I just finished reading Greater The Sum and I have to say I'm shocked.
Everyday after a long day at work I like to stop by Quill's, a local coffee shop where I live, a grab a latte and a good book and relax to a good book. So yesterday after work I stopped by a Borders and went looking for something I could lose myself in. I was in the mood for something Trek. But I have almost all of what they have already. I came across Greater Than The Sum and almost skipped it. I absolutley hated Before Dishonor and when GTTS came out I didn't get it because I felt it would be a sequel to BD. So I went straight to the Destiny series. But yesterday I noticed that the author was someone whos worked I've enjoyed in the past. And since there was little other titles available I went ahead and bought it.
I'm glad I did. It was a great story. The charavcters were compelling. I especially enjoyed T'Ryssa Chen. She was original and she was funny while at the same time she was someone I could idnetify with. After T'Lana I felt I was burnt out on characters with a Vulcan heritage. But Chen was a refreshing change of pace. I had a few confused looks at the coffee shop when I laughed out loud at some of her antics. I'm glad that she was made a permanent member of the crew and her relationship with Picard reminded me a lot of his relationship with Ro Laren. It was also great to see Guinan help Picard see the wisdom in keeping Chen on board.
The characters in Before Dishonor seemed to me beyond redemption but in this book I was proven wrong. I hated T'Lana at the end of BD but actually felt pity for her in this tale. I was glad that her actions during the mutiny were explained with more detail.
And the same goes for Zelik Leybenzon. I actually felt pity at his death by the Borg and had chills down my spine at the end when we find that he may have handed over to the Borg the Federation's most effective weapon against them. He questioned Picard's judgement and left the Enterprise because he questioned Picard's ability to defeat the Borg. How ironic it was that if he had stayed under Picard's command he would still be alive.
I loved the science fiction aspect of the book. The Noh Angels and their origins were interesting and well thought out and reminds us that the Enterprise can truly seek out new worlds again. They weren't just a cookie cutter alien of the week and it was great too see that as they learned from the crew of the Enterprise, the crew learned from them as well.
I wish I had read this book before the Destiny series. It was rich and engaging. It was funny and had a certain charm. And it tied up the loose threads from Before Dishonor and makes up for a lot of what I felt was lacking in that book. Enjoyed seeing Gunian and High again and revisting some previous story lines from the series.
The funniest line in the book... Chen's first words to Miranda Kadohata: "Miranda huh? So you're the one they named all those ships after!"
Pleasantly surprised by Greater Than The Sum.
Everyday after a long day at work I like to stop by Quill's, a local coffee shop where I live, a grab a latte and a good book and relax to a good book. So yesterday after work I stopped by a Borders and went looking for something I could lose myself in. I was in the mood for something Trek. But I have almost all of what they have already. I came across Greater Than The Sum and almost skipped it. I absolutley hated Before Dishonor and when GTTS came out I didn't get it because I felt it would be a sequel to BD. So I went straight to the Destiny series. But yesterday I noticed that the author was someone whos worked I've enjoyed in the past. And since there was little other titles available I went ahead and bought it.
I'm glad I did. It was a great story. The charavcters were compelling. I especially enjoyed T'Ryssa Chen. She was original and she was funny while at the same time she was someone I could idnetify with. After T'Lana I felt I was burnt out on characters with a Vulcan heritage. But Chen was a refreshing change of pace. I had a few confused looks at the coffee shop when I laughed out loud at some of her antics. I'm glad that she was made a permanent member of the crew and her relationship with Picard reminded me a lot of his relationship with Ro Laren. It was also great to see Guinan help Picard see the wisdom in keeping Chen on board.
The characters in Before Dishonor seemed to me beyond redemption but in this book I was proven wrong. I hated T'Lana at the end of BD but actually felt pity for her in this tale. I was glad that her actions during the mutiny were explained with more detail.
And the same goes for Zelik Leybenzon. I actually felt pity at his death by the Borg and had chills down my spine at the end when we find that he may have handed over to the Borg the Federation's most effective weapon against them. He questioned Picard's judgement and left the Enterprise because he questioned Picard's ability to defeat the Borg. How ironic it was that if he had stayed under Picard's command he would still be alive.
I loved the science fiction aspect of the book. The Noh Angels and their origins were interesting and well thought out and reminds us that the Enterprise can truly seek out new worlds again. They weren't just a cookie cutter alien of the week and it was great too see that as they learned from the crew of the Enterprise, the crew learned from them as well.
I wish I had read this book before the Destiny series. It was rich and engaging. It was funny and had a certain charm. And it tied up the loose threads from Before Dishonor and makes up for a lot of what I felt was lacking in that book. Enjoyed seeing Gunian and High again and revisting some previous story lines from the series.
The funniest line in the book... Chen's first words to Miranda Kadohata: "Miranda huh? So you're the one they named all those ships after!"
Pleasantly surprised by Greater Than The Sum.
Eep...
