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.