Star Trek Movies Books

if you are a fan of jeri ryan's youll love this calendar (there's a poster of her in it) but if you are not a fan-- you'll find it as yucky as i did- a waste of money.

This calendar features wonderful pictures. However, since this was Voyager's last year I would have liked a page of semi-regs or at least a page with Jennifier Lien ("Kes" Seasons 1-3) in it. Overall, a great calendar!

There is no better way to fondly say goodbye to this excellent series than to own this calendar. I have had it all year, and enjoyed it every month. While the series is over, the pictures in this calendar will remind you of the excitement everytime you check the date.

With Voyager leaving the airwaves this year; what a good way to remember them! The calender features photos of each crew member with a futuristic background. My only complaint is that there are no vertical lines to divide the days on the calender. Other than that, this one was worth the price.

The 2002 Voyager calendar features images of all the regular cast members. Most are taken from actual episodes, not publicity stills. I always feel a bit cheated when they use publicity stills -- I want to see new and interesting images. I wish they would make a calendar of just various effects shots from Voyager instead of cast members (and hopefully in the style of the 2001 Ships of the Line calendar). It is getting a little boring having the same sort of thing year after year.

Once again, Diane Carey makes a hash of an exceptionally good episode in her novelization by attempting to prove herself a "wordsmith"; she can't be bothered to use words in the way that they're intended to be used in the language; that's too "boring". Instead, she presses words into use in ways that they were never intended to be used, and makes up some of her own, sort of like Humpty Dumpty in "Alice In Wonderland", who insists that he is the master of his words, and they mean just what he intends, no more, no less. So we have her using the word "sniggering" when what she means is "niggling" ("Sniggering guilt"). We have phases like "a sob choked her back" when what she means is "she choked a sob back". We hear ""We don't know", he garbled." We hear "He...hardened with pain", when what she means is "He tensed with pain." Then there are the just plain errors, such as "something he hadn't trained for nor ever betted upon" instead of "bet on". All of these examples came within the first 46 pages. It doesn't get any better; we have some sloppy error or ludicrous use of language about every five pages. Which is a shame, because the story is actually a good one, even if the ending is a bit too convenient. If Diane Carey had been willing to make telling the story the primary goal, rather than showing off how distractingly she can torment the language, it would have been an excellent book. Only read this if you are completely unconcerned with the quality of the writing and simply want an exciting story.

A great book. It showed some conflict between Janeway And Chakotay(you don't see that everyday). you see some betrayal and lots of drama. A must read book for any Voyager fan.

I always enjoy the novelization of any show or movie and Equinox is no different. I like the idea that we got to see more conflict between Janeway and Chakotay. Also the confict between Janeway and Ranson was also really good. My only regret is that never got to see the survivors of the Equinox again.

I first saw this episode on UPN and then I ordered the book. Both the episode and the book were suspenseful and exciting. The characters in the book were convincing and believable. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Equinox is an excellent novelization of the series season ending and season openers, Equinox Parts I & II. Diane Carey once again, shows why she is one of the primary authors that John Ordover and Pocket Books goes to for these novels.

The premise: The starship USS Voyager is cruising along on its merry way back to the Alpha Quadrant when they receive, to their great surprise, a Federation distress call. This, in and of itself, plays out a huge portion of the emotional intrigue for the crew of Voyager. When Captain Janeway and crew arrive on the scene, they find the USS Equinox, a Nova class science vessel under attack. What the starship is being attacked by is not immediately clear though. They rush in and extend their shields around the smaller vessel and begin to make their introductions. As one would expect, there is a lot of excitement between the two small crews, considering that both thought they were the only Federation personnel in the quadrant. What Captain Janeway and the crew of Voyager are soon to find out though is the Captain Ransom and his crew have had a lot rougher go of trying to get home than they have. I don't wish to spoil this for those that haven't read it or by chance not scene the two part episode.

Diane Carey's work on this novelization does deserve a lot of extra credit though. In many ways, this novel, in my opinion, is more intriguing and exciting than the two aired episodes. She perfectly captured the inner struggles that the primary characters, Captain Janeway, Captain Ransom and Commander Chakotay are going through. She truly captures Captain Janeways almost crazed, desire to stop Captain Ransom. This, by itself, almost costs her the relationship between her and her first officer. I've read a lot of the Star Trek novelizations and some, unlike this one, are mostly regurgitations of what was seen on the screen. There's no flair or added scenes to them. That is not the case with this wonderfully well written book. I would definitely recommend this one to any Star Trek fan or somebody just getting started with reading Star Trek.

"Forged In Fire" is noted as being a novel featuring Captain Sulu and the Excelsior but it really is more of a prequel to the Deep Space Nine episode 'Blood Oath'. Story wise, a majority of the plot takes place before the events of 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' and some after the opening scenes of 'Star Trek: Generations'. Without spoiling the plot, this is a book that explains more than a few unanswered questions and plots brought up by various Trek episodes and movies. First, it's the story of how Sulu comes to be Excelsior's captain. That plot was handled okay, but if you've read the novel 'The Valiant' about Picard's rise to command on the Stargazer, this plot isn't too different. Second, this is about how Curzon Dax came to be so highly regarded among the Klingons and the origins of the 'blood oath' Jadzia Dax and some of the original series Klingons carried out in the early season of 'Deep Space Nine' against a figure known as the Albino.

