Star Trek Enterprise: The Romulan War: Beneath The Raptor's Wing - Michael A. Martin

Title: The Romulan War - Beneath The Raptor's Wing
Author: Michael A. Martin
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2009
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

"The Romulan War: Beneath The Raptors Wing" is the latest book in my Star Trek Reading Challenge and it follows on directly from another Star Trek novel, "Kobayashi Maru" which I previously reviewed here. I have been looking forward to getting to this book for quite a while now as The Romulan War is a period of Star Trek lore that has never actually been shown on the TV screen.

The story follows the earlier parts of The Romulan War, with humanity and its allies within the coalition of planets trying to stand against the relentless progress of their Romulan foes. It covers many different aspects of the war such as the various battles themselves, the political intrigue, espionage attempts, media reporting and the lives of regular civilians. There is probably little more I can really say about the story beyond that which won't ruin some of the surprises and events that occur so I won't even try.

Once again, I find that Martin has created an enjoyable story that really mixes up the action, drama, suspense and thrills. I also really appreciated the way in which he used multiple plot lines, events and characters to really capture the scope of the war and how it was affecting different people and society as a whole. The only downside with this was that all the jumping around did affect the pace of the novel but it was all interesting enough to ensure that it didn't really cause me any issues.

There were a few nice little plot points that Martin introduced to try and explain some of the differences seen between Enterprise and The Original Series. For example, due to the Romulan weapon that enabled them to take control of other ships, Starfleet downgraded their control systems and created something much more analogue with buttons and switches rather than the digital touch screen style systems they had previously been using. There are a few other instances such as this throughout the novel and I did enjoy following his attempts to reconcile canon.

An aspect of the novel I really liked though was in regards to the development of the characters and how Martin has created repercussions for their actions. Archer, for example really appears to suffer because of what he had been forced to do in the previous novel to the point that he struggles to find a real desire to stop some his crew transferring away. In addition, Martin wasn't scared to really move the main characters on from what we saw in the TV series to the point that Travis Mayweather actually leaves the Enterprise and tries to continue his career elsewhere in Starfleet.

The biggest flaw in the novel is Martin's continued use of alien words; it probably didn't annoy me as much as it did in the previous novel but that is maybe because I have just become resigned to it. Honestly, the pace of this novel can get slow enough without also causing the reader to stumble over some alien word that means nothing to them. To be honest, I am almost dreading reading the next novel in The Romulan War series as I just know I am going to be faced with more of this.

The only other issue is in regards to the ending; as this is the first book in a two book series I just found the ending to be rather unsatisfying. I just found that whilst the plot has been developed quite nicely, nothing really gets resolved. To be honest, I am probably lucky that I read the book after its sequel is already available to read so I could pick it up quite soon after. I do feel sorry though for people who bought it at release date and then had to wait for the sequel to come along and finally provide some conclusion.

Overall, this is another enjoyable Star Trek novel that had me hooked throughout despite its length and pace. I think anyone interested in Star Trek lore and pre-federation history will love this book as it covers a period that we haven't yet seen on our TV screens.

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Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)

The Dragon and The George (Dragon Knight Book 1) - Gordon R. Dickson

Title: The Dragon and The George (Dragon Knight Book 1)
Author: Gordon R. Dickson
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 1976
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

When I was looking for books to read as part of the Year of Fantasy Classic Challenge I discovered the "The Dragon & The George". At first I wasn't sure about reading but as I was looking over the synopsis on Wikipedia I noticed that "The Flight of Dragons" which is one of my all time favourite movies as a child was actually based on the book. At that point there was no stopping me and I was off the mark to track down a copy.

The story is based around Jim Eckert, a regular guy living in the modern world who has become rather discontent with the life that he and his girlfriend, Angie are being forced to live in. However, when an experiment in astral projection goes wrong and Angie vanishes. Jim makes a quick decision and uses the same experimental machine to send himself after her into the unknown. What he discovers is that both he and Angie have been sent to an alternative medieval earth where magic abounds. Unfortunately for him, his transfer went slightly askew and he is trapped in the body of a dragon named Gorbash. When Angie is then kidnapped by the Dark Powers, Jim is forced to join forces with a range of characters including a wizard, wolf and knight in an attempt to rescue her and find a way to return them both home.

Now, those who have watched "The Flight of Dragons" you may have noticed that the above synopsis only sounds loosely similar to what occurred in the film and you would be right. About the only thing similar is that a 20th century man is sent to a historic fantasy novel and trapped in a dragon's body. Other than this, the only other similarities are in regards to the use of various character names and in regards to some of the evil creatures they are forced to fight. Don't get me wrong, it is still an enjoyable fantasy novel even if the story is fairly standard and at times I think Dickson is more creating a parody than a serious fantasy novel. But personally I prefer the more epic and serious feeling story that is told in the movie.

