3rd April 2023

The first Strange New Worlds book feels superficially like a lot of the old novels - with a planet of the week to visit and find out what’s going on, with a civilisation who appear to be from Earth’s history. In this way, it follows the pitch perfectly - a modern take on the original idea of Star Trek.

It is a modern take too - there’s a good balance between three focal characters - and it’s about much more than just the action and the science fiction concepts.

Miller focussed on the characters we know from before - from The Original Series and from Discovery - possibly reflective of how early the text must have been written, and without him having yet seen the finished product of Season One. But actually my favourite parts are those with La’an, whose voice Miller gets absolutely spot on.

The one thing I did find though was that this wasn’t a book I was able to read fast. I’d just come off a period of heavy reading where I’d be really engrossed for hours, and this broke that habit. I’m not really sure what aspect had that effect, but it meant that it took me nearly two weeks to read instead of two days.

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31st October 2021

The Star Trek novel line has a pretty standard approach of focussing on prequels and hats yet backstories when it comes to the new series like Discovery and Picard, and this third Picard novel is no exception - being the story of Rios.

Miller has become one of the core cast of Star Trek novelists, and this novel shows him at his best. It’s a really good story, about a rich cast of characters, that ties into what we saw in Picard season one, and makes a lot of really deep references into the back catalogue of Star Trek canon from the full range of the last 55 years.

But actually what I think made it enjoyable the most was the pacing. Miller keeps things moving well, moving from scene to scene, almost feeling episodic in the same way the modern TV series do. It kept me really hooked and never felt like my mind wanted to wander.

A top Trek novel and one that helps me continue to look forward to what’s to come in this line, despite the wrapping up of the narrative series that’s been running over the past few decades.

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13th September 2020

The latest Star Trek: Discovery tie-in novel is set between seasons one and two of the TV series, though probably is best read after season two because it deals with some characters who hadn’t previously appeared in the series. The novel follows Philippa Georgiou as she is drawn into an investigation into an attack on a starship that bears a striking resemblance to other events in her earlier life.

I find the approach that’s been taken with the Discovery novels - to find ways of fitting their stories around the TV series while trying to avoid being contradicted by later stories - to lead to some really interesting ideas. This is one - sat as a snug side story and yet still compelling and focussing really deeply on one character.

The plot didn’t do a lot for me - the beginning felt a bit forgettable, then the rest of the story quite episodic. I think in part the focus on a character that I don’t particularly like didn’t make for the most engaging read, but obviously this is a character that’s been designed to be unlikable, although this was balanced by some classic villainous campery. However the supporting characters - two in particular - were probably what stuck with me the most after reading - both are to varying extents minor characters from the canon, and my head had an unfortunately tendency to stick the wrong face on one.

Overall, I think an average Trek novel, with probably a bit more in common with some of the classic novels than some of the more recent entries, which is not a bad thing.

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27th October 2019

The Discovery tie-in novels seem to be coming at a good pace now - and remain well crafted to serve as prequels and tell stories that are less likely to be contradicted by future TV (although one of them has suffered this fate a little). This time it’s the chance to find out what the Enterprise was up to during Discovery’s first season - it’s probably a spoiler, so best to watch to the end of Season Two before reading this if such things matter to you.

This feels like quite an epic - the story takes place over the course of a year or more - and that give plenty of time for several major events to occur, and for us as readers to get to know several of the main characters in more depth. It follows multiple threads of narrative, weaved together well, and explores some of the frustrations of a deep space mission as well as a variety of perilous scenarios.

I particularly enjoyed spending some time inside the head of Captain Pike, who has felt an underused character in the past, and is only now coming into his prime - and seeing things from his perspective in novel format really adds another layer of depth to his character.

A good prequel, and I hope they keep coming.

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28th February 2017

The third and final book in this trilogy celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Star Trek wraps up the Next Generation era of a complex war inspired by a radical Klingon business administrator come politician.

It's a good adventure with a lot of threads that tie up well - but it does suffer a little from that feeling of being a final episode where the toys need to be put back in the box. There were a few surprises, and some things surprised me by not coming to pass, but overall it could have been a little more radical.

Okay, so I've left it too long since finishing the book to write this properly. I've become complacent with my reviews over the past year or so and not kept up like I used to. Must do better.

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20th December 2016

The second book in John Jackson Miller's Star Trek trilogy, part of the series' 50th anniversary celebration, continues the tale of a Klingon warrior who has surprisingly risen to prominence, as well as several of his compatriots - and the cast of The Next Generation who are once again stuck in a diplomatic struggle rather than out exploring.

As is typical for Star Trek, there are some surprisingly relevant allusions to occurrences in our world, whether intended or not, which makes the reader long even more to find out how things are going to go and how at least one of the worlds they love will end up all right. I did detect a tiny feeling of repetition though, with some novels earlier in the continuity following a plot line with some similarities.

Unlike many trilogies, this middle book doesn't have the feeling of just shuffling things between the end of the beginning book and the start of the concluding book, but instead tells a full story in itself that features a lot of action and a satisfying resolution. There's a lot going on, of course, and many threads still hanging for book three but it certainly stands well alone.

A great Trek novel in a great Trek trilogy. So far my favourite trilogy of the year.

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18th November 2016

This is the first book in a new trilogy - the second celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek - focussing on The Next Generation crew and being a part of the continuing adventures told in the novel series. Picard and the crew are dispatched on a diplomatic mission to deliver a Klingon house to a celebration of an old battle, but as usual complications arise.

Despite the main storyline following TNG there is a pretty chunky Original Series act in the story with some star turns by Kirk and Spock, which serves to give some background and set up events in the later era.

It's a great story that uses a bunch of familiar characters really well and sets this up to be an excellent trilogy. The plot is deliciously complex pulling on strings from throughout the Trek canon and unwinding them in new and interesting ways. The new characters are rich and compelling and draw the reader in to their intrigue.

An excellent tribute to the series, and one that leaves me desperate to continue the story with book two.

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