The Good: What I enjoyed the most was the dynamics explored between the characters. Reading of how Curzon Dax had to prove himself to the Klingons and his mentor (another big Trek figure) in the Diplomatic Corps was interesting. We get to see a young, less experienced Dax whose figuring things out and finding his niche and style and how that both helps him make great progress and backfires. Another interesting set of characters in the novel were Christine Chapel and Janice Rand who, for once, are given their due time in the spotlight and actually are in the thick of the action. Reading of how Sulu's quest to become Excelsior's captain wasn't as simple and expected as implied in 'Star Trek VI' was a surprise, and a plot worth reading.

The Bad: The main action and plot is centered on The Albino wreaking havoc on the Klingons, and Dax helping them to seek vengeance. I just didn't find this all that compelling or executed well. The book is one of Trek's longest novels at 480 some pages. Were all the scenes and cat-and-mouse action worthy of such a long novel? In my opinion, no. It makes for a long, drawn-out, rather dull read of scenes where not much seems to happen and the pacing is very see-saw like, going from being very interesting to landing in a slow lull. A lot of the dialogue and action seemed unnecessary, as if to fill space, and in this case could have been better summarized or implied rather than occupying pages in the book.

In all, I found the book to be just average for me. With all the hype surrounding the release, I expected this novel to be a lot more than it amounted to (in my view). I hope if there is another Excelsior novel that it can focus on something new and original rather than having to be based on explaining plots and episodes of Trek (which in the end spoils and takes away from the excitement and impact when you pretty much know what's going to happen in the end). Buy this novel used.

Good to know a bit more about curzon dax and sulu in this book, get to learn more about klingons too

Have you ever wondered why the Klingons in Star Trek (the Original Series) looked basically like swarthy humans, while in the movies and later series, they had brow ridges that wouyld have prevented them from EVER being mistaken for humans? (OK, we all know the real reason is the the original series didn't have much of a makeup budget, while the movies and later series had the budget to make their aliens look a bit more ALIEN.) But that's not a very satisfying answer to those geeky enough to want their Star Trek world to be internally consistent, so in the Deep Space Nine episode, "Trials & Tribblations", in which the Defiant crew go back in time to the date of the original series episode, "Trouble With Tribbles", the issue is acknowledged (but far from addressed) when Worf, responsing to his cohorts' confusion at seeing Klingons with no brow ridges, simply snarls, "We don't talk about that." Later, in another Deep Space Nine episode, we see Kor, Kang, and Koloth (three Klingons that we saw in the original series & animated series with smooth foreheads) as older men, and they had brow ridges.

An attempt at explaining this internal inconsistency away was made in an episode of "Enterprise". That explanation is expanded upon in this book, and it is done well enough that I'm willing to consider it the final word on the subject. In addition, this book shows the first adventure of Sulu as Captain of the Excelsior, as well as the first adventure of Curzon Dax. It is, for the most part, a delightful book and the only reason that I do not rate it five stars is that in the beginning of it, the transitions between time periods (it relates events happening in several different periods of time) are rather choppy and difficult to follow; otherwise it is excellent.

If you all recall the STVOY episode where Tuvok and Capt Janeway were on the Excelsior, this was supposed to be the spin off for Excelsior's own TV series, but didn't happen. This book is great on filling in the Back story of a Deep Space Nine, season 2 show where Dax teams up with 3 Klingons to fulfill a blood oath. A must read!

On the surface, the new Captain Sulu novel, Forged in Fire, is full of a number of good ideas. How did Sulu gain command of the Excelsior? What precisely led to Curzon Dax's blood oath with Kang, Kor, and Koloth to feast on the still beating heart of the Albino'? And how did the smooth headed Klingons get their ridges back?

However, these ideas are presented in an ultimately unsatisfying way. While the ridges subplot was handled well, it didn't really fit with the overall narrative of the story. But the story is ultimately going to be unsatisfying when you start from such a flawed premise. The events of the DS9 episode `Blood Oath' are the basis for pretty much the entire novel, and it establishes that not only did the Albino escape from the Klingons and Dax, he also managed to kill their firstborn sons. Therefore, we know when starting the novel that the Albino won't be brought to justice within the novel, no matter what happens. 480 pages that lead up to an unsatisfying conclusion that we already knew was coming. Of course, this is assuming that a reader is familiar with the episode; if one isn't, the book probably seems to just abruptly end without any real resolution at all.

If Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels couldn't bring something new and compelling to the story to give the reader a sense of closure, then maybe the conception of this novel should have been rethought. That said, their prose was capable, as always, and their characterizations were well done: from people we know well, like Sulu and Sarek, to original characters like Cutler, all seemed like realistic, believable people.

