!

Final thoughts:

While I enjoyed Taking Wing the first time around years ago, I found myself enjoying it even more this time. The Romulan political story was fascinating, and I discovered much more to like about it reading it now. I also really love the crew of the Titan, and find the diverse species to be interesting and compelling to learn more about. I'm looking forward at making my way through the Titan series again as well as the other books that make up the post-Nemesis continuity!

More about Taking Wing:

• TrekBBS Discussion and Review Thread
• Podcast: Literary Treks 264: No Member Berries

Also by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels:

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma, Book 3 of 4: Cathedral (2002)
• Star Trek: The Lost Era: The Sundered (2003)
• Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Trill: Unjoined (2004)
• Star Trek: Titan: The Red King (2005)
• Star Trek: Enterprise: Last Full Measure (2006)
• Star Trek: Excelsior: Forged in Fire (2007)
• Star Trek: Enterprise: The Good That Men Do (2007)
• Star Trek: Enterprise: Kobayashi Maru (2008)

My next read:

Next up: the landmark novel Articles of the Federation by Keith R.A. DeCandido!

The Way to the Stars

Star Trek: Discovery
The Way to the Stars by Una McCormack
Release date: January 8^th 2019
Read January 11^th 2019

Previous book (Discovery): Fear Itself
Next book (Discovery): The Enterprise War

Purchase:
Trade Paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Publisher's description:

Despite being an inexperienced Starfleet cadet, Sylvia Tilly became essential to the U.S.S. Discovery finding its way back home from the Mirror Universe. But how did she find that courage? From where did she get that steel? Who nurtured that spark of brilliance? The Way to the Stars recounts for fans everywhere the untold story of Tilly’s past.

It’s not easy being sixteen, especially when everyone expects great things from Tilly. It’s even harder when her mother and father are Federation luminaries, not to mention pressing her to attend one of the best schools that the Federation has to offer. Tilly wants to achieve great things—even though she hasn’t quite worked out how to do that or what it is she wants to do. But this year, everything will change for Tilly, as she about to embark upon the adventure of a lifetime—an adventure that will take her ever closer to the stars….

My thoughts:

Click here to watch my video review of Discovery: The Way to the Stars, or click play on the embedded video below!

Final thoughts:

The Way to the Stars is an excellent bit of backstory for one of my favorite Discovery characters. The young Sylvia Tilly comes to life with a past that seems far too familiar to many people. Over the course of the story, she begins to chart a new course in her life and grow into the person she will become by the time we see her as a cadet in season one of Discovery. This book contains some great life lessons for those among us who may have struggled with the expectations of their peers and their parents. 5/5.

More about The Way to the Stars:

• TrekBBS Review and Discussion Thread
• Podcast: Literary Treks 257: Lots of Bits of Me - Exclusive interview with author Una McCormack!

Also by Una McCormack:

• Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume One: Cardassia: The Lotus Flower (2004)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Hollow Men (2005)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Never-Ending Sacrifice (2009)
• Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Brinkmanship (2012)
• Star Trek: The Fall: The Crimson Shadow (2013)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Missing (2014)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Enigma Tales (2017)
• Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope (2020)

Next time on Trek Lit Reviews:

Next up is my review of the first book in the Star Trek: Titan series: Taking Wing by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels.

Literary Treks 271: To Thine Own Self Be True

Star Trek: The Original Series
The Captain's Oath
by Christopher L. Bennett

Purchase:
Trade Paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Captain James T. Kirk: one of the true legends of Starfleet. Awarded command of the U.S.S. Enterprise at a very young age, Kirk made his mark on the galaxy with an impressive career commanding one of Starfleet's most prestigious vessels. But what made him the captain he would become? And how did his experience commanding smaller starships prepare him for the years spent commanding the Enterprise?

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Bruce Gibson and Dan Gunther talk about Christopher L. Bennett's new TOS novel The Captain's Oath. As a special bonus, the author shared his thoughts with us about aspects of the novel which we will share with you! We discuss the different time periods covered in the novel, Kirk's early years as commander of the U.S.S. Sacagawea, the fascinating cast of original characters created by Christopher L. Bennett, the mysterious threat posed by the Agni, Kirk's first mission as commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the disparate parts of continuity referenced in The Captain's Oath, and wrap up with our final thoughts and what Christopher L. Bennett has coming soon as well as where he can be found online.

At the top of the show, we review issue #2 of Star Trek: Year Five and respond to listener feedback from The Babel Conference for Literary Treks 269: Kellogg's Spock 'n' Krisp.