One nice little novelty in the story though was in regards to the use of magic. There was no mysticism or unlimited powers in this book, the magic system followed very strict laws with every act of magic requiring some sort of payment for its utilisation. I enjoyed seeing this as all too often magic is used in fantasy novels as the quick and easy weapon to solve any problem.

I was in two minds about the characters; Jim Eckert is rather annoying for large sections of the book and is anything but likeable. He is selfish, rude and stubborn throughout the entire novel and it is actually his companions that solve his problems for him. However, I found the supporting characters to be quite nicely developed and quite complex. I particularly loved the antics of Aragh the wolf whose independence and gruffness were there for all to see, but underneath it all there was a loyal and decent creature that we see more of as the story progressed.

Overall, I do think that this is very much a by the numbers fantasy novel, but it has been written competently enough to ensure there is some enjoyment for the reader. Whilst I don't think it is anywhere near the quality of the story told in the movie I loved as a child, it was still fun to read and full of rather interesting characters who kept me entertained. Personally, I am going to try a few more in the series to see if I enjoy them more or less when I am no longer biased by a movie I loved as a child.

Available at:
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Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Speculative Fiction Challenge
Year of the Fantasy Classic Challenge

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne

Title: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Author: Jules Verne
Genre: Sci-Fi/Adventure
Published: 1870
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

"Twenty Thousand League Under The Sea" is a story that I had seen told via the medium of film many times in the past but had never actually read the novel itself. So as part of the Sci-Fi Reader Challenge, I decided that I would read it as my entry in the Steampunk category. I just felt that there is nothing more Steampunk than the Science Fiction actually created in the 19th century.

I believe most people should be aware of the general premise of the story but I shall give a brief description anyway. It follows the adventure of Professor Aronnax who has joined the crew of the US ship, the Abraham Lincoln to try and capture a mysterious creature that has been sinking ships. However, when the ship is attacked by the very creature they are hunting, Aronnax, his servant Conseil and a master harpooner named Ned Land are thrown overboard. These three men find themselves stranded on top of the creature, only to discover that is actually a submersible vessel. They are taken on board where they meet Captain Nemo, captain of the vessel, known as the Nautilus. The men are treated well, but from the first are told they will never be able to leave the submarine for the rest of their lives. Therefore they are taken on a tour of the world where they witness and learn about many of the ocean's wonders.

The first observation I made about the book was that Verne appears to have made the decision to try and ensure that the readers are fully versed in the science and detail of marine life. The book is full of scientific analysis and lists of marine creatures to the point that by mid way through the novel I found myself just skipping these rather exhaustive and rather boring sections. I am sure some people may find it interesting, but all filling an entire page about algae did for me was slow the book down to the point that it became a bit of a slog to get through. In all honesty I think some of my physics text books from University were less dry than some of this novel.

However, there is no denying that some elements of this novel are fun and full of adventure to the point that I was really getting drawn into the individual events. In particular, I really loved the journey into the Antarctic which was one of the few events that covered multiple chapters in the novel and was full of thrills, action and suspense. In addition it was enjoyable to witness the dreams and visions of someone from the 19th century looking to the future and there is no denying that Verne has a superb ability to describe and paint fantastic pictures with his words, from the beauty of the ocean to the complex and interesting Nautilus itself.

In regards to the characters, I also feel that most of them were very limited in scope and development. Annorax is basically the thoughtful scientist, Conseil is the loyal manservant and Ned is a brash and down to earth Canadian. I don't really think there was much more to their characteristics beyond that. Only Captain Nemo appears to have any real depth to his character with his idealism, temper and bravery all competing to make a rather complex person that I found to be both interesting and enjoyable to follow.

Overall, there is no denying that this is a great historical work that has inspired many of today's Science Fiction work. For that reason alone I would probably recommend this book to fans of Science Fiction, Adventure or Steampunk novels. However, whilst I found the novel enjoyable enough to read I did feel that the novel was let down by Verne's obsession with describing fish.

Available at:
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Amazon
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Amazon UK

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Speculative Fiction Challenge
Sci-Fi Reader Challenge

Chameleon (Ripple Book 2) - Cidney Swanson

Title: Chameleon (Ripple Book 2)
Author: Cidney Swanson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

"Chameleon" is a Young Adult Urban Fantasy novel that follows on from "Rippler" which I previously reviewed here. As a little warning, I want to mention that whilst I have tried to remove spoilers, due to this being a sequel there are still some present in this review that are related to the previous novel, "Rippler".

The story continues to follows the life of Sam, the girl from the previous novel who discovered she had the ability to turn invisible, or ripple as it is called in the book. However, her life has been made even more complicated by her discovery of a secretive group of rather sinister people who are interested in tracking her down. Therefore, under the cover of a school trip to France, Sam, her friend Will, and his sister travel together to meet the mysterious Sir Walter who has been sending them information for an as yet unknown reason. Whilst in France they discover the true secret of rippling and face even more dangers that they were expecting.

I found that the story builds really well on the plot introduced in the previous novel. I really enjoyed the way in which Swanson has interspersed the novel with exerts from a journal that Sam has uncovered, which enables the reader to learn more about the villains in the series. In addition, I was engrossed as the novel delved into rippling to enable the reader to understand more about its history and the range of abilities it actually covers.

One other thing I noted was that this story moves along at a much faster pace than its predecessor. After the initial elements to recap the previous novel, the novel quickly delves into the action, mystery and suspense to the point that I found it very difficult to put the novel down once I had started reading. The way that the stakes have been raised in the story has really benefited this novel.

I don't think there was much growth within the characters but they did at least act in line with how Swanson had developed them in the previous novel. This meant that the novel could concentrate on story progression and the reader would still be able to understand the actions and thoughts of the characters without any real issue. I do have to admit that I still find Will to be a little bit bland and I still can't understand why Sam seems to be so much in love with him, but then again they are teenagers so maybe as a man in his thirties, I am just not meant to understand.

Overall, I feel that Swanson has created a book here that is more entertaining, enjoyable and faster paced that its predecessor. The character development carried out in the first novel enables the author to get straight into the meat of the story which she develops very well. If you have read the first novel and enjoyed that then I really have to recommend that you go out and pick this one up as well as you won't be disappointed.

Available at:
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Star Trek Enterprise: Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels

Title: Kobayashi Maru
Author: Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2008
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

"Kobayashi Maru" is the latest novel in my Star Trek Reading Challenge which is dedicated to trying to read the Star Trek novels in chronological order. This novel picks up after the events that occurred in the previous novel, "The Good That Men Do" which I have previously reviewed here. For anyone who doesn't know, the title is based upon the name of the infamous no-win scenario taken by potential Starfleet command applicants and it has been a part of Star Trek lore since 1982 when it was first mentioned in the movie, "The Wrath of Khan". Therefore, when I picked up this book I was really looking forward to seeing the authors' vision of how this scenario had actually originated.

However, the story is rather more ambitious in its scope than just covering this element and the main plotline follows the reaction of the newly formed Coalition of Planets when it begins to become under attack by what appears to be Klingon ships. However, the Enterprise and its crew soon uncover that the Romulans are the true enemy and must try and prove it before the Coalition is drawn into a war against the wrong species. Meanwhile, Trip continues his espionage role from within the Romulan Empire in the hope that he can help to ensure that any war will not consume Earth and its allies.

I found that this novel mixed action, suspense, drama and political intrigue to create a rather entertaining and enjoyable novel that should appeal to many Star Trek fans. I really enjoyed the way that the story looked at the bigger picture of the overall looming conflict. It just felt a bit more realistic to see other ships and crew being involved in important events rather that it all being focussed on the Enterprise.

However, some elements of this bigger picture focus does lead to rather slow pacing in stages. Therefore I was happy to see that the slower elements of the story were broken up by quicker paced sections devoted to Trip and his spying. As well as being interesting as they explored a little bit more about the secretive Romulan Empire they were also quite simply exciting and full of suspense. Although to be honest, I still sometimes find it hard to believe that someone who wears their heart on their sleeve to the extent Trip does could really be as good at spying as is portrayed in this novel and its predecessor.

In regards to my initial interest in reading about the origins of the Kobayashi Maru scenario, I have to admit I was a little bit underwhelmed. The novel's finale is actually based around the loss of the Kobayashi Maru transport ship but it felt like it was lacking in suspense and I found it all rather bland compared to what I had seen previously in the novel. It was still nice to see someone try and create an origins story but it just didn't work as well as I hoped it would.

There were a couple of others issues I did have with the book although I can't say they either of them had any large affect on my overall enjoyment. The first is in regards to the use of alien words throughout the novel. This type of thing can sometimes enrich a novel but in this case it just seemed a little bit excessive and annoying. It basically spoilt some of my understanding of the events that were occurring as most of the alien words were measurements of distance and time and I didn't know how these referenced to our own units of measurements

The second issue I had with the novel though was in regards to the manner in which several characters reacted to events. Some of them just seemed very slow in coming to an understanding about what was happening even when it was blindingly obvious to me and I am just a random project manager and not the captain of one of Earth's prized star ships. In particular I noticed this when Captain Hernandez of the Columbia seemed unable to conceive that the Romulan ability to capture alien ships could maybe explain the strange occurrence of Vulcan ships attacking them. I just found it hard to believe that some of our best and brightest could be that dense.

