I really don't need another Ripley story. I liked Ripley, she was great in the first three movies, but the series should have stopped at that point. FI really don't need another Ripley story. I liked Ripley, she was great in the first three movies, but the series should have stopped at that point. For someone to come along and horseshoe another story in there didn't quite work--again. This book didn't feel like it added to the mythos or enhanced the Ripley character.
I don't really know what I was expecting or hoping for with this one. It had aliens and lots of action, but just kind of felt like a reboot of the second alien film. And do we really need that magnificence rebooted? I understand this is supposed to take place before the second film and the events of the second film still occur, but I just don't need anymore Ripley.
The Predator films understood that people wanted to see the Predator--the movies were about that hunter alien. The alien movies seemed to think people wanted to see more Ripley. Figure out some interesting characters, throw in some face-huggers, chest-bursters, and Xenomorphs and let sleeping Ripleys lie....more
I identified with the start of the book quite a bit seeing as Kirk was making the transition from a physical job to a desk job. I recently did that myI identified with the start of the book quite a bit seeing as Kirk was making the transition from a physical job to a desk job. I recently did that myself, so I understand the dread of possible tedium peeking over the horizon outside the office window. Maybe a realization that your physicality not only is fading, but surely will dwindle some more as you push keys and direct a mouse. Is this what's left? I get that, and think it was captured nicely.
Anyone who grew up with the movies is curious about that ten year gap between show and movie. This is a real life fantasy that we keep track of, right? Once we leave our desks, we go visit a cast of characters who survive crazy adventures every week and there's no way that they are getting a break from those adventures, right? So what did happen in those ten years? No one ever talks about it, and The Motion Picture hurries through those years Kirk spent behind a desk. So what did happen?
This is the start of an adventure that takes place within those mysterious years that is done quite well. There is a lot of Star Trek politics in it and a story that would've felt very original had I not seen it on 'Enterprise' for a story of their own set on Vulcan in the early 2000s (our time). The story on Enterprise wasn't identical, though, so it actually helps you believe that this book could be part of canon.
Enjoyable, but only for Trek fans. Much better than the last Trek book I read, but still can't make it past 3 stars....more
Gene Roddenberry didn't like money. Just kidding, he loved it a lot, but in his later years he imagined a world in which the human race didn't use a fGene Roddenberry didn't like money. Just kidding, he loved it a lot, but in his later years he imagined a world in which the human race didn't use a financial system. He figured this would solve homelessness and all other strife on planet Earth, enabling us to reach for the stars. It's a beautiful idea, but a flawed one. When the human race abandons the financial system they pitch tents in parks and demand hand-outs. There are no dreams of building spaceships or becoming better people, there is only idleness. This thought isn't based on negativity or cynicism, but observation, sadly.
This book suggests the 23rd century is still based on a financial system with characters making decisions based on what would be best for their pocketbooks. One of the characters even despises his low class upbringing when he compares himself to an opponent of higher financial standing. Another joined Starfleet because the pay was good. This all sounds absurd to someone who grew up with TNG characters explaining that money didn't drive humanity anymore. One must realize, however, there were many times during the original series when Kirk would declare one of his staff had just 'earned his pay for the week'. And why else would a pretty young girl enter Starfleet to become a Yeoman if not for a decent paycheque? I doubt delivering coffee to Kirk is just 'on her bucket list'.
I started thinking about these things due to a few throw-away lines during the First Act of the book, so I wouldn't fall asleep while reading. That First Act had so much potential--it felt like the perfect primer between 'The Cage' and 'Where No Man Has Gone Before'! Then it turned into some mash-up of 'Conscience of the King', without the murder-mystery, and 'For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky', except with furry, flying people.
One good aspect of this book was that someone finally made Sulu an interesting character, but all that flew away on the back of a flying horse. Sulu's ultimate decision to remain on the Enterprise had no real weight, and was more or less determined on the shrug of his shoulders. Yeah, these guys are cool, I'll stay.
The other part I liked, which would have been amazing if explored better, was the glimpses of Gary Mitchell's friendship with Captain Kirk. I understand him being there on the first mission would have affected how Spock and Kirk came to trust each other, but it was something I wanted more of the whole way through the book. And that was the main problem--I kept wanting this book to get better. Unfortunately, my wish did not come true.
Vonda McIntyre is a competent writer and I will probably read more of what she has written (she is an award winning author, after all), but this was a failure. Chances are, someone offered her a shipload of money to write this, and, since the world is currently based on the financial system, she had to accept the job to line her pockets with dirty dollar bills to make sure she never has to pitch a tent downtown. Maybe I would have a more favourable opinion about this book if I didn't have to use my own hard-earned money to buy it....more
Q-Squared is not going to win any literary awards. It's also not a book that surpasses its niche to become a sci-fi must-read. This was my first PeterQ-Squared is not going to win any literary awards. It's also not a book that surpasses its niche to become a sci-fi must-read. This was my first Peter David book, not to mention my first TNG book, and I didn't love it as much as most people.