Literary Treks 271: To Thine Own Self Be True
The Original Series: The Captain's Oath by Christopher L. Bennett

Previous episode: Literary Treks 270: Kirk is Dabbing Like a Warp 4 Loony!
Next episode: Literary Treks 272: A Fun Borg Romp?

Enemy of My Enemy

Star Trek: Voyager
Spirit Walk, Book Two
Enemy of My Enemy by Christie Golden
Published December 2004
Read March 18^th 2019

Previous book (Voyager): Spirit Walk, Book One: Old Wounds
Next book (Voyager): String Theory, Book One: Cohesion

Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Enemy of My Enemy!

From the back cover:

Captain Chakotay and his sister, Sekaya, are being held captive beneath the surface of Loran II by a Changeling--an outcast Founder masquerading as Chakotay's second-in-command, Andrew Ellis. To Chakotay's horror, the Changeling gives the two prisoners over to the infamous Cardassian scientist Crell Moset, who plans to use Chakotays's Sky Spirit-enhanced DNA to create a super species that will bring him the fame and acceptance he craves. 

Leaving Chakotay and Sekaya to their fate, the Changeling assumes Chakotay's image and infiltrates the Starship Voyager, putting the entire crew at risk. Dr. Jarem Kaz and Lieutenant Harry Kim, increasingly suspicious of their captain's odd behavior, turn to Admiral Janeway and Lieutenant Commander Tom Paris for help. As Paris races to save Voyager from catastrophe, the real Chakotay must undertake a "Spirit Walk" that could set him and his sister free--or lead to their ultimate destruction....

My thoughts:

In the previous novel, Old Wounds, we discover at the very end that Chakotay's first officer, Andrew Ellis, is actually a Changeling, the shapeshifter leaders of the Dominion. In fact, Ellis has been a Changeling for a number of years, having been replaced prior to the Dominion War. On the surface of Loran II, the Changeling has captured Chakotay and his sister, Sekaya, turning them over to Crell Moset, the Cardassian war criminal who performed horrific experiments on Bajorans during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor.

If nothing else, Enemy of My Enemy makes up for the lack of plot in Old Wounds by leaps and bounds. My biggest complaint about that novel is that nothing really happens; in this novel, a ton of plot is crammed in, making this story very heavy on the back end when you consider both books as one tale. However, much of it strained credibility and left me feeling ambivalent.

First of all, the main villain: a Changeling who was judged by the rest of the Founders and had his shape-changing ability taken away, much like Odo at the end of DS9's fourth season. He has gotten back a limited amount of his ability thanks to the research and experimentation of Crell Moset, who is aiding him in creating his own private army of Jem'Hadar-like creatures to be the soldiers in a new Dominion. He believes himself to be more intelligent than everyone around him, when in fact he has several glaring blind-spots that cause him to eventually fail in his plan. While I like seeing things from his perspective (which reveals him to be inept and fairly psychotic), I found it frustrating that he was portrayed as so incompetent. I don't know if this was the author's intention, but he really does come across as a bumbling idiot by the end of the novel.

The most interesting aspect of the story for me was Dr. Jarem Kaz, once again. The emergent personality of his previous host, Gradak, keeps vying for attention given the suffering that he and his fellow Maquis suffered at the hands of Moset. At the climax of the novel, Kaz allows Gradak to take complete control and gives him his moment of vengeance. However, things take an unexpected turn when Gradak doesn't kill Moset. Instead, he confronts the war criminal and makes him feel to the depths of his core the ruthlessness and brutality of what he has done. It was a supremely satisfying conclusion to that part of the story.

Dr. Crell Moset confronts the horrors of his past thanks to Gradak, previous host of the Kaz symbiont.

As for the rest of the novel, however, I found myself disappointed. While I had held out some hope that the Native spirituality aspect would be better than it was in the Voyager television series, that doesn't turn out to be the case. The reason for capturing Chakotay and his sister is due to the fact that they have "Sky Spirit DNA" (Chakotay more so because he got an infusion of it in the Voyager episode "Tattoo"). I have to admit that this is a storyline that I wish would just go away. In that episode, it is revealed that Native North American groups thrived thanks to the intervention of the "Sky Spirits," aliens from the Delta Quadrant who elevated Native North American humans and caused them to flourish. While I'm sure this wasn't the intention of the writers, it comes across as a "white savior" story as the Sky Spirit aliens are, of course, played by white people. Similarly, in this novel, Chakotay is oddly unable to make a decision about using his "Sky Spirit" power until Wesley Crusher shows up and tells him it's okay. No, really. That happens.

