Friday 12 January 2018

Star Trek: Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: Patterns of Interference - Christopher L. Bennett



Title: Rise of the Federation: Patterns of Interference
Author: Christopher L. Bennett
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 2017
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK
The Book Depository

Review:
“Patterns of Interference” by Christopher L. Bennett is the fifth novel in the “Birth of the Federation” series which continues the adventures of the crew from Star Trek Enterprise. This book was probably the weakest in this series which is a shame as up until now I had been finding the series to be incredibly enjoyable.

The novel is set in the first few months of 2166 as the federation continues to deal with multiple issues. The main plot point however is in relation to the planet Sauria and the dictator, Maltuvis who is determined to undermine the Federation in order to cement his own power. Into this dangerous situation comes Tucker who is determined to undermine Maltuvis's authority in a manner which could also bring down Section 31 as well. This is supported by various other plotlines such as Hoshi and the crew of the Endeavor on the world Birnam who are dealing with what could be a sentient race of Dryads. In addition, we also get to see the growth in relationship between Malcolm Reed & Caroline Paris

I suppose the reason why this book disappointed me in comparison to the earlier books is that it simply felt like a filler and it feels like Bennett is sometimes struggling to give some characters interesting things to do. I worry that the series appears to be turning into “The Adventures of Trip” rather than properly progressing all the characters and delving into some of the open plot points from the series.

What Bennett does do well is that he once again showcases his understanding of the characters in the Enterprise universe and his skill at bringing them to the page. I just didn’t feel as entertained as I had with the previous entries in the series although this doesn’t make “Patterns of Interference” a bad book, it just makes it an average book.

Overall, this is still a reasonably solid Trek novel but it just didn’t capture my attention to the same extent as the previous novels. I am hoping that in the next book we will see some of these plots get closed down and maybe give less page time to Trip!

Saturday 6 January 2018

Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours - David Mack



Title: Desperate Hours
Author: David Mack
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 2017
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK
The Book Depository

Review:
“Desperate Hours” by David Mack is the first novel written as a tie-in to the new Star Trek: Discovery TV series. The story is set a year prior to the event’s which occurred during the Star Trek: Discovery pilot episode and follows the crew of the USS Shenzhou who have to assist the people of a colony who have awoken some rather dangerous technology which was hidden in the ocean. This mission is further complicated when the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Pike also arrives with orders to destroy this technology no matter the cost.

The plot is quite standard for Star Trek in that it explores the moral dilemma of duty versus ethics. One thing to note is that there is plenty of action present to keep the pace moving but unfortunately there is no tension involved as the reader knows there is no real threat to characters. Therefore some elements of action, especially those involving Burnham and Spock on the alien spacecraft did begin to feel a bit repetitive at times.

One thing Mack has done well however is capture the characters from the new series quite well. Despite the lack of data so far available, the characters did seem to fit with what has been shown on the TV screen so far. In addition, the background provided into Burnham and Saru was very interesting to follow and has helped me actually appreciate both characters much better. It is this type of thing I like in my Trek novels, the chance to actually expand and enhance what we know from the series.

The bit I am particularly intrigued about from the book however is the relationship between Spock and Burnham. Some of the interactions between the two of them were quite interesting to see and it was nice seeing Spock and Burnham both realise through each other that the relationships with Amanda and Sarek were more complicated than they had first assumed. I am curious to see if anything shown here is expanded upon in future novels or alluded to on the TV Series.

Overall, this was a very competent first tie-in novel for the new series although the plot itself was pretty standard stuff. The main reason to read this book is to enhance your understanding of the characters and learn more about the relationships between them all.