Showing posts with label Robert Greenberger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert Greenberger. Show all posts

Thursday, December 20, 2018

A Time to Hate

Star Trek: The Next Generation
A Time to Hate by Robert Greenberger
Published June 2004
Read September 12th 2018

Previous book (A Time To): A Time to Love
Next book (A Time To): A Time to Kill
Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for A Time to Hate!

 From the back cover:
The recurring blood feuds between the Bader and the Dorset ended mysteriously a century ago when both races colonized the planet Delta Sigma IV. But, unknown until now, it was a reaction to a naturally occurring gas that led to their harmonious existence... a reaction that would eventually mean certain death for the planet's inhabitants. What the Enterprise crew believed was a cure for the population -- a treatment introduced into Delta Sigma IV's environment by Kyle Riker, a man at odds with his son, Commander William Riker -- has instead triggered worldwide carnage, as long-suppressed aggression and hostility are suddenly and violently unleashed. 
Caught in a world on the brink of self-destruction, Captain Picard -- a man still waging his own personal battle for redemption in the eyes of his commanding officers -- must somehow find a way to resolve this catastrophic event and save his crew, even as the implications of his actions may ultimately doom an entire race... 

 My thoughts:

Sometimes, all of the options to solve a particular situation are bad, and the person making the decision must choose the lesser of two evils. This is the dilemma facing Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise in A Time to Hate, the conclusion to Robert Greenberger's duology that started in A Time to Love, and the sixth book overall in the A Time To series.

On planet Delta Sigma IV, the violence gripping the two species who live there is worsening. The Bader and the Dorset, historically enemies, came together a century earlier on this colony world and flourished, exhibiting a level of cooperation unprecedented among the two races. Unfortunately, Dr. Crusher has discovered the alarming truth: the cooperation between the Bader and the Dorset was brought about by exposure to a gas that occurs in the atmosphere of Delta Sigma IV, a gas that is also unfortunately responsible for a shortening of both species' lifespans. Captain Picard must decide whether or not to allow both species to revert to their "natural" state, the likely result of which would be the two sides wiping each other out, or engineer the gas so that the life-shortening effects are eliminated while retaining the "sedative" effects that led to the peace between the Bader and the Dorset. In the end, Picard orders Crusher to reformulate the gas so that it retains the sedative effects but no longer kills the inhabitants of Delta Sigma IV, a decision that is obviously a difficult one.

Kyle and Will Riker spend much of this novel together, adding much depth to their relationship as father and son.

The strength of this story lies with the characters, rather than the plot elements, in my opinion. We get to see Will Riker interacting with his father and trying to come to terms with the kind of man that Kyle Riker is. Sadly, we don't get to see how that relationship will progress in the future as Kyle is killed while saving Will's life towards the end of the novel. This has a profound effect on Will, and I have to admit that it was something I did not see coming. This part of the story was very well-written, and I found myself experiencing shock that Greenberger took this step.

At the end of the novel, we see Riker proposing to Deanna Troi, setting up the marriage we see in Star Trek Nemesis. It was nice to have the dots connected and see where this development came from. During their whirlwind tour of Delta Sigma IV, the Rikers were apparently in a place where Will was able to purchase an engagement ring. It seems odd to me that during this crisis he would be able to go into an alien jewelry store and buy a ring for Deanna while accompanying his father (who is a fugitive from the Delta Sigma IV government) without arousing any kind of suspicion, but sure. I'll go with it.

The other major character development we see in A Time to Hate is the deepening of a rift between Picard and Crusher. Beverly has been offered a position as head of Starfleet Medical, and while she has discussed it with other members of the crew, she hasn't brought it to Jean-Luc at any point. Picard has, of course, learned of the offer, and is frustrated that Crusher hasn't seen fit to confide in him. This was frustrating to read, as this breakdown of communication will obviously lead to greater problems between the two of them. While it was sad to read about, it struck me as eminently realistic and, sadly, something that happens often in the real world. Healthy communication is important, people, in any relationship!

While I was slightly disappointed in A Time to Love, I found myself enjoying A Time to Hate much more. In the former novel, I felt that too much time was dedicated to setting things up and treading water, seemingly to stretch the story out. Things are paced much better in this novel, and I found myself much more invested in both the main plot and the character work in A Time to Hate.

 Final thoughts:

An improvement over the previous novel, A Time to Hate does some much-needed character advancement, both between Will and his father, and among the rest of the crew. The overall plot with Delta Sigma IV still felt somewhat rote, but the dilemma that faced Picard added a compelling element to that story. I'm interested to see if there will be any fallout from his decision in the remaining novels in the A Time To series. 3.5/5.

