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Star Trek: Titan #8
Absent Enemies
A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 24, 2014
58 people are currently reading
520 people want to read
About the author
John Jackson Miller
345 books992 followersNew York Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller has spent a lifetime immersed in science fiction. His Star Trek novels include the Discovery – Die Standing, the acclaimed novel Discovery — The Enterprise War, the Prey trilogy, and Takedown. His Star Wars novels include A New Dawn, Kenobi, Knight Errant, Lost Tribe of the Sith, and the Knights of the Old Republic comics, available from Marvel as Legends: The Old Republic.
He’s written comics and prose for Halo, Iron Man, Simpsons, Conan, Planet of the Apes, and Mass Effect, with recent graphic novels for Battlestar Galactica, Dumbo, and The Lion King. Production notes on all his works can be found at his fiction site.
He is also a comics industry historian, specializing in studying comic-book circulation as presented on his website, Comichron.. He also coauthored the Standard Catalog of Comic Books series.
He’s written comics and prose for Halo, Iron Man, Simpsons, Conan, Planet of the Apes, and Mass Effect, with recent graphic novels for Battlestar Galactica, Dumbo, and The Lion King. Production notes on all his works can be found at his fiction site.
He is also a comics industry historian, specializing in studying comic-book circulation as presented on his website, Comichron.. He also coauthored the Standard Catalog of Comic Books series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 23, 2016
Really good short story!
This is short story of "Star Trek: Titan" set right the aftermath of the book event "The Fall", but it does not developed anything directly related to that event.
THE PAST KINDA COMES BACK
The short story can be considered a loosely sequel to "The Next Phase" that it's a TV episode from Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
And while they are not part itself about the story, there some references to Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.
Recently promoted, Admiral William T. Riker is ordered to respond an emergency call from Garadius IV, a planet that the Enterprise-D was on route on the TV episode, "The Next Phase", when they had to give assistance to a Romulan Warbird with mechanical troubles and also dealing with the momentary "dissapearance" of Lt. Cmrd. Geordi La Forge and Ensign Ro Laren.
It's very interesting that while the diplomatic mission was mentioned on the TV episode, one never got to watch what happened there and in the next episode, they were in another mission. So, this is kinda a "hole" in the continuity of the TV series that John Jackson Miller, the author, was able to use to develop his own original story.
IMPOSSIBLE DIPLOMATICS
It's really amusing to know that Garadius IV is considered like "Diplomatic Kobayashi Maru", in other words, a diplomatic mission impossible to win, where even Ambassador Spock was unable to acomplish and even you get to know that Captain Jean-Luc Picard didn't do better. Now, Admiral Riker is really worried that in this early state of his new promotion, he will have to deal with a situation that was a failure to the better known diplomats in the space quadrant.
Also, you can watch how Riker is still kinda uncertain about the precise role that he has to do, when aboard of the USS Titan, he may be in command of the mission but he needs to give space to Commander Christine Vale in her temporary position as commanding officer of the starship.
NEVER ALONE
It's good to read again about Christine Vale that I think is one of the more solid characters from the "Relaunch" Expanded Universe of Star Trek, where she has been well developed without taking any rush but with good pace and she has appeared in several book series like Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Titan, along with relevant roles in book events such as Destiny and The Fall.
Another character with a prominent role in this story is Commander Tuvok which is a key character in the developing of the plot and even he is used as the "instrument" to question the scientific plausibility of the science fiction despicted in this novel.
Oh! A cool thing is that you get not one but two amusing references to the Tolkien's The Hobbit. How cool is to read about Tolkien in a Star Trek novel?! Mmh?! ;)
The only mistake that I found in the story is about a brief mention of the races, Ba'ku and Son'a (both introduced on the film Star Trek: Insurrection) where the commentary inverted the roles of them in certain situation. Nothing important for the story in the novella, but I noticed so I wanted to mention it.
This short story is full with cool action and smart analysis of science fiction concepts.
This is short story of "Star Trek: Titan" set right the aftermath of the book event "The Fall", but it does not developed anything directly related to that event.
THE PAST KINDA COMES BACK
The short story can be considered a loosely sequel to "The Next Phase" that it's a TV episode from Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
And while they are not part itself about the story, there some references to Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.
Recently promoted, Admiral William T. Riker is ordered to respond an emergency call from Garadius IV, a planet that the Enterprise-D was on route on the TV episode, "The Next Phase", when they had to give assistance to a Romulan Warbird with mechanical troubles and also dealing with the momentary "dissapearance" of Lt. Cmrd. Geordi La Forge and Ensign Ro Laren.
It's very interesting that while the diplomatic mission was mentioned on the TV episode, one never got to watch what happened there and in the next episode, they were in another mission. So, this is kinda a "hole" in the continuity of the TV series that John Jackson Miller, the author, was able to use to develop his own original story.
IMPOSSIBLE DIPLOMATICS
It's really amusing to know that Garadius IV is considered like "Diplomatic Kobayashi Maru", in other words, a diplomatic mission impossible to win, where even Ambassador Spock was unable to acomplish and even you get to know that Captain Jean-Luc Picard didn't do better. Now, Admiral Riker is really worried that in this early state of his new promotion, he will have to deal with a situation that was a failure to the better known diplomats in the space quadrant.
Also, you can watch how Riker is still kinda uncertain about the precise role that he has to do, when aboard of the USS Titan, he may be in command of the mission but he needs to give space to Commander Christine Vale in her temporary position as commanding officer of the starship.
NEVER ALONE
It's good to read again about Christine Vale that I think is one of the more solid characters from the "Relaunch" Expanded Universe of Star Trek, where she has been well developed without taking any rush but with good pace and she has appeared in several book series like Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Titan, along with relevant roles in book events such as Destiny and The Fall.
Another character with a prominent role in this story is Commander Tuvok which is a key character in the developing of the plot and even he is used as the "instrument" to question the scientific plausibility of the science fiction despicted in this novel.
Oh! A cool thing is that you get not one but two amusing references to the Tolkien's The Hobbit. How cool is to read about Tolkien in a Star Trek novel?! Mmh?! ;)
The only mistake that I found in the story is about a brief mention of the races, Ba'ku and Son'a (both introduced on the film Star Trek: Insurrection) where the commentary inverted the roles of them in certain situation. Nothing important for the story in the novella, but I noticed so I wanted to mention it.
This short story is full with cool action and smart analysis of science fiction concepts.
June 17, 2024
Miller nailed it. I dig the shorter form. All story, no cruft. An impossible situation plus a crazy idea (nicely tied into a TNG episode) make for an exciting mystery, infused with some great humor and wisecracking, especially from the two intractable and insanely puerile alien races locked in conflict. And surprisingly, even a bit from Riker. Reminds me of some of Peter David's best Trek stuff. Note to self: read more John Jackson Miller.
March 6, 2014
Fun Titan excursion by Miller - Star Wars author, now Trek!
August 28, 2016
Fun little e-novella!
October 5, 2021
Not much to say about this one. It's a short novel about how the Titan gets stuck on a peace mission to deal with two intractable, almost childish, races that have wiped out 90% of each other's populations but are mostly just rude individuals that only let the Federation "mediate" because they're also repairing their life support machines.
This feels like a story that required the Prime Directive because the Federation almost certainly would have let these people fight it out until they were actually interested in peace. Oh and the Breen provide a nefarious plot that allows the two groups to both get duped and give them a basis for peace (as well as realizing the other is now prepared to commit genocide).
I feel annoyed this book didn't follow up on the end of Fallen Gods but I feel that isn't going to ever be addressed.
This feels like a story that required the Prime Directive because the Federation almost certainly would have let these people fight it out until they were actually interested in peace. Oh and the Breen provide a nefarious plot that allows the two groups to both get duped and give them a basis for peace (as well as realizing the other is now prepared to commit genocide).
I feel annoyed this book didn't follow up on the end of Fallen Gods but I feel that isn't going to ever be addressed.
March 27, 2016
OK followup to two descent TNG episodes. Good filler.
December 29, 2021
More like this! Take a crazy idea that was all wrapped up in a single episode and explore other potential applications... this was great.
May 12, 2023
Review: 3.5 stars. I hated the Tolkien/Lord of the Rings bit, but otherwise it was short and (fairly) sweet.
Summary: Christine Vale is temporarily captain of the Titan, Tuvok her XO; Riker has been promoted to rear admiral. They're in a standoff with 3 Breen ships, which are around an asteroid called Zellman's Find, where there are multiple mining facilities to protect. The USS Aventine, captained by Ezri Dax, arrives with a message for Riker: the Aventine is taking their place so he can meditate a peace conference on Garadius IV.
Flashback to 17 years prior: Riker, Troi, and Captain Picard beam down to Garadius IV to attempt to forge a peace agreement between the Ekorr and Baladonians, the 2 races who reside on the asteroid. However, both sides are intractable. After a few days of trying, Picard eventually gives up once Geordi finishes fixing the water treatment facility.
