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Star Trek: Titan #3
Orion's Hounds
As the "U.S.S. Titan" ventures beyond the outermost reaches of known space, the telepaths in her crew -- including Diplomatic Officer Deanna Troi -- are overwhelmed by an alien cryof distress, leading the ship to the scene of a shocking act of carnage: a civilization of interstellar "whalers" preying upon and exploiting a familiar species of sentient spaceborne giants. Appalled but reluctant to rush to judgment, Captain William Riker and his crew investigate, discovering a cosmic spawning ground in a region of active star formation -- the ecosystem for a bewildering array of diverse but similarly vast life-forms. While attempting to negotiate an end to the victimization of these creatures, Riker's crew inadvertently grants them the means to defeat their hunters' purpose...only to learn that things are not exactly as they seem.
379 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
77 people are currently reading
634 people want to read
About the author
Christopher L. Bennett
66 books220 followersChristopher L. Bennett is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, with a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in History from the University of Cincinnati. A fan of science and science fiction since age five, he has spent the past two decades selling original short fiction to magazines such as Analog Science Fiction and Fact (home of his "Hub" series of comedy adventures), BuzzyMag, and Galaxy's Edge. Since 2003, he has been one of Pocket Books' most prolific and popular authors of Star Trek tie-in fiction, including the epic Next Generation prequel The Buried Age, the Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations series, and the Star Trek: Enterprise -- Rise of the Federation series. He has also written two Marvel Comics novels, X-Men: Watchers on the Walls and Spider-Man: Drowned in Thunder. His original novel Only Superhuman, perhaps the first hard science fiction superhero novel, was voted Library Journal's SF/Fantasy Debut of the Month for October 2012. Other tales in the same universe can be found in Among the Wild Cybers and the upcoming Arachne's Crime, both from eSpec Books. His Hub stories are available in two collections from Mystique Press.
Christopher's homepage, fiction annotations, and blog can be found at christopherlbennett.wordpress.com. His Patreon page with original fiction and reviews is at https://www.patreon.com/christopherlb..., and his Facebook author page is at www.facebook.com/ChristopherLBennettA....
Christopher's homepage, fiction annotations, and blog can be found at christopherlbennett.wordpress.com. His Patreon page with original fiction and reviews is at https://www.patreon.com/christopherlb..., and his Facebook author page is at www.facebook.com/ChristopherLBennettA....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
July 14, 2022
"I still believe in the Prime Directive, and I'm still bound by my oath to defend it at all costs. But I will not see it used as an excuse for taking the easy way out, for letting injustices thrive because we decide they aren't our problem. Not on my ship. Not in my crew. Because I trust that this crew can handle that responsibility, can make those tough decisions. "
- Captain William Riker
The last couple of Titan books dealt with the fallout of the events of the final Next Generation film, so very Romulan focused. Finally the newly minted Captain Riker gets to take things back to what it's all about, pointing his ship in a direction no one had been before and seeing what's out there.
It's clear that Christopher Bennett is a Trekkie, he makes some deep references that only a fan would know. He did it in his Enterprise novels and does it here. He takes creatures that appeared appropriately in the first episode of TNG and creates an entire history for them.
The entire story takes place in a new area of space with a whole new group of people to deal with.... well plus a few of those deep references I mentioned.
Bennett nicely balances the character development with the plot of these two alien races fighting for survival. It's like a classic TNG episode fleshed out to movie length. He puts Riker in a very delicate position where he could potentially throw up his hands and say he can't do anything because of Starfleet's orders on non-interference, but knows that it's not the morally right thing to do.
Deanna Troi, wife and chief diplomatic officer plays an integral part here and is honestly refreshing to see her move beyond the role she most often had in the show: telling the Captain an alien is lying/plotting/etc or worse being the target of mind rape.
It's a shame we never got to see more of Riker and Troi on Titan but on the positive side, Bennett is able to capture the spirit of Star Trek in the kind of epic scale that would not have been possible at the time.
- Captain William Riker
The last couple of Titan books dealt with the fallout of the events of the final Next Generation film, so very Romulan focused. Finally the newly minted Captain Riker gets to take things back to what it's all about, pointing his ship in a direction no one had been before and seeing what's out there.
It's clear that Christopher Bennett is a Trekkie, he makes some deep references that only a fan would know. He did it in his Enterprise novels and does it here. He takes creatures that appeared appropriately in the first episode of TNG and creates an entire history for them.
The entire story takes place in a new area of space with a whole new group of people to deal with.... well plus a few of those deep references I mentioned.
Bennett nicely balances the character development with the plot of these two alien races fighting for survival. It's like a classic TNG episode fleshed out to movie length. He puts Riker in a very delicate position where he could potentially throw up his hands and say he can't do anything because of Starfleet's orders on non-interference, but knows that it's not the morally right thing to do.
Deanna Troi, wife and chief diplomatic officer plays an integral part here and is honestly refreshing to see her move beyond the role she most often had in the show: telling the Captain an alien is lying/plotting/etc or worse being the target of mind rape.
It's a shame we never got to see more of Riker and Troi on Titan but on the positive side, Bennett is able to capture the spirit of Star Trek in the kind of epic scale that would not have been possible at the time.
October 31, 2020
Interesting story with great writing.
October 10, 2021
Orion's Hounds is about whaling.
That's the really short version of it.
The slightly longer version is Orion's Hounds is about the bond between hunters and their prey.
Star Trek has a long and storied history of the relationship between humans and hunting. For a science fiction series primarily concerned with issues of science and sociology (when not about explosions), it's amazing to realize just how many episodes are devoted to talking about humans and killing animals for food or sport.
Star Trek has the Eska, Hirogen, and (of course) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home for talking about the evils of hunting. Vulcans are strictly vegetarian and it's implied that most Post-Enterprise humans find the idea of eating organic meat (as opposed to replicated meat) to be disgusting. To say that the series squarely falls on the side that hunting is wrong is a bit of an understatement.
Captain Archer actually says that humans no longer hunt as of the Enterprise era. You know, despite the fact that humanity just emerged from a nuclear war where the majority of mankind had to take their next meal wherever they could get it. As you can probably guess, I'm not terribly fond of this premise. Humans are a part of nature and nature has a clear pecking order. I don't approve of abusing animals but I also don't see anything wrong with eating them.
Call me crazy.
Orion's Hounds is interesting because it simultaneously reinforces Star Trek's usual stance that hunting is evil while also undercutting its traditional environmental justification. Star Trek has a very strong pro-environmental message to it, one I approve of. However, many environmentalists in real-life seem to think that being pro-nature also means being anti-hunting.
One thing that a lot of these anti-hunting activists are uncomfortable with is that, quite bluntly, hunters love the environment. They also love animals with a passion you won't normally find in many people.
I grew up in Northern Kentucky next to rural West Virginia and I can tell you that if you want someone to tell you about deer or the forest then you should probably go into a dedicated hunter. They hate when forests are torn down and they despise when animals are poisoned by local industry. In a very real way, their chosen lifestyle puts them in communion with nature in a way that makes them very angry whenever the environment is despoiled.
Orion's Hounds follows the crew of the U.S.S Titan as it comes across the troublesome situation of a race of interstellar nomads called the Pa'haquel hunting the sentient "Star Jellies" from the Star Trek Episode "Encounter at Farpoint Station." Under most circumstances, this would be a strictly black and white situation. As a general rule, if you're hunting people for sport you need to put down like the monstrous animal you are.
In fact, one of the biggest weaknesses of the book is that crew reacts like this is a morally ambiguous situation. It's not even a case of the Prime Directive being at play because both the Pa'haquel and the Star Jellies have warp capabilities. No, there's just an actual argument over whether or not the crew of the U.S.S Titan has the authority to intervene in a case of one culture hunting another for sport. This almost made me want to hurl the book against the wall but I persevered and they eventually gave a reason why there should be any debate on the subject.
Still, the work goes into a much more interesting place than that. Rather than just stock villains, the Pa'haquel have a culture which partially justifies the heinous actions they do. They're also detailed enough that they're actually interesting to read about in their own right.
One of the fatal flaws in exploratory science fiction is the cultures encountered often prove to be less than page turners. In this case, I actually wanted to know more about the Pa'haquel at the end of the day than regretting I'd devoted hundreds of pages to learning about them. The Star Jellies were less interesting to me but still had a number of interesting scenes devoted to their life-cycle and mating habits.
William Riker manages to do much better as a Captain here than in previous books. Where he was earlier largely ineffectual in resolving the situation, here he manages to accomplish a great deal more based on his skill as a captain. Likewise, Deanna Troi gets a larger role than she did in the show. Her psychic abilities play more of a role than as set-dressing and her diplomatic skills actually get some play.
Sadly, my favorite of the Titan characters in Christine Vale suffers a bit. She is naturally contrary to every position that Riker holds, even when they change. Basically, she just exists to give the opposite argument of whatever is proposed by our captain. At one point she also goes into a bizarre rant against gun ownership that makes no sense in the 24th century and comes out of nowhere.
Overall, I liked Orion's Hounds. While I'm a bit disappointed it had nothing to do with the Orion race of "Orion Slave Girl" fame, I felt it really brought home the Star Trek handles social issues' feel of things. While disappointed that the characters had a bizarre hesitation over whether to intervene in the persecution of the Star Jellies or not and Christine Vale's characterization, this is what I like my Star Trek to be about.
That's the really short version of it.
The slightly longer version is Orion's Hounds is about the bond between hunters and their prey.
Star Trek has a long and storied history of the relationship between humans and hunting. For a science fiction series primarily concerned with issues of science and sociology (when not about explosions), it's amazing to realize just how many episodes are devoted to talking about humans and killing animals for food or sport.
