Survivors (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 4)
Jean Lorrah
An interesting story, but there is such a big back story that it doesn't feel like anything is really happening until halfway through the book. I skip the first chapter altogether describing Tasha's awful childhood experiences, mainly because there is a death of a feline involved. (I'm particularly sensitive about cats.) Yet another book attributing too many emotions to Data, but again useful to the story. There are very few passages that even mention the rest of the crew; this entire book involves Tasha Yar and Data.
A few quotes worth remembering:
She had no scars, no squint, no frown lines to detract from her acceptability, nor did she appear to be of that age after which, for reasons Data could not fathom, human men determined that women be accorded intellectual respect rather than physical admiration.
"Survivors are considered fortunate, Data - and the irony is that those who envy us our longevity either do not live long enough to know the cruel fate in store for us... or else they live to share it." - Warlord Rikan
From the back cover:
Treva is an isolated human colony on the fringes of known space on the verge of becoming a true interstellar community, a full fledged member of the Federation. But now the U.S.S. Enterprise has received a distress signal for Treva is in the throes of a violent revolution, a revolution led by a merciless warlord who has committed countless atrocities in the name of freedom.
Data and Lt. Tasha Yar are dispatched to investigate. Once they reach Treva, they discover the truth, and any possible solution may be far more complex than a simple rebellion. Treva's president wants more then Starfleet's good words in her fight against the rebels, she wants their weapons technology.
Tags: books, Data, ST: TNG, Star Trek, The Next Generation, Yar
No Comments »
The Peacekeepers (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 2)
Gene DeWeese
The Enterprise encounters a derelict craft in the middle of nowhere... and things go downhill from there. The story keeps you interested, but it literally takes you two-thirds of the book to finally get a clue what is really going on. Then the story sort of spirals into strange areas, new ideas, and new characters to finally end the book. The main focus of the story is on Geordi and Data, although the others are represented. All of the main TNG characters are well-written, with the exception of Captain Picard constantly interrupting everyone. I can accept the occasional cutoff of Data's tendency to be long-winded, but I think he interrupts every member of the bridge crew! I gave it three stars, because although the author has given some interesting insight into a few main characters, the story just feels like it lacks focus, and I'm not terribly interested in picking it up again.
Tags: books, Data, Gene DeWeese, Geordi, Picard, ST: TNG, Star Trek, The Next Generation
No Comments »
Ghost Ship (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 1)
Diane Carey
A lot of this book was frustrating to me. Riker is way too wimpy, and Data too emotional, although I can see how both of these points were important to make the story work. Picard tends towards angry outbursts, and Geordi swears too much. None of these seem congruous to the characters in the actual series, but even in the television show it took a while for the characters to develop a real depth and personality to them. There are some very pretty metaphors (I love Lt. Yar's hair being described as a "lemon cuff") although some passages seemed to sound good but not make any sense. There is a fascinating section describing an isolation chamber experience, as well as a few very memorable quotes:
Dr. Crusher: "When we cured pneumonia and TB, we altered evolution forever. Countless millions who were weak and meant to die simply didn't anymore. When glasses were invented, all the millions of nearsighted people who would've been functionally blind in an earlier century suddenly were completely normal. They not only lived, but prospered, mated, had more nearsighted children. Mankind's been circumventing natural selection for so long that it's become immoral not to."
Worf: "This thing is a coward and a bully. There is no honor in fighting it."
Riker: "You wouldn't feel obliged to fight it if you could find a way to escape it?"
Worf: "No more than I would feel obliged to fight a thunderstorm, sir."
Captain Picard to Wesley Crusher: "Your ability exceeds your wisdom, young man. You'll eventually learn the unforgiving lesson that the people around you are worth more in their experience than you are in your gifts, and you shall, like everyone else, have to wait your turn. Now mind your place, close your mouth, and follow me to engineering, where you will put your gift to use and let others do the same."
I'd have to give this book three stars. Despite the characters being a little bit out of kilter, the writing style is very creative and easy to read, and the story quite interesting.
Tags: books, Diane Carey, Dr. Crusher, Geordi, Picard, Riker, ST: TNG, Star Trek, The Next Generation, Worf, Yar
No Comments »
