Loyalties

Star Trek: Starfleet Kadetten #18

by Patricia Barnes-Svarney

Beverly Howard is in "big trouble at the Academy. They've just begun their first year as Starfleet Medical Cadets, and already Beverly and her roommate Claire Voy are one step from probation. Commander Max Wiley, who teaches the holodeck simulation course in Medical Emergencies, caught them skipping class to visit an excavation in nearby San Francisco. He took them to the Admiral's office and has put them on notice. One more slip and they're out! When Claire's partner in her Medical Emergencies class is injured, Commander Wiley blames Claire for the accident. But "was it an accident? It is the Commander's word against Claire's. Wiley has no reason to lie -- or does he? Beverly's own investigation takes her from the computer labs to the Admiral's office. Now Claire's future hangs in the balance unless Beverly and Data can find a way to clear her -- without being expelled themselves!

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Fiction, Star Trek The Next Generation

118 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1996

About the author

First I must appologize to my family for being the kid who always asked "Why?" But that one word asked many times led me to science and writing--especially in the physical sciences. And all of that led me to have quite an wide range of other writing topics--from weather in Antarctica to the many facets of Forensic Science. Yes, I've always been "the geek next door"... and with more than three dozen books to my credit (mostly on science), no one questions my geekiness anymore!

The latest book is from Visible Ink Press--The Handy Forensic Science Answer Book. Thomas Svarney is my co-author, and is one heck of a researcher. (He also has a science background, so we can discuss the mechanics of the climate without scratching our heads in puzzlement...Well, within reason!) The book was interesting to put together and we learned a great deal about forensics. It was especially fun since the subject includes so many different sciences.

Reviews

[W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although Beverly Crusher is a favorite character,I didn't enjoy this much.Even Data's appearance doesn't liven it up.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved seeing Beverly and Data in the academy. I just think they tried to shove to many show references into the short story.

[Mauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love most of the Starfleet Academy books, despite being yearsolder than the intended age range. Dr. Crusher was also my favorite character when I was a kid, so I was pleased to find a volume about her.

The story is short, entertaining, and not insulting to the reader's intelligence. Data appears in the second half, and while his characterization is rather simplistic, it fits well with his being just at the cusp of trying to be human.

There is one thing: I would like to shoot the illustrator. The black and white drawings inside are mostly frightening and occasionally grotesque. A sixth grader could do better. The last entry is particularly bad: Beverly Howard with what appears to be a bee sting on her cheek, teeny-weeny hands, gripping a fork with her quadruple-jointed index finger. *shudders*

[Crystal Bensley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent Beverly Crusher at the Academy tale.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very average little story about a young Beverly Howard (one day Crusher) at Starfleet Medical. She was always fairly thinly characterised in canon, but honestly: the protagonist here could have been anyone. Blandly pleasant, and that's about it. The story, as is so often the case in these Academy tie-in novels, is basically about ineffectual adults and the teens who solve problems for them. Which is presumably the brief, given that the series is aimed at kids, but still. It's hard to take the teachers here seriously.

There's nothing else especially wrong with it, bar the fact that it's mildly boring.

[Taaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Auf Seite 70 erst am Anfang des Plots und auf Seite 130 schon durch. Hm, das gehört zu den wenigen Büchern, die gern noch länger hätten sein können. Vor allem, weil der ruhige Beginn ganz angenehm ist und die Geschwindigkeit gern beibehalten hätte werden können.

[Aaron G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a kid and enjoyed it then. Pretty short though. Sadly, this was the only Academy story of Beverly Crusher that was ever released.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beverley is in her first year at the academy, and has a habit of getting into trouble. One of her friends gets accused of messing with a holodeck program that caused another student harm. A decent read, a good plot and the inclusion of Data was very well done. I wasn't impressed with the artwork in this one. A good read.

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I wish this had focused less on the mystery on more on just the everyday experience of life at the academy — this book felt realer than a lot of the others in its portrayal of essentially-college, and the mystery plot distracted it from that.

[Bill Meehan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the most prescient of Sci Fi novels. Knowledge of computers and even chicken pox is quite outdated already. That said, you read these books for quick easy reads with characters you have long known and for that it does it's job.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are the books of my very early childhood, oh, the love and hope and warmth and adventure these gave me as a kid.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This whole series was pretty cool. Wish I could find all of these again.