TF01 3,BOOK REVIEWS 4, STAR TREK ADVENTURES - THE STARLESS WORLD by Gordon Eklund ---------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Colin Gunn ---------------------- When investigating the possibility of Klingon activity near to the Galactic core, the Enterprise comes across a lone Shuttlecraft belonging to a ship believed missing for years. Then the crew come across a Dyson sphere and are drawn inside the world and are trapped within. A struggle begins between the Enterprise crew and the inner worlds so called god as time runs short. The sphere is heading directly for a black hole. Does the premise of the Dyson sphere sound familiar? Bear in mind, that this book was written in the early 80's, years before the Next Gen was even being conceived. So any fans new to reading Trek may be forgiven for thinking that the author borrowed the idea for his story from RELICS. This (one of the two books written by Gordon) is one of the better of the early Trek novels. You can tell from the onset that Gordon is a fan of Trek and has a good knowledge of the programme, considering that back then there was no where as near much "official" information available about the show as there is now. At the near beginning of his story Eklund seems to struggle a bit with the relationship between Kirk and Spock. In the first chapter you can easily read that Kirk is irritated with Spock as he only seems to insist on giving Kirk bits of information at a time. Spock seems at times to want to get Kirk to beg the remaining information from him. Also at times during this chapter I felt that Kirk was treating Spock as a bit of a novice. The book has a couple of things that I felt a little uncomfortable with. The first was obviously covered above, another thing was Spock's comment that he wished that logic was encompassed by all civilized planets in the galaxy. For someone adept in the form of IDIC I found this comment a little strange. Also their appeared a pointless and stupid conversation going on between Kirk and Uhura about the needle in the haystack conundrum, like who put the needle there in the first place so as to cause someone wanting to look for it! However the story has alot going for it. It is a typical ST adventure with some really well written parts. In chapter 15 the argument between Spock and McCoy is perfect, you can visulise the two of them on screen having this tete-a-tete. And sticking with these two, McCoy tries to pose a logic problem to Spock (with disasterous results). Try has he might McCoy cannot tell his poser without Spock interrupting and putting Bones right in more than one place. Just read Spocks solution to the problem - it's perfect. Eklunds Klingon character, Kree, deserves mentioning as well. In this character he has taken the best of the seen Klingons and combined them into this one Klingon Captain to really good effect. A shame there is so little of this character throughout. One thing that certainly shouldn't go unmentioned is Eklunds adherence to detail. Namely his mentioning of the different uniform insignia that each ship had during the pre-movie era of Trek. A fact that many of the comic books, magazines and other novels of that time failed to stick to. Also unusual for the time (early 80's) was giving one of the co-characters being given some background. In this case Uhura was given some heavy background regarding her father. The norm was to only concentrate on the main three characters. All in all this novel was a refreashing breakthrough regarding Trek fiction. And one that is most deserved of a read. STAR TREK - SHADOWS ON THE SUN by Michael Jan Friedman ------------------------------------------------------ Reviewed by Colin Gunn ---------------------- After their succesful "retirement" mission (ST VI), the crew of the Enterprise begin their journey back to Earth, but are interrupted by a call from Starfleet command ordering them to the Federation planet Ssan on a diplomatic mission of extreme urgency. They are also to take along two top Federation delegates who will oversee the talks on the planet. Much to McCoy's disdain the diplomats are his ex-wife Jocelyn and her husband Clay Treadway. If like me you are a fan of Friedman's work on Star Trek, then you would come to expect a standard of work that he has always excelled in. Unfortunatly, he seems with this outing, to have lapsed a little in his otherwise excellent track record. Although a very good read, Friedman has seem to forget one of the major aspects of the Federation and Starfleet, that of peace and friendship throughout the members of the Federation. The planet Ssan would by no means have been accepted into the Federation on one point which Friedman emphasises to the point of nausea, that of assassins being the norm on this planet. Both a renegade faction and assassins that openly work for the planet's government are depicted quite openly and no one seems to bring out the point that why would the Federation have accepted this planet for membership in the first place. Okay, the Prime Directive would have prevented Starfleet trying to change and infringe their beliefs on an alien world, but they would have looked at this planets society and refused membership. A point to back this up is clearly brought about in the flashback section of the book to the time when McCoy was serving as a Medical trainee aboard the U.S.S. Republic sent, along with other trainees, to help with the planet Ssan's medical needs during an uprising between the different assassin factions. Previously McCoy had said to Kirk (before the flashback section), that the Ssani make the Klingons look like children, this is forceably brought to our attention when just to get over a point the rebel assassin group blow up a school full of children resulting in the death of all the children, teachers and any visitors to the school that day. It is not clearly made out, but the inferrance is that Ssan was a member of the Federation during these killings - indeed the planets history reveals that the Ssani have always lived this way. Come on Michael, this plot point was used to make the novel more dramatic, I think you yourself would admit that in no way would this planet be allowed into the Federation! Unfortunatly the novel also suffers from being very predictable. You know as soon that you read the chapters dealing with a young McCoy treating the wounded rebel assassin that it is the same assassin that later (during the novels time in the "present") kidnaps Kirk and Jocelyn. Also the way that McCoy and Jocelyn reconcile their differences and appear to want to start up a life together again, you know McCoy's in for one hell of a come down. This is in no doubt one of the many novels that will appear to be set between that fateful time, where at the end of ST VI Kirk decides not to rush of back to Earth for the crews retirement. For fans of McCoy this novel is a must have as Michael (although admitting that McCoy is not one of his favourite characters) has written him very well. There are also some excelent parts that he has written for Kirk, noteably when in the cell on Ssan with Jocelyn. read it you'll see what I mean. Although a good read, I feel due to the nature of the planets activities it's a novel that shouldn't really take place in the Star Trek universe. But saying all of this I look forward to Michael's next novel, which is to be his adaptation of the last episode