Limited scope is also an issue. While the plot appears at first to be complicated and spanning a range of times, the flashbacks merely serve to set up small plot elements in the story and aren't returned to afterwards. The narrative essentially boils down to a terrorist attack, followed by our heroes chasing the terrorist for the next 300+ pages. It's not any more complicated than that.

I sat down to watch `Blood Oath' this afternoon after finishing the novel last night. I'd forgotten how uneven and undramatic it was. (Not to mention how bad an actor I find Terry Farrell to be.) But it did help me put a point on something that I find monotonous and unrealistic.

I understand that vengeance is not accepted behavior by the Federation of the 24th century, but why does every damn Klingon story have to drive this point home? Both Sulu in the novel and Sisko in the episode take great strides to make their abhorrence for the Klingon's oath known. But are condemnation and understanding really irreconcilable things? Have we not all had feeling of vengeance that we haven't acted upon? Could we not look at a man whose son has been killed and understand why he would seek the death of the killer even if we felt it would be the wrong thing to do.

For all the permissiveness and acceptance the Federation supposedly has for other peoples and culture, we don't really seem to actually see it all that much. Perhaps it is the writer's fault; they use humanity (the Federation) as the inflexible moral line, the white in what is actually a grey situation. But it would be nice to see some of the novel authors try and combat this practice, given that they tout their freedom to go places that the television shows couldn't.

Fans of Star Trek know that James Doohan (Scotty) began his career doing voices. He was the voice of some of the alien creatures that appeared in the original series. In this case, he is reading an abridged version of the book and movie of the same name. The reading is enhanced by sound effects and an original score.
Since this is an abbreviated version of a movie I have seen several times, my review will deal only with the quality of the reading and the additional sound. While his ability has no doubt been reduced by age, Doohan is still capable of a wide range of voices. His approximations of the voices of Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy are pretty good; there is a good deal of similarity. He adds emphasis when it is needed, which enhances the dramatic effect. The additional sounds are excellent. I listened to the tape in my car and the "explosions" startled me. One time, I thought the humming of a phaser was a problem with the heating fan in my car.
While there is some loss of quality due to the abridgement, this is still a tape well worth listening to. It is well done; the dramatic qualities are preserved by Doohan and the extra sounds add a great deal to the excitement.

Star Trek VI is one of my favorites of the movie series, so I was curious to see whether the novelization was as good. I was not disappointed. This is a quick and enjoyable read, with quite a bit of dialogue taken directly from the movie. Dillard has an excellent feel for the familiar characters and for the Star Trek world in general.

I had only two complaints. There are some backstories, such as Carol Marcus's injury, which add nothing to the narrative and in fact bog it down somewhat. And for some of the movie's best and funniest lines, Dillard includes the characters' thoughts leading up to the lines, apparently trying to justify them, but unfortunately depriving them of much of their comic impact.

A Novel by J.M. Dillard

Screenplay by Nicholas Meyer & Denny Martin Flinn

Story by Leonard Nimoy and Nicholas Meyere & Denny Martin Flinn

Synopsis

The Klingons are proposing Peace. Does this mean the end of the war or the end of history?

Stardate 8679.25: Internal pressures, enormous military expenditures, and the destruction of their primary energy source have brought the Klingon Empire to the verge of catastrophic collapse.

To avert disaster, Gorkon, Chancellor of the Klingon High Council, proposes negotiations between the Federation and Klingon Empire, negotiations that will put an end to the years of hostility between the two powers, and herald a new era of peace and cooperation. Captain James T. Kirk and the U.S.S. EnterpriseTM are dispatched to escort the Chancellor safely into Federation space.

But a treacherous assassination brings negotiations to a sudden halt and places Kirk and Dr. McCoy in the hands of the Federation's greatest enemy. With time running out, Spock and the Enterprise crew work to uncover the deadly secret that threatens to propel the galaxy into the most destructive conflict it has ever known.


Review by Roger D. Noriega

The novel is always better than book, right? Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Clear and Present Danger, The Hunt for the Red October, right? I would normally say that this is the case and one should not expect to find the novelization to Star Trek VI to be better than the movie - this is just not the case. A novelization is always based on the most recent script and as we know, movies are changed daily while in production and even in post-production.

The novelization by J.M. Dillard is one that adds a few layers to the story as seen on the big screen. The story stands on its own, unlike Star Trek V which does have a few holes filled in by the novelization. A few. That review is for another day - maybe.

Hostilities are breaking out between the two superpowers: The Klingons and the Federation. There have been attacks on outposts inside of Federation space by phaserfire from undetected ships. Witnesses, describe clear phaser strikes, not originating from the atmosphere, but from the sky, underneath clouds - "you just can't see any ships."

Cloaked ships. It must be. First Kudao and then Themis. Carol Marcus is on the survivors from the latter attack and Jim Kirk rushes to her side. Kirk is burning with rage because Carol was hurt by a Klingon attack. How does one know for certain? Who else could it be? Kirk is saddened for he is called back to Starfleet Headquarters and must leave Carol who remains in a coma. First his son David and now Carol. These [...] will pay if Kirk ever gets a chance.

