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Star Trek: New Earth #2
Belle Terre
The "Starship Enterprise(TM) " has embarked on its most ambitious assignment yet: to lead a courageous band of settlers to a far-off planet, to defend the fragile colony from alien threats, and to unravel the mysteries of a brand-new Earth! Belle Terre
A six-month distance from the Federation, the planet Belle Terre offers a new life to more than 30,000 families, pioneers, scientists, expatriates, go-getters, loners, and entrepreneurs, all under the watchful eye of Captain Kirk and his crew. But the would-be colonists have barely settled in the untamed wilderness of their new home when Spock makes a startling discovery: not only does the planet's moons contain a rare ore of almost inestimable value, that same moon is also violently unstable. Within months, it will inevitably explode -- destroying all life on Belle Terre!
A six-month distance from the Federation, the planet Belle Terre offers a new life to more than 30,000 families, pioneers, scientists, expatriates, go-getters, loners, and entrepreneurs, all under the watchful eye of Captain Kirk and his crew. But the would-be colonists have barely settled in the untamed wilderness of their new home when Spock makes a startling discovery: not only does the planet's moons contain a rare ore of almost inestimable value, that same moon is also violently unstable. Within months, it will inevitably explode -- destroying all life on Belle Terre!
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2000
27 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
About the author
Dean Wesley Smith
822 books177 followersPen Names
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley
Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.
With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.
Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.
Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley
Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.
With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.
Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.
Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 4, 2023
An exciting race against the clock! This one had me gripped!
December 9, 2020
The children in this book make Goosebumps characters look smart.
August 13, 2019
Star Trek: New Earth Series #Two of Six
First Thoughts:
I’ve enjoyed and am enjoying Deal Wesley Smith’s time travel novels, Thunder Mountain series but I didn’t know until recently that in the year 2000 he had co-written a few Star Trek novels. I admit I have not read all of this series but the books do seem to stand on their own and to catch up the reader nicely to what had happened in previous books, usually!
Story:
Essentially the colonists on the newly discovered planet, Belle Terre, find a planet with Earth-like conditions that everyone seems to love. But the snake in Paradise is their own moon, which has a core full of a quantum material that is highly prized by the Federation and others to have more power than dilithium crystals. It has a bad habit of being unstable and is about to explode, raining radiation on the planet and make it uninhabitable.
Our original Star Trek crew must figure out a way of either stopping or mitigating the explosion before it’s too late. Some good action sequences here, and the reading is easy and fast. You could easily finish this story in a matter of hours.
Dean Wesley Smith and Diane Carey put together a plot that is fast-paced but they leave up in the air whatever happened the starship The Rattlesnake, which had an interesting mission of checking out other planets in other star systems and they discovered an energy-sucking anomaly floating through civilizations and destroying them. Fascinating premise. Then the authors dropped it! Yikes!
Final Thoughts:
Interesting novel series, though written 19 years ago I just found out about it. Some of the six-novel series are strong, others not so much. Recommended, especially for fans of the Original Series.
First Thoughts:
I’ve enjoyed and am enjoying Deal Wesley Smith’s time travel novels, Thunder Mountain series but I didn’t know until recently that in the year 2000 he had co-written a few Star Trek novels. I admit I have not read all of this series but the books do seem to stand on their own and to catch up the reader nicely to what had happened in previous books, usually!
Story:
Essentially the colonists on the newly discovered planet, Belle Terre, find a planet with Earth-like conditions that everyone seems to love. But the snake in Paradise is their own moon, which has a core full of a quantum material that is highly prized by the Federation and others to have more power than dilithium crystals. It has a bad habit of being unstable and is about to explode, raining radiation on the planet and make it uninhabitable.
Our original Star Trek crew must figure out a way of either stopping or mitigating the explosion before it’s too late. Some good action sequences here, and the reading is easy and fast. You could easily finish this story in a matter of hours.
Dean Wesley Smith and Diane Carey put together a plot that is fast-paced but they leave up in the air whatever happened the starship The Rattlesnake, which had an interesting mission of checking out other planets in other star systems and they discovered an energy-sucking anomaly floating through civilizations and destroying them. Fascinating premise. Then the authors dropped it! Yikes!
Final Thoughts:
Interesting novel series, though written 19 years ago I just found out about it. Some of the six-novel series are strong, others not so much. Recommended, especially for fans of the Original Series.
April 23, 2019
A definite improvement over the first book in the series, Belle Terre presents the crew with an interesting scientific mystery and dire consequences if they fail to find a solution. While it wasn't exactly the most gripping Star Trek novel ever, I felt that the jeopardy was ratcheted up enough to hold my interest and attention throughout. The crew is, of course, ultimately successful, but they still end up paying a high price for their relative victory. There are storylines begun in this novel that I hope are picked up again later in the series. Definitely a solid entry in the New Earth series.
Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2019/04/tos90...
Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2019/04/tos90...
May 2, 2025
TOS #91: New Earth #2: Belle Terre by Dean Wesley Smith & Diane Carey
This book was a big improvement from the first book. I was not a fan at all of Wagon Train to the Stars. The way the colonists talked felt very out of place in the 23rd century as if they were from the 20th century. The way Carey would write prose and character details was quote on quote “purple prose” meaning it’s overly complicated and over detailed when it doesn’t need to be. The concept of New Earth should work but Carey’s streak of Libertarian ideas and politics was very much on display on here. It felt unneeded.
But the second book is a massive improvement and shows that the concept of a Wagon Train to the Stars can work. Smith makes the colonists seem like people from the 23rd century, instead of the 20th. They just feel more natural and realistic and not weird. It’s possible for people that are more Libertarian to exist in the 23rd century but here they feel more natural and real characters. They don’t feel like played up stereotypes.
The plot of the Quake Moon was engaging and kept my interest throughout the book as it was a really interesting idea. Smith portrayed the TOS characters just fine. My favourite part was Sunn figuring out what happened to the alien civilizations affected by “the Darkness” and the civilizations we briefly see are interesting and left me wanting to learn more. The only part of the book I was iffy on was the subplot with the kids as it felt stereotypical for kids to run off in a situation like this.
I think the other part that bothered me is that the colonists still decide to settle the planet after everything. The covers on the other books in this series kinda lie and promise a vast and beautiful world but instead it kinda turns into your typical Western. If I were them, I wouldn’t want anything to do with the world after the Quake moon explosion. I know given the amount of supplies they have left over, it’s impossible and given the health issues with oblivum , I wouldn’t want anything to do with it.
Anyway, Smith makes the concept work a lot better and the characters more realistic. He doesn’t make them stereotypes and the overall main thrust of the book and plot is engaging.
6.8/10
This book was a big improvement from the first book. I was not a fan at all of Wagon Train to the Stars. The way the colonists talked felt very out of place in the 23rd century as if they were from the 20th century. The way Carey would write prose and character details was quote on quote “purple prose” meaning it’s overly complicated and over detailed when it doesn’t need to be. The concept of New Earth should work but Carey’s streak of Libertarian ideas and politics was very much on display on here. It felt unneeded.
But the second book is a massive improvement and shows that the concept of a Wagon Train to the Stars can work. Smith makes the colonists seem like people from the 23rd century, instead of the 20th. They just feel more natural and realistic and not weird. It’s possible for people that are more Libertarian to exist in the 23rd century but here they feel more natural and real characters. They don’t feel like played up stereotypes.
The plot of the Quake Moon was engaging and kept my interest throughout the book as it was a really interesting idea. Smith portrayed the TOS characters just fine. My favourite part was Sunn figuring out what happened to the alien civilizations affected by “the Darkness” and the civilizations we briefly see are interesting and left me wanting to learn more. The only part of the book I was iffy on was the subplot with the kids as it felt stereotypical for kids to run off in a situation like this.
I think the other part that bothered me is that the colonists still decide to settle the planet after everything. The covers on the other books in this series kinda lie and promise a vast and beautiful world but instead it kinda turns into your typical Western. If I were them, I wouldn’t want anything to do with the world after the Quake moon explosion. I know given the amount of supplies they have left over, it’s impossible and given the health issues with oblivum , I wouldn’t want anything to do with it.
Anyway, Smith makes the concept work a lot better and the characters more realistic. He doesn’t make them stereotypes and the overall main thrust of the book and plot is engaging.
6.8/10
February 13, 2018
I enjoyed this more than Wagon Train - it was pacier, zippier, and had an antagonist that was far less irritating. That antagonist happened to be an exploding moon, so this was more a of natural disaster story than anything but I like those so it worked for me. The tension level was pretty high throughout, so this was a single sitting reading; it really kept me hooked, with two exceptions. I did not care at all about those stupid children (natural selection at play I totally think), and the Blankness seemed like it belonged in a different story altogether. An interesting story, and one that I'd quite like to read, but it dragged away from the main storyline here in a way that did not best serve the Blankness itself, I think.
July 27, 2024
Captain James T. Kirk dropped into the soft sand and leaned back against a large log of driftwood. In front of him the dune slanted down to the beach and the green-tinted ocean beyond. He tried to think back to the last time he had simply sat alone on a beach and relaxed. He couldn't remember ever doing that. But he also couldn't imagine this was the first time, either. He must have relaxed on a beach before, although he had no doubt Dr. McCoy would swear it had never happened. McCoy always said that James Kirk never relaxed.
