Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Force and Motion by Jeffrey Lang

Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine:

Force and Motion

by Jeffrey Lang

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

Pocket Books June 2016

ISBN:  9781501110733

This is a stand alone Deep Space Nine Novel focusing on O'Brien and Nog as they go on a 'vacation' to a research station where they meet up with the former Captain Ben Maxwell.  To be honest, Ben Maxwell is not one of those minor Star Trek characters that many people seem to be interested in.  Having appeared in only one episode of Star Trek:  The Next Generation, there is not a lot about this character other than he was doing something wrong by prematurely attacking the Cardassians.  The end of the episode implied he was going to jail 'forever' and we saw nothing of him again.  It was a nice and creative touch to add him into this book.  Ben takes on more dimensions as a result and we get to see some possible scenarios from Ben and O'Brien's past.

The story is fast paced and a fun read.  (I read this while on vacation at the beach with my family.)  Being a stand alone, it's a good book to pick up anytime and enjoy and potentially re-read.

A recommended read for all Star Trek Novel fans and a good one for anyone not a regular reader of the novels.

4 out of 5 stars

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Doctor Who: Human Nature by Paul Cornell

Doctor Who:

Human Nature

by Paul Cornell

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

BBC Books 2015 Edition

ISBN:  9781849909099

This is a story that a decade or so later went from a seventh doctor novel to a tenth doctor two part episode of the revival series starting with 'Family of Blood.'  The story went through some reworks and the author's introduction in this edition of the novel highlights some of those.

The story is a bit mature, with some references that are not always found in Doctor Who.  I had read a while back that the latter seventh doctor novels got a bit edgier.  This one qualifies.  It was surprisingly violent with the main villains being willing to eat various people and at one point having eaten a part of the Doctor's thumb.

This novel contains the novel only companion 'Bernice Summerfield' who eventually spins off to her own series of novels.  Having only read this one novel with her in it, I am not sure yet how I feel although she reminds me a lot of Martha, the tenth Doctor's second companion, although without the love interest piece.

A fast read as the novel does keep moving despite there being some love scenes.  Also some humor injected as well, but overall a pretty dark tale.  The ending was a bit rough, with a woman the Doctor is in love with finding out that the Doctor, who was human and hiding from the family of blood, having to terminate an engagement.  We are left questioning the Doctor and can he love? Interesting read for Doctor Who fans, especially those who enjoy exploring aspects of the Doctor's character we normally do not see.

Four out of Five Stars

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Doctor Who: Amorality Tale by David Bishop

Doctor Who:

Amorality Tale

by David Bishop

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

BBC Books 2015 Edition

ISBN:  9781849909044

This novel, starring the 3rd Doctor, is a great outing for Doctor Who.  The story is focused on the final time of the 3rd Doctor as he is soon to regenerate.  The story is a time travel based story but not the kind that you have to work hard at.  It starts with the the Doctor already in the past, as a photograph he came across in the future of him in the past lead him there.  The characters are well written and the 3rd Doctor is portrayed very true to the actor's portrayal in the series.  The secondary and guest starring characters are multi-dimensional and contain various twists as well.  I was glad to see the story also be tied into the original historical events of the time, and based upon the author's note at the end, also based in actual historical locations.  Well done and well researched.  If you are a fan of the classic Doctor Who series, particularly the 3rd Doctor and / or Sarah Jane Smith, you will enjoy this story.

Four out of Five Stars

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Star Trek: The Original Series: Elusive Salvation by Dayton Ward

Star Trek The Original Series:

Elusive Salvation

by Dayton Ward

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

Pocket Books May 2016

ISBN:  9781501111297

This novel takes place during one of my preferences of the Star Trek mythology:  prior to Star Trek II:  The Wrath of Kahn but after the time of the original series.  The refit Enterprise is by far the best Enterprise in my opinion and that time period is very unexplored time in both the characters development and the Star Trek mythology as a whole.

The story portrays an Admiral Kirk, who despite what we see in the first and second movies, is quite well adjusted and enjoying his time as an Admiral.  His crew and friends are close and he is still able to take command of the Enterprise when he wants to go out on missions.  While this is not quite fitting into the character as we know him, seeing Admiral Kirk this way was fantastic and refreshing.

