Tim Russ Books

My kids love this so much we listen to it over and over. On more than one occasion my son has asked ME to stop singing so he can hear the music. The narrative is fun and engaging. I wish they would release more cds!

"If the children in your life like the recent bug movies or have ever owned an ant farm, they may be ready for BUGSTERS. An assortment of buggy friends, each with a distinctive voice and personality, deliver two stories: one about cooperation, another about fear and rumors. The messages are unmistakable, but not overbearing. The theme music is catchy. TOP NOTCH!"

My husband and I took my son (5),daughter (7), and the Bugsters, on the road to visit my parents over the holidays. We were more prepared this time, because last time, the crayons and the lap activities just weren't enough, and we don't have a VCR/DVD player in the car. I have to say that these stories really captured their attention, and sparked conversation. The CD is exceptionally done, the stories are thought provoking, the characters all have different voices, and the sound effects are fantastic. We couldn't get enough of it. I only wish we'd had more.

My husband and I took my son (5) and daughter (7), and the Bugsters, on the road to visit my parents over the holidays. We were more prepared this time, because last time, the crayons and the lap activities just weren't enough, and we don't have a VCR/DVD player in the car. I have to say that these stories really captured their attention, and sparked conversation. The CD is exceptionally done, the characters all have different voices, and the sound effects were fantastic. We couldn't get enough of it.

We took this audio book camping and the kids just loved it. My boys are 4 and 6, and they were drawn into the stories right away. The sound effects make all of the action come alive, especially in the dark. We sat and talked after each story about the lessons the kids learned. One is about working as a team, and the other one is about facing your fears, but what was most important was that my boys admitted some fears that I was able to help them face through the trip.

Like a good travel guide, this talent acquistion guide is full of great ideas in bite size 150-200 word topics. The hiring and employee RETENTION game is definitely changing with the our dramatically changing demographics and this little book is full of easy to implement ideas to do today which will make an impact quickly.It goes chronologically through : Attracting Talent, Who to Hire, How to Hire, Managing and Retaining Top Talent and then Sustaining, or in their term: Staying Sharp
It is a very easy read with a good dose of humor to boot!

Well, you can make a novel out of it.

Which is precisely what the folks at Syngress Publishing have done. The MO here is to gather a group of experts in the 'hacking' field. Then, have them each write a chapter that focuses in on their sub-area of expertise. Finally tie all the chapters together with an overriding thread, in this case an uber-geek villian looking to make a final score.

And it works quite well. If you are going to pull this off, then there is a balance between the techno-speak portions and the traditional elements of a novel (plot, characterization, etc). Granted, given this books target audience, it can pile on plenty of the technology and be just fine. But you can't igonre the story.

Most of the contributing authors are able to hold up the 'story' side as well as the 'tech' side. Some do not, and this is why I gave it 4 stars. In particular, one chapter so muddles the character motivations, plot lines, and timeline that the novel is not quite able to recover with a wholy satisfying ending.

I never expected Dickens, though. I did hope to broaden my knowledge of hacking - the hows and whys while being entertained. And 'How to own a continent' delivers the goods in a unique and fresh way. Kudos, and thanks.

Nice book, seemed with hacker's novel!!
Pretty good read for fun. :)

but the writing certainly isn't the best. They're a bunch of computer geeks writing about what they know best, and they make it entertaining as heck. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys computers.

How to Own a Continent is the first Stealing the Network book I have read and although it kept me on the edge of my seat I was displeased with the ending. The book uses real tools and real methods on how these "hacks" occur but the end just leaves you hanging with no closure. While reading the book you think there is no better book for hacking theory and what it takes to pull hard hacks. But this book does leave you with a little bit of a bad taste in your mouth. Forthe most part the book was great but the ending was lacking.

I read a lot of technical books and also a lot of spy books. This mashed both of my favorite types of books. The authors who are hackers themselves did a great job of creating a story. I would recommend, and have recommended this book to a lot of people.

WOW, this goes into some great detail. I am new to PKI, but this has really opened up my eyes to some of the more exquisite details. Great for anyone interested in PKI, but you do need to have some knowledge on Cryptography.