Star Trek has the Eska, Hirogen, and (of course) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home for talking about the evils of hunting. Vulcans are strictly vegetarian and it's implied that most Post-Enterprise humans find the idea of eating organic meat (as opposed to replicated meat) to be disgusting. To say that the series squarely falls on the side that hunting is wrong is a bit of an understatement.
Captain Archer actually says that humans no longer hunt as of the Enterprise era. You know, despite the fact that humanity just emerged from a nuclear war where the majority of mankind had to take their next meal wherever they could get it. As you can probably guess, I'm not terribly fond of this premise. Humans are a part of nature and nature has a clear pecking order. I don't approve of abusing animals but I also don't see anything wrong with eating them.
Call me crazy.
Orion's Hounds is interesting because it simultaneously reinforces Star Trek's usual stance that hunting is evil while also undercutting its traditional environmental justification. Star Trek has a very strong pro-environmental message to it, one I approve of. However, many environmentalists in real-life seem to think that being pro-nature also means being anti-hunting.
One thing that a lot of these anti-hunting activists are uncomfortable with is that, quite bluntly, hunters love the environment. They also love animals with a passion you won't normally find in many people.
I grew up in Northern Kentucky next to rural West Virginia and I can tell you that if you want someone to tell you about deer or the forest then you should probably go into a dedicated hunter. They hate when forests are torn down and they despise when animals are poisoned by local industry. In a very real way, their chosen lifestyle puts them in communion with nature in a way that makes them very angry whenever the environment is despoiled.
Orion's Hounds follows the crew of the U.S.S Titan as it comes across the troublesome situation of a race of interstellar nomads called the Pa'haquel hunting the sentient "Star Jellies" from the Star Trek Episode "Encounter at Farpoint Station." Under most circumstances, this would be a strictly black and white situation. As a general rule, if you're hunting people for sport you need to put down like the monstrous animal you are.
In fact, one of the biggest weaknesses of the book is that crew reacts like this is a morally ambiguous situation. It's not even a case of the Prime Directive being at play because both the Pa'haquel and the Star Jellies have warp capabilities. No, there's just an actual argument over whether or not the crew of the U.S.S Titan has the authority to intervene in a case of one culture hunting another for sport. This almost made me want to hurl the book against the wall but I persevered and they eventually gave a reason why there should be any debate on the subject.
Still, the work goes into a much more interesting place than that. Rather than just stock villains, the Pa'haquel have a culture which partially justifies the heinous actions they do. They're also detailed enough that they're actually interesting to read about in their own right.
One of the fatal flaws in exploratory science fiction is the cultures encountered often prove to be less than page turners. In this case, I actually wanted to know more about the Pa'haquel at the end of the day than regretting I'd devoted hundreds of pages to learning about them. The Star Jellies were less interesting to me but still had a number of interesting scenes devoted to their life-cycle and mating habits.
William Riker manages to do much better as a Captain here than in previous books. Where he was earlier largely ineffectual in resolving the situation, here he manages to accomplish a great deal more based on his skill as a captain. Likewise, Deanna Troi gets a larger role than she did in the show. Her psychic abilities play more of a role than as set-dressing and her diplomatic skills actually get some play.
Sadly, my favorite of the Titan characters in Christine Vale suffers a bit. She is naturally contrary to every position that Riker holds, even when they change. Basically, she just exists to give the opposite argument of whatever is proposed by our captain. At one point she also goes into a bizarre rant against gun ownership that makes no sense in the 24th century and comes out of nowhere.
Overall, I liked Orion's Hounds. While I'm a bit disappointed it had nothing to do with the Orion race of "Orion Slave Girl" fame, I felt it really brought home the Star Trek handles social issues' feel of things. While disappointed that the characters had a bizarre hesitation over whether to intervene in the persecution of the Star Jellies or not and Christine Vale's characterization, this is what I like my Star Trek to be about.
December 12, 2023
Leider konnte ich mit der Geschichte nicht so richtig warm werden, allerdings hat Detlef Bierstedt als Sprecher wieder die Kohlen aus dem Feuer geholt
March 21, 2012
Oh my god, I had to read this one chapter at a time, moving forward out of duty and sense of failure of not having read a book, I haven't had a book this hard to read since... ever really. As much as I love Star Trek (and believe me, I do) I do have episodes that I hate, from every series. Storylines that just fail to deliver what to me, is Star Trek, and this book was one of those.
None of the characters other than Ree held my attention for a moment, I wanted to just give up on this book about 10+ times, never did, just finished it, wish I had given up on it the second time. The writing isn't bad, but the characters and plot just plodded along until the anti-climax of an ending, and I wanted so much more!
None of the characters other than Ree held my attention for a moment, I wanted to just give up on this book about 10+ times, never did, just finished it, wish I had given up on it the second time. The writing isn't bad, but the characters and plot just plodded along until the anti-climax of an ending, and I wanted so much more!
April 11, 2018
The two introductory novels to the "Titan" series were solid, but this feels far more Trek-ish. Free from the task of setting up the new starship & its crew, this flows smoothly as an enjoyable action-adventure and exploratory journey. This is the novel that ultimately sold me on Captain Riker & his new crew.
July 6, 2015
Loved this Titan novel. Lots of cool species and messages about how we treat other creatures. Onward to book 4!
June 14, 2024
Star Trek: Post-TNG: Orion's Hounds by Christopher L. Bennett - 3rd book in the Titan series
Adventurous, challenging, emotional, funny,
hopeful, informative, inspiring, mysterious,
reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5 Stars
This is/was my favourite story within the Titan series. It does/did what ALL Star Trek stories seek to do. To show us how to deal with our current problems, but telling a story (fictional, in this case) about people/creatures who are dealing with a similar problem and how they dealt with it. This wasn't in a "preachy" way, but as honest and forthright people, trying their best, to be their best. What Starfleet stands for.
One of my complaints (frustrations) about this crew, was that it was TOO diverse...that it would distract from the goal of the story. I'm not against having more races on the crew, but not too many, that they get regluated to background characters (lost in the shuffle). Where, I still feel that that is an ongoing concern of mine, I believe in this story/book, the author did an amazing job in highlighting and revealing enough differences, that the reader wasn't overwhelmed and overburdened by too much, that it became/becomes "white noise".
Even more so, when the antagonist is ALSO a race of creature, heretofore never seen/known to the UFP (United Federation of Planets).
The "jellies" were also a great callback to Encounter at Farpoint, and the other times they were in Star Trek: TNG. Since I'm not a visual reader, I needed the visuals from the TV series, to anchor them in my mind, and to allow the story to capture me...and take me for a ride.
The Pa'haquel were similar to, in my mind, the Native American Indians. I'm not sure if that was what the author was going for, but to me...it seemed a logical leap.
Loved the arc that Tuvok went through in this book. Not that I enjoyed it, but that it was a "logical" extension of his time on Voyager (the TV series) and other previous novels. He HAS baggage and a LOT of struggles with control, and I feel that this story shined a light on that, but also allowed him to start his recovery from these traumatic events of the past, and even near past (this Titan series).
The continuing arc of Commander Christine Vale (Number One) is/has been really well done, too. Her struggles with being the second in command to Captain Riker, but also her personal issues...were handled really well, too. She now is "real" for me, and a person that Riker knows he can trust (and that he was right to pursue her for this position, as validation).
Lastly, I'd like to say that I really am enjoying Captain Riker and Deanna Troi, as diplomatic officer (and not just a counselor...as in TNG). This seems like the perfect extension and help that is needed for a ship of exploration. Also, that she's a Bridge Officer, and part of the hierarcy of the ship.
Their relationship is ever evolving, but not too quickly, but relatively naturally.
I'm really enjoying myself, at the moment, with my Trek-Lit Reading Flowchart. I belive the next story to read is, Star Trek: Titan 04 Sword of Damocles.
Adventurous, challenging, emotional, funny,
hopeful, informative, inspiring, mysterious,
reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5 Stars
This is/was my favourite story within the Titan series. It does/did what ALL Star Trek stories seek to do. To show us how to deal with our current problems, but telling a story (fictional, in this case) about people/creatures who are dealing with a similar problem and how they dealt with it. This wasn't in a "preachy" way, but as honest and forthright people, trying their best, to be their best. What Starfleet stands for.
One of my complaints (frustrations) about this crew, was that it was TOO diverse...that it would distract from the goal of the story. I'm not against having more races on the crew, but not too many, that they get regluated to background characters (lost in the shuffle). Where, I still feel that that is an ongoing concern of mine, I believe in this story/book, the author did an amazing job in highlighting and revealing enough differences, that the reader wasn't overwhelmed and overburdened by too much, that it became/becomes "white noise".
Even more so, when the antagonist is ALSO a race of creature, heretofore never seen/known to the UFP (United Federation of Planets).
The "jellies" were also a great callback to Encounter at Farpoint, and the other times they were in Star Trek: TNG. Since I'm not a visual reader, I needed the visuals from the TV series, to anchor them in my mind, and to allow the story to capture me...and take me for a ride.
The Pa'haquel were similar to, in my mind, the Native American Indians. I'm not sure if that was what the author was going for, but to me...it seemed a logical leap.
Loved the arc that Tuvok went through in this book. Not that I enjoyed it, but that it was a "logical" extension of his time on Voyager (the TV series) and other previous novels. He HAS baggage and a LOT of struggles with control, and I feel that this story shined a light on that, but also allowed him to start his recovery from these traumatic events of the past, and even near past (this Titan series).
The continuing arc of Commander Christine Vale (Number One) is/has been really well done, too. Her struggles with being the second in command to Captain Riker, but also her personal issues...were handled really well, too. She now is "real" for me, and a person that Riker knows he can trust (and that he was right to pursue her for this position, as validation).
Lastly, I'd like to say that I really am enjoying Captain Riker and Deanna Troi, as diplomatic officer (and not just a counselor...as in TNG). This seems like the perfect extension and help that is needed for a ship of exploration. Also, that she's a Bridge Officer, and part of the hierarcy of the ship.
Their relationship is ever evolving, but not too quickly, but relatively naturally.
I'm really enjoying myself, at the moment, with my Trek-Lit Reading Flowchart. I belive the next story to read is, Star Trek: Titan 04 Sword of Damocles.
January 13, 2023
[3.5/5] The Titan series finally gets interesting. Bennett is an author who seems better able to handle the large cast of characters and all the moving parts. The story itself becomes quite involved as it goes on, bringing in the traditional Star Trek ethical dilemmas and full of discussions about the right things to do. In this case, the issue tackled is more or less the ethics of whaling when the "whales" (space jellies in this case) are recognised as sentient, intelligent creatures, and how does the civilisation who kills them learn to change their ways, if they will at all?
It's a fast moving tale full of more moving parts than you would expect, told on quite a vast scale as stellar behemoths roaming the stars make themselves known (including a nice return of a menacing creature previously seen in TV episodes). It makes strong use of the characters and places several of them in situations they don't feel prepared for.
But there are still just too many characters here, and not enough room to give many of them proper definition. Bennett makes the choice to focus on a few as much as he can, but there are scenes all throughout in which crew members pop up for a moment, only to disappear for the rest of the book and I end up questioning whether we've met them before (even given how unique each of them are - I actually find this to be a detriment because I find many of them impossible to picture). I also felt that this really reinforced my belief in what a poor character Tuvok has always been.
It's a fast moving tale full of more moving parts than you would expect, told on quite a vast scale as stellar behemoths roaming the stars make themselves known (including a nice return of a menacing creature previously seen in TV episodes). It makes strong use of the characters and places several of them in situations they don't feel prepared for.
But there are still just too many characters here, and not enough room to give many of them proper definition. Bennett makes the choice to focus on a few as much as he can, but there are scenes all throughout in which crew members pop up for a moment, only to disappear for the rest of the book and I end up questioning whether we've met them before (even given how unique each of them are - I actually find this to be a detriment because I find many of them impossible to picture). I also felt that this really reinforced my belief in what a poor character Tuvok has always been.
September 26, 2023
These Star Trek Titan books are a conundrum to me. It takes me forever to read them. There are many parts that I would traditionally consider boring. The plot moves forward only in fits and starts. And yet...I thoroughly enjoy them! They really capture the vibe of TNG and I love hanging out with these characters and these adventures.
Anyone looking for a traditional shoot'em up space series look elsewhere but if you want to live and truly feel like you're a member of a star ship crew for a few weeks? You can't do much better than this.
Speaking of TNG, "Orion's Hounds" was a throwback to the pilot episode and the huge space jellyfish they interacted with. Bennett creates a whole ecosystem and world for these creatures (as well as other spacefaring races) and the species that hunts them. I loved the diplomacy and the resolution and the genuine deep issues discussed here.
Anyone looking for a traditional shoot'em up space series look elsewhere but if you want to live and truly feel like you're a member of a star ship crew for a few weeks? You can't do much better than this.
Speaking of TNG, "Orion's Hounds" was a throwback to the pilot episode and the huge space jellyfish they interacted with. Bennett creates a whole ecosystem and world for these creatures (as well as other spacefaring races) and the species that hunts them. I loved the diplomacy and the resolution and the genuine deep issues discussed here.
September 28, 2020
The best Star Trek Titan novel so far. Captain Riker and the crew of the USS Titan are finally off on their mission of exploration deep into the Beta Quadrant. There, they encounter something familiar, the star jelly creatures first seen back during the Farpoint mission. This book does a great job of fleshing out these fascinating creatures, as well as introducing us to other space-born life-forms.
I've always been fascinated by the idea of creatures that live in space, in the same way that sea creatures live in the ocean. This book combines all of that with a great story of ethical quandries and diplomacy.
A true Star Trek story.
I've always been fascinated by the idea of creatures that live in space, in the same way that sea creatures live in the ocean. This book combines all of that with a great story of ethical quandries and diplomacy.
A true Star Trek story.
April 26, 2020
Average trek story.
The writing is good but I found the story so uninspiring and uninteresting. It was basically hunting jelly fish in space. One was even caught in a space net at one point.
There are certain episodes of Star Trek that is not for me and this book falls into that category. It did not resonate with me.
I don’t think novels should be fillers. So why did this one feel so much like a filler? I wanted more from this!
The writing is good but I found the story so uninspiring and uninteresting. It was basically hunting jelly fish in space. One was even caught in a space net at one point.
There are certain episodes of Star Trek that is not for me and this book falls into that category. It did not resonate with me.
I don’t think novels should be fillers. So why did this one feel so much like a filler? I wanted more from this!
October 23, 2021
Making my way through the post-Nemesis books. This is the third book in the Titan series. This one ranks right up there with the first two in terms of excellent storytelling. This one has great worldbuilding and an interesting moral dilemma for Riker and his crew. There is also some great character development. Christine Vale, a novel-only character, continues to prove herself a great first officer for Riker. Of course, he knew she would be good. In a previous novel, he handpicked her. The book makes excellent use of Deanna Troi. She is very capable in her position as diplomatic officer. I love that she is valued and seems to be more useful on the Titan that she was on the Enterprise, which is not just due to her being married to the captain. All the Titan novels seem to emphasize the diversity of the crew. The different races are indeed fascinating, and reading about their cultures and how they interact with each other is a treat. The Titan is assigned to explore the Gum Nebula. The diversity of the space creatures in the Gum Nebula was as great as the diversity of Titan’s crew. There are the cosmzoans, creatures that live and travel in space without needing an atmospheric planet, such as the space jellyfish from Encounter at Farpoint (more on them later). Then there are all the other aliens who do, apparently, breathe air, who are led by the Pa’haquel. The air breathers have something like a coalition in which they hunt and kill the cosmozoans. You see, the most cosmozoans do nothing but kill living beings and destroy planets and cannot be communicated with. Of course, there is much more to it, as Riker and his crew find out. The Gum Nebula is like a jungle of wildlife, beautiful and dangerous.
It is interesting to note that Tuvok’s wife, T’Pel, decided to join him on the Titan, much like Keiko followed Miles to DS9. I did think it seemed strange that Troi had better telepathic mental shields than Tuvok, though they did explain that Tuvok had been weakened by being a Romulan prisoner and other things in his past, and Troi had built up her mental shields after being mind-invaded by Shinzon and others. (Maybe the author was trying to make Tuvok as he became in the alternate timeline in Endgame.) In this book, Tuvok was made telepathically to do something against his will. I think the author made Tuvok be the victim in order to avoid the the trope of Deanna or another female being the victim.
One of the book’s messages was about treatment of animals or how you treat people who are different. When the story opened, Deanna looked through the window of the mess hall when the carnivores were eating. It seemed all the carnivores on Titan ate at the same time, because some of the other crewmembers were repulsed by their eating habits. This scene foreshadowed the events later in the story about hunting and killing. The book had a lot of philosophising about keeping the ecosystem in check, using the word “balance” quite frequently. I like how the writer spent a lot of time with the Titan crew getting to know one particular race (the space “jellyfish” from Encounter at Farpoint - even though a lot of time is spent communicating with them, we never find out what they call themselves) and the beauty of their culture. Their natural state is gentleness and pacifism.
Writer Christopher L. Bennett did his usual great job with this novel. I highly recommend.
It is interesting to note that Tuvok’s wife, T’Pel, decided to join him on the Titan, much like Keiko followed Miles to DS9. I did think it seemed strange that Troi had better telepathic mental shields than Tuvok, though they did explain that Tuvok had been weakened by being a Romulan prisoner and other things in his past, and Troi had built up her mental shields after being mind-invaded by Shinzon and others. (Maybe the author was trying to make Tuvok as he became in the alternate timeline in Endgame.) In this book, Tuvok was made telepathically to do something against his will. I think the author made Tuvok be the victim in order to avoid the the trope of Deanna or another female being the victim.
One of the book’s messages was about treatment of animals or how you treat people who are different. When the story opened, Deanna looked through the window of the mess hall when the carnivores were eating. It seemed all the carnivores on Titan ate at the same time, because some of the other crewmembers were repulsed by their eating habits. This scene foreshadowed the events later in the story about hunting and killing. The book had a lot of philosophising about keeping the ecosystem in check, using the word “balance” quite frequently. I like how the writer spent a lot of time with the Titan crew getting to know one particular race (the space “jellyfish” from Encounter at Farpoint - even though a lot of time is spent communicating with them, we never find out what they call themselves) and the beauty of their culture. Their natural state is gentleness and pacifism.
Writer Christopher L. Bennett did his usual great job with this novel. I highly recommend.
October 14, 2007
First off, Titan is a Star Trek novel. As such, there's a certain amount of forgiveness and understanding one must indulge in to thoroughly enjoy it. For me, Trek novels have always been sort of like candy--like a... banana flavored taffy, sometimes it tastes better than a real banana, but it can be a little hard to chew at first, and often tastes just a bit off. All this is not to say that it's a bad book, just that there's a difference between literature and pop-fiction.
As a Trek novel, it certainly delivers, offering up a healthy helping of some of our favorite characters, a hearty dose of fleshing out some canon rarity (in this case, the space jellyfish from "Encounter at Farpoint"), and an interesting view of some original characters. Titan itself is a unique Trek undertaking, in that the author(s) are trying to involve more alien races, so those societies are becoming more well defined. This novel also draws heavily both from canon Trek and from non-canon sources as well, particularly the most recent (last 5 years) spate of Trek novels, which have all apparently been very much intertwined.
