Star Trek: The Next Generation - Greater Than The Sum

Pocket Books

A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Written by Christopher L. Bennett

Copyright 2008 by CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.




In Greater than the Sum the Starship U.S.S. Rhea finds unusual life forms on a planet with the ability to mimic anything, when they are attacked by the Starship U.S.S. Einstein - which is now controlled by the Borg. As she is about to be assimilated by the Borg, Lt. T'Ryssa Chen, a half-Vulcan, is suddenly somehow sent two thousand light-years away.

With the Einstein cut off from the rest of the Borg, instaneous transportation - controlled by the new life forms - must be kept from the deadly Borg. Lt. Chen joins Captain Picard on the Enterprise as they search for a way to stop the Einstein.

Having T'Ryssa Chen being a half-Vulcan who embraces her human half appears a little odd to me. Actually I like the idea that the young Chen rebels against her Vulcan half, but it just makes her seem like another human and nothing really that special - except for the fact that she is half-Vulcan. Captain Picard takes Chen under his wing as a sort of protege. I look forward to Chen growing as a character in future books.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Wars - Coruscant Nights II - Street of Shadows

A Del Rey Books Mass Market Original

Writen by Michael Reaves

Copyright 2008 by Lucasfilm Ltd.



In Street of Shadows, is the second book in the Star Wars Coruscant Nights series written by Michael Reaves. Former Jedi Knight Jax Pavan is now a private investigator who is hired by a rich woman, along with Jax's supportive team of misfit associates, to help her search for the one who has killed her artist lover - while Darth Vader hires an aggressive bounty hunter to find Jax.

It seems that Jax is almost too settled into his role as a private investigator, and is not concerned at all about being discovered as a Jedi Knight - until the confrontation by the bounty hunter. The subplot of Senator Padme Amidala's former head of security, Captain Gregar Typho, driven to find out what had really happened to Padme when she was killed almost makes you want Typho to discover that it was really Anakin who had killed Amidala, and it seems a little unethical that Typho is using innocent Jax in order to kill Darth Vader in revenge.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek - Destiny Book I God of Night

Pocket Books

A Division of Simon & Suster, Inc.

Written by David Mack

Copyright 2008 by CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The first book of the Star Trek - Destiny trilogy, Gods of Night is the story of what happened to the old Earth starship Columbia after the discovery of it's wreckage way out in the Gamma Quadrant after the Columbia has been missing for 200 years.

While the U.S.S. Enterprise deals with the Borg and the U.S.S. Aventine searches for the secret of the Columbia's propulsion, we learn the story of how the Columbia wound up in the hands of the alien race Caeliar - and how and why half of the Columbia's crew mutinied against the leadership of Captain Erika Hernandez in order to return home.

Although it is believable that the MACO's would instigate the mutiny in Columbia, it is also hard to accept that they would go against their captain. It shows that the MACO's were never really a part of the Columbia's crew.


Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Orphan's Journey

Orbit

Hachette Book Group USA

Written by Robert Buettner

Copyright 2008

Orphan's Journey continues the story of soldier Jason Wandar, this time Wander is accidentally sent off on a journey by an alien slug ship to another planet that is controlled by the slugs. Now Jason must lead the humans on that planet against the slugs.

The third in the Orphan's Jason Wander series, Orphan's Journey deals with the guilt Jason has of being responsible for getting his godson into this mess - of first risking his godson of being the pilot for the slug ship, whose engine sends them all out into space, and then having Jason's godson be stranded with them on an alien planet in the middle of an alien civil war. Soon, the natives ask Jason to lead them on their bid for freedom.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Wars - The Clone Wars: Wild Space

A Del Rey Trade Paperback Original

Written by Karen Miller

Copyright 2008 by Lucasfilm Ltd.

In Wild Space written by Karen Miller, Senator Bail Organa from the planet Alderaan comes across intelligence about the rumored Dark Lords of the Sith and persuades Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to search for an aggressive Sith planet.

Wild Space gives you further insight into Bail Organa and Obi-Wan Kenobi. I could see Jimmy Smits continuing his portrayal as Bail Organa's character in this book. Organa and Kenobi grow to respect each other as they go through the heavy trials of surviving on a Sith planet. Although it seemed odd to me that the Dark side of the Force had no effect on Organa, but practically disabled Kenobi.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Grantville Gazette III

Baen Publishing Enterprises

Edited by Eric Flint

Copyright 2007

Grantville Gazette III, a magazine anthology set during the 1632 cross-time alternate universe, edited by Eric Flnt, is the third in the series of the Grantville Gazette magazine anthologies that contains both short fiction and non-fiction articles.

For the fiction in the book, the stories dealing with the ordinary 1632 characters were much more interesting than the stories dealing with the "uptime" characters, mostly because these ordinary characters have to deal with the ramifications of the uptime technology and ideas. The non-fiction articles are very informative as to how to integrate modern industrious technology with the 1632 technology.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Terminator Salvation - From the Ashes

Titan Books


Written by Timothy Zahn


Copyright 2009 T Asset Acquisition Company, LLC.


In From the Ashes, Judgement Day has just happened and John Connor and his Resistance group help protect a group of human survivors in Los Angeles from the aggressive robotic Terminators.

Half the book deals with the Marine responsible for security for the survivors in Los Angeles as well as dealing with a teen aged Kyle Reese - but Kyle never meets the famed John Connor in this prequel to the movie Terminator Salvation. Just like with the movie, this is not really a book about John Connor leading the resistance. This book is more about the resistance butting heads with a human survival group that just wants to be left alone.

See movie review:
Terminator - Salvation

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Marines

EOS An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers

Written by William H. Keith, Jr.

Copyright 2007

Star Marines, Book Three of The Legacy Trilogy is set at a time where Earth's leaders get ready to abandon the planet Earth - after Earth has been bombarded by asteroids from their ancient enemy alien race Xul. The Star Marines are sent across the galaxy to attack a Xul planet to prevent further attacks on their home.

In the second trilogy about the Space Marines, the stakes have grown in the Marines' battles. With the survival of Earth itself at stake - and various government leaders wanting to eliminate the military altogether to prevent the Xul from further destroying the planet - the Marines launch a desperate strike against a Xul controlled stargate to prevent the Xul from locating Earth again. The Expedition seems quite desperate as you realize how little resources the Earth can afford to send on this mission, but it is the dedication of the Marines that make you want to pull for the Marines. It is interesting to see how Marines from other worlds are being integrated into the Earth Marine traditions. I wanted to see more of that integration of Marines from other worlds, rather than the continuing adventures of the Garroway family. While the Garroway family had an important role in the first trilogy, and as much as I like the Garroways, there are other people in the Marines that could take on a leadership role in stories and I wanted to get more involved with the other Marines.

Pancho

All people smile in the same language.

Star Wars: Death Star

A Bantam Sprectra Book/Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Written by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry

Copyright 2007 by Lucasfilm Ltd.

Death Star by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry is about the construction of the Death Star project, just before the movie Star Wars: A New Hope. The book covers the heavy construction, logistics, personnel, resources, and politics that the movie would never have time to show about a moon-sized space station.

The book gives you more of an idea of how big and complicated the Death Star really is. The characters who inhabit the Death Star makes you realize that most of the people who were occupying and building the Death Star were just ordinary people, such as architects, librarians, and merchants caught up in the Empire's aggressive desire to build the space station - as well as prisoners and slaves that are used to build the Death Star. It could sometimes be difficult to match the pictures you have built up in your mind when reading about the Death Star - with the scenes of the movie when such scenes overlapped in the book. It is almost of a disappointment when most of the characters in the book - who are minor characters in the story - eventually meet and come together, considering the Death Star is the size of a moon. I wanted all of these characters just residing and working on various parts of this vast moon-sized station, and never having to meet each other - just as people who live and work in the same city have never met each other. Other than that, the book is pretty much satisfying about what the massive Death Star really was all about.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Stargate - SG-1 - The Cost of Honor

Fandemonium Books

Written by Sally Malcolm

Copyright 2007 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Stargate SG-1's The Cost of Honor is the sequel to A Matter of Honor, which is a sequel to one of the Stargate SG-1 TV episodes "A Matter of Time" where an SG team was stranded on a planet at the edge of a black hole. Because of Jack's deceptive practices to rescue the stranded SG team, Jack and his team of SG-1 are sent as prisoners to an alien world whose people the Earth government is trying to have diplomatic relations with.