That chance never comes. At the briefing, we learn that Praxis has exploded, the Klingon economy is in tatters and a olive branch is on the table. Kirk is chosen to Command the Enterprise to Escort Chancellor Gorkon to Earth.

Kirk realizes immediately that much more is happening upon witnessing the apparent photon torpedo strikes to Kronos One. He remembers the words that Kwan-mei Suarez (Carol's friend on the outpost): "Out of nowhere. The ships fired out of nowhere." Kirk, the great warrior knows that much more is happening and he refrains from raising shields while Kronos One bears down on the Enterprise on a revenge run.

****

Frantically McCoy tore open Gorkon's collar.

"Bones . . . ?" Jim asked, feeling as if he were watching humanity's last chance for peace die before his eyes.

"He's gone into some kind of arrest. Come on, dammit!" McCoy swore at Gorkon, then pounded the Klingon's chest.

The chancellor opened his eyes and looked up into Jim's face.

"Are you all right?" Gorkon asked feebly.

Jim heard his own voice telling Spock: They're animals. Let them die . . .

No, Jim tried to whisper. Don't let it end this way.

****

Significantly different from the movie events, but no less telling of the power of the moment. The movie was more powerful in the scene where Gorkon dies, especially when he implores Kirk: "Don't let it end this way."

In the moment where Uhura is able to convince the controllers at Mortagh Station that the Enterprise is actually a smuggler ship, we realize that the two sentinels have no doubt that they are smugglers and that they are rather thankful for the liquor they are drinking. Based on the dialect that Uhura is using, they peg her to be Rigellian or Catullan. In any event, they wish her well and give her the code signal that all is clear with them and for good fortune the rest of the way: "Don't catch any bugs."

If you read the book, you know what they mean, if you don't, you are left with the same dumbfounded look that the crew have upon hearing the parting phrase from Mortagh Station.

Sulu confronts doubts from his crew about assisting the Enterprise and in a scene reminiscent of Star Trek III that touches upon loyalty, brotherhood, and friendship, Sulu responds to his first officer's declaration of having just committed treason: "To be candid, I always hoped that if the choice ever came down to betraying my country or betraying my friend, I'd have the guts to betray my country." he paused an studied his crew, "I realize that I can't ask any of you to follow my orders. If you do so, you may face charges along with me. Those who wish may retire to their quarters."

No one left the bridge.

Uhura's declaration of the Klingon ship having a tail pipe is not in the book, but he comment about informing Starfleet command via letter about their predicament in battle is rather amusing. Scotty's follow-up of making sure that it is "Postdated" is a rather telling sign of who these people are, professionals in the face of duty and damn, grim funny people under pressure all the while their lives are at stack. That with McCoy's attempted humor of "This is fun" may have added levity to the whole situation, but clearly would be unwarranted in the "Battle for Peace".

The book follows the movie almost to the T, but as I said, it adds layers to the story we have now seen on the big-screen. It answers some questions that we may have had and it adds beauty to wonderful, rich story that will remain, to this day, one of the better stories told by the people from Star Trek.

The novelization rates a 3.5 of 5.

The movie version of this story was not bad, certainly not as bad as the movie version of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier". Still, just as Dillard managed to turn that abysmal movie into a more than passable book by managing to plug a great many of the holes in the plot with better explanations of what was happening, so here, too, the same author manages, while MOSTLY remaining true to the plot of the movie, to turn a fairly good movie into an excellent book by explaining a couple of things that the movie failed to make clear. (Now if we could just turn this author loose on a few of the original-series episodes that made no sense, we'd be in business...)

From her first Star Trek novelization, "Star Trek V The Final Frontier," J.M. Dillard has been the "go to" author for Pocket Books when it comes to the novelizations for the movies and the novelization of Star Trek Deep Space Nines pilot episode, "Emissary." This is deservedly so, her work in the novelizations of such important events in the Star Trek genre have been exceptional, and this novel is no exception to that rule.

"Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country" as a film was an extremely well told story written by Leonard Nimoy, Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, with the screenplay being written by Nicholas Meyer and Denny Martin Flinn. J.M. Dillard's work in this extraordinary novel not only serves to novelize that original story, it enhances it beyond measure. She does a beautiful job of adding the characters personal thoughts of the events surrounding them and of adding to the story with "between the scenes" sequences that makes this one of her best efforts.

The premise:

The Klingons, having been long time rivals of the Federation whether through open war or unbridled skirmishes have suffered a great catastrophe when Praxis, A Klingon moon suddenly explodes, removing a key energy resource center for the Klingon Empire. Suddenly finding themselves facing too many problems, more or less of their own creation, in which they've spent too much on their military budget and not enough on environmental and other concerns, the Klingon Chancellor, Gorkon must make a decision to sue for peace between the Empire and the Federation.

The main catalyst for that peace turns out to be Captain Spock, who has been working in secret negotiations with Chancellor Gorkon and is now ready to begin those talks in earnest. Spock has managed to secure the use of the Enterprise and Captain Kirk in order to rendezvous with Chancellor Gorkon and escort his ship back to Earth to begin those negotiations.