Kirk supposed that was true. Maybe it wasn't too late to learn. Or more likely, it was time to learn.
I could not finish the first chapter.
January 8, 2018
A little better than the first one. The plot was basically the colonists and the crew of The Enterprise in a race against time and nature, finding a way to save the new home where they had just began to put down roots. The subplot of the two warring alien factions threatening the colonists was not to be found this time, and I didn’t miss it. The whole series can just be humans against the elements of a strange new world. Only issue I had was what happened to the crew of that scout ship!? I hope they are going to look for them sooner rather than later. We should’ve been told definitively whether they lived or died, there was plenty of ambiguity there.
March 2, 2022
A great second installment I think his series. I was a bit worried at the beginning I did not expect to find the wagon train already on Belle Terre. I thought there was still some story to be told on the remainder of the journey there. But the story was excellent. I enjoyed the countdown aspect.
A few new mysteries to solve. The blood and jails were absent it will be interesting likely knowing what would happen. There return will be interesting when it happens. And the mysterious energy draining black mass in space that was discovered. I’m sure that’s not the last we have heard of that.
Looking forward to book 3.
A few new mysteries to solve. The blood and jails were absent it will be interesting likely knowing what would happen. There return will be interesting when it happens. And the mysterious energy draining black mass in space that was discovered. I’m sure that’s not the last we have heard of that.
Looking forward to book 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2023
I really enjoyed this book
The main plot starts early in the first chapter of this book. A moon is about to explode and Kirk and his crew, along with over 60,000 colonists have to do the impossible to save their new colony. Great characters and story. Worth the time to read this relatively short book.
The main plot starts early in the first chapter of this book. A moon is about to explode and Kirk and his crew, along with over 60,000 colonists have to do the impossible to save their new colony. Great characters and story. Worth the time to read this relatively short book.
July 10, 2024
A wagon train in space, full up of cowboys and behaviour that is distinctly dated and seems almost unbelievable for people today let alone in the future, but nonetheless it's quite fun to read and not a long book.
February 17, 2025
A gripping race against time is counterbalanced by the fact that mysteries are being set up for later books and issues from the first book - a DNF from me, alas - also need to be dealt with. I like the scope of the story, though.
January 8, 2015
Space the final frontier, but if you had any sense you would stay at home on Earth and live in the relative peace and tranquillity that is the Star Trek universe. It is this baseline oxymoron that slightly undermines the ‘New Earth’ series of books that continues to do so in book two; ‘Belle Terre’. Thousands of people have left the perfectly safe Earth and set off to inhabit a new world thousands of light years away. Plenty of people died in book one and the dying does not stop here, no matter how hard Kirk and co tries.
The colonists’ new home seems to be perfect and habitable, but as Spock’s Law determines, the moon is about explode destroying the planet and all that live on it. The crew of the Enterprise must work with the Federation free people to save as much as they can. There are some great action set pieces; whole segments of the book are about playing a giant game of snooker, but with moons. There is a real sense of tension whether the plan will work or not. Kirk and the crew are as amusing as ever and their chemistry comes to the fore when they are fighting on several fronts. There are some great Star Trek moments to be had.
However, the sense of action is undermined by the very fact that none of the hardship is really necessary. It takes some of the colonists to be extra stubborn to force the narrative; did they come all this way to throw away their lives? The sense of danger is almost too much, who in their right minds would have gone on this journey? The book ends up being pure hokum, even by Trek standards, but entertaining none the less.
The colonists’ new home seems to be perfect and habitable, but as Spock’s Law determines, the moon is about explode destroying the planet and all that live on it. The crew of the Enterprise must work with the Federation free people to save as much as they can. There are some great action set pieces; whole segments of the book are about playing a giant game of snooker, but with moons. There is a real sense of tension whether the plan will work or not. Kirk and the crew are as amusing as ever and their chemistry comes to the fore when they are fighting on several fronts. There are some great Star Trek moments to be had.
However, the sense of action is undermined by the very fact that none of the hardship is really necessary. It takes some of the colonists to be extra stubborn to force the narrative; did they come all this way to throw away their lives? The sense of danger is almost too much, who in their right minds would have gone on this journey? The book ends up being pure hokum, even by Trek standards, but entertaining none the less.
January 18, 2026
Book 2 in the series.
This book seemed to be shorter than the rest. In part, this is because DWS used few characters than his predecessor in the first book. The enemies introduced in the first book, the Blood and the Kauld, do not appear except in passing reference. The side plot of the scout ship Rattlesnake and its quest to find a new planet to settle in case they really have evacuate Belle Terre was believable but unresolved - the "Darkness".