of the Next Generation. STAR TREK - SAREK by A.C. Crispin --------------------------------- Reviewed by Simon Plumbe ------------------------ Set three months after the end of Star Trek VI, SAREK, as you can probably guess from the title, revolves around the well-loved Vulcan Ambassador and father to Spock, in a deadly mission of espionage and treason which could lead to all-out war, shattering the new-found peace formed at the Khitomer Conference. The book starts with an organisation on Earth, the Keep Earth Human League, who are causing uproar over the presence of aliens on Earth, most notably the Vulcans. The group, originally a small fringe operation, has grown in size to such an extent that they are beginning to pose a threat. Meanwhile, Sarek is beginning to have suspicions about a mysterious race known as the Freelans, whom Sarek believes are not quite what they seem. Sarek begins to grow concerned for the safety of the Federation, and begins a quest to seek proof of events on Freelan. While this is going on, a renegade group of Klingons, lead by Ambassador Kamarag (Star Trek IV) prepares a trap for James T. Kirk, involving his nephew Peter, which is only the beginning of a plan to start interstellar war between the Klingons and the Federation, unbeknown to Chancellor Azetbur. To make matters worse, Sarek is called in to negotiate with a small group of renegade Klingons who have attacked an Orion colony and Sarek is torn between his duty as a Federation Ambassador and to his dying wife, Amanda... For the last couple of years, I have been increasingly disappointed with Star Trek novels. Many seem to be straying too much from the format laid down originally by Gene Roddenberry, and those that do stick within the ideals and storyline restrictions tend to be written in a way that sees characters performing tasks or saying things that you would never expect them to say. There are, sadly, too few novels on the market released recently that have captured the characters personalities properly, and too many rely on excessive and sometimes graphic violence to tell their tales. Well, fortunately, Sarek is nothing like that. In fact, I would say that this is easily the BEST Star Trek novel I have read since Gene Roddenberry's death, and I would even go as far as to say that I would rate it in my all-time top 5 Trek books. Characterisation is superb throughout with not only the regular characters handled well, but all the minor characters sharing the same level of depth and strength of character that you would normally only associate with the main crew. Character interaction is simply wonderful, especially the Spock - Kirk and Spock - McCoy dialogue. It's as if you are watching an episode! One thing that really impressed me with the novel was a scene near to the beginning where the Vulcan Embassy on Earth was surrounded by a large crowd of protestors from the KEHL, waving placcards and shouting abuse. During this, Sarek decided to leave the embassy and talk with the leader of the KEHL, Induna, to try and make him see reason (as any good diplomat would). However, the rest of the crowd soon reacted to Sarek's presence and they became restless and then increasingly hostile. Induna tries to calm his followers, to no avail, and the crowd soon become out of control. Bedlam breaks loose and the mob begin to hurl rotting vegetables at the Ambassador and his aides. After a few moments of disarray, Federation security arrives to break up the crowd. So what, I hear you ask? Well while the scene is nothing original to Star Trek, what makes the scene stand out is that way in which it was handled. There is no graphic descriptions of violence, while there is anger from the crowd, it is not misguided maliciousness and when the Federation arrive, instead of seizing the opportunity for a violent outburst, the security officers simply use their phasers to STUN the crowd and take them into custody. A well written scene which gave me an immense amount of respect for Ann Crispin. The inclusion of Kirk's nephew, Peter Kirk, in the book is essential to the plot of the story, and although we only saw him on screen for a few moments back in Season Two, his character is written so well that you feel as if you've been following his exploits for years. One nice touch is near to then end of the book where we see Peter (who is a mature student at Starfleet Academy) taking the Kobayashi Maru test. Does he live up to the memory of his famous uncle? You'll have to read it to find out! One thing that I was initially wary about when approaching Sarek was the idea that Amanda Grayson was to die. However, I again wasn't disappointed as it was handled well, and was a very emotionally powerful sub-plot to the book. The flashbacks to time that Sarek and Amanda spent together, while not advancing the story line, didn't seem out of place. Yes, there are a couple of flaws, namely a few innacuracies in dates used (for example, it refers to the events of Star Trek III taking place three years prior to Star Trek VI, but it was in fact 8), but these don't detract from what is essentially a stunning piece of fiction. This is certainly a book worth reading, and as soon as this issue of TFF is complete, I'm looking forward to reading this novel again! If you only buy one book this year, then buy Sarek. Sarek may only be available in hardback at the moment (UK issue price £9.99), but you'd get far more enjoyment out of reading this one book than from any two others. A book Gene Roddenberry would have been proud of. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION 28 - ----------------------------------- HERE THERE BE DRAGONS by John Peel ---------------------------------- Reviewed by Colin Gunn ---------------------- Whilst investigating an interstellar cluster, the crew of the Enterprise are amazed to find that hidden in the clouds turbulant maelstrom is a planet that would seem to be inhabited by 13th century humans. When a craft leaving the planet is intercepted, and its lonely crew member claiming to be from Starfleet, Picard and the crew decide to investigate further... I can't praise this novel enough. It has been one of the most enjoyable Next Gen novels I've read in some time. The author has in the past concentrated on writing Trek "fact" books and his decision to try his hand at fiction has really paid off with this story. As one can imagine, if they have read any of John's "fact" books, one can expect a certain amount of continuity in his story telling. Well you won't be disappointed. Not only does the novel sit perfectly within in the Next Gen time frame, but also he ties in some points raised in the original series as well. Namely that of the Preservers, which have never been mentioned since the days of Kirk and Co. The opening chapter of the book is a very typical Next Gen opening teaser and leads into the main story very well. Their are some great scenes in the book. For instance, Data learning to use a whip through his watching old Indiana Jones movies, Data attempting his sense of humor with Ro on the bridge is so typical of Data that it is plain to see that John really knows how to write this character (as you read further Data parts you will see what I mean). Again you will also come across the detail to the character of Worf, particuarly his scenes with Barclay in the Holodeck and his frustrations of not being able to go down to the planet's