Spoilers VOY: Architects of Infinity by Kirsten Beyer Review Thread

[Paris]

Got my copy yesterday and have made it about 250 pages in. As always, Kirsten does not disappoint. We are so lucky to have had a single author series get so far in it's story. The character developement is even better than the series was. I'll be sad to finish, as book 10: To Lose The Earth, could be really far off

 

[thribs]

With the Krenim, are we getting the origin of the Sphere Builders here? That would be cool.

 

[Mage]

With the Krenim, are we getting the origin of the Sphere Builders here? That would be cool.

Did I miss something? Those two races aren't related.....

 

[Kilana2]

Amazon.de is late on this for a change. What a disappointment. I could order the last Voyager novels at least one weak before the appointed delivery date....
I will have to wait after the Easter holidays because I won't be at home to order and receive deliveries. I don't have much time for reading at the moment anyway....

 

[20fridge]

Did I miss something? Those two races aren't related.....

They're related in Star Trek Online but not (as far as I'm aware) the novelverse.

Spoiler: STO spoilers

In STO the Sphere Builders were a race in the Delta Quadrant which were nearly erased from history due to Starfleet and the Krenim messing with history to stop the Iconians. The Sphere Builders survived by trapping themselves in another dimension.

 

[Mage]

They're related in Star Trek Online but not (as far as I'm aware) the novelverse.

Spoiler: STO spoilers

In STO the Sphere Builders were a race in the Delta Quadrant which were nearly erased from history due to Starfleet and the Krenim messing with history to stop the Iconians. The Sphere Builders survived by trapping themselves in another dimension.

Ah, ok. Well, then I think people shouldn't hold their breath in hoping for something similar in the novels

 

[Christopher]

Spoiler: STO spoilers

In STO the Sphere Builders were a race in the Delta Quadrant which were nearly erased from history due to Starfleet and the Krenim messing with history to stop the Iconians. The Sphere Builders survived by trapping themselves in another dimension.

Ohh, good grief, what a lame exercise in continuity porn. It requires completely changing the very nature of the species in question and the entire reason for their actions in the show. STO is far too fond of inventing contrived connections between unconnected Trek civilizations, but this one really takes the cake.

 

[Tuskin38]

With the Krenim, are we getting the origin of the Sphere Builders here? That would be cool.

STO is separate from the Novel'verse. Just because they did it doesn't mean they'll do it.

 

[Enterprise1701]

Ohh, good grief, what a lame exercise in continuity porn. It requires completely changing the very nature of the species in question and the entire reason for their actions in the show. STO is far too fond of inventing contrived connections between unconnected Trek civilizations, but this one really takes the cake.

Even their explanation of Future Guy's identity doesn't make sense.

Spoiler

The shadowed holographic man is Noye, a 25th century Krenim scientist and member of the anti-Iconian alliance. After he finds out that the alliance's actions erased his Tuterian wife from history, he embarks on an anti-Temporal Accords / anti-Federation campaign, founding the Temporal Liberation Front. Noye recruits Boratus the Vorgon (after Ajur is killed in a fight with the player), the Na'Kuhl (whose home star the Federation failed to save from the Tholians' stolen Tox Uthat), the Tuterians-turned-Sphere Builders, and Captain Leeta of the revived Terran Empire (turns out that Noye instigated the interphase event that sent the Defiant over to the mirror universe).

This story arc culminates with the player and their time police allies confronting the Temporal Liberation Front at Procyon V in the 26th century, as seen in "Azati Prime". The player character installs the Tox Uthat aboard the Enterprise-J to destroy all the spheres and neutralize the expanse.

Except that as we saw in the Enterprise TV series, Future Guy dispatched the Suliban to help pre-Federation Earth stop the Sphere Builders and the Na'Kuhl.

Well, I did find it a bit fun to watch on YouTube.

 

[thribs]

I don't think he's the same guy as the one in Enterprise. I made that mistake as well.
He's just using the same tech as him.

 

[thribs]

Ohh, good grief, what a lame exercise in continuity porn. It requires completely changing the very nature of the species in question and the entire reason for their actions in the show. STO is far too fond of inventing contrived connections between unconnected Trek civilizations, but this one really takes the cake.

