TF01 3,Borg Book Reviews 4, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - VENDETTA by Peter David ---------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- Plot synopsis: Whilst assimilating life on Penzatti, the Borg are interrupted and destroyed by a vessel of such magnitude that it needs to consume planets for fuel. Dispatched to find out who wields such power, the Enterprise meet up with some old friends and an enemy they had originally thought stopped... Reviewer's comments: The word `tapestry' springs to mind whenever I read this. Peter David has managed to combine so much into this story and has made it work quite well. There are Picard's Academy days, in which events from the classic Trek episode "The Doomsday Machine" are mentioned and from which, Peter David has drawn a story from. He has also drawn reference from another classic Trek episode "The Tholian Web" as well as some Next Generation episodes such as "Evolution", "Remember Me" and, this being a Borg story, "Best Of Both Worlds". I also like the way the author explains how the Borg would scoop up colonies and the fact that a Borg ship, because it is so large being the size of a small moon, affects the tidal movements of the oceans. It is nice to see what might have happened to Kate Pulaski after she left the Enterprise, and also Commander Shelby, although being the Federation's foremost expert on the Borg, it would have been a crime not to mention her. Only a couple of items niggled me. These were mainly that this story seemed to be one made up of "what if" which is all well and good but it doesn't look as though Peter David has constructed an original story, which he can do quite well as demonstrated by his earlier works such as "Strike Zone", "A Rock and a Hard Place" and "The Rift". The other was the sub plot i.e. the relationship between Geordi and Reannon Bonaventure. This could have been done at lot better, I feel. We were introduced to quite a fiery woman thanks to the holodeck and a psych profile, she eventually showed some spark of life and at the end of the book she commits suicide! Now, I don't know much about human psychology, but I would have thought that some basic character traits would have shown through, such as a will to survive, which is essential to anyone of her previous occupation. The only other thing was that Captain Korsmo fired on the Enterprise when she started to assist Delcara (the pilot of the Doomsday Machine mk. II). The fact that the Borg have shown their disregard for all way of life apart for their own, and Korsmo still thinks he can ally with them to destroy Delcara's ship and remain allies afterwards?! Fortunately Peter David wrote a `sort of' way out. One final item left to mention - it is interesting to note that it is mention on the inside front cover, that the plot and background details vary from Gene Roddenberry's universe of Star Trek. On the whole a good read, but at £4.99, you would be better off borrowing it from the library. I give it 6/10. Reviewed by Alex Kerr --------------------- As might be expected, combining the talents of a veteran Star Trek novel writer with the potential of a Giant Novel leads to a book dealing with a giant Star Trek issue. It is therefore unsuprising to discover that this book is about the Borg. Following their leading role in "The Best Of Both Worlds", the Borg have returned. Once again they are reaching out through space to convert the rest of the universe to the "Way of the Borg". They strike first at the homeworld of the Penzatti race, who, like most other races, are simply going about their business as usual. Suddenly and without warning the Borg arrive and decimate the planet. Nothing is wasted. Everything is to be consumed. Until, suddenly and without warning, someone with a vendetta arrives. The person with the vendetta is unlike the Borg. She and the ship that carries her have emotion, have beauty, have a soul. Like the Borg, however, her voice is the voice of many, and like the Borg she has only one purpose. The Borg ship quickly ceases to exist. Unfortunately by this time, so do the Penzatti. As the back cover blurb states, Delcara is the person with the vendetta - "the lone survivor of an alien race the Borg obliterated". She's on a single minded mission to destroy the Borg, and the Enterprise becomes involved when she enters Federation space. The problem is, you see, that to power her Borg-destroying ship it must dismantle and consume entire planets. And along the path towards Borg space a good few of these planets happen to be inhabited (the home world of the Tholians for example). On one hand, the Federation is amazed to encounter a ship powerful enough to destroy the Borg, while on the other they have a duty to stop the ship (known as the planet- killer) from killing planets along the way. Like other novels, the plot focuses on several key characters and themes, but in this giant novel you get a stronger sense of purpose and a stronger portrayal of the characters that drives the story forward with more momentum. This is partly because one of the key players in the story, the Borg race, are such a threat in the Star Trek universe. It is also because of the author, Peter David. Characters are described accurately and the story has good depth, although a note on one the first pages of the book reminds you that it varies in some respects from the Star Trek universe as created by Gene Roddenberry. Vendetta is a Star Trek novel to be reckoned with. It equals (but does not surpass) Metamorphosis' status as probably the best ST:TNG book you can buy. If you have any interest in reading, rather than just watching, Star Trek: The Next Generation, then you could do a lot worse than to purchase it now. (9/10) STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE COMIC - ISSUE 6 -------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Simon Plumbe -------------------------- This issue in Malibu's ongoing series of DS9 comics was something of a rarity. Instead of one story, or an instalment of a multi-issue story, Issue 6 saw no less than 3 short stories within the space of a 36 page comic-book. Out of those three, the one we're interested in is the third and final story, "Program 359". Sisko has been acting strangely for a couple of days on DS9, until one day when Dax and Bashir see him walking out of one of Quark's holosuites looking suitably relaxed and back to his usual self. Bashir and Dax are curious and using a medical override they enter the holosuite and discover that Sisko had been running a program simulating the battle of Wolf 359 and various outcomes of the battle if he had acted differently. A superbly crafted story by Colin Clayton and Chris Dows with stunning artwork from Rob Davis and Terry Pallot. The story explores Siskos realisation that nothing he could have done at Wolf 359 would have defeated the Borg and prevented his wife's death. Understanding this, Sisko was able to come to terms with the loss of his wife more. A wonderful character story, just what Star Trek is all about. The other two stories focus on Jake and Nog (on a school trip where they and Keiko are stuck in a runabout drifting in space with an unconscious Dax and Sisko on board) and the other dealing with Bashir and Quark trying to find a thief on board DS9 while Odo is off the station. Nothing spectacular, but overall it makes a good collection of short stories and is well worth the cover price.