So overall, and specifically regarding it as a Trek novel,it is quite enjoyable and entertaining. I even found myself drawn into the action and emotion of some of the climactic situations (which is more than I can say for the two previous novels in this series). Now that i've finished the book, i've even altered my "would recommend this to:" from fans desperate for a fix, to fans looking for a fix.
There are some issues I have with this novel. Pretty much all the characters are now broken in some way, and a good portion of the novel is taken up in hashing and rehashing aspects of this breakage. Character and universe continuity is an important thing, but this novel could have been 50 pages shorter without repeatedly revisiting Deanna's telepathic rape at the hands of Shinzon's henchman--especially considering how many times it was addressed in the previous two novels. By and large Star Trek fans are fairly intelligent, and have elephantine memories for Trek related trivia, so I think a lot of these types of things could be handled with much more subtlety than blatantly reminding us of it every 25 pages. And this thing with Deanna is only one instance of several which are repeated throughout this and the preceeding two novels. Everyone is damaged and we have to keep dredging it up and slapping the reader in the face with it. It goes back to that writer's cliche of showing versus telling.
Also, and this is probably just me, but I'd like to see a little less cast cross-polination. It's an interesting idea i suppose, and I'm sure some people are thrilled by it, but to me it just all seems a bit forced--"I'm going to write a novel and have a character from every Trek series ever made!" Of course, for this third novel, the characters are fairly established, but Tuvok's presence still just rankles me a bit. I never thought he was that great a character, and he's totally underutilized (as tactical officer--supposedly his primary reason for being on the ship) in this novel.
So again, all-in-all it is an enjoyable read despite lacking a certain subtlety in storytelling.
As a Trek novel, it certainly delivers, offering up a healthy helping of some of our favorite characters, a hearty dose of fleshing out some canon rarity (in this case, the space jellyfish from "Encounter at Farpoint"), and an interesting view of some original characters. Titan itself is a unique Trek undertaking, in that the author(s) are trying to involve more alien races, so those societies are becoming more well defined. This novel also draws heavily both from canon Trek and from non-canon sources as well, particularly the most recent (last 5 years) spate of Trek novels, which have all apparently been very much intertwined.
So overall, and specifically regarding it as a Trek novel,it is quite enjoyable and entertaining. I even found myself drawn into the action and emotion of some of the climactic situations (which is more than I can say for the two previous novels in this series). Now that i've finished the book, i've even altered my "would recommend this to:" from fans desperate for a fix, to fans looking for a fix.
There are some issues I have with this novel. Pretty much all the characters are now broken in some way, and a good portion of the novel is taken up in hashing and rehashing aspects of this breakage. Character and universe continuity is an important thing, but this novel could have been 50 pages shorter without repeatedly revisiting Deanna's telepathic rape at the hands of Shinzon's henchman--especially considering how many times it was addressed in the previous two novels. By and large Star Trek fans are fairly intelligent, and have elephantine memories for Trek related trivia, so I think a lot of these types of things could be handled with much more subtlety than blatantly reminding us of it every 25 pages. And this thing with Deanna is only one instance of several which are repeated throughout this and the preceeding two novels. Everyone is damaged and we have to keep dredging it up and slapping the reader in the face with it. It goes back to that writer's cliche of showing versus telling.
Also, and this is probably just me, but I'd like to see a little less cast cross-polination. It's an interesting idea i suppose, and I'm sure some people are thrilled by it, but to me it just all seems a bit forced--"I'm going to write a novel and have a character from every Trek series ever made!" Of course, for this third novel, the characters are fairly established, but Tuvok's presence still just rankles me a bit. I never thought he was that great a character, and he's totally underutilized (as tactical officer--supposedly his primary reason for being on the ship) in this novel.
So again, all-in-all it is an enjoyable read despite lacking a certain subtlety in storytelling.
December 6, 2017
I admire Christopher L. Bennett for being the first to take the reins in this series from Martin and Mangels, whose interesting and rather shaky start made me quite curious as to how it would proceed. The story in this book is well-told, if not slow and deliberate where pace is concerned. It fills in the gaps of some episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, though I won't mention them here in order to avoid spoilers.
Captain Riker and his veritable zoo of a crew come across a peaceful race of "star jellies" that are being hunted by a people known as the Pa'haquel, who kill these star jellies and convert them into living "skymounts" which are then used to hunt other star jellies. They call it the Great Hunt, and actually have an enormous amount of reverence for the star jellies, believing them to be deities of sorts who willingly sacrifice their bodies to maintain "the balance." Riker and the Titan soon discover the hard way what this "balance" is, and must find a way to repair it while at the same time stopping the senseless killings of the star jellies.
Perhaps the first thing to note is that Riker essentially tosses out the Prime Directive on a whim throughout the book. Die-hard Trek purists will not appreciate this, but Bennett actually does a pretty good job of portraying Riker as having literally no other choice. By the end of the story, the natural course of evolution for both the star jellies and the Pa'haquel is drastically different, for better or worse. Personally I didn't mind this too much, again because of Bennett's capable storytelling.
The pace of the novel leaves a little bit to be desired. The majority of the content focuses on negotiations or interactions between Titan, the Pa'haquel, and the star jellies. The star jellies communicate constantly with Titan's telepathic crew members, especially Deanna Troi, who is perhaps the most important figure in the novel. A lot of time is spent on her interactions with the beings, and her attempts to convince the Pa'haquel to stop hunting them and seek other options. I feel like the plot was just a bit too thin to support the length of this novel. Nevertheless, I found that it kept my attention pretty well.
I have one other major complaint- Bennett has a rather annoying habit of spending multiple paragraphs contextualizing an upcoming scene. If, for instance, a chapter opens in a certain place, like the Stellar Cartography lab, where, say, Pazlar and Tuvok are working, we get a lengthy backstory on what Pazlar and Tuvok have been working on for the past hour. Then we are told what one "had said" to the other leading up to the main conversation that is supposed to be the focus of this part of the chapter. Contextualizing a scene is not a bad thing; indeed, it is necessary to some degree, but here, I find that it is done in a rather tedious manner.
In summary, this was a decent novel with a good payoff. It reads rather like an episode of The Next Generation and manages to hold attention. Certainly an improvement over the two previous installments in the series, but there is still work to be done.
Captain Riker and his veritable zoo of a crew come across a peaceful race of "star jellies" that are being hunted by a people known as the Pa'haquel, who kill these star jellies and convert them into living "skymounts" which are then used to hunt other star jellies. They call it the Great Hunt, and actually have an enormous amount of reverence for the star jellies, believing them to be deities of sorts who willingly sacrifice their bodies to maintain "the balance." Riker and the Titan soon discover the hard way what this "balance" is, and must find a way to repair it while at the same time stopping the senseless killings of the star jellies.
Perhaps the first thing to note is that Riker essentially tosses out the Prime Directive on a whim throughout the book. Die-hard Trek purists will not appreciate this, but Bennett actually does a pretty good job of portraying Riker as having literally no other choice. By the end of the story, the natural course of evolution for both the star jellies and the Pa'haquel is drastically different, for better or worse. Personally I didn't mind this too much, again because of Bennett's capable storytelling.
The pace of the novel leaves a little bit to be desired. The majority of the content focuses on negotiations or interactions between Titan, the Pa'haquel, and the star jellies. The star jellies communicate constantly with Titan's telepathic crew members, especially Deanna Troi, who is perhaps the most important figure in the novel. A lot of time is spent on her interactions with the beings, and her attempts to convince the Pa'haquel to stop hunting them and seek other options. I feel like the plot was just a bit too thin to support the length of this novel. Nevertheless, I found that it kept my attention pretty well.
I have one other major complaint- Bennett has a rather annoying habit of spending multiple paragraphs contextualizing an upcoming scene. If, for instance, a chapter opens in a certain place, like the Stellar Cartography lab, where, say, Pazlar and Tuvok are working, we get a lengthy backstory on what Pazlar and Tuvok have been working on for the past hour. Then we are told what one "had said" to the other leading up to the main conversation that is supposed to be the focus of this part of the chapter. Contextualizing a scene is not a bad thing; indeed, it is necessary to some degree, but here, I find that it is done in a rather tedious manner.
In summary, this was a decent novel with a good payoff. It reads rather like an episode of The Next Generation and manages to hold attention. Certainly an improvement over the two previous installments in the series, but there is still work to be done.
November 19, 2022
I love it when these authors bring back characters from the Next Generation tv series, but this time they put a twist on it. The characters in question this time aren't humanoids- they're gigantic space creatures.
The author reached all the way back to Encounter At Farpoint, the first episode of the tv series, and brought back the jellyfish-like creatures the Enterprise helped by finding freedom for one of their kind. Now, as the Titan explores the unknown reaches of space, Counselor Troi hears a telepathic cry for help. When Titan responds, they find these "star-jellies" locked in a battle with what seems to be an armored version of their own kind. They quickly discover that the attackers are the Pa'haquel, an avian starfaring race that kills star-jellies, reanimates them with energy and uses them as starships.
After Titan defends the star-jellies, they open communication with Qui'hibra, commander of the attack fleet. Counselor Troi and her away team quickly learn that the Pa'haquel and their allies are nomads, and that they use the "skymounts" not just to serve their own needs, but to limit the populations of dangerous space creatures so that they don't overrun the galaxy. They hunt everything from gigantic planet eating Harvesters to living black nebulae (who if left unchecked block out suns and kill entire solar systems in their search for energy) to Branchers, better known to Captain Riker and Counselor Troi as Crystalline Entities.
I enjoyed watching the Titan crew try their best to find a way for the Pa'haquel to stop killing the star-jellies and still have a way to thin the population of dangerous space creatures. I won't give the ending away, but as usual, their solution was innovative and looks to have long term impact on all species involved.