In summary, I found this to be an enjoyable Star Trek novel that I think will appeal to many fans although it really does feel like a middle book in a series and makes no real attempt at being readable in a stand alone manner. Whilst, there a few minor issues that I did find irritating, it didn't really affect my interest in the story as the mix of political manoeuvring, action and drama was good enough to keep me hooked. Personally, I can't wait to pick up the next novel and see where this looming conflict between the Coalition and the Romulans will head next.

Available at:
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Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Speculative Fiction Challenge

Suffocate (Breathless Book 1) - S.R. Johannes

Title: Suffocate (Breathless Book 1)
Author: S.R. Johannes
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2012
Formats: Ebook

"Suffocate" by S.R. Johannes is a 15,000 word novelette that is the first in a new series of short stories that will explore a dystopian future world. This novel follows Eria who lives within the Biome, a structure that has helped humanity survive over the centuries whilst Earth has grown hostile and barren. Like everyone else, she has never been able to leave the sanctuary of the Biome and longs to visit the world that has long been thought lost. This hope is fuelled by her own father, a brilliant scientist who has been working on a suit that would finally enable people to leave in safety. But, when one of his experiments ends in tragedy, Eria's grief leads her to uncover a secret and dangerous underbelly to the Biome that could threaten her own life.

The short novel length results in an incredibly fast paced read that I found myself rocketing through as I wanted to see what would happen next. Johannes has done a great job in ripping out every piece of filler you could imagine to ensure that she could pack so much into a limited number of pages, there is even a couple of plot twists thrown in for fun, one of which I didn't see coming at all. What I was really impressed with though was that novel also includes a fair amount about Eria and her past which I usually find missing in short novels like this. This ensured that it was possible to actually understand Eria and her actions so she appeared to be a believable and realistic character.

In Summary, this was an enjoyable and entertaining short novel that showcased the great possibilities within this form of literature. It was action packed, fast moving and included enough details to enable the reader to understand the main characters and form a decent image in their head about what was occurring. In all honesty though, there was part of me that actually wished this had been a full length novel as the story contains so many possibilities that could have been further explored. Either way though, I am now looking forward to the sequel and I really do recommend this novelette to any fans of dystopian fiction who are looking for a quick and enjoyable read.

Available at:
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Smashwords

The Other Nereia (On Dark Shores Book 2) - J.A. Clement

Title: The Other Nereia (On Dark Shores Book 2)
Author: J.A. Clement
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2012
Formats: Ebook

"The Other Nereia" is the second novel in J.A. Clement's On Dark Shores series which follows on directly from the finale of the first novel entitled "The Lady" which I have previously reviewed here. As Nereia lies unconscious, recovering from the injuries inflicted by the nefarious Copeland, her mind is taken to another plane of existence where she meets a being that appears to looks exactly like her. This other Nereia wants help to restore the damage within her own world, but this help is based around taking control of Nereia's body. Whilst she tries to come to terms with this request, the other inhabitants of Scarlock are faced with their own choices as Copeland's increasingly violent fall into madness and the arrival of soldiers within the town threaten to end the lives they all had previously known.

I was happy to see that the Clement has tried to progress the development of Scarlock and the various characters that inhabit the town. I really found that both the town and characters to be interesting, believable and easy to imagine which really helped me relate to their troubles. Without doubt, the main push of this novel appears to be in developing the characters and their history which is good as it was lacking a little bit in the first novel due to its short length.

The only issue with this concentration on character development is that the plot suffers a little bit due to the novel's short length. The overall progress made is very limited and whilst we learn a lot more about the characters and how they think, it didn't really feel like any of their individual adventures moved forward much. Don't get me wrong, the story is still full of dark suspense and intriguing mystery to the point that it was still entertaining but just don't expect any real forward momentum.

One of my biggest issues with the previous novel was that it was rather unsatisfying as an individual story due to its sudden ending and concentration on developing an overarching plot. Whilst the ending this time does feel a little bit more refined in terms of the point reached in the story, I still think it struggled to stand as a satisfying novel in its own right. In fact, the first chapter in the novel is actually quoted as being "Seven" which follows on from "Six" which was the final chapter in "The Lady". This to me really shows me that the author had no real plan to make the book stand alone in some manner which disappointed me a little.

Overall, I found this to be a rather interesting, if rather short fantasy novel like its predecessor, however it once again didn't feel like a story in its own right. I do think that anyone who has read the previous novel should appreciate the character development even it did come at the expense of some of the plot's forward momentum. For those of you who haven't read the previous novel, then I have to warn you that if you are someone who dislikes unfinished stories, then it would maybe be best for you to wait on the series being completed first. However, if you are interested in following the progress of an intriguing and enjoyable fantasy world as it is developed then you should look at picking up this series now, but just be willing to accept that each novel is more like one chapter of some overarching story.

Available at:
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