Showing posts with label Diane Carey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diane Carey. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Challenger

Star Trek #94
New Earth, Book Six of Six
Challenger by Diane Carey
Published August 2000
Read June 26th 2019

Previous book (New Earth): #93: Book Five: Thin Air
Next book (The Original Series): #95: Rihannsu, Book 3: Swordhunt
Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Thin Air!

 From the back cover:
Far from the reaches of the Federation, the Starship Enterprise has been guiding the development of a once obscure planet upon whose fate the future of the galaxy may now depend. The Enterprise has been the sole representative of the Federation, fighting a constant battle to protect the colonists from enemy aliens and standing alone against all those who have their own designs on the colony world. 

But all adventures come to an end. It is time for Captain Kirk and the Enterprise to turn over the guardianship of the colony to another ship and crew. The new ship arrives in the midst of a deadly attack on the colony -- and is destroyed. With the Enterprise off fighting a new and powerful enemy that threatens the colony as well as its enemies, Commander Nick Keller, first officer and ranking survivor of the decimated crew, is marooned and at first alone -- but he must find a way to complete his original mission and come to the aid of the Enterprise in what might be its most desperate hour.

 My thoughts:

In this, the sixth and final novel in the New Earth miniseries, we find the focus of the main plot shifted away from the usual gang of Kirk and company. Rather, the main character is Commander Nick Keller, who we are introduced to as the second officer of the U.S.S. Peleliu. The Peleliu is a Starfleet picket ship, assigned as Enterprise's replacement at Belle Terre. En route to her new assignment, the Peleliu comes under attack by the Kauld. The first officer is killed, and Keller must step up into the position. As the captain of the Peleliu becomes more and more erratic, Keller finds himself in the unenviable position of deciding whether or not he should be relieved of command.

Meanwhile, a strange robotic mechanism seems to be repeatedly stealing quantities of mined olivium ore. Kirk and the Enterprise set off in pursuit, having to leave Dr. McCoy and Commander Uhura behind, as they have failed to report in. In fact, the two officers have been captured by an antagonist we first met in book one: Billy Maidenshore, the criminal who attempted to sell out the colonist fleet to the Kauld, has commandeered a prison vessel and taken Uhura and Bones as prisoners. Using Uhura's expertise, Maidenshore has maintained his cover and used the vessel to amass a fortune in olivium.

Challenger put Uhura and McCoy together in a fight for their lives, a pairing that isn't common in Trek.

When the Peleliu is critically damaged due to the actions of her captain, the Belle Terre colony is left without protection with the Enterprise away chasing down the supposed olivium thieves. Keller finds himself having to come up with a solution fast, after having arrested his captain and removing him from the field. His answer: to build a new starship using scraps and parts from the Peleliu, as well as other ships that have been decommissioned from the Belle Terre fleet. While the idea seemed to be pretty far-fetched, I actually found myself really enjoying this part of the novel, especially with the involvement of Scotty who is on hand to help Keller put his plan into motion.

I also enjoyed the resolution to the olivium storyline, with the revelation of where the material comes from and why the lifeforms behind the robotic probe were taking it from the colony. Additionally, we learn more about the fate of the Rattlesnake, a ship that went missing in the novel Belle Terre. The ending of this part of the story had a much more sci-fi twist than I was expecting, given the tone of the rest of the novels.

While I am still not a fan of the Billy Maidenshore character, I felt that he was used to much greater effect in this novel than he was in Wagon Train to the Stars. The eventual comeuppance he gets at the hands of Bones and especially Uhura was very satisfying indeed.

I quite enjoyed the characters that were introduced in this novel, and it is a shame that the Star Trek: Challenger book series didn't continue past its single entry, Chainmail, part of the Gateways crossover series. I enjoyed the "aw, shucks" nature of Commander Nick Keller, and liken him to a kind of Malcolm Reynolds of Firefly type character. There was one moment, however, that kind of took me out of the story, when Keller goes on an extended monologue about the value of big business and how they are the best form of charity there is. Capitalist ventures that succeed and are very profitable are the best thing for a planetary ecosystem to thrive, says Keller. I guess he's as much of a libertarian as Diane Carey is. No surprise there, I suppose.

Chainmail is the only other novel to feature Nick Keller and the crew of the Challenger.

The New Earth series has been a very mixed bag, with most of the entries failing to live up to the promise that the overall premise offered. However, I noticed a definite turnaround with the previous book, Thin Air. How does the final installment, Challenger, stack up?

Surprisingly, quite well! With one or two small hiccups, Challenger bested my expectations and turned out to be a great wrap-up to an overall-lackluster series. I would actually have enjoyed seeing these characters more in later novels, a fact that surprised me.

Final thoughts:

 Challenger is an excellent conclusion to a series that has been frustratingly hit-or-miss, and mostly miss. The series overall could have used a big dose of cohesiveness, with each book flowing better into the next one. Instead, the series is very disjointed, but Challenger manages to bring everything to a satisfying close. There is a line on page 247 about how the space shuttle Challenger was the only shuttle that NASA lost, which has sadly not aged well. If only that prediction had come true! Overall, the novel was a fun read, with only a bit of a digression into a libertarian screed that kind of pulled me out of the story. Other than that, though, Challenger beat my expectations quite handily!

 Also by Diane Carey:

My next read:

My next review is for Star Trek: The Next Generation: Q & A by Keith R.A. DeCandido.