The subplot that I was most interested in gets very little attention in this novel as well. With Tom Paris having been called into service by Admiral Janeway, B'Elanna Torres is left on Boreth to continue her research into her daughter's role as the Kuvah'magh, prophesied savior of the Klingon people. While I was hoping for more movement on this plot in this novel, instead it's only very briefly touched on. At one point, two menacing-looking Klingons enter the library that Torres is studying in. Towards the end of the novel, she gets a handwritten note telling her that "the Kuvah'magh is in danger." That is the entirety of the advancement in this plot. Similarly, one of the other aspects I enjoyed in the previous novel isn't even touched on in this one. I rather liked the conflict that was brewing between the old-guard Voyager crew and the new arrivals. However, this aspect of the story wasn't even referenced in this second part. I do understand that both this and the Kuvah'magh story are setup for later novels, but I was frustrated that my favorite aspects of the story got very little attention.

Final thoughts:

Overall, an unfortunate disappointment. The conclusion to the novel was, in my opinion, confused and jumbled with some troubling aspects that have bothered me ever since their introduction in the Voyager television series. I find the contrast between these novels and the later Voyager "relaunch" stories by Kirsten Beyer to be staggering. While I'm sorry that Christie Golden's run in the Voyager series wasn't more successful, I'm happy that Beyer's books were able to take the premise and do new and interesting things with it. Full Circle is one of my favorite Trek novels, and luckily the story of Voyager doesn't end with this novel.

More about Enemy of My Enemy:

• Literary Treks 263: Traveling at the Speed of Plot

Also by Christie Golden:

• Star Trek: Voyager #16: Seven of Nine (1998)
• Star Trek: S.C.E. #3: Hard Crash (2000)
• Star Trek: Voyager: Gateways, Book 5 of 7: No Man's Land (2001)
• Voyager: In the Queue, from Star Trek: Gateways, Book 7 of 7: What Lay Beyond (2001)
• Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming (2003)
• Star Trek: Voyager: The Farther Shore (2003)
• Star Trek: Voyager: Spirit Walk, Book One: Old Wounds (2004)

My next read:

My next review is a video review of Discovery: The Way to the Stars by one of my favorite Trek authors, Una McCormack!

Rough Trails

Star Trek #91
New Earth, Book Three of Six
Rough Trails by L.A. Graf
Published July 2000
Read March 13^th 2019

Previous book (New Earth): #90: Book Two: Belle Terre
Next book (New Earth): #91: Book Four: The Flaming Arrow

Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Rough Trails!

From the back cover:

Months after their departure from Earth, the struggling colonists have barely established a precarious toehold on Belle Terre, a ravaged world still recovering from a catastrophic planetary disaster. Fierce cyclones, storms, landslides, and flash floods make the survival itself a never-ending challenge. While Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise patrol the sector, on guard against predatory aliens and greedy space pirates, officers Chekov, Uhura, and Sulu stay behind to assist the hapless settlers in their desperate battle to put down roots in the turbulent soil of and angry planet.

But the imperiled colonist are fractious and intensely individualistic group, not inclined to take orders or direction from their Starfleet guardians. Chekov and the others find their ingenuity and diplomatic skills tested to their limits -- to save a people who don't want their help!

My thoughts:

I tried reading the New Earth miniseries years ago, but wound up not being able to get through it. Picking it up again this year to do these reviews, I couldn't remember where in the series I had abandoned it the first time around. As I got into Rough Trails, it all came flooding back to me.

That flooding pun was unintended, but I'll go with it.

In Rough Trails, the Belle Terre colonists struggle with the fallout from the events of the previous novel. Called "The Burn," the devastation wrought by the olivium moon explosion has thrown the colony into complete disarray. Radioactive fallout blankets parts of the colony, and some communities have descended into virtual lawlessness. All in all, the colonists of Belle Terre and their protectors from the Enterprise are having a pretty miserable time of it.

The plot of the novel kicks off when the shuttle that Chekov is hitching a ride on disappears, crashing while en route to a Belle Terre community. Sulu, Uhura, and Scotty must work to find their missing crewmate while confronting another looming disaster: a large impact crater containing a huge amount of water is threatening to spill its banks and flood a number of communities.

I have to be completely honest: I found this a very difficult novel to get through. The passages describing the hardships faced by the colonists and the crash survivors aren't just bleak, they are downright funereal. Seemingly endless passages going on and on about how dismal and hopeless the situation had become made this a really hard book to want to pick up once it had been put down.

This novel's focus on Chekov, Uhura, and Sulu over the more "main" castmembers was one of the aspects I enjoyed.

However, there are a few things about the novel that I did appreciate. First, the fact that it focuses on the "secondary" characters of Chekov, Uhura, and Sulu was most welcome. The Star Trek television series, films, and most of the books tend to fixate on Kirk, Bones, and Spock, and seeing a story where they were nearly non-existent was a very welcome departure from the norm. Second, there were a few twists in the story that I truly didn't see coming. The true nature of the "antagonists" for much of the novel, the Carsons, was really quite interesting. I had resigned myself to the Carsons being your typical rote villains, when it turned out they were anything but.

Probably the most frustrating thing about Rough Trails is the seeming discontinuity between this novel and the one before it. In Belle Terre, the Enterprise crew has just managed to save the entire planet after having evacuated its inhabitants. At the end of that novel, things seem optimistic and the colonists plan to inhabit the far side of the planet, virtually untouched by the explosion of the olivium moon. In this novel, however, the colonists have established a large number of disparate communities, eking out a hardscrabble existence in the wake of the natural disaster the explosion has caused, and resenting the hell out of the Starfleet personnel for reasons that seem hard to fathom. The colonists have descended into violence, at times completely out of control, and things seem completely disconnected from the previous novels. I like the idea of exploring these issues, but the change in conditions between the novels seemed far too abrupt.

Final thoughts:

Some interesting ideas are explored in this novel, most notably focusing on characters other than the "big three," but it is not enough to make me recommend it. The overwhelming bleakness made it a very difficult book to get through, and the disconnect between this novel and the previous one was very confusing. The ending made up for it a bit, but many of the plot elements and the behavior of the colonists seemed very out of place when put in the context of the rest of the series.

My next read:

Next up is the conclusion of Voyager's Spirit Walk duology: Enemy of My Enemy by Christie Golden.

Cover Revealed for The Enterprise War!

The next new Star Trek: Discovery novel is set to be released on July 30th, and the cover has just been released!

Star Trek: Discovery: The Enterprise War by John Jackson Miller promises to tell the story of what the Enterprise was up to during the first season of Discovery. The Klingon War took a huge toll on the Federation, but the Enterprise didn't take part. What were Captain Pike, Number One, and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise up to during that period?

Check out the cover art below, as well as the back-cover blurb and links to pre-order The Enterprise War!

Back-cover blurb:

An all-new novel based upon the explosive Star Trek TV series! 

A shattered ship, a divided crew - trapped in the infernal nightmare of conflict! 

Hearing of the outbreak of hostilities between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire, Captain Christopher Pike attempts to bring the U.S.S. Enterprise home to join in the fight. But in the hellish nebula known as the Pergamum, the stalwart commander instead finds an epic battle of his own, pitting ancient enemies against one another - with not just the Enterprise, but her crew as the spoils of war.

Lost and out of contact with Earth for an entire year, Pike and his trusted first officer, Number One, struggle to find and reunite the ship's crew - all while Science Officer Spock confronts a mystery that puts even his exceptional skills to the test...with more than their own survival possibly riding on the outcome....

Pre-order The Enterprise War:

Trade Paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk 

Literary Treks 270: Kirk is Dabbing Like a Warp 4 Loony!

Star Trek: The Gold Key Archives Volume 5
Part 2

Purchase:
Hardcover: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle/Comixology): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Weird volcano-dwelling shapeshifters! Sentient stars! The return of Lt. Uhuru! A room that makes you crazy! And Starfleet Admiral... Kahn?!? All this and more in the latest installment of our look at the wackiest corner of the Star Trek universe!

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson finish their look back at Star Trek: The Gold Key Archives, Volume 5 with the final three stories in the collection: issue 28, "The Mimicking Menace"; issue 30, "Death of a Star"; and issue 31, "The Final Truth."

At the top of the show, we review issue #4 of The Q Conflict from IDW, and respond to listener feedback from the Babel Conference for Literary Treks 268: Andy Does the Consonants, I Do the Vowels.

Literary Treks 270: Kirk is Dabbing Like a Warp 4 Loony!
Star Trek: The Gold Key Archives, Volume 5: Part Two

Previous episode: Literary Treks 269: Kellogg's Spock 'n' Krisp
Next episode: Literary Treks 271: To Thine Own Self Be True