Spoilers VOY: Children of the Storm by Kirsten Beyer Review Thread

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Thrawn, May 23, 2011.

?

Rate Children Of The Storm.

  1. Outstanding

    72 vote(s)
    53.3%
  2. Above Average

    44 vote(s)
    32.6%
  3. Average

    12 vote(s)
    8.9%
  4. Below Average

    2 vote(s)
    1.5%
  5. Poor

    5 vote(s)
    3.7%
  1. Thrawn

    Thrawn Rear Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2008
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    People are saying they've seen it in stores, so it seems to be time.

    Crazy excited for this one. Woo hoo!

    Please tag spoilers. If you don't agree with that policy, see discussion at the beginnings of the last few threads like this; the general preference seems to be for tagging.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 19, 2012
  2. Deranged Nasat

    Deranged Nasat Vice Admiral Admiral

    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Perfect timing, Thrawn. I picked it up today and was waiting for you to start the thread (I'm no good with polls, so I leave it in your capable hands). :) I have a more detailed review below, but for now I'll say it's a pleasing continuation of "Full Circle" and "Unworthy". It maintains the same quality, and it seems the series is progressing smoothly. Beyer's writing is strong and the character dynamics were interesting. Overall, it wasn't anything outstandingly spectacular but it maintained the high standards of Beyer's previous Voyager books and was a solid addition to the mainstream Trek novel 'verse. So I vote "Above Average".

    Some thoughts:

    There was a much appreciated, understated but significant sense of discovery and scientific wonder to the plot (as there was in Unworthy). It's great to see the series - and Beyer - making use of the Delta Quadrant as a place of potential wonder as well as danger, and creating some truly interesting life-forms. This is just what those parts of space near to former Borg territory should be - strange, disturbing, lawless, dangerous places without all the neat national borders and treaties and trade consortiums that we see elsewhere. First with the Indign in the last book and now with the highly "damaged" Children and their mother, there's been a focus on what the setting of Borg space has to offer the series. With the Indign and the Children, we've had sensible but surprising and fascinating ideas on the effects the Borg presence had on those beings and life-forms who lived alongside them. I'm enjoying that dynamic. It combines a Titan-esque sense of wonder and discovery with a darker undercurrent that makes these Voyager books different enough not to seem like they're covering the same ground.

    Character stuff is good, too. I always liked B'Elanna and Tom as a couple, but I was a little concerned that once they "settled down" it would become boring. It hasn't so far, and Beyer makes their domestic relationship seem convincing. As I suppose was inevitable given that (as we all know) Beyer is a recent parent, the focus on parenthood and its joys/challenges is also convincing, and given what the subject matter means to me, I'm gratified that Trek lit acknowledges its importance so readily. :)

    Nice little subplot with Drafar, too. I enjoyed seeing B'Elanna challenge his prejudice in a reasoned and understanding (yet effective) manner; it shows a maturity that is particularly pleasing when considered that her character arc in these books has seen her embrace her Klingon self more readily. That she can balance her "born-again Klingon" traits with the ability not to lash out aggressively when offended, and instead constructively try to break through the prejudice, is a good sign. I wish I could claim similar maturity for myself, but I'm not there yet, sadly.

    Cambridge continues to delight (he's one of the better new characters of late), and the relationship with Seven is getting very interesting. It's been well handled so far - "Seven in a romantic relationship" must be a difficult concept to write around, but so far I'm liking this. The continued growth of Seven as a character has also been a strength of the relaunch-relaunch (if you'll excuse that term).

    The new new characters were strong enough to hold my attention - O'Donnell in particular was a good addition, and his professional relationship with Fife is one I hope we see more of. The dynamic was an interesting one, unlike any other command staff I remember, and made sense given the ship's specialized nature. There's potential for more here. Captain Farkas was also handled well, and I hope to see more of her too.

    I liked the fact that Kressari colour-changing eyes were included. I don't quite know why, save that those little bits of consistancy with other novels always please me.:lol:

    I was disappointed that we didn't learn more about Sharak (Mayweather, on Enterprise! Temba, Sharak!), but his one scene of importance was well crafted. His position on the issue in question was very Tamarian, but explored in a manner that kept him an individual not simply a mouthpiece for the culture. I had a pleasant low-key epiphany when Dathon was mentioned, and I liked how Sharak's stance on Lasren's risk essentially related back to that without screaming "THINK ABOUT DARMOK!!" at us.

