Pocket Book Star Trek Novels #11 - #20 Review

Previous Post - Pocket Book Star Trek Novels #1 - #10 Review

Gosh, that came around fast!  Time for my second summary / analysis, this time (unsurprisingly) of books ##11 to #20.  Well almost #11 to #20, I haven't read / reviewed #17 Star Trek III - Search for Spock, because a) it isn't essential for the purposes of this review and, b) I don't have the will to read another Vonda film tie-in massacre.  I will read it, don't worry, I'm just currently enjoying not reading it.

Books #11 to #20 are as follows:

#11 Yesterday's Son - A C Crispin - August 1983 - Year: 2270 (after TOS)

#12  Mutiny on the Enterprise - Robert E Vardeman - October 1983 - Year: 2268 (after The Klingon Gambit)

#13 The Wounded Sky - Diane Duane - December 1983 - Year: 2275 (between TMP and TWOK)

#14 The Trellisane Confrontation - David Dvorkin - February 1984 - Year: 2269 (After TOS)

#15 Corona - Greg Bear - April 1984 - Year: 2270 (After TOS)

#16 The Final Reflection - John M Ford - May 1984 - Years: 2230s  / 2270s

#17 Star Trek III - Search for Spock - Vonda N McIntyre - June 1984 - Year: 2285

#18 My Enemy, My Ally - Diane Duane - July 1984 - Year: 2275 (between TMP and TWOK)

#19 The Tears of the Singers - Melinda Snodgrass - September 1984 - Year: 2270 (After TOS)

#20 The Vulcan Academy Murders - Jean Lorrah - November 1984 - Year: 2267 (After Journey to Babel)

Immediate Observations

• One film novelisation - #17 Star Trek III - Search for Spock - Vonda N McIntyre.  Film tie-ins ignore publishing schedule.
• Six out of ten books are written by female authors (3/5)
• Diane Duane writes two novels in this selection.
• Only two novels take place within the TOS timeline.
• For the first time we see a 'prequel' story (2230s)
• 'After TOS' but before TMP is the most popular time period (4/10)

Personally I think that this group of ten are on average a better quality than the first ten.  A C Crispin, Diane Duane, and John M Ford are the strongest writers, though Robert E Vardeman doesn't lag far behind.

Context

So here is where it all starts to get interesting as fans are starting to respond to the quality of the books produced in the previous ten tie-ins.  The rumblings in the fan community about the quality of the novels, within the time period of the next ten we'll see a crack down on the guidelines for the novels.

Fans were complaining about the quality of Star Trek novels.   Some were pointing out that these 'pro-authors' couldn't reach the lofty expectations of those who had read and enjoyed the 1970s fanfiction, propagated in fanzines.  Lisa Wahl in the June 1983 issue of Interstat, suggested boycotting the October and November novelisations (then Timescape).  This was met with opposition by fans who had read the manuscript of Yesterday's Son however as it would interfere with its release.

On the other hand, there was (and is) always a market for even the most derided works, whatever the fandom.  I have myself seen reviews on Good Reads which give books I hated 5/5, praising them as some of the best novelisations available.  It all depends on which narrative is strongest.  At the time of the early Pocket/Timescape Star Trek novels, pro-authors who wrote in report positive feedback and letters from fans.

I have to admit, if I was alive and reading Star Trek novels as they came out, I would have been disappointed with the first ten too, reading the first ten all together was difficult!  Books #11 - #20 seem to have turned a corner quality wise however (well bar TSFS, I don't have to read that to know it'll be tripe) with some super strong authors trying their hand at Star Trek.

It's good to see that yet again the majority of books are written by women in this selection and that the strongest books are also those written by women.

Story / Theme Trends

There was actually a lot more variation in these novels, and there appears to be less of a focus on individuals and more of a focus on the Enterprise and its crew as a whole.  This made it a little harder to pin down the story trends.

Ignoring the film adaptation.

• 1 'prequel' story (TFR)
• 3 stories expand on Vulcan culture (YS, C, TVAM)
• 1 story expands on Romulan culture (MEMA)
• 1 story expands on Klingon culture (TFR)
• 4 stories in which Romulans are involved as a faction (YS, MOTE, TTC, MEMA)
• 4 stories in which Klingons are involved as a faction (MOTE, TTC, TFR,TTOTS)
• 5 stories featuring new species (MOTE, TWS, TTC,C, TTS)
• 1 story with obvious slash (YS)
• 2 stories with mild slash subtext (TWS, MEMA)
• First story with a focus on Uhura (TTOTS)
• 2 Kirk-centric stories (MOTE, TVAM)
• 1 Spock-centric story (YS)
• 3 stories which rely on out of character behaviour (TTC, C, TTS)
• 5 stories rely on strong original characters (YS, MOTE, TWS, TFR, MEMA)
• 2 stories which have Kirk injured as an important part of the narrative (YS, TWS)
• 3 stories continue the theme of entropy and the weaving / unweaving of reality (TWS, C, TTOTS)

McCoy is once again not a popular character as a focus but he is written well generally throughout this selection of novels.