As for the main plot of saving the planet and puncturing Quake Moon, it's all Star Trek in all its glory and spirit. You could write this story thread set for the other series - TNG, DS9, and possibly ENT (not ST: Discovery which I am boycotting like the STD it is), and it would fit. Overall, it was enjoyable and fast paced (the events take place over the course of 8 days).
The publication version that I have has a preview of the next book: Rough Trails which portray the colonists as independent, American West pioneer-spirited ... and ungrateful. That part, I do not believe because the colonists by themselves could not have mustered the energy levels or matched Spock's brain power to come up with the solution.
This book seemed to be shorter than the rest. In part, this is because DWS used few characters than his predecessor in the first book. The enemies introduced in the first book, the Blood and the Kauld, do not appear except in passing reference. The side plot of the scout ship Rattlesnake and its quest to find a new planet to settle in case they really have evacuate Belle Terre was believable but unresolved - the "Darkness".
As for the main plot of saving the planet and puncturing Quake Moon, it's all Star Trek in all its glory and spirit. You could write this story thread set for the other series - TNG, DS9, and possibly ENT (not ST: Discovery which I am boycotting like the STD it is), and it would fit. Overall, it was enjoyable and fast paced (the events take place over the course of 8 days).
The publication version that I have has a preview of the next book: Rough Trails which portray the colonists as independent, American West pioneer-spirited ... and ungrateful. That part, I do not believe because the colonists by themselves could not have mustered the energy levels or matched Spock's brain power to come up with the solution.
January 30, 2023
Most people here either like this book or the first one in the series. They are entirely different books. All the conflict and interesting characters from the first book are suddenly gone, and the "mains" just seem really generic. Plus the first 50 pages of this books is saying that the moon is going to blow up over and over, followed by about 25 pages of a solution being repeated over and over.
Moon moving and pushing, as far as I know, is not very common in the star trek universe, and it seemed kind of ridiculous. I thought someone would at least ask "Is that even possible?" followed by some plausible numbers.
They can scan the inside of the moon but can't cut into it with lasers? right.
I was going to give this one star, but after everything is set up, and you don't have to swallow any more weird solutions, it did get interesting again... that would be in part 4. I hear the ending of this series is good (and by the same author as #1), so I'll press on.
Moon moving and pushing, as far as I know, is not very common in the star trek universe, and it seemed kind of ridiculous. I thought someone would at least ask "Is that even possible?" followed by some plausible numbers.
They can scan the inside of the moon but can't cut into it with lasers? right.
I was going to give this one star, but after everything is set up, and you don't have to swallow any more weird solutions, it did get interesting again... that would be in part 4. I hear the ending of this series is good (and by the same author as #1), so I'll press on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2015
This book should have been a novella. It seems like the author, editor and publisher all put their collective heads together to lengthen the story by 100 pages to draw it out to make it a book. There was a pointless story arc, with children, in the book which had no bearing on the overall story and appears to be thrown in for the drama of it. Which failed miserably. Constant duplication of feelings and ideas between the characters to draw out the story itself. But, it needed to be read since it is the second book in a series of six.
December 26, 2010
The overall plot was a bit weak, and I found it somewhat unbelievable that Spock couldn't come up with a way to get the second moon on a path that didn't rely every ship to follow and adjust it's course every few minutes. Characterization was well done and followed nicely with the first book. Overall a good follow-up to Wagon Train to the Stars.
August 26, 2012
I read this book a long time ago. I was probably in 6th grade and I'm giving it four stars based on the fact that I was really into the whole story, it kept me entertained and wanting more. I loved it.
October 13, 2014
This was a fun quick read. First Trek book that I've read. I'd like to see where the adventure goes from there, so I'll have to check out some more.
Pretty cool on the visuals, and left me hanging.
Pretty cool on the visuals, and left me hanging.
February 22, 2021
The quality of this - which is book 2 of New Earth - matches pretty even with book 1, I believe. A major catastrophic disaster (which is unique I would have to say) is about to hit, and the Enterprise has to help evacuate & solve the problem. I enjoyed it.
February 19, 2010
Kind of a disappointing follow up, but still a good read. The bad guys that made the first one such a good read are no where to be seen.
June 22, 2017
Better than the first in some ways, but predictable in that it introduces a problem (which readers knew about from book one) and solves it, with little else happening. A bit short, but well-written.
October 27, 2011
This was an excellent novel in a 6 book cycle within the TREK series. You have to read the series in order to get the full effect of each novel.
September 19, 2016
A solid piece of work as part of the series. New problems arise, new solutions are tried out. The characters evolve, not all for the best. We are left with the mystery of the Rattlesnake.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews