Infektion

Star Trek: Double Helix #1

by John Gregory Betancourt

Wie die verdrehten Stränge mutierter Chromosomen erstreckt sich eine perfide Verschwörung fremder Mächte durch den gesamten Alpha-Quadranten - umspannt zahlreiche Jahre der Sternenflottengeschichte. Kurz nachdem Captain Picard das Kommando über das Raumschiff Enterprise übernimmt, befällt eine höchst ansteckende Epidemie die Bewohner von Archaria III. Sie gefährdet das Leben von Tausenden und beschwört Gewalthandlungen an jenen herauf, die das Volk für die Verbreitung der Krankheit verantwortlich macht. Während Data und Natasha Yar gemeinsam die wahre Herkunft des Virus suchen, muss Dr. Crusher feststellen, dass die unerbittliche Krankheit all ihren Bemühungen widersteht, ein Heilmittel zu finden. Die verzweifelte Suche nach einem Impfstoff wird noch dringender, als Deanna Troi sich ebenfalls ansteckt Nach Destiny steht das nächste Crossoverevent ins Star Trek-Haus: Die Doppelhelix-Minireihe. Unzählige Helden der Star Trek-Geschichte geben sich ein Stelldichein: Kira Nery und Dukat aus Deep Space Nine, Chakotay, B'Elanna Torres und Tuvok aus Voyager, McCoy und Spock aus der Originalserie sowie Captain Calhoun aus der Buchreihe New Frontier, um nur wenige zu nennen.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Star Trek The Next Generation, Ebooks, Media Tie In, Space Opera

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

John Gregory Betancourt is a writer of science fiction, fantasy and mystery novels as well as short stories. He has worked as an assistant editor at Amazing Stories and editor of Horror: The Newsmagazine of the Horror Field, the revived Weird Tales magazine, the first issue of H. P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror (which he subsequently hired Marvin Kaye to edit), Cat Tales magazine (which he subsequently hired George H. Scithers to edit), and Adventure Tales magazine. He worked as a Senior Editor for Byron Preiss Visual Publications (1989-1996) and iBooks. He is the writer of four Star Trek novels and the new Chronicles of Amber prequel series, as well as a dozen original novels. His essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in such diverse publications as Writer's Digest and The Washington Post.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series started out great; if only it had stayed that way.

See the review for more:

https://reading-rebel.blogspot.com/20...

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series starts on the Enterprise with Data, Riker, Dr Crusher, Tasha Yar and others.
The book (and the whole series) is about a virus that is very deadly and in this case it only kills people of mixed race. So racism against mixed people and people from other planets is a very big topic here which mixed with the virus topic actually is pretty close to our current situation here in Europe (speaking March 2020)... It shows that there are so many prejudices and hate for no reason and the people of all species are the same in one point: when it is about their life most of them are selfish idiots but there are always some who are willing to give all to help the ones in need. And this are the people that count!

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't a fan of John Gregory Betancourt's DS9 work, but he seems to fit TNG like a glove. Crips, efficient, concise storytelling. Everyone is in character, and it manages to set up an on-going series while telling its own stand-alone tale without wasting any words...and it moves incredibly fast. An excellent start to the "Double Helix" mini-series.

[Adam]

A good idea filled with all manner of gaps.

I've been reading Star Trek novels since middle school. I'm fully aware that these books aren't the height of fine literature. They're basically pulp based upon existing IP designed for fans like me who enjoy reading about their favorite space friends doing space adventures.

I also understand that these novels aren't canon (whatever THAT means). I follow enough Star Trek writers on social media to know they occasionally have some leeway with writing these characters because what happens in the novels doesn't necessarily have any bearing on what happened (or will happen) on the shows.

However, I found some of the errors in character, plot, and pacing to be wildly incoherent and inauthentic. This novel was written in 1999, well after The Next Generation went off the air after seven successful seasons. It was set in the first year of the Enterprise-D's mission, complete with Tasha Yar as security chief and Geordi La Forge at the helm. There should be no reason for weird side stories about William Riker being named "Bill" in his Starfleet Academy days, complete with Deanna Troi still calling him by that nickname. At no point in the first season of the show was that ever a thing, and I think Troi called him "Will" to his face in the pilot episode of the series. I also didn't like how the book made Doctor Crusher out to be a shrill harridan looking out for the worst in another doctor.

The story itself is interesting, considering the state of the world in 2022. It's about a contagious and deadly virus that spreads on a planet, and only through various plot devices does Doctor Crusher solve the problem. However, it's #1 in a six-part series that involves large swathes of the Alpha Quadrant across several years of Star Trek history. Each one has a different author, and since some of the better Trek writers get involved later, I hope things pick up considerably.

[B.J. Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had downloaded the Double Helix six-part series last year when the series was on sale for 99 cents per book on Kindle, but I forgot about having them until COVID-19 hit the country, forcing everyone to self-quarantine.

The plot hits a little close to home. Yeah, I know it's just science fiction, but a story about a fast-spreading flu with no antidote is way too close to our current worldwide situation. It's set during TNG's horrible (and campy) first season, but it's better written than most of those episodes. Despite Data appearing on the cover, he has little to do with the actual story, though Tasha Yar has a slightly bigger part. In my opinion, Dr. Crusher and Worf should have been on the cover instead, as these characters have more to do.

Here's the tagline from the cover, "Deanna's life is threatened by a mysterious plague!" While this does occur in the book, Deanna also has very little do with the story.

While the novel can be read as a standalone, you never find out who was responsible for creating the virus, which explains why there are five other novels in this series.

Overall, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Double Helix: Infection is a well-written entry in the never-ending non-canon line of Star Trek fiction. Personally, I thought it was a page-turner!

[Frank Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say that this is an intriguing start to the series. After reading this I felt a bit like Riker did the next morning. It seemed to me that this novel didn't achieve much more than setting up the scope of the series.

A good quick read and I am keen to pursue the story.

[Abbe]

Product Description

Like the twisted strands of mutant chromosomes, an insidious alien conspiracy winds its way through the entire Alpha Quadrant, just as it stretches across several years of Starfleet history -- beginning near the very start of Captain Picard's command of the Starship EnterpriseTM!

It is only the first year of the U.S.S. EnterpriseTM-D's ongoing mission when a virulent epidemic strikes the populace of Archaria III, endangering the lives of thousands and provoking acts of mob violence against those believed responsible for the spread of the disease. While Data and Natasha Yar team up to uncover the true origins of the virus, Dr. Crusher finds that the implacable sickness resists all her efforts to find a cure. The desperate quest for a cure becomes even more urgent when Deanna Troi succumbs to the dreaded plague...again and again.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

Stardate: 41211.0 Captain's Log, Supplemental

The_ Enterprise_ continues on its mission to Archaria III, a planet jointly colonized by humans and Peladians. A new disease has cropped up, terrifying the inhabitants. So far, more than five thousand cases have been confirmed.

The only drug at all effective in treating this disease is a rare compound called Tricillin PDF, which seems to prolong life, though only for a week at most. The Enterprise will deliver a supply of the drug, quarantine the planet, then stay to oversee research into finding a cure.

" -- And render whatever aid the Archarians require until the emergency is over," Captain Picard said, leaning forward at the conference table and gazing at each of his senior staff in turn.

William Riker, Geordi La Forge, and Worf looked uncomfortable at the mention of the plague, and he didn't blame them; he had always felt ill at ease when faced with intangible dangers. Deanna Troi looked deeply concerned, and Dr. Crusher looked...intrigued? She has dealt with plagues before, Picard reminded himself. She knows how to contain them.

The persistent low rumble of a starship at maximum warp filled the room. None of his crew spoke. They feel the tension building already, he thought.

"Captain," Dr. Crusher finally said, "I may have to bring samples of this virus aboard the Enterprise for study, and perhaps a few patients."

"Understood, Doctor. So long as all necessary security precautions are maintained, I see no problem. In the meantime" -- he slid a data padd across the conference table to her -- "the doctors of Archo City Hospital have prepared a full report, which you may find useful."

"Thank you." She pulled the padd in front of herself and began skimming the opening remarks.

"Something else is troubling you, sir," Deanna Troi said softly.

Picard hesitated, then gave a curt nod. Best to get it out in the open. "What disturbs me most is the thought that this whole problem may be of our own manufacture...a biological weapon."

"Impossible -- how could that be?" Riker said, shaking his head dismissively. "Legalities aside, it's against everything the Federation stands for!"

"We do have treaties with most sentient races which prevent the development and use of biological weapons," Data said. "With all due respect, sir, the deployment of a genetically designed plague on a remote agricultural world such as Archaria III seems highly unlikely."

"Not necessarily," Picard said. He cleared his throat. "Archaria III is in many ways a throwback to human civilization two or three hundred years ago. It was settled by religious zealots early in the twenty-second century, and although they have largely come into the Federation's fold, old prejudices and resentments still bubble to the surface from time to time." The room was quiet for a moment while Picard allowed his point to sink in.

Riker finally broke the silence. "Sir, if I may ask, what is it that leads you to conclude this disease is a weapon?"

"Might be a weapon, Number One. A radical political group called the Purity League claims the plague is an act of God against 'blasphemous unnatural unions.'"

Riker gave him a blank stare. "Sir?"

Picard cleared his throat. How to phrase this delicately. He said, "The Purity League is opposed to interspecies mating -- 'mixers' as they call such people."

Again the rumble of the ship's engines filled the room. They can't believe it, either, he thought. Humanity is supposed to be beyond such prejudices.

He noticed that Deanna Troi, half human and half Betazoid herself, hid her inner feelings behind a mask of professional calm. He would have given a lot to know her true reaction. Undoubtedly she was even more shocked and horrified than he had been.

To think that some humans are still capable of such petty resentments...

He forced himself back to the problem at hand. "Mixers -- or anyone else suspected of adulterating the purity of the human race -- are treated as second-class citizens in many places on Archaria III," he continued. "Officially such prejudices are prohibited, of course, but in the backwater towns discrimination apparently still runs rampant. Only in the half-dozen large cities do humans and Peladians work and live together with something approaching harmony. In the country, things have apparently become so bad that most full-blooded Peladians now live in isolated enclaves surrounded by their own kind."

Riker said, "That sounds like a ghetto system."

"It is. Those of mixed heritage are even less fortunate, since they belong fully to neither the human nor the Peladian world. They were relocating to the cities in record numbers -- until the plague struck. Now they're fleeing into the countryside once more, living like vagabonds in tent camps." Picard looked down at his clenched, interlaced fingers resting uneasily on the table. He didn't bother to feign relaxation. Sometimes it was good for the crew to see him share their anger.

Deanna Troi asked, "How many people of mixed blood are on the planet?"

"Nobody is quite sure. Estimates range from between 150,000 and 200,000 people. Obviously, those mixers who most closely resemble humans hide the truth to avoid conflict with the Purity League."

Data said, "I am aware of the Purity League, sir. The Federation has monitored their activities for many years, but has deemed them a minor nuisance with little actual influence."

"Their influence is growing," Picard said firmly. The private reports he had read gave alarming statistics; according to confidential surveys, fully half of the planet's human population harbored feelings of support for the Purity League, though the League's actual membership numbers were open to conjecture. It was certainly in the tens of thousands if not the hundreds of thousands.

He went on. "The Purity League's leader, Father Veritas, is using the plague as a rallying point for anti-alien sentiment. Apparently Veritas is responsible for inciting dozens of race riots in the last few months. The whole planet is in turmoil. The nonhuman population -- and especially the partly human population -- is running scared. The plague's growth has only served to make the situation worse." "Veritas," indeed, he thought, grimacing. If ever there was a misnomer...

"Sir," said Deanna Troi, "Archaria III has a long history of interspecies problems, including wars, assassinations, and racism. Its history is part of several planetary evolution courses at the Academy. I believe everyone here has studied it to some degree."

A general murmur of agreement came from the rest of his senior staff. Picard found himself surprised -- it hadn't been part of the curriculum when he had studied at the Academy -- but he was pleased. They're keeping up with the times.

"That is correct, sir," said Data. "It was settled in 2102 by a human sect of religious fundamentalists called the Brotherhood. Seven years later, these human settlers encountered Peladian settlers, who had colonized the planet almost simultaneously."

Picard had never seen a Peladian and knew little about them, beyond the fact that they were humanoid, militant about privacy, and generally considered pacifists...except when provoked.

Data went on, "After a series of small wars, as the two sides got to know each other, peaceful relations and coexistence began. According to the information I have accessed, with the increasing agricultural importance of Archaria III their differences were largely put aside, in favor of economic cooperation."