The book bounces back in time and back again.  (Extra spoiler alert) A couple of things stood out, one being the very ending where Roberta Lincoln detects Kirk and crew arriving in San Francisco of 1986.  After reading this short segment, I am just not sure why we didn't see Gary Seven in Star Trek IV.  I'm also confused as to why Gary and Roberta didn't try to prevent the whales from dying off and endangering the future of Earth when that was their mission from the Aegis.  So yes, I'm kind of shooting a small but important plot hole in the fourth movie.  Thanks to the author for this.  The second was that we have an aliens and alien tech on Earth, and like the echos of the the Eugenics War novels, current events were utilized to play into the Star Trek universe.

Very creative and a fun fast past story set in the timeline of the mythology many fans want to see more of.  A good read for pre-summer.

Rating 4 out of 5 Stars

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Star Trek Enterprise: Live by the Code by Christopher L. Bennett

Star Trek Enterprise:

Live by the Code

by Christopher L. Bennett

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

Pocket Books April 2016

ISBN:  9781476779133

This is the fourth installment of the 'Rise of the Federation' series.  It takes place very much past the tv show of Star Trek Enterprise in the time where the Federation is just a new idea.  The story continues to grow on the reader a bit; however, in this installment the book itself is a tough read.  The story seems a bit more loose, with several threads being loosely tied together in the end.  At the conclusion of the book, it seems that there may be a setup for the Ware to come back yet it is unclear if that could actually happen.

At this point in the fourth book of this series, it is troublesome to be reading a book about the show in which the 'first' starship Enterprise helps found the Federation.  The troublesome part is that there is no actual Starship Enterprise.

The second most troublesome point is that the character of Trip is, off the record, not dead and everyone knows about it and so it is a nice big comfortable thing.  Yet, no one actually knows.  It feels alot like the Superman / Clark Kent moment where Lois and Jimmy know but nobody else that Clark is actually Superman.  This is getting annoying and now with the ending suggesting that Trip is going to take on Section 31, it appears that the next book may focus on this annoying plot point.

A final troublesome point is the Kirk ancestor character.  Sigh.  Another sigh.  Another big sigh.  Not a good idea as we find ourselves pining for the original Star Trek every time the name Kirk floats across the page.

A strength of the novel is that it is fast paced and a bit more full of action.  If you are a die hard Star Trek fan, particularly in the Enterprise realm, this is a good read for you.  This could be a pass if you are not so much into Star Trek Enterprise.

2 out of 5 stars.

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Doctor Who: Heroes and Monsters Collection

Doctor Who:

Heroes and Monsters Collection

by Various

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

BBC Books September 2015

ISBN:  9781405922685

This book is a collection of short stories that were originally printed in such venues as the "Doctor Who Magazine" over the past ten years.  It features all of the doctors, except the 9th, from the past 10 years of the series.  It also features the companions and villains as well.  Each story is a very short read and the entire book, despite seemingly being over 300 pages, can be read very quickly as a result.  Many of the stories are really very good, and focus in on some quick adventure that a doctor, a companion and the occasional monster might have in the Doctor Who universe.  The stories themselves do not contain much character development, nor do they contain any sort of earth shattering reveal of any character, which is to be expected in this format.  They are all very well written and it is easy to enjoy them as despite their short length and quick plot, they are easy to get into.  A book that can be reread easily for sure.

A definite read for the Doctor Who fan, casual sci fi fan or short story fan.

4 out of 5 stars.

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"Doctor Who: Legends of Ashildr"

Doctor Who:

The Legends of Ashildr

by Justin Richards, James Goss, Jenny T. Colgan & David Llewellyn

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

BBC Books December 2015

ISBN:  9781785940576

Four short stories make up this book about the newly introduced character of Ashildr.  In reading this book, it is clear that all four authors seem to have a good grasp of Ashildr as a character.  The stories have a tragic and dark twist to them and almost always end up having a sci-fi twist.  It was good to see that not all characters in the Doctor Who mythology are as brave, honest and willing to defend earth like our favorite (current 13) character of the Doctor does.  Ashildr may be immortal because of what the Doctor did to save her; however, she is lacking the resources and wisdom that our Doctor has.  If these stories are cannon, it does describe the seemingly dark descent that Ashildr takes in the latter half of season 9 of Doctor Who.  She had some bad things repeatedly happen to her, and unlike the Doctor, she wasn't really prepped in anyway nor has the resources to equip herself.  The third story in the book is very dark and sad, so read it knowing some very bad things come from that.