Not only are there a lot of five star reviews for this one, there are a lot of claims of this being one of the best of the best Star Trek books. I sure hope not, as I've got a lot more sitting on my bookshelf, unread. I've only read a few, but I've read better. Maybe I'm being too harsh toward it. I didn't hate it. Not at all. I liked the premise and Peter David perfectly portrayed the voices of all the characters. What else could you ask for in a Trek novel?
Peter David has a few annoying writing habits that kept drawing my eye. (Blond vs. blonde, excessive punctuation!?) In his introduction he says that he's been accused of writing books that read like fan fiction--to which he agrees. He's a big fan, so he likes to write what he'd like to watch. But was that criticism really just about bringing characters from TOS into TNG, or was it a little something else, too?
Speaking entirely as a Star Trek fan, it was great to see David thread together a forgotten TOS character (whose voice he nailed) with an active one in the TNG era (also nailed Q's voice). And there are fun little possible explanations for plot holes from years past. The story could have worked well as an episode of TNG, albeit on acid. So, don't let me deter you from this if you are a big fan. But I won't be re-reading this one....more
As I was reading this I thought to myself: "What an unexpected and delightful surprise!" (Mostly because the back cover didn't have a synopsis) But myAs I was reading this I thought to myself: "What an unexpected and delightful surprise!" (Mostly because the back cover didn't have a synopsis) But my thoughts began to sour as I moved past page 300. Don't get me wrong, I still had fun reading the whole book. However, I had the distinct impression that Greg Cox wrote a great 300 page story to introduce young Kahn, then his publisher told him to inflate it into 500 pages.
The first section of the novel has very little to do with the man himself (the cover is very deceiving), but it reads like a fun and campy spy novel--loved it. A random, uninteresting story involving Kirk and crew is sprinkled about at intervals, so the 'Star Trek' moniker could be justified on the cover.
I might be underselling this read. It was good. If you liked Kahn, you'll like this. But I just can't get over the disappointment I felt when the book ended on page 300, then kept going. I don't think it would have been the author's fault, and I think the two-volume set should have been a little more creatively organized. 'The Adventures of Gary Seven: The Rise and Fall of Kahn, Vol.s 1-4'?...more
I don't think the author should have stretched this into two volumes. The overall story was quite obviously fluffed to make two novels. 2.5 stars.I don't think the author should have stretched this into two volumes. The overall story was quite obviously fluffed to make two novels. 2.5 stars....more
This was my first foray into the Star Trek relaunch, and the first book of the Star Trek relaunch.
I just finished re-watching Deep Space Nine on NetflThis was my first foray into the Star Trek relaunch, and the first book of the Star Trek relaunch.
I just finished re-watching Deep Space Nine on Netflix, so I decided to take this off my bookshelf and give it a whirl. Since the finale's original airing, I had always wondered what adventures might have happened if they had a season 8, or a movie. Being a naive kid, I figured Next Gen got a movie, DS9 would, too. Since nothing ever happened, it was nice to read a continuation.
The characters sound pretty close to the originals, and there's some fun action and stuffy Bajoran religion to make it feel authentic. I do miss hearing about my favourite characters, but I understand they left the station at the finale, so maybe they will swing them my way when I read Book 2.
Speaking of Book 2, I think Book 1 feels a little bloated. I would've probably rated it a bit higher if Books 1 and 2 were trimmed down and slapped together.
If you are a DS9 fan, I think you will like reading about the station's new adventures....more
This is my 3rd Star Trek Bantam. The Star Trek Bantams of the 70's aren't generally known for quality, but thankfully, this one surprised me.
In 2013, This is my 3rd Star Trek Bantam. The Star Trek Bantams of the 70's aren't generally known for quality, but thankfully, this one surprised me.
In 2013, I watched the abortion that was "Into Darkness" and wanted pure Star Trek. I had hoped novels from the 70's would be the answer, but Star Trek wasn't big enough to enjoy quality paperback addendums at the time.
"Planet of Judgment", written by a Hugo winner, should have been a safe bet, right? Neg. But then there's another award winner--who transcribed all the original episodes--who put down his original flair with "Spock Must Die!". Was it brilliant? No. But it was more Star Trek-y than POJ.
I was about to stop with the Bantams altogether until I stumbled upon a book written by one of the authors of the original series himself. A certain creator of the Tribbles, Mr. David Gerrold.
"Galactic Whirlpool" is a real fun story that brings back one of my favourite secondary characters from the original series, Kevin Reilly (the Irish-happy guy who took over Engineering in "The Naked Time"). It fudges humanity's timeline a little bit--as it's known by Trek nerds--with talk of a lost human community, but if you like Star Trek, you must have an imagination, so don't worry too much about it.
After reading this, I will give the Bantams another shot. (Giving this four stars means four stars when compared with other Star Trek Bantams.)