"That is the public story," Picard said. He folded his arms and frowned a bit. "There have always been tensions. Until Father Veritas and the Purity League burst onto the scene sixteen years

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very ho-hum Star Trek novel. This takes place in the early part of the TNG series, when Tasha Yar is still onboard.

The book revolves around a deadly virus on Archaria III a planet of humans and Peladians, where there a groups that want a pure human race, and those who are mixed. The mixed race is the ones getting the virus, so the blame looks to be on this Purity League, when in fact a third party is involved, which we don't really get to know much about.

Most of the book centered on Dr. Crusher trying to find a cure, while arguing with the Dr. Tang on the planet. Other parts have away teams beamed down to try to find who was responsible.

Book seemed rush to get to an ending. Hoping the next is better.

[Donna Lombardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this for the first time in June 2020, it being published 21 years ago, I am struck by just how far the US and the world haven't come in that time. A pandemic virus that can't be beaten is one thing, but racial violence, and violence against a hospital, with the local law enforcement complicit in violence, it's as though Betancourt could see the future.

From a Star Trek standpoint, the author wrote Dr. Crusher quite poorly. By the time he wrote it, her character was firmly established, and it seems out of character for her to completely ignore another doctor's research on a virus. She got so bad that I wanted to shake her on behalf of the local doctor. She should have at least had the computer or a subordinate read his notes.

It was interesting to see a young and conflicted Worf, I have not read any books set during TNG's first season for some time, and it is easy to forget he wasn't always so sure of himself as he was on DS9.

[Mike McDevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

March 2020 social isolation for covid-19 so I bought “Double Helix” series on iTunes! The Season 1 crew of the D vs a virus that targets mixed-race beings on one of those jerk planets that still has racism. Crusher tackling the little beastie round the clock, Yar, Data, & Bill Riker infiltrating the human supremacists, young Worf sneering privately at his young away team and their human squeamishness. Great book. It would fit right in the first month of the ongoing mission. Who hired the Orion Syndicate to spread this disease? Tune in tomorrow!

[Russell Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Archaria III is a Federation colony world inhabited by Humans and Peladians. For centuries these two societies had overcome their differences, had found love among each other and established a thriving society. However, a mysterious General and his Orion Syndicate minions have created a deadly plague which is targeting mixed blood Humans and Peladians.

As the planet’s hospitals begin to flood with the sick and the dying, fanatic elements within Archarian society are keen to play on the fear and suspicion to forward their own aims of a pure blood, Human, society on the planet. The Enterprise along with her sister ship USS Constitution race to Archaria with a drug to help treat the population while Doctor Crusher and her Constitution counterpart work with the Archarian doctors to find a cure for this deadly plague.

Infection is a peculiar beast. I first read the novel back in 1999 when it was first released and was happy with it as far as stories of the era went, at the time Pocket and the regime at the time were keen on stretching out the story over as many novels as possible. Being the first in a run of six, I didn’t expect everything to be wrapped up in a neat little package, so as an opening chapter it was just fine, but nothing spectacular.

Reading this novel 25 years later having lived through the horrific Covid pandemic of 2020-2022, one can’t help but see how John Gregory Betancourt was quite prescient in his depiction of humanity’s reaction to a deadly plague. Whether it be the looting and violence, to the rise of racist political factions such as the Brotherhood who stage protests and coral young law enforcement officers and political officials to their ranks. Unknowingly, Betancourt created a snapshot of our world in the 2020s which I’d like to believe was some divine gift, but was probably very much down to Humanity, despite our veneer of respectability, still being barbaric in the face of adversity.

As for the story of the novel itself, my observations made in 1999 still hold up today. It’s a perfectly serviceable opening chapter, layering in intrigue which will hopefully be explored in later chapters. While the bulk of the novel is quite meandering in exploring the plagues affects, Crusher working on a cure, Riker investigating the Brotherhood; the novel suddenly wraps up in the last 50 pages or so and in quite a contrived manner. Data and Yar luckily stumble on the Orion Syndicate member who had released the plague, they take him out, then return to the Enterprise with his ship complete with all the notes and equipment which was used to transport the disease.

Where the novel does excel is in giving all of our characters something to do and explore them to an extent. While you expect Picard, Riker, Crusher etc. to have a good share of the action, we get to see Troi engaging with the plague victims aboard the Enterprise before she herself contracts the plague. Worf also gets an entire sidequest where he has to lead an EVA mission to a lunar satellite to locate the family of Archaria III’s governor and ends up in a fight with Klingon mercenaries before getting down to the serious business of drinking blood wine. Wonderful scenes.