With Jack feeling extreme guilt for leaving an SG team stranded for years at the event horizon of a black hole, the usually dependable Colonel Jack O'Neill pays a high price for going to the extremes of rescuing the stranded team - with Major Samantha Carter paying the highest price of this decision by being placed in an Ancient torture machine by the unscrupulous alien head of state. We feel Jack's pain, as well as Carter's, as Jack seems to lose everything that is dear to him.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Pyramid Power

Baen Publishing Enterprises

Written by Eric Flint & Dave Freer

Copyright 2007

Pyramid Power, the sequel to Pyramid Scheme, has the survivors of the pyramidal device, sent by aliens to take over the Earth, being forced by a Washington bureaucrat to reenter the pyramid's event horizon to search for another bureaucrat that was kidnapped by the pyramid. But instead of landing in the world of Greek Gods as they were previously in - the flexible crew of survivors now land in the world of Norse Gods, and must once again try to find their way back home.

This book is harder to read than the first book, as outside of the gods Odin, Thor, and Loki, there is very little about the rigorous Norse legends that I am familiar with - although the main characters of the book I have now become more familiar with than in the previous book. The political infighting is more interesting this time around as the various Washington groups aggressively fight each other for control of handling the alien pyramid.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek: The Lost Era - Well of Souls

Pocket Books, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.

Written by Ilsa J. Bick

Copyright 2003 by Paramount Pictures

Well of Souls is set during the little known time of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C. Little known Captain Rachel Garrett must deal with both her rogue First Officer Samir al-Halak as well as dealing with Garrett's estranged family as they all deal with searching for an archaeological find on an ancient Cardassian planet that Garrett's son found.

It is interesting to get to know a little bit more about the Enterprise's woman captain, Captain Rachel Garrett and the crew of the Enterprise C as I think the only reference to all of them is the TV episode "Yesterday's Enterprise." Garrett and the crew add to the history of the Enterprise. The most interesting part of the story is of the new First Officer al-Halak dealing with a dark family secret of his, as well as al-Halak's history with Starfleet Intelligence - and the tragic circumstances that happens with both. As a result of which, Captain Garett is closed minded toward her new First Officer al-Halak.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Lives of Dax

Pocket Books, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.

Edited by Marco Palmieri

Copyright 1999 by Paramount Pictures

In The Lives of Dax, this anthology of the Deep Space Nine character Dax tells the stories of all the hosts that the Trill symbiont Dax has lived in. With each host's story told by a different author, you get a sense of how different each host in Dax's life was - whether he was a man or a woman. Also, you get timeline of how Dax got involved with Starfleet. It is also curious to see how Dax, through his various hosts, was involved in some way with the other characters in the Star Trek universe and that the host was the dominant character in each incarnation instead of the symbiot Dax. With the framing story of Ezri Dax, you can see how insecure Ezri feels with being herself as compared to the achievement oriented previous hosts of Dax and how she deals with the memory of these hosts.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Tunnel in the Sky

Del Rey Books

Written by Robert A. Heinlein

Copyright 1955

In Robert Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky, high school student Rod Walker has a final examination in Advance Survival - and is sent to an uncivilized planet. Along with several other classmates, Rod and the others are stranded on the rigorous planet - when something goes wrong with their retrieval. Now these young people must pull together and adapt to the situation on this planet in order to survive.

This book reminds me of Lord of the Flies, as all the students pull together to form an industrious colony. With the planet now their home, several of the students make a play for leadership against Rod as he struggles to organize a safe community. This makes the play for leadership a little ugly.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek - New Frontier - Captain's Table: Once Burned

Pocket Books, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.

Written by Peter David

Copyright 1998 by Paramount Pictures

Once Burned, the fifth book of Star Trek's Captain's Table series is about Captain Mackenzie Calhoun of the Starship Excalibur. The Captain's Table is a bar for captains where the drink is paid with a story. This is where Captain Calhoun tells the story of his greatest tragedy, of how and why he got court-martialed and left Starfleet.

I initially felt Calhoun was too tame in the book. As he was younger than he normally is in the New Frontier series, I felt Calhoun should have been wilder and more undisciplined as a young Starfleet officer considering his childhood background. At least it seems that Calhoun should not be so collaborative with his other crew mates. The fact that Calhoun took charge toward the end does show the leader in him. I felt the ending was rather satisfying for the book considering the circumstances.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Dragon Harper

Del Rey Books

Written by Anne McCaffrey and Todd J. McCaffrey

Copyright 2007

In Dragon Harper, Harper apprentice Kindan has a forbidden love with a Lord Holder's daughter. After being banished for accidentally setting the records archive on fire - Kindan must deal with a planet wide plague and searches for a solution on how to stop it before the plague kills everyone on the planet Pern.