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Monday, April 22, 2019

Belle Terre

Star Trek #90
New Earth, Book Two of Six
Belle Terre by Dean Wesley Smith with Diane Carey
Published June 2000
Read January 21st 2019

Previous book (New Earth): #89: Book One: Wagon Train to the Stars
Next book (New Earth): #91: Book Three: Rough Trails
Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Belle Terre!

 From the back cover:
A six-month distance from the Federation, the planet Belle Terre offers a new life to more than 30,000 families, pioneers, scientists, expatriates, go-getters, loners, and entrepreneurs, all under the watchful eye of Captain Kirk and his crew. But the would-be colonists have barely settled in the untamed wilderness of their new home when Spock makes a startling discovery: not only does the planet's moons contain a rare ore of almost inestimable value, that same moon is also violently unstable. Within months, it will inevitably explode -- destroying all life on Belle Terre!

 My thoughts:

The fleet of colony ships, escorted by the USS Enterprise, has finally arrived at their destination: the glistening world they have called Belle Terre. However, their adventure to colonize this planet, located far outside the borders of the Federation, may end before it has a chance to really begin. One of the moons orbiting this new world has a core made up of a material called quasar olivium, an extremely rare substance that exists in a state of quantum flux and thus is also highly unstable. While olivium would make the perfect power source for the Federation, it will also soon cause the moon to violently explode, destroying Belle Terre and the colonists who have settled there.

Of course, it's up to Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to stop this disaster from happening. Eventually, they are able to hit upon a partial solution, using another space body to puncture a hole in the olivium moon, relieving some of the pressure, but still impacting the environment of Belle Terre significantly. The solution is a costly one, requiring the use of nearly the entire fleet of colony ships to implement. After a series of setbacks and false starts, the fleet is ultimately successful in preventing the worst of the disaster.

After the somewhat disappointing start to this series, Wagon Train to the Stars, I found myself pleasantly surprised by Belle Terre. The threat of the olivium moon was an interesting one, and while you know that the crew will succeed in their plan, it was close enough to complete disaster at a couple of points to certainly keep the tension high. I also appreciated that it wasn't a complete success, and that there is still a great deal of fallout from the nearly-extinction level event that the explosion of the moon represents.

The central conflict of Belle Terre is obviously people vs. nature, a fact that I certainly appreciate after the cartoonish villainy of the antagonist in Wagon Train to the Stars. It is gratifying to see the characters grapple with a scientific dilemma rather than a one-note villain like Billy Maidenshore.

There is also a secondary story in which one of the colony ships, a cutter called the Rattlesnake, sets off to find another habitable world in case the colonists need to evacuate Belle Terre permanently. This storyline is left somewhat open-ended; in the course of their investigation into the disappearance of a nearby civilization, the crew of the Rattlesnake discover a "darkness" that passes through the system at regular intervals. The ship gets a little too close to the phenomenon and loses all power, leaving them unable to alert the rest of the colonists or the Enterprise of the danger the darkness presents, nor are they able to send a signal for rescue. I rather enjoyed this little side story, even though it had a tragic ending. I really hope that these events are followed up on in a later novel in the series.

 Final thoughts:

A definite improvement over the first book in the series, Belle Terre presents the crew with an interesting scientific mystery and dire consequences if they fail to find a solution. While it wasn't exactly the most gripping Star Trek novel ever, I felt that the jeopardy was ratcheted up enough to hold my interest and attention throughout. The crew is, of course, ultimately successful, but they still end up paying a high price for their relative victory. There are storylines begun in this novel that I hope are picked up again later in the series. Definitely a solid entry in the New Earth series.

 My next read:

Next up is my review of the final I.K.S. Gorkon novel: Klingon Empire: A Burning House by Keith R.A. DeCandido.


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Friday, April 12, 2019

Wagon Train to the Stars

Star Trek #89
New Earth, Book One of Six
Wagon Train to the Stars by Diane Carey
Published June 2000
Read January 8th 2019

Previous book (The Original Series): #88: Across the Universe
Next book (New Earth): #90: Book Two: Belle Terre
Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Wagon Train to the Stars!

 From the back cover:
After saving Earth from the threat of V'Ger, James T. Kirk is called again to the final frontier. His new mission: to lead a valiant group of settlers to a distant world, to defend the struggling colony from alien threats, and to explore the diverse mysteries and dangers of a strange new Earth!

 Far from the Federation, a newly discovered M-class world has been eyed as a potential home by a group of hardy and determined colonists. Starfleet can spare only one starship to escort the would-be settlers on their perilous voyage, but that ship is none other than the legendary starship Enterprise, commanded by the most well-known captain in the quadrant. Now Kirk finds himself responsible for the lives of 30,000 men, women, and children -- a task that grows all the more difficult when the expedition is caught in the middle of an ancient feud between two dangerous alien races!

Notable quote:
"I don't know why you let him get to you Jim. It wouldn't be the first time a corrupt carpetbagging hair-oil peddler decided he wanted some kind of public adulation and actually got suckers to vote for him by promising them whatever they want." 
Kirk leaned forward a little more, and met him with a glare of absolute agreement. "And anyone who promises you everything you want," he stated, "wants everything you have."

 My thoughts:

Wagon Train to the Stars kicks off a six-book series that features the Enterprise  escorting a fleet of colony ships to a planet well off the beaten track. Along the way, they have to contend with pirates, differing attitudes, and even a villain within their own ranks. The colonists intended on making the journey alone, but Starfleet insisted on sending an escort along with them, giving James T. Kirk yet another excuse to eschew his Admiral role and once again sit in the center seat of his beloved U.S.S. Enterprise.

Making sure to ditch the "pajamas" they were saddled with in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Kirk and his crew don the "monster maroons" and head out into the unknown with a fleet transporting 30,000 colonists and their supplies to a far-flung world that lies well outside Federation space. The colonists are very independent-minded and wish to be free of the strictures of the Federation, intending to found the colony on this new planet, called Belle Terre, with the principles of self-determination and individual liberty. This is no surprise, given the political leanings of the author, Diane Carey, who is very famously libertarian.

Before embarking on the mission, Kirk ensures that his crew get the spiffy new uniforms, casting aside the "pajamas" from Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

This, of course, leads to conflict between the leader of the colonists and the regimented Starfleet crew of the Enterprise, who are still tasked with protecting the flotilla even when it seems, at times, that the colonists don't want that protection. However, Kirk and his crew continue to provide the colonists with protection and administrative duties during their long trek to Belle Terre.

Speaking of administration of the fleet, this is another area in which Diane Carey's real life has a large influence over the novel. Carey is an avid sailor with a great deal of experience in navigating ships on the open ocean, experience that she brings to bear in writing this novel. The duties that the crew of the Enterprise have with regards to the fleet are couched in naval terms and the entire endeavor has the feeling of a terrestrial ocean-going voyage. Star Trek and naval tradition have long gone hand-in-hand, so this works quite well in my opinion.

Because this is the first novel in a miniseries, we get setup for a number of elements that will presumably play a role in the books to come. The first is a war between two groups: the Blood and the Kauld. For the most part, I enjoyed the fleshing out of these species and their long-standing feud. They look as though they will be an ongoing thorn in the side of the colonization efforts, and I admit to not quite knowing what to make of Shucorion, a Blood who is playing the long game and setting himself up to be a guide that the Belle Terre fleet must rely on. I have read a novel that takes place after the New Earth series, Star Trek: Challenger: Chainmail in the Gateways crossover series, so I know a bit about what the future holds for this character; I am quite curious about what will happen with him along the way.

One aspect of the story that I didn't really like at all was the primary antagonist: Billy Maidenshore, a con man and thief who has previously crossed paths with Kirk. His actions later in the story go so far beyond the pale that I can't think of him as anything other than a sociopath. I prefer the villains to generally be a bit more relatable, but there is nothing redeemable about this character. Any time he shows up in the story, I found myself mentally checking out, which is definitely an unfortunate reaction when reading any novel.

Instead of seeking out strange new worlds, the Enterprise leads a flotilla of colony ships with the mission to tame one.

New Earth is an interesting concept that has been done frequently in other science fiction settings, and it's fun to see it played out in the Star Trek universe. I find myself concerned, however, that it may not hold my attention for a six-novel series. This first novel wasn't bad per se, but I wouldn't exactly call it gripping, either. I can see this story working for a duology or even a trilogy, but I am curious to see how sustainable it is for six consecutive novels. Hopefully the novels that follow (by different authors, I might add) are much more exciting than this one was, or this may feel like a *very* long series indeed.

 Final thoughts:

For the most part, Wagon Train to the Stars is a generally enjoyable beginning to the New Earth series, but it didn't really "wow" me. I'm curious to see how things go once the fleet finally makes planetfall, but there is nothing that really stands out as truly memorable or exciting. I did in fact start reading this series years ago when it first came out, but didn't make it very far before losing interest. I'm determined to get through it this time, however, and give it a fair chance. While this first entry is enough to keep my interest throughout, it doesn't make me excited to continue the series. That said, let's see where it goes from here! New Earth may yet surprise me.

 Also by Diane Carey:

My next read:

Next up is book two in the New Earth series: Belle Terre by Dean Wesley Smith with Diane Carey.

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Thursday, January 17, 2019

Ship of the Line

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Ship of the Line by Diane Carey
First Published October 1997
Read October 1st 2018

Previous book (The Next Generation - published order): Day of Honor: Book 1: Ancient Blood
Next book (The Next Generation - published order): #46: To Storm Heaven

 Previous book (The Next Generation - unnumbered hardcover): Star Trek: First Contact
Next book (The Next Generation - unnumbered hardcover): Triangle: Imzadi II
Purchase:
Hardcover: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Ship of the Line!

 From the back cover:
SHIP OF THE LINE tells the story of the first voyage of the U.S.S Enterprise NCC-1701-E, under the command of Morgan Bateson. Captain Bateson, a man from the 23rd century now living in the 24th, sees what no one else can see: that the Klingon Empire is building its forces and preparing to strike against the Federation. Seizing his one chance, Bateson takes the U.S.S. Enterprise on a mission to counter the Klingon threat, only to be thwarted by his enemy, a Klingon who has nursed a grudge against Bateson for decades. Standing in the way of Bateson's scheme and the Klingons' plan is Captain Jean-Luc Picard who, faced with the toughest decision of his career, must choose whether to take back command of the U.S.S Enterprise or let the torch pass to yet another next generation!

 My thoughts:

Ship of the Line is a book with a great premise: a follow-up to one of my favorite TNG episodes, "Cause and Effect." You remember it: The Enterprise gets trapped in a temporal causality loop, living the same day over and over again, with the Enterprise being destroyed in every loop until the crew is finally able to break out of it (interestingly enough, "Cause and Effect" predates Groundhog Day by just under a year!). At the end of the episode, the Enterprise is hailed by the ship that has been colliding with them, causing their destruction at the end of each loop: the U.S.S. Bozeman, commanded by Captain Morgan Bateson.

The U.S.S. Bozeman emerges from nearly a century in the past, bringing with her a captain and crew who must now acclimate to the 24th century.

While this novel came out over a decade ago, I only recently got around to reading it. I'm not sure why; I loved "Cause and Effect," and was quite excited to get a follow-up. Plus, this novel features the first mission of the Enterprise-E! What's not to love?

Well... plenty, as it turns out. For one thing, Diane Carey makes a number of mistakes in this novel that should have been easily avoided with just a bit of extra research. At one point in the novel, Picard comes face to face with Gul Madred, the Cardassian who imprisoned and tortured him in the TNG two-part "Chain of Command." During this interaction, Picard mentions his capture by the Borg, and refers to it happening after the events of "Chain of Command." This occurred in the season three finale, "The Best of Both Worlds," while "Chain of Command" takes place in the sixth season, as anyone who is familiar with TNG could tell you.

There are also a number of issues with Carey's depiction of elements seen in "Cause and Effect." For one thing, the bridge crew of the Bozeman that we meet in this novel is entirely male, with no female officers whatsoever. However, as you can see in the picture below, there were at least two female officers on the bridge when the Bozeman contacted the Enterprise after emerging from the distortion: to Captain Bateson's left, a lieutenant in the command division, and an engineering division officer in the background whose rank is too indistinct to make out.

The Bozeman's crew in Ship of the Line bears little resemblance to what we see on screen in "Cause and Effect."

Additionally, the bridge seems to be in pristine condition, corresponding to Bateson's line that the Bozeman left starbase "only three weeks ago." However, in Ship of the Line, the Bozeman has just escaped a brutal firefight, complete with the Trek tropes of severe damage and exploding consoles. There is no evidence of this battle in the episode.

Finally, as we are told repeatedly in "Cause and Effect" (thanks to the time looping), the Enterprise-D is the first starfleet ship to chart the unexplored Typhon Expanse. However, in Ship of the Line, the Typhon Expanse is described as a border region between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, with a low-numbered starbase on its periphery and a great deal of traffic in the area. If this is the case in the 23rd century, I can't see how the Enterprise, nearly a century later, can be the "first starfleet ship to chart this unexplored region."

Any one of these issues on their own would probably be forgivable, but taken together, they truly make me question whether or not Diane Carey took the time to become familiar with the source material. I certainly can't speak for the author, but to me, it feels as though she took the basic elements and shaped them to fit her story, rather than adapting what was already known.

Ship of the Line is primarily an exploration of the character of Captain Morgan Bateson, and in that respect, it is at least sometimes interesting. I liked the idea of a man out of time who is both unsuited to the new status quo, but who also finds his particular skills and mindset useful when events require it. However, there were a number of elements of the story that simply felt out of place in the Star Trek universe. Diane Carey gives the Bozeman and her crew an overly "nautical" feeling, to the point of having the captain and crew actually quaff drams of rum while on duty. At times, I felt that Carey's experience with sailing had been shoehorned into the story, a complaint that comes up in other novels she has written as well.

Another aspect I had an issue with was her characterization of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Because of the loss of the Enterprise-D in Star Trek: Generations, Picard seems to have lost his nerve somewhat and isn't sure if he wants to command a starship again. However, after watching what basically amounts to a rerun of TOS's "Balance of Terror" on a holodeck, Picard learns his lesson and is ready to be back in the saddle. I understand that Diane Carey has a bit of a Kirk-worship issue, but the way it slights Picard's character rankles me somewhat.

 Final thoughts:

For the most part, I was disappointed in Ship of the Line. As a sequel to one of my favorite episodes, it fails on nearly every level. There were interesting aspects to Captain Bateson's story, but for the sheer amount of Trek lore that the author gets wrong, and how much of it just doesn't fit with Star Trek, I'm afraid I have to give poor marks to this novel. It pains me to do so, as I really wanted to like this one, but unfortunately it was not to be.

By the way, for a much better (in my opinion) follow-up to "Cause and Effect" and the crew of the Bozeman, check out Christopher L. Bennett's Department of Temporal Investigations: Watching the Clock.

 More about Ship of the Line:

Also by Diane Carey:

My next read:

My next review is for the first book in the I.K.S. Gorkon series: A Good Day to Die by Keith R.A. DeCandido.

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Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Ghost Ship

Star Trek: The Next Generation #1
Ghost Ship by Diane Carey
Published June 1991
Read June 20th 2017

Previous book (The Next Generation): Encounter at Farpoint
Next book (The Next Generation): #2: The Peacekeepers
Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

 Spoilers ahead for Ghost Ship!

 From the back cover:
In 1995, a Russian aircraft carrier is destroyed by a mysterious creature that just as mysteriously disappears thereafter. Three hundred years later, Counsellor Deanna Troi awakens in her quarters from a nightmare in which she senses the voices of the crew of that Russian ship, whose life-essences were somehow absorbed by the creature that destroyed them. And the nightmare heralds a danger to the Enterprise itself, for if Picard can't discover a way to communicate with the creature, it could absorb his crew just as it did the Russians.

Notable quote:
Finally there would be total unity within the Federation, the first step toward people’s being at home on any planet instead of only one. The principle from the old United States, basically; it didn’t matter if you were raised in Vermont and lived in California. You were still home, still American. If your name was Baird or Yamamura or Kwame, you weren’t necessarily loyal to Scotland, Japan, or Ghana, but to America. A few decades of space travel, and the statement became 'I’m a citizen of Earth,' and no matter the country. This ship was that kind of first step. Whether born on Earth or Epsilon Indii VI, you were a citizen of the Federation. The children on this colony Enterprise would visit the planets of the Federation and feel part of each, welcome upon all. This starship was the greatest, most visionary melting pot of all, this spacegoing colony. Unique. Hopeful. Risky.

My thoughts:

Ghost Ship begins in the year 1995 with a Soviet aircraft carrier encountering a strange phenomenon. Right off the bat, if you are familiar at all with history, alarm bells should be ringing. This book was published in 1991, and at the time it was written, no one could have predicted that the Soviet Union would fall within the year. Owing to the specific window in which it was published, the novel contains a glaring anachronism with the Soviet Union surviving until at least 1995! Of course, perhaps the Soviet Union didn't collapse in 1991 in the Star Trek universe. After all, in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (released in 1986), the city of Leningrad is referred to by that name. In 1991, Leningrad's name reverted back to Saint Petersburg once the USSR became Russia once again. In this universe, in any case!

 Ghost Ship was the first original novel in the Star Trek: The Next Generation line. As such, it was written before much of the tone of the show and the personalities of the characters had been firmly established. While writing this novel, Diane Carey reportedly only had access to the series bible and a few scripts from the first season. Understandably, many of the characters seem "off" and the overall feel of the story didn't quite fit the television series. Adding to the difficulties was the fact that The Next Generation was the first new television series in many years, and the first Star Trek spin-off ever that didn't features the TOS characters. While the novelists penning the first original novels in the Deep Space Nine or Voyager book lines would at least have a template for how Star Trek works in the 24th century, Diane Carey was truly in uncharted territory.
As the first TNG original novel, Ghost Ship was also the first glimpse into 24th century Trek Lit.

The most glaring inconsistencies are certainly in the attitudes and behavior of the main characters. Picard is overly gruff and quick to assume incompetence when dealing with his officers. Geordi is extremely high-strung and emotional, bordering on insubordination when interacting with his superiors, most notably Commander Riker. Speaking of Riker, it is in his character that the largest differences can be found. His interactions with Data are cold and unfeeling, a stark contrast to the friendship that the two characters would develop during the series. This seems to stem mostly from early character descriptions of Riker, presenting him as distrustful of and prejudiced against Data, owing to his nature as an artificial lifeform. It's too bad that this characterization clashes so markedly with how he is portrayed in the series. It unfortunately sticks out quite prominently in this novel.
Many of the characterizations in Ghost Ship seem off. For example, Riker is prejudiced towards Commander Data due to that fact that he is not, in Riker's opinion, actually "alive."

With those obstacles in mind, Carey actually doesn't do too badly. The mystery surrounding the Soviet carrier and the other-worldly force that has ensnared them is certainly somewhat interesting. The plight of the Russians and the moral dilemma facing the crew in Ghost Ship is well-handled, and I definitely felt empathy for the decision that Picard and the Enterprise crew were forced into. The disembodied consciousnesses of the lost Russian sailors wish to be "set free"; essentially, they wish to escape the sort of limbo they have existed in for centuries and finally die. Picard must decide whether to grant this wish and consign them all to oblivion or allow them to continue "living" in the state they are in.

 There are some odd methods that Picard uses to make his decision. At the height of the crisis, he decides to spend a couple of hours in a sensory deprivation tank in order to get a feel for what the Russians are going through, which struck me as an odd use of his time. It does, however, help him to realize the existential horror of what they are experiencing, which does aid him in his decision. Still, it seemed a strange turn for the story to take.

 Final thoughts:

Ghost Ship is not a bad story; the crisis at the heart of the novel is a thought-provoking one and the story itself held my interest throughout. Fans familiar with their TNG heroes will find the characterizations quite jarring, but given the limited resources with which Diane Carey was forced to work, I'm impressed the characters even remotely resemble the ones we saw on television. Still, some odd story choices and the unfamiliar feel of the story do lower the score somewhat, in my opinion. An interesting story, but not one that fits well in the TNG milieu.

 Also, as a random aside: note the upside down Battlestar Galactica on the front cover. Strange.

 More about Ghost Ship:


Also by Diane Carey:

My next read:

The first Star Trek: Prometheus novel: Fire with Fire by Bernd Perplies and Christian Humberg!


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Monday, January 8, 2018

Best Destiny

Star Trek
Best Destiny by Diane Carey
Published November 1991
Read November 21st 2016

Previous book (TOS - Hardcover): Probe
Next book (TOS - Hardcover): Shadows on the Sun


 Spoilers ahead for Best Destiny!

 From the back cover:
As James T. Kirk prepares to retire from a long and illustrious Starfleet career, events in a distant part of the Federation draw him back to a part of the galaxy he had last visited as a young man, a mysterious world called Faramond whose name takes Kirk on a journey back to his youth. At sixteen, Kirk is troubled, estranged from his father, and has a bleak future. However, a trip into space with Kirk's father George and Starfleet legend Captain Robert April changes James Kirk's life forever, when a simple voyage becomes a deadly trap. Soon Kirk and his father find themselves fighting for their lives against a vicious and powerful enemy. Before the voyage ends, father and son will face life and death together, and James T. Kirk will get a glimpse of the future and his own best destiny.

My thoughts:

"Commanding a starship is your first, best destiny; anything else is a waste of material."
- Captain Spock to Admiral Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Insights into the life of young James T. Kirk are rare throughout Star Trek history, at least until the 2009 Star Trek film by J.J. Abrams. Sure, we got hints here and there about his time at the academy; we know he was tormented by an upperclassman named Finnegan, and that he was considered to be a "stack of books with legs," deadly serious, focused on his studies and excelling at the Academy. But what about Jim Kirk, the boy? How did he get from his youth in Iowa to become one of the most famous captains in Starfleet history?

Best Destiny explores the life of young James T. Kirk, something that canon Trek stayed away from until Star Trek 2009.

Best Destiny by Diane Carey sets out to provide that answer. It's no surprise that the writers of Star Trek 2009 have said that this novel served as inspiration for their version of young James T. Kirk, given what we learn of the future captain's troubled youth. Rebellious and unfocused, the young Jimmy Kirk is on a path that his parents fear will lead to an unfulfilled life at best and an early grave at worst. His father, George Kirk, takes Jimmy on an adventure in space in a last-ditch attempt to put his life on a different course. The experiences he lives through during this mission will serve to shape the man he will become in the future.

I first read Best Destiny years ago as a young man myself, and the book made a significant impact on me. I was certainly not headed down a dark path like Kirk in this novel, but it still influenced me as a young reader to take stock of what is important in life and the effects that early experiences can have on one's future. As an adult, re-reading this book now has allowed me to appreciate it even more; Diane Carey's ability to tell a vivid and compelling story is showcased quite expertly here.

George Kirk takes his son Jimmy aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise during its early voyages under Captain Robert April

Jim's struggle for survival aboard a Starfleet shuttlecraft with his father George, Captain Robert April, and a number of other memorable crew members from the U.S.S. Enterprise feature moments that have stuck with me all these years, and upon re-reading, I was brought immediately back to the feelings they evoked as a young reader. The events that Jim experiences are horrific and serve to mould him into a more thoughtful and caring person, and Carey does an excellent job of conveying this to the reader.

The primary antagonist of the story is a foil to James Kirk named Roy Moss. He appears as a young man in the "past" section of the story, and as an older man in the "present" story as well. In many ways, he is a mirror of Kirk, growing up but leading a very different life. While Kirk became an honorable and principled Starfleet officer, Moss used his genius in the service of criminal enterprise, becoming twisted and corrupted. This was an interesting character, and it is somewhat unfortunate that his name inadvertently made me think of The I.T. Crowd every time it came up.

I can't be the only person who thinks of these two when I hear the name "Roy Moss."

 Best Destiny was a favorite book of mine as a young man, and I'm happy to say that it holds up upon re-reading. There is a lot to relate to in the pages of this book, and Diane Carey writes her characters with a realism that is very much appreciated. Readers will be able to put themselves in Kirk's place in much of this story, which makes the conflicts that he faces feel very real and compelling.

 Final thoughts:

Best Destiny tells the story of young James T. Kirk and what made him the heroic captain we know him to be. This is an excellent story that has held up in the couple of decades since I first read it, and I recommend it for any fan of Star Trek novels. Diane Carey has constructed a compelling story, both in the flashbacks to Jim's early years and in the crisis that Captain Kirk and his crew face shortly after the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. It is still one of my favorite Star Trek novels.

 More about Best Destiny:


Also by Diane Carey:

My next read:

Next up is my review of Department of Temporal Investigations: Shield of the Gods in my attempt to get caught up on the new releases from last year!


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Sunday, April 15, 2012

What Lay Beyond

Gateways: Book Seven of Seven: What Lay Beyond by Diane Carey, Peter David, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Christie Golden, Robert Greenberger, and Susan Wright
Published November 2001
Read March 15th, 2012

Previous book (Gateways): Book 6 of 7: Star Trek: New Frontier: Cold Wars
Next book (Gateways): S.C.E. #10: Here There Be Monsters


Spoilers ahead for What Lay Beyond and the rest of the Gateways miniseries!


From the back cover:
Created by the incalculably ancient Iconians, whose transcendent technology is quantum levels beyond that of the Federation and its allies, the Gateways offer instantaneous transport across unimaginable distances.  Throughout the known galaxy, from Deep Space Nine to the New Frontier, from the Delta Quadrant to the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, the sudden reactivation of the Gateways has destabilized interstellar relations between planets and cultures previously separated by countless light-years.  Starfleet's finest have coped with the crisis as best they can, but circumstances have forced several valiant commanders to leap through separate Gateways into the unknown.
Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of The Next Generation
Colonel Kira Nerys of Deep Space Nine
Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager
Captains Calhoun and Shelby of New Frontier
Commander Nick Keller of the USS Challenger
All of these heroes, for their own reasons, have taken the ultimate gamble: hurling themselves personally through a Gateway without any knowledge or forewarning of what lay beyond.  Each must face their own unique challenge, struggling to find a way back to the ships and homes they left behind.
And waiting behind at least one of the Gateways are the ageless Iconians themselves, the primordial architects of the mysterious portals causing chaos throughout the Milky Way galaxy.
Where did they disappear to, many long eons ago, and what do they want now?  The answer lies on the other side...
What Lay Beyond brings the Gateways saga to a spectacular finish, in an all-star collaboration by six popular, bestselling Star Trek authors.
Among them, Diane Carey, Peter David, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Christie Golden, Robert Greenberger, and Susan Wright have written dozens of Star Trek novels.  This is their first mega-collaboration.


"One Giant Leap" by Susan Wright (TOS):

"One Giant Leap" tells of the aftermath of Captain Kirk's journey through the Kalandan Gateway at the end of One Small Step.  On the other side, he finds himself on the "birthing world" of Tasm and Luz's "pod."  There, both Captain Kirk and Luz are on the run from the rest of Petraw society.  Eventually, they work together, Luz in order to escape, and Captain Kirk in order to thwart the Petraw's attempts to build a working Gateway.

I felt that "One Giant Leap" was more of the same from One Small Step.  Nothing really wowed me, and the both the plot and the writing felt fairly pedestrian and generally un-engaging.  The descriptions of the setting were fairly dry with not a lot of depth.  I felt that as readers, we were "told" as opposed to "shown."  The text makes references to many days going by, but the story was so rushed that it didn't really come across.  The story as a whole felt rushed and not genuine at all.

Kind of uninspiring, and really made me skeptical of this whole "final chapter in a separate volume" thing.  I have to give "One Giant Leap" the same score as its parent story: 4/10.

Also by Susan Wright:


"Exodus" by Diane Carey (Challenger):

"Exodus" continues off from Chainmail, chronicling Commander Nick Keller's experiences on the other side of the Gateway.  He encounters the world of the Living, and attempts to convince them that the time has come for them to leave through the Gateway and rejoin the rest of the galaxy.  Because of the time differential between the two universes, Keller spends months living and working with the Living, while mere hours pass on "our" side of the Gateway.

Complicating matters is the arrival of a member of the "Living" through the Gateway.  Entering the "regular" universe was traumatizing to him in particular, and he wishes his people to remain on the harsh metallic world inside the Gateway.  Hoping to get people to rally to his cause, he opposes Keller, telling the people that those on the other side have abandoned him.

I thought that "Exodus" was an excellent conclusion to the Challenger entry in the Gateways series.  Diane Carey does an amazing job at making the metallic planet seem real and alien.  The plight of the Living is made real, and through Nick Keller, the reader gets a good idea of how alien and strange this world is.  The characters come across as real and, even though none of them are "canon" characters, I truly felt for them and was invested in the outcome of the story.

"Exodus" earns a 9/10 rating.  An excellent conclusion, and even though the story has absolutely no bearing on the rest of the Gateways tale, it was a must-read for me.

 Also by Diane Carey:

"Horn and Ivory" by Keith R.A. DeCandido (DS9):

"Horn and Ivory" is definitely an enigma in the Gateways series.  At the end of Demons of Air and Darkness, Colonel Kira finds herself going through one of the Iconian gateways.  Rather than merely through space, the gateway that Colonel Kira steps through seemingly takes her through time as well.  Finding herself in Bajor's distant past, Kira becomes an influential figure in the history of one of her planet's ancient nation-states.

However, all may not be as it seems.  There is some doubt in the story as to whether or not Kira's experiences are genuine, or a vision from the Prophets, or perhaps even simply a delusion.  Her experiences, however, help her to take charge of the situation once again.  Upon meeting an Iconian whose job is to monitor the gateway network, Kira is able to find her way back home and resolve the crisis developing at Europa Nova.

This was a very interesting conclusion to the Deep Space Nine portion of the Gateways series.  The story does take an abrupt left turn, but I feel that it works well.  Some great character development for Kira and an interesting narrative put this story in the positive column for me.  "Horn and Ivory" is a solid 8/10.

Previous book (Deep Space Nine relaunch): Demons of Air and Darkness
Next book (Deep Space Nine relaunch): Mission Gamma, Book One of Four: Twilight

More about "Horn and Ivory":

Also by Keith R.A. DeCandido:

"In the Queue" by Christie Golden (Voyager):

In the opening pages of "In the Queue," my long-sought after coordination between the Voyager story and the rest of the Gateways series seemed to finally manifest itself (see my review of No Man's Land).  However, my hopes were once again dashed as Captain Janeway's emergence from the gateway onto the bridge of the Enterprise-E turns out to be nothing more than an illusion.  The captain passes from one illusory scenario to another before she, and we, discover who is behind the tricks and deception.  We also find out the reason so many vessels were converging on Voyager's position through the gateways: it turns out that Q, seeing the dangers faced by the various crews, decided that Janeway would be a good choice to shepherd them to safety.  Q also reveals the source of the gateway technology used by the Iconians millennia ago, and the answer is certainly surprising.  With some help from Q, Janeway is returned to Voyager, where the perpetrator of the recent violence is dealt with.  Soon, the vessels in the ad hoc fleet are sent on their way home.