surface due to the Prime Directive. There are far to many good points to list in this review without giving too much of the story away. However I will say this, that I can guarantee that if you are a fan of the Next Gen you'll certainly love this book. Alas with any novel, no matter how well written, you will come across a few mistakes. This book has very little. One glaring error is when on the Bridge Van Poppering is left in command while the main Bridge crew go to the Observation Lounge. And who's in the Lounge along with the others? Why none other than Van Poppering! Barclay seems to be a little to familar with Geordi i.e. he continually calls Geordi by his christian name when we know for a fact that he feels uncomfortable with this and in the show calls him by rank and name. Also one thing that didn't seem to fit at all with Picards character was his eagarness to destroy the Preserver technology. Okay, fair enough there wasn't that much time before the same technology would destroy the Enterprise, but how it was written was with no feeling of remorse for doing so. Seeing how Picard views relics of the past (see "THE CHASE") I felt that a little compassion should have been written in. In closing, if you have not yet got this book then go out and buy it now. If not put it on your list of items to buy. You won't be disappointed. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - IMZADI by Peter David ------------------------------------------------------ Reviewed by Ian Good -------------------- Although I've been a fan of Star Trek on TV and films for many years, I must admit to being new to the novels. In fact this was my first one, so I was not sure what to expect. I certainly wasn't disappointed. The story starts about 40 years after the time of the TV series on the Forever World, scene of one of the most popular Classic Trek episodes. Data, who is now a Commodore and in command of the Enterprise 1701-F, stands in front of the Guardian of Forever - a strong hint that this is to be time travel tale. Riker is an ageing Admiral, serving out his time on a remote starbase and unable to forgive himself for the death of Deanna Troi many years before. Lwaxana Troi also blames Riker for her daughters death, and as she herself nears death he returns to Betazed to try and make peace with her. We then go back in time in a series of flashbacks, as Riker first recounts the circumstances of Deanna's death to (Captain) Wesley Crusher and then remembers the time when they first met and fell in love. This is the only part of the book that didn't seem quite right to me. The description of how the romantic side of their relationship ended was a bit weak and was inconsistent with the 6th season episode 'Second Chances'. This is only a minor point and could not be helped as the book was written before the episode was made. Obviously this is mainly a Riker/Troi story and the other regulars, apart from Data, only really have bit parts. But that doesn't stop this being an excellent book with very well portrayed characters and a riveting storyline. The pace builds up as Riker comes to the conclusion that the current time-line is wrong and begins a race against time to try to correct it, leading to an exciting climax that is difficult to put down. If, like me, you have looked at the rows of Star Trek novels in your local bookstore and wondered whether to take the plunge, I would recommend this book as an ideal place to start. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - DARK MIRROR by Diane Duane ----------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Colin Gunn ---------------------- Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. In a novel that should carry the potentional of a true classic, namely the long awaited sequel to MIRROR MIRROR, this novel falls flat on its face. What does Diane think she is doing. And more to the point, how the hell did this get past Paramount. The Enterprise is unavoidably pulled into the mirror universe, as the dark counterparts of that space have found a way to pull in craft from our own universe into their's with the intent of crewing a captured vessel with their own crew and then returning to the "normal" universe with the sole aim to begin to conquer it. Okay that dosen't sound too bad does it? In fact most of the book is an enjoyable read. So why do I come down on Diane? As many of you may or may not know, Diane is presently seeking to sue Richard Arnold for his comments regarding a past novel of hers, THE ROMULAN WAY, where it has been claimed that that book was a re-written novel of hers converted to the Trek universe. Well I'm sorry if this offends Diane but DARK MIRROR is so much SEAQUEST DSV that it goes beyond plagiarism! Okay, if you were to pick up a book to read that had a talking Dolphin (via a translator stapped to it) swimming around the corridors of the ship, and at one point goes outside the ship to "swim around" what would you think. Yes this book has that dolphin doing all manner of things that at present we've only seen Darwin do. If Diane gets so upset at people making comments about her books not being original, then unfourtunatly this book is so blatent a SEAQUEST story in parts that she would not have a leg to stand on if it was this book that Richard Arnold had made his comments on. Diane at some times in the story has seemed to let her imagination take a nose dive in places, as regards original ideas. In the classic episode, Kirk is walking down the corridors and is attacked by the Navigator, namely Chekov. This causes Chekov to be put in pain by his personal agonisor and than placed in the agony booth (against Kirk's wishes). In this book Picard is walking down the corridor, and yes you guessed it, is attacked by the navigator (I use this term loosely as both attackers have the same bridge position), this time Wesley and his personal agonisor is used on him and he is placed in the agony booth against the Captain's wishes. Another direct "copy" would appear to be Picard's talks to the dark universe's Worf as at times they seemed to mirror Kirk's talks to the Spock of the mirror universe. Also in places I felt that Diane had some personal comments of her own to add to the story. She obviously could not accept that in the classic episode when the crew members were "exchanged" that the uniforms of the respective universe's remained as the uniforms of that space, i.e. only the bodies changed. This was evident with her comments written for Geordi - he shook his head like a man who had just seen a pig fly! With all the strange things encountered by Starfleet over the years I don't think that someone as experienced an officer as Geordi would be so glib in his observation of this, and would view this as perhaps warranting investigation as holding some clue as to helping them get back. One point I think that should be highlighted is this. On page 176 Picard has some, what are to me really out of character thoughts, "Are you sure this universe wouldn't profit from being killed? Are you very sure? Look at it. Is this life?" Now look at the Picard as seen in the episode I BORG. Not exactly the same Picard are they? (And before any of you point out this books time frame, yes I do know that the story is set during the shows fourth season, so is before I BORG - but check out other episodes pre fourth season and I defie anyone to find a Picard that would even consider genocide !) Does this book have any good points. Yes, a few. And they are all when she has seemed to forget about the Dolphin being in it and concentrated on the Trek angle of the story. In fact, why use the dolphin at all. I'm sure with the combination of Data and Geordi, and okay, if need be another alien being, they could work out the solution to their problems. So why, why, why the dolphin. I'm truly sorry Diane, but you left yourself wide open with this one. If you want to write SEAQUEST then by all means do so (I really enjoyed your adaptation of the pilot episode). But please leave it away from the Trek universe. And yes Darwin, oops, Hwiii the dophin does save the day! STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE 4 - THE BIG GAME by Sandy Schofield -------------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Tim Smith --------------------- Quark hosts a poker tournament with players from all over the galaxy. However one of the is soon murdered, and Odo discovers that it is the work of L'sthwan, a murderer who likes to gamble. Odo must find out which one of the poker players is L'sthwan. A task made even more desperate as he has information that could save Deep Space Nine from the violent subspace waves that could destroy it. Sandy Schofield doesn't exist. It is in fact the pen name for the writing team of Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch. This is their first attempt at a Star Trek novel, and as such it has both its good and bad points. This certainly is an improvement over the two previous blood soaked tomes. The writers manage to capture nearly all of the characters reasonably well. The only ones who do not strike a recognisable chord are Jake Sisko and Nog. They come across as little more than impish kids with no real depth or substance to them. The plot is relatively interesting. Not for the first time, the "B" plot (in this case the impending destruction of the station) is more gripping than the cliched "A" plot. From the outset it is obvious that the writers are both fans of the series and of poker. That is both to their benefit and their detriment. The writers enthusiasm for the show comes across in the characterisation and plot but also leads to some unbelievable plot points. For instance is it likely that Rasmussen (the time traveller from the Next Generation episode "A Matter Of Time") would be free to roam the galaxy a mere one to two years after being arrested for murder and robbery? Is it also likely that a Vulcan would be a poker player, or that the game itself would be so massively popular across the galaxy? The other main weakness is the detailed description of the poker that runs the entire length of the book. It becomes tediously boring and confusing unless the reader understands poker. It also slows down the action far too much and is only relevant to the plot in a rather superfluous way. However if you persevere with the book you are rewarded with a story that is not only true to the characters but also to the spirit of Star Trek. Let's hope that the improvement continues with the next novel in the series. 6.5/10 STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE 5 - FALLEN HEROES by Dafydd Ab Hugh -------------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Tim Smith --------------------- Quark obtains a rare Cardassian box. Upon opening he accidentally triggers a device that throws himself and Odo forward in time by three days. Meanwhile a troop of alien soldiers arrive from the Gamma Quadrant and demand to know where their comrade is. However no-one knows of this comrade, and as the soldiers attack DS9 they must desperately search for an answer... Quiz question - what do Peter David, K.W. Jeter and Dafydd Ab Hugh all have in common? Answer - they have all written extremely violent novels that have little to do with Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. "Fallen Heroes" follows the same formula of violent adversaries coming to Deep Space Nine that "The Siege" and "Bloodletter" did. Now whilst these books might (or indeed might not) be exciting, or gripping, or whatever word you might want to use, they really have no place in Star Trek. The best Trek was never about large bodycounts and even larger explosions. The annoying thing about "Fallen Heroes" is that it has a very good premise that is swamped by unnecessary graphic violence and swearing. This is particularly jarring when the main characters seem to swear at every opportunity. No doubt many will like this style of writing, but I don't, and I also find that it deflects the readers attention away from the plot. What is good about "Fallen Heroes" is the way that Hugh intertwines the investigation of the destroyed station by Odo and Quark with the events that cause the destruction. Indeed, it is the Odo and Quark plot that is a better read. Unfortunately that is all that is good about "Fallen Heroes". None of the characters bear any resemblance to those depicted on screen. They all seem to have become experts in military tactics and idiots in reasoning. They never figure out why the invaders are attacking, and when questioned by them they lie! The author also makes many assumptions about the station and many errors. Petty Officers, and various NCOs seem to litter DS9. This is probably because of the Next Gen episode "Family", where they were mentioned, but that was a script fault. Starfleet does not have either NCOs or Petty Officers. Deep Space Nine apparently revolves (surely not?) and the turbolifts in Ops now have sliding doors, where in all the episodes I have viewed I have never seen them. Finally towards the end of the book Odo changes his features into those of a bionic captain. Now, come on! Virtually everyone knows that Odo cannot morph into other people's forms. That is why he looks like he does. I think Dafydd Ab Hugh really wanted to write a Borg novel since they seem to be mentioned virtually every other page, and the invaders have many of the qualities that the Borg have. There may well be a time that the Borg turn up at Deep Space Nine, but when they do it should be written by someone who has a lot more skill in capturing the true spirit of Star Trek. Nice idea, badly written both in style and content. 4/10 Reviewed by Colin Gunn ---------------------- In typical DS9 fashion, one of Quark's "shady" deals goes wrong and endangers the entire station and its inhabitants as a contingent of alien warriors appear through the worm hole in search of one of their own. What then occurs is the brutal slaying of all on the station and only Odo and Quark, with the help of Jake Sisko try to somehow find the means to travel back in time to save the day. In fact that's about the only good thing that I have to say about this book! Because the deal in which Quark transacts is about the only thing that happens in the book that closely resembles anything that we have come to expect from DS9 so far. From the books earliest pages (particularly pages 9-10) the characters are written so out of character. Take for example Bashir. Okay, we know from episodes of the show that he has desires for Dax, but would a Doctor who holds a position of trust go to the extent of having Odo install hidden cameras in the Holosuites so that he can keep an eye on Dax, as well as Kira when they use the suites! I don't know where the author gets the idea that Bashir is a peeping tom. Another character