Spoilers TTN: Fallen Gods by Michael A. Martin Review Thread
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Maybe the person who gave it an outstanding grade really liked the book. Not everyone shares the same opinion, especially here.
Sadly I had to give it an average score. I was ok with it in the beginning but how many times is something going to happen to Tuvok or the other empathic members of the crew? The civilization was an interesting concept but thought that could have been better. I found myself not really caring about what was going to haven to them.
This isn't the worst Trek book I've read this year (that honor goes to First Frontier) but I had trouble finishing it, same with That Which Divides. I will say the idea of they had for getting more Andorians was interesting & they did pick a good place to try it where it would be unnoticed, but I would assume it wouldn't be too long before that news gets out.
Sadly I had to give it an average score. I was ok with it in the beginning but how many times is something going to happen to Tuvok or the other empathic members of the crew? The civilization was an interesting concept but thought that could have been better. I found myself not really caring about what was going to haven to them.
This isn't the worst Trek book I've read this year (that honor goes to First Frontier) but I had trouble finishing it, same with That Which Divides. I will say the idea of they had for getting more Andorians was interesting & they did pick a good place to try it where it would be unnoticed, but I would assume it wouldn't be too long before that news gets out.
Ah, okay. I'm not as familiar with the Titan books. Though, it wouldn't surprise me if one of the Titan Andorians had significant knowledge of slipstream technology, and the Titan's relative isolation would certainly make it a good target.
I doubt the crew of a ship that far out in deep space would be as current with cutting-edge research as, say, the staff of Jupiter Station or Utopia Planitia or the SCE.
It would be Titan's relative isolation that would make the ship a good target, though, and we really don't know much about how cutting-edge techniques are distributed throughout the fleet. Slipstream is no longer in just the research phase, so it would make sense for engineers with high clearance levels (for instance) to have access to the information. They might not know all the details of the latest ideas inside Jupiter station, but they might know the details of the drives currently being implemented.
Of course, it's just a possibility. It may very well be that nobody on Titan has access to the tech.
**SPOILERS IN THIS MESSAGE****
If you have not read the book "Fallen Gods" by Michael A. Martin IN ITS ENTIRETY, do not read this post.
OK, so I think I missed something. Right near the end of the book, on page. 329, Ensign Vallah says to Pava, "And he's still upset about having to sign that agreement."
To which agreement was he referring? Both Pava and Vallah refer to an agreement which all of the Andorian officers aboard Titan have signed, but I don't remember any scene in the book in which such an agreement was signed. Am I missing something? Is this something that happens in another Typhon Pact book, that is referred to here?
Not that big a deal, really. It is just one of those things that didn't add up as I was finishing the novel, that made me scratch my head.
Oh and as for opinion, I thought it was a good, solid book. It wasn't spectacular, but it was a good, entertaining Trek novel, which is all you can really ask for. I paid my $8, I got a novel that kept me turning the pages, and kept me entertained. No complaints here. Keep on writing, Mr. Martin!
If you have not read the book "Fallen Gods" by Michael A. Martin IN ITS ENTIRETY, do not read this post.
OK, so I think I missed something. Right near the end of the book, on page. 329, Ensign Vallah says to Pava, "And he's still upset about having to sign that agreement."
To which agreement was he referring? Both Pava and Vallah refer to an agreement which all of the Andorian officers aboard Titan have signed, but I don't remember any scene in the book in which such an agreement was signed. Am I missing something? Is this something that happens in another Typhon Pact book, that is referred to here?
Not that big a deal, really. It is just one of those things that didn't add up as I was finishing the novel, that made me scratch my head.
Oh and as for opinion, I thought it was a good, solid book. It wasn't spectacular, but it was a good, entertaining Trek novel, which is all you can really ask for. I paid my $8, I got a novel that kept me turning the pages, and kept me entertained. No complaints here. Keep on writing, Mr. Martin!
I'm not sure I agree with this. The author shouldn't be pigeonholed into a form of writing their novel. Once the outline is finished, he/she should be able to write as they please and then the editor works with them to flesh out necessary parts that need it.
Question though for anyone who can answer: How is it possible, with everything the Federation and Starfleet has been through, for Captain Riker to have so many high ranking officers on his ship? I would think that with Commanders Vale, Tuvok, Troi, and Ra-Havreii, the powers that be would send one or two of them to another ship/station to serve. With the Borg devastation, aren't higher ranking officers needed desperately? Having so many in one place just seems like a waste of resources to me, though I may be way off. Looking through the character appendix at the back of the book, Riker even has quite a few lieutenant commanders serving with him. What am I missing?
As I said before, I didn't think this was too bad when you compare it to Seize the Fire. I think for those of us who have read quite a few Trek novels, we've become accustomed to seeing great works from the likes of David Mack, Christopher Bennett, Kirsten Beyer, David R. George III and a few others who've contributed to the post-Destiny novels. I'm hard pressed to find something post the Borg devastation that I've outright disliked. Only two novels come to mind that I found subpar at the time (RBoE and Seize the Fire) and after re-reading them, I didn't think they were as bad a I previously thought. They simply didn't measure up to the others novels and if you consider RBoE a part of a quasi-DRGIII trilogy, even that novel turns into something all together different.
