Centuries ago, followers of the tyrant Khan Noonien Singh left Earth for the planet Hera to continue his experiment in selective breeding. Now, they are finally ready to launch their plan of universal domination -- with the "U.S.S. Enterprise" as their weapon. Captain Picard must enlist the help of Heran expatriate Astrid Kemal to defeat her fellow superbeings. Unless the captain and crew of the "Enterprise" can stop them, the Heran infiltrators could alter the genetic landscape of the galaxy for generations to come.
Didn't really hold my attention much. Could have been better, particularly when it came to ideas about eugenics, which weren't explored in any satisfying depth.
An interesting story that hits some good highs, but also has a few lows.
The planet Hera was founded by followers of Khan Noonien Singh centuries ago and now they've decided to reveal themselves, and their background, to the galaxy, causing concern for all, especially for the crew of the Enterprise which happens to be closest to the world and finds itself trying to create a peace treaty with them while a Federation Admiral on board wants to wipe them out.
I liked the original character Astrid, who was sympathetic and also very strong. I believed her reactions what was done and said to her. I really liked the relationship she had with Worf. The Klingon security officer is also great in this book. I did not care for original character K'Sah; his physical design is interesting and full of so many possibilities, but his personality was too heavy handed and his conclusion cliche.
I really enjoyed Picard the peacemaker, which is what he is always is, but writer Thompson nailed this aspect of the beloved captain. Riker was really opinionated in this outing, which seemed out of character for him. Why he feels this way is justified, but he's so far in this direction it seemed unlike all that I've seen and read of him previously.
The plot is fun, with peeks at the Hera society being wonderfully insightful, though lost when a second Federation fleet arrives. This last group was unnecessary and came across as padding. I also wasn't keen on the original world and it's form of government which becomes very important in the climax.
There are parts to enjoy in this book, and others to shake one's head at.
The book explores the idea of what would have happened if Khan’s (from Star Trek The Original Series and The Wrath of Khan) eugenics movement had been widely implemented. It’s an interesting concept to explore although I don’t think this particular story was well written. There are just too many groups of people who are introduced: Herans (the bad guys), Heran rebels (the good guys usually), the originators (older humans who nefariously created the Herans), Herans who exiled to another planet (good guys) and the humans of Starfleet. It gets really confusing to keep track of the objectives and motivations of each group. I’m pretty sure there are lots of plot holes. On the positive side, there were some cool technology and ideas introduced. And it wouldn’t be Star Trek if there wasn’t a prejudiced or ill advised Admiral on board confounding the good intentions of the Enterprise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I appreciated the core story and the intensity on display, but there are too many irritants. The focus on a guest character feels like a throwback to a much earlier style of Trek novel, and feels like a Mary-Sue-ish addition to the novel. I also couldn't get passed how powerful and advanced the Herans supposedly are...it feels like Dominion War-scale preparations against this planet, but I simply couldn't buy it...or that the descendants of Khan would be able to become so technologically superior on their own, in supposed isolation. Then there are the extra little canon irritants, from odd character beats to incorrect stardates. There is a fantastic story inside this novel, but the layers surrounding it are decidedly uncomfortable.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The eugenics wars are mentioned all over Star Trek media but I feel like we never go into too much detail. This was refreshing and fun. Though the b-plot I didn't realize existed until the very last few pages. The book could have done without it.
I quite like the whole Khan aspect of this book. Prejudice was indoctrinated into them from an early age that had been going on for generations. Them worrying about something that in the end was unfounded resonates with me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
2024 Review 004. Star Trek The Next Generation #42 – Infiltrator by W.R. Thompson
Page Count : 279
Khan Noonien Singh was the most incredible baddie in an episode (Space Seed) or a film of Star Trek (The Wrath of Khan).
This book is a fantastic continuation to his story, that reveals that after Khan left the Earth aboard the Botany Bay, another group of his followers also left the Earth and found a planet in deep space to colonise carrying on the genetically engineered vision of Khan.
The Next Generation has always been my favourite Star Trek series and I have read so many of these books that I'm always on the lookout for new ones to read.
This has joined my list of favourite books.
The Next Generation crew have to deal with an incredibly difficult mission which rapidly evolves to include biological warfare.
W.R.Thompson was a new author to me before this book and I will definitely be interested in reading any other Star Trek books that I can find by them.
If you like Star Trek The Next Generation books, then this will be a good one to read.