A continuation of the generation of dragon riders before the time of Lessa, this story of one of the most aggressive plagues of Pern's history is a pretty graphic depiction of a pandemic. It is very disconcerting as characters you have grown to appreciate in the book succumb to the pandemic flu. You relate to young Kindan as he rigorously struggles to take care of all the victims of the plague while he becomes known as the Healer. This is a wonderful writer's collaboration between Anne McCaffrey and her son Todd McCaffrey.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Future Weapons of War

Baen Publishing Enterprises

Edited by Joe Haldeman & Martin H. Greenberg

Copyright 2007

Future Weapons of War is an anthology of twelve stories by various authors about various future weapons. Some of these weapons have been anthropormorphosized, and have become characters of their own with the ability to think and react to the situation. Some of the stories are so futuristic that it was hard for me to totally get involved in the story before the story is over. Those stories that you can get involved with can be disturbing in the concepts behind the story and the ethics of how the weapon was used. This anthology reminds me of the anthology series There Will Be War by Jerry Pournelle which dealt with similar themes. Of course if there is war, there will be weapons. God help us all.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek - The Return

Pocket Books, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.

Written by William Shatner with Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Copyright 1996 by Paramount Pictures

Star Trek - The Return is about the return of James T. Kirk - back from the dead. Using Borg technology, the Romulans reanimate Kirk with one mission - to kill Jean-Luc Picard!

As a Borg story, the story is interesting. With Kirk searching aggressively after Picard, it seems like petty jealousy is rearing it's head with Kirk, even if you realize his obsession is the result of Borg programming. It does feel like Willima Shatner's voice is behind Kirk in this story and Picard's character feels just right. This is the first of William Shatner's Star Trek books.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek - Captain's Glory

Pocket Books, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.

Written by William Shatner with Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Copyright 2006

In Captain's Glory, an alien threat called "The Totality" tries to absorb all life in the Milky Way galaxy - including Captain Kirk's son. Because they have different agendas about The Totality, James T. Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard are on opposing sides about The Totality as Captain Kirk searches for his lost son.

With the alien woman leader Norinda of The Totality's driven interest to embrace Kirk to her with The Totality's love, it makes you wonder what love truly is and what it means - as The Totality's persuasive love makes one become part of The Totality, which The Totality did with the Andromeda galaxy. This is definitely a Kirk book, although Picard's personality is just as strong - especially when Kirk and Picard go up against each other in their own ships. Can Kirk really defeat the Enterprise?

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek: Titan - Sword of Damocles

Pocket Books, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.

Written by Geoffrey Thorne

Copyright 2007

In Sword of Damocles, the starship Titan is stranded in space by a planet that sent out a massive warp pulse that disabled the Titan's engines. The pulse is in response by the inhabitants to a celestial body that the inhabitants are in fear of. While sending a shuttlecraft down to the planet, another pulse sends some of the shuttlecraft's crew to the surface - and the rest of the crew into the planet's past.

With some of the crew stuck in the past, the issues of fate and predestination come into play with one of the Titan crew's religious beliefs. Religion is rarely dealt with in the Star Trek universe, unless the religion is part of an alien race. It is difficult to believe all the major religions of Earth have been disbanded in only a couple of centuries, which makes Starfleet and the Federation a little sterile, so the issues brought up by one of the Bajoran crew member adds more texture to the Star Trek universe.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek: Gateways - One Small Step

Pocket Books, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.

Written by Susan Wright

Copyright 2001

In One Small Step, after defeating a hostile computer on an ancient Kalandan outpost, Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise search the Kalandan outpost to discover the technology that hurled the Enterprise a thousand light years away - when a race of aliens arrive claiming to be the Kalandans and want their station back.

The first of a seven book series about the mysterious Gateways, this continuation of the television episode That Which Survives is believable only as a continuation. I often wondered what happens immediately after the episodes and this book fits the bill. However, the aliens claiming to be the Kalandans are difficult to believe as Kalandans because an incredible amount of time has elapsed since the outpost was lost and the aliens seems to have made little technological improvements made in the intervening time. At least, it should have been difficult for the crew of the Enterprise to believe, especially Spock and Scotty.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek: Academy - Collision Course

Pocket Books, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.

Written by William Shatner with Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Copyright 2007

In Collision Course, before they became heroes, troubled teens James T. Kirk, who is haunted by his tragic experiences on the planet Tarsus IV, as told in the episode The Conscience of the King, and Spock, who has difficuties with his Ambassador father Sarek, are forced to enlist in Starfleet Academy where they become pawns in a smuggling ring.