This book solved the mystery of why there weren't more space creatures in Federation space like the ones seen in various episodes of the tv series (such as the big baby creature from Galaxy Child) and in Star Trek Voyager's tv series. Most of them live in ecosystems far from Federation space, such as the area Titan is exploring. I wouldn't be surprised to see more new life-forms as Titan continues to go where no one has gone before.
The author reached all the way back to Encounter At Farpoint, the first episode of the tv series, and brought back the jellyfish-like creatures the Enterprise helped by finding freedom for one of their kind. Now, as the Titan explores the unknown reaches of space, Counselor Troi hears a telepathic cry for help. When Titan responds, they find these "star-jellies" locked in a battle with what seems to be an armored version of their own kind. They quickly discover that the attackers are the Pa'haquel, an avian starfaring race that kills star-jellies, reanimates them with energy and uses them as starships.
After Titan defends the star-jellies, they open communication with Qui'hibra, commander of the attack fleet. Counselor Troi and her away team quickly learn that the Pa'haquel and their allies are nomads, and that they use the "skymounts" not just to serve their own needs, but to limit the populations of dangerous space creatures so that they don't overrun the galaxy. They hunt everything from gigantic planet eating Harvesters to living black nebulae (who if left unchecked block out suns and kill entire solar systems in their search for energy) to Branchers, better known to Captain Riker and Counselor Troi as Crystalline Entities.
I enjoyed watching the Titan crew try their best to find a way for the Pa'haquel to stop killing the star-jellies and still have a way to thin the population of dangerous space creatures. I won't give the ending away, but as usual, their solution was innovative and looks to have long term impact on all species involved.
This book solved the mystery of why there weren't more space creatures in Federation space like the ones seen in various episodes of the tv series (such as the big baby creature from Galaxy Child) and in Star Trek Voyager's tv series. Most of them live in ecosystems far from Federation space, such as the area Titan is exploring. I wouldn't be surprised to see more new life-forms as Titan continues to go where no one has gone before.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2023
Summary:
Part I
Troi and the other psi-sensitive species aboard Titan are hit with a sudden feeling pain and fear. Not far away, they find that the star jellies (from TNG Farpoint), are being attacked and harvested by a bird-like species called the Pa'haquel (along with a few allied species), who use dead star jellies as their vessels. The Pa'haquel revere the jellies and insist they need them to survive, their home planet having been rendered inhabitable long ago.
Riker wants to intervene to save the jellies. Others on the Titan speculate that due to the jellies' warp and replicating abilities, that perhaps they're not entirely natural and were actually bioengineered to function as starships. Riker wants to try to communicate with them.
The psi-sensitive crew form a gestalt and contact the jellies to tell them they want to help them. The jellies meet them, but the Pa'haquel attack and kill another, despite the Titan trying to fend them off. The Titan tows the dead jelly with a tractor beam and escapes at warp.
The jellies contact Deanna and ask for the corpse back; they understand that Titan is not their enemy, and want to take them to their home planet. When they arrive, the jellies beam the dead jelly into the ground and beam the displaced soil into another jelly--which is then passed between all the jellies to create a new infant jelly, which goes into the planet's ocean to mature after being birthed.
The crew study the jellies on the planet, unaware that the Pa'haquel are nearby, waiting for them to depart so they can attack. However, they scout another group of inbound jellies and decide to attack it; they are in dire need to increase their fleet. Overcome with the grief of the dying jellies, Tuvok attacks Pazlar and mind melds with her, then uses her access codes to get the Pa'haquel's shield frequencies and warp signatures so he can telepathically give the info to the jellies.
When the Pa'haquel attack again, most of the jellies escape; the ones that don't flee seem immune to the stings of the dead jellies; and they beam the Pa'haquel crew out into open space.
Part II
The elder Qui'hibra takes the Titan to an inhabited planet being attacked by a heavily-armored harvester jelly, which bombards the planet's crust with plasma projectiles, killing the 200 million people that live there. The skymount fleet only stops it after it's too late. Another species called starpeelers destroy stars. The Elder demands that Riker help them, or they will be destroyed as punishment.
While helping the refugees, they are attacked by 3 Crystalline Entities. A few of the Fetherit ships are lost in the attack, as well as some skymounts, but ultimately they drive off/destroy the Entities. Titan could have shattered them all using the deflector array, but chooses to let them live.
Riker meets with the elders and convinces them that they should try working with the jellies instead of against them. The more devout of the Conclave find working with the jellies to be blasphemous; Se'hraqua is to infiltrate the negotiations and try to find the information Titan gave the jellies that allowed them the upper hand.
Troi convinces Tuvok to mind-meld with her; the jellies trust him the most, and he can use her mind-shielding abilities to protect himself from their influence. They meld and contact the jellies, who are reluctant to meet with the Pa'haquel until Troi forces the anguish and loss they felt from the destruction of the planet and the loss of their crewmates. The jellies agree to meet with them.
Qui'hibra explains/apologizes to the jellies through Deanna, and ultimately they forgive the Pa'haquel and agree to work with them. Several crews move into the living jellies, and despite some growing pains, they ultimately seem to work, and hunt, fairly well together.
Their first real combat test against a group of spinners does not go well; when one of the livemounts is attacked, it sends the rest of the group into a panic and they flee the battle. The Titan saves the 2 jellies that were enmeshed by the spinners, and there were no fatalities--but Qui'hibra sees it as a failed experiment, the jellies too afraid to hunt. Troi convinces him to give it another try.
The Pa'haquel Conclave meets and they dissent against Qui'hibra, voting to attack the Titan and steal the knowledge they need to defend themselves against the skymounts.
Titan and the Pa'haquel are scheduled to meet at the Proplydian--essentially a sentient star. 4 Crystalline Entities are en route, so Titan goes off to try to communicate with them. The Pa'haquel arrive and Qui'hibra kidnaps Troi from one of the live mounts. Without Troi's mental shields, Tuvok is almost overcome by the jellies' wish to save Deanna, but he decides to work with them instead of against them.
While engaged with the Crystalline Entities, Qui'hibra's fleet arrives; Troi warns him it's a trap. The star jellies arrive shortly thereafter, and following their funeral rites, start draining the energy from the dead jellies, then beam Troi out. The Entities attack, and the Pa'haquel stop Titan from helping repel the attack on the jellies. Riker tells Tuvok to teach the jellies to emit the frequency that repels the Entities, and they flee. Riker proposes that the Pa'haquel use the jellies to herd the Entities using this method; Qui'hibra rejects the idea at first, but Troi convinces him to go against the Conclave's decision.
Some of the Pa'haquel refuse to acquiesce and are determined to continue the hunt, but most opt to work with the jellies and branchers and reform their way of life. Orilly Malar surprises Riker and says she wants to stay with the Pa'haquel to help train the jellies, since she has psi-abilities.
Pazlar asks Tuvok to train her to defend herself, so she never feels so helpless again. Vale tells Jaza that she still has feelings for him, but she couldn't put him in harm's way the way that Riker does with Troi. Riker and Deanna decide they want to have a baby.
Part I
Troi and the other psi-sensitive species aboard Titan are hit with a sudden feeling pain and fear. Not far away, they find that the star jellies (from TNG Farpoint), are being attacked and harvested by a bird-like species called the Pa'haquel (along with a few allied species), who use dead star jellies as their vessels. The Pa'haquel revere the jellies and insist they need them to survive, their home planet having been rendered inhabitable long ago.
Riker wants to intervene to save the jellies. Others on the Titan speculate that due to the jellies' warp and replicating abilities, that perhaps they're not entirely natural and were actually bioengineered to function as starships. Riker wants to try to communicate with them.
The psi-sensitive crew form a gestalt and contact the jellies to tell them they want to help them. The jellies meet them, but the Pa'haquel attack and kill another, despite the Titan trying to fend them off. The Titan tows the dead jelly with a tractor beam and escapes at warp.
The jellies contact Deanna and ask for the corpse back; they understand that Titan is not their enemy, and want to take them to their home planet. When they arrive, the jellies beam the dead jelly into the ground and beam the displaced soil into another jelly--which is then passed between all the jellies to create a new infant jelly, which goes into the planet's ocean to mature after being birthed.
The crew study the jellies on the planet, unaware that the Pa'haquel are nearby, waiting for them to depart so they can attack. However, they scout another group of inbound jellies and decide to attack it; they are in dire need to increase their fleet. Overcome with the grief of the dying jellies, Tuvok attacks Pazlar and mind melds with her, then uses her access codes to get the Pa'haquel's shield frequencies and warp signatures so he can telepathically give the info to the jellies.
When the Pa'haquel attack again, most of the jellies escape; the ones that don't flee seem immune to the stings of the dead jellies; and they beam the Pa'haquel crew out into open space.
Part II
The elder Qui'hibra takes the Titan to an inhabited planet being attacked by a heavily-armored harvester jelly, which bombards the planet's crust with plasma projectiles, killing the 200 million people that live there. The skymount fleet only stops it after it's too late. Another species called starpeelers destroy stars. The Elder demands that Riker help them, or they will be destroyed as punishment.
While helping the refugees, they are attacked by 3 Crystalline Entities. A few of the Fetherit ships are lost in the attack, as well as some skymounts, but ultimately they drive off/destroy the Entities. Titan could have shattered them all using the deflector array, but chooses to let them live.
Riker meets with the elders and convinces them that they should try working with the jellies instead of against them. The more devout of the Conclave find working with the jellies to be blasphemous; Se'hraqua is to infiltrate the negotiations and try to find the information Titan gave the jellies that allowed them the upper hand.
Troi convinces Tuvok to mind-meld with her; the jellies trust him the most, and he can use her mind-shielding abilities to protect himself from their influence. They meld and contact the jellies, who are reluctant to meet with the Pa'haquel until Troi forces the anguish and loss they felt from the destruction of the planet and the loss of their crewmates. The jellies agree to meet with them.