This one is so very well constructed and written that it makes the hit-and-miss augment-arch from Star Trek: Enterprise seem like a school play in comparison.
"Infiltrator" takes the idea of Federation's absolute and fearful ban on human genetic engineering and runs with it in a fresh, nonantagonistic way. By introducing a character from a colony full of genetically engineered people who has disguised her true identity W.R. Thompson creates a premise with tension and dramatic possibilities that are largely utilized. This is also a nicely broad Trek story, giving us some glimpses into this plausible society of Homo superior.
When the characters sound real, the prose is beautifully realized and everything plays (mostly) well with established ST lore, the result is an engaging, entertaining and beautifully analytical piece of fine ST.
The book has an interesting premise but is, overall, poorly constructed. The writing itself is not bad but the story and character development do not hold up. It also does a decent job of recreating the well-known (classic) characters but then makes the mistake of using them in some very cliched scenarios. The book is also too long and ends up being repetitive in some areas.
The version I read also had several typographical errors and even a couple of structural errors (for example, there is a missing reference to Kemal, at one point when Picard talks about "her" but is referencing another character).
The real problem with this book is that it tries, ostensibly to present "different" characters and a fresh take on an old topic... but then recycles all the most basic tropes of the genre and doesn't ever stray from the path. In fact, it takes the time to repeatedly retrace its footsteps along the well-trodden paths. If the story stayed true to its premise, we would have seen something much different and decidely more interesting.
A combination of tedious and transparent plot and flat writing meant I couldn't make it past fifty pages. I know Star Trek novels aren't exactly high literature, but they should at least elicit a smidgen of interest.
A rather clunky read which attempts to draw on the greatness of TNG's "The Drumhead", W.R. Thompson's Infiltrator attempts to take on themes of eugenics, morality, brinkmanship with a sprinkling of potential genocide.
While I enjoyed the first half of the book and its gradual introduction to the Herans and their plan to unleash the Unity virus on humanity, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated at the fragmented nature of the plot after the half-way point. An attempt to shoehorn in a Failed Geordi Romance subplot should have tipped me off earlier on that I would dislike Infiltrator, however Thompson has a habit of pivoting between seemingly unrelated plotlines at warp speed. On the one hand this means if something isn't working, the reader is quickly moved along to something else better. On the other hand, this makes for an often choppy and incoherent read where it feels like there are far too many players and plotlines on the drawing board at any one time.
The guest of characters is broad, if not predictable. We have the rogue warmongering Admiral Trask who gets far too much latitude from Picard and the crew, then there's the Pay'uk exchange officer Ka'sah who wanders around in a chaotic fashion annoying most of the crew (and this reader). Astrid Kemal is the Zerkalan engineer on assignment to the Enterprise, who we're led to believe is a potential Heran infiltrator (although this plotline bizarrely doesn't really seem to gain enough traction and eventually fizzles out). Meanwhile planetside we have the Heran rebel Marla Sukhoi who, despite leading much of the plot in the first quarter of the novel, just fades away after that.
You'd think with so many players and heavy plotlines to develop that Infiltrator would be quite a compelling read... but the author seems determined to divert to silly subplots every time momentum starts to build. Potential genocide on the horizon? Let's focus on a sentient tree with tentacles for a few pages instead. Just starting a conversation about the ethics of genetic engineering? Hold on while we check in with the Herans' psychic pet leopard on the planet first.
Despite the flip-flopping between serious meaty morality plays and silly fluff, Infiltrator may have managed to hold on to three stars from me, had it not been for the jarring final few chapters. The Federation has never been a territorial organisation with conquering intent, but that's exactly how it is painted. The methods that are used to "request" Zerkalo and Hera join the Federation seem coercive at best, and totally out of step with Star Trek's mission statement. This cemented a firm two stars for me.
Oh no, not another Star Trek Novel! oh yeah, cause I am planning to read as many as I can in this lifetime :)))) Another day, another dangerous situation for US.S. ENTERPRISE who as every time again and again, has to save the day and find a solution to avoid a full-scale war between the Federation ( and its Klingon allies) and a planet full of Khan's descendants who were raised as human weapons, much more intelligent, powerful and everything else compared to their cousins or so-called "primals" or "old humans". I really enjoyed this book so yeah, go ahead if you want a couple of hours spent in the company of our beloved Jean Luc Picard and his moral and ethical dilemmas.
I see the top review on my feed for this claims 'well-constructed.' And yet, the primary thing I find problematic about it is what a mess it is. And what wasted potential: yes, the exploration of eugenics is mildly interesting, but there is so very much more that can be done with theme; it's a rich source of ideas and the author just looked at a few of them. Also Worf is way too bloodthirsty. Oh, and if you aren't ready to read something that reminds you of the plague of Covid-19, skip this.
I'm almost done with the box of TNGs that I inherited from my brother. Mixed feelings, but mostly Whew!
Almost gave this one 5 starts but I don't know if I can characterize this as "amazing!" but I really did enjoy it. I liked the debates, story and the characters had been around long enough that people know how to write them now. I find the Eugenics stuff overly emphasized in Star Trek too much but this one used it in the way it should and didn't overdo the Khan stuff which I appreciated. I think the author had some cool ideas when it came to ship capabilities and advanced tech and I found the insight from the Heran point of view to be interesting enough and not too hard to follow.
This is a good story, especially for Worf and Geordi fans, I think. Kemal is a clever character, too. I like what little we see of President Stoneroots and Zerkalo, the planet of anarchists. The Heran gadgets and weapons are intriguing. I especially like the pocket replicator that can replicate a larger foldable replicator which can replicate a catapult. Checks out! Seems like these toys will now proliferate quickly throughout the Federation- which, since it's a book, doesn't happen- maybe the Zerkalans are charging outlandish prices?
An interesting concept, much of the main focus being on Geordi and Wolf, with some minor focus on Picard and Riker. Wolf isn't my favourite, but his story did have some humorous elements I liked. I did enjoy the Geordi's story, and I wish the book had more time to explore his developing relationship with Astrid. The battle at the end of the book was kind of underwhelming, but I guess that was the point. The so called "bad guys" were pretty obvious from the beginning, but it was still a solid read.
An ok novel. It really made no sense to me to have super intelligent/super physique people be afraid of what out-worlder's (old-humans) would think of them. Such an advanced society with fancy engineering tech who thought they themselves were weapons that would be annihilated if they were exposed seemed quite a stretch. But the way the crew of Enterprise upheld Federation ideals made it an OK read...
Picard and crew encounter a world of genetically engineered humans who believe themselves superior to “old” humans. Despite Starfleet’s efforts to build a peaceful relationship, a long history of distrust and suspicion pushes both sides to the brink of war.
This was a quick and easy read. It’s been several years since I last read a Star Trek novel, so I enjoyed the diversion. It was a good story, though probably a little two easily resolved after a big build up to the height of the conflict.
An interesting read with likable characters and a plot that delved more into the effects of the Eugenics War that occurred in the 1990s. Loved the character of Astrid Kemal who a fiercely strong, and intelligent woman who happens to be the product of genetically engineered parents. Throughout the novel, she is trying to balance who she is and what the universe sees her as -- a descendent of the notorious Khan line. Overall an enjoyable read, with good characters.
I wanted to like this book. I enjoy any story featuring Khan in anyway. The idea of a planet of genetically engineered humans wanting to conquer the galaxy and was basically Picard vs augments should have been great. But I only made it 45 pages into this book. The writing made it a total slog and everyone felt like stuff wooden versions themselves. Very disappointing.
Superhumans, genetically engineered, from the Eugenics War, infiltrate and plan to dominate the galaxy. Picard and his crew have to find a way to stop them, with the help of expatriate, Astrid Kemal...but is she an infiltrator? Betazoid, Deanna Troi, ship's counselor, finds it difficult to read her. Lots of action. Several new characters add to the enjoyment of on-ship relationships.
This was a bit different than what I am used to for a Star Trek book. I love reading about the characters that are familiar in new and interesting situations. Geordi with a love interest. Worf losing a fight. A few of new peoples with some interesting characteristics. I hope to see more of them in stories new to me. If you like Star Trek then give this a read.
Fascinating exploration about the pros and cons of genetic engineering. The big plot twist and reveal at the end was really neat. The character of Astrid was well-drawn and very sympathetic. I liked her character so much that I would happily read a whole novel about her new assignment in the year after the events of the book (if you read the book, you know what I’m referencing).
From the looks of it, this was released for the 30th anniversary of Star Trek, hence the TNG crew dealing with Khan's legacy. The premise sounded interesting, but the story ended up being just fine. A quick and easy read, for what it's worth.