This is a fun book about rebellious teen Jim Kirk. Too smart for his own good, his life changed when "space cadet" Kirk was sent by his father to Tarsus IV - just before the brutal eugenics control program administered by Governor Kodos. Tarsus IV is the backstory I would have liked to have seen in the Star Trek movie, and I hope Tarsus IV will be shown in the sequel. When Kirk steps on board the Starship Enterprise for the first time - you can see his sense of awe for the Enterprise as a starship.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek: Vanguard - Open Secrets

Pocket Books, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.

Written by Dayton Ward

Copyright 2009

In Open Secrets, set during the original Star Trek series, Commodore Diego Reyes of Starbase 47 Vanguard is undergoing court-martial proceedings for revealing the secrets of Vanguard's true mission in the Taurus Reach to reporter Tim Pennington. Meanwhile, relations between the Klingons and the Federation deteriorate as they both search aggressively for the extensive secrets of the Taurus Reach to procure technology and weapons - eventually leading to war.

This continuing story of Vanguard gets more political as the conflict between the Klingons and the Federation heat up literally as the Organians from the TV episode Errand of Mercy finally intervene between them. It is interesting to finally meet Admiral Nogura as he takes over command of Vanguard during the court-martial of Commodore Reyes, as well as seeing the proceedings of the court-martial itself. Nogura does not seem, as his name would suggest, in following the traditional Japanese culture and traditions. From the various references of Admiral Nogura throughout the series, I always expected a lot of Japanese culture around Nogura, which would define his leadership style. It is nice to see Reyes relationship with his JAG lawyer Rana Desai grow as she switches sides from Prosecuter to Defense in support to defend Reyes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek - Enterprise - The Good That Men Do

POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Copyright 2007

Written by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin

In The Good That Men Do, two old friends, human Jake Sisko and Ferengi Nog, discover a declassified file that rewrites history - Chief Engineer "Trip" Tucker of the original Enterprise did not die as recorded, but lived on as a secret agent for Section 31!

This is a satisfying book of what happened to Trip, who faked his death, instead of actually dying in the TV series finale These are the Voyages... - which was most unsatisfying for the end of the TV series. The book deals with Trip trying to come to terms with the secret intelligence agency of the Federation and his new part in it. Disguised as a Romulan, Trip goes on a mission into Romulan space to procure a warp 7 engine the Romulans are building.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Wars - Shadows of the Empire

A Bantam Sprectra Book/Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Written by Steve Perry

Copyright 1996

Set between the movies THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI, Shadows of the Empire feels like a proper sequel to the Star Wars universe. While searching for the carbon-frozen Han Solo, Jedi-in-training Luke Skywalker is pursued by Darth Vader - as well as the head of the criminal organization Black Sun, Prince Xixor, who overhears a private communication between Emperor Palpatine and Vader about Luke. One wants Luke alive, the other wants Luke dead!

The book gives more insight into the Star Wars universe, set during the movies, with the introduction of the criminal syndicate Black Sun as part of the running of the Galactic Empire; this also includes running the various merchants and bounty hunters as part of Black Sun's operations.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Boundary

A Baen Book/Baen Publishing Enterprises

Written by Eric Flint & Ryk E. Spoor
Copyright 2006

Boundary is a fun punny book where paleontologists unearth an alien on the boundary of the time of the disappearance of the dinosaurs. After a probe discovers a base and the remains of another alien on a Martian moon - an international team of scientists is assembled and a manned expedition is sent to Mars to search for more alien remains. Were the aliens responsible for killing the dinosaurs?

The book has strong women characters, so much so that they are mostly the most interesting characters in the book, even more interesting than the enthusiastic geek A.J. It is interesting to note the academic jealousies of paleontology as well as the political issues concerning the discovery of aliens.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

The Incredible Hulk

Ballantine Books/Del Rey/
Presidio Press/One World

Written by Peter David
Based on the screenplay by Edward Norton and Zak Penn
Copyright 2008

This novelization of the movie The Incredible Hulk is a fairly accurate adaptation of the movie. As with novelizations by Peter David, there is more characterization to the characters than was portrayed in the movie - especially with his extensive experience with comics.

While on the run from the military, scientist Bruce Banner tries to find a solution for his condition of becoming the aggressive monster -  the Hulk. One military soldier searching for the Hulk, driven to do anything to stop him, is even willing to undergo the same process to become just like the Hulk in order to stop the Hulk.

While I have not read the comic book in years, the drama in this novelization equals and in some cases surpasses what I remember of the comic book with it's detail-oriented narration.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.