Qui'hibra explains/apologizes to the jellies through Deanna, and ultimately they forgive the Pa'haquel and agree to work with them. Several crews move into the living jellies, and despite some growing pains, they ultimately seem to work, and hunt, fairly well together.
Their first real combat test against a group of spinners does not go well; when one of the livemounts is attacked, it sends the rest of the group into a panic and they flee the battle. The Titan saves the 2 jellies that were enmeshed by the spinners, and there were no fatalities--but Qui'hibra sees it as a failed experiment, the jellies too afraid to hunt. Troi convinces him to give it another try.
The Pa'haquel Conclave meets and they dissent against Qui'hibra, voting to attack the Titan and steal the knowledge they need to defend themselves against the skymounts.
Titan and the Pa'haquel are scheduled to meet at the Proplydian--essentially a sentient star. 4 Crystalline Entities are en route, so Titan goes off to try to communicate with them. The Pa'haquel arrive and Qui'hibra kidnaps Troi from one of the live mounts. Without Troi's mental shields, Tuvok is almost overcome by the jellies' wish to save Deanna, but he decides to work with them instead of against them.
While engaged with the Crystalline Entities, Qui'hibra's fleet arrives; Troi warns him it's a trap. The star jellies arrive shortly thereafter, and following their funeral rites, start draining the energy from the dead jellies, then beam Troi out. The Entities attack, and the Pa'haquel stop Titan from helping repel the attack on the jellies. Riker tells Tuvok to teach the jellies to emit the frequency that repels the Entities, and they flee. Riker proposes that the Pa'haquel use the jellies to herd the Entities using this method; Qui'hibra rejects the idea at first, but Troi convinces him to go against the Conclave's decision.
Some of the Pa'haquel refuse to acquiesce and are determined to continue the hunt, but most opt to work with the jellies and branchers and reform their way of life. Orilly Malar surprises Riker and says she wants to stay with the Pa'haquel to help train the jellies, since she has psi-abilities.
Pazlar asks Tuvok to train her to defend herself, so she never feels so helpless again. Vale tells Jaza that she still has feelings for him, but she couldn't put him in harm's way the way that Riker does with Troi. Riker and Deanna decide they want to have a baby.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2012
When the 2009 Star Trek movie released, the Onion website made a parody news cast, stating that Trek fans hated the movie because it wasn't boring enough. Well, this is the kind of boring Trek that they were referring to.
I gave up on page 152. The conflict between two alien races is not exciting, and a significant portion of the book is dedicated to conversations about how diverse the crew of Titan is. I'd rather see the diverse crew actually do something besides talk about how awesome they are as they solve a middle-school-complexity problem.
I gave up on page 152. The conflict between two alien races is not exciting, and a significant portion of the book is dedicated to conversations about how diverse the crew of Titan is. I'd rather see the diverse crew actually do something besides talk about how awesome they are as they solve a middle-school-complexity problem.
May 23, 2018
Orion's Hounds see Riker, Troi and the crew of the Titan getting into a huge diplomatic mess as they Encounter the aliens from from Encounter at Farpoint but at the same time encounter an alien alliance led (unofficially! :D Lol) by an Avain race known as the Pa'haquel who hunts them to turn the into Skymounts! :D Understandably the Skymount's aka Jellies in question have objections to this! :D Conversely the Avian's have built up an entire mythology based around them and use the Skymounts to help defend them and their Alliance! :D
Riker and the Titan throughout this are caught between the different sides! :D Given their past history, Riker and the Titans crew with Troi and the other telepaths on board, after a few painful hiccups for Melora and Ree's, hit it off with the Jelly's and virtually become part of the gang! :D At the same time they are confront with the need to find a peaceable solution with the Alliance which has it nefarious elements in it in the form of Aq'hareq who is dogmatic to say the least! :D
Orion's Hounds hounds really put the diplomatic side of the Federation to the forefront where we see Riker, Troi, Tuvok and the rest really trying time and time again to come up with a diplomatic solution to events in spite of other routinely trying to do an end run on them! :D Throughout Troi takes lead as Diplomatic Officer but is not afraid to get physical when the time calls for it that conversely impresses her hosts! :D This is great getting Troi front and centre showing how strong she actually is! :D At the same time Tuvok get more screen/page time with all the things he has gone through over the years catching up with him and him consequently adjusting to his new circumstances! :D As the book progresses you can see how well he and Troi work together in ways that are really surprising! :D Riker at the same time gets to do his thing and Qui'hibra's reaction to Riker no negotiation style is brilliant! :D At the same time other crew members like Melora, Orilly, Vale, Najem get more screen time and Tuvok's wife T'Pel really shakes things up for Tuvok and promises to do the same for the crew! :D Many of the crew interactions are shaped and changed throughout showing that things will not stay static! :D The humour and the observation from this are cleverly exemplified in the Carnivore Herbivore debate they have on board and shows what give and take can certainly accomplish! :D
In amongst all the diplomacy in Orion's Hounds though the action comes thick and fast with all the different shifting Alliances as well as the Crystal Entities turning up again and whole plethora of creatures and beings known collectively as Cosmozoans (Starbeasts) including the Crystal Entity who are know by the Pa'haquel as branchers! :D The scrappy nature of the battle as well and the very different being and technology at work also make for a kind of surreal situation with both sides trying to adjust on the fly! :d Orion's Hounds really shows the Ferdearation off at its most trying to do best but as the same time the races of this Alliance as well as the Starbeasts come across brilliantly and make for very different battle scenes especially as Riker, Troi and the crew of the Titan are trying to find a peaceful resolution and don't want to hurt anyone! :D
The solution that comes up is inventive but at the same time brilliantly lays down the ground work for future books :D The development and depth of the cultures in the Vela Association are brilliantly done and brilliantly show what is out there in other areas! :D
Orion's Hounds will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to work out ahead of the crew of Titan and Alliance what the solution will be and will keep guessing on every page! :D The book has character development and action is spades and will keep you up late and if you have to sleep trying to work out how they are going to pull rabbit out of the hat! :D Brilliant stuff, full o adventure clash of cultures, heroic and action packed throughout! :D Highly recommend! :D Make sure you have the sequel! Crisp high five! :D
Riker and the Titan throughout this are caught between the different sides! :D Given their past history, Riker and the Titans crew with Troi and the other telepaths on board, after a few painful hiccups for Melora and Ree's, hit it off with the Jelly's and virtually become part of the gang! :D At the same time they are confront with the need to find a peaceable solution with the Alliance which has it nefarious elements in it in the form of Aq'hareq who is dogmatic to say the least! :D
Orion's Hounds hounds really put the diplomatic side of the Federation to the forefront where we see Riker, Troi, Tuvok and the rest really trying time and time again to come up with a diplomatic solution to events in spite of other routinely trying to do an end run on them! :D Throughout Troi takes lead as Diplomatic Officer but is not afraid to get physical when the time calls for it that conversely impresses her hosts! :D This is great getting Troi front and centre showing how strong she actually is! :D At the same time Tuvok get more screen/page time with all the things he has gone through over the years catching up with him and him consequently adjusting to his new circumstances! :D As the book progresses you can see how well he and Troi work together in ways that are really surprising! :D Riker at the same time gets to do his thing and Qui'hibra's reaction to Riker no negotiation style is brilliant! :D At the same time other crew members like Melora, Orilly, Vale, Najem get more screen time and Tuvok's wife T'Pel really shakes things up for Tuvok and promises to do the same for the crew! :D Many of the crew interactions are shaped and changed throughout showing that things will not stay static! :D The humour and the observation from this are cleverly exemplified in the Carnivore Herbivore debate they have on board and shows what give and take can certainly accomplish! :D
In amongst all the diplomacy in Orion's Hounds though the action comes thick and fast with all the different shifting Alliances as well as the Crystal Entities turning up again and whole plethora of creatures and beings known collectively as Cosmozoans (Starbeasts) including the Crystal Entity who are know by the Pa'haquel as branchers! :D The scrappy nature of the battle as well and the very different being and technology at work also make for a kind of surreal situation with both sides trying to adjust on the fly! :d Orion's Hounds really shows the Ferdearation off at its most trying to do best but as the same time the races of this Alliance as well as the Starbeasts come across brilliantly and make for very different battle scenes especially as Riker, Troi and the crew of the Titan are trying to find a peaceful resolution and don't want to hurt anyone! :D
The solution that comes up is inventive but at the same time brilliantly lays down the ground work for future books :D The development and depth of the cultures in the Vela Association are brilliantly done and brilliantly show what is out there in other areas! :D
Orion's Hounds will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to work out ahead of the crew of Titan and Alliance what the solution will be and will keep guessing on every page! :D The book has character development and action is spades and will keep you up late and if you have to sleep trying to work out how they are going to pull rabbit out of the hat! :D Brilliant stuff, full o adventure clash of cultures, heroic and action packed throughout! :D Highly recommend! :D Make sure you have the sequel! Crisp high five! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2021
Leider war dies mein letztes Buch aus der Star Trek Titan Serie. Dieser dritte Band hat mir das Weiterverfolgen aus gleich mehreren Gründen gründlich verdorben.
Aber kommen wir zunächst zu (dem einzigen) positiven Punkt: Dieser dritte Band war sprachlich und auch plottechnisch signifikant besser geschrieben als die vorherigen beiden, was dem neuen Autor zu verdanken ist.
Nun zu den Punkten, die mir den Spaß an der Serie verdorben haben.
1. Der Holzhammer, mit dem den Lesern die Diversität der Crew um die Ohren gehauen wird.
Ich mag die Crew und ihre Unterschiede, dennoch verabscheue ich es bei jeder auch noch so dünnen Gelegenheit ins Gesicht gehalten zu bekommen wie toll Diversität doch ist. Das reißt mich jedes Mal aus der Geschichte heraus.