It made sense in the game. It's actually quite a tragic story. I don't think it changes any of the species in question.
Gives them a good reason as to why they had the Xindi attack Earth and the future war with the Federation.

 

[Jedi Ben]

I'll be sad to finish, as book 10: To Lose The Earth, could be really far off

Which is the one problem.

 

[nickyboy]

My copy arrived on my iPad this morning. Will start it at lunch time today.

 

[Ronald Held]

My copy downloaded. Will start it after I finish the last Titan novel.

 

[Kilana2]

Still not available on Amazon.de as paperback.

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

Just popped up on my Kindle by surprise! I totally forgot this was coming out since it's taken so long, and I'm super excited!

 

[Thrawn]

I missed Kirsten's writing. All of these characters are so interesting and so vital.

 

[Little_kingsfan]

I enjoyed this book (although I probably should've reread at the very least the book before this just to refresh my recollection since it's been so long between them). The main cast were all in character, and I enjoyed seeing how the Full Circle Fleet's Lieutenants and Ensigns (particularly Lt. Devi Patel, Lt. (j.g.?) Kenth Lasren, Ens. Thomas Vincent, Ens. Jepel Omar, and Ens. Aytar Gwyn) who hold senior officer posts but aren't main characters felt about their superiors and how they were preparing to one day lead their own stories.

I could also feel Harry's joy at being named Captain of Voyager during the crew's shore leave and how it managed to shine through despite all the personal issues he was dealing with throughout the book. The Paris family was another highlight, as both Tom and B'Elanna knew that they wanted a life in Starfleet, while all Miral wants is a home (planet); this has the potential to drive a whole story and I'm interested to see where it goes.

Spoiler: Spoiler

Oh, and I think this is the first story I've ever read about a rogue star - like one of the characters pointed out, while rogue comets and planets aren't something you see every day, they're still out there, but a whole star...man!

 

[VDCNI]

I was up and down about this one. Still very good but for me not the strongest of the series.

There's lots of good things. As ever Beyer does great work with the characters and manages to juggle the sheer number of them well everyone gets something to do. I would be nice if the TNG & DS9 writers could pick up on that. Great to see the Icheb/Bryce story move on and a light shined on characters like Patel and Glynn.

However a few bits didn't work as well for me. The main mystery around the planet I didn't find as engaging as some of the stories we've had before. I don't think the sheer wonder of it was conveyed that well, perhaps because half the characters didn't care much either they just wanted a break. To be fair most of the time the big science concepts in Trek don't really engage me but here in particular whenever it got back to the planet mystery it just felt like someone was yelling science at me and I stop caring and wanted to get back to the character stuff.

Though even here I thought there were problems. Beyer has a tendency to put all the characters through hell one by one and sometimes that feels a bit excessive. In this book alone Kim, Patel, Glynn & Icheb have major personal issues to struggle with as does Conlon though she's not really present plus Sal in a mess professionally & the whole Doctor/Barclay stuff which gets ignored so quickly I don't see the point. All the major couples are strained for one reason or another here apart from Seven and Cambridge and they don't interact with each other. Obviously we need drama but occasionally for me it feels like the misery never stops. Surely Icheb's first relationship was interesting enough without dumping more trauma on the poor kid. It also makes it seem that Starfleet does absolutely no psychological testing whatsoever - I'd be sending Patel home for counselling after this!

And the end I wasn't keen on, hopefully it is a fake out as I really don't see the need to go down that route again.

Overall Voyager is still head and shoulders above the other books but this for me was one of the weaker books in the series.

 

[Kiwein]

Holy grief! Is that ending real??? I just finished the book and I have to let it sink in, but right now it just can‘t BE? Damn, how I hate cliffhangers - especially knowing there won‘t be a conclusion out before 2021 or something. This is nothing but cruel!

However, just having finished it, I tend to agree with VCDNI. Not one of the best or thrilling stories, but there was no way this one could have been better than „A pocket full of lies“ anyway...

But that ending... I really can‘t get over it. This would mean that the...

Spoiler: Spoiler

Doctor, Nancy, Kim... and many more are gone?!

On the other hand right now we don‘t know anything about the Galen‘s crew whereabouts. Might have been they got transferred to one of the other ships (or somewhere else)before the Galen was destructed. And I also wonder: why the Galen...