Invasion Book 2: The Soldiers of Fear
Invasion Book 3: Time's Enemy
Invasion Book 4: The Final Fury
Voices (Babylon #1)
The Way of the Warrior
Mosaic
The Sparrow
I Jedi
Brundage Station, "the armpit of the galaxy." The Furies return
after a century of peace. The Federation sends Picard and crew out
to the front line to contain the invasion and to prevent an armada
from coming through the breech known as Furies Point. This time
around the Furies use their greatest weapon, fear, and the old adage
applies, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself." The details are
much gorier than in Book 1, but this book seems to rest on the fear
and horror it creates. The characterizations were not accurate,
hitting wide of the mark. why was this book even written?
Obviously, to make more money. However, a Ferengi source on our ship
suggests there is one tidbit of information in this book that is
vital to the rest of the Invasion Saga. Our source also relays that
Invasion Book 3, Time's Enemy, by L.A. Graf, is fantastic. Stay
tuned...
(Warp Factor 3)
L.A. Graf's novels are roller coaster rides of adventure that keep
going and going... Wow! This is one of the best time travel stories
I've read so far. The author(s) know these characters inside out.
Characterizations, adventure, story, all were excellent. We get a
slight reprieve from the awfulness of the Furies, only to be hit by
viroids. The depth of the story was what attracted me. I won't say
more, because giving away any of the story would be a dirty, nasty
old Romulan ploy and after all, I'm a clean, nice old Romulan. Get
cozy and devour Time's Enemy from cover to cover. Then time warp and
read it again... and again... and again. A piece of Kira Nerys' wit
- Bashir's idea of rough childhood was hhaving to pay for his own
tennis lessons. Ouch! Enjoy!
(Warp Factor 9)
The fourth and final novel in the fury invasion saga was not a
disappointment and was certainly an exciting read for an October
vacation. I only wish the weekly t.v. series was this good!
Janeway's castaways encounter a Starfleet shuttle craft distress
signal in the Delta Quadrant. On their way to check out the signal,
the crew is puzzled by a sun that appears to be rigged to produce
high tech energy waves. (Please excuse this 20th century Terran.
Technobabble R'nt Us!) Next there is an armored moon orbiting a
planet filled with strangely frightening beings. Janeway, Tuvok and
Neelix form an away team to visit Hell. In other novels, the
Enterprise crew and DS9 teams are very educated and know immediately
that they're in BIG Trouble. Initially, Janeway and Tuvok are
clueless as to what they have beamed into. Duh? Did Janeway and
Tuvok forget to take Starfleet: Furies 101? Oh, well, nit-picking aside,
the action was great. Voyager fights like a wildcat and brilliant
maneuvers abound. Neelix becomes the character who, as the outsider,
can immediately tune into what should be obvious flaws in Starfleet
procedure; i.e., why doesn't Starfleet outfit it's member with backup
communicators in case of theft or loss on missions. Janeway notes
and logs that one with good grace. toward the end, Janeway does go
low tech nuts and bolts by having her crew actually stand by the
portholes to use their own eyes as sensors when the ship's computer
sensors are kaflooie. I heard a work colleague criticize Janeway as
not being a "real" starship captain. Let me tell you, I think
Janeway is fantastic and can be even better when talented writes are
allowed to really explore her character. Perhaps this has been
accomplished with the recently published hardcover novel, Mosaic, by
Jeri Taylor. A bonus is an addendum of short essays by the authors
of each of the invasion novels.
(Warp Factor 7)
Of the four invasion novels, I rate: #1-First Strike (TOS),
#2-Time's Enemy (DS9), #3-The Final Fury (Voy.) & #4-The Soldiers of
Fear (TNG).