I never thought I would read an "Enterprise" novel because, although I liked the show, I was never invested in it as much as TNG,The reviews are true!
I never thought I would read an "Enterprise" novel because, although I liked the show, I was never invested in it as much as TNG, TOS, DS9, or to a lesser extent, VOY. However, after reading review upon review on GoodReads saying: "washes the taste of the series finale out of your mouth", I decided to give it a whirl.
The series finale was a travesty. A complete disgrace. "The Good That Men Do" at the same time feels like a continuation of story threads from season four of "Enterprise" and takes an eraser to the dumber moments of the series finale.
The characters sound identical to the ones on television, which is first and foremost on my Trek Book Grading Scale. But it loses a star because I thought the story itself could've been a bit better. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the journey, but it felt a bit like a segue into a new book series. Which it was, of course. The next book is called "Kobayashi Maru"... How can I not read that?...more
This is the fourth (fictional) Star Trek book I have read to try to remind myself of the good ol' years of Trek. And I find it difficult to review.
In This is the fourth (fictional) Star Trek book I have read to try to remind myself of the good ol' years of Trek. And I find it difficult to review.
In my mind, I have created certain criteria for how a Star Trek novel should read. Do the Seven Wonders of the 60's have accurate voices? Is the story science-y? Is the story fun and exciting? Does it satisfy my hunger for more episodes of this cancelled series? Well, let me tell you, this book nails the voices of the characters, and feels like you're watching an episode of the show back in the 60's--a forgettable episode, though.
That isn't necessarily a bad thing. You can only watch "Amok Time", "Mirror, Mirror", "Arena", "The Enterprise Incident", "The Doomsday Machine", etc., so many times before you go back to "Charlie X" because you can't quite remember what happened in it when you last watched it ten years ago. And that's what this feels like: "Charlie X", except with Spock in the father role.
Give it a read, if you're a Trekkie. You won't hate it. Maybe you will read it again in ten years....more
This was my second Star Trek Bantam novel (Planet of Judgment was my first) and this one was a much better read.
James Blish transcribed all of the oriThis was my second Star Trek Bantam novel (Planet of Judgment was my first) and this one was a much better read.
James Blish transcribed all of the original Star Trek episodes for those poor souls from the past who didn't have VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/Netflix, so I was quite curious to see what an original story from someone who should know the characters inside and out was like. It felt like more of a hard sci-fi than Star Trek usually was, but I like hard SF, so I had a lot of fun.
Some of the characters do seem a little off in the way they speak. Spock and Kirk, however, seem pretty close and he has a solid grasp on McCoy. My only complaint was I couldn't make heads or tails out of what Scotty was saying. Also, Kirk kept calling McCoy 'Doc', which probably had more to do with the copy-editor than it did with Blish.
All-in-all, a fun and brisk Star Trek read. And the only Star Trek book from the 70s that I would currently recommend....more
This book started off a little slow, and the narration felt a bit too mechanical. However, the third act was enjoyable and I would recommend this to aThis book started off a little slow, and the narration felt a bit too mechanical. However, the third act was enjoyable and I would recommend this to anyone who wanted a prequel to the movie Superman II....more
In this, my second foray into the realm of written Trek, I found myself very engaged. The voices of the characters felt quite faithful (although I hadIn this, my second foray into the realm of written Trek, I found myself very engaged. The voices of the characters felt quite faithful (although I had a few problems with Spock and sometimes Kirk--if I were to nitpick), the prose was wonderful and it felt like a perfect mixture of TOS and TOS movies. The additional characters were fun to read and the story itself really popped.
Without giving too much away, it was a unique but familiar revisit to a much missed franchise. I highly recommend it to fans of the show (there's more than one nod to TOS episodes and embryonic similarites to the TV show the two authors would be hired to one day shake up--the final season of Enterprise)....more
It gives you a little more insight into a movie that you might think you understand, but don't quite.It gives you a little more insight into a movie that you might think you understand, but don't quite....more
Hungry for more fun adventures with the old crew, I picked this book up because it was a recommendation on some website I was led to after searching fHungry for more fun adventures with the old crew, I picked this book up because it was a recommendation on some website I was led to after searching for good Star Trek books.
I was disappointed.
Don't get me wrong -- the story was interesting and there was some fun action. The characters, however, didn't read like the characters I know and love. Also, there was an excess of violence. Now, I loves me some violence, but it just didn't feel like what I was expecting in a Star Trek story.
I have done many searches through many a website to try to find some adventures like the ones I grew up with, so this will not be my last review of a Star Trek book. But it is my first....more
This book made me a Batman fan. I mean, I was already kind of a Batman fan, but this put me over the top. I read this novel before Christopher Nolan'sThis book made me a Batman fan. I mean, I was already kind of a Batman fan, but this put me over the top. I read this novel before Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins was released, and it gives you that same understanding of the man behind the mask that you get from that wonderful movie....more
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