Reunion

A Del Rey Book

Copyright 2001 by Thranx, Inc.



In REUNION, a Pip and Flinx novel by Alan Dean Foster, Flinx and his minidrag Pip continue to search for Flinx's origins and about the Meliorare Society which had created Flinx and his mental powers. After breaking into a top secret industrial facility on Earth, Flinx discovers that the information that he needs was already stolen and taken off of Earth. Flinx then follows the file into dangerous AAnn space.

As an adult, Flinx is more driven than ever in finding about his origins. He does not care about who he uses with his special powers in order to get what he wants, including a woman who had cared about Flinx and she winds up being mentally persuaded into helping him. As a result, Flinx is not as sympathetic to me as he used to be when he was a kid. Even when Flinx is stranded on an AAnn planet, I could not sympathize with his predicament as much as when he was a vulnerable innocent kid. Even when Flinx runs across a long lost family member, the situation is not as traumatic as it could have been as I did not care as much for Flinx.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Bolos Book V - Old Guard

A Baen Books Original

Copyright 2001 by Bill Fawcett and Associates

Created by Keith Laumer

Bolos Book V - Old Guard, an anthology edited by Bill Fawcett, is the fifth book of Keith Laumer's Bolos, sentient self-driven tanks with the ability to defend humanity against their enemies with their multiple weapons. This time the Bolos are in a campaign against the Kezdai instead of the Melconians. While one young officer resents being up against the Kezdai and wants to get into the real war with the Melconians, his commanding officer reminds the young officer of all of the dead. This is as real as it gets.

While reading about the Bolos, it is no wonder that the Bolos are considered to be Keith Laumer's greatest creation as you often relate more to these dependable, dedicated Bolos much more rather than to their fallible human commanders. The Bolos try to understand and get accustomed to their commanders, and sometimes ponder on their human commander's fitness to command, while the Bolos try to perform their ethical duty in defending humanity. Often in these stories, these dedicated Bolos become the only surviving Bolo in the story and are up against rigorous odds. I felt the Bolos pain and frustration as they receive continuous battle damage, and often have to assume a leadership role upon the deaths of their commanders as the Bolos continue to desperately fight on.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Wars - Allegiance

Del Rey Books Mass Market Edition

Copyright 2007 by Lucuasfilm Ltd.

Written by Timothy Zahn



In Allegiance, by Timothy Zahn, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, and Han Solo are sent to mediate between Rebel factions. Mara Jade, while serving her master - Emperor Palpatine - searches for treachery in the Empire. Meanwhile, a team of Imperial stormtroopers jump ship - and form an independent justice group.

While I find it is always interesting to follow the exploits of a young Mara Jade, the fugitive Imperial stormtroopers were much more interesting for me to be involved with as the stormtroopers wind up serving the spirit of their ideals - instead of following evil orders. After one of the troopers accidentally kills a brutal Imperial Security Bureau agent, the troopers must flee from their ship. As the troopers struggle for a solution as to where to find a place of where to hide, the troopers still get involved in helping people when those people get in trouble.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek - The Lost Era - The Art of the Impossible

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

Written by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Copyright 2003 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.



Star Trek's The Art of the Impossible a Lost Era book written by Keith R.A. DeCandido, is set between the Klingons and the Cardassians as they both try to be the aggressive victors in the campaign to develop a planet.

With the initial discovery of a lost Klingon colony fleet ship which crash-landed on a resource rich planet, the Klingons and the Cardassians use the discovery as a means of exploiting their political agendas. Ambassador Curzon Dax uses his influence to have both races use their abilities to develop the planet. Whoever is the most resourceful in developing the planet the most according to the Organian Peace Treaty gets to keep it.

While the Klingons seem like Klingons with their rich culture, I did not get any real feeling of what the Cardassians as a race are really like. Even with the Cardassians' sinister intelligence organization The Obsidian Order, the Cardassians are very ordinary. You do get a glimpse of Worf as a child and an insight into his real family - just before Worf's rescue by his human father at the destroyed Khitomer base, and why Worf was separated from his brother. These were rather touching scenes to me.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.