It is the dawn of the third age of mankind. The year is 1996. the
place is the Paperback Book Exchange. I've finally found some used
B5 books at my favorite haunt on Eastway and Central in Charlotte,
and it was worth the wait. John Vornholt is a name you may recognize
from Pocket books Trek noveldom. He does a great job with B5. The
characterizations are excellent. The mood and action suit the B5
universe. Someone doesnĖt want Mars to hold a Telepath convention
and informs Mr. Bester of this via a big "BOOM." (You have to
envision The Ivanova saying the "BOOM." She does have a way with
words!) So B5 becomes the host of the Telecon via Talia WintersĖ
assistance. Telepaths arenĖt well liked in the third age of mankind,
but Captain Sheridan decides to accommodate Bester in the interests
of rescuing B5 from frontier backwater to a legitimate commercial
center. The plus is that if B5 could become more economically
self-sustaining, it would require less funding and control from
Earth. Ivanova and Garibaldi arenĖt happy with all the headaches the
convention will cause, but follow orders. In addition, the formerly
very irregular Mr. Garibaldi is trying to keep this job as chief of
security for more than his usual year in one place. All of the
ambassadors and aliens are present and add to the color and drama of
home sweet B5. Add about 400 Psi Corp and Psi Cops and you have a
recipe for disaster. Talia Winters is branded a rogue telepath and
flees for her life. Bester is at his dastardly best. There is
plenty of action, including a trip to 23rd century Earth and Mars.
Can Vornholt write sci-fi other than Trek? You bet! Sorry, no Warp
Factors in the B5 universe...
(Ka-Boom Level: 9)
Although this book dates from October 1995, I am just now catching up
with some of the DS9 and Classic Trek books by the way of the
Paperback Book Exchange in Charlotte. Truthfully, I hesitated to
read this one since itšs a Klingon story and itšs based on a DS9
episode I have already seen. I prefer something fresh and new.
Fortunately, as the Prophets would have it, I followed a still small
voice, actually a demanding Klingon voice that sounded a bit like Mr.
Worf. ... "READ This! Immediately!!"
This book is a jewel. Absolutely! The story as a t.v. episode was
exciting anyway, but add Star Trek veteran writer Diane Carey and you
get an irresistible, riveting story. Carey can reach into the heart
of Star Trek. Sh combines exciting adventure with in-depth character
portrayals and great technical writing (bridge scenes, battles,
ships). I propose that Carey rewrite the Voyager t.v. episodes and
start ASAP!
In The Way of the Warrior, Lt. Cmdr. Worf is assigned to DS9 at a
critical juncture: the Klingons are in fear of the Dominionšs
insidious, silent permeation of the Alpha Quadrant. They strike out
at Cardassia and eventually the Federation. Carey adds meat tot he
bones of the original t.v. script. An unforgettable scene is that of
Capatin Cassidy Yeates fighting off a Klingon attache with her
freighter crew. It's pure Kirkian strategy. WOW!!
Don't miss this one. Better yet, reread it. Also look out for an
upcoming Carey hardback Classic Trek novel to be published this fall
called "Ship of the Line!"
Jeri Taylor, the co-creator and executive producer of Star Trek:
Voyager, gives us some important pieces in Captain Janeway's life
that have made her into the individual and Starfleet captain that she
is. Voyager's captain is caught in a classic command situation. Lt.
Tuvok and the away team are caught on a planet while a Kazon sect
splits it's attack between the "Federations" on the ground and in the
sky. Captain Janeway must fend off the assaults on Voyager, while
working out a strategy for rescuing her crew below. Not for once
does she consider abandoning them although she has lost communication
with them and has no idea whether they are dead or alive. Enter
another factor. The dead planet attacks Kazon and Starfleet alike in
its own peculiar and fascinating way. Jeri Taylor weaves throughout
these story lines a repetitive dream that pesters Janeway. There is
a house with an unopened door to a room that she must get into to
clean out but she just can't seem to open it. Taylor skillfully
allows Janeway to reflect on key memories from childhood through her
first captaincy with Ensign Tuvok, that "imperious and condescending"
Vulcan, as her tactical officer. It becomes clear that there is some
element in Janeway's past that she is hiding from. At the peak of
danger, Janeway is forced to confront that closed door and take
charge of her fear in order to rescue her crew and away team.