Here is where the writing of the screenplay and J.M. Dillard's writing kicks into the high gear of intrigue when a conspiracy uncovers itself long enough to fire several torpedoes from the Enterprise and hit Chancellor Gorkon's ship, knocking out their gravity and then two conspirators beam over and murder Chancellor Gorkon and several other Klingons. Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy both beam over, hoping to be able to help Chancellor Gorkon, but he dies and they're charged with his murder.

What follows from there is nothing less than one of the best stories written in the Star Trek genre and filmed, to date. From political intrigue and an extraordinary space battle to some very humorous moments, "Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country" hits on all points.

I highly recommend this novelization as it is an excellent addition to your Star Trek library whether you're into the novelizations or not. {ssintrepid}

Easy to read Sci-Fi book, great suspense. I really enjoyed reading this wonderful Sci-Fi creating. Roxann Dawson in Combination with Graham have made a great trilogy.I will definitely like to see more books from these authors. Just when there was no hope Andrea pulls Through and gives Hope to the next Book, Tenebrea's Rising.

Tenebrea's Hope was awesome! Roxann Dawson and Daniel Graham have proved themselves extremely talented novelists, once again. I highly reccomend this book.

P.S. It's essential that you read Entering Tenebrea before you read this one.

Tenebrea's Hope is a reward for readers who made it through Entering Tenebrea without giving up on the series. Book Two of the Tenebrea Trilogy is definitely better than its predecessor, despite an ending that's a wee bit trite and anticlimactic, and fails to deliver any major plot payoff.

The story picks up with Andrea Flores and renegade clone Tara in mid-flight away from the wreckage they generated on Cor. Blowing up the clone institute seemed the only way to buy time for mounting a full offensive against the Ordinate's NewGen clones, but it also blew Andrea's cover and K'Rin's plans for mobilizing the Jod Council in secrecy. Under ambitious Admiral Brulk, the Ordinate traces the saboteurs back to Jod and seizes the initiative. Accusing Jod of incitement to war, Cor gains a political weapon in lieu of the NewGen forces it lost.

Still too closed-minded to understand the real threat, Jod Council leader Pl'Don sees the Ordinate mess as an excellent opportunity to destroy his long-standing opponent K'Rin, along with the Tenebrea and the entire Rin clan. Expecting to take a Council seat as leader of any potential fight against Cor, K'Rin instead finds himself and most of his men taken by surprise and packed off to a prison planet. Worse, a traitor in K'Rin's ranks has told Pl'Don about the Tenebrea's use of the illegal Quazel protein; with no access to the necessary counteracting enzyme, the prisoners are doomed to a gruesome and lingering death.

Cooling her heels in a hidden outpost with fellow Tenebrea H'Roo and escaped clones Tara and Eric, Andrea is spared from Pl'Don's trap. She and her companions are now the Tenebrea's best hope. There's hope for her, too, as-almost against her will-she finds herself beginning to care again about the fates of those around her. Suddenly her life's mission of killing as many Ordinate as she can is sidelined by her need to spring K'Rin and the Tenebrea. She does return to Cor as she promised outlaw clone Brigon in Entering Tenebrea, but it's to recruit his assistance in the great escape rather than to fight the Ordinate. Meanwhile, Cor is preparing to sandbag Jod in pretty much the same way that Pl'Don took out K'Rin and most of his men-a nicely ironic touch.

The story lines in Tenebrea's Hope are much more scattered than in Entering Tenebrea. Where most of the action in the previous book was focused on either Andrea or K'Rin, those perspectives are joined here by alternating sections centering on Pl'Don, Brigon, Brulk, and a number of other minor characters as well. The increased plot complexity helps to conceal the believability issues that still crop up from time to time, but the transitions are choppy and continuity sometimes suffers. As in the first book, the characters and situations are absorbing enough to ensure that most readers will be back to see how all those cliffhangers are resolved in the final installment of the trilogy.

This second book of the Tenebrea trilogy was even more engaging than the first. I was drawn in from the very first paragraph, and the story held my interest all the way to the last line. And, as only a good book can, it left me wanting more. I cannot wait to get my hands on the third book, Tenebrea Rising.

This story is so incredible that I was so caught up in it, I actually forgot where I was a couple of times. I was sad I reached the end of the book, and desperately wanted to climb back into Andrea Flores' world.

It's beautifully written. The characters are multi-dimensional and endearing, the imagery evokes pictures in the mind that are fascinating, and the story has so many twists and turns it keeps the reader on his/her toes. Roxann Dawson and Daniel Graham make a superb team. I thought Ms. Dawson was one of the most gifted Star Trek actors ever, and her talents continue to deliver.

Roxann Dawson and Daniel Graham make a powerful and exciting writing team. They each bring to this trilogy their own unique blend of talent and creativity.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading both "Entering Tenebrea" and "Tenebrea's Hope".
Captivating, edge of your seat suspense and a spectrum of emotions was felt, as I became a sideline character cheering on Andrea Flores in her quest.