that I felt was mishandled was O'Brien. On page 37 the author tries (and miserably fails) to give O'Brien some background. Apparantly O'Brien became an Engineer because he did not want to kill anymore due to the Cardassian war!!! Oh come on Dafydd, please name me one character that joined Starfleet to kill. Another character that the author seems to feel has the killing streak in her is Kira. Kira says to O'Brien "I can't recalibrate a Phaser. I kill people and break things, that's my job". Come on, I thought Kira's job was Sisko's second in command (who I don't think would want anyone on his station who had those qualities so much at heart) and the Bajoran liaison to the Federation on the Station. The author also seems to suffer from lack of research on his part. Take for example O'Brien calling an Ensign "Sir". Okay, the producers of the show made a cock up on O'Briens pips, but that is surely cosmetic as he has on more than one occasion been refered to accepting the promotion to chief of operations. Another hiccup would be that with the 3rd in command of security, Ewan. This character didn't even know who O'Brien was. Somebody so high up in Odo's team not knowing who the chief of operations was. How many O'Briens are there on DS9 - Only 3 I'm sure. Odo, one of the most mysterious characters to be a part of the Trek universe, does not miss his opportunity to come under the authors mishandling. Where does he get the idea from that Odo can hold his form for upto 28 hrs at a push if need be. As he did when trapped in the turbo lift with Lwaxana Troi. It was clearly stated in that episode that he was in his 15th hour when his form began to slip. And I didn't see anywhere in that episode that another 13 hours had passed when he finally lost his form. This is very careless research!! As you can gather I don't like this book. However I do like the aliens that invade the station. Although their constant comparison to the Borg (who it is apparent that they are loosely based on) was almost overplayed. With their one minded attitude and their goal in mind, also their lack of concern for anything that did not give them the answer they were after, was so typically Borg. If this story was ever filmed it would never get past the censors. It is obvious that the author is a horror writter, with the amount of people getting their heads blown open (and yes that includes our cast of heroes) and the over descriptive way in which he describes the dead bodies around the station (don't get me wrong I'm a fan of horror stories and films) they just do not have a place in Star Trek no matter how "dark and gritty" the show supposed to be it's just been taken way over the top with this book. On closing I have to say if you like DS9 then do not buy this book. It is by far the worst Trek novel, and DS9 story I've read (bearing in mind I have not yet read Bloodletter or Big Game) and the author has obviously used the horror medium, which he is familar with, and just added the characters from the show in order to cash in on its popularity. What the hell are Paramount playing at allowing a book like this to pass. STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE 6 - BETRAYAL by Lois Tilton ------------------------------------------------------ Reviewed by Tim Smith --------------------- Ambassadors from across the Federation have arrived to particpate in trade negotiations that are vital to Bajor's future. However, at the same time a terrorist begins an escalating bombing campaign designed to disrupt those very negotiations. Matters are further complicated when a Cardassian warship, led by the fanatical Gul Marak, arrives demanding the return of Deep Space Nine to the Cardassian Empire. This is Lois Tilton's first Star Trek novel. I must admit that I was not looking forward to it. After reading that it was a book where the characters were "... running around tearing their hair out." I was expecting another 280 pages of blood soaked garbage. However, I am pleased to say that I was most pleasantly surprised. Tilton has produced a very good book. Although there are several action sequences, gone are the graphic descriptions of injuries and mindless violence of the previous books. Unlike the preceeding novels, "The Siege", "Bloodletter" and "Fallen Heroes", the reader can tell that "Betrayal" belongs in the Star Trek universe. Tilton achieves this firstly by concentrating on plot and character. Secondly she writes each character's dialogue as they would speak it in the television series. This really adds to the atmosphere of the novel, and brings the characters to life. They actually resemble the characters in the show. All of the protagonists benefit but Sisko, Kira, Odo and Nog come off particularly well. There are faults. The plot is a little predicatble, and it is easy to guess who the terrorist is and who is behind it all, but they are fairly minor quibbles and do not detract from a good read. The story is all about what the title says - betrayal of one kind or another. The best Star Trek novels, like the best Star Trek television episodes, work on more than one level, and "Betrayal" succeeds in this admirably. The first book since "Emissary" that I have really enjoyed reading, and definitely one that I recommend. I look forward to Lois Tilton's nect novel. 8/10 STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 5 --------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Tim Smith --------------------- The latest volume in this ongoing magazine series from Starlog features Colm Meaney on the cover and consists of 68 pages, 16 of these are advertisements for various products. Now this wouldn't be too bad if it were not for the fact that a further 17 pages aren't articles but supposedly "bonus" posters, leaving only 35 pages for the various reading material. Personally when only 61% of a magazine can actually be read, I think that it is a big disappointment. Certainly not a trend I would wish to continue. Having said that, what there is to read is of a pretty good standard. There are four interviews with Colm Meaney, Cirroc Lofton, Rene Auberjonois and Robert Wolfe (a writer on the show). All of these (yes, even the Cirroc Lofton interview!) are an enjoyable read, but if I had to choose one it would be the Auberjonois piece. As well as the interviews there are the now obligatory station logs (that's episode synopses to you and me). These cover the opening trilogy of the second season ("The Homecoming", "The Circle" and "The Siege") and the fourth episode "Invasive Procedures". From reading these synopses anyone who has not seen any of the second season will be able to notice the improvement in quality of the show. The final icing on the cake is the inclusion of 66 photos, many of which are from the second season. All in all a jolly good read marred slightly (but only slightly) by the adverts and posters. STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 6 --------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Tim Smith --------------------- This edition of the popular magazine series is something of a Ferengi special. Not only is there a large photograph of Quark adorning the magazine's cover, but inside there are in-depth interviews with Max Grodenchik and Aaron Eisenberg who play the recurring Ferengi Rom and his son Nog. The magazine itself sells for "Promenade price: 3 strips gold-pressed latinum" and also