STAR TREK _ DEPARTMENT OF TEMPORAL INVESTIGATIONS - WATCHING THE CLOCK

Pocket Books

Written by Christopher L. Bennett

Copyright © 2011 by CBS Studios Inc. Star Trek and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.



In Watching the Clock, written by Christopher L. Bennett - the first book of the Department of Temporal Investigations series - a series of temporal incursions threatens to open up a new front line from the Temporal Cold War. This has DTI agents Lucsly and Dulmur using their unimaginative government discipline in stopping the war.

This book makes reference to every time travel story that were ever written for Star Trek - from the books, the movies and all of the TV series, including stories from the animated TV series. You get to know DTI agents Lucsly and Dulmur, who were originally just minor characters from the Deep Space Nine TV episode Trials and Tribble-ations. Lucsly and Dulmur are now the major characters in both the book, and as well as in the Department of Temporal Investigations.

In the book you get to see the origin story of Dulmur, whose home life turns into ruins and eventually joins the Department of Temporal Investigations, that has it's origins on Earth, to effect temporal justice when Dulmur's efforts to catch a thief is thwarted by a temporal experiment which affected all of space by Dr. Paul Manheim.

As a fan of time travel stories, I happened to enjoy this book. While some of the science behind all the time travel theories may be over my head, I like the fact that Bennett involved all of the time travel stories - including the animated TV series which a lot of people do not really consider as really part of the Trek universe. While I find agent Lucsly rather rigid, his devotion to maintain a stable timeline is important in the temporal scheme of things. The villain at the very end of the book did not seem as strong as a villain as I would have expected the villain to be, but he seemed logical. The villain is definitely evil enough, especially when he targets a DTI agent.

Pancho 
All people smile in the same language.
 

YELLOW EYES

A Bean Books Original

Written by John Ringo & Tom Kratman

Copyright © 2007 by John Ringo & Tom Kratman



In Yellow Eyes, written by John Ringo & Tom Kratman - which is part of the Posleen War series/Legacy of the Aldenata - the Panama Canal is the target of the alien race Posleen. Without access to the Canal, the U.S. is doomed to defeat and starvation. With the U.S. already stretched to the limits in defending itself from the alien race Posleen, they can only afford to send some soldiers in advanced Armoured Combat Suits, some old rejuvenated U.S. Veterans and three old naval warships - and one of the warships is haunted.

It was great to see that the U.S. military worked with the local forces in defending Panama. I have never really understood or liked the fact that in the book there were traitors amongst the people of Central America to the human race and worked with the Posleen. And having an American soldier being forced to become a dictator to a country was rather disturbing to me, but at least the American was still fighting the Posleen.

The battle scenes are intense - and sadly there are consequences with the war amongst the spouses and girlfriends when several of the characters get killed. Rejuvenating old worn-out seniors from Panama into young combat ready veterans and having them leading the people of Panama is an awesome idea that I have rarely seen. The closest idea to this that I have seen was from the TV show Stargate SG-1. I liked the fact that one of the warships, the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Des Moines developed a personality when it was accidentally outfitted with an insane Posleen AI after it was refitted and the Des Moines eventually fell in love with her captain. The images the Des Moines AI created was very hot and the Des Moines eventually cared deeply for her crew, similar to how Rommie acted and felt in the TV show Andromeda.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - DEEP SPACE NINE - MISSION GAMMA - THIS GRAY SPIRIT

POCKET BOOKS

Written by Heather Jarman

Copyright 2002 by Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.



In This Gray Spirit by Heather Jarman, Cardassian ambassador Natima Lang arrives at the Bajoran space station Deep Space Nine for a hopeful diplomatic mission between the enstranged planets Cardassia and Bajor. While continuing it's exploration mission in the Gamma Quadrant, the starship Defiant has been damaged and is getting repaired by an unusual species - whose biological differences have created a civil war.

It was interesting to see the juxtaposition of the genocidal civil war of the Yrythny, as well as the aftermath of the Cardassian occupation of the world of Bajor. Colonel Kira struggles with trying to help the Cardassian people who had occupied her planet. Having Shar's bond mates pining away for Shar, who is of course stationed on Deep Space Nine as a StarFleet officer, to come back home to them was rather annoying to me. Perhaps I do not really understand Andorian bonding, but I would be able to understand the bonding more if the bonding was more of a physical medical necessity, like the Vulcan Pon-Far, instead of the Andorian bonding being a racial necessity. While I understand Shar wanting to be independent, his not wanting to confront his bond mates - which is basically his family - was both immature and disconcerting to me, with tragic consequences. Shar's developing a relationship with a Yrythny girl in order to search for a cure for both of their peoples was almost infidelity to his family.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

DOCTOR WHO - THE KING'S DEMONS

A TARGET BOOK

Written by Terence Dudley

Novelization copyright Terence Dudley, 1986
Original script copyright Terence Dudley, 1983
'Doctor Who' series copyright British Broadcasting Corporation 1983, 1986




In The King's Demons, written by Terence Dudley, the Doctor and his companions Tegan and Turlough land in England in the middle of a joust on March 4, 1215 - the date where history records that King John of England makes an oath to the Pope as a Crusader. The problem is that King John is not in London where he is supposed to be, but at the country castle where the Doctor and his companions have landed and is demanding funds from his subjects for the Crusade.

The Doctor is quite curious about this King John, who is surprisingly here is the countryside. King John, who is not surprised by the Doctor and his companions arrival, is also quite curious and welcomes the Demons - the Doctor and his companions. The king soon makes the Doctor his new champion over the king's previous champion Sir Giles. The Doctor soon discovers that the real reason for the historical discrepancy - is that an old enemy wants to change world history into which the magna carta does not exist.

