472 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
472 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc
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From: rccarm00@nx19.mik.uky.edu (ron c carman)
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Subject: Star Trek Novels: The Year in Review [1989]
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Message-ID: <rccarm00.726564704@mik.uky.edu>
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Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences
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Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 07:31:44 GMT
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Lines: 463
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This is a review of Pocket Books' Star Trek novels published
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during 1989.
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Ratings translate as follows:
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Rating Meaning
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--------------------------------------
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5 SUPERIOR: Run out and buy this NOW
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4 EXCELLENT: Make sure to buy this soon
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3 AVERAGE: Purchase as funds allow
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2 POOR: Wait for your tax refund
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1 AWFUL: Avoid at ALL costs
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1989 Releases-at-a-glance:
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-----------------------------
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Book # Title Date Published Rating / 5
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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TNG #4 Survivors January 1989 5-
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TOS #44 Vulcan's Glory February 1989 5+
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TNG #5 Strike Zone March 1989 4+
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TOS #45 Double, Double April 1989 2+
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TNG #6 Power Hungry May 1989 3+
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TNG #7 Masks July 1989 5
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TNG #8 The Captain's Honor September 1989 3+
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TOS H2 The Lost Years October 1989 5+
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TOS #46 The Cry of the Onlies October 1989 1+
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TNG #9 A Call to Darkness November 1989 4
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TOS #47 The Kobayashi Maru December 1989 4+
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------------------
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TNG Average: 4+
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------------------
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TOS Average: 4-
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------------------
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Year Average: 4
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/* Not a bad year... */
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Possible *SPOILERS* for Trek books released in '89.
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>TNG #4 Survivors Copyright January 1989
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>Author: Jean Lorrah
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> Treva -- a human colony on the fringes of known space. Isolated from the
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>rest of the galaxy, at last report they were on the verge of becoming a
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>true interstellar community -- a full fledged member of the Federation. But
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>now the Enterprise has received a distress signal. Treva is in the throes
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>of a violent revolution led by a merciless warlord who has committed
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>countless atrocities in the name of freedom.
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> Data and Lt. Tasha Yar are dispatched to investigate. But once they
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>reach Treva, they discover the truth, and any possible solution may be far
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>more complex than a simple rebellion. For Treva's president wants more than
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>Starfleet's good words in her fight against the rebels.
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> She wants their weapons. And before the battle is over, she means to get
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>them. Over Data and Yar's dead bodies, if necessary.
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This novel fills the gap between 'The Arsenal of Freedom' and
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'Skin of Evil'. Ms. Lorrah gives a fascinating look into Tasha
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Yar's past, and invents fabulous characters which are so uncommon
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in the rest of the series.
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Dialogue, plot, and characterization are all excellent, and
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the premise is quite sound..
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[Survivors]
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Characterization: 5
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Premise: 5
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Plot Handling: 4
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Narrative: 5
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Total: 5-
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Next: Vulcan's Glory
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>TOS #44 Vulcan's Glory Copyright February 1989
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>Author: D.C. Fontana
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> Here is a very special STAR TREK novel -- from the woman consistently
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>voted by the fans as their favorite writer from the original STAR TREK
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>television series!
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> D.C. Fontana, writer of such classic STAR TREK episodes as "Journey
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>to Babel" and "This Side of Paradise," here brings us the never-before-
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>told story of a very young Mr. Spock, on his first mission aboard the
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>U.S.S. Enterprise. You'll also meet Captain Christopher Pike and his
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>enigmatic first officer "Number One" (previously seen only in the orig-
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>inal STAR TREK pilot "The Cage"), as well as the ship's brand new
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>engineering officer, Montgomery Scott.
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> VULCAN'S GLORY is the tale of Spock's struggle to reconcile his many
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>obligations -- those forced on him by his Vulcan heritage, and those
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>chosen by him upon his elistment in Starfleet -- to balance the wishes
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>of others against the desires of his own heart.
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This is the kind of novel we could use more of. Something fresh
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and inventive, and most especially, well written. D.C. Fontana has
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written a fascinating tale about Spock's first adventure aboard the
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Enterprise.
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The characters are alive and interesting, the plot is solid,
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and the dialogue is more realistic than any I've seen in a Trek novel
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in some time. This is a Must-Read(tm), folks.