One more nitpick has to be the inclusion of the USS Constitution to the story. I understand that it's short-hand to express the seriousness of the situation that two Galaxy-class starships are needed, but once the ship arrives, nothing is done with it. The virus gets loose aboard the Constitution too, but we don’t get to see any of that. Perhaps if it was used as a device to up the stakes, maybe the crew was entirely of mixed heritage and they all died. As it stands it was completely unnecessary as the plague was already loose aboard the Enterprise and one of the main characters was impacted by it.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set during the first year of the Enterprise-D (More of this time period, please!!!), a virus is ravaging Archaria III. The Federation ship is sent to give assistance, possibly blockade the world, and find the source of the infection.

Naturally, Dr. Crusher gets a lot of focus in this book as she tries to stop the plague. The descriptions of the victims were horrific to read and had me rooting more heavily than usual for the doctor to solve this crisis. I appreciated the back and forth between Crusher and a doctor on the planet who's been involved with it longer than she has--great dialogue and clash of ideas.

Data, Yar, and Riker go to the surface of the planet to investigate the hate groups that have sprung up and blame a particular sect of the population for their woes. It was fantastic to see Tasha get some time, as she had so little in the series. Her scenes with Data were wonderful. There's also an explanation of why Riker chose to grow his beard in this book. It's very smoothly done and absolutely justifiable.

It was extremely eerie to be reading a book about a disease infecting a populace, given what Covid-19 has done, and maybe that made this book a little more intense as I read it. I enjoyed the book, though the ending was incredibly quick, reminding me of some episodes that have to wrap up because the hour is almost up. If it wasn't for the quick ending, I would have given this five stars.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading a book about a pandemic during this COVID situation may not have been the best idea, but I wasn't really thinking about that when I pulled up the Double Helix series of Star Trek books. I was amused that this was set during the first season of TNG so we get some Tasha Yar action and very early Worf.

The core mystery of this killer virus that is somehow tied to anti-alien hybrid sentiments is a fascinating one and coming up with a virus that gets past the Enterprise biofilters is sort of a requirement for any medical issue in the 24th century. It's the Star Trek medical equivalent of a locked room murder scenario, but Dr. Crusher certainly applies herself to the problem in her typical efficient way. And I really liked her as a POV character - she's always been great, but she was stellar here.

The narrative structure wasn't all that great as a whole and the ending felt a little contrived in terms of how it all came together. Riker's time on the planet as part of the away team was pretty silly, but this was first season TNG Riker, so I guess it was par for the course. It's still a decent adventure but the build-up didn't live up to the climax, I guess.

[John Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok, boilerplate, breezy read that felt like it could have been a lower budget episode of tng. The main plot is that a deadly virus is sweeping over an entire planet, and Dr Crusher is trying to solve it before there are any more deaths. Meanwhile in the requisite action B plot, Riker, Troi and Data go down to the planet to look for clues and see if the uprising of racism on the planet is connected to the virus. And there's even a little C plot where Worf discovers some Klingons and spends time with them. But generally, this book is quick and predictable and just ok. I did like the little touch of Tasha grappling with flashbacks of her past and I wish we got more of that. And the weird running little plotline of how Riker used to go by Bill, that was just strange. It felt like exactly something that would be in one of the early 90s tng novels, but not in a later one. I am interested in how the plotline progresses from here, especially considering the books take place in different years, and I hope later books are an improvement.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will say this for the Dunedin public library - which is a fantastic library! - they have a huge number of Star Trek books. There's so many of them they even have their own section in stack, as well as what's on the public shelves. Over the years someone in acquisitions has clearly been a fan, and given I'm in Dunedin for the next twelve months I'm hoping to get through a good many of them.

This is the first of a mini-series of six, all themed around biological weapons and plague. This volume's the TNG crew, set in the first year of that series, and it's a fast-paced, exciting read. I'm looking forward to the rest of them, as it's likely to prioritise the doctors in each series and I always tend to enjoy stories involving them doing actual medicine as opposed to, for instance, shacking up with the ghost lover of your dead grandmother, Beverly. That was such a dreadful episode, but Crusher is in her (medical) element here and it's a big improvement.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: TNG: Double Helix 01 Infection by John Gregory Betancourt

3.75 Stars

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense

Fast-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

This is an interesting concept story. A plague had infected a world...and it has targeted "mixed race" people.

The USS Enterprise is sent there to help find a cure. This is set around Season One of The Next Generation.

We have Tasha Yar in this story, which was fun to spend time with her...in this story. Love that character.

Also, a younger...and more reckless Commander Riker.

I feel there were portions of this book that seemed (to me) to be a bit too in the weeds, but then again...it is the first book in a series of six, so a lot of worldbuilding and setting the stage.

It was a quick read, and one that I'll be taking with me, as I am reading the Double Helix series 02

[Dee Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book used because Tasha Yar was on the cover and I earnestly believe there's not enough Tasha Yar in the world. Anyway Tasha Yar doesn't do much in this book and is a bit of a cipher. I did enjoy some bits that characterized the Enterprise-D as a young crew, didn't especially appreciate how meandering some of the side plots are (very weird aside about Worf getting drunk with some Klingons, notably - maybe it comes up in later books in this series somehow?) and thought the medical mystery at the heart of the story was pretty well done as a little science fiction tale.

I would recommend this to people who really want to read Star Trek books and aren't really looking forward to seeing a story about Tasha Yar.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a decent start to this series. At the time of this review I have not read any of the other ones (yet) so I don't know what is exactly happening overall. I found it was an interesting enough story which used Next Gen cast well and did feel like it was happening in the first season - which made it a little weaker in my mind. It was written well enough but I found the ending a bit of a stretch and for all that it seemed to be building up... well it just went nowhere, so I was confused by that. A good start and looking forward to more but no ground-breaking piece of fiction by any stretch.

[Dom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good. A perfectly acceptable episode of TNG in book form.

What was super weird though was Riker's backstory and that he apparently went by "Bill" during his first year at Starfleet Academy. He changed it to "Will" because he dated someone named Bili, who called him "soldier", then never told Deanna about the change so she still calls him "Bill" until the end where they talk it out and she starts calling him "Will". It's been a while since I've seen TNG, but I don't think that's a thing in the show, or any of the other books--and definitely not "Deny Thy Father", a book explicitly about his time at the academy. It's such an odd backstory nugget to include.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent start to this series. The ending was a bit rushed, to the point where it almost seemed like a few chapters were left out. It could just be that there was no filler- the plot, the whole plot, and nothing but the plot. Not a great book, but it definitely makes me want to read the rest of the series.

Oh, and since this was set in the first season of TNG, we get to see Tasha Yar, who definitely should not have been killed off.

[Shannon Silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! It wasn’t mind blowing, but it was a solid Star Trek book obviously set very early in the TNG series. The characters aren’t flushed out that well yet so it’s missing some of the inside jokes and nuances that we love from the show. But it’s just book 1 of 6 and I’m hoping for a little more from the next one. :)

[Flosse07 · Rating 4 out of 5]

als bekennender Trekkie war es mal an der Zeit, sich den Büchern zuzuwenden.

Das Lesen des Romans war sehr kurzweilig und viel mir aufgrund des flüssigen/seichten Schreibstils recht leicht. Dazu kamen dann die aus TNG bekannten Charaktere, so dass das Leseerlebnis für mich recht rund war.

[Rob Savidge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, enjoyable read, once I found the time to get into it. If you liked STNG you'll like this. I'll likely read the next few in this mini series as I'm curious to see how the story develops.

[Ken Gulick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Continuing my quest to read every Star Trek novel ever written. This was a pretty quick read. And thankfully so. Taking place during the first season of TNG the characters feel a bit wooden and the plot is pretty paint by numbers. Hopefully this series improves over the other 5 books.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very solid read. Takes place very early in Season 1 of the TV series. The crew has only been together one month on board the USS Enterprise. Well done series kick-off.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read. Definitely looking forward to the other books in this series. Great read for anyone interested in biology and Star Trek.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good story. Straight forward mystery, hopefully we'll learn more in the next book.

[StanSwitek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid start to the series. Promising.

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a really good potrayal of the characters. Data mentions things he didn't know till seasons later, and everyone else felt bland. It was basically about the politics on the planet.

[JasonReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, but too short and the ending felt rushed.