Books Babb.no

Elena. reviewed Enigma Tales by Una McCormack (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Una McCormack: Enigma Tales (AudiobookFormat, 2017, Simon & Schuster Audio)

Elim Garak has ascended to Castellan of the Cardassian Union...but despite his soaring popularity, the …

Of past sins and accidental interplanetary incidents

4 stars

This is one of the last books in the post-Nemesis litverse before the Coda trilogy, and not having read the absolute majority of these books, I didn't know what I had missed. And it seems I had missed quite a few things! Like the thing with the person. Or what happened to that other person. What!? 😱

I'm a big Dr. Pulaski fan. So I was very happy to have her as one of the main characters in this novel. I loved her in TNG and I had a lot of fun with her here as well. (I still want a series of books about all the husbands of Dr. Pulaski. 😁)

I really liked to see how Cardassia is grappling with its recent history and asking the questions of who's guilty, of what, and how best to handle that. Garak says something like "I like Paris, but I know …

This is one of the last books in the post-Nemesis litverse before the Coda trilogy, and not having read the absolute majority of these books, I didn't know what I had missed. And it seems I had missed quite a few things! Like the thing with the person. Or what happened to that other person. What!? 😱

I'm a big Dr. Pulaski fan. So I was very happy to have her as one of the main characters in this novel. I loved her in TNG and I had a lot of fun with her here as well. (I still want a series of books about all the husbands of Dr. Pulaski. 😁)

I really liked to see how Cardassia is grappling with its recent history and asking the questions of who's guilty, of what, and how best to handle that. Garak says something like "I like Paris, but I know Berlin", and that really struck a chord. This whole part of the story did. I like that this history, that is so far in the past for these characters, is still remembered and visible in 2388. Something that right now, in 2024, seems more important than ever.

Literary Treks talked to Una McCormack about the book and it was a very insightful interview, where she's talking about all her inspirations for the themes. Besides Nazi Germany there are Colonial India and Australia mentioned as well.

Robert Petkoff is one of the best audio book narrators I know. He gives every character a great voice makes the characters we know from screen sound familiar.

#StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekNovels #StarTrekNovels #TrekLit

Elena. reviewed Star Trek: Picard: Firewall by David Mack (Star Trek: Picard, #6)

David Mack: Star Trek: Picard: Firewall (AudiobookFormat, 2024)

Two years after the USS Voyager’s return from the Delta Quadrant, Seven of Nine finds …

The start of how Seven became the woman we know today (as in ST: Picard)

5 stars

Content warning Possible spoilers for David Mack's "Star Trek: Picard: Firewall". I don't say anything too specific, and nothing that I would call plot relevant, but some people might still count that as spoilers. Hence this CW.

I love visualising Seven in a mosh pit. LOVE IT! I love how several Trek shows are woven into this book. I love seeing some familiar characters of those shows. I love the scenes between Janeway and Seven. They truly are like mother and daughter. I love seeing Seven finding a purpose, a reason to carry on. I love seeing Seven learn and grow as a human. I love getting to know the Rangers, both as a whole and the individuals we meet. At the beginning of season 3 of Picard we shortly meet the Rangers and I didn't like how they were portrayed there, but after this book it makes sense now. Thank you, Mr. Mack for that.

The ending... what can I say without spoiling anything? Let's just say if you have seen the show you know what's going to come. [insert appropriate emoji]

January LaVoy is the queen of audio book narration and making characters sound like their actors. Thank you, Ms. LaVoy!

#StarTrek #TrekLit #StarTrekNovels #StarTrekBooks #bookstodon #StarTrekPicard

Elena. reviewed A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Andrew J. Robinson: A Stitch in Time (AudiobookFormat, 2023, Simon & Schuster Audio)

A Stitch in Time (ISBN 0-671-03885-0), published June 5, 2000, is a Star Trek: Deep …

A must read for all Garak fans

5 stars

Content warning Andrew J. Robinson "A Stitch in Time" -- possible spoilers!

After another long break I powered through the last 4 1/2 hours today.