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[Vulcan's Glory]
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Characterization: 5
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Premise: 5+
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Plot Handling: 4+
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Narrative: 5
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Total: 5+
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Next: Strike Zone
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>TNG #5 Strike Zone Copyright March 1989
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>Author: Peter David
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> Deep in the uncharted regions of our galaxy, a primitive, warlike
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>race -- the Kreel -- have stumbled upon weapons powerful beyond their
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>wildest imaginings. The Kreel have used those weapons to attack their
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>most bitter enemies -- the Klingons.
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> Now Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise have
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>been called in to mediate the dispute. The Enterprise will ferry diplomatic
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>teams from the two warring races to the source of their conflict -- the
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>mysterious planet where the weapons were discovered -- in an attempt to find
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>a peaceful solution to the conflict, and discover the origins of the
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>super-powerful weapons.
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> Before the galaxy erupts into full-scale war...
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Peter David seems to have a magic touch when it comes to writing
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Star Trek novels. This is an at-times humorous, adventuresome tale,
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with a subtle, tongue-in-cheek condemnation of the arms-race.
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The characters are vivid and real, and the plot rolls along
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nicely, with no noticeable holes.
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[Strike Zone]
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Characterization: 5
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Premise: 4
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Plot Handling: 4
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Narrative: 5
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Total: 4+
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Next: Double, Double
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>TOS #45 Double, Double Copyright April 1989
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>Author: Michael Jan Friedman
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>StarDate: 4925.2
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> On a routine exploratory mission, the Starship U.S.S. Hood picks up
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>a distress signal from a research expedition thought lost long ago --
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>the expedition of Dr. Roger Korby, one of the centuries' greatest
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>scientific minds. Korby himself is dead, it seems, but his colleagues
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>have made a most incredible discovery -- a discovery they insist the
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>Hood's captain see for himself. Reluctantly, the captain agrees to
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>beam down...
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> Meanwhile, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise begins long-overdue
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>shore leave on Tranquility Seven. James T. Kirk is looking forward
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>to a few days of rest and relaxation... until what seems like a
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>bizarre case of mistaken identity plunges Kirk into a whirlpool of
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>mayhem and murder.
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> And puts an inhuman stranger with his memories and abilities in
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>command of the Enterprise.
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For an author who has done such generally *good* work as Michael
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Jan Friedman, this is an incredibly pitiful novel. It seems almost
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like (dare I say it?) *plagiarism*.
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This one is a decent adventure story, in a way. Someone who has
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never seen "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" might indeed enjoy it.
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But I found it to be consistently predictable, and at times, even
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*boring*. I find there's very little to recommend this novel.
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[Double, Double]
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Characterization: 3+
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Premise: 2-
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Plot Handling: 2
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Narrative: 3
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Total: 2+
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Next: Power Hungry
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>TNG #6 Power Hungry Copyright May 1989
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>Author: Howard Weinstein
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>StarDate: 42422.5
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> Sent to deliver emergency famine relief to the planet Thiopa -- the
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>Federation's only allies in a critically important sector of space -- the
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>crew finds a brutal dictatorship -- one more concerned with preserving its
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>own powers that protecting its citizens, or the world they all share.
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>Captain Picard is hesitant about turning over the supplies to the
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>corrupt government: he fears they may never reach their intended
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>destination. But can he convince the ruling council to change their
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>ways, before it is too late -- for the government, and Thiopa itself?
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Weinstein delivers a thoroughly enjoyable, if not thoroughly
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solid piece. The dialogue and characterization are a bit shaky,
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but the plot holds them up nicely.
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[Power Hungry]
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Characterization: 3+
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Premise: 4
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Plot Handling: 4
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Narrative: 3
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Total: 3+
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Next: Masks
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>TNG #7 Masks Copyright July 1989
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>Author: John Vornholt
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> The Enterprise journeys to Lorca, a beautiful world with a feudal
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>culture where the inhabitants wear masks to show their rank and
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>station. There, Captain Picard and an away team don masks of their own
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>to begin a quest for the planet's ruler and the great Wisdom Mask that
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>the leader traditionally wears. Their mission: to establish diplomatic
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>relations.
