Tag: Series

#15

Maker by Michael Jan Friedman

The main story arc of the mini-series has been completed, and most everything has come to a satisfactory conclusion. Unsurprisingly, Friedman takes the events of The Valiant and ties them into this book. He still displays a penchant for old Trek episodes, but for the most part keeps his ideas and creations relatively fresh. Even so, I can’t help but think that the baddie ends up being the oil slick that will eventually kill Tasha Yar. Oh, yeah, SPOILER ALERT: Picard keeps his rank and command, despite the efforts of Admiral McAteer.

I am now officially burnt out on Star Trek books for the time being. They’re like brain candy, and after a while, the craving is sated and it’s time to move on to something different. On the other hand, I’m much closer to my reading goal for the year, if one is concerned with numbers like that. Nine books in ten days is the fastest rate I’ve read since summer breaks when I was in college. It’s also probably a sign that I need to do something about my social life.

#13

Oblivion by Michael Jan Friedman

I promise this blog won’t turn into a “which Star Trek book did Anna read today” blog. I swear! I mean it!

Okay, so, yeah. Another book in Friedman’s Stargazer series. This one is much more memorable and interesting that the last one, so I’m happy about that. It also provided another example of the paradoxes of time travel. In this case, it was that the first time Picard meets Guinan is also the second time she has met Picard. Don’t try to think too hard on that one or you’ll hurt yourself.

One thing I’ve noticed with this series is that like television episodes, the each book focuses on different characters from among the crew, and the focus shifts from book to book. For example, the Asmunds play a large role in the last book, Three, but they are only mentioned and not see or heard from in this one. The nice thing about this is that Friedman has been given the opportunity to develop a large set of characters that are mainly of his own creation, and he’s been able to further their development over time (and a series of books). I think that is when authors get to have fun in the Star Trek universe.

#12

Three by Michael Jan Friedman

Like The Valiant, Three takes an element from TOS and imagines what might have happened to it in the years between Kirk and young Picard. In this case, the element is the mirror universe that Kirk visited via a transporter malfunction. Alternate histories and crossovers seem to be an irresistible element of the Star Trek canon, so I am not surprised to see it show up in Friedman’s Stargazer series.

The story was okay, but the plot and action did not move quite as dramatically as it has in previous books. Aside from providing more character development with the Asmunds and Ensign Nikolas, the book adds nothing to the story of the USS Stargazer and her crew.

#9

Progenitor by Michael Jan Friedman

w00t! At this rate, I might get to 20 before the end of the year. Heh.

Once again, parts of this book seemed familiar, but mostly it was new. The larger story arc from the previous book was carried through and remains arcing, while the internal story arc contained all the tension and resolution that one expects from a Star Trek novel.

Young Captain Picard (28 years old!) displays the kind of fearlessness that his First Officer on the Enterprise had to curb early on. It’s an interesting look at the man. There are some elements of who he will become, with just a hint of Kirk to throw TOS fans a bone.

#15

by Gene DeWeese

The Enterprise is studying some anomalies that act sort of like wormholes by instantly transporting an object across a distance. The distances vary throughout the trials, and they are unable to determine what factors influence how far an object will be moved. Suddenly, they find themselves in an unfamiliar galaxy with no idea where they are in relation to home. As they begin to explore the are in hopes of finding a way back, they find themselves entangled in an interstellar war that has raged on for millenia.

This is a pretty good Star Trek novel. It is somewhat reminiscent of Voyager, with the alien technology causing a ship to be sent across vast distances to an unknown place far from home, but the book was published in 1987.

My modem isn’t working, so I wasn’t able to waste the day online. This meant I had time to read. I got a wild hair and decided to read all the unread Star Trek books in my house. Probably a reaction to the darkness of Battlestar Galactica. More on that later.

job security

Tonight I read a Star Trek novel by Diane Duane called The Wounded Sky. In it, the Enterprise™ makes use of an experimental device to travel outside of the Milky Way to another galaxy. The writing is well done, and like many of the early Star Trek novels, it presents physics that are unique and … Continue reading “job security”

Tonight I read a Star Trek novel by Diane Duane called The Wounded Sky. In it, the Enterprise™ makes use of an experimental device to travel outside of the Milky Way to another galaxy. The writing is well done, and like many of the early Star Trek novels, it presents physics that are unique and not restricted to the known Star Trek Universe post-TNG/DS9/Voyager/etc.

What caught my attention the most, however, is the list of reference sources at the end of the book. The two journal citations written before the book’s 1983 publication, I assume to exist in reality. The other four are obviously creations of the author’s imagination. No matter how creative and fantastic are the futures envisioned by science fiction authors, journals still have their place in them. As a serials librarian, I find great comfort in that.

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