The Fall: A Ceremony Of Losses - Mack is Back

I like to say I have a linear mind, I like to know the beginning before the middle, or even the end. I even went back to watching Deep Space Nine in anticipation of reading this.

I have read series books from the end, or even the middle, previously. You can always tell proficient writers from experienced writers by reading non-linear – truly experienced writers have the ability to draw you in from any point in their story, even half-way through a particular book. This is especially true when writing about characters you already know, or have grown up getting to know.

Such is the case with this book – A Ceremony of Losses. I had no idea what to expect, nor what to write about, it being my first review. So let me start, at the beginning, of the middle...and be warned I might drop some of those pesky SPOILERS in along the way.

Perseverance is the key to this story's start. For someone starting on this book, David Mack does a admirable job of filling in the blanks. Not so much to believe you know all the previous stories, but enough to make you want to explore the detail of them – a tricky balance to achieve, to be sure.

The negative here being that with so many Andorian names, references, titles and terms to grasp so early on, you actually have to be Andorian just to make it through the first chapter without a headache, or the literacy version of brain-freeze.

memory-beta.wikia.com

As a newcomer to the non-canon series of novels, I have to admit, a little catch up was necessary in order to put the novel into perspective. For example; the new Deep Space Nine space station, a new 'Frontier Class' station. Another addition is the USS Aventine; a rather impressive new Vesta class starship equipped with slipstream technology. I was however unaware of precisely how much I'd missed ...

Mack's use of characters – Dr Bashir, to name one of many old faces, is done well. Capturing Julian's childish demeanour whilst keeping his suppressed ego has been done remarkably well. This should come as no surprise to those who know the author though, as history recalls, he did have a writing hand in two interesting Deep Space Nine episodes - season four's Starship Down and season seven's It's Only a Paper Moon. 

I did have a puzzling moment with one Captain Ezri Dax, I first picked up on it from +Clive Burrell's review. I struggled to see how Dax has gone from a jittery councillor, to a commanding, confident captain, without a massive personality change. I do not wish to dwell on this though, as after catching up a little background reading (no spoilers), Ezri's character actually has gone through an extreme makeover.

Beyond the old faces, there are some very well defined characters alongside and supporting. With moderate access to certain characters' features and a background or two, it serves to understand them, but not emphasise them. One who I'm sure will catch your attention, and who has already been made known to us of the 'TV series only' bunch - Sarina Douglas (Deep Space Nine - Statistical Probabilities, Chrysalis). I'm sorry, a little spoiler alert here... Again, another person who has undergone a huge transformation. Here we had a reclusive, socio-phobic person - turned Section 31 super spy! It's the Trek version of 007 starting off in the loony bin, asking for his medication to be 'shaken, no stirred'...

Away from familiar faces, and for spoilers sake I won't dwell on this, but if you're looking for clues to forthcoming installments - pay close attention to Admiral Akaar, especially towards the end. I won't say much but I would say it is definitely David Mack's clear nod to the starting of book four.

The plot, without giving too much information away, centers around a major upheaval in the Federation, contemplating the extinction of the Andorians. The politics within this story can at times, make for tough reading. Again, perseverance is the key here. If you were after a book to 'settle in bed' with - this is not it. There is too much detail and too many (multi-layer) political plots to grasp. Try speed reading through this and I guarantee you'll spend twice as long having to reread the last paragraph, only to forget what happened previously. Or, as my colleague eloquently put; a "Thinking Man's Star Trek". After looking over book one's review, plus a few group discussions, it does seem that this is going to a common theme along the entire series. They all give you the impression you're in way over your head, that you don't have the attention span of a nuclear physicist and you're going to be brutally brow-beaten for not having so.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning the detail throughout the whole book; most is quite relevant and informative. I especially like the build up near the end; everything balancing on a whim, an entire species hanging in the balance, a beautifully described orbital action scene. I was quite gratified at that moment to find I had, for the first time in the book, suspended all of my other senses, just temporarily until I was confident it had passed.

