Tag Archives: sci-fi

The Conquered by Dafydd ab Hugh (1999) – BR00020 (2001) – 🐸🐸⚪⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
March 4 2001

Plot or Premise

This is the first of a 3-book series dealing with a time when Bajor takes over the station for a trial period of 60 days. Kai Winn is in command, and her past is revealed through a series of flashbacks to the Occupation and her actions to help the resistance. Worf, Sisko, O’Brien, Quark and Odo are stranded on a planet where all the citizens have advanced technology that has reduced them to a complete dependency relationship. Renegade Cardassians have invaded the planet and have no trouble picking off the inhabitants — all they have to do is cut the power to the technology. Dax and Bashir are also on the planet in a different environment.

What I Liked

Dax and Bashir’s trials and tribulations aren’t bad and there is an interesting interplay with some cadets.

What I Didn’t Like

Kai Winn’s character comes off far too “mature” for the period, and belies the changes when she actually reached power. Major Kira’s character is barely fleshed out, and mostly appears as a caricature of the real character on the series. None of the four stranded characters are worth reading about here, and are pale imitations of the real characters on the series.

The Bottom Line

Not bad but not great.

The Black Shore by Greg Cox (1997) – BR00011 (2001) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
February 18 2001

Plot or Premise

Janeway and her crew are in desperate need of shore leave…and they receive an invitation from an uncharted planet to visit and enjoy the paradise nature of the lands. All is not necessarily as it seems, including the citizens’ treatment of their pets, the Neffaler, which seem surprisingly intelligent, almost sentient.

What I Liked

Good descriptive prose, with lots of little sub-stories — Kes’ pre-occupation and disturbing telepathic forces, Paris’ involvement with the daughter of the leader, and Torres’ desire to find the source of some dilithium signatures.

What I Didn’t Like

The sub-stories don’t come together as well as they could, so the overall story is long and rather confusing at times. Many of the characters seem “off” from their TV version, perhaps reflecting the author’s preoccupation with the characters’ lives early in the series’ history. Lots of descriptions are heavy on the visual, which would be impressive if it was a TV episode rather than a book, but it doesn’t work as well here. The ending is rather fragmented, focusing on three different groups’ actions at the same time.

The Bottom Line

Would have worked better as an episode than a book.

Fire on High by Peter David (1998) – BR00001 (2001) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
January 20 2001

Plot or Premise

This is the sixth book about the U.S.S. Excalibur. This one sheers away from Captain Calhoun and Shelby, and focuses instead on Lefler and the return of her mother. In addition, there are extensive interactions between Selar, Burgoyne, and McHenry, trying to flesh out their characters.

What I Liked

The story is interesting, you get to meet another race, and Soleta has some amazing lines.

What I Didn’t Like

The Lefler storyline could have been far more detailed than it was, or gone into more depth for the relationship with her mother. However, a lot of the book seems to be simply tying up loose ends from previous stories and laying down markers for future ones.

The Bottom Line

Cute ending but not one of the best in the series.

Red Sector by Diane Carey (1999) – BR00002 (2001) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
January 20 2001

Plot or Premise

This is the third of six books dealing with biological terrorism by an unknown foe. This novel focuses heavily on two known characters (a great portrayal of Spock and an annoying version of McCoy), and introduces a really interesting character — Ensign Eric Stiles. Stiles is assigned to evacuate Spock and friends from a planet in turmoil, but Stiles gets captured during the otherwise successful mission. Subsequent imprisonment for four years has a definite effect on Stiles and he establishes a strong bond with a fellow prisoner, Zevon. Fast forward several years and the biological terrorist has attacked the Romulans. The Romulans can’t save themselves…perhaps the Federation can help?

What I Liked

I am not a die-hard sci-fi fan, but I do like Star Trek and Star Wars. This is a great story, and Stiles is a fantastic character. Definitely the best addition to the series so far, not surprising given Carey’s strong ties to the Starfleet universe!

What I Didn’t Like

My complaints related to characterization for the previous two books are not as strong here, but McCoy is a bit annoying.

The Bottom Line

Best of the first three in the series.

Vectors by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch (1999) – BR00003 (2001) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
January 20 2001

Plot or Premise

This is the second of six books dealing with biological terrorism by an unknown foe. This installment takes place at the end of Kate Pulaski’s tenure on the Enterprise and before DS9 begins, and Pulaski goes to Bajor to help her ex-husband solve a plague that is infecting the Bajorans and the Cardassians during the occupation. The Cardassians believe it is the Bajorans; the Bajorans think it is the Cardassians. Again, however, the plague has a 100% fatality rate.

What I Liked

I am not a hard-core sci-fi reader, but I do like Star Wars and Star Trek. Pulaski’s character is fine, as are the “new” characters that are introduced.

What I Didn’t Like

Gul Dukat is far too mature and Kira Nerys is far too trusting of the Federation. In fact, her involvement makes almost no sense considering her character at the start of the DS9 episodes. The story doesn’t have the same solid medical workup as the first one in the series, and while the characterization isn’t quite as good, it is also not as jarring.

The Bottom Line

A fast-paced storyline but without much depth.