Anyway, I gave the novel an above average rating, as I thought it was leaps and bounds better than his previous Titan work and I thoroughly enjoyed what he did with the crew (not so much with the Ta'ithians). Perhaps, if you ever get the chance to come back to the novel later down the road, you'll find a different experience. It's what I did and can appreciate it somewhat more.
Thanks Defcon. I kinda had a feeling that might be the case, but was not sure, so I just had to ask. I appreciate the swift response.
I also agree with the guy that posted above, in that I thought that the Keepers & Trashers were uninteresting for the most part. Their progenitors, and how they linked up with Brahma-Shiva, and all that business...now that has some interesting stuff within it. But, for the most part, I found myself skimming the chapters that had to do with the Keepers & Trashers' conflict, and giving more attention to the chapters devoted to the Andorian/Titan/Therin situation.
Just my two cents.
I also agree with the guy that posted above, in that I thought that the Keepers & Trashers were uninteresting for the most part. Their progenitors, and how they linked up with Brahma-Shiva, and all that business...now that has some interesting stuff within it. But, for the most part, I found myself skimming the chapters that had to do with the Keepers & Trashers' conflict, and giving more attention to the chapters devoted to the Andorian/Titan/Therin situation.
Just my two cents.
Presumably the same reason Riker was able to stay first officer of Enterprise-E throughout the Dominion War, and Data and Geordi were never transferred either. I have never seen a satisfactory in-story explanation, just occasional references to "clout."
Just finished and found it unsatisfying.
I am in this boat. There is something really missing from this book. I found the world building lacking, there is no complete description of the aliens so I cannot truly picture what they look like. All the characters are as flat as the page they are written on. The Andorian mess was good and yet felt so shoehorned in, especially with as far away as Titan is. How do the Andorians catch up? And lastly, here we get another bashing of those who have faith and glorifying those who have science. The best Trek (DS9) showed us how faith can live alongside science and here those with faith are bigoted and fear-mongers, the complete cliche. Titan has been on of my favorite series, but his installment is missing everything that has made it great, characterization that has depth, wonderful world-building and something epic worth fighting for.
Okay, finally finished and have some thoughts. SPOILERS ABOUND
Pros: Much better than Seize the Fire. StF I had trouble even reading. With FG, I kept reading fine, and didn't get bogged down. I thought FG had an interesting story at least, wanted to see what would happen next.
Cons: Sigh. There was so much potential never followed up. If you are going to create a new alien race, make us care about them. That was almost nonexistent, especially at the end. You start the book with these two groups, and really almost give us nothing in the final moments. Anything about what happens afterwards? Trashers realize their mistakes, or not? Fighting continues? Flesh this stuff out, make me care! Follow up on your beginnings rather than, in the end, making it seem like nonessential fluff.
The whole Andorian situation and trickery was not... well written. I understand he was trying to layer the plot with some mystery. "Wait, she's dead? Who's back on Titan? What's going on?!" Yet, the mystery was not written well. It was confusing, to the extent that I actually thought I was missing something and kept flipping back to see what chapter I must have skipped. It wasn't until later I realized you were meant to be kept in the dark, but it just came off awkward and clumsy.
Why bring back Second Gen only to immediately return to the previous book's status quo? That was weird. I understand the end of the book leaves it open for Martin to revisit Torvig's plan for Second Gen as well as the Andorians on the Therin, but still, it felt weird. And wasn't a plan of the whole transporter duplication plan. As others have pointed out, I know the Andorians are pissed at the Federation and whatnot, but really, sinking to new lows with the Tholians this quickly? Tholians, yes, this has been established, but this seems a like a low, sickening plotline and I don't really see it. Maybe if Martin had given us more insight into the Therin's captain, and his motivations, and whatnot but he came across as a two dimensional character.
Pros: Much better than Seize the Fire. StF I had trouble even reading. With FG, I kept reading fine, and didn't get bogged down. I thought FG had an interesting story at least, wanted to see what would happen next.
Cons: Sigh. There was so much potential never followed up. If you are going to create a new alien race, make us care about them. That was almost nonexistent, especially at the end. You start the book with these two groups, and really almost give us nothing in the final moments. Anything about what happens afterwards? Trashers realize their mistakes, or not? Fighting continues? Flesh this stuff out, make me care! Follow up on your beginnings rather than, in the end, making it seem like nonessential fluff.
The whole Andorian situation and trickery was not... well written. I understand he was trying to layer the plot with some mystery. "Wait, she's dead? Who's back on Titan? What's going on?!" Yet, the mystery was not written well. It was confusing, to the extent that I actually thought I was missing something and kept flipping back to see what chapter I must have skipped. It wasn't until later I realized you were meant to be kept in the dark, but it just came off awkward and clumsy.
Why bring back Second Gen only to immediately return to the previous book's status quo? That was weird. I understand the end of the book leaves it open for Martin to revisit Torvig's plan for Second Gen as well as the Andorians on the Therin, but still, it felt weird. And wasn't a plan of the whole transporter duplication plan. As others have pointed out, I know the Andorians are pissed at the Federation and whatnot, but really, sinking to new lows with the Tholians this quickly? Tholians, yes, this has been established, but this seems a like a low, sickening plotline and I don't really see it. Maybe if Martin had given us more insight into the Therin's captain, and his motivations, and whatnot but he came across as a two dimensional character.