In my previous summary I suggested that the first ten books were quite inward looking, focusing on adventure instead of wider social problems.  In this selection that trend has shifted more towards a consideration of society than the adventurous, wonderment of a select group of characters.

The Klingons and the Romulans are equally represented in these books!  Even to the point of having one Klingon and one Romulan centric book each!

The first 'Uhura centric' story was... and interesting experience, but I've noted it down as relying on out of character actions...unfortunately the out of character, character was Uhura...

Entropy, the nature of it and the importance of it (the necessity of it even) has grown as an important aspect theme / story element.

Writing of original characters was so much better this time around, original, well written.

Poor cinnamon roll Kirk was inflicted with serious injury twice for the sake of the narrative... and some slashy vindication.  Spock gets the emotional trauma, Kirk gets physical trauma.  Bless them.

Themes

• #11 YS : Family.  Different kinds of love.  The role/love of the father. Shame.
• #12 MOTE : Duty over self. Pacifism / inaction is still action.
• #13 TWS : Entropy.  Different kinds of love.  The best self.  Weight of responsibility. God and the soul.  Loyalty.
• #14 TTC : Appearances can be deceiving.  Best of two evils.
• #15 C : Entropy.  Change.
• #16 TFR : Life is a game.  For the greater good.  Appearances can be deceiving.  Different kinds of love.
• #18 MEMA : For the greater good.  Different kinds of love.  Duty over self.  Loyalty.
• #19 TTOTS : Entropy.  Duty.  Different kinds of love.  The best self.  For the greater good.
• #20 TVAM : Crack.   Family.  Different kinds of love.

As I was reading this group of books, I did feel that the same themes were cropping up again and again.  They felt more cohesive as a series although this could be put down to the average standard of writing being significantly better than in books #1 to #10.

However, I do think that TMP has influenced the themes in this selection, which perhaps it wouldn't have in the earlier ones.  Essentially, the fanbase/writers have had time to respond to the themes which cropped up in the movie and this has bled into these novels.  Nobody can dispute the theme that dare not speak its name in TMP - love - and whereas there was no real thematic presence of 'love' previously we see it in the majority here.  And it really is the theme of different kinds of love too, and it seems that Yesterday's Son was the herald for the change in tone with its depiction of two kinds of love, familial and whatever it is between Kirk and Spock.  Heh.  It is doesn't even matter if you think it is romantic or not, it is devotion.

Devotion, duty, loyalty also are strong themes here, although seen in TMP, I think we can certainly look to TWOK 's influence for the proliferation of those themes.

Certainly I think that the films have on the whole influenced the novelists here to look at the wider picture and deal with the bigger issues, bigger questions.  We still have 'smaller' issues like seal clubbing,  or personal human experience like 'family' but the authors are also tackling God and the soul, pacifism, life's purpose, the nature of entropy.  Big concepts for media-tie ins, right? 

Star Trek - The Tears of the Singers

"Wait," Maslin said, eyeing her curiously.  "You're not like these vapid socialites.  What are you?"

She found it odd that he asked her what rather than who she was, but she ignored it, and answered, "I'm a Star Fleet officer assigned to U.S.S. Enterprise."

"Impressive, if one happens to be awed by that institution.  But what's a technocrat like you doing at one of my concerts, Madam Star Fleet?"

The Tears of the Singers (1984) (#19 Pocket, #39 Titan) was Melinda Snodgrass' first published novel.  Snodgrass would later become a prolific writer and still writes today under both her own name and pen names.  Snodgrass notably wrote the script for for TNG's The Measure of a Man, which was nominated for the Writer's Guild Award for outstanding writing in a drama series.

The Tears of the Singers is overall a good book.  It's well conceived and hints at the brilliant writer Snodgrass would become, however, it does regularly hiccup and suffer from an occasional heavy handedness which becomes a little wearisome.  Pacing is also a problem throughout this novel, which could be a symptom of Snodgrass' immaturity as a writer and her difficulty in writing the quantity of characters she does.  Her writing also suffers somewhat from a certain 'blandness', and it's unfortunate that she should use a character concept similar to characters in  Diane Duane's The Wounded Sky - when compared to Duane's colourful language, Snodgrass' falls short.

And that all sounds very negative I know, but I needed to get it out of my system first.