The introduction to this book indicates that this is four stories from the beginning of Ashildr's life so it is possible we may see a second volume, and perhaps, more.  If the stories are of quality as these seem to be then this would be a great addition to the Doctor Who literary library.

4 out of 5 stars

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Star Trek: Miasma

Star Trek:

Miasma

by Greg Cox

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

Pocket Books  February 2016

ISBN:  n/a

This is an ebook and as the author notes in his afterword, his first.  Sadly, not his best work.  (I am a fan of his novels for Star Trek.)  This book was basically a remix of the original series episode 'The Galileo Seven' in which Spock and shuttlecraft, along with some junior officers, crash on a planet and have to survive.  It feels like an episode as the book is only about 95 pages, including the afterword and publisher pages.  The plot has alien leeches picking off the crew one at a time.  We even get an echo of the burial scene redone with Spock more willing to have it, unlike in the original series episode.  The rescue of the crew was done with Vulcan mental arts and was seemingly a cheat.

A quick read if you need to read something while waiting at the doctor's office or on a short flight home (as I was) but not something recommended unless you are a serious Star Trek reader.  A nice try but really only a short story.

2 out of 5 stars

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Doctor Who: The Sands of Time

Doctor Who:

The Sands of Time

by Justin Richards

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

Pocket Books  March 2014 (The Monster Collection Edition)

ISBN:  1849907676

If you are in the mood for timey wimey stuff this book is all about time and moving in time.  A good read for anyone interested in the history of ancient Egypt and want a sci fi twist to it.  Unfortunately, a hard one to sometimes follow as the shifts in time and space occur and their are some interludes after each chapter that don't appear to be directly related to the events in the previous chapter.  Another unfortunate piece is that the aliens were the Egyptian gods plot has been seen and done alot.  An example is the 'Stargate' franchise.

The use of the 5th Doctor was a good choice as the story does involve pseudo-science along with Egyptian mythology.  That doctor is known for some more science related stories.  The ending is a bit tricky, and while can be seemingly clever still felt a little anti-climactic.

An okay read unless you are Doctor Who novel fan.  Then read it for the enjoyment of seeing the 5th Doctor do his thing.  The character of the 5th Doctor was done pretty well so fans of him will be pleased.  It can be skipped if you are looking for something more exciting.

2 out of 5 stars

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Star Trek: The Latter Fire

Star Trek:

The Latter Fire

by James Swallow

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

Pocket Books  March 2016

ISBN:  9781476783154

A fast paced adventure story that has a mystery element woven into it.  In reading this original series Star Trek trek outing, this novel appears to get the original feel of the crew quite well.  This voyage seems to be wrought with all of the interesting twists and turns that make it a good read:  a failing warp drive, the Veil around the planetary system, the prime directive and enormous powerful aliens that have Kirk and crew outgunned in most every way.  Very much like the original series.

Seeing the humor in the book from the diplomatic corps and how Kirk has a file (similar to his temporal investigators file) was a nice addition.  To know that Kirk may have made mistakes or even not always come across as the top guy was for once refreshing.  Sometimes having our heroes not as liked by other characters makes for good plot tension and this was well used.

The final nice touch that went well with this book was connecting the arrival of Arex and the departure of Chekov and how the two were connected.  This could almost be a prequel of sorts to the animated series with the way it was done.  Having Arex arrive as the 'new guy' made a small but welcoming refresh to our familiar heroes and ship.

A good outing for the crew and a recommended read for this year's 50th Anniversary for those looking for a stand alone adventure.