What a fantastic book! Robinson is as good at writing Garak as he is at playing him, both on screen and for this narration. He tells a life's story so full of heart break it was at time almost unbearable for me to listen. I took quite a few breaks and some of them of several weeks or even months. And yet, or exactly because of it, I say this is an absolute must read for any Garak fan. You may want to keep some tissues nearby. I love when Star Trek novels stray from the classic form of here's a problem and our heroes are going to solve it, including a space battle or two -- happy ending. This book is such a different novel: It is a memoir, and therefore a collection of incidents in Garak's life that lead him to Terok Nor, have him stay on Deep Space 9, and finally allow him to return to Cardassia. It's the tale of how he so desperately tries to earn his father's love and his peers' and superiors' respect, but only gets their despisement, and of how he endures it all. His observations about humanity and the Federation are spot on of course. How does the Federation survive? LOL

#StarTrek #TrekLit #StarTrekNovels #StarTrekBooks #bookstodon

Elena. reviewed Star Trek: Double Helix Omnibus by Christie Golden (The Next Generation, #51-56)

Christie Golden, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Peter David, Diane Carey, Dean Wesley Smith, John Gregory Betancourt, John Vornholt, Michael Jan Friedman: Star Trek: Double Helix Omnibus (2002, Simon & Schuster)

Like a strand of mutating DNA, a deadly conspiracy winds its way through the Alpha …

Not the medical drama I expected

3 stars

A mixed bag. Some books were good, especially "Vectors", some were average, though all of them had good parts and elements that I liked. I liked that we get to see well known on-screen characters before we meet them in their respective shows. I especially liked to have Dr. Pulaski as the main character in one book, "Vectors". That was great and as I said in my comment about that book, I'd love to have a series called "The 6 husbands of Katherine Pulaski".

When I started reading this series I expected medical drama, which I got in the first two books. But after that the virus was only there to make the story start and the hunt for the maker and the reason they made the virus was the main story.

#StarTrek #StarTrekBooks #StarTrekNovels #TrekLit

Elena. reviewed Articles of the Federation by Keith R. A. DeCandido (Star trek)

Keith R. A. DeCandido: Articles of the Federation (Paperback, 2005, Pocket Books)

Following the surprise resignation of Federation President Min Zife after the disastrous Tezwa affair, Nan …

A year in the life of the president of the United Federation of Planets

5 stars

Content warning largly spoiler free review with a small but not insignificant spoiler at the very end, specially marked, with space before and after, so you almost can't read it accidentally

This is a really good, never boring look into the Federation government, which unfortunately we don't ever really see on screen, with a few short exceptions. Without a doubt, this book is one of my favourite Trek novels. It's so good.

The book follows the newly elected president throughout one year, January to December, with one or two month breaks in between. The way that was done I found to be a cool way to tell a story.

Each segment (=month) of the book is lead by a chapter of civilians of various planets watching the political commentary and discussion show "Illuminating the City of Light". There the participants discuss the crises and their outcome, that we just read about in the segment before. I liked that a lot.

I also liked the extensive number of races and characters that appear, just as it should be in a Federation of over 150 member states. There are quite a few cameos, some shorter than others, some of more importance than others, some of on screen characters, some of books-only characters.

After the Strange New Worlds episode "Ad Astra Per Aspera" left me wanting a Star Trek legal show, I now want a political show as well. Maybe combine the two themes. Maybe make it a limited series, taking the structure of this book as model.

I discovered one mistake: On page 184 Starfleet's motto "Ad astra per aspera" is translated as "To the stars for hope". That's wrong. The correct translation is "To the stars through hardship". Unfortunately a whole speech is based on that wrong translation.

Interview with the author on Literary Treks podcast: www.trek.fm/literary-treks/265

SPOILER further down . . . . . . . . . . . . . SPOILER AHEAD

There is one thing however that I did not like at all: The involvement of Section 31. It is never named, but I guess that “they” are meant to be Section 31. The more I think about Section 31 the more I dislike it. I want it out of Star Trek. I want it completely dismantled and never to re-surface again. That would be a great episode of Star Trek.

END of SPOILER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #StarTrek #StarTrekBooks #StarTrekNovels #TrekLit

cliftonmr reviewed Watching The Clock by Christopher L. Bennett

No cover — Christopher L. Bennett: Watching The Clock (2011, Pocket Books)

Watching the Clock

5 stars

I have been struggling to find a book that could hold my attention over the last few months, but I have finished this one in a matter of days.

I will admit that I was not able to keep up with all of the time shenanigans as well as the author probably intended, but I don't think it was too big a detriment to the book.

Please keep in mind that I am an avid #StarTrek fan, so this is a biased review.