An interesting conclusion to No Man's Land, but in some ways, "In the Queue" was a little unsatisfying.  For one thing, Q is often used as the answer to anything strange or out of the ordinary.  Generally speaking, the television series didn't overuse him, as his awesome power is simply too easy to use as an out.  However, he appears in many novels and other media to a startling degree at times.  Sometimes his powers just seem like too much of a cop-out, a deus ex machina to the plot.  In this case, also, his motivations are suspect to me.  Q saving all of the ships so that Janeway and the Voyager crew could "look after them" and shepherd them to safety seems far too altruistic for the Q we know.  Sure, he has a special fascination for Picard and Janeway, but these always seemed like exceptions to his general disdain or lack of empathy for "lower" lifeforms.

The resolution to the problems in the fleet were the highlight of the story, with an interesting conclusion to the violent escapades.  This part of the story saves the rest from failing due to the "Q solution."  Overall, I would have to give "In the Queue" a score of 6/10.  Satisfactory, but in some ways, a disappointing way out for Janeway.

Also by Christie Golden:

"Death After Life" by Peter David (New Frontier):

New Frontier's "Death After Life" is an interesting departure from the rest of the Gateways series.  Like in DS9's "Horn and Ivory," the gateway that Calhoun and Shelby go through at the end of Cold Wars doesn't seem to be typical of the rest of the Gateway network.  The two captains find themselves in a bizarre world that seems to follow the pattern of Calhoun's beliefs in the Xenexian afterlife.  There, they are continually faced with mortal situations.  When they die, they automatically restart their journey until they are able to get past the obstacle in question without perishing.  Xenexian belief holds that if they outlast the day, they will live forever in this afterlife, continually doing battle with others in this realm.  Needless to say, the prospect is very appealing to Calhoun, who is even given a chance at a reunion with his father.

"Death After Life" was a very interesting story that gives us some more insight into the character of Calhoun.  Of particular interest is his relationship with his father, and what made him the man he is today.  The strength of the bond between him and Shelby is also explored, and we are able to see what the usually-inscrutable Calhoun's feelings truly are.

This conclusion felt like a very strange departure from the beginning of the story, and it certainly does take a left-turn from what I was expecting when I started this series.  Nevertheless, it is very well-written, and for the insights it gives us into the characters of Shelby and Calhoun, I have to give "Death After Life" a score of 8/10.  An excellent read, although it doesn't factor much into the rest of the Gateways stories at all.

Previous book (New Frontier): Gateways, Book Six: New Frontier: Cold Wars
Next book (New Frontier): Being Human
Also by Peter David:




 "The Other Side" by Robert Greenberger (TNG):

In Robert Greenberger's conclusion, "The Other Side," we finally get to meet the elusive Iconians.  However, rather than being the impressive, god-like enigmas that Picard expected, the Iconians are somewhat of a disappointment.  They seem to have stagnated as a culture, and they don't even know how to operate their own equipment.  They consult their records about how to shut down the Gateway network, and send Picard on his way.  His journey leads him to a planet which supports a pre-industrial population surrounded by the ruins of the formerly-great Iconian civilization.  There, Picard must find the devices that control the Gateway network and find a way to shut it down.  On the way, he meets a number of people who help and hinder his attempt.

"The Other Side" was an interesting conclusion to The Next Generation's portion of the story arc, Doors Into Chaos, and indeed, to the Gateways saga as a whole.  During Picard's time on the planet with the controls to the Gateways, he does a lot of moralizing and a limited amount of "interfering" in the lives of the people he encounters.  I would be somewhat interested in some sort of follow-up to the influence that Picard has on the people of the planet, especially since nearly everyone he encounters refers to him as a "young god."  The solution to the Gateway problem as a whole is interesting, as is the knowledge and power that Picard retains at the end, a fact he keeps to himself.

A satisfying conclusion, if a little pat.  The brief involvement of the New Frontier crew, along with the impacts of the other Alpha Quadrant stories in the conclusion ties the entire series together well.  "The Other Side" earns a 7/10 rating from me.  Not too bad!

Also by Robert Greenberger:

The Gateways series as a whole:

I have very mixed feelings about this series.  As a whole, this is a collection of very disparate stories held together very loosely by a central plot element.  In particular, the Challenger and Voyager stories are very separate from the rest.  The Original Series story sets up the Petraw deception, while in TNG and DS9 we see the outcome of their attempt to co-opt the gateway technology.  However, even within this framework, I felt that there was not much collaboration on creating a cohesive narrative.  While the stories started out as a joint effort, it felt like the authors all had very different ideas about who the Petraw are and what their end goals were.  This is, of course, inevitable when organizing a large-scale crossover event such as this.  Still, I feel that the cohesiveness could have been achieved a little more substantially than what we got here.  Also, I would be remiss in not expressing frustration at the withholding of the final chapters of each story released together in a final volume.  Years ago, I was reading only the Deep Space Nine relaunch and the New Frontier series.  Not wanting to miss these stories, I read Demons of Air and Darkness and Cold Wars.  Even though I had no interest in the stories from the other series, I had to buy a completely separate hardcover, What Lay Beyond, just to get the conclusions to the two stories I was interested in.  This was definitely frustrating, and felt like nothing more than a cheap money-grab.  

For the most part, Gateways is a mixed bag.  Some great storytelling is presented here, but there are certainly also some duds.  The completist in me is glad I read them, and if I were not compiling the entire series for a review, I might have skipped the Challenger story.  This would have been a mistake, as I discovered that particular entry to be a hidden gem.  The lesson here is that you never know where you might find a great story.  Sometimes you have to give something new a try!


My next read:

Next up is a classic Star Trek novel from years past, Peter David's The Rift.

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