STAR TREK - CORPS OF ENGINEERS - GRAND DESIGNS

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

Written by Dave Galanter, Allyn Gibson, Kevin Killiany, Paul Kupperberg, David Mack, and Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

Based upon Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation created by Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine created by Rick Berman & Michael Piller

Star Trek S.C.E.:Ring Around the Sky copyright 2004 by CBS Studios Inc. Star Trek S.C.E.: Orphans copyright 2004 by CBS Studios Inc. Star Trek S.C.E.: Grand Designs copyright 2004 by CBS Studios Inc. Star Trek S.C.E.: Failsafe copyright 2004 by CBS Studios Inc. Star Trek S.C.E.:Bitter Medicine copyright 2004 by CBS Studios Inc. Star Trek S.C.E.: Sargasso Sector copyright CBS Studios Inc.



Star Trek Corps of Engineers  Grand Designs is an anthology about the Federation Sabre-class Starship U.S.S. da Vinci and their crew of Corps of Engineers, like the Army Corps of Engineers, who go around Federation space solving the engineering problems of the Federation.

Several of the stories continue with the aftermath of the loss of half the crew from a previous story. It shows how the series is evolving rather than just being one shot stories with a new series. Although the stories by themselves are of a good quality, like Captain Gold at odds with his own crew of Corps of Engineers during a weapons inspection - or Commander Sonya Gomez leading an away team mission to extract a Federation probe as they infiltrate behind the lines of a planetary war.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR WARS - CORUSCANT NIGHTS III - PATTERNS OF FORCE

A Del Rey Books Mass Market Original

Written by Michael Reaves

Copyright 2008 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

In the third book of the Star Wars - Coruscant Nights series, Patterns of Force has Jedi Knight, in hiding from the Great Jedi Purge, Jax Pavan find a young man amongst the bowels of the city planet Coruscant with such raw power in the force that he takes him on as his padawan. Pavan also becomes involved in a plot to kill Emperor Palpatine.

I liked the idea of Jax being concerned about young Kaj and that Jax tries to teach Kaj on how to use the Force. Of course Jax is also concerned that Kaj does not fall prey to the Dark Side of the Force as the Inquisitors search for them. Having self-aware droid I-5YQ volunteer to kill Emperor Palpatine since he can not feel the droid in the force is a cute but logical action as I-5's reporter partner goes home. The climax has Darth Vader completing his quest of finding Jedi Knight Jax Pavan.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STARGATE SG-1 - ROSWELL

Fandemonium Books

Written by Sonny Whitelaw & Jennifer Fallon

Copyright 2007 Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer. All Rights Reserved.

Stargate SG-1's, Roswell has the Stargate team on a mission gone wrong and a future General Sam Carter sends the rest of SG-1 after them. After various incidents, they wind up back in the past in Roswell, New Mexico 1947 - where the original UFO and aliens crash-landed - as they search for a lost Asgard.

I happen to like time travel stories and considering that the Asgard look like the grey aliens from the Roswell incident, it was only a matter of time that a story would revolve around the Asgard and Roswell. With the ship SG-1 uses considered as a UFO, it was funny how the alien Teal'c is the expert on Roswell trivia as the United States military at the Roswell Army Air Field tries to deal with the Asgard and their technology and not a weather balloon. The book even deals with the alien autopsies. Since dealing with the Stargate, they deal with quantum theory. The book explores the consequences of have the timeline being changed by SG-1's actions as well as exploring predestination events like the Tunguska explosion with the engine of a Goa'uld ship exploding. Having SG-1 meet some famous figures like H.P. Lovecraft is rather fun as well. It is sad that changing the timeline causes Colonel Cameron Mitchell to become a Jaffa First Prime in order for him to survive. This puts the pressure on SG-1 to correct the timeline and go home as the Goa'uld invade New York City from space.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - GATEWAYS - CHAINMAIL

POCKET BOOKS

Written by Diane Carey

Copyright 2001 by Paramount Pictures. All rights Reserved.




The second book of the Star Trek Gateways series is set amongst the Star Trek New Earth series. After encountering a derelict mausoleum ship in Belle Terre space, the U.S.S. Challenger, a hodgepodge of a Federation starship patrolling the Belle Terre colony sector, soon encounters the dangerous decendants of the derelict ship as they appear from one of the ancient Gateways. With the aliens, who were marooned on a metal planet with different physical laws - which gives a new meaning to the word metallica, Commander Nick Keller and the Challenger are hard put to defend themselves against the aliens who were on a quest for home.

The beginning of the book was a little hard to understand and relate to, especially if you are not familiar with Keller and the background of the Challenger crew - which combines Starfleet personel and the alien race the Blood. Once you are back on Challenger, then you are on familiar territory dealing with Star Trek concepts - even with the alliance with the Blood. When Blood first officer Shucorion comes across a missing ancestor, it becomes a very interesting story as to how he got there. Commander Keller becomes very determined to get control of the situation with a Blood strike on his ship because his best friend disobeyed orders and saved Shucorion's life, and the aliens trying to quarentine all the ships and the entire Federation. The book ends with a cliffhanger which leads to the last book, the Gateways anthology What Lay Beyond.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.