While Planning for PKI is a well written book, after reading I still am not sure how it all fits together. I bought the book to learn more about PKI and chose this book because previous references rated this as the best book available on PKI. After reading this book I know a little more about PKI, but this book did not "de-mistify" PKI for me.

If you have just started working with PKI software or with OpenSSL and would like to gain a better understanding of X.509 certificates, certificate enrollment protocols and PKI, this book is for you. It's an excellent guide written by two of the co-authors of the "Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure: Certificate and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Profile" (RFC 3280).

I was expecting something which is more practical with regards to PKI. Author talks about theory of PKI in half the book. And then provides case studies which has very low utility if you are thinking of implementing PKI in J2EE or .NET or even ordinary ecommerce applications...The title is totally a misnomer. Only good thing i found was that the theory presented was helpful to understand PKI...

This is a great book for those of us who are NOT PKI development engineers. I learned a lot from this book; the authors, Russ Housley and Tim Polk, were able to present technical material in a way that was completely understandable to non-technical people who are interested in Internet and computer security issues. The Appendix on ASN.1, for example, clarified structures for me. As a policy person, I particularly enjoyed the Chapter on PKI Policy, thought it well written, succinct, and right on target. Since I read this book, I have referenced it in presentations and papers on the subject. Great work!

Okay, so it won't be winning a Pulitzer any time soon. But this is as fun as it gets. If you're a big fan, it's what you've always wanted, a good, long episode of TNG.

The title refers to a weapon originally meant to be a speedy, convenient means of terraforming. As usual, the good intentions of the scientists who invented it have been trumped by evil, and now the Genesis Wave has become a doomsday device in the hands of mysterious enemies, ravaging entire planets one by one as it moves through space, transforming all organic matter--including, of course, living beings--into primordial sludge. Ick, and kewl.

The story begins with the creator of the Genesis Wave, who's been exiled for years in an attempt to keep the technology secret after Starfleet acknowledges its deadly potential. When she's--you guessed it--kidnapped! mayhem ensues. Vornholt skillfully switches scenes to the first planet to be transformed, where we meet Leah Brahms, yeah, that one, the one Geordi fell in love with on the holodeck. She's been busy creating a suit that will allow engineers and the like to survive during a warp core breach, and it's her story that eventually takes us to the Enterprise, as Starfleet scrambles to try to combat the Genesis Wave. Leah and Geordi, as well as a few new characters, supply all the necessary subplots.

Vornholt delivers a tasty, easy plot, great mounting tension, and full, compelling characters, both old and new. This is genre fiction at its best, and, being only a first installment, promises hours upon hours of sheer, mindless fun. Gotta go put it my order for books II & III now.

Book 1 and book 2 of the Genesis Wave was about the best Next Generation books I've ever read. The author, John Vornholt did a wonderful job mixing the old generation with the new. All the old charaters were there. Dr. Carol Marcus, Kirk's old flame, Leah Brahms, Picard and cast. Carol Marcus is duded into setting off the Genesis Wave and it destroys an entire solar system. Leah Brahms and Geordi work closely together to figure out how to disengage the wave. The two books keep you at the edge of your seat. Book III, was not very good and I recommend not reading it. It pretty much had nothing to do with book I and 2.

This is a marvellously well-written fragment of a story; as suggested by the "Book One" in the title, it is not a complete story unto itself; it has no ending. Were it not for that fact, it would rate five stars; the characters are handled wonderfully, the plot moves well, there is sufficient action without there being an over-reliance on action, and there is marvellous suspence. Unfortunately, for my taste, there's a little TOO much suspence, as the story ends at a cliffhanger. I understand that some people like that sort of thing; I find it annoying.

There is one interesting thing about this book: all the good stuff happens in the last ten pages, so now I have to debate whether I want to continue or not.

Where I stand: this is not my first ST:TNG book. It's my fifth, and I am also not a complete trekkie. I like the series enough, and I love the books.