Saying all that, I need to stress that The Tears of the Singers isn't a bad book, however unlike The Wounded Sky or The Final Reflection it doesn't shine as bright.  When Snodgrass writes well, it's inspired and she can get the image or the characterisation across quickly and easily... succinctly I guess?  Her characterisations are generally good, although at times a little cliched, and she does paint fine scenes with her words.  Her approach is a little formulaic and almost a 'tick box' Star Trek novel, but that might work in her favour a little bit as it keeps the plot moving though it makes it rather predictable all told.

Ah... the reason perhaps that I'm struggling here is because every time I think of something complimentary, I can think of two or three other things that really let the book down, and that is so frustrating!

The 'Singers' are pretty much these...

The Tears of the Singers is a thinly veiled eco-fable at heart, which is drawing particularly on the practice of seal clubbing - a particularly revolting 'hunt' (if you can even call it that) where men go out on the ice and club seals to death (or not, in some cases), in order to acquire meat and an unbroken pelt, sometimes under the guise of 'conservation'.  The first major protests against the practice can be seen as far back as 1967, and in 1983 the EU (European Union) banned the import of white coat harp seal pup pelts (pelts from pups under two weeks of age).  More recently (2009) the EU has banned the import of all seal products, causing the value of pelts to fall from $100 to between $8 and $15 each.

Why would I go into all that?  Well, aside from standing on my soapbox, it's because the crux of The Tears of the Singers is that hunters have been killing a seal like creature for the tears they shed at the moment of death, which solidify into gems which have become popular throughout the Federation with the wealthy... and you'd have to be wealthy since the small number of gems available fetch extortionate prices.  These creatures were deemed non-intelligent during a survey and thus are fair game to hunters greedy for easy money.  However we find out during the course of the novel that the survey of the planet and the Taygetians was cursory at best and that the creatures are in fact a people, devoted to singing a hymn of salvation for their people, bending time and space to protect their planet.  The hunters disrupt their song by killing the adults which causes their song to become discordant, causing a rift in space time, the rift of course is what causes Star Fleet to send the Enterprise to investigate the anomaly.

This however, is not the whole story.  Since this is a boarder planet between the Federation and Klingon space, the Klingons have also noticed the anomaly and sent two ships to investigate.  It just so happens that the leader of expedition is Kor, the same Kor as involved in the incident with the Organians.  Kor, it turns out, is having trouble with mutineers (even with a loyal captain on the second Klingon ship), who disagree with his more peaceful, co-operative approach.  Kor recognises Klingon shortcomings and realises that working with Kirk and his scientists would be the only way to solve the problem of this dangerous phenomenon.  Eventually however, the Klingons act predictably and mutiny causing trouble for the Enterprise and the Klingon officers.

The romantic sub-plot concerns Uhura and a mercurial musical genius Mozart Maslin.  Although it is nice to see Uhura take a more active, almost 'lead' role for the first time in the Pocket Books series, this narrative thread is also one of the most irritating.  Essentially Mozart Maslin is drafted in to help the Enterprise solve the musical conundrum of the singers, he's not happy with it and is generally bad tempered, and egotistical.  Somehow, Uhura falls in love with this particularly irritating little man, who also conveniently (from a narrative perspective) happens to be quite ill, and this final musical problem will be his requiem.  I suppose love doesn't have to be sensible, but not unlike the abominable JJ movie Uhura, love makes her stupid and disobedient.  Now, I'm no 'feminist' (let's settle for egalitarian, shall we? This is not up for debate), and my reaction will generally be 'suck it up buttercup' as opposed to some sort of militant defence or righteous outrage, but it frustrates me that you can have a template like Uhura and still mess up characterisation!  I mean, I can almost forgive a male author for cocking up a female character, but it's just mystifying how a woman can write Uhura as a main character and make her into a... a.... spineless, gooey, love struck fool of a woman who lashes out at her captain for doing the right thing.  That isn't the Uhura we know!  Well, the lack of professionalism, foolish, prissy little girl character sums up the JJ Uhura, but not the TOS Uhura!

Now, perhaps this wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't a balancing female representative on the Klingon vessels, but there is... Kor's wife.  Unfortunately, she isn't characterised successfully either, in fact, the way she's written actually emphasises the problems with Uhura's characterisation.  The Klingon romantic subplot isn't too much better.  Kali (Kor's new, young, wife) is... essentially a go-between, a bridge between the Klingon parties and the Federation representatives, but she serves more to highlight Kor's abnormality than a character in her own right, though she does have her moments.  I was a little disappointed that Snodgrass decided to make her a 'strong because of love' type character as opposed to 'strong because capable' (which she doesn't seem to be).  She does redeem herself near the end of the book however and saves the Enterprise contingent, which was a relief.

