Coincidentally, I'd only just ordered my copy of "Star Trek: Typhon Pact 4: Zwietracht", von Dayton Ward, from Amazon.de
Isn't that the same picture of ch'Thane from the DS9 Gateway's entry here in the US? (I think it is!)
Spoilers TTN: Fallen Gods by Michael A. Martin Review Thread
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Isn't that the same picture of ch'Thane from the DS9 Gateway's entry here in the US? (I think it is!)
Absolutely terrible. I honestly can't fathom why Christine Vale and Ranul Keru are still around. They consistently run contrary to the Captain, usually end up being wrong about the situation and have almost no characterization. ("I was a police woman on Izar!" "I hate the Borg!") Really, this isn't the Vale of the earlier novels. I wish they'd dump both of them and promote Tuvok to XO/Tactical officer. For a series ostensibly about the alienness of the crew, we focus too much on Human and Human-stand in characters.
But this plot was just terrible. I'm shock it garnered so many average ratings.
But this plot was just terrible. I'm shock it garnered so many average ratings.
It's the modern Shran class with a design honoring the legacy of the Kumari class. Most likely because of that the designers simply reused the Kumari class design.
Oh ok, yeah that makes sense. That's cool with me because i loved the Kumari design
Just finished the book last night and it was pretty good but it felt rather samey to some of the other Titans books with them debating the Prime Directive over and over again. Personally they follow that rule far too strictly in the TNG era. they should treat it like Kirk did as a guideline.
I don't know if it's just me and Riker and Vale always seem to be angry in the past couple of books. Everything seems to agitate them, plus their level of trust in other species is pretty much non existent now. I get that you can't be naive but they seem to go way too far in the other direction.
I also agree with other reviews when they say the "big mystery" was far too obvious. They should have just revealed it earlier on and discussed the consequences of it from that point. I don't think Shran (the main Andorian as I see him) would approve of their actions. Does seem very cruel.
I don't know if it's just me and Riker and Vale always seem to be angry in the past couple of books. Everything seems to agitate them, plus their level of trust in other species is pretty much non existent now. I get that you can't be naive but they seem to go way too far in the other direction.
I also agree with other reviews when they say the "big mystery" was far too obvious. They should have just revealed it earlier on and discussed the consequences of it from that point. I don't think Shran (the main Andorian as I see him) would approve of their actions. Does seem very cruel.
Seriously, I felt the same thing. I don't know why they didn't give Tuvok the XO job from the start. I don't see what the big deal is with this Vale character. She just feels like your typical angry cop character to me.
I finished this tonight...really did not enjoy the book. Agree it was better than STF but how the heck did the Andorian ship reach, let alone FIND Titan when they are on a deep space exploration mission? It took me most of the book to get past that particularly large plot hole. I hope there is some follow up on that Akaar scene in another book because we really didn’t get any of that here. Glad that I’m done with Michael A. Martin. Did not enjoy his solo efforts at all. Onward!
I'm in the same boat as most others, this and Seize the Fire are easily the two weakest Titan novels, IMO.
I just had to go through it again combing for references, and noticed something that didn't occur to me the first time through.
This novel puts Starbase 185 in the Iota Leonis system. That seems... awkward, and probably wrong, to me. We know from "Q Who" is the closest Federation starbase to System J-25 in 2365, a distance of about 7,000 light years. Iota Leonis is less than 80 light years from Sol, which seems way too close for one of the Federation's farthest flung coreward outposts.
To add to the problem, Star Charts also puts Argelius II as orbiting Iota Leonis, and gives its position rimward, slightly southeast of Sol, towards the Romulan Neutral Zone and Klingon space. Since the Charts is pretty good about the placement of real-world stars (as much as it can be in a 2-D format), I assume that's roughly where the star actually is. That really doesn't track with Starbase 185. The Charts placement of the starbase is coreward of Romulan space, past the Typhon Expanse, and that seems to make far more sense to me. Either way, I don't think Starbase 185 and Argelius II can possibly be in the same system.
So... is the reference to Iota Leonis in Fallen Gods a mistake? Or did Star Charts get the location of the star wrong?
I just had to go through it again combing for references, and noticed something that didn't occur to me the first time through.
This novel puts Starbase 185 in the Iota Leonis system. That seems... awkward, and probably wrong, to me. We know from "Q Who" is the closest Federation starbase to System J-25 in 2365, a distance of about 7,000 light years. Iota Leonis is less than 80 light years from Sol, which seems way too close for one of the Federation's farthest flung coreward outposts.
To add to the problem, Star Charts also puts Argelius II as orbiting Iota Leonis, and gives its position rimward, slightly southeast of Sol, towards the Romulan Neutral Zone and Klingon space. Since the Charts is pretty good about the placement of real-world stars (as much as it can be in a 2-D format), I assume that's roughly where the star actually is. That really doesn't track with Starbase 185. The Charts placement of the starbase is coreward of Romulan space, past the Typhon Expanse, and that seems to make far more sense to me. Either way, I don't think Starbase 185 and Argelius II can possibly be in the same system.
So... is the reference to Iota Leonis in Fallen Gods a mistake? Or did Star Charts get the location of the star wrong?
It's in the same general direction from Earth as the other Leo stars on the map, so the placement is probably correct.
Thanks, Christopher. If that's the case, then, yeah, I really don't think it makes any sense for SB185 to be at Iota Leonis, even if we leave Argelius out of it. That star's just too close to Sol, and too far inside Federation space in the wrong direction, to have the closest starbase to J-25. SB185 has to be elsewhere.
Wow.
I am the outlier on this book.
It is FANTASTIC and I am really worried that the awesome plotlines are not going to be followed up on. Pava Ek'Noor sh'Aqabaa is a character that I have always really liked from Starfleet Academy onward and her situation at the end of the book was one that left me in a big cliffhanger. I really want to know what happens and yet don't know where it might be continued. After all, the Andorian secession plot is one that is spread all over the Litverse.
I admit, part of my reason that I love this book is due to the fact the Andorians are one of my favorite Star Trek species. I am mostly interested in the version presented in the books, though, as opposed to the ones largely developed by ENT. Not that I don't like them but the whole plotline of depopulation and "Andorian Brexit" are just something that has kept me interested and I primarily bought a bunch of books to see how it was delat with.
Having Starfleet suddenly view the Andorians among them with suspicion was a real gut punch and was easily the best plot plot of the book, especially discussing how giving into fear and paranoia was obviously a terrible thing. Secession is always a horrible messy business and now all of these Andorians are going to be forced to choose between their families and friends as well as allegiances due to the fact that Andor is now under the contorl of a reactionary Far Right ethnonationalist dictatorship;
Maybe the recent events in Afghanistan have caused this to hit home farther than it might have but I am thinking of all the interpreters and people who'd work with America who now have their home controlled by the Taliban. Except, of course, America's own worse elements aren't exactly opening their arms for them to live with America instead despite all their contributions.
I wish Michael A. Martion had leaned even heavier into the Andorian angle because I would have loved to have heard how other Andorians on the ship were interested in handling matters. Were any of them planning on renouncing their Andorian citizenship? Seeking refuge with other planets in the Federation? The government of Andor isn't exactly the Nazis but the parallels with Imperial Japan were pretty clear.
Captain Zhrar didn't have much screentime but rapidly ascended to being one of my all time most hated villains in TrekLIt because he represented the kind or extremist reactionary "White Genocide" ideology that is all too common. I don't know if ANdorians were supposed to be able to breed with other races or not but I wouldn't be surprised if people like Zhrar and the Andorians on Andor Prime are all like, "They're not REAL Andorians and the halfbreeds replacing us are a threat to our cause."
I really hope that subsequent books use him but my lack of ability to find any is making me nervous.
The "alien of the week" plot was fine but I admit it was the tension of secession, racial politics, and hot blue ladies with antennae that kept me going.
I am the outlier on this book.
It is FANTASTIC and I am really worried that the awesome plotlines are not going to be followed up on. Pava Ek'Noor sh'Aqabaa is a character that I have always really liked from Starfleet Academy onward and her situation at the end of the book was one that left me in a big cliffhanger. I really want to know what happens and yet don't know where it might be continued. After all, the Andorian secession plot is one that is spread all over the Litverse.
I admit, part of my reason that I love this book is due to the fact the Andorians are one of my favorite Star Trek species. I am mostly interested in the version presented in the books, though, as opposed to the ones largely developed by ENT. Not that I don't like them but the whole plotline of depopulation and "Andorian Brexit" are just something that has kept me interested and I primarily bought a bunch of books to see how it was delat with.
Having Starfleet suddenly view the Andorians among them with suspicion was a real gut punch and was easily the best plot plot of the book, especially discussing how giving into fear and paranoia was obviously a terrible thing. Secession is always a horrible messy business and now all of these Andorians are going to be forced to choose between their families and friends as well as allegiances due to the fact that Andor is now under the contorl of a reactionary Far Right ethnonationalist dictatorship;
Maybe the recent events in Afghanistan have caused this to hit home farther than it might have but I am thinking of all the interpreters and people who'd work with America who now have their home controlled by the Taliban. Except, of course, America's own worse elements aren't exactly opening their arms for them to live with America instead despite all their contributions.
I wish Michael A. Martion had leaned even heavier into the Andorian angle because I would have loved to have heard how other Andorians on the ship were interested in handling matters. Were any of them planning on renouncing their Andorian citizenship? Seeking refuge with other planets in the Federation? The government of Andor isn't exactly the Nazis but the parallels with Imperial Japan were pretty clear.
Captain Zhrar didn't have much screentime but rapidly ascended to being one of my all time most hated villains in TrekLIt because he represented the kind or extremist reactionary "White Genocide" ideology that is all too common. I don't know if ANdorians were supposed to be able to breed with other races or not but I wouldn't be surprised if people like Zhrar and the Andorians on Andor Prime are all like, "They're not REAL Andorians and the halfbreeds replacing us are a threat to our cause."
I really hope that subsequent books use him but my lack of ability to find any is making me nervous.
The "alien of the week" plot was fine but I admit it was the tension of secession, racial politics, and hot blue ladies with antennae that kept me going.
Literary Treks finally has it’s review of this one as Bruce and I finish up the 24 century books we haven’t covered in the main chronology!
Hey, can someone answer if they follow up on the transporter clone plot?
It never has been followed up on, and unless Coda throws a curveball at us, seems like it never will be.
Damn. I was really interested in the Andorian plot there.
Is "Brinkmanship" being reviewed twice, since it was already covered back in Literary Treks #04 when Una was interviewed?
http://www.trek.fm/literary-treks/4
If the Andorian Transporter Duplicates aren't behind the Temporal Apocalypse we riot.