I wait with bated breath to read the third book in this tantalizing trilogy, "Tenebrea Rising". I look forward to seeing Roxann Dawson and Daniel Graham at the NYC Convention where I will wait in line yet again to be the first to obtain a signed copy of the final book in this intoxicating trilogy.

KUDOS TO THE AUTHORS..............

Bonnie K. FitzPatrick

Outstanding work by Michael Jan! As always he delivers an excellent story and makes the characters believeable! A MUST READ!

A good book, which follows the episode closely, with some additional scenes. The audio version even features an intorduction and conclusion from Levar Burton. A must for all ST:TNG book fans!

A good book. The chemistry between Scott and TNG crew is a wonderful pleasure.

Star Trek The Next Generation "Relics" is the superb novelization of one of the most beloved episodes from the series spectacular sixth season. The story and teleplay, written by Ron Moore deserves a high amount of praise as he found a wonderful way to write a modern STNG episode and bring "Scotty" forward into the twenty fourth century.

The decision to have Star Trek fiction's most prolific author, Michael Jan Friedman, write the novelization of this poignant episode was a perfect one. "Relics" is his first novelization of an episode and, as he does with his original stories, he does a marvelous job.

As most novelizations go, the important part is adding a little bit more flavor to an already brilliant episode by bringing forth the characters thoughts and throwing in some "between the scenes on the screen" scenes. All of which, Michael Jan Friedman does with perfection in "Relics."

The cover art for "Relics" is, unfortunately, pretty much the standard fare for Star Trek novels with Scotty and LaForge pictures and the original Enterprise herself, which does add a little bit of "something different" to a Star Trek The Next Generation novel.

From the very first episode of Star Trek The Next Generation in which we saw an aged but still vital, one hundred and forty plus year old Dr. McCoy strolling down the hallways on the Enterprise NCC 1701-D with Data escorting him, many fans were wondering which, if any, characters from The Original Series would be making guest appearances. With the fifth season episode "Unification" and Leonard Nimoy's exceptionally well written and performed return to Star Trek as Spock, the fans of the genre were satiated for the moment but still hungry for more. I still vividly remember the barely containable excitement I experienced upon seeing the preview for the following weeks episode and seeing that James Doohan would be making a guest appearance and he would be bringing Scotty, one of Star Treks most beloved characters, into the twenty fourth century. Now it was time for the "how."

The premise:

Captain Picard and crew are headed to their latest mission when they receive a distress signal from the USS Jenolen which is a ship that has been reported missing for seventy five years. Upon coming out of warp they also encounter gravimetric distortions. As they move in they discover one of the most intriguing objects ever written into one of their episodes, a Dyson's Sphere. The Dyson's Sphere is a real theoretical proposal, proposed by Freeman Dyson in which a civilization could harvest an astronomical amount of resources and build a sphere around a star and live within this sphere.

Captain Picard sends Riker, Worf and LaForge over to the Jenolen and they soon discover that the transporter has been locked into a diagnostic cycle and there's a pattern in the buffer. LaForge runs the cycle through and standing there on the transporter pad is a Starfleet legend in one Captain Montgomery "Scotty" Scott!

As the story progresses, Scotty is suffering the anxiety of feeling obsolete and in the way as he tries to be helpful but only serves to annoy LaForge while he's attempting to carry out the mission given to him by Captain Picard.

What follows from there is not only one of the best episodes ever written and produced for the series but one of the best novelizations written within the Star Trek fiction genre. For those that read Star Trek novels but don't bother too much with the novelizations, they should try this one as Michael Jan Friedman does a superb job with this story and I highly recommend this novel for your Star Trek library! {ssintrepid}

This novel is an adaptation of an episode in the "Next Generation" television show. It is well-written, and any flaws in it are not truly the fault of the author, Michael Jan Friedman, but rather of Ron Moore, the writer of the teleplay for the episode it was based on.

My primary objection, perhaps surprisingly, is not the method of justifying (or even the very fact of) the existence of the character of Montgomery Scott nearly a hundred years after the original Star Trek series; I found myself willing and able to suspend disbelief for that concept. No, what I found troubling and implausible was the characterization of Mr. Scott, and his inability to recognize what he knew, and what he didn't, and to avoid being a danger to everyone when let loose in an engine room.

The man was no fool, and perfectly aware that technology had changed while he'd been "away". And he'd plenty of experience examining unfamiliar, superior technology. He'd not have made the stupid mistakes he was portrayed as making. Nor would he have failed to understand that a chief engineer can't be interrupted while on duty. The entire concept, essential to the story, was an insult to the character. Other than that flaw in characterization, the story was good, and it was a pleasure to see Scotty back in action. I just wish that the creator of the story had had more respect for the character.

If the book Star Trek 4 the voyage home is anything like the movie that i'm going to enjoy the book.

Rondall Banks

One of the abilities of the Star Trek franchise has been the ability to alleviate a potential cliche in a story by bringing a bit of humor in. A time travel scenario can be really hackneyed and lame except for the fact that this one gets a good laugh out of it. Like Kirk and Spock wandering around San Francisco traffic without a working knowledge of profanity. Most of us know how Kirk & co use a borrowed Klingon ship to go back to our time when the humpbacked whale was not yet extinct so that they could bring a couple of them forward in time to tell the mysterious probe to shut down the hurricane already, we hoid ya da foist time--if not from reviews, then by seeing the movie. One scene that got ad-libbed into this novelization didn't make the screen, though. Remember if you will the sequence where Kirk pauses by the checkout of a restaurant and hands Spock an after-dinner mint ("Don't say I never gave you anything"/ "Why would I say that, Captain?")? Now fast forward to the scene where Kirk and Spock find the whales at an aquarium and Spock goes "swimmin' wit' da fishes" (yeah yeah, whales aren't fish, I know). The scene we didn't get in the movie is right after scientist Gillian gives Spock hell for that little swim. In this book, Kirk gets Spock aside and asks him what's the matter with him. Spock reminds him of the mint and reveals the not widely known medical fact that sucrose has a certain physiological effect on Vulcans. If I'd written this book, I would have also added the above reaction by McCoy.

Why did I enjoy this more than any of the other Star Trek movies? Probably because it's got all of the elements I love. Kirk and McCoy trying to relate to Spock, and Spock too puzzled by his Human half to help them much - if at all. Humor. A feisty, intelligent "love interest" who actually has a key plot-driving role, in Dr. Gillian Taylor. Sarek. And, at the end...oh, never mind. Just in case there's someone left who may want to read the book, or see the film, without already knowing the ending - no, I wouldn't spoil it for worlds.

So the science doesn't make a lot of sense. It often didn't in the original Trek, on TV. The plot premise and execution worked well enough to let me temporarily suspend my disbelief when I first saw "The Voyage Home" on the big screen, and I found that unchanged when I finally read the novelization. So the humor's lame at times. It still felt to me like a visit with old friends, and that's really what I'm looking for in a Star Trek story. On screen, or between book covers.

It is even better then the movie. It has all the elements of a classic Star Trek episode, with Capt. Kirk falling in love with a beautiful young women, the crew dealing with a different time periode, MR.Spock and Dr.McCoy going at it like an old married couple.......And there are the Klingons, a major threat to Earth, and, of crouse, the whales... Who wouldn't like this book?

I liked it because it really helped to put the movie into prospective.

The pictures are too small, the monthly calendar is too small and the words in boxes too big are a distraction. I hope for a better effort next year.

I really like this calendar. I cut all the pages apart and now have each photo up as poster! Each picture is beautiful, and the layout of the calendar is great. Each large photo is placed on a starfield background and is framed with a purple neon-like tube. There are photos from TNG episodes like "Emergence" and "Gambit", and there are also photos from the movies Generations, First Contact, and Insurrection. The centerfold of the calendar is a beautiful photo of the Enterprise-D. If you can pick up this calendar used, do so, because it is one of the best.

I like the new 2001 edition with one exception. No room to write anything! I love the neon frame around each photo; however it would be nice to see some photos of Worf battling an enemy or Picard in an action scene. Even black and white photos near the daily calender content. The first Trek calenders had smaller pics by the grid. It was in one of the first classic calenders in 1976. I wish they'd liven it up a little with some smaller photos off to the side of the mothly head shot or in the calender writing area.

This Calender is Based on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I have been a Fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation since it's Third Season, and this Calender does the Show Justice. I love the Cool Pictures and the Layout of the Dates and Months. It's definetly worth Buying if you Like Star Trek, or For somone who Does like it!

I have been collecting Star Trek: TNG calendars for four years now, and this 2002 edition is definitely one of the better ones. The photos alone make it deserving of a five star rating. All three TNG movies are covered, as well as several episodes from the series' run. There is an individual photo of each character, some group shots and a fantastic Enterprise-D poster in the centre. I love the layout and the picture quality is great, but this calendar is probably more suited to display than for practical uses such as noting down appointments. As soon as the year is over I will be cutting the calendar up and using each page as a poster on my bedroom wall. This is definitely a must-have for all TNG fans.

~Jenna~

This novelization of the popular DS9 episode is a great read. I'm not a big fan of the Original Series, mostly because I enjoy the high-tech graphics of todays entertainment, but after reading this book, I sat down to watch the Original Series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" and found it most enjoyable to see it after I had read the book. I focused more on the plot than I did the graphics and it helped me to better understand and savor the episode. The DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" is a celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of Star Trek and, as a special tribute, the cast was digitally put into the old Original Series episode, progressing through their story while the Original Series cast continues through their plot around them. I won't go into the plot itself, as other reveiwers have done so, but I will say that this novel is a must read.

Go Star Trek!!!

Diane Carey is a multiply-published author of Star Trek novels, and is frequently the one called upon to write novelizations of popular episodes. This is unfortunate, because her strengths as a writer lie in her ability to create interesting plots and characters, abilities which do not come into play when novelizing someone else's story. Granted, she is also good at pacing and the building of tension, which DO come into play here, as does her ability to make characters come to life, if not as much as it would were she writing her own story.