4 out of 5 stars

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Star Trek: A Pocket Full of Lies by Kirsten Beyer

Star Trek:

A Pocket Full of Lies

by Kirsten Beyer

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

Pocket Books  February 2016

ISBN:  9781476790848

This book is the sequel to the episode "Year of Hell" from the Star Trek: Voyager tv franchise.  Note to publisher, please stop doing sequels of episodes you think we like.  While they can be interesting, some of the Star Trek fans I know haven't seen the episode in such a long time that we have to sit and google things from the episode to help us remember.  Such as the Krenim and other species factored in here.  Also, fresh stories are better than turning the novel line into a bunch of sequels or add ons to episodes.

With that said, this is a good novel up to the about the last several pages.  There are some interesting plot twists and turns and this book seems to be much like a Voyager outing.  The story is a little more fast paced than the previous couple of books which was a nice bonus.  With the reintroduction of the Janeway character, we have the pushing aside of the Chakotay character as we always do in Voyager.  There is also a weird Tuvok interaction in this one with the Denzit character that doesn't seem to totally make some sense.

The end of the book - yeah Spoiler alert for the second time - when Nancy Conlon is saying she doesn't want the baby was very troublesome.  For one, she totally ignored Harry's contribution despite 'loving him' and despite that at the very least he is 50% responsible for the baby's genetics.  Honestly, this is the very hypocritical view in our society that is annoyingly reflected in this story.  The current perspective now being that Women need to take back, and retain, their personal power and freedom.  No disagreement there.  What is found to be disagreeable is that Harry's input isn't even considered? Not even in the 21st Century do we discount the father, and in fact, try to involve them in just about every level of decision making possible.  Men have been accused of taking women's rights away from them yet in this instance the opposite may be happening and somehow that is okay? I disagree and found it insulting as a man that Harry Kim would be written with such timidity and willingness to lose a child he hasn't even had a chance to know. What right does a woman have to deny a man fatherhood? Any more than a man has the right to deny a woman motherhood? In addition, I refuse to believe that not only have they evolved to a point of equal decision making when it comes to having a baby in the 24th century, but have they not also evolved to a point where unwanted babies are retained in some fashion? Do we not hear speeches from just about every hero or heroine in Star Trek about how ALL life is worth something and so on? Does Star Trek not represent the best of humanity that we will evolve socially into? So yet, here we are, having a story about a woman who doesn't want her baby and that she might get her way.  Wow.  It will be disappointing in the next book if the baby is terminated in the pregnancy because no one can convince me that we won't have a better solution for a child in that situation in the 24th Century.*

Rating:  3 out of 5 stars (I am willing to give this book the benefit of the doubt despite my personal commentary.)

*Please note, that I am willing to entertain disagreements on my views; however, outright disrespect towards me or any other member in this literary discussion will not be tolerated nor accepted and I will take appropriate action if I determine harassment is occurring.

Star Trek: Ascendance

Star Trek:

Ascendance

by David R. George III

***Some Reviews may Contain Spoilers***

Pocket Books January 2016

ISBN:  9781501103704

So finally the conclusion to the Ascendant storyline has arrived and the missing time of 5 years is being filled in as to what happened with our main characters.  The book begins strong with a space battle and a ton of action.  During the read, the book continues to operate as an A plot around the Ascendants and a B plot around the giant shape shifter found by Starfleet and investigated by Odo.

Overall, this book had a lot of potential; however, the timing is off.  It suffers from concluding stories that were begun so long ago, as in years, that it was at times a bit hard to follow.  This book also felt like it had "X-Files syndrome" where there were so many subplots and plots that needed tied up from many books ago that it almost became hard to follow.  Kudos to the author for taking this type of book on; however, it is a hard thing to really pull off as your storyline is forced and destined to go in a direction.

As a Star Trek Novel, it's not bad.  It has much of the Deep Space Nine elements with regard to the wormhole, the prophets / aliens and the culture of Bajor that is a staple of an outing in this sector of the Star Trek mythology.  If you are looking for the tie up to some of the ongoing storylines from the Star Trek Deep Space Nine novels, this is your book.  If you don't care so much about what is going on there, and filling in the missing 5 years, then move on to some of the other great novels that are scheduled for this year, 2016, the 50th anniversary of Star Trek.

Rating:  3 out of 5 stars