STAR TREK - STRANGE NEW WORLDS

POCKET BOOKS

Edited by Dean Wesley Smith with John J. Ordover and Paula M. Block

Copyright 1998 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.



In Star Trek - Strange New Worlds, a competition of new Star Trek short stories that were written by Star Trek fans is collected in this anthology of eighteen stories. These fan stories are set during the series Star Trek, Star Trek - The Next Generation, Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek - Voyager.

This is the first of the annual Strange New Worlds anthologies composed of the best of the Star Trek contest fan written short stories that was conducted every year for ten years by Pocket Books, of which the anthology included the prize winners. Included in this anthology is a Because We Can section, where editors John J. Ordover and Paula M. Block added their own stories - which broke the contest rules, hence the title of the section: Because We Can. The anthology at the end of the book has the contest rules for the Trek fan written short stories that were to be submitted for the next volume of the Strange New Worlds anthologies. The anthology also at the end of the book has a biographical list of the fan fiction contributors.

I happened to have enjoyed these fan written stories created for this anthology, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the anthologies. Although, Paula Block's story definitely does not follow the contest rules. Block's story "The Girl Who Controlled Gene Kelly's Feet" actually could just have been set in any other space adventure - especially since it does not have any of the regular Star Trek characters in the story, but the story was rather cute.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

WEAPONS OF CHOICE

BALLANTINE BOOKS

A NOVEL BY JOHN BIRMINGHAM

Copyright 2004 by John Birmingham
Excerpt from Designated Targets by John Birmingham copyright 2005 by John Birmingham

All rights reserved.



In John Birmingham's Weapons of Choice, the first book in the Axis of Time trilogy, a Multinational fleet of warships is escorting a Joint Research Vessel's sea trials in the 21st century. They soon become caught up in a wormhole from the Research Vessel's secret weapons and stealth system project that suddenly went wrong - and get thrown back into the middle of the Pacific Ocean during World War II.


While similar to the movie The Final Countdown, the book has more interaction with the world than The Final Countdown did during World War II. While interacting with the 1940's Allies, the 21st century Multinational force deals with a lot of prejudices from the Allies as well as the technological differences. Some of the prejudices become rather violent, such as a riot from a bar. In fact, most of the story in the book deals with the prejudices between the two time groups rather than with the actual war. It made me upset that the 1940's characters had these prejudices, but it made me realize that these prejudices were real back in those times and we have come a long way since then. Although, there is still quite a way to go with our prejudices here in the present day.

I kept thinking that they should have shown the movie Top Gun to the 1940's commanders as an introduction of the type of aircraft to expect from the Multinationals, even though the movie is set midway between the too eras. It was great that both groups eventually worked together to rescue some POW's in Singapore and Luzon. Having a woman doctor and woman reporter taking part in that military operation of rescuing the POW's was very inspiring. Although there were no more new services like CNN during the 1940's, the women reporters were determined to do their jobs and record these historical military actions with their high-tech media and maybe get jobs for the local news services - even if it means for them coming under fire. I also liked that some of the future military personnel had relatives living and fighting through the war now and became even more dedicated military personnel in order to preserve their relatives lives.

Since there was a fleet of Multinational vessels that were transported, some of the vessels got scattered from the fleet when they all went through the wormhole - with some of the vessels being captured by the Axis powers, like the Japanese. Now, of course, having the Axis powers - including Hitler  - in possession of 21st century technology and determined to change the course of the war after knowing their future history was very disturbing for me to read and disturbing to think about if this would ever happen.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - DESTINY - BOOK III LOST SOULS

s

POCKET BOOKS

Written by David Mack

Copyright 2008 by Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Art by Rick Rick Berry; design by Alan Dingman.



Lost Souls written by David Mack, is Book III of the Destiny trilogy. Captains Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker, and Ezri Dax must fight the Borg for the sake of the known galaxy.

What I liked about Lost Souls is that you finally get to find out where the Borg came from and who the Borg Queen is. Having Will Riker being forced to leave behind his crew and his wife, Deanna Troi, in order for Will and his ship to escape the Caelier with Captain Erica Hernandez of the Columbia on board made me feel for Will and the responsibilities of command. Having President Bacco of the Federation accepting the responsibility for the fall of the Federation made me really feel for her knowing the Federation is being destroyed as she listens to report after report of the fall of various strategic points in and out of Federation space to the Borg. It really makes me feel for President Bacco because she is really just a regular person from a small town on a small planet, who just happens to be the President of the Federation. The fact that President Bacco gives Captain Picard to take any actions - even if they violate Starfleet or Federation law - made me appreciate how desperate she considers the situation.

With Picard strongly considering using Thaleron radiation to destroy the Borg, of which use was last seen in the movie Star Trek - Nemesis, Geordi LaForge strongly objects to building such a device as it is morally wrong. You can see how obsessed Picard is for ordering Geordi to build such a device. As it is, they use the dangerous Omega molecule - the perfect molecule of which the Borg have been looking for - as bait to lure the Borg into a trap. Now will their plans work in stopping the Borg?

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

THE FROST HAIRED VIXEN

DAW BOOKS, INC.

Written by John Zakour

Copyright 2005 by John Zakour
Cover art by Michael Koelsh.




In The Frost-Haired Vixen written by John Zakour, a Zachary Nixon Johnson book, Zach Nixon - the last private investigator in the world of 2061 - is hired by Santana Clausa, the beautiful CEO of the North Pole Organization. Santana wants Zach because two of her elves up at the North Pole have been murdered.  Now, Zach must find the killer before the Holiday is ruined.

Zach and his A.I. companion HARV - who is painfully hard wired into Zach's brain - are transported to the North Pole to secretly infiltrate a travel tour group that is visiting the "happiest, safest place on Earth." The tour group is composed of an interesting set of character suspects who might have killed the mutant elves.