This story introduced Kamelion as a companion. I have always felt rather sad for Kamelion. He was never truly respected by the Doctor and his companions. Even when Kamelion was freed, they never really respected him. He was just there and never really became a part of them - and as a result, he had no characterization at all. The lack of respect and characterization for Kamelion was rather sad for me, especially with considering how compassionate the Doctor usually is.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Real Vampires Have Curves

BERKLEY BOOKS

Written by Gerry Bartlett

Copyright 2007 by Gerry Bartlett

 



In Real Vampires Have Curves by Gerry Bartlett, Glory St. Clair is a centuries-old vampire who is eternally full-figured. Glory stops traveling and starts an after dark antique clothing store in Austin, Texas. After all, she loves clothes and she is an antique - the trouble is that there is a billionaire vampire hunter with high tech weaponry who is after Glory and her fellow vampires.

The first book in the Real Vampires series, this book concentrates more on the present day in the middle of Texas rather than on any European vampire history that took place centuries ago. While this is an erotic vampire story, the book is not as sexually graphic as I would have thought for a romance novel. Although, I do think Glory is hot and busty - even if she does wish for some weight loss. Just thinking of Glory's cleavage being stuffed into a Kevlar bra was very hot to me. I thought it was funny that the book takes place in Austin, Texas - cowboy vampires! There are also a couple of ghosts in the book and Glory's talking demon dog, who was given to Glory as her protector by her old boyfriend and vampire sire Jeremy Blade.

I was quite surprised that Glory had several sales to actual humans during her graveyard shift hours for her boutique. Enough sales that she can hire someone to assist with the sales. I guess no one else caters to that group of people of the graveyard shift, aside from the late night convenient stores. Glory is determined to make a go of her business despite Blade wanting to just take care of her and protect her. Although I do not recall Glory vamping out with fangs, having her learning about how to be a real vampire was interesting.

The vampire hunter going after all of them gives the sense of danger to these vampires, as well as adding suspicion amongst themselves.

 Pancho
All people smile in the same language.
 

STARFIST: FORCE RECON - BOOK I - BACKSHOT

DEL REY

Written by David Sherman & Dan Cragg

Copyright 2005 by David Sherman and Dan Cragg

All rights reserved.



Backshot, written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg, is the first book about the men and women of Marine Force Recon who carry out the intelligence-gathering and small-unit raids behind enemy lines.

On the agricultural planet Atlas, the charismatic leader, as well as father, Jorge Lavager zealously guards an agricultural research facility. Fourth Force Recon's second platoon of Marines are dispatched to Atlas to find out what is really at the research facility.

What is scary is that a sniper team was also dispatched to Atlas with specific orders - depending on the news of what is found at the research facility, if the research facility is an agriculture facility or a military facility. I liked the fact that the sniper team's immediate superior tried to find out what their mission was because the sniper team were his people - but of course he could not find out about their mission because of operational security of the highest order. Having the "Queen of Killers" holed up with her male spotter in one of the planet's hotels was interesting. Too bad that everything concerning world of Atlas was politically motivated on Earth, instead of wanting to secure the safety of the Confederation. The Marines special forces, of course, are not aware of the politics - the Marines were just following the orders they were given. Of course, the Marines would follow their orders as the orders were lawfully given. They had no reason or suspicion as to question the morality of their orders. Although it was sad that the Marines had to kill an innocent to prevent the knowledge of their secret arrival on Atlas. This is a shame that they had to do that to the innocent by-stander - since Lavager as a leader was a pretty decent guy - but that is the fortunes of war for the innocent. My favorite scenes of Lavager were of him and his motherless daughter at home.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR WARS - CLONE WARS GAMBIT - STEALTH

DEL REY

Written by Karen Miller

Copyright 2010 by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Registered or Trademarked where indicated. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpt by Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Outcast copyright 2009 by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Registered or Trademarked where indicated. All Rights Reserved.



In the first of the two-part series, Stealth - written by Karen Miller, and based on the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are sent to the planet Lanteeb, a backwater planet which has suddenly drawn the attention of the Separatists during the Clone Wars.

After an investigation, Senator Padme Amidala, Kenobi, and Skywalker are convinced that the Separatists are developing a deadly bio weapon on Lanteeb. On Lanteeb, Separatist General Lok Durd is forcing Dr. Bent'ena Fhernan to develop this bio weapon for the Separatists - or he will kill all of her friends and family.

While the virus was decidedly vile and deadly, the fact that Fherman is being blackmailed into creating this virus was horrible for me to consider. The fact that Obi-Wan was willing to sacrifice Fherman's family for the big picture of saving the Galactic Republic made me feel for both Fhernan and Anakin. Anakin only wants to protect Fhernan and her family and made me feel as if Obi-Wan did not care about anybody. I felt for Fhernan in that, why should she sacrifice her family and friends - the people that she loves - for an entire galaxy that she does not know and of whom the galaxy does not know of or care of for Fhernan? What makes the galaxy more important than Fhernan's family and friends?

Back home, I liked that Ashoka - while undergoing medical treatment to get back to health after being injured from a mission - still cared for her clone troopers who were also injured with her under her command, especially after their communication systems were sabotaged during that mission.

Since the book was based on the cartoon series, instead of the movie, I kept picturing the characters from the cartoon series and their cartoon character voices instead of the real-life actors like Natalie Portman.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.