Riker, Troi, and Tuvok beam down to find that only the Baladonians remain; there are no Ekorr. The Baladonians say the Ekorr just left, but Riker believes it may have been a genocide and tells Xin not to repair their filtration plant yet. They meet with Overlord Jakoh, who says they didn't signal for repairs, and who insists that the Ekorr just disappeared overnight. A Breen soldier named Thot Roje steps out and Jakoh says he plans to trade Riker's team to his new Breen trading partner (who had lost their standing in the Typhon Pact after the demise of their secret slipstream project).
Though imprisoned, Troi still had her combadge, so they're able to communicate with the ship. They also have a tricorder and note unexpected radiation particles near their cell. They find a hidden compartment with a silver cylinder; they open it and find something akin to a wristwatch with a red button on the face. Tuvok puts it on, pushes the button, and disappears.
Tuvok is still present, just invisible to everyone else, and he can travel through solid objects; he is knocked out of phase with reality. Shortly, he is confronted by Ekorr with disruptors who can see him. The entire Ekorr population has phased into exotic space, and are phasing food and supplies as well.
Zorrayn reveals to Tuvok that they learned how to phase into exotic space by stealing Geordi's PADD when the Enterprise was there. Tuvok surmises that their arm bands allow them to phase back, and Zorrayn has Tuvok restrained. Tuvok breaks away and escapes with a female Ekorr hostage, Orica. He grabs a hold of her and activates her phase armlet.
Riker tells Titan to scan for chroniton particles, but Xin already figured it out. Riker tries to tell Titan to beam them out of their cell, but the Breen arrive and attack Titan. They fight off the Breen warship and 2 of the landers, but one positions itself above the city.
Riker and the others are taken in front of the Breen and Jakoh. Tuvok and Orica appear out of thin air; Tuvok shoots the transporter inhibitor, Riker takes out the Breen, and Ranul and a security team beam in to rescue them. They all beam back to Titan, including Orica, who doesn't want to be left with the Baladonians.
They ultimately determine that the Ekorr decided what they wanted to do by reading Geordi's PADD, and then enlisted the Breen to help them make it happen.
The Baladonians find one of the Ekorr's phase generators and are preparing to phase a giant bomb--not considering that the Ekorr have been watching them the whole time and have already set the bomb to phase back immediately. Riker says they beamed the fissile material into space, so it doesn't matter. He also tells Jakoh that the Ekorr were simultaneously planning to poison that Baladonian water supply with bacteria that would have wiped them out. Riker says both plans were orchestrated by the Breen, who wanted both factions wiped out. He also explains that the chroniton build-up will eventually cause the Ekorr to explode, and that Titan is going to start blasting the surface with anyon particles shortly, causing all the Ekorr to phase back in. He also mentions that eventually the chronitons will decay and the Ekorr will phase back in anyway.
With the cat out of the bag, the Breen (Thot Roje) beams back to his ship. Riker tells the Ekorr and the Baladonians that now is the perfect time for peace talks, as they now have a mutual enemy.
Epilogue: Xin asks why Riker lied about the chroniton decay that would eventually cause the Ekorr to phase back in; he says he made it up so the Breen wouldn't try to develop phase weapons.
Summary: Christine Vale is temporarily captain of the Titan, Tuvok her XO; Riker has been promoted to rear admiral. They're in a standoff with 3 Breen ships, which are around an asteroid called Zellman's Find, where there are multiple mining facilities to protect. The USS Aventine, captained by Ezri Dax, arrives with a message for Riker: the Aventine is taking their place so he can meditate a peace conference on Garadius IV.
Flashback to 17 years prior: Riker, Troi, and Captain Picard beam down to Garadius IV to attempt to forge a peace agreement between the Ekorr and Baladonians, the 2 races who reside on the asteroid. However, both sides are intractable. After a few days of trying, Picard eventually gives up once Geordi finishes fixing the water treatment facility.
Riker, Troi, and Tuvok beam down to find that only the Baladonians remain; there are no Ekorr. The Baladonians say the Ekorr just left, but Riker believes it may have been a genocide and tells Xin not to repair their filtration plant yet. They meet with Overlord Jakoh, who says they didn't signal for repairs, and who insists that the Ekorr just disappeared overnight. A Breen soldier named Thot Roje steps out and Jakoh says he plans to trade Riker's team to his new Breen trading partner (who had lost their standing in the Typhon Pact after the demise of their secret slipstream project).
Though imprisoned, Troi still had her combadge, so they're able to communicate with the ship. They also have a tricorder and note unexpected radiation particles near their cell. They find a hidden compartment with a silver cylinder; they open it and find something akin to a wristwatch with a red button on the face. Tuvok puts it on, pushes the button, and disappears.
Tuvok is still present, just invisible to everyone else, and he can travel through solid objects; he is knocked out of phase with reality. Shortly, he is confronted by Ekorr with disruptors who can see him. The entire Ekorr population has phased into exotic space, and are phasing food and supplies as well.
Zorrayn reveals to Tuvok that they learned how to phase into exotic space by stealing Geordi's PADD when the Enterprise was there. Tuvok surmises that their arm bands allow them to phase back, and Zorrayn has Tuvok restrained. Tuvok breaks away and escapes with a female Ekorr hostage, Orica. He grabs a hold of her and activates her phase armlet.
Riker tells Titan to scan for chroniton particles, but Xin already figured it out. Riker tries to tell Titan to beam them out of their cell, but the Breen arrive and attack Titan. They fight off the Breen warship and 2 of the landers, but one positions itself above the city.
Riker and the others are taken in front of the Breen and Jakoh. Tuvok and Orica appear out of thin air; Tuvok shoots the transporter inhibitor, Riker takes out the Breen, and Ranul and a security team beam in to rescue them. They all beam back to Titan, including Orica, who doesn't want to be left with the Baladonians.
They ultimately determine that the Ekorr decided what they wanted to do by reading Geordi's PADD, and then enlisted the Breen to help them make it happen.
The Baladonians find one of the Ekorr's phase generators and are preparing to phase a giant bomb--not considering that the Ekorr have been watching them the whole time and have already set the bomb to phase back immediately. Riker says they beamed the fissile material into space, so it doesn't matter. He also tells Jakoh that the Ekorr were simultaneously planning to poison that Baladonian water supply with bacteria that would have wiped them out. Riker says both plans were orchestrated by the Breen, who wanted both factions wiped out. He also explains that the chroniton build-up will eventually cause the Ekorr to explode, and that Titan is going to start blasting the surface with anyon particles shortly, causing all the Ekorr to phase back in. He also mentions that eventually the chronitons will decay and the Ekorr will phase back in anyway.
With the cat out of the bag, the Breen (Thot Roje) beams back to his ship. Riker tells the Ekorr and the Baladonians that now is the perfect time for peace talks, as they now have a mutual enemy.
Epilogue: Xin asks why Riker lied about the chroniton decay that would eventually cause the Ekorr to phase back in; he says he made it up so the Breen wouldn't try to develop phase weapons.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2018
Absent Enemies is a neat tale of the newly promoted Admiral Riker and Acting Captain Christian Val and the rest of the crew of the Titan! :D It features two races, the Baladonian and the Ekor, who are squabbling over the planet Garadius IV where the two races who are not interested at all peace in spite of the Federations continues efforts spend a part of their time imagining the other side doesn't exist! :D Throw in the Breen and the USS Aventine with Ezri and Tuvok etc getting into scraps the whole story rocks along at an incredible pace! :D The story packs in humour left right and centre from Riker's not wanting to do what is being asked as an Admiral to Tuvok's observations of the situations and chases he finds himself in! :D
Absent Enemies has character development humour from multiple casts including Picard and overtones of Spock's advice! :D Plus Riker, Vales and Tuvok's gung ho pace leads to a great paced novella from start to finish! :D Absent Enemies still poses the moral questions and ties everything in with with previous stories such as The Next Phase and The Pegasus but at the same time breaks new ground all over the place! :D Old plot lines are revisited and new ones developed and we get to see the changing crew relationships with Riker, Vale and Tuvok etc all changing their positions on the Titan! :D
Absent Enemies is full of intrigue, adventure, rib hurting humour and is action packed throughout! :D Crisp high five! :D Make sure you have the next one! :D
Absent Enemies has character development humour from multiple casts including Picard and overtones of Spock's advice! :D Plus Riker, Vales and Tuvok's gung ho pace leads to a great paced novella from start to finish! :D Absent Enemies still poses the moral questions and ties everything in with with previous stories such as The Next Phase and The Pegasus but at the same time breaks new ground all over the place! :D Old plot lines are revisited and new ones developed and we get to see the changing crew relationships with Riker, Vale and Tuvok etc all changing their positions on the Titan! :D
Absent Enemies is full of intrigue, adventure, rib hurting humour and is action packed throughout! :D Crisp high five! :D Make sure you have the next one! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2020
Absent Enemies is an e-book novella between books 8 & 9 in the ST: Titan series. I can't say much about the series as a whole, since I've only read the last two books, but I've very much enjoyed what I've experienced thus far with USS Titan and its crew.
Like the two final two full-length books, Absent Enemies follows up on a beloved ST: TNG episode, in this case The Next Phase, and the plot of that episode becomes a significant highlight here. One of the many nitpicks of that episode was how someone who is phased can walk through walls but not fall through the floor/deck. AE tries to explain that, as well as other curious effects, but most of it is simply mentioned and/or theorized rather than providing an in-universe answer. I don't mention this as a criticism; more of a neat reminder of that episode, and I trust most fans will find amusing.
Despite AE being a novella, relying heavily on a TV plot, I was still left guessing how the story would ultimately unfold and who was the true antagonist. It was a fun and refreshing read in a universe that has been taking itself quite seriously for many years. I would recommend downloading this to those who have read the Titan series, for only a couple bucks I think, as well as fans the above mentioned TNG episode.
Like the two final two full-length books, Absent Enemies follows up on a beloved ST: TNG episode, in this case The Next Phase, and the plot of that episode becomes a significant highlight here. One of the many nitpicks of that episode was how someone who is phased can walk through walls but not fall through the floor/deck. AE tries to explain that, as well as other curious effects, but most of it is simply mentioned and/or theorized rather than providing an in-universe answer. I don't mention this as a criticism; more of a neat reminder of that episode, and I trust most fans will find amusing.
Despite AE being a novella, relying heavily on a TV plot, I was still left guessing how the story would ultimately unfold and who was the true antagonist. It was a fun and refreshing read in a universe that has been taking itself quite seriously for many years. I would recommend downloading this to those who have read the Titan series, for only a couple bucks I think, as well as fans the above mentioned TNG episode.
August 21, 2022
This is closer to a novella than a full size novel; after all, the book is on the shorter side. Like many Star Trek books, the author wants to maintain continuity and perhaps expand on what happened in one particular episode regardless of which series. Do you have to watch that episode first? It depends. But in this case, yes. This novel is based on TNG's The Next Phase where Geordi, Ro Laren, and an Romulan pilot were phased out of the regular dimensions. This begged obvious questions - if you are phased, what do you eat, drink, poop, and mostly obviously, don't fall through the deck of a starship.
Miller mentions those questions in his novel since the audience who have seen the episode will probably want some resolution. Miller did his best without too much "hand-waving" - where the author bypasses the technical aspects and just ask the audience to continue their suspension of disbelief. Otherwise, the plot would fall apart.
As for the actual plot with the Breen, the novel continues from another book Zero Sum Game that is part of the Typhon Pact series. That one you should have to read. It might be a little too complicated but the resolution works in the short space. I think it was also rushed but it worked out.
Miller mentions those questions in his novel since the audience who have seen the episode will probably want some resolution. Miller did his best without too much "hand-waving" - where the author bypasses the technical aspects and just ask the audience to continue their suspension of disbelief. Otherwise, the plot would fall apart.
As for the actual plot with the Breen, the novel continues from another book Zero Sum Game that is part of the Typhon Pact series. That one you should have to read. It might be a little too complicated but the resolution works in the short space. I think it was also rushed but it worked out.
February 12, 2021
Príjemná krátka novela, ktorá sa zbytočne neťahá, zápletka je zaujímavá, je tam dosť zaujímavých postáv a je aj vtipná. A to všetko na pomerne malom priestore 96 strán. (Vzhľadom k tomu, že ST knihy zvyčajne mávajú okolo 250-300 strán.)
Zápletka má tiež krásne prepojenie s jednou epizódou seriálu Star Trek: Nová generácia.
Zápletka má tiež krásne prepojenie s jednou epizódou seriálu Star Trek: Nová generácia.
July 10, 2017
This is a eBook novella. It is a short quick read. It is also only 3 stars. The plot has a nice twist, but the protagonists are so stupid. I paid $2.99 on kindle to read this, felt slightly ripped off.
January 9, 2018
Good book, but they are in an area of space that is so unfamiliar and keeps folding in on itself, it's hard to imagine. There are lots of aliens on the ship and it is really hard to keep track of them all.
December 12, 2024
Phase out
I liked how the author wrote this as a continuation on The Next Phase, I loved that episode, even though I have not seen it for a while. I found that neither race was that bright. To fight instead of making peace.
I liked how the author wrote this as a continuation on The Next Phase, I loved that episode, even though I have not seen it for a while. I found that neither race was