Liebe Autoren, zeigt die Crew, zeigt wie sie ihre Unterschiede überwinden, aber bitte! Lasst den moralischen Holzhammer zuhause. Wir sind alle intelligent genug um auch so zu verstehen das Diversität eine Chance sein kann.
2. Die Moralkeule.
Die Geschichte verfügt über massenhaft moralische Diskussionen. Die jedes einzelne Mal so geschrieben sind, dass die vom Plot nicht gewünschte Sichtweise schlecht argumentiert oder unter den moralinsauren Gegenargumenten schlicht verschwindet ohne aufgelöst worden zu sein.
Es ist ermüdend, zumal vor allem Captain Riker eine vor der ersten Direktive nicht haltbare Einmischung als das einzig Richtige durchsetzt ohne Gegenargumente zählen zu lassen. Es fehlt der so neutral abwägende Picard. Ich persönlich möchte keinen Captain sehen, der sich nach Kirk Manier überall dort einmischt wo er es moralisch für richtig hält.
3. Die Beziehung zwischen Riker und Troi. Diese wird sehr in den Mittelpunkt gerückt und wird schnell anstrengend. Riker berät sich in seiner Funktion als Captain vorrangig mit seiner Frau (und sei es telepathisch) während seine Nr. 1 sich wie das 5 Rad am Wagen in die Entscheidungsfindung hinein drängen muss und dann auch noch in 90% der Fälle ignoriert oder vaterlich abgekanzelt wird. Er teilt ihr mit, dass er ihre Meinung schätzt und bespricht in der nächsten Szene wieder alles nur mit Troi, wobei privates und dienstliches in schöner Regelmäßigkeit vermischt wird-trotz der ständigen Lippen Erkenntnisse dies nicht zu tun. Es ist ermüdend.
4. Zu (un-) guter Letzt ist mir die Darstellung von Troi extremst negativ aufgefallen. Es werden mehrfach Councellorsessions geschildert, wobei schnell klar wird, dass der Autor wohl noch nie in seinem Leben mit einem Psychologen gesprochen hat. Die Sessions werden dazu missbraucht, dass Troi ihre eigenen moralischen Vorstellungen auf andere abladen kann, statt sie in ihrer ihr eigenen Kultur abzuholen und in der Logik dieser Kultur zu argumentieren. Diese Szenen machten mich richtiggehend wütend und passen so sehr in das moralinsaure "ich weiss was richtig für euch alle ist", welches die ach so besungene Diversität letztlich ad absurdum führt. So werden die teilweise wirklich weit von unsren Normen entfernten Spezies eher zum Kuriositäten Kabinett degradiert anstatt die Welt, die Crew und die Geschichte zu bereichern.
Fazit:Nette Star Trek Geschichte aber dank der oben genannten sehr störenden Faktoren :Nein danke, für mich bitte nicht noch mehr davon.
Aber kommen wir zunächst zu (dem einzigen) positiven Punkt: Dieser dritte Band war sprachlich und auch plottechnisch signifikant besser geschrieben als die vorherigen beiden, was dem neuen Autor zu verdanken ist.
Nun zu den Punkten, die mir den Spaß an der Serie verdorben haben.
1. Der Holzhammer, mit dem den Lesern die Diversität der Crew um die Ohren gehauen wird.
Ich mag die Crew und ihre Unterschiede, dennoch verabscheue ich es bei jeder auch noch so dünnen Gelegenheit ins Gesicht gehalten zu bekommen wie toll Diversität doch ist. Das reißt mich jedes Mal aus der Geschichte heraus.
Liebe Autoren, zeigt die Crew, zeigt wie sie ihre Unterschiede überwinden, aber bitte! Lasst den moralischen Holzhammer zuhause. Wir sind alle intelligent genug um auch so zu verstehen das Diversität eine Chance sein kann.
2. Die Moralkeule.
Die Geschichte verfügt über massenhaft moralische Diskussionen. Die jedes einzelne Mal so geschrieben sind, dass die vom Plot nicht gewünschte Sichtweise schlecht argumentiert oder unter den moralinsauren Gegenargumenten schlicht verschwindet ohne aufgelöst worden zu sein.
Es ist ermüdend, zumal vor allem Captain Riker eine vor der ersten Direktive nicht haltbare Einmischung als das einzig Richtige durchsetzt ohne Gegenargumente zählen zu lassen. Es fehlt der so neutral abwägende Picard. Ich persönlich möchte keinen Captain sehen, der sich nach Kirk Manier überall dort einmischt wo er es moralisch für richtig hält.
3. Die Beziehung zwischen Riker und Troi. Diese wird sehr in den Mittelpunkt gerückt und wird schnell anstrengend. Riker berät sich in seiner Funktion als Captain vorrangig mit seiner Frau (und sei es telepathisch) während seine Nr. 1 sich wie das 5 Rad am Wagen in die Entscheidungsfindung hinein drängen muss und dann auch noch in 90% der Fälle ignoriert oder vaterlich abgekanzelt wird. Er teilt ihr mit, dass er ihre Meinung schätzt und bespricht in der nächsten Szene wieder alles nur mit Troi, wobei privates und dienstliches in schöner Regelmäßigkeit vermischt wird-trotz der ständigen Lippen Erkenntnisse dies nicht zu tun. Es ist ermüdend.
4. Zu (un-) guter Letzt ist mir die Darstellung von Troi extremst negativ aufgefallen. Es werden mehrfach Councellorsessions geschildert, wobei schnell klar wird, dass der Autor wohl noch nie in seinem Leben mit einem Psychologen gesprochen hat. Die Sessions werden dazu missbraucht, dass Troi ihre eigenen moralischen Vorstellungen auf andere abladen kann, statt sie in ihrer ihr eigenen Kultur abzuholen und in der Logik dieser Kultur zu argumentieren. Diese Szenen machten mich richtiggehend wütend und passen so sehr in das moralinsaure "ich weiss was richtig für euch alle ist", welches die ach so besungene Diversität letztlich ad absurdum führt. So werden die teilweise wirklich weit von unsren Normen entfernten Spezies eher zum Kuriositäten Kabinett degradiert anstatt die Welt, die Crew und die Geschichte zu bereichern.
Fazit:Nette Star Trek Geschichte aber dank der oben genannten sehr störenden Faktoren :Nein danke, für mich bitte nicht noch mehr davon.
August 5, 2021
This is the first time I came across this series about Riker and Troi on their own ship, Titan. I was very excited because I have wanted more from these characters. In fact, I've always thought that one of the few things The Next Generation could have improved on was their handling (or lack thereof) of the relationship/romance between Riker and Troi.
Maybe I should have started with the first one, but I couldn't wait. I would have had to track them down and purchase them, or wait to have them ordered. So, I got this one and jumped right in.
The crew is a bit, uh, unique. There are characters that are very unusual - like Odo on DS9 unusual - in that they are not the humanoid. I was not even sure if these characters could ever be done on film, using people. It would have to be CGI. But that's fine, I have no problems with a diverse crew - that's what I love about Star Trek.
However this book tends to harp on the fact that Titan's crew is so diverse. There is a comment early on that said something like, "Most crews in the Federation are not that diverse." Meaning that most crews are mostly humanoids.
I mean, really???
Are you seriously going to criticize Star Trek for THAT? Star Trek has always been at the forefront of diversity on TV. Everyone knows that. Plus, the only reason they did not have more non-humanoid characters like Odo is probably because it was very special-effects - not to mention budget - intense. It was not fair to criticize all ST crews that way.
Maybe Bennett did not mean it that way, but preaching about diversity (and in the process insulting the very franchise that you are writing for) just kept throwing me out of the story. I found it very distracting and annoying. Star Trek always gets it's point across in an entertaining and non-preachy way - that's what makes it so great.
I definitely want to read more about Riker an Troi - it was great to see them again and I think this series has potential. I am going to go back and read #1 and hope that the other books in this series are better.
Maybe I should have started with the first one, but I couldn't wait. I would have had to track them down and purchase them, or wait to have them ordered. So, I got this one and jumped right in.
The crew is a bit, uh, unique. There are characters that are very unusual - like Odo on DS9 unusual - in that they are not the humanoid. I was not even sure if these characters could ever be done on film, using people. It would have to be CGI. But that's fine, I have no problems with a diverse crew - that's what I love about Star Trek.
However this book tends to harp on the fact that Titan's crew is so diverse. There is a comment early on that said something like, "Most crews in the Federation are not that diverse." Meaning that most crews are mostly humanoids.
I mean, really???
Are you seriously going to criticize Star Trek for THAT? Star Trek has always been at the forefront of diversity on TV. Everyone knows that. Plus, the only reason they did not have more non-humanoid characters like Odo is probably because it was very special-effects - not to mention budget - intense. It was not fair to criticize all ST crews that way.
Maybe Bennett did not mean it that way, but preaching about diversity (and in the process insulting the very franchise that you are writing for) just kept throwing me out of the story. I found it very distracting and annoying. Star Trek always gets it's point across in an entertaining and non-preachy way - that's what makes it so great.
I definitely want to read more about Riker an Troi - it was great to see them again and I think this series has potential. I am going to go back and read #1 and hope that the other books in this series are better.
Read
June 29, 2023I ended up reading this one slightly out of order. Just skipped over it for some reason.
I have mixed feelings. On one hand, the premise of the book feels like it could have been taken straight from the original series. I love the notion of a species that is clearly in need of help from having been hunted by another. But at the same time the balance between all these varying species is so fragile, lending that aid could disrupt everything. It’s a fascinating study of how contact with less developed civilizations can end up doing damage, even if the motives are good.
There are also some nice callbacks to the first season of TNG - not everyone’s favorite by any means but it does lend some narrative weight to the story.
At the same time, it does seem to fall victim to the shortcomings I have seen in all the Titan books so far. The momentum of the book often suffers as everything crashes to a halt as the narrative ducks away on a tangential scene that can feel forced or shoehorned. It just feels like there’s too much effort being made to bring in backstories for the secondary characters and it often feels forced and slows down the flow of the plot. There’s also what I call the Star Wars effect, when so much effort is put into making the aliens unique that it distracts from the story. Also, while I understand and appreciate the motives for showing a wide diversity of different alien species, sometimes their physically traits are taken so far that it makes me wonder about the practicality of all these beings functioning on the same ship.
So overall, the premise of the book is really interesting and it does a nice job with its use of the Star Trek universe and characters. It’s just that at times the book does drag and is more of a chore to read. I think it just needed to be shorter.
I have mixed feelings. On one hand, the premise of the book feels like it could have been taken straight from the original series. I love the notion of a species that is clearly in need of help from having been hunted by another. But at the same time the balance between all these varying species is so fragile, lending that aid could disrupt everything. It’s a fascinating study of how contact with less developed civilizations can end up doing damage, even if the motives are good.
There are also some nice callbacks to the first season of TNG - not everyone’s favorite by any means but it does lend some narrative weight to the story.
At the same time, it does seem to fall victim to the shortcomings I have seen in all the Titan books so far. The momentum of the book often suffers as everything crashes to a halt as the narrative ducks away on a tangential scene that can feel forced or shoehorned. It just feels like there’s too much effort being made to bring in backstories for the secondary characters and it often feels forced and slows down the flow of the plot. There’s also what I call the Star Wars effect, when so much effort is put into making the aliens unique that it distracts from the story. Also, while I understand and appreciate the motives for showing a wide diversity of different alien species, sometimes their physically traits are taken so far that it makes me wonder about the practicality of all these beings functioning on the same ship.
So overall, the premise of the book is really interesting and it does a nice job with its use of the Star Trek universe and characters. It’s just that at times the book does drag and is more of a chore to read. I think it just needed to be shorter.
December 27, 2020
At first I did not like the direct anti hunting theme that appeared to be a morality tale in this novel. My novel got worn an battered as I carried it around.
Thankfully I did finish the novel and found the conclusion completely satisfactory. Orions Hounds is a totally justified title that you do not get a resolution to until the end of the story.
I always hate it when we as the audience are preached to instead of shown. At first the novel starts out preachy about hunting being morally wrong or at the very least highly questionable. However we are shown in a plot twist that morality is highly subjective and that is part of the Brilliance of the writing. Its a bait - preach - and switch - show the other side of the argument -- and it worked .
I love Christopher Bennetts writing. Out of all the writers that write about beautiful scenery he is perhaps the absolute best at this. He is easy to read, fun to read and this is one of his better novels. He does characterization well and also is a fine plotter. To explore the depths of space through his writing and see the Cosmozoans (Think tin man) is a marvel that sticks with me even years later after completely reading every Star Trek Titan novel there is.
Thankfully I did finish the novel and found the conclusion completely satisfactory. Orions Hounds is a totally justified title that you do not get a resolution to until the end of the story.
I always hate it when we as the audience are preached to instead of shown. At first the novel starts out preachy about hunting being morally wrong or at the very least highly questionable. However we are shown in a plot twist that morality is highly subjective and that is part of the Brilliance of the writing. Its a bait - preach - and switch - show the other side of the argument -- and it worked .
I love Christopher Bennetts writing. Out of all the writers that write about beautiful scenery he is perhaps the absolute best at this. He is easy to read, fun to read and this is one of his better novels. He does characterization well and also is a fine plotter. To explore the depths of space through his writing and see the Cosmozoans (Think tin man) is a marvel that sticks with me even years later after completely reading every Star Trek Titan novel there is.
February 19, 2024
Star Trek Titan #3: Orion’s Hounds by Christopher L.Bennett
Coming to the third book in the Titan series, this one was the best one I’ve read so far. It’s the lightest of the first three books which is a plus in my view.
This was an intriguing book that followed up on several threads from the TV shows in the form of Cozmans, basically giant space animals that can survive and thrive in the vacuum of space.
This serves as a sequel to Encounter at Farpoint and Titan is an excellent way to explore concepts from TNG such as the space jellies that left some questions unanswered. They also follow up on the Crystillane Entites, the vampire cloud from TOS and much more. The conflict between the space jellies and the Pa’Qhuel was simple and something I’ve seen hundreds of times in Trek, but it worked. It’s sometimes nice and comforting exploring familiar concepts such as intervention, the Prime Directive, and Prey vs Predator. Overall, this was a brief pleasant read and I look forward to the rest of the books.
7/10
Coming to the third book in the Titan series, this one was the best one I’ve read so far. It’s the lightest of the first three books which is a plus in my view.
This was an intriguing book that followed up on several threads from the TV shows in the form of Cozmans, basically giant space animals that can survive and thrive in the vacuum of space.
This serves as a sequel to Encounter at Farpoint and Titan is an excellent way to explore concepts from TNG such as the space jellies that left some questions unanswered. They also follow up on the Crystillane Entites, the vampire cloud from TOS and much more. The conflict between the space jellies and the Pa’Qhuel was simple and something I’ve seen hundreds of times in Trek, but it worked. It’s sometimes nice and comforting exploring familiar concepts such as intervention, the Prime Directive, and Prey vs Predator. Overall, this was a brief pleasant read and I look forward to the rest of the books.
7/10
January 25, 2024
3.5 stars I liked this story. It felt different at the same time as it touched on cosmozoans we've encountered in Star Trek: The Next Generation with the species from Encounter at Farpoint being the main one. Having the story be so much about these gigantic species and what life is like for them and coexisting with them was really interesting to me. It was also a lot about the culture and traditions of another species, the Pa'haquel, living in this area of space among the cosmozoans hunting them.
As much as I did like the story with the cosmozoans and the Pa'haquel what I liked even more was the character building in this book. I enjoyed getting to know some of the characters even better. Orilly is a perfect example of this as I loved her backstory of how she got exiled from her planet.
I look forward to reading more of Titan books later on.
As much as I did like the story with the cosmozoans and the Pa'haquel what I liked even more was the character building in this book. I enjoyed getting to know some of the characters even better. Orilly is a perfect example of this as I loved her backstory of how she got exiled from her planet.
I look forward to reading more of Titan books later on.
December 12, 2022
What a fun read. This took me back to why I fell in love with Star Trek in the first place: the thrill and wonders of exploration, making first contact, upholding the values that founded the Federation even as Riker and his crew attempt to (respectfully) understand ways of life radically different from their own, and attempt to prompt change for the better. The author prompts some worthwhile reflections on the fine line to walk between following the Prime Directive to the letter versus trying to induce change for the better as an outsider.
The author did a skillful and very imaginative job describing alien species vastly different from the usual non human alien species composed of individuals who all dress alike and share the same motivations and embody certain aspects of humans taken to an extreme. It was also good to encounter the Farpoint jellies and the Crystalline Entities again.
The author did a skillful and very imaginative job describing alien species vastly different from the usual non human alien species composed of individuals who all dress alike and share the same motivations and embody certain aspects of humans taken to an extreme. It was also good to encounter the Farpoint jellies and the Crystalline Entities again.
April 3, 2024
Actual rating 3.5. I heard that this one was the best book of the Titan series so far, plus I loved the author's other Star Trek book, so maybe I had higher expectations than usual, but I didn't love this book. I liked the previous ones better. I just couldn't get into the whole jellies story. It's cool he used them from the Encounter at Farpoint episode and built up a whole universe and ecosystem for them and the Pa'haquel, but I found some long parts about the jellies pretty boring. But, I'm glad I stuck to it, because the last quarter of the book gets better and there is a lot of action in the climax. There is also a lot of good character development and interactions in the crew. I learn a lot about many of the crew like the doctor. I think Tuvok was protrayed as a bit too much of a baby in this story. Very weak and scared and reluctant. Didn't really match his character much.
July 23, 2019
An excellent story, easily one of the best of the modern Star Trek novel era. Like any great Star Trek story, Orion's Hounds contains allegories for our own lives and lessons that we can use in our own world today. The world-building of the cosmozoan ecosystem of the Gum Nebula is first rate, and Christopher Bennett has managed to create a setting that is full of wonders that truly made me feel that sense of excitement at the idea of exploration and discovery. As the start of Titan's mission of exploration, Orion's Hounds succeeds on nearly every level.
Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2019/07/orion...
Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2019/07/orion...
September 26, 2020
Struggled to get through this one
I don’t know why, as I am generally a huge fan of Christopher Bennett’s work, but I really struggled to complete this book. I had to keep coming back to it time after time, and took several months to finish, as I just couldn’t get engaged with it. I don’t know if it was my lack of caring about the antagonist clan, or the slow pace that the book seemed to take, or what, but I had to force my way through this one...
I don’t know why, as I am generally a huge fan of Christopher Bennett’s work, but I really struggled to complete this book. I had to keep coming back to it time after time, and took several months to finish, as I just couldn’t get engaged with it. I don’t know if it was my lack of caring about the antagonist clan, or the slow pace that the book seemed to take, or what, but I had to force my way through this one...
May 27, 2021
Skurkarna i denna bok var, som vanligt, skurkar med modifikation. Det är tyvärr ofta temat i dessa böcker - att någon enstaka individ ur "skurk-gruppen" är lite vacklande. Slutet var dock inte förutsägbart och boken gav betydligt mer än vad jag trodde från början. Bennetts tidigare platta beskrivning av flera av individerna ombord Titanfördjupades avsevärt. En individ som särskilt imponerade var kuratorn Pral glasch Haaj - en tellarit som kurator, kan ni tänka er det!?!
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