 More about A Time to Hate:


 Also by Robert Greenberger:

A Time To...

My next read:

My much-delayed video review of Star Trek: Discovery: Fear Itself by James Swallow is up next!


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Wednesday, November 14, 2018

A Time to Love

Star Trek: The Next Generation
A Time to Love by Robert Greenberger
Published May 2004
Read August 17th 2018

Previous book (The Next Generation): A Time to Harvest
Next book (The Next Generation): A Time to Hate
Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for A Time to Love!

 From the back cover:
A century ago the long-running conflict between two alien civilizations ended when both of them colonised the same distant planet, becoming instead a shining example of inter-species cooperation and coexistence. Now an investigation headed by Kyle Riker -- estranged father of Commander William Riker -- has revealed how fragile their hard-won paradise is. Within a few generations, a virus indigenous to their colony planet of Delta Sigma IV will wipe out all its inhabitants. Faced with this threat the delicate shell of harmony starts to crumble... Jean-Luc Picard and his crew, still reeling from the events which have tarnished the career of one of Starfleet's most decorated captains, must come to the aid of a world which once knew only peace, but now faces violence and chaos. Riker, meantime, must face the fact that his own father may be responsible for the anarchy into which Delta Sigma IV is descending.

About this novel:

One hundred years earlier, the planet Delta Sigma IV was colonized by two races: the Bader and the Dorset. Long-time rivals, their homeworlds remained in a state of conflict with one another, while on Delta Sigma IV, the settlements experienced unprecedented peace between the two peoples. Eventually, the planet was united under one government, and applied for Federation membership, which was granted. However, a medical crisis soon developed; the population of Delta Sigma IV displayed much shorter lifespans than was typical for their species. The Federation stepped in to assist, and a cure was found. Unfortunately, one of the five test subjects murdered one of his fellow subjects upon returning to the planet, the first such crime committed in a century. Blaming the Federation for unleashing this violence upon them, the citizens of Delta Sigma IV seemed to be descending further and further into violent tendencies. At the center of all of this is Kyle Riker, Will Riker's father, who disappeared along with the murderer, El Bison El. Starfleet has assigned the Enterprise to investigate, locate Kyle Riker, and bring the situation under control.

 My thoughts:

 A Time to Love, which is the fifth book in the A Time To series, kicks off a duology by author Robert Greenberger. The events of the previous novels, in which the luster of the Enterprise has dulled somewhat, are taking their toll on the ship and crew. In fact, a number of crewmembers have requested transfer off of the Enterprise, while the new personnel who have recently transferred in are not of the same caliber that the Enterprise crew is used to. One such crewmember is Anh Hoang, a new addition to the Enterprise's engineering staff. We learn that she lost her entire family in the Breen attack on Earth (in the Deep Space Nine episode "The Changing Face of Evil"), and that due to this trauma, she has had a difficult time socializing with other people, an issue that Troi attempts to tackle in her role as ship's counselor. Because this is just the first book of two, we don't see this part of the story pay off right away, which led me to dismiss it as unrelated to the overall narrative. However, we do return to it in the next book, and ultimately Hoang's story is resolved.

This leads me to the main issue I had with this novel, and indeed, many of the stories in the A Time To series. It really does feel like these duologies should have been presented as one novel each rather than being split into two parts. The point at which the story ends with "to be continued" feels arbitrary, especially in the case of this story. This leads to much of this book feeling like it's "treading water." The bulk of the story is taken up by Riker's search for his father, a search that feels quite meandering. He and his guide travel from town to town trying to pick up Kyle Riker's trail, and the process continually repeats itself. It isn't until the very end of the novel that Kyle is finally discovered just in time for the book to end.

The central mystery in A Time to Love is the disappearance of Kyle Riker, and the attempt by his son, Will, to locate him.

That's not to say there aren't good aspects of A Time to Love. Even though the plot feels thin at times, much room is given for some terrific character moments. In addition to Troi's work with Hoang, there is some tension building between Beverly Crusher and Captain Picard. The former has been offered a position as head of Starfleet Medical, but hasn't confided in Picard about it. The two seem to have been drifting apart for some time, and Crusher is seriously contemplating moving on from her position on the Enterprise. This is a story that will continue to play out over the next few books as we close in on Star Trek Nemesis.

One part of the story that frustrated me was the seeming inability of the characters to close in on the cause of the problems on Delta Sigma IV. There is a gas that is naturally present in the atmosphere of the planet called liscom. Reading this story, I was certain partway through that the gas was not only responsible for the shortening of the inhabitants' lifespans, but also for the peace that had endured on the planet. When the "cure" was introduced, which inhibited the effects of the gas, the "natural" tendency of the two races to fight each other was once again unleashed. However, it takes forever for Beverly to come to this conclusion which I felt was somewhat telegraphed. Thankfully she discovers this before the end of this novel; I was concerned that the revelation would be held until the next book, A Time to Hate!

Data and Geordi have an interesting B-plot in A Time to Love.

There is also an interesting B-plot, in which Geordi organizes a program of bartering in order to acquire needed parts to repair the Enterprise. Using a Ferengi merchant, Geordi is able to set up a system whereby various starships throughout the sector can trade for parts they need, paying the Ferengi merchant with dilithium. At first, this struck me as quite odd, akin to a U.S. Navy warship employing sport fishermen to barter supplies, but eventually I warmed to this part of the story. Highlighting the dire circumstances following the costly Dominion War, Federation resources aren't what they once were, and a more fitting analogy might be sailing ships in the Age of Discovery bartering for supplies and resources with groups along their journey.

 Final thoughts:

For much of this story, it feels like the plot is treading water. This may be because the story had to be stretched over two books, but I can't say for certain. There are moments where I feel like the characters should be able to figure out problems easily, but the resolution is stretched and delayed. However, there are some nice character moments, and a few interesting ideas that move the plot forward. It is also difficult to review this novel as it is only half of the complete story and feels like it was split in two at a fairly arbitrary point. Not a bad read, but definitely a bit of a step down from the previous two novels in the series. Good character moments and Greenberger's obvious familiarity with the characters and the world they inhabit bump the score up a bit.

 More about A Time to Love:

 Also by Robert Greenberger:

A Time To...

My next read:

Next up is a video review of Star Trek: Lost Scenes by David Tilotta & Curt McAloney. Look for that soon!


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Sunday, November 1, 2015

Past Life

Star Trek: S.C.E. #15
Past Life by Robert Greenberger
Published April 2002
Re-released in print form as part of the S.C.E. compilation No Surrender in 2003.
Read September 15th 2015

 Previous ebook (S.C.E.): #14: Caveat Emptor
Next ebook (S.C.E.): #16: Oaths



Original e-book cover

Compilation of SCE #'s 13 - 16
No Surrender (Paperback) from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca
No Surrender (Kindle) from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

 Spoilers ahead for Past Life and the rest of the Corps of Engineers series!

 From the back cover:
The Evorans, residents of a new Federation protectorate, have made a fantastic discovery on their homeworld: a device that predates their civilization and proves that aliens visited their world in the distant past. The U.S.S. da Vinci is sent to investigate the device and find out its true nature.

 But disaster strikes when a radical isolationist faction sets out to destroy all evidence that the world was once visited -- and wipe out the da Vinci crew as well! And when the true nature of the device is revealed, it will take all the ingenuity of the S.C.E. to save Evora!

My thoughts:

In this installment of the S.C.E. series, the da Vinci is ordered to the planet Evora, which fans of Star Trek might recognize as the planet granted protectorate status at the beginning of the film Star Trek: Insurrection. The Evorans are a somewhat xenophobic culture, and view the Federation and Starfleet with a certain degree of wariness. While their leader, Regent Cuzar, sees the benefit of a relationship with the interstellar community, much of the planet disagrees with her.

The Evoran leader, Regent Cuzar, embraces a relationship with the Federation even though many of her people object.

When the artifact that brought the da Vinci to Evora is revealed to be left over technology from ancient alien contact, the Evorans revolt. Cuzar is deposed in a coup, and Captain Gold must negotiate with the leader of a group of reactionaries who want to deny the origins of the device.

This was, for the most part, an interesting addition to the ongoing story of the da Vinci and her crew. The concept was a fun one, with the idea of "ancient aliens" playing a central role and challenging the Evorans' core beliefs. I find it interesting that here on Earth, alien contact is viewed by much of the population as an enticing idea, with many people obsessing over the idea that aliens helped build the pyramids or that the U.S. government is covering up a crashed UFO at Area 51. On the flip side, the Evorans view such contact with disgust, not believing that anything alien could have touched their world so long ago.

The least popular person on Evora.

There is some interesting character work here, notably with Captain Gold and Regent Cuzar dealing with the threat posed by the perpetrator of the coup. Also well done was a favorite character of mine, Bart Faulwell, while he deals with the danger to his boyfriend who is stationed on an outpost recently attacked by Nausicaans. Also of note is Captain Gold's continued dissatisfaction with Dr. Elizabeth Lense's performance, an issue that looks like it will come to a head sooner rather than later.