Taylor's book holds some surprises and the action and
characterizations are superb. Initially, I was surprised that I
didn't immediately warm to Janeway's story. But then, Janeway can be
distant at first. Once you get to know her, she may open up and
allow you access to her full personality. That's very much the way
this book seemed. Once past the initial phase, the book pulls you
into the mosaic. I suspect Taylor is writing about her alter-ego. I
know she is writing about each of us. In the final paragraphs she
writes about the "constantly unfolding design which has been growing,
square by square since she was a baby, and which was becoming more
intricate with each passing year... her mosaic was multi-hued,
many-textured, and infinitely complex..."
Warp Factor: 8
In 2019 a SETI observer in Arecebo discovers a contact message from
the Alpha Centauri System. Surprisingly this is not a mathematically
coded message, rather it is a sung message. Before any government can
even begin to agree to a mission to Alpha Centauri, much less raise
the money necessary, the Jesuits put together a team of eight members
of various disciplines and skills and set out on a first contact
voyage. When the scientific mission ends tragically, the crew's
linguist, Father Emilio Sandoz, is the only survivor. Shattered
mentally and physically, Father Sandoz is put through a grueling
investigation and is accused of horrible crimes.
The novel is quite well written and the prose is beautiful. Each of
the characters become real and the first contact with the
extraterrestrial civilization is exciting. There is tremendous depth
to the story. The author moves backwards and forwards through time
with great effect so that the explosive ending puts you through an
emotional wringer. There is humor and pain. The tale is magnificent
and heartbreaking. Although we are told at the beginning that there
is a tragic ending, the adventure is in unraveling the full story.
Facts are facts, yet they can be interpreted in many ways.
Technically, this is fiction minus the "sci." After reading this
novel, you can better understand Starfleet's logic and its bullheaded
enforcement of the Prime Directive.
Enjoy this unusual novel and look for the sequel "The Children of God."
Warp Factor: 10
Can there be a successful Star Wars book without Luke Skywalker,
Princess Leia, or Han Solo? Be sure to check this hardback Star Wars
novel out before reaching a hasty decision.
Corran Horn, a former Corellian security officer and Rogue Squadron
pilot is motivated to join Luke Skywalker's new Jedi Academy as a
result of his wife's possible kidnapping by pirates who are plaguing
the New Republic. Horn eventually becomes impatient with the long
painstaking Jedi Period and ventures out to continue the search for
his wife. He goes undercover in an attempt to infiltrate the pirates,
insinuating himself into an association with a former and exotically
powerful Empire Moff.
Horn combines the charm and dry wit of his compatriot Corellian Han
Solo with a cavalier bravado. Could this be a prerequisite for
surviving life on Corellia? In the process of blending his "mundane"
self with his Jedi inheritance, an ancient heritage extending back
tens of thousands of years, Horn matures into a deeper acceptance of
self and others. He learns the true meaning of being a Jedi of honor,
and of good/evil and the light side/dark side of the Force. There are
two watershed insights for Horn in Chapter 41 (good & evil) and
Chapter 42 (the essence of being a Jedi).
Horn's story at times is written in a style similar to the two
"invisible" techs on a Babylon 5 episode giving us the everyman's
view of the Rebellion and its heroes. Yet, Horn is a hero in is own
right. The author packs the book with Forceful adventure and action
as well as deep insights into philosophical issues and character.
Warp Factor: 8
Invasion Book
2: The Soldiers of Fear, by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine
Kathryn Rusch. (STTNG) Pocket Books, July 1996
Invasion Book
3: Time's Enemy, by L.A. Graf. (STDS9) Pocket Books c1996
L.A. Graf (pseudonym of Julie Karen Rose and Ecklar Cercone)
Invasion Book
4: The Final Fury, by Dafydd ab Hugh. (ST:VOY) Pocket Books,
c1996.
Voices
(Babylon #1), by John Vornholt .
Dell, March 1995.
The Way of
the Warrior,
by Diane Carey,
Pocket Books, October 1995
(based on The Way of the Warrior written by Ira Steven Behr and
Robert Hewitt Wolfe)Mosaic,(ST:Voyager-hardcover)
by Jeri Taylor,
Pocket Books, October 1996The Sparrow,
By Mary Doria Russell
Villiard, c. 1996.
Star Wars: I Jedi,
By Michael A. Stackpole
Bantam (1998).
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