Mr. Vornholt, unfortunately, writes a book that is poorly written. The characters are individual enough, but their reactions are all flat.

*spoiler*
For example, there is a scene in which a klingon finds out how to survive the wave. His reaction: oh really? then he changes the subject.
*end spoiler*

Sorry, but if I learned that information, I'd go berserk and try to talk about the issues, not change subjects.

Mr. Vornholt infuses the book with "Yes, Sir" everywhere. I couldn't stand it! Not to sound narrow, but this is one little pet-peeve of mine. In the series, they never said Yes, Sir as often as this, and if it's written, I doubt it's written with a capital S every time!!! It was one thing that completely annoyed me. Yes, Sir. Like two sentences trying to start at the same time.

The book is slow and Chapter 14 could have been condensed, truncated, anything. I forced myself to read it so I could say I read the book entirely.

Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed and will not be continuing the series. And if no one believes me (this is *not* a fast-paced thriller like everyone claims), take a good look at the summary on the 1st edition hardcover: Book 1 of two books.

Mr. Vornholt is up to four books now. The man knows how to take your money and give you nothing.

In praise: while many of the NG characters do not act as they would in a Peter David book, the twists are actually pretty fun.

To conclude: These twists occur in the last ten pages of the book. Good luck.

As a Star Trek books fan, I'm not one who likes books that dwell needlessly on series continuity. I picked up the Genesis Wave books, by John Vornholt, because they looked interesting and they are another link from the Original Series (TOS) to the Next Generation (TNG). I was hoping that it wouldn't be wallowing in continuity, and surprisingly, it doesn't. Instead, we get a rollicking adventure (if you can call a book where millions, perhaps billions, of people die as "rollicking") that creates another tie to the old series but yet does something fresh. Just a little bit of character whining detracts from an otherwise quite enjoyable book.

Vornholt does a wonderful job of giving us just enough continuity to explain what's happening without going into excessive explanations about the whole thing. I always wondered what had happened to the device after the Star Trek III movie, as it's never referenced again. Sure, the planet was unstable and blew up, but that's it? Vornholt takes what happened in the movies and extrapolates, giving us a horrifying force that is able to wipe out entire planets. There is one chapter that is a report on the Genesis Device, from four different sources as Starfleet examines the ramifications of the entire project. This gives enough background information for those who haven't seen the movies, but also gives additional information that even those who have seen it don't have, keeping it interesting. Otherwise, the continuity references are kept to a minimum, which I loved.

The body count grows quite quickly, but it's abstract enough that it doesn't get overwhelming. On the other hand, we do see, first-hand, the effects of the Wave, as Leah Brahms (the love of Geordi LaForge's life, though she doesn't know that) weathers it in a specially modified environmental suit that she was experimenting with for other reasons. The descriptions of this can get a little graphic, but only in a PG-13 way.

Vornholt also balances the personal and the cosmic pretty well, giving the reader a lot of character moments interspersed with the Wave itself. Counselor Troi finds herself stuck on a planet taking readings of the Wave (in a modification of Brahms' suit) and also seeing it first-hand. Riker has to do a last-minute rescue of Troi on another planet just before the Wave hits. LaForge pines for Leah, as well as finding himself increasingly attracted to a geologist on board, Dolores Linton. In fact, Geordi became the only annoying part of the book, as he was constantly thinking about Brahms, whining that she didn't know how he felt. Or, later, wanting to tell her but unable to because her husband had just been killed by the Wave and she was after revenge. Very human, but also annoying to read.

One wonderful addition to the book is Maltz, the only Klingon to survive the events of Star Trek III. It's now 90 years later and he's an embittered drunk. He's never been able to live down what happened to him, being captured by Kirk & Company. He's lived on the idea of vengeance against Carol Marcus since then, but when Leah meets him, he's just a drunk on an out-of-the-way Tellarite colony. However, he recognizes Leah's description of the Genesis effect, and hitches a ride with her. He becomes one of the more delightful characters, filled with gusto and energy, willing to follow Leah to the ends of the galaxy because he knows she feels the same way he does about the whole thing. He gives a light edge to the whole thing, balancing out the enormous devastation in the book. Of course, I had a hard time picturing John Larroquette playing him, but it *has* been 90 years. Even better, Vornholt again gives us just enough information to know that *something* happened back then with Jim Kirk, but he doesn't spend two pages explaining the plot of Star Trek III.