Only one terrible grievance remains from this whole experience - but it's as big as Bajor itself. As I mentioned before, the plot focuses around the Andorians and their cessation from the Federation. After this, the Federation interim President has declared an embargo of Andor. No food, medicine, commerce or communication to or from the Federation. 

To be quite frank - I just cannot see this. I understand that from a story perspective, it is a key plot line and there are the political aspects that give it cause, but the Federation is by nature a peacekeeping force. I just can't imagine the democratic processes allowing for such an action, even with a despotic President at the helm. There are too many allies and political elements within the Federation that would resist such a move. It is as if David Mack has thrown much politics into this, but failed to grasp the true nature of Federation politics.

That being said, if you can overlook this flaw (if it is indeed one at all for you), the rest of this book is very well thought out, structured and written. Yes, there are some moments that really test you, but you are rewarded for your persistence at the end. Pros and cons considered, here's my conclusion:

The story as a whole is actually quite riveting - a medical mystery, wrapped up in political turmoil, lightly sprinkled with well played espionage, finished with a good side helping of action.

I'll be having a ceremony of loss if I don't read them all, but I won't stand on ceremony over this – until I've read them all. Is it fundamentally flawed? Too political? Perhaps, but also perhaps that's just me, and I'd happily read it again. In fact, I intend to. Whilst I'm doing that - you decide!

Next up in The Fall we have The Poisoned Chalice. Time to head back aboard the USS Titan.

Image by Tobias Richter

A Ceremony of Losses is available now from Simon and Schuster priced £6.99; ISBN 9781476722245.

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Carried Away by a Crimson Shadow: Una McCormack Books into The Fall

Welcome back weary traveller to the second installment of The Fall. We're spent some time on Deep Space Nine so what's happening over there on the USS Enterprise? Well let me tell you...

For fear of falling into the one trap we avoid, this book is again set within a tight sixty day window. Not sure why? Well there is a reason which is pretty much explained in every book. If you've not read any we won't give it away but it's a nice little twist. As always, dear reader, SPOILER ALERT - we don't mean to but sometimes it's unavoidable. Sorry.

From the cover of The Crimson Shadow you might assume that the focus is going to be on the crew of the Enterprise however Picard and his officers actually don't stand on the front line here as the limelight falls much more solidly on one Elim Garak.

Now the Cardassian ambassador to the United Federation of Planets this is quite an individual story in which Garak is extremely influential. It's not something I was expecting but it works particularly well - at least to being with. The concept is great and having Garak as our guide really marks this novel out from the rest of the series which appear to stay on safer ground using more familiar characters to lead the action. Introducing each chapter with a letter from the spy/tailor/ambassador adds something of a flair to proceedings however after a while it gets a bit bland and getting half way through there was enough political intrigue to crash a Jem'Hadar cruiser. It's not that it's badly written but McCormack does go on for a while as Garak has a televised debate, gets an undercover officer out of prison, discusses the troubles of Cardassia (which reminded me of The Circle) and the like. 

What is a completely different tack from the last 12 months worth of Star Trek novels is that it relies on the strength of a regular recurring character to carry the show but you do welcome any appearance of the Enterprise crew namely Picard or Worf to provide some form of respite along the way. They do appear and while they act as more of sub-characters to the events on Cardassia it's nice to have them along. Smrhova and Glynn Dygan also return for The Crimson Shadow with the latter having a much greater role since he is himself Cardassian. However, whatever angle I tackle their involvement it still feels like they are tacked on to the story rather than integral to its narrative and conclusion. Sorry, Una but I was expecting more from our regulars.

The characters of Mhevet and Temet in comparison are interesting asides however they never seem to break out as strong personalities and I found that after a prominent debate Temet shrank away. Mhevet does come away better as a law enforcement officer investigating an apparent murder but it all seems a bit wishy washy. They do appear to be the typical security officer and political opponent respectively but the events around them are more interesting than the characters themselves. The political instability around the Federation withdrawl is certainly a parallel to real events we know of in this day and age. In that frame, McCormack hits the mark because Star Trek never shied away from attempting an angle on the surrounding world's troubles. Cardassia is recovering and Temet in particular acts as the link back to the old ways, the times before the arrival of the Dominion.

Against Garak, the leader of Cardassia First makes an interesting counterpoint to one who used to operate for the Obsidian Order and, effectively, everything that Temet rallies in favour of returning. This Garak is much more forward thinking, open to new ideas rather than dug-in concepts. Nevertheless there are occasions where we can see him just as confrontational but purposeful in his beliefs. His discourse with the Cardassian castellan is especially telling of his changed character; more thoughtful, less brutal and maybe understanding his place in society and his responsibilities a little more. This Garak is markedly different to the character we knew of old. He's "grown up" if you will, looking out for Cardassia's best interests rather than wholly self-preservation. Being home has altered his primary goal in life.

An ambassador he may be but his loyalty is clearly to his homeworld and his personal beliefs. I liked that but, as I've just said, he is very different. There are some hints of the past which remind us effectively where he has come from but that sneakiness is pretty much non-existent. At times I waited for some of the old Garak to slip out - the only piece I could note was his love of Cardassian literature which he fondly shares with Picard and gives the novel it's title.

I really hoped that the second book would bring more excitement than the first but I found I was getting jealous of +Mark Thwaite who had dibs on Book Three and a return to the world of Deep Space Nine. 

I do squirm a bit because this isn't a badly written book at all and if you like crime novels it's probably up your street; I just found it, well, forgettable. Saying that, you might be wondering how it all fits with the rest of this loose five book arc. I can assure you it does and there is an element which, quite late on, does segway into the events that transpired in the (much better) first book, Revelation and Dust. I'm upset in some respects because it takes so long to reach that point and I found myself questioning the relevance of the previous 200 something pages. However,The Fall, as I found with Cold Equations is about the sum of the parts.

I admit too that I've had to write this review over quite a long time period for no other reason than I didn't know what to say. Usually I can hammer out a review and discuss every aspect of it, where it succeeded, failed or was just plain mind-blowing but here it's all very average; straight-forward and matter of fact. There's no real big revelation and it feels like the characters are wasted in what is a quite wordy novel which misses some serious action to spice it up. 

Individual stories do run through them but there is still an overriding arc to follow. While it has been said they can be read out of order my experience with the first two books is that I definitely wouldn't follow this advice because of the later revelations. I would hate to read three, four or five and find then that I should have read The Crimson Shadow. I might even suggest that reading it later with perhaps knowledge of the later stories and twists could ruin enjoyment of this book further. My opinion - don't take it as gospel!!!

Overall then, is it worth the cover price? If you're intending to buy the whole series then absolutely and you'll, if nothing else, get to understand all the machinations, the twists and events happening all across the galaxy in this tight 60 day period. I suspect that events alluded to here will be played out/referred to elsewhere but then again, there might be assumptions made (?) as to the reader's knowledge in books three, four and five. Certainly this will fit into the overall tapestry leading from the events of Revelation and Dust and will conclude in Peaceable Kingdoms but my fascination is how it will all come together. Will it only make sense if I read all five (in whatever order I choose) - will all the clues be explained at the end or is it necessary to have, at the least, read all of them to understand the big reveal? Phew. Hope that made sense because this could get very confusing...might have to set myself up one of those situation boards just to work out where everyone is....

Next up we're with +Mark Thwaite as he takes us back for a second trip to Deep Space Nine in A Ceremony of Losses. This review will be LIVE on 26th January!

The Crimson Shadow is available now from Simon and Schuster priced £6.99; ISBN 9781476722207

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One Last Time

One thing I've noticed as we celebrate and remember the life of DeForest Kelley is that we seem to have mislaid any photos from his work in the movies.

So here's our nod to the Southern Doctor in what would be his final movie - and final scene playing McCoy on the bridge of NCC-1701-A.

Happy birthday Bones!

Russ, Renegades and a Review

This begins our dark introduction into the world of Star Trek: Renegades, the trailer descends on what appears to be a jail cell; a lone woman chalks her words onto a wall... 

As this trailer unfolds it becomes very clear that this will be more than your average Trek. Tim Russ definitely intends to take us to the outer edges of the Federation, and possibly beyond.

This is just the beginning of both the teaser trailers, click here to see them both in full length, plus some very fascinating interviews with cast members! 

Maybe it's the unexpected all star cast? It's quite one thing to have Tim Russ directing this, let alone reprising his role as Tuvok (Voyager). Then we look at the caliber of actors all along for the ride, the mix of talent available to this production is truly impressive. You'd be forgiven thinking that this is your run-of-the-mill fan fiction. Don't be fooled however, as we have truly seasoned Star Trek actors involved...

Tim Russ - That's right, he's not only the director, but he'll also be slapping those pointed ears back on (and likely slapping down some more ensigns too!). Logic has never been so dark.This will be Tuvok's first on screen appearance since 2001 and Voyager's finale, Endgame. 

No pressure then. In the intervening years it's good to see Mr Russ has been honing his skills on such wonderous TV programmes as I, Carly... Seriously, should be awesome to see him back in action as the joint lead with...

Walter Koenig - It's nice to see him beyond commander, but whatever you do, please don't ask him to say Nuclear Wessels or he vill haf to stun you.

Yes, the original Chekov will be back on screen for the first time since 1994 (Star Trek: Generations) because officially we don't class his appearance in Phase II ...although we probably should if we're talking about another fan-made production. Oh, hang on. We are.

Robert Picardo - Stop the press... He won't be playing our neighbourhood EMH so we won't get to know the nature of the medical emergency this time around.

Instead, he'll be reprising his brief role as Dr Lewis Zimmerman, a character not seen on our screens since 2000 in Lifeline from season six of Voyager. Actually Zimmerman wasn't around that much at all - fleetingly in the first few years - Projections, The Swarm to name a few before he turned up in Deep Space Nine's Doctor Bashir, I Presume as an actual real person. How Zimmerman is going to fit into what looks like Star Trek mixed with Rambo is up for discussion.

Now I imagine at this point you're thinking "Great, but why am I going to bother with ANOTHER spin off?"

Well, as the full teaser suggests, the Federation is faced with yet another threat, however this new nemesis is beyond the reach of the Federation's typical 'good will politics'. 

Tuvok, now head of Section 31, is tasked with answering this unknown enemy head on. Not an easy job considering this adversary has the ability of cutting the Federation off from dilithium, and also appears to be annexing planets from space and time. Nice.

As you peruse through the library of information on the Renegades website, the trailers, masses of interview footage, promo videos, even the new comedy segments. You definitely get an idea of the work that has gone into making this a reality. 

Although I was a little disappointed with the second trailer if I can be honest. How can I put this... it was a Transformers take on Star Trek. The deep soundtrack behind it, the transforming title at the end, the mash of apparently random scenes. I was intrigued, but not satisfied. It felt, incomplete. 

Now, as you can tell, I watched both trailers in completely the wrong order, something in fact I recommend as an introduction to Renegades. The first trailer, whilst it lacks the 'epic' text segments, does trump the second. There is better introduction and explanation, they haven't tried to mash it together and hope for the best. The structure is very well done for this, a short briefing, melding into an invigorating and progressive background sound piece, with the scenes building up into... *enter transforming title sequence.*

So what's exactly in the trailers? What can we take from the limited glimpse? Well, you have some curious segments from Chekov and Tuvok, setting the story, it leads us to believe that this new threat could provide a tipping point in the Federation's affairs. The fact they have resorted to bringing Section 31 in to deal with the crisis I believe is meant to portray the seriousness of the situation. So what of moving forward? 

At present, we know of this new enemy the Syphons, we don't know anything of them other than one Syphon in particular, Borrada, has a serious grudge with the Federation for an incident with portals? This is the full detail at present, other than this new species appears to be particularly aggressive. I guess we'll have to wait and see as more information feeds through.

When +Clive Burrell and I were discussing Renegades (amongst many other upcoming titles), it became clear from the outset that this was something special. It immediately gave you a 'Where No Man has Gone Before' thrill. Sure, you can throw many examples of promising fan fiction at us, but there is something quite different about Renegades - something I'm yet to put my finger on.

To say that these are just the tip of the iceberg would be quite an understatement, having looked at the accompanying cast, we can see echoes of other popular shows.. Stargate SG-1, Charmed, ER, That 70's Show, CSI: Miami, this list is endless and well worth a click here for the full cast listing, we think you'll be surprised and excited (Edward Furlong?!).

It's a unique situation, which requires a unique crew. Cue the Renegades (would have screwed the title if this wasn't the case...). A rag-tag crew whose abilities - and lack of restriction to Starfleet regulations - are just the right kind of crazy to possibly get the job done. Even the audio wasn't up to scratch, with imbalances between the background and the scene audio. Not to say it wasn't good, I was thoroughly hooked on the first scene. It certainly teased my curiosity. If this is their worst, then it would appear promising.

But I can't shake the feeling that Tim and Walter's involvement in this story will actually be quite limited, the Hors d'oeuvre to the Renegades crew. I can certainly understand though, given how much time Tim must be putting in to direct this as well as acting in it. 

Captain Lexxa Singh (Adrienne Wilkinson pictured left) on the other hand... she appears to have quite a major role and back-story in this. Even from the first trailer it is clear she will be a lead role as (the sexy) captain of the renegade starship, her appearances in this trailer alone are quite a few. 

It's curious to find from the website and trailers, this character delves once again into the Eugenics Wars sub-story that has been present throughout canon Trek. However, this time there's an interesting twist - her character is apparently a direct decendant of one Khan Noonien Singh. I certainly hope moving forward, there is good explanation for this, as at present there is no evidence that Khan had any siblings or indeed lineage (being genetically engineered). For the moment, I'll stick to saying Kirk would be crushed to hear this...

Hang on a moment, surely if Admiral Chekov knew of this, he'd never let her out of that cell in the first place? Wow, the explanation had better be award winning to explain away this curve-ball! One other thing I have noticed even though principle photography finished in October 2013 is the lack of CGI - ships, planets...or anything aside from a glowy globe (trailer one) and the title effect...I suspect that's being kept under wraps and will need to be pretty impressive to beat Axanar's CGI tests and the work of Phase II among others.

All of this leaves me (I'm almost ashamed to admit), priapic with anticipation. You can blame the influences of one Jeremy Clarkson for that...

But where does this leave us? I'm sure by now you've watched both the trailers, and have come to your own conclusions. But it would be very remiss of me not too provide my own thoughts, in true SKoST tradition. We aren't however, above reproach. If you feel there's even more than meets the eye, why not get involved? Drop us a comment below!

All images taken from the Star Trek: Renegades trailers available on YouTube. No infringement of copyright is intended.
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Chronicling Axanar: Let Us Begin

There's a lot of excitement in the Star Trek franchise in 2014 which has meant that it could easily be entitled as The Year of the Fan - Phase II, The Green Girl, Renegades and one that really got us chomping at the bit - Axanar.

Taking its lead from one episode of The Original Series, this fan-made production has already hit the headlines with its stunning CGI examples and, perhaps more significantly, it's focus on the character of Garth of Izar.

While there are many of us within the realms of Star Trek fandom who feel that this should have been the character played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the Abrams 2013 movie, this might be the answer we are looking for and has a Galaxy Class load of things to entice fans of every level.

Set two decades before Where No Man Has Gone Before, Garth is the epitome of a Starfleet captain; the hero of Axanar. This movie therefore is his story. 

Chatting across email with executive producer Alec Peters, I was more than enthusiastic(!) over our interest in this project and was pointed in the direction of the Axanar website and Facebook pages. While the former is not rammed full of information at present there is a heck of a lot going on and we'll hope to be somewhere near the knife edge to report on what's happening (if we're allowed!).

The cast already has three stellar names associated with it in the form of Battlestar Galactica legend Richard Hatch, Deep Space Nine's Martok, J G Hertzler and Enterprise's Soval, Gary Graham. If that's not enough stardom for you, I believe that there will be more signings announced very, very soon. That's just in front of the camera mind as Alec has also managed to bring on board David Gerrold as creative consultant. In our opinion that is more than a good start to say the least.

Looking through the characters penned in by Alec, it's interesting to see who we will meet in the movie - an early General Chang (then lieutenant), Robert April shaking down the brand new USS Enterprise, Captain Richard Rabau (last seen spiked by Nero in 2009's Star Trek movie) and a young Sarek acting as aide to the already noted Soval. It's a good site giving nice, concise access to Axanar and even providing a few FAQ's for those interested in the background to the Garth story. Nice touch.

On the Facebook page over 12,000 people have already hit Like and in all honesty this is a better place to get to grips with the evolution of Axanar than the gorgeous looking website. While that has some nice background bits and a screen-lickingly good CGI fly-past of the USS Ares (Garth's ship at Axanar), the Facebook page offers more glimpses into the could be/will be's of the project (all by Tobias Richter...brilliant).

There are some stunning images available on the page as the work is developing from starships to set mock-ups and tech designs that are intended to be somewhere in the step between Enterprise and The Original Series. As the days pass by there justy seems to be more and more information coming out about this work and everything we hear is positive. One of our other Hot for 2014 contenders, Phase II are even lending the production their bridge set to be retrofitted for the story which shows the support that Alec and the Axanar dream has garnered already. 

Even from the brief email tennis I've played over the last few weeks you can tell in the tone that there is as much excitement from within the Axanar camp as there is from the fans waiting to see it move into production and then be available. What I especially love about the Facebook page is the debates that spring up on there. Recently there's been some interesting discussions around the use of the Enterprise insignia on uniforms, the style of uniforms themselves and even comments around element design be it sets or even tricorders. Now while there can be some grumbles in there it's a brilliant way for the producers to hone their product, make it "Canon Correct" if you will and mean that fans, to a degree, are kept on side and can maybe even help mould the production. It's probably one of the most effective uses of a Facebook page I've seen for some time. It's a whole world of Trek  cool.

What helps no doubt is having a visual artist with a great deal of talent - the ship images (some of which we've included here) and the imaginings of the Axanar world are just as you would imagine if you're familiar with not only the 2009 USS Kelvin but also the style of The Cage and even Enterprise. There are some hints of the tech developments in the real world in the styling but that is to be expected and welcomed given that this is 2014 and not 1966. Indeed, like a lot of fans we're peaked on interest just on the starships pics of the Ares, Geronimo and the Klingon ship alone. God knows what we'll be like if there's much more posted like these stunning shots.

As we talked about when we listed our Hot for 2014 at the start of January, it's going to be one of those that will have to be watched throughout the year and most likely a must see when it's complete. Ok, so at the moment there's only a few castings and a lot of theory and thought on the internet however there is something to see. It's not just ghosts - Axanar is real, it has real people behind it and genuinely impresses when you see what has been designed even at this point.

As the year progresses we hope to be talking to some of the team behind the production (no promises) and will update as and when we know more right here. For now, head over to their networks and get behind the project. It's going to be a winner and there are a lot of people out there who seem to think likewise.

Star Trek: Axanar can be found on Facebook and at their website for more details.

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19 Today!

Marking 19 years since the first episode of Star Trek: Voyager aired on the United Paramount Network we're posting a different image and quote from the show on each of our networks...just a little something different!

UPDATED 18/01/14

For those who weren't able to see them, here are all the images we published on Voyager's 19th birthday!

A Novel Start to 2014

Welcome to the new range of books from Simon and Schuster for 2014!!!

Let's dispense with the waffle and cut to the meaty stuff. Book four of The Fall is already out on general sale (I spotted a copy in Glasgow a few weeks back) and this month we get the finale of this brilliant quintology...

The Fall: Peaceable Kingdoms

Courtesy of Simon and Schuster

The Federation is rocked to its core as the Typhon Pact is suspected of being behind a barbarous act that shatters the fragile peace of the Alpha Quadrant. An original Star Trek novel, this is the final part of a five-book story arc that takes place over a sixty-day period, but it is not necessary to read each novel in order to follow the storyline (although we at Some Kind of Star Trek are trying valiantly to do that), which involves all aspects of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine universes.

This series has been so memorable and cleverly woven together by the five authors. To review them as a team we have read them separately but one or two contributors are planning to read them in sequence of release. Whether it's action, characterisation, politics or just a fine read then this has had it all plus the kitchen sink in there for good measure. A must of 2013 and an essential purchase for the New Year.

Peaceable Kingdoms will be available in the UK from January 16th 2014.

Voyager: Protectors

Courtesy of Simon and Schuster

Following the destruction of four fleet vessels at the hands of the Omega Continuum, the USS Voyager and USS Demeter set course for a region of the Delta Quadrant far beyond anything previously explored. Captain Chakotay is determined to prove to Starfleet Command that the fleet's ongoing mission is vital to Federation interests…and the key to doing so may lie in a distress call Voyager received nine years earlier, but could not investigate.

Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway is recalled to the Alpha Quadrant for an evaluation period to determine her next assignment. Given the trauma she has recently endured, Admiral Akaar, Starfleet's Commander-in-Chief, questions Janeway's fitness to command the fleet. Janeway's primary concern remains the fleet's safety. For their mission to continue, she must find a way to secure the resources they require. But the uncertainty of her superior officers has left her powerless to act in theirbest interests. The USS Galen is dispatched to return Janeway to Earth and tasked thereafter with a mission to a remote Starbase in the Beta Quadrant where an individual they believe to be a member of the Caeliar gestalt has been recovered. The Doctor's experience with Seven of Nine is vital to their efforts, but he soon discovers that their patient is more than meets the eye.

As the remaining fleet struggles to communicate with a dangerous and mysterious alien technology that may hold the key to unlocking an ancient civilization, Janeway searches for the path to her future and The Doctor finds himself forced to betray one he holds dear to prevent the spread of a new plague now ravaging several Federation worlds.

So February will see the first Voyager novel for some time takes us back into the Delta Quadrant - but are we really fussed with all the shenanigans going on with Deep Space Nine and the Picard-led Enterprise? Well, we'll find out in February and I can say that this is one book we are hotly anticipating due to the noticable absence of Janeway and co. 

The Original Series: No Time Like the Past

startrek.com

Stardate 6422.5. A diplomatic mission to the planet Yusub erupts in violence when ruthless Orion raiders attempt to disrupt the crucial negotiations by force. Caught in the midst of tense and dangerous situation, Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise finds an unexpected ally in the form of an enigmatic stranger who calls herself "Annika Seven."

Stardate 53786.1. Seven of Nine is taking part in an archaeological expedition on an obscure planetoid in the Delta Quadrant when a disastrous turn of events puts Voyager's away team in jeopardy-and transports Seven across time and space to Yusub, where she comes face to face with one of Starfleet's greatest legends.

Stardate 6422.5. Kirk knows better than most the danger that even a single castaway from the future can pose to the timeline, so he and Seven embark on a hazardous quest to return her to her own era. But there are others who crave the knowledge Seven possesses, and they will stop at nothing to obtain it-even if this means seizing control of the Enterprise!

Calm it down there. Yes, really - Kirk and Seven. Either a novelised match in Heaven or something that in years to come will be regarded as the biggest crash since Troi helmed the Enterprise (D or E it makes no difference). Hopefully Greg Cox has pulled a gem out of the bag that will top last year's average helping, The Weight of Worlds. We know to some degree that he can handle The Original Series but the real test is mixing up two very different generations and two of the most popular characters in that. Good to see that we get another helping of Voyager this year even if it is under The Original Series banner. (Cover art not approved in the UK; novel due March 2014).

Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: Tower of Babel

Having survived its first major crisis, the Federation turns to nation-building as Admiral Jonathan Archer works to bring the worlds of the powerful Rigel system into the young union of the United Federation of Planets. But factions both within the Federation and among its enemies oppose the alliance, and Archer will need all the skills of his former Enterprise crewmates to prevent them from plunging Rigel into a system wide war.

Christopher L Bennett is back with another chunk of Enterprise-that-isn't-actually-Enterprise with Tower of Babel. I (Clive) wasn't a fan of the 2013 offering A Choice of Futures and my review didn't hold back. This time our resident Archer-ite Carl will be handling the novel. Rumour is that this is a much better read so we might get a pleasant surprise but it has to be less of a political drag and more upbeat. While it does focus on the characters of Enterprise the strands holding it to that name are getting a little worn. Drop the moniker and just go with Rise of the Federation. Note for Carl if you're reading, the picture of Pothos is dedicated to you (cover art unconfirmed - book released April!).

The Original Series: Serpents in the Garden

Early in his five-year mission commanding the USS Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk found himself caught up in a growing conflict on the planet Neural. To maintain the balance of power against a force being armed by the Klingons, he provided weapons to his friends, the Hill People. Years later, Admiral Kirk learns that the Klingon presence on the planet has grown considerably, in possible violation of the Treaty of Organia. Did his impulse as a young captain turn out disastrously wrong? Should he - could he - have done more to eliminate the Klingon threat? To find out, he embarks on a secret mission back to Neural - where he might just be the only person who can prevent an interstellar war.

Ahhh. He doesn't trust the Klingons does he that Admiral Kirk! Tracing back events before The Original Series and seen in the second season story A Private Little War we're expecting Klingons, rifles and the odd Mugato to be thrown together here. Surely any novel that deals with Klingons is a sure-fire winner. This will mark Jeff Mariotte's follow up to The Folded World which was a mighty good read. I hope this is just as good and we'll discover just how much in May which is also when the Klingon Art of War will be available.

The Lost Era: One Constant Era

A novel from The Lost Era. When John Harriman took command of the U.S.S. Enterprise-B, it was the most benighted launch of a starship in more than 200 years. This is that story, as well as that of the powerful officer who believed in Captain Harriman and convinced him not to resign his command.

Now if I'm correct here that reference to a powerful officer is alluding to the fan-produced and Tim Russ-directed Of Gods and Men which states that Chekov was the man who helped save Harriman's career following the apparent death of Kirk on the Enterprise-B. I'm not familiar with The Lost Era but I think it's self-explanatory from the title. I know there were a rack of titles a few years back that focused on the Enterprise-B but I never managed to get to them. This now comes along and should make up for at least some of that blip in my reading. I liked the character of Harriman to some degree but by god was he a bad choice to captain that ship. We'll see this on shelves in June.

The Next Generation: Light Fantastic

The continuation of the epic story begun in the New York Times bestselling The Next Generation trilogy Cold Equations is here (later this year). A now-resurrected Data and his android "daughter" Lal must face off against the holographic entity James Moriarity, who is determined to acquire android bodies in order to live a "real-world" immortal life.

That's a lot of "quotes" there which doesn't sit well. Now this was one of those books that HAD to happen I suppose. There was no way to avoid the finale of Cold Equations so a reborn Data story was always going to be on the books. Interested? Yes, but there are more stellar titles competing for our money this year and that's before we even reach the release date of Light Fantastic which is set for July.

Seekers: Second Nature

Image from David Mack's website

Despite heroic efforts, the Andorian species is headed for extinction. Its slow march toward oblivion has reached a tipping point, one from which there will be no hope of return. With countless lives at stake, the leaders of Andor, the Federation, and the Typhon Pact all scheme to twist the crisis to their political gain-at any price. Unwilling to be a mere bystander to tragedy, Doctor Julian Bashir risks everything to find a cure for the Andorians. But his courage will come at a terrible cost…

We at Some Kind of Star Trek have ranked this as the must buy novel of the year. Taking a totally different line on the universe and boarding a ship that isn't from the mainstream has proved a hit in the past. We're expecting big things from this series and doubt we'll be disappointed considering it's the work of Dayton Ward, David Mack and Kevin Dilmore. Apparently following on from Vanguard it's not a completely new step but I don't expect many be familiar faces from the TV shows.

Beyond that release in August the year has yet to be revealed. What do we think then? A good selection or retreading ground? Are the new titles of a good original nature? What are your experiences with the authors we'll be seeing in print in 2014? Why not let us know...

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