I've already mentioned Uhura's flaws as regards to her role in the romance sub-plot, but how does she react on her own?  Unfortunately, Maslin is by necessity introduced very early and Uhura's character is basically represented and expanded on via her relationship with Maslin.  Instead of being Madam Starfleet and doing her job as an officer, she quickly degenerates into Maslin's tag-along.  She serves a purpose, sure, she is the only one who can get Maslin to listen, and she looks after him because of his ailing health, although by the end she is also redundant in this way.  Maslin does change, he understands and listens to Kirk and the other officers and his health deteriorates beyond the point of no return.   Uhura caught in the throws of love forgets duty, her dreams, her discipline, her ability as an officer in order to take the typically female role of carer, mother, empathic.  I don't think she really even truly contributes to the work of deciphering the language of the seal people, Maslin and Spock do most of the work.  While I don't begrudge a woman being caring, emotional, and/or in love, I really didn't enjoy Uhura's characterisation in this as she just became a little too malleable and didn't seem to retain enough of what I would consider herself in her interactions with other characters.

Maslin, otherwise known as Mozart is an insufferable character who gets some character growth but overall makes you seriously dubious about Uhura's taste in men.  He is an arrogant, selfish, mercurial man who is unfortunately talented enough to get away with it.  He does have some redeeming qualities in that he is a hard worker however, I feel that he isn't so much working hard for the good of others, but for the achievement of working out a puzzle, that's what motivates him.  I think he's a good character but I disliked him because he was just, so irritating.  I both liked and disliked his growth in the end that he would end up accepting that Starfleet wasn't as he perceived it to be after all.

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were pretty standard characterisations.  Kirk was quite passive for much of the novel (much to his chagrin), Spock was ever pragmatic, and McCoy was the emotional 'heart'.  They basically worked in  their standard dynamic where Kirk has to make a decision (this time, regarding Maslin and his health / sacrifice of one for many or few for the many) and Spock and McCoy come in on opposing sides of the argument.

Kirk of course does get his action, and proves that what he expects of Maslin is something he himself would do - and more.  Their final experience focuses on Kirk, so I imagine he is mollified!

There are two sets of antagonists in The Tears of the Singers, firstly the human hunters who are pretty much the kind of people you'd imagine who would club baby seals to death for money and who get dealt with satisfactorily.  Secondly there are the the Klingons, who are pretty well behaved for much of the novel - until Kor's second in command decides to incite mutiny in the two Klingon ships.  Kor's problem is mainly that he has grown to disagree with the Klingon Empire's policies, and... he likes Kirk and grows to like the the humans he meets as representatives of the Federation.  His young wife is also forward thinking and significantly more empathic than the average Klingon.  I mean, sure, they have no problem with executing people, but certainly they are cuddly Klingons.  Ultimately, I liked Kor, he is reasonable and pragmatic and someone I'd definitely have a drink with!

Kind of like how small groups of Romulans can get along with the Enterprise crew too... and their crews mutiny...

Finally...

Although Snodgrass sort to expand the character of Uhura, she ends up falling short and limiting her (Uhura) by her own narrow horizons and by using plot elements that had been used before and better.  Uhura ends up still caught in this web of generic female characterisation, which is disappointing coming from a female author who has deliberately placed her as the supposed centre of her story.  Uhura ends up defined by a male character which is galling, considering in the 60s she was defined by her own parametres, not that of a man and here we see in the 80s a step backwards where her 'leading' role is as a support to a weak but talented man who arguably is actually the main character.

On a particularly immature and disappointing note is Uhura's consideration of whether she has to become a lesbian to be a captain.  Oh Snodgrass, did you feel a little bit naughty using the term lesbian? :/

Generally my feelings for this book can be summed up with 'but someone else did it better', and that someone else happens to be Diane Duane.  Uhura's sections of The Wounded Sky for example, do more for the characterisation of Uhura than the whole of The Tears of the Singers.

3/5 - disappointing but worth a read (probably).

Star Trek - My Enemy, My Ally

"Yes," she said absently, "it would have been a shame to blow up Enterprise too.  The workmanship appears excellent."  She flashed a smile at him: Jim became aware he was being teased.  "Captain, I come to you because I see my world in danger - and incidentally yours - and there's no more help to be found among my friends.  At such a time, with millions and billions of lives riding on what is done, pride dies, and one has recourse to one's enemies.  Of all my enemies I esteem you highest..."

Well... what can I say that hasn't been said before? Diane Duane has produced a superb book again, this time in the form of a high stakes adventure involving the Romulan Empire in My Enemy, My Ally (1984) (#18 Pocket, #21 Titan).

I've used one of the new covers this
time.  It's not so different and it shows
the artwork off nicely :)

My Enemy, My Ally is quite frankly a phenomenal read and it is of little surprise that Duane should spawn a mini series from this book.  The Rihannsu Saga is a five book series written between 1984 and 2006 and has left fans demanding that it should be made canon.