    The Children of the Storm themselves were also interesting. As someone who experiences, shall we say, very strong emotional surges, I found their simplicity and power of emotion sadly endearing, and I liked the whole theme of life, regeneration and recreation that connected them, the Demeter crew, and the whole post-Borg timeframe. Quite fulfilling, and it contributes to what I've mentioned before as one of my favourite things about Trek lit- the way it keeps coming up with new ways to explore issues of self and rebirth, discovery and family. The whole line from Greater Than the Sum through Destiny to these post-Destiny stories has been very mature writing in that regard, if I may say so. It's dealt with some very complex ideas that I welcome exploration of and it keeps finding new and inteligent ways to wrestle with them.

    So, yes, no complaints. Overall, I'm pleased. It didn't lift itself into Outstanding, but a fitting Above Average. :)
     
  3. AuntKate

    AuntKate Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2002
    Location:
    USA--smack dab in the middle
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    ^^Not really spoilers, but I'm reading a lot of names I don't recognize in your review. Are Tom and B'Elanna the only Voyager characters in the novel?
     
  4. Deranged Nasat

    Deranged Nasat Vice Admiral Admiral

    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Not at all. :) Chakotay gets some good stuff, as do Seven, Harry Kim and Neelix. The only core character who doesn't get that much this time round is the Doctor, and he still has some attention. It's just that I felt like talking about the newer characters more, as they have to prove themselves in a way the core cast don't, and they do get a fair bit of focus; we've got nine ships to cover, after all.
     
  5. crotig

    crotig Ensign Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2009
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    21st July for UK dead tree version. No kindle release date as yet!. Booo!.:scream:

    Thanks for reviews. I'm very jealous!:lol:
     
  6. Deranged Nasat

    Deranged Nasat Vice Admiral Admiral

    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Try Forbidden Planet. :techman: They ship a few New York-published books into the store. It's great, because until recently I was in the "waiting a month after everyone else on the board" group, but now I get them on American time.

    At least FP says it ships them. I like to assume a group of brave English patriots dare the American border patrols each month and smuggle out a few copies of the latest book, against daunting odds. ;)
     
  7. scnj

    scnj Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2009
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    I grabbed mine in Forbidden Planet sunday and finished earlier today. It was an easy, intriguing read and the author had a very good grasp of the characters, old and new.
     
  8. Freman

    Freman Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2001
    Location:
    Kenora, Ontario, Canada
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Neelix is in it? Yay!!!
     
  9. shanejayell

    shanejayell Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2009
    Location:
    BC, Canada
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Checked around Vancouver, BC, no luck yet. Will look again later this week.
     
  10. TerraUnam

    TerraUnam Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2010
    Location:
    United Earth
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Received it from amazon.ca today. They usually ship on the Monday of the third or fourth week of the month, a week or two before the official release date.

    I agree with everything Deranged Nasat says. A good book, well-written and it does the Delta Quadrant justice. So far the last two books have tip-toed around the edges of former Borg space so I look forward to seeing what would happen if and when the fleet gets to the heart of former Borg territory.
     
  11. SicOne

    SicOne Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2008
    Location:
    Omaha, NE
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    If any kind soul would like to PM me with the list of ship names and classes of the Full Circle fleet (that is supposed to be at the end of CotS) to satisfy my thirst for knowledge while I wait for the book to hit the stores in Omaha, I would be eternally grateful. :)
     
  12. tenmei

    tenmei Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2004
    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Shane, try Indigo/Chapters downtown or in Park Royal (or the one on Marine Drive or at Metro Town, for that matter) - they should be able to tell you whether they've got any on order and if you check the Indigo website, and check the avaliability for other provinces you can normally see the book flowing westwards from Ontario like a wave.
     
  13. SicOne

    SicOne Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2008
    Location:
    Omaha, NE
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Thanks go out to DerangedNasat, who took care of my starship jones...
     
  14. Turbo

    Turbo Changeling Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2004
    Location:
    Florida
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Is the cover the same as the "not final" cover that was floated around a few months back, with Voyager flying into what looked like a star?
     
  15. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    ^Looks that way.
     
  16. John Clark

    John Clark Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2008
    Location:
    There
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    I've got it on pre-order for the Kindle in the UK. Apparently, it's scheduled for next tuesday:)
     
  17. BrotherBenny

    BrotherBenny Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2005
    Location:
    BrotherBenny
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Kindle in the US also scheduled for 5/31.

    I'll be downloading it as soon as I get home that day, or at lunch time. Can't wait for it.
     
  18. Jeri

    Jeri Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2001
    Location:
    Chicago, Illinois, USA
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Amazon says mine has not shipped yet, with a June 2 delivery estimate (2-day ship). Bought it in March; looking forward to it.
     
  19. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2004
    Location:
    Arizona, USA
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Nook too. I've got it on pre-order and will be buying it first thing that morning.
     
  20. crotig

    crotig Ensign Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2009
    Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread

    Just did a search in the kindle store and right enough it's there. Odd that there is no link to the kindle page from the paperback page like there usually is. On pre-order now. Woohoo.:bolian: