Ok, here goes.
I didn't enjoy the book at all, understatement. It was an extremely painful experience. Having read through the pain of Chakotay in particular, but not just him, also Tuvok (didn't expect that - that scene really shook me up) B'Elanna (the account right at the end of the last time she saw Janeway - ouch!) and Seven - well, I now feel far worse about Janeway being killed off than I did. I was beginning to accept it, I've gone back to before square one.
So no nice healing experience for me between the covers of Full Circle.
Even though we see Chakotay beginning to heal the ending is still horribly sad, and I didn't want him to have to go through it in the first place.
It's not just Janeway though. I was fairly innocent of the events of Destiny, now I see that they've had another huge war, worse than the Dominion. It's not just Janeway's death I now feel angry with TPTB about, why have they done that to the Federation? I'd need to read the Destiny trilogy to find out more I guess. However I'm partly thinking I might just reject everything official from about the end of Voyager onwards. I didn't like the Dominion War and the dark direction trek was taking then but I tolerated it, reasoning that it was a tv show about characters in a dangerous world, but this feels like they've really pushed the boundaries to ravage things as much as possible. Before I read FC I thought a resurrection could solve everything - now I see that it can't, really.
Also the way Tom and B'Elanna had to hide the truth from anyone, and then leave their homes and remaining parents, just stank after their seven year previous exile and struggle to get home, and don't get me started on him falling out with his dad even though he got a healing letter just before the Admiral was blasted to smithereens.
It's also the way that Picard is still alive and happy with Beverly, and Riker with Deanna, despite Billions being killed they miraculously escape again. I like Picard a lot and don't want him dead, I don't like Riker. Also Sisko who I do like was miraculously restored to life by the prophets. All these Captains have been through the Dominion war and the Borg war and TPTB have chosen to make them all miraculously survive and have fulfilling lives afterwards, with the women they were messing around with for years, yet they snuff out Janeway. I don't want Picard and Sisko dead, don't care about Riker, but it just seems so unfair to Voyager fans, as has been said many times I know, but I feel it especially after reading a little bit around the events of Destiny - what are the chances?? Everyone else is killed but TPTB prevent that for the captains they choose but not my favourite.
I did like some things about the book. I loved Phoebe's speech, ironic since the spoilers for it were such a turn off for me! But I found myself shouting along with her 'Yes yes - you tell them girl!' I'm glad she and Gretchen were dealt with in their grief, Mosaic had us looking forward to Janeway being reunited with her family then they were barely mentioned in Homecoming 'Captain Janeway was hugging two women at the same time' was it then there was all that stuff about Mark's wife - I'm glad she was just given a passing mention in FC! I'm also happy about the direction Harry and Libby took.
That brings me to FC's original characters. I actually found myself liking Cambridge, and I even liked Eden and feel happy about her Captaining Voyager, which really surprises me I usually can't be bothered with new people nevermind like them and want them captaining my favourite ship! Whereas I think, dare I say it, Janeway was wrong to outrighly oppose the trip back to the DQ, Starfleet is supposed to be about exploration for pity's sake, though I can see why she didn't want that particular crew to go back there. She is and will always be my favourite character, but I think she was stupid to go to the Borg Cube even with her reasons given, she was being typically pigheaded like she has been many times before and gotten away with it. Her stubborness and imperfections are part of her charm to me, but killing her off was too much.
The Klingon stuff was ok, I'm not majorly into Klingons I have to say but I really felt for B'Elanna. I'd probably have preferred it to have remained two books. It was satisfying to think 'Ha! You're wrong!' to someone who posted a spoiler on another thread announcing their death.....
I didn't like Batiste at all I hope in Unworthy he's sucked out of an airlock as fast as possible. But that's ok I don't judge a book on whether I like absolutely everybody! He added to the drama.
The J/C stuff was beautifully done, very realistic I felt. I like the way C/7 were split up ages ago by Christie Golden so Seven's feelings weren't trampled on - I'm essentially a J/Cer post endgame but don't like Seven being vomited on or any of the other bizarre things that seem to happen in fanfic! Plus I think if J/C were to happen after so many years it would be gradual and cautious like it was in FC. Although I echoed Chakotay in thinking if it hadn't happened all this wouldn't hurt so much - to get them together to tear them apart - ouch.
I love Kirsten's writing, I really do. The J/C love scene was magnificent, Phoebe's speech, Chakotay talking to the pillar at the end for all I hated it was very well written - I'm looking forward to reading the middle string theory book, I'm halfway through the first one it got pushed aside for FC. This may sound paradoxical but it's probably because Kirsten is such a good writer that I hated it so much! All that hope followed by grief being so well portrayed.
I actually liked the way the book jumped about date wise- I think it was quite clever in the way it gave just enough info to raise suspense.
Others have said they liked it because it made Chakotay seem real and fleshed out. I would agree, but I've always liked Chakotay anyway and used my imagination to fill in the gaps when he appeared less and less onscreen. I can see why non Voyager fans are buying it and fallen away fans are returning m- it is a cracking read I suppose.
Overall, am I pleased I read it? No, not today. But I probably will be when the huge lump in my throat and sinking feeling in my stomach after reading all that grief subsides a little bit. I ended up choosing to because I wanted to know what happened, and now I do. However I'm even more unhappy than I was before with the direction Trek has taken, and will be writing to Pocket Books to tell them so. They may not listen but it might make me feel a little bit better.
No, I will never accept the current direction with a dead Janeway and the whole scenario around that.