Her weakness, unfortunately, is in her nuts-and-bolts use of the language. She tries desperately to make creative and original use of the language; generally, all she manages is to distract the reader by misusing words clumsily. This isn't ALWAYS the case; there were very few examples of misused words in "Ship of the Line" and "Day of Honor, Part 1". On the other hand, "The Search" and "Descent" were practically unreadable due to the frequency with which she butchered the language.

This book falls about midway between her two extremes; nowhere near as bad as "The Search" and "Descent", but nowhere near as good as the previously mentioned books. Better than "Way of the Warrior", but not as good as "Battlestations" or "Dreadnought", it is probably closest in quality to "Flashback", although the writing is not quite as good as the writing there.

Which is a real shame, because this is perhaps THE best story in the Star Trek franchise, certainly in the top ten. It deserved better than the mediocre handling it received here; it seems to me that, even ignoring Diane Carey's weird use of language, the story was much better fitted to Peter David's style, and would have worked much better if he'd been the one writing the novelization.

When it comes to novelizations of the more popular or special episodes of any of the Star Trek series, Pocket Books usually calls on Diane Carey to cover it, as they did with this exceptional novelization. Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Trials and Tribble-Ations is the novelization of Star Trek Deep Space Nine's fifth season episode that is Deep Space Nine's tributary episode in honor of Star Trek's thirtieth anniversary.

In honor of Star Trek's thirtieth anniversary the producers and writers cooked up this special episode which actually involves footage from the original series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" and threw in the majority of the Deep Space Nine crew to make a very special episode.

In addition to being a wonderful novelization by Diane Carey, this novel also contains an introduction by David Gerrold, who wrote the Original Series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles," which is extremely entertaining and informative.

The premise:

Captain Sisko finds himself being visited by members of Starfleet's DTI (Department of Temporal Investigations), which is paramount to a present day tax audit. The purpose of their visit is to have him explain the recent time travel incident in which Captain Sisko and the crew of the Defiant found themselves in the twenty third century and staring face to face with the original USS Enterprise NCC-1701, commanded by Captain James T. Kirk himself.

What follows from there is most certainly one of the more special episodes in all of the Star Trek series and an exceptional novelization by Diane Carey who quite deftly handles all of the proper aspects of writing a novelization!

I highly recommend this novelization to any and all Star Trek fans who enjoy the Deep Space Nine series and who just enjoy good Trek fiction! {ssintrepid}

Many have seen or may not have seen the orginal Star Trek, where these little creatures make there first appearance. Since that time, tribbles have been everywhere. The book & TV melds the orginal series with DS9 very well. In fact, the show on TV looks so good. Many have called this the best ever done. I call it GREAT...Read for your self.

Diane Carey strikes again.

This book is delightful to read. It is a must-read book.

You'll enjoy it because this novelization is more worth than the money paid for it.

This book was on School Library Journal's Best Books of 1998 List. It was originally reviewed in SLJ's December 1998 issue.

Ah, yes, words. the right brains answer to the analytical subconsious forming the 4th quandrant connection in the Jungian alchemey. But the real question is does Neurontin form a limit cycle by shunting inhibition, (by blocking GABA) or neuronal burst oscillation with L-type calcium channel gates. For word people, does Alien abduction have anything to do with the boogey man will get you? Or is it related to Nocturanal Assault Syndrome.

Delightfully fascinating and complete, this book is important for anyone who owns a brain and is interested in its workings -- that is, anyone who wants to understand themselves, or others, better.

The rich variety of the Star Trek milieu provides Sekuler and Blake with a deeper-than-usual backdrop against which to illuminate both the differences and the similarities which make us all human.

From sex to aggression, the authors deftly explore the drives, behaviors and processes which constitute our experience of living in the world.

Prior familiarity with Star Trek is not needed. Anyone drawn to the book by that name alone will be very pleasantly surprised by how much more they find here. Conversely, strangers to that fictional universe will gain a fresh appreciation of it as literature which explores the nature of the human condition.

For starters, this is NOT a scholarly book. It's brain candy -- delightful but still brain candy. (From reading the reviews on this page, you'd think it was written by some cutting edge neurologist whose goal in life is to figure out why Neurontin actually WORKS.) Still, it gets 4 Stars from me for having two whole pages devoted to the DS9 episode "Babel" -- in which the entire cast is striken with aphasia. Major Kudos to the authors for differentiating between Brocca's and Wernicke's Aphasias. Subtract kudos for not mentioning the STNG episode "Darmok" where the characters communicate in metaphor. Kudos Regained for their simple explanation of schizophrenia -- it will surprise a lot of readers and is essentially if simplisticly correct. I read Star Trek on the Brain in one sitting. It made me laugh and it made me think. It didn't make any connections I hadn't already made myself. I'd reccommend this book to anybody with a working knowledge of Star Trek who'd like a little "dessert" with their critical studies.

A wonderful diversion that also gives good science. The chapter on sex could teach Bill and Monica new tricks. I loved learning why we are the way we are through references to my favorite Star Trek characters -- now I know how Jordie can see with no eyes and why B'Elana has a chip on her shoulder -- but even those who never watched Star Trek will get it.