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> But shortly after transporting, Picard and his party lose contact with
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>the ship, and Commander Riker leads a search party down to the planet to
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>find them.
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> Both men, however, are unaware that their searches -- indeed, the ship's
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>entire mission -- are part of a madman's plan. A madman who is setting the
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>stage for a trap that will ensnare both Enterprise landing parties, and
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>leave him poised to seize control of the awesome Wisdom Mask...
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> And the planet Lorca itself.
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Unlike some of his most recent work, _Masks_ is an absolutely
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great piece of work. Mr. Vornholt creates a splendid culture for
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the people of the planet Lorca -- a medieval society where one's
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mask determines one's status...
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Characterization is right on target, and the plot couldn't
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possibly get any better.
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[Masks]
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Characterization: 5
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Premise: 5
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Plot Handling: 5
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Narrative: 5
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Total: 5
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Next: The Captain's Honor
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>TNG #8 The Captain's Honor Copyright September 1989
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>Authors: David and Daniel Dvorkin
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>StarDate: 41800.9
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> A series of vicious attacks by the enigmatic M'Dok Empire has devastated
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>the planet Tenara -- bringing the Enterprise and another Federation
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>starship, the Centurion, to the planet's aid. The Centurion's captain is
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>Lucius Sejanus -- a powerful magnetic man who favors taking a far stronger
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>stance against the M'Dok than Captain Picard. And as the conflict
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>escalates, Sejanus's instincts seem to be correct... for it appears only
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>extreme measures can stop the murderous raids on Tenara.
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> Now the people of Tenara must decide which path they will follow -- the
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>way of peace, or the road to war. But unknown to any, one of the
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>Centurion's officers has made that decision for them -- and plans to
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>provide a full-scale ware between the Federation and the M'Dok Empire!
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This novel relies heavily on the Starfleet-officer-gone-bad schtick,
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and sours about half way through. The characters aren't quite right,
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and the plot is slow as molasses at points where it shouldn't be.
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Even for all that, this is still your average adventure story.
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[The Captain's Honor]
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Characterization: 3
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Premise: 4
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Plot Handling: 3
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Narrative: 3
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Total: 3+
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Next: The Lost Years
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>TOS H2 The Lost Years Copyright October 1989
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>Author: J.M. Dillard
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>StarDate: 6987.31
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> What exactly happened to the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise after
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>the end of their five-year mission? How did that mission end? What
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>did they do before they were reunited for the STAR TREK films? Even
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>the casual STAR TREK fan finds him/herself asking these questions
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>from time to time...
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> Here at last, is the book that provides the answers to those
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>questions -- a book as anticipated, in its own way, as SPOCK'S WORLD
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>was and one that promises to equal its New York Times bestseller
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>success.
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> THE LOST YEARS tells the story of Captain Kirk's final hours in
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>command of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and how he, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy
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>struggle to establish new lives apart from each other and the starship.
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>We see the newly-promoted Admiral Kirk, in charge of a specially-
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>created Starfleet division, as he attempts to defuse a critical hostage
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>situation; Mr. Spock, who in the midst of a teaching assignment on
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>Vulcan, finds the one thing he least expected; and Dr. McCoy, whose
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>unerring instinct for trouble lands him smack in the middle of an
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>incident that could trigger an interstellar bloodbath....
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> In THE LOST YEARS, J.M. Dillard, author of the STAR TREK V: THE
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>FINAL FRONTIER novelization, has written her best book to date --
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>and has bridged a gap in STAR TREK history in a manner sure to
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>excite and delight STAR TREK fans everywhere.
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I have to agree with the publishers about this novel. Ms. Dillard
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has novel easily equal to _Spock's_World_. This is a truly great story,
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with solid plot, and interesting characters.
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I had a slight problem with the apparent ease with which Kirk was
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talked into accepting promotion into the Admiralty, but that's a small
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sticking point.
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One more book which can be called a Must-Read(tm).
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[The Lost Years]
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Characterization: 5
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Premise: 5
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Plot Handling: 5
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Narrative: 5
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Total: 5+
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Next: The Cry of the Onlies
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>TOS #46 The Cry of the Onlies Copyright October 1989
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>Author: Judy Klass
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>StarDate: 6118.2
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>Historian's Note: This adventure takes place during the U.S.S. Enterprise's
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> initial five-year mission, sometime after the events chron-
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> icled in the television episodes "Miri" and "Requiem for
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> Methuselah". The reader may wish to consult those episodes
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> as referents.
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> Boaco Six -- a once-tranquil Federation colony, now caught up in the
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>throes of revolution. The Enterprise's mission: re-establish contact
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>with the planet, and determine whether or not formal ties between the
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>Federation and Boaco Six should be strengthened.
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> Negotiations between Captain Kirk and the planet's ruling Council of
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>Youngers are proceeding smoothly, until the atmosphere of goodwill is
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>shattered by the sudden destruction of a Boacan ship -- at the hands
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>of an experimental Starfleet vessel!
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> Now, in order to prevent full-scale war from breaking out, the
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>Enterprise must recapture the stolen Starfleet vessel and its abductors.
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>A mission that will require the aid of the galaxy's most reclusive
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>genius -- and bring Captain Kirk face-to-face with the long-buried
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>secrets of his past...
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This one goes into my top five *worst* Star Trek novels of all
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time... (It makes the top *three* worst TOS novels.)
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The author seems to have the idea that tossing in a few familiar
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characters (Flint, Pal, Jahn, etc...) will make for a great story.
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But she's just proved herself wrong, as this never even approaches
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greatness.
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The narration is heavy-handed, the dialogue is strained and
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out of character, and the plot moves along like a drunken mime.
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This book, overall, is just plain *TEDIOUS* (I barely forced myself
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to finish reading it), and that's a pretty sad statement.
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[The Cry of the Onlies]
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Characterization: 2
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Premise: 1
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Plot Handling: 1
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Narrative: 2
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Total: 1+
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Next: A Call to Darkness
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>TNG #9 A Call to Darkness Copyright November 1989
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>Author: Michael Jan Friedman
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>StarDate: 42908.6
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> The Enterprise discovers a lifeless Federation research vessel, orbiting
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>a planet hidden behind a mysterious energy shield. Over the strong
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>objections of his senior officers, Captain Picard and an away team beam
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>over in search of the missing crew --
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>
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> And Vanish.
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>
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> But soon his captain's disappearance is not the only problem facing
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>Commander Riker. For a mysterious disease has begun, ravaging the
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>Enterprise crew. Now Riker must unravel the secrets of the planet below
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>in order to rescue Picard -- and prevent the starship's destruction...
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This is a good novel. It is unique in one respect: it is the one and
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only time that the character of Dr. Katherine Pulaski aspires to be anything
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more than a McCoy-clone.
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[A Call to Darkness]
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Characterization: 4
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Premise: 4
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Plot Handling: 4
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Narrative: 4
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Total: 4
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Next: The Kobayashi Maru
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>TOS #47 The Kobayashi Maru Copyright December 1989
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>Author: Julia Ecklar
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>Historian's Note: This adventure takes place shortly after events
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> chronicled in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> A freak shuttlecraft accident -- and suddenly Captain Kirk and
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>most of his senior officers find themselves adrift in space, with
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>no hope of rescue, no hope of repairing their craft, or restoring
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>communications -- with nothing, in short, but time on their hands.
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> Time enough for each to tell the story of the Kobayashi Maru
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>-- the Starfleet Academy test given to command cadets. Nominally
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>a tactical exercise, the Kobayashi Maru is in fact a test of char-
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>acter revealed in the choices each man makes -- and does not make.
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> Discover now how Starfleet Cadets Kirk, Chekov, Scotty, and
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>Sulu each faced the Kobayashi Maru... and became in turn Starfleet
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>officers.
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This novel is thoroughly enjoyable; it's a fine accounting
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of some of our heroes' antics during their Academy days, centered
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around the Kobayashi Maru scenario...
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The plot is solid, the characterization well done... I can't
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find much room to fault this one. High marks.
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[The Kobayashi Maru]
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Characterization: 4
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Premise: 5
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Plot Handling: 4
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Narrative: 4
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Total: 4+
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--
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/=======================================================================\
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| Ron C. Carman || Quantum physicists get all the girls. |
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| rccarm00@mik.uky.edu || Al. Is he live, or is he a hologram? |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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