The rest of the characters are also well done, even if they don't stand out as exceptional. I loved the relationship between Picard and Admiral Nechayev, mirroring perfectly what we saw in the series. They exasperate each other some times, but both know that the other is good at his/her job and there is a great deal of respect there as well. Riker & Troi are also handled well, given their relationship at the end of the movie Insurrection. Good points all around for Vornholt on this basis.

The plot seems simple at first, but Vornholt adds just enough intrigue to make it even better. Ostensibly, the plot is just to stop the Wave and find out who is using it. But little side-plots, some having to do with the main one and some tangents, are scattered all over, giving the book a lot more depth than it may seem to deserve. The tension is palpable, and the twists and turns are interesting and not *that* predictable. It moves at a steady pace, which also makes for a quick read. It's hard to put down.

Vornholt, as an author, frustrates me sometimes. He's either hit or miss for me. His books in the Time to... series were really iffy, but this one is great. Well worth a read for the Trek fan, and even a not bad one for the non-Trek one.

David Roy

FOR STARTERS, LET ME SAY THAT I THINK PRETTY HIGHLY OF THIS FILM. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT A FILM THAT WARRANTS THE EXTRA MONEY TO GO BLU-RAY.

I OWN THIS TITLE ON DVD AND BLU, AND FRANKLY, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MY BLU MONEY BACK. THERE IS NOT A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN EITHER PICTURE OR SOUND QUALITY. WITH A FAIRLY LARGE COLLECTION OF STANDARD AND HIGH DEF FILMS, THIS IS JUST ONE THAT IS NOT WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY IN MY OPINION.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THOUGH, THIS FILM IS WELL WORTH THE COST OF A STANDARD DVD AND WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT ADDITION TO ANY COLLECTION.

This story is a great family title with a great story line that impresses on the family values and togetherness.

They did a great job transferring this to Blu-ray. It was dazzling in detail. It was all that I hoped for, in an older title that has be re-released.

The Patriot DVD

Mel Gibson is a pacifist who live in South Carolina circa 1776. His pacifism was caused by the violence he saw during the French and Indian War that he fought in. Heath Ledger plays his almost grown son.

Highly recommended for fans of the American Revolutionary war, Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger.

Gunner April, 2008

I like how he doesn't want to fight. He just wants to live in peace and raise his family and tend his crops.

Just like American patriots to this day he did not want war. No, we are a God fearing, peaceful people. But, if our freedom is under attack and our country needs us then we will accept the call to duty. Freedom is not free.

This is the true American spirit and even though Australian, Mel Gibson understands it very well. Perhaps it is his faith that ties him together with us. As in a previous film, "Braveheart", Gibson is a good man forced into action by circumstances beyond his control to fight the English. And when he does, put on your rain coat because there will be blood, and lots of it, pouring and spraying everywhere. If there ain't a lot of blood shed it's not a Mel Gibson movie. Farmer Mel does the Lord's work, quickly turning into an axe weilding colonial Rambo killing machine. I suppose one shouldn't be surprised at his dispatching of a fairly large number of Red Coats with such efficiency. The peoples' blood lust shall be satisfied with just killings of the wicked. And the English surely are wicked and cruel, at one point burning to the ground a little white chapel filled with innocents. No wonder our brave countrymen fought the Revolution. And watching this vivid and moving history you know God was on our side.

Actually, the movie is pretty fascist in it's conception. Leni Riefenstahl would love it. It does make you wonder when something like this is popular what percentage of the masses, particularly the peasantry, is inherently fascist in it's politics. Or if not inherently, at least very prone. Scary.

FOR STARTERS, LET ME SAY THAT I THINK PRETTY HIGHLY OF THIS FILM. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT A FILM THAT WARRANTS THE EXTRA MONEY TO GO BLU-RAY.

I OWN THIS TITLE ON DVD AND BLU, AND FRANKLY, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MY BLU MONEY BACK. THERE IS NOT A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN EITHER PICTURE OR SOUND QUALITY. WITH A FAIRLY LARGE COLLECTION OF STANDARD AND HIGH DEF FILMS, THIS IS JUST ONE THAT IS NOT WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY IN MY OPINION.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THOUGH, THIS FILM IS WELL WORTH THE COST OF A STANDARD DVD AND WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT ADDITION TO ANY COLLECTION.

This story is a great family title with a great story line that impresses on the family values and togetherness.

They did a great job transferring this to Blu-ray. It was dazzling in detail. It was all that I hoped for, in an older title that has be re-released.

The Patriot DVD

Mel Gibson is a pacifist who live in South Carolina circa 1776. His pacifism was caused by the violence he saw during the French and Indian War that he fought in. Heath Ledger plays his almost grown son.

Highly recommended for fans of the American Revolutionary war, Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger.

Gunner April, 2008

I like how he doesn't want to fight. He just wants to live in peace and raise his family and tend his crops.

Just like American patriots to this day he did not want war. No, we are a God fearing, peaceful people. But, if our freedom is under attack and our country needs us then we will accept the call to duty. Freedom is not free.

This is the true American spirit and even though Australian, Mel Gibson understands it very well. Perhaps it is his faith that ties him together with us. As in a previous film, "Braveheart", Gibson is a good man forced into action by circumstances beyond his control to fight the English. And when he does, put on your rain coat because there will be blood, and lots of it, pouring and spraying everywhere. If there ain't a lot of blood shed it's not a Mel Gibson movie. Farmer Mel does the Lord's work, quickly turning into an axe weilding colonial Rambo killing machine. I suppose one shouldn't be surprised at his dispatching of a fairly large number of Red Coats with such efficiency. The peoples' blood lust shall be satisfied with just killings of the wicked. And the English surely are wicked and cruel, at one point burning to the ground a little white chapel filled with innocents. No wonder our brave countrymen fought the Revolution. And watching this vivid and moving history you know God was on our side.

Actually, the movie is pretty fascist in it's conception. Leni Riefenstahl would love it. It does make you wonder when something like this is popular what percentage of the masses, particularly the peasantry, is inherently fascist in it's politics. Or if not inherently, at least very prone. Scary.

Very corny book. Out of touch with today's issues. I exepcted Mr. Russert with his rich jurnalism exeperience, write something that relates to the deep troubling issues of today.

I highly recommend this audio book. Tim Russert does a great job talking about the importance of his relationship with his dad. It is very heart warming and inspiring. Our family listened to it together on a trip back from Florida. Everyone enjoyed it. Tim is a great communicator.Big Russ and Me: Father and Son--Lessons of Life

TIM RUSSERT IS ONE OF THE MOST KNOWLEDGABLE POLITICAL ANALYSTS EVER.
HE IS ALSO A GREAT AUTHOR OF THIS FANTASTIC, HEART WARMING STORY OF A FATHER AND SON'S TRUE RELATIONSHIP. "WISDOM OF OUR FATHERS" WAS A GREAT READ ALSO. TIM: WRITE MORE!

I recieved the book as promised..in "like-new" condition and it was delivered in the time frame promised. I bought the book for my 90 yr. old Dad to read while he traveled to his bithplace and towns he lived in in Montana with my older brothers. Am sure they had thier own stories to share with one another! ~~ dsquire~~

Imagine going through your life and professional career leaning on your father's one-liners. Tim Russert describes his life and around every corner he calls his father. His father undoubtedly picks up the phone and throws out one of his famous one-liners. Russert uses that one-liner on TV the next day to boost his career. There are good thoughts in this book about teachings that every child should learn. I liked Russert's thoughts on teachers and how children have lost respect for them. Yet, I am sure that is what every generation has thought about their children compared to their own childhood. I wouldn't expect anything deep and provide from this book, unless you are looking for a couple of good one-liners.

After reading the first two books, I'd definitely liken Genesis Wave to a Star Trek-style Disaster film - ala' The Poseidon Adventure or Towering Inferno. The big difference is that we know exactly who's going to live and who's going to die. The big drawcard is Vornholt's descriptions of the horrific effect that Genesis has on its victims. Particularly in the case of Persephone and Myrmidon.

The plot flows at a near frenetic pace - so fast that you almost don't notice the small changes in characterization. One glaring example is Geordi LaForge's budding attraction to Leah Brahms. I'd always assumed that the two nascent lovebirds had decided to be good friends. It's interesting how an internal monologue within a novel can turn what I thought was the romantic status quo, completely on it's head. I still can't decide whether this decision was fan wish-fulfillment, or a logical next step for the two characters.

I don't put Vornholt on the same level as Keith R. A. DeCandido, as I think the latter has the edge when it comes to writing solid characterization and witty dialogue. But for those interested in a James Blish-style Trek story with Next Generation characters, this is definitely the novel for you.

Like the first book in this series, this is a marvellously well-written fragment of a story; as suggested in the "Book 2" in the title, it is not a complete story unto itself. It starts in the middle of the action, book one having left us hanging on a cliff; this one picks up from there and rides the story through to an (apparent) ending. We also get a preview of "Book 3", just to let us know that the story ISN'T actually over yet, but at least the current immediate plot is tied up nicely.

Between the two of them, books one and two make for a five-star Star Trek novel, with excellent characterizations, good action, and a fine plot with many interesting convolutions. I'd have preferred to see this sold as a single large volume, but that's just a personal preference; I hate to see stories broken up into separate books just for marketing purposes.

This book picks up seconds after book one. By the end of the book I was left thinking that this was a perfect ending to the story. Here again we see Geordi dealing with his love interest Leah Brahams. She has been busy moving up the chain of command and now has a crew of her own. The crew of the Enterprise start succuming to the aliens that set off the Genesis Wave in order to save their dying civilization. Billions are dead and the Klingons are in the unconventional roll of acting as transport ships of the injured and refugees left in the wake of a massive evacuation that has decimated much of the alpha quadrant.

Makes a nice tie-in to the Star Trek S.C.E. series.

The second book of the Genesis Wave series continues the rollicking ride that the first book gave us, though it's not quite as tight as I would have liked. We still have the galactic destruction, but this book is much more character-based, taking some of the characters in directions that are a little more absurd than I would have liked, but still enjoyable. The ending is predictable (though the method isn't necessarily), and the story is weakened by what turns out to be multiple scenes of monster slaughter. At times, the book felt like a variation on Dawn of the Dead, and lost a little bit of its luster because of it. Still, it was quite enjoyable.

Vornholt once again has some good characterization of the regulars in this book. Maltz and Brahms are the highlights here, as they add a lot of fun to a rather downbeat book otherwise. That Vornholt does this without making the Klingons caricatures is even more of an achievement. Instead, they stay true to their Klingon heritage, trying to die with honour and taking as many of the enemy with them as possible. They look down on the humans as soft (one amusing scene has Maltz on a Federation ship trying to get *uncomfortable* in the captain's chair because it shouldn't *be* comfortable), but they develop a healthy respect for Dr. Brahms, mainly because she realizes she has to be just as gruff and harsh as a typical Klingon captain. Other than Maltz and Gradok, we don't really get a good sense of why the rest of the crew is following her. That's a minor point, however.

What's not quite as minor is one of the twists involving the Romulans, which I won't get into here other than asking: for what possible purpose would the Romulans have a contingency plan in a fairly deserted area of space before any of this happens (we're talking a matter of days, so there's no way they could have set it up after the Genesis Wave began)? There doesn't seem to be any point to it unless they somehow knew that this area would be important, but there's no indication of that. This plot hole sets up the finale, which does cheapen it a little bit

The other problem with the book is that it does, at times, become a monster hunt. This hunt is related to the whole story, so it does serve a bit of a purpose, but on Myrmidon it doesn't seem to connect with the rest of the story. Yes, these monsters are the same as are being dealt with elsewhere, but it only serves to give jeopardy to an already poignant storyline on Myrmidon, where all of these Bolians are trying to survive on a planet that's not really hospitable to them anymore. That may have been an interesting story to tell. These sequences also emphasize a "Super Data" that became a bit annoying at times. Yes, I know Data is capable of leaping great distances, but picturing him bounding around, grabbing people and then jumping away again and again became a little silly. All in all, the situation on Myrmidon did tend to distract from the rest of the book (though it did contain the classic line from Data, "Actually, you were trying to bite my face." Ok, you had to be there).

What did I like about Genesis Wave: Book 2? While I found them a bit far-fetched, I loved the Brahms/Klingon scenes. They were just a lot of fun, filled with Klingon bluster and adventure. Maltz is once again the highlight, either when he's swearing vengeance on Carol Marcus or when he's offering to pretend to be Leah's consort in order to protect her from any untoward advances from a crew member. These scenes certainly aren't flawless, but my enjoyment of them outweighed any incredulity that I might have had for them. Carol Marcus was also handled well, especially when she figures out that she's been duped, that Jim Kirk and her son are not really around her, and she must do whatever she can to stop the Wave from being unleashed again. Again, there were a few bits here and there that didn't quite connect for me (I didn't buy how easily she was able to empty her thoughts so that her captors couldn't read them, for example), but I could put any faults aside for the sheer entertainment value and the strength of the characterization. She's a woman who has the deaths of billions on her conscience, even though she was duped. This guilt and determination to not let it happen again shines through.

Genesis Wave: Book 2 is not as good, not as cohesive as the first book. However, it is a fitting conclusion to a cosmic adventure. I particularly liked how the ending is not all tied up in a neat little bow for the characters, though it is for the reader. There are some questions that you know they will never be able to answer. It's a nice change of pace. This duology is definitely worth a look-see for any Trek fan.

David Roy

As with the first book in this phenomenal series, "The Genesis Wave" book two is a continuation of author John Vornholt's finest work in the Star Trek genre to date. Just as in the first exceptional novel, his visualizations, plot setup and pacing is absolutely "spot on" perfect, lending greatly to a very fast and enjoyable read. Although I read a lot of books in the Star Trek genre, I can say with absolute certainty that only a select few of the titles are as gripping as this tale is.

Like the cover art for the first title, the cover art for this second title is absolutely perfect, greatly enhancing the story.

The premise:

In the first novel Starfleet and the Romulans found themselves dealing with the Genesis wave which was ravaging its way through the Federation, heading for Earth and then the Romulan Star Empire, prompting their help, albeit duplicitous. As the first novel closed, Geordi LaForge, Admiral Nechayev and other key characters were on the planet Mrymidon riding through the Genesis wave and praying that their plan to save as many lives as possible would work...

Now, author John Vornholt takes us through the process of finding a solution to the Genesis wave and finding those responsible for its re-creation and launching. What follows from there is nothing short of one of the most intriguing and gripping thrillers in the Star Trek genre. Even more unusual and intriguing are the "bad guys" in this particular trilogy which are rather odd and original, lending greatly to the mystery of this trilogy.

I highly recommend this trilogy to any and all fans of Star Trek fiction as I have found these first two tales to be among the best Star Trek novels to date. {ssintrepid}

Well,it's my OWN opinion...and nobody must agree with me...but why the writters almost always must(?)do strange or sometimes just stupid things with Alexander??It's disgusting.Why they couldn't do something like that with anyone else:-(?To add,this book have poor plots,and only merely describe the Aluwnans .There are my thinks after my first reading-maybe when I reach for this book again, I'll be in better mood,and will write here about "Genesis Force" sth more positive.

I thought this book was entertaining, and I did not feel at a disadvantage because I had never read a Star Trek book before. The plot was interesting, with some good twists. I thought the author was very creative in his use of futuristic conventions, while still leaving the storyline accessible to a non sci fi person.

There is good science fiction out there. There are good Trek novels. This isn't them. This was awful.

It started out interestingly enough. The author explores in depth a number of characters on an non-Federation planet. We see a new culture, and new people. But even here there are a lot of missed opportunities. The culture is not delved into; we see few differences in culture other than what you might find on earth. Indeed, this culture is about as different from 20th century American culture as 20th century England is. It is written like a TOS episode, without a great deal of imagination.

The book goes downhill from there. There are few explanations for the events which follow. Characters are not believable, and amazingly flat. I have no idea why most of them did what they did. The Enterprise shows up at the last second, and I think saves the day, but there was no point to include them, other than that this is a Star Trek novel. There are scenes of amazing gruesomeness, which one does not usually find in a Trek novel or show- and there is no point to their inclusion. Except perhaps to claim to be cutting edge by being gruesome. I'm reading this novel, thinking that there are only about ten pages left- how are they going to satisfactorily resolve everything? Sure enough, they resolve everything- and it's anything but satisfactory. It's like there was a page limit, and the author realized that there were only ten pages to finish up the story, so lets come up with any old way to fix things.

The first half of the novel is in-depth; the second half rushed and confusing. I feel like I wasted an evening.

It is amazing tale of how two very different scientific phenomenon come together to produce the story of Genesis Force. The first is the Genesis Force itself, which we first saw in the Original Star Trek Series, and anyone who follows the Trek series know this creates life from nothing. When it hits planet after planet where there is life, it destroys. Who unleashed this terrible force?

The Federation is looking into putting a stop to the Genesis Force doing any more damage while the Klingons go to the planet to try to help. In attempting to do so, they come up against a race whose scientific community wants to change the way their planet is ruled. So along with trying to reestablish life on the planet, they are up against a governmental overthrow.

The characters are very colorful from the ruling family to the Klingons and right down to the young scoundrel that ends up being the ruler of the new world as the story comes to an end. It tells of the murder of the ruler and the creatures created by the Genesis Force as well as the atmospheric conditions that must be fought in order to regain control of the planet and make it habitable again. There is even time in the book for a bit of a love interest between Geordi and Lea Brahms who we have seen in earlier stories of Star Trek. In the final attempt by the scientific community to create the same wonderful place they had before Genesis Force, they unleash a new force into the atmosphere on their devastated planet. The result is anything but what they wanted to create.

Tim Russ is the reader of this audio book. He reads the story with the fervor that only a person who has actually been a part of the Star Trek Series could give the book. He is able to inflect the words almost as perfectly as the character that played the original role. This is a must have for any Star Trek fan.

This book-on-tape which seems to take place sometime during the next generation movies finds Worf in command of a small Klingon fleet resettling the colonists in wake of the Genesis wave. In this process they encounter a culture that has decided to preserve themselves in their orbital transporter network.

Tim Russ (Voyager's Tuvok) does an excellent job of portraying the full gauntlet of characters ranging from the out-of-favor scientist turned savior to the planet's genetically-perfect ruler to Worf and the Klingons.

The story brings back a few now-older characters like Worf's son Alexander and Jeremy (the kid that Worf took under his wing because he lead the away team that resulted in his mother's death). Both have ended up serving under Worf on the Klingon ship (Jeremy apparently through some sort of Federation exchange program). Unfortunately, the rest of the enterprise crew play a very minor role in the whole saga.

The story begins to pick up when the now-destroyed and supposedly lifeless planet appears to have life on it; moreover this life form seems to be able to shape-shift and nearly convinces the colonists to begin coming down in droves before the Klingons discover that the life forms are not what they appear.

The Klingons want to put everything on hold until they can figure out the mystery of the planet. In the interim, however, another mystery (which becomes Alexander's challenge) is formed when the planet's leader is killed and the heir-apparent and scientist-savior are the two leading suspects.

The colonists are not willing to wait (with the transporter systems failing and afraid of loosing lives) and begin a process that is supposed to re-terraform the planet. However, what they don't know apparently can hurt them and does.