The series is a funny pulp fiction series set in the future. The humor usually deals with the anachronisms and the politics of the future. The humor also comes with Zach having an off-the-wall crew of associates and an equally group of off-the-wall bad guys who are usually not as smart as Zach's people are. The things that are related to Santa Claus are all satirized in this book, which gives new meaning to "naughty or nice."

Zach always has beautiful, erotic, and powerful superhuman women around him as clients - which upsets his lady, the beautiful, smart, and talented Dr. Electra. Santana Clausa is no exception to his beautiful women clients. While the various women around Zach are sexy, I am very fond of Electra - who I think is hot.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR WARS - THE NEW JEDI ORDER - ENEMY LINES II - REBEL STAND

LUCAS BOOKS

Written by Aaron Allston

Copyright 2002 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.



In Rebel Stand, written by Aaron Allston, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Tahiri Veila, along with Wraith Squadron, find on Coruscant a genetically-engineered force sensitive masquerading as a legendary being called Lord Nyax - who is determined to open a Force nexus beneath the old Jedi Temple. Meanwhile, Han and Leia set up secret resistance cells on planets that are ready to join the alien enemy Yuuzhan Vong in New Republic space - when Han and Leia get captured. On Borleias, Wedge Antilles organizes defenses - with Rogue Squadron Jedi pilot Jaina Solo continuing as the Yuuzhan Vong's Trickster goddess while she is flying missions.

It is sad to see Tahiri still suffering the effects of being held a prisoner of the Yuuzhan Vong. I am hoping that Tahiri will someday come to terms with her captivity, as I missed her enthusiasm, especially when she was with Anakin. It was great to see Wraith Squadron again. Wraith Squadron was used as an intelligence unit in the book instead of as a fighter squadron. With Coruscant becoming terraformed by the Vong, the planet has become more of a city with jungle overgrowth since it's fall, instead of the megalopolis planet that it used to be as Wraith Squadron picks it's way throughout the city. It is interesting to see the fate of the traitorous Galactic Senator Viqi Shesh. I haven't liked her since I first met her, and to see the Yuuzhan Vong treat her like dirt was rather satisfying.

As a videographer, I totally sympathized with the holocam operator Tam Elgrin being an unwilling saboteur for the Yuuzhan Vong. I was wondering how I would react if I were him, and if I would be strong enough to fight off the influence of the Vong. It would devastate me if I were a traitor killing everybody.

I was sad to know the final fate of the Imperial Star Dreadnought Lusankya, considering the powerful mythology that was used behind the Lusankya. I still think of the Lusankya as the powerful mythological prison the Empire's intelligence chief Ysanne Isard used to interrogate and brainwash her prisoners to become sleeper agents.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - THE NEXT GENERATION - FOREIGN FOES

POCKET BOOKS

Written by Dave Galanter and Greg Brodeur

Copyright 1994 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.



In Foreign Foes, written by Dave Galanter and Greg Brodeur, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is mediating a peace treaty between two hostile races - the Klingons and the Hidran race. Things get deadly when the Hidran ambassador dies and kills a Klingon delegate in revenge as he does so.

It was sad for me to see Worf being charged with the murder of the Hidran ambassador. Although under accusation for murder, Worf acted very dignified under the circumstances which I appreciated. Having the civilian doctor in charge of the colony that the negotiations are being held, holding sway over the crew of the Enterprise is frustrating.  I was also very upset that Data was acting differently. I felt, while reading this, that the writers were taking umbrage with his character initially. Even though Data's actions was eventually explained, it was very frustrating to read about what Data was doing in his paranoia of the Klingons - thus jeopardizing the Federation/Klingon alliance as Data takes the U.S.S. Enterprise into Klingon space. While the Klingons were traditionally arrogant against everybody, they were true allies with the Federation when the Klingons finally team up with Picard.

I am not crazy about the cover being white. The white cover makes me think the story is much brighter than the story really is. I was getting schizophrenic about the tone of the story while I was reading it. If the cover was dark, I would have been in the proper mood for the story.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - VOYAGER - UNWORTHY

Pocket Books

Written by Kirsten Beyer

Trademark, Registered, and Copyright 2009 by CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.



In Unworthy, written by Kirsten Beyer, after spending several years stranded in the Delta Quadrant - the U.S.S. Voyager is returning to the Delta Quadrant from their home space, the Alpha Quadrant, while leading a fleet of Federation starships to find out what truly has happened to the Borg. Voyager and the fleet's other mission is also to explore and establish diplomatic relations amongst Delta Quadrant space.

With the Borg absorbed into the Caeliar gestalt, the Federation really wants to know for sure that the Borg threat is gone. The new slipstream drive engines allows Voyager and the fleet to make traveling to the Delta Quadrant as a reasonable journey feasible. As a result, Starfleet Command created the Project Full Circle fleet. Meanwhile, with the passing of her Aunt Irene on Earth, Seven of Nine is slowly going mad from the recent events of the Star Trek - Destiny trilogy, which includes Seven not being absorbed by the Caeliar along with the Borg - and having a little girl's voice inside of Seven of Nine insisting that Seven is her former self, Annika Hansen. Former Voyager Captain, Chakotay does what he can to help Seven - including getting Seven back aboard Voyager.

I had mixed feelings about Voyager returning to the Delta Quadrant. After spending so many years stranded from home, I would not want to return if I were them. I felt very much for how the crew would feel, and for their families of being separated from their loved ones again. However, Voyager's crew is an invaluable experienced resource in the return to the Delta Quadrant. I almost hated Captain Afsarah Eden for trying to force the Voyager crew to make the journey. The evolution of the characters seems to make them more mature - and what happens to some of the new characters is rather shocking.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.