included are the usual posters (guess what they're of in this issue?) and selected Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. For those readers who don't like all things Ferengi, there are two episode synopses ("Cardassians" and "Melora"), two interviews with writers (Jeanne Carrigan Fauci and Lisa Rich, and Evan Carlos Somers) and one interview with an actor (Marc Alaimo who plays the Cardassian Gul Dukat). All of these articles, without exception, are both entertaining and informative. It is nice to see that the issue focuses on the lesser- known actors and the writers, as it adds to the readers overall impression of the series. As usual there are plenty of photos, 67 in total, and unfortunately plenty of adverts (even those have Ferengi in them!). There are 68 pages, 16 of which are advertisements (that's 23.5%) one of which is the front cover and 16 of which are the supposedly bonus posters. That leaves only just over half of the magazine (51.5%) to read. The same problem blighted the previous issue. As I said previously this magazine is really good, but I could do without the high amount of adverts, and I could do without the posters (which you cannot remove anyway if you are collecting all the issues). I look forward to the next issue which I hope will be a Bajoran First Officer of Deep Space Nine issue. Or how about a Female Science Officer of Deep Space Nine issue? Mind you, if they sell for three bars of gold-pressed latinum I might be tempted to sell my copies! STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 7 --------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Tim Smith --------------------- Issue 7 is devoted to plot synopses of episodes 7 through to 15. This covers clasics such as "Necessary Evil" and "The Alternate", and duds such as "Second Sight" and "Sanctuary" (possibly the worst episode this season). By now you all know what to expect from the synopses. Suffice to say that they are no enjoyable read, but are better as an accompaniment to, rather than any kind of replacement for the televised episodes. There are 68 pages to the magazine (two of which are the front and back covers) crammed with 88 colour photos. Unfortunately, there are also the dreaded bonus posters which, along with 14 pages of advertisements, account for 31 pages of the magazine. This leaves 37 pages to read (54% of the magazine). I really don't like these posters. I find it hard to believe that many people use them, particularly those who are collecting the magazine, as it would mean buying two copies of it. They're not even all that good quality. In their defence, for this issue at least one of them is Kira Nerys! An okay issue. It would have been nice if there had been an interview in it to add a bit of variety to it, but at least Terry Farrell's on the cover! 6/10 CAPTAIN'S LOGS - THE COMPLETE TREK VOYAGES ------------------------------------------ by Edward Gross and Mark A Altman --------------------------------- Reviewed by Ian Good -------------------- If you already have the excellent `Star Trek Chronology', you may think `Why do I need another complete episode guide?'. Well `Captain's Logs' is quite a different book altogether. `Chronology' is the official, Paramount licensed, diary of the fictitious events of the Trek universe. Whereas, `Captain's Logs' is more of a behind the scenes look at the making of the series, including quotes from just about everybody who has ever worked on it. The book is divided into 27 chapters covering all of the original series, the animated series, the abortive Star Trek II TV series, all of the films, TNG seasons 1 to 5 and the pilot of Deep Space Nine. The 1st chapter explains, in great detail, how Gene Roddenberry struggled to turn his brilliant idea into a saleable television series. This includes recollections from most of the people who helped him along the way. There then follows a 1st season episode guide. Each episode has a brief synopsis of the storyline followed by quotes from some of the people involved in the making of the show. The other seasons of Classic Trek are covered in a similar way, with an introductory chapter followed by episode guides. The next couple of chapters deal with the making of the animated TV series of the early seventies and the planned Star Trek II series which was eventually scrapped in favour of the films. Included in this section is an episode guide for the unmade series. We then get a chapter devoted to each of the movies, including the alternative idea for Star Trek VI - Starfleet Academy. Seasons 1 to 6 of TNG then get the overview chapter followed by episode guide treatment. You get a good insight into the making of the series from the comments on each show. However, most of the quotes were from writers, directors and producers and I would have preferred slightly more bias towards the actors. I suppose this shows that it's more difficult to get an interview with the stars than it is with the rest of the crew. The penultimate chapter deals with how the idea for a new Star Trek series was born and describes the process of casting and making the pilot of Deep Space Nine - `Emissary'. The last chapter includes a look forward to the 6th season of TNG, the continuation of DS9 and the future of the motion pictures. Finally, there is an appendix containing an unmade TNG story, written by Gene Roddenberry, called `Ferengi Gold'. There is an excellent 16 page colour section in the centre of the book. This contains lots of really good photos, including posed shots from each of the series and a couple of the films, as well as some behind the scenes pictures from TNG and portraits of most of the stars at convention appearances. The rest of the book is illustrated with black and white photos and quite a few magazine covers and other memorabilia. Overall, I think the book is good value and deserves a place in any Trekker's collection. Like `Star Trek Chronology', it's not a book to sit down and read from cover to cover but makes a very good reference to complement the series. THE NITPICKER'S GUIDE FOR NEXT GENERATION TREKKERS by Phil Farrand ------------------------------------------------------------------ Reviewed by Ian Good -------------------- This book would appear to be the ultimate guide to Next Generation trivia. It comes in an A5 sized paperback format and basically consists of a complete episode guide to seasons 1 to 6 of TNG, with descriptions of all the mistakes and oddities. There are also trivia questions on each episode, as well a few quizzes and some fun lists of trivial facts and figures. For each episode, you get an outline of the plot accompanied by a couple of trivia questions which are often pretty tough. For instance, do you know what type of saddle Picard used on the holodeck in Pen Pals? I wouldn't have known that one even if I'd just watched the episode. There are a few simple ones too, like "who played the part of Dr Noonian Soong in Brothers?". Anyway, these are followed by the nitpicking which comes under the categories of Plot Oversights, Changed Premises, Equipment Oddities, and Continuity and Production Problems. There are also the occasional ruminations of the author and his choices of the great lines and moments from the series. The author has obviously gone to great lengths and spent an awful lot of time to unearth all of these mistakes and discrepancies, and a lot of them are quite interesting and accurate. But sometimes he just goes too far and many of the 'Plot Oversights' are, in fact, just criticisms based on his personal opinion of how the plot should have gone, or interpretations of the meaning of a piece of dialogue. I don't want to criticise too much, because overall I do like the book, but sometimes I just get the impression that the author will go to any lengths in order to find something wrong with every single episode. Spread amongst the chapters of the book are 3 trivia quizzes on the subjects of Alien Life Forms, Planets and Other Characters. These are in the form of triathlons where you have to match the subject with a description and the episode which it appeared in. I found these fun but quite easy, especially as if you get more than 11 out of 48 on the first one you are accused of cheating or watching too much television. I would expect most readers of TFF to get at least this many right. But, I suppose we do watch too much television , don't we? Overall, I found this a good fun book and, at over 400 pages, not bad value for the £7.99 asking price. The only drawback is that the author is so pedantic that it gets a bit annoying in places, and if he hadn't stated several times that he was a fan you could be forgiven for thinking that he hated the show. THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION ------------------------------------------ Reviewed by Colin Gunn ---------------------- In this, the 6th collection of DC's comics versions of Trek, the publishers have collected together 4 stories centering around one or two characters. For those fans of all-out-action type Next Generation you could be disappointed (but some action does prevail) - these stories are character driven ones. Indeed the best Trek stories are always of this type. The first story, "SURVIVORS", written by Michael Jan Friedman is in two parts and centres around Geordi. This first appeared in issues 5 and 6 and even in this comics infancy you can tell that emphasis was put on getting the characters in context with the show. An old flame of Geordi's is among the surviving group of colonists of the doomed expedition on the planet Serafin. But what is so strange about this group is that they appear to be so healthy considering their recent hardship on the planet. Then the crew begin to suspect that not all may be as it seems, all the crew that is except Geordi who is so besotted at seeing Dahlia again that in typical Geordi fashion will defend her in anyway possible. As the B storyline, we see Data befriending a young child who is very curious at the colour of Data's skin and his perculiarities. A friendship is soon meet between the two and this is written exceptionally well and very true to Data's character on the show. This is one of the better of the Next Generations stories that have appeared in comics form. The second story "THE LESSON", again written by Michael Jan Friedman is a very typical story of a quiet lull in the Enterprise's continuing mission. Again a character driven story, this one features Beverly Crusher trying to come to terms with her approaching birthday. Deanna Troi suspects that something is troubling her friend, so in an attempt to cheer Beverly up, Deanna comes up with a Holodeck program to try and prove to Crusher that age is just a thing of the mind, and if you feel old you'll act old. A very typical storyline that would quite fit happily along side such stories as "The Big Goodbye". In story three "THE GIFT", he's back. Yes that omnipotent, sometimes impish in nature pain to the Enterpise, Q, rears his head once more to brandish his own version of humour to what Q views as a boring crew. This story was written by Q himself, John de Lancie, so one can expect all Q's traits and impish tricks to the full. And you wouldn't be wrong. From the outset, Picard is transformed into a goat, crewmembers forget the most simplest of tasks and Picard (back in human form) is transported back in time to that of his youth and meets up with his parents again. But Q true to form, tries his hardest to have his parents disown Picard. The true reason for Q's interest in taking Picard back into his past becomes clear as we see that Picard has never got over the death of his brother (this was written before the episode "Family", and you can see that de Lancie was trying to add some background to Picard's life as very little by the time of this comic had been revealed) so Q gives him the chance to save his life. And the repercussions that follow are disastorous. Story four "THIN ICE" is for all you Riker fans, and again written by Michael Jan Friedman. As is the norm now with the annuals (this one was annual issue 2), we get to see a more detailed part of the characters background. This one centering on a part of Riker's past that would indicate why he hardly used to take any chances in his career. This is a well written story with just the right amount of action to make this one one of the better comics stories to see print. Also the depth of Deanna's feelings for Riker are very well shown as when she is reviewing the records of Rikers past love, Captain Lyrinda Halk, she can't help but feel for what he must be going through not knowing if he will find her alive after the attack on her ship. Michael Jan Friedman has been associated with writting Trek stories now for some time, and it shows as he has a real feel for the characters. This was John de Lancie's first time writting for the medium and he has quite openly stated it's not one he wants to persue again. However his reticience certainly does not show in his story telling. Truly the sign of a professional. All in all, this collection is one to buy if you missed these stories first time around. Its also a good starter for anyone new to the Next Generation in its comics form. EXPLORING DEEP SPACE... AND BEYOND by Mark Altman and David Solter ------------------------------------------------------------------ Reviewed by Matthew Dean ------------------------ The first ever book to contain 100% photographs NOT copyrighted by Paramount Pictures, this is a very informative read. While not stating it explicitly on the cover, this is not only an analysis of Deep Space Nine - but also a look at the factuality of Space Stations, and also there are views on Babylon 5 and Space Rangers to name but two. Perhaps the most interesting part of this book are the interviews with David Carson, Winrich Kolbe, and Paul Lynch - all directors of DS9 and TNG. Indeed, David Carson was the director of Emissary. And for all you DTV buffs out there (like me), take a peek at page 92 - yes, the words `Amiga computers' are there! If you didn't already know, Amiga graphics are used for most of the graphic sequences in Babylon 5. Although I am supposed to be reviewing the book, I must say though (and no hate mail please) that I DO NOT like the special effects (the ships, explosions and so forth) in Babylon 5. They are far to clean, crisp, and - well - computer like. Anyway - the book is a fantastic read, but you will certainly find yourself skipping sections if you're not careful. As for the pictures - they are fantastic. Full colour and very glossy. The only bad ones are Odo and Dax, which are slightly over-bright. My favourite is the last picture, of an off-set moment between Nana Visitor and Colm Meaney. Nana is screaming with laughter with her tunic open (T-shirt underneath) and O'Brien looks like he has just told a dirty joke. Definitely a good buy - so buy it. But be warned, the F word crops up in some quotes. STAR TREK MEMORIES by William Shatner and Chris Kreski ------------------------------------------------------ Reviewed by Colin Gunn ---------------------- As all that know me would imagine, I was very eager to get this book, but also a little wary. When always asked about his experiences on Trek, Bill has always said that he can not remember much about it. So when first seeing that his book was roughly 300 pages in length I did begin to wonder how Bill would go about writting this tome. But after only the first few pages my fears were easily dispelled, as the book is not so much HIS memories of Star Trek but the memories of those people that starred in and helped create and bring Star Trek to the screen. In short a very well written history of Trek. Jimmy Doohan is quoted as saying that he has no interest in being a part of the book as Bill would not use what he had to say and would write what he wanted to. I have to admit that I thought that in some cases this may have been so. For example I did think Bill would have summarised some of the accounts from the early days of the show, or even write things that perhaps could not have been collaborated the facts due to them no longer be with us any longer. How wrong and relieved I was to find out that Shatner would not use this tack and ALWAYS used the interviews that he taped with the stars and production crew. What comes out of the book was Shatner's respect for Gene Roddenberry but he also felt that Gene did not like him much, and Shatner did not find out until researching for the book that this in fact was not true. Majel told Bill that he never disliked him. Ever. The book has loads of highlights in it. Some show how Desilu hadn't got a clue what they had got when they were making the show and the frustration of the production crew and stars at the studios lack of understanding of the shows values. I don't want to use to many of the highlights as I feel this would really ruin anyones reading enjoyment, but a couple of them that I would like to use regards the episode "The Naked Time" and the creation of the character of Chekov. In "The Naked Time" I'm sure you all remember the scene with Spock walking down the corridor and then entering the Briefing room and crying. Well what they really wanted to use was as Spock was walking down the corridor crying, he would bump into a crew member who was walking down the corridor in the opposite direction spraying the walls with graffiti. The two eventually bump into each other and the crew member points his spray can at Spock and aerosols a red moustache onto the weeping Vulcan to which Spock reacts with increasing wails and tears. Leonard hated this and went straight to the top and had this scene changed to the more emotion filled and intense scene that we see in the episode. Aren't you glad the actors felt that deeply about their characters? Now many people believe that Chekov was bought into the show because of a story appearing in the Russian press. Well, this is partly true. But in fact he was based on the character of Davy Jones in The Monkees (check the hair)! A nice touch by Bill is crediting Bjo Trimble as the most important Star Trek fan due to her now famous letter writting campaign. During the shows second season, as early as the filming of "The Deadly Years" the news was spreading fast around the set that the show was heading for cancellation. During this time Bjo and her husband John were visiting the set and heard these rumours. The rest is history. With all the flak that Bill has been getting in the press recently, I can imagine that there are going to be alot of people (Some who I've talked to also) that will not buy this book because it is about and by Bill. Because of his reported arrogance and ignorance towards his fellow cast members, and reported arrogance at conventions, these people will stay clear of the book. All I can say is give this a chance I can guarantee that you will begin to see Shatner in a different light altogether. He admits himself (after cast members have told him how arrogant he was) that he did not realise he was doing this and whole heartedly accepts their rebutles. You can see from this book a genuine caring man, with an enormous sense of humor. In his dialogue in closing he invites Jimmy Doohan to get in touch as he strongly dislikes Shatner, but Shatner would like a chance to talk things over. Rumours have it that this meeting would seem to have taken place as reports have been coming from the set of Star Trek VII that the two are getting along famously. So, if Jimmy can at last come to accept him, give this book a chance. You'll find one of the best written histories of Trek you'll ever come across. ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM WATCHING STAR TREK ----------------------------------------------------------- by David Marinaccio, Reviewed by Colin Gunn ------------------------------------------- Firstly I must apologise to Titan for the "strong" remarks that I start this review with. But this book IS A JOKE. I can fully see Titan's point of view, wanting to print as many Trek related books as they can now that their license to the novels is over, but books like this should never see print and Titan would be wise to give them a miss. They can only harm Titan's reputataion for printing Trek books. The author claims that all the major decisions in his life can easily be attributed to things seen in Trek and he attempts to prove this in this book. I for one couldn't care less if the author thinks Skiing is an enjoyable pastime (can you name me an episode where it could be possibly assumed that skiing is so cool). He also does not seem to have a very good knowledge of the show he claims to be so important to his life. An example would be that Kirk does not wish to settle down and be married. So the author goes on to say that he's 40, single and the reason he isn't married is because of his family. Now he says that he can not use any examples from Trek because no one in Trek has been married apart from one, Spock. Excuse me. But Spock did not get married. He had to go through the ceremony of koon-ut- kal-if-fee. At the end of this he refuses to marry T'Pring. Also I can name two of the main characters that HAVE been married. Kirk was wed to Miramanee in the episode "The Paradise Syndrome", and McCoy has been married at least twice. Twice you may say. Yes. His first wife being Jocelyn before his tenure on board the Enterprise, and during his commisson on board, in the episode "For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky" he married Natira. So for a programme thats so "important" to him, even his basic knowledge of Trek is flawed. Do you begin to get my drift? This book is not about Trek but about the author, who has decided to get on the band wagon, stick Star Trek on the cover of his book and throw in numorous references to the show. He also uses the book to air his political views, a thing that Trek has never used. In closing I would suggest that the casual Trek fan should stay clear of this rather over priced (£5.99) book. And to those fans (or anyone for that matter) who would like a real good laugh, then you would proberly enjoy this. You certainly can't take it as a serious attempt to enter the world of written Trek.