 Final thoughts:

A satisfying if not overwhelming entry in the S.C.E. storyline. Some interesting character works helps, and the main storyline was interesting enough to keep my attention. I like the use of the Evorans from Insurrection, and the mystery of the alien technology, while not a huge surprise, was a satisfying one.

I liked it. I didn't love it, but it wasn't bad.

 Also by Robert Greenberger:

Next time on Trek Lit Reviews:

Next week: the all-new continuation of the Seekers series: All That's Left by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore!

Until then, don't forget to be awesome!


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Monday, May 18, 2015

A Weary Life

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Slings and Arrows, Book V
A Weary Life by Robert Greenberger
An e-book exclusive novella
Published February 2008
Read January 11th 2015

Previous book (Slings and Arrows): That Sleep of Death
Next book (Slings and Arrows): Enterprises of Great Pitch and Moment
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

 Spoilers ahead for A Weary Life and the rest of the Slings and Arrows series!

 From the back cover:
A team from the Enterprise -- Riker, La Forge, and Daniels -- are sent to deal with the latest threat from the Maquis. For La Forge and Daniels, it's just another mission, but Riker must face the spectre of his transporter twin Tom Riker, who left Starfleet to join the Maquis.

 When the Enterprise team is caught between the Maquis and the Cardassians, Riker finds himself with an important decision to make -- one that may affect his future in Starfleet...

My thoughts:

The Thomas Riker storyline is one that has always intrigued me. From his introduction in TNG's "Second Chances" to his surprise appearance on Deep Space Nine in the episode "Defiant," Tom has presented an interesting complication in the lives of the characters. It is also clear that Jonathan Frakes enjoyed playing the character. There is an exuberance that he displays whenever he is on screen that makes it apparent that the character was a joy to play. Therefore, you can imagine that I was very happy to see him on the cover of this e-book. A story about Tom Riker? I'm in!

Starting A Weary Life, I was expecting a story featuring Will and Tom Riker facing off against one another, but I was surprised to discover that Tom doesn't actually appear in the story.

Unfortunately, I had gotten a little ahead of myself. While the "spectre" of Tom Riker looms heavily in this novella, the character himself never actually appears. The story is still a strong one with a lot of emotional resonance, but I would still have liked to have an appearance by the transporter twin. However, this only takes a small bit away from what is a pretty good story.

There were a few story and language choices that took me out of the story at times. For example, Greenberger's description of some of the actions taken by the characters caused me to raise an eyebrow. Perhaps this is overly nitpicky, but on more than one occasion, Geordi is described as using his "beloved" toolkit, or similar language. Sometimes the language seems overly flowery or padded out. However, these were minor stumbles that I experienced while reading the story.

One problem I had with the plot was how quickly Riker sided with the Maquis and took arms against the Cardassians in the initial encounter. Given the current state of relations between Cardassia and the Federation, and the status of the Maquis at this point, I found it strange that Riker would so quickly fire on the Cardassian vessels. I do understand that these actions were taken in the service of the overall mission, but I find it odd that there would be no repercussions. Also, the plot requires the characters to be less than intelligent at times. Their entire mission is to recover the mysterious "cargo" the Maquis possess, but at no time does Starfleet inform the team what the cargo is, nor do any of our characters check the crate they recover to see if what they captured is indeed the correct cargo. In order for the plot to continue forward, we have to accept these oversights, something that I have difficulty with.

Where the story shines, however, is in the exploration of Riker's emotional state and his reaction to his "brother's" actions. A Weary Life explores the idea of mirror images and how different choices affect who we are, and does it in a much better way than, say, Star Trek Nemesis. We really get the feeling that Tom and Will are the same person except for a few life experiences, and if Will were in Tom's place, it's possible that he might have made the same choices and may now be in a Cardassian prison instead of his brother. While we do of course know that Will won't disobey his orders and join the Maquis, it's a very interesting introspective journey he takes in this story.

 Final thoughts:

A strong introspective story about Riker, marred only by a few questionable language and plot choices by the author. It's nice to get a good Riker-centric story, as they sometimes feel few and far between. A solid three out of five story with some good character moments, but far from the best story of this series. Also, however, very far from being the worst.

 More about this book:

Also by Robert Greenberger:

My next read:

Next week: The exciting conclusion to the Slings and Arrows series: Enterprises of Great Pitch and Moment by Keith R.A. DeCandido!


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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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