I've previously reviewed The Wounded Sky and Doctors Orders by Diane Duane, if you're interested, go check them out!

When I talked about The Wounded Sky I waxed lyrical about the necessity of entropy and how the book was literally falling apart while I was reading it.  Well, the condition of this first edition copy of My Enemy, My Ally is only slightly better.  It's obviously well read, its spine utterly broken and the pages threatening to fall out... though it hasn't disgraced itself quite yet.

Now, a confession.  When I first tried to read My Enemy, My Ally  a couple of months ago, I wasn't in the mood for it.  I ended up selecting a much shorter, snappier novel that suited my mood better.  I'm really glad I didn't try to push through it when I wasn't in the right frame of mind, because I wouldn't have enjoyed it half as much!  My Enemy, My Ally isn't a light read, there's a lot of backstory to set up, new characters, a political situation and indeed, much of Duane's version the Romulan culture.  What is nice is that in the forward Duane pays homage to D C Fontana, and says that she has tried to use much of Fontana's vision of the Romulans and Vulcans, as Fontana was heavily involved in their creation.

My Enemy, My Ally documents an unusual alliance between the crew of the Romulan vessel Bloodwing and the crews of the Federation's Enterprise, Intrepid (II), Constellation, and Inaieu as they try to prevent the permanent (and detrimental) alteration of the Romulan species and then the rescue of over four hundred of Intrepid's Vulcan crew - just in case the stakes weren't great enough.

At the centre of all this is an original character -Ael- who is a distinguished Romulan Commander who also happens to be the aunt of the Romulan commander Spock and Kirk had a hand in disgracing in The Enterprise Incident, an event which comes back to haunt both Ael's loyal Romulans and the crew of the Enterprise late in the novel.

In My Enemy, My Ally, Duane has fixed I think many of the complaints people had of The Wounded Sky, namely the pages of techno babble that some have found confusing or boring (personally I like it, but hey) and instead keeps it to a more palatable level.  In its place she adds in swathes of Romulan (or Rihannsu) language which reminds me strongly of Tolkein's high elven (which is a mix of Finnish and Welsh language), and extensive exposition of their society, culture and beliefs.  I think the language is a bit of a mixed bag, as it both adds and takes away from the narrative a little bit.  For example, we often are privy to conversations solely in Romulan, but why would it be there without translation when we are observing through Ael's eyes and her thoughts we are able to understand.  On the other hand the language difference is effective when dealing with new concepts which are not easily translated.  At some points a word which represents a broad concept is explained and then it is used frequently in the text in its original form.

Duane's development of the Romulans is in depth but interestingly not too removed from Ford's ideas about the Klingons in The Final Reflection.  Duane's Romulans are also scheming and aggressive although not so overtly savage as they wear a veneer of civilisation.  The Romulan savagery comes from their complex, tiered society and their political games.  Whereas Ford's Klingons affirmed that with determination, guile and luck that even a nameless orphan could rise through the ranks and make a great commander, in Duane's society there is clear demarcation of the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'; the Romulans have a rigid class system.

Another crossover between Ford's Klingons and Duane's Romulans is that they both have a fixation on 'names' and 'houses'.  However, Ford's Klingons seem to be able to create their own lineages (albeit with some restrictions) whereas Duane's Romulans appear to to lose all status if their names are removed from them and don't appear to be able to create a new name to try and rise again.

Duane's Ael is also used to introduce an element of spirituality to the Romulans, although her beliefs seem a little out dated as they are not referred to by any other Romulan we encounter without prompting from Ael herself.  The Romulans seem to have the belief in opposing and complementary elements; basically something like Taoism.  Ael uses this belief system to understand those around her, and attributes various elements to characters like, for example, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to explain what their roles are and why they work as a team.  Ael's reflections actually give some really nice exposition on the characters we know and love, but also has a narrative function in that it's these observations which allows Ael to accept the differences and similarities between the Romulans and the Federation crew.

And really, like Krenn in The Final Reflection her ability to break from the mental mold of her people and find kinship with people from the Federation is also what eventually isolates her from her people and even face betrayal from members of her own family.

However it is because she is so loyal to her people that she doesn't wish them to change themselves to make themselves more like the Vulcans, she sees that this would not only destroy their culture but also cause them to destroy themselves because of the way their culture and society has developed.  In saving them, Ael faces permanent isolation from the people she loves so much with only her much depleted loyal crew as company and support.  It's testament to her ability as a commander that so many of her crew do stay loyal to her despite the fact they will be pariahs.

It's really hard to pick out a part of My Enemy, My Ally that could be considered 'best', but I certainly enjoyed reading about the developing relationships between the Enterprise crew and Ael's Romulan crew.  I really enjoyed the recurrence of  characters first seen in The Wounded Sky, like Harb, and the Sulemid crew members.  Duane also includes a Horta in her mixed crew!  I really do like how she includes so many different species on the Enterprise crew and elsewhere in her novels!  Of course, one of the most moving aspects of this is the message that with exposure, even the most xenophobic people can become friends and allies of 'the other'.  This is exactly what happens to the Romulans when they mix with the diverse crew of the Enterprise.

The relationship between Kirk and Ael builds up slowly between the two captains and by the end of the book, they trust each other completely.  It begins with a grudging respect of a talented commander, and progresses slowly to an unshakable trust based on a true assessment of each others character.  Knowing Kirk well, we understand the trust he has to place in Ael in order to put his crew and ship in danger, Ael's thought process is, by necessity more exposed by the narrative.  She gradually makes her assessments, she sees that Kirk is of the element of fire (like herself) and that his crew (especially Spock and McCoy) balance him out.  A funny little observation is that Ael sees the three of them moving as one, as if one entity - essentially, all the elements together.  I suppose I should point out that the relationship between Ael and Kirk is platonic, Ael herself is Romulan and has a grown up son (who is her second in command), and does show her age somewhat, though Kirk is left to speculating how old she truly is.

My Enemy, My Ally is set between Star Trek TMP and TWOK (about 2275) which I think is a really interesting time to set a novel,  as you have all that character development from TMP especially between Kirk and Spock but also because he is a seasoned commander and the Enterprise is pretty much an icon of the Federation.  One confusing thing however (and perhaps I'm missing a trick) is that uniform wise we appear to be in the TOS era, while Kirk seems to be going by the title of captain despite being an admiral at this point?

Ah while I think about it, there was another funny inconsistency (?) I noticed, well my partner did (despite the fact I play World of Warships and it should have been apparent), was that Duane calls the Inaieu a 'destroyer'...  Destroyers are little ships, I think what she really meant was 'dreadnought!'.  Oops!

Anyway, I guess I'm nitpicking, because I've gotta make a point - those few thing are literally all I've got to complain about!  Everything is just so tight!

Something I seriously can't complain about is Duane's ability to write interesting hand to hand fight and space battle scenes! Kirk of course has to get stuck in with an incredibly large assault group and manages to get injured - thankfully he gets off light this time!  Bless him, that little cinnamon roll!  Duane just makes the fight scenes flow, she can write tension but she knows when to break the tension with humour too.  She also throws the eye of the reader around a little, she doesn't just concentrate on one perspective of the fight but updates us on how other crew members are doing.  I particularly like her updates on her OC crew members, who supply some variation to the fights!

Duane's space battle scenes which of course I can't talk too much about without giving away the story, were just fantastic as usual.  It got very tense close to the end when Kirk is not in the captain's chair, I tell you!  However, it was rather gratifying to note that Kirk 'called it' at the end!

I'll leave you now with one exchange that made me spit out my tea when I read it!

"All right," he said.  "I consider myself warned.  But if you two are going to play 'mother hen,' don't either of you be surprised if you find me holding your hand."

"Fine by me," McCoy said.  "But watch it with Spock.  People start the damndest rumors about this ship's crew, even without provocation...."

"Doctor, how does one hold hands with a mother hen?" Spock asked innocently. 

"Gentlemen!!"

Ael kept her laughter to herself.

 Well, someone certainly has read the Roddenberry Footnote!

5/5  - Just read it, it's a no brainer.

Star Trek - The Final Reflection

"There is always," Manager Akten said, "the Komerex zha."
"I do not acknowledge the existence of the Perpetual Game," Margon said without turning.  "Society is society, war is war.  If they are games at all, surely they are not all the same game.  I deny it."
"That is a favoured tactic," Akten said.
"Green Lancer to Level Nine."

If I wasn't systematically working through all these Star Trek novels and gave myself an option of whether to give myself a pass on ones I didn't like the sound of (based on the blurbs), The Final Reflection (#16 Pocket, # Titan) (1984) by John M Ford would have been one of them.  If I had indeed done this and not just forced myself to read something that sounded ultimately uninteresting to me I would have seriously missed out on a top notch Star Trek novel from the Pocket Books series.

