Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Where is Bloodwing?", 23 Jan 2008
Titan continue their line of novels based upon the original Star Trek series with #21 My Enemy, My Ally by Diane Duane.
Long before the Romulan culture was explored and written about in other Trek series, Duane built up their history and culture in a series on novels about the Rihannsu - or Romulans to us - and gave us a rather interesting insight into one of classic Trek's greatest enemies.
Due to publishing discontinuities, this first book of the Rihannsu was published in the UK after the second one, #4 The Romulan Way, giving readers at the time a confusing read with the earlier story.
The full Rihannsu story line is written in this order; #21 My Enemy My Ally, #4 The Romulan Way, #95 Swordhunt, #96 Honour Blade and finally finished in The Empty Chair. This book is also available in `The Bloodwing Voyages' compendium published in 2007.
While on a stellar charting mission studying some curious ion storm anomalies, the Enterprise is ordered to report to the Neutral Zone to rendezvous with other Federation ships. When they arrive they also find a Vulcan ship and one of Starfleet's heavy battle cruisers.
Several ships have disappeared along the zone and Starfleet Command believes it may be a prelude to invasion.
On the other side of the zone, Romulan commander Ael finds herself separated from her crew and plotting against her own government in order to seek the Federation's help to prevent lethal genetic and solar experiments conducted at Leverai V from taking place.
The book flows along at a rapid pace and Duane populates every ship, giving you lots of interesting characters and strange alien creatures. The Enterprise gains its first Horta crew member in the humorous form of Ensign Naraht. Ael's crew on the Bloodwing are also given depth and background which is later explored as the saga continues.
The interplay between the Federation and Romulan crews is sharp and well written, especially with certain characters like Sulu, Spock, McCoy, Khiy, Tanzer and Ael.
The ending is very action orientated as the battle of Leverai V comes to a head and gives a satisfying conclusion with surprise twist that occurs right in the middle of the conflict.
For those that enjoyed this saga then pick up #4: The Romulan Way for the next part.
|
|
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best novels in the ST:OS genre I've yet read!, 24 Oct 2003
One of the things that makes the Original Series of Star Trek so great, especially in the books, is the sheer believability of the whole thing. This is one of those books which manages somehow to squeeze in everything you'd expect from an episode, and more. Recently I've read quite a few ST:OS books, which I got as a job lot, and I've been quite disappointed, and left this one to last because I knew that if I read this one, there were three others I'd have to read. BIG MISTAKE. This should have been #1 in the list!The story is absolutely amazing, as far-reaching as any of the
film plots, and as well executed. This is a Star Trek tour-de-force. As you progress through the story, you'll find your heart
beating faster as the pace hots up. In other parts, you'll find
yourself puzzling what's really going on. I think you'd call this book a "real page-turner". For me, I always wondered what happened after that game of chess where spock loses, or what some of the other starships in Star Fleet looked like, or what the internal politics of the Romulan Star Empire was really like. This book fills in so much of the background, the mental imagery created makes you firmly believe you've watched an episode. By the title, I'm not giving away any state secrets in saying that the focus of the book is the Romulan Star Empire. The romulans have cropped up all over the place, but never have they been dealt with, with such care and attention. For one, they all talk romulan! And you don't need subtitles to figure out what they're saying. The writing style is absolutely formidable. It's precise, clean, effective, and leaves you in absolutely no doubt what's going on. The humour from the episodes is precisely replicated in the book, and will have anybody who has ever seen the Kirk-McCoy-Spock trio have a verbal sparring match, chuckling away. Nor does it over-do it, like some of the other books which try too hard. If you like Sci-fi, and have, in any way, enjoyed Star Trek, this book must be a first port of call. the sheer quality of
execution is brilliant. I am looking forward to the next three
books.
|
|
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ael is one of the most compelling characters in Trek, 29 Jun 2000
By A Customer
This is one of those books that is fine as long as you don't nit-pick too much. (For example, compare the time getting to the station to the time leaving it...) However, I can't mark it down from five stars, because the Romulan Commander Ael (something I can't spell from memory) is one of the most compelling characters in the Trek universe. She is a woman who understands the concept of honor, and what to do when all your choices are dishonorable. This book should be re-released soon as part of an omnibus volume: look for it.
|
|
|
|
by John M. Ford
by M.S. Murdock
by Sondra Marshak
by Sondra Marshak
by Sonni Cooper
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home