Spock and Krenn play a game of
chess while Sarek looks on?
(Sarek isn't there in the book)

Saying that, I wouldn't say that it has converted me to novels with this kind of focus, it is still not really to my taste, however saying that I can't deny that it is well written, well plotted, well paced.  Characterisation is very strong, the narrative is consistent and well framed.  The suggestions about Klingon society believable and well thought out (unlike the later novel Pawns and Symbols).  It's almost a shame that this is a Star Trek novel because I think it could almost be better not constrained by Star Trek.  Much of the novel is I suppose speculative in a way and set well outside most fans knowledge of Star Trek bar the framing narrative it could be its own standalone story.  I expect that the framing narrative was bolted on in order for it to be published by Pocket Books as a TOS novel since although the narrative works it isn't the strongest.  Although I generally like framing narratives and the like (this is pretty much the earliest example of it in a TOS novel) I do feel it is the worst aspect of The Final Reflection.

The late John M Ford seems to have been an interesting character to say the least (he died in 2006).  The Final Reflection was his fourth published novel and was released hot on the heels of his 1984 World Fantasy Award winning novel The Dragon Waiting.  Ford would go onto write another Star Trek novel 'How Much For Just The Planet' and also write a Klingon orientated RP scenario for the FASA RPG series.  Ford was known for his aversion for doing things that had been done before, which would explain his framing narrative (not seen until now in the Pocket Book series) and his introduction of 'Klingonaase'.

The framing narrative is an effective if perhaps a little ham fisted way of getting rid of the TOS cast for the duration of the actual 'story' that Ford wants to tell.  In essence, you start The Final Reflection, the Pocket Books version you are holding in your hands, read the prologue, and then start the book that Kirk is reading in his cabin; title page, contents, prologue and all.  I think it was a nice touch to have the contents page there and the 'note from the author', as well as quotes from the characters who reportedly took part in the events of the novel within the novel.

As a consequence of the novel within a novel format, we end up with three dates to take into account.  The Final Reflection of our world was released in May 1984, the events of the framing narrative take place in the 2270s (I'd say between TMP and TWOK), and the events of the novel within the novel take place over about 15-20 years... ish... in the 2230s.  It's interesting to note that TSFS came out in June 1984.

The acknowledgement by Ford at the front of the book asserts that Ford had been developing this story for about 15 years... and it shows in two ways.  Firstly, it is an excellently constructed story which frankly, only comes about from serious time and work.  Secondly it is also regularly confusing as some characters / sections seem to have been added in to account for the change in looks between the TOS Klingons and the Klingons from TMP onwards.  As far as I understood while reading the main character is of the 'new' style Klingons (pointy teeth and forehead ridges), although sometimes it seems he isn't (especially as he seems to be a 'fusion' - hybrid to you and me).  There is a notable character who seems to be a 'TOS era' Klingon who is definitely a 'fusion'.  However, I could be misunderstanding, it would however possibly fit in with various fan theories at the time (one being that the Klingons seen in TOS were a group used for diplomatic purposes etc.).  Of course we now have an explanation for the change in appearance thanks to Enterprise, but at this time there was no such explanation.

The bulk of the novel follows the life of Krenn and his fortunes, starting as a talented youngster and ending as an established commander and one could say, diplomat.  There are through necessity frequent time jumps, some of which can be a little confusing.  Krenn is generally a likable character for a Klingon, I mean, he's still a murderous bastard but he is intelligent and charming in his own way.  The friendships he builds up and his relationships especially with Dr Talgore are endearing.  Although I think the sweetest moment of the whole novel is that he ends up romancing his childhood sweetheart... well as sweetheartish as Klingons get anyway.

Of course, this low key but super cute (do I need to add for a Klingon again?) beats the Kang relationship in Pawns and Symbols hands down.  It's quite obvious that The Final Reflection heavily influenced Pawns and Symbols, as there are quite a few cultural parallels between the Klingons and the narrative is similar in that the 'main cast' are excluded from much of the action.

There are a good few scenes/characters that stick out to me.

- The death of Krenn's adoptive father and his household.
- Sarek & Amanda - then the chess game between Krenn and Spock
- Scene with McCoy's grandfather.

Honestly, the assassination of the 'Thought Admiral', his consort (who happens to be an Orion), and his servants is possibly the most gut wrenching event.  Testament to Ford's writing ability, I actually felt appalled and saddened by the deaths of these characters he barely told me about.  The death of the 'winged' alien was particularly nasty.  Krenn thought so too, although all he was doing was watching a video of the assassinations taking place.  I thought it particularly moving that he realises 'love' between his father and the Orion consort, although he doesn't understand it until much later.

The chess game depicted on the cover is a very minor cameo of a young Spock, and Sarek never sees it, Amanda does.  Some nice observations here.

McCoy's 'cameo' is by reference.  Some people have derided the choice of actually referencing him instead of making it more ambiguous, but I actually like the way it's done and I don't actually think it detracts at all.  I had to laugh though since Kirk was no where near born at this point, but I think McCoy has been aged a little?  I could be wrong.  I think Spock is just a child (much younger than the picture, so I think it makes sense... I haven't done the maths).

Life as a Game - Klingons and the Perpetual Game.

At the forefront of The Final Reflection is the idea that everything that occurs is part of a universal and never ending game.  Some people subscribe to it, some people reject it, some are players and others are pawns.  Ford suggests that Klingon society revolves around this belief and that Klingons see their actions, their lives and interactions with others as a game - this to a certain level accounts for the Klingon distrust of each other, and their devious nature.

Excluding the framing narrative and the book 'bumf', the opening of Krenn's story is a game in which he is a pawn - a lancer - in a bloody deadly game where the 'players' move pieces (children in this case) around a board.  When they meet an opponent they have to fight until one is incapacitated defending a 'goal'.  The one who reaches the top wins the match.  Characters are introduced and just as quickly exit the story; their games are elsewhere for the time being.  Eventually some characters will come back as pawns or players in their own right.  Ford does very well in creating the illusion that the universe is bigger than just Krenn, characters weave in an out of the narrative playing their own games, Krenn is just one player amongst billions.  Krenn doesn't know all the characters (nor does the 'novelist' persona) but there is just enough information about them to make you want to know more, which, for the most part you are never given.

Krenn (or perhaps more accurately the novelist) plays games in a broad sense with the reader.  One of the lessons Krenn learns young is not to say anything you do not wish to be heard, basically 'keep your own council', because of the constant surveillance of the Empire.  The reader is also kept in the dark at several points, which sometimes makes Krenn's actions inscrutable.  At times the reader does not realise that Krenn knows something, which can make him hard to follow.  This actually fits into the framing narrative, because the novelist also doesn't know everything, he's recreating events that sometimes, not even he understands.  Not even the author understands the rules of the game.

Different games are mentioned and/or explained.  They are predominantly board games which resemble to a differing extent, chess.  A few are referred to throughout the novel as events unfold and they are reflected in the moves and goals of the games themselves.  Like the first game we see, the game of life is lethal and Krenn relearns this lesson early as he witnesses the fall of his adoptive father, his father's consort, and his household, because his father is outmanoeuvred in his play.  It takes some time for Krenn to realise the extent of his father's love for Rogaine (his Orion consort), even when watching his father reaching toward her as he died.  Krenn realises his own feelings later, and no doubt acts with his father's actions in mind.



Krenn's final 'play', which prevents galaxy wide war isn't just an altruistic action.  Although it prevents war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire which is obviously a good thing from our perspective, it also prevents the Federation from fully allying through fear and pooling all their resources against the Klingons.  Krenn's stance?  It is left up to the reader, but from my perspective Dr. Talgore was successful in his influence of Krenn and although his actions benefited the empire in the long run, I think Krenn, with his exposure to the other races and his strategic mind had decided peace would be a better option if not joining with the Federation.

For his part, Krenn influences those around him by changing the way he is perceived in order to get the upper hand in an exchange of words and wits.  He has many masks, which are assets to him in his game.

So, what is the final reflection? Humans and Klingons reflect each other, or at least the Klingons reflect an aspect of humanity which is pretty much how they were developed (although sparingly) and then developed through the future series and films.  In The Final Reflection, we see instances of humans playing the same games as the Klingons, corrupt games of power, misdirection, and devious strategies - even inciting a war is not too great a price to pay in these games.  However, the reflection is like looking into an infinity mirror.  Even whilst we point out the flaws of the Klingons, Ford points to their humanity, to Krenn, and his trusted friends - the 'other' isn't so different after all.

Essentially Ford is drawing attention to the way we perceive and treat our enemies.  Klingons, Conservatives, Socialists, Liberals, Muslims, Jews, Christians, pro-life, pro-choice,  people gain from demonising the other, they benefit from dehumanising and preventing conversation.  Even in the final section, the closing of the framing narrative Kirk reports that Star Fleet are announcing that The Final Reflection is all fiction, even though its effect appears to be positive.  The Final Reflection, a novel within a novel tries elicit understanding beyond the Organian Peace Treaty, which does not facilitate understanding at all (it's essentially mutually assured destruction - a cold war). 

The Final Reflection contains some of the best that Star Trek has to offer.  Star Trek is always at its best when being used as a vehicle for asking (and answering) the big questions of our time.  Ford shows us a story told without the main cast can be done and done well, however I still think some of the charm is lost without their presence.  Even though the development of the series took the Klingons in a different direction to Ford's vision, this is still a great read and well worth your time.  Call it an AU or put The Final Reflection as a work of liberal Federation propaganda, either way I seriously recommend it.

5/5 - Let the games begin!

"Be a storyteller, an embellisher, a liar; they'll call you that and worse anyway.  It hardly matters.  The Tao which can be perceived is not the true Tao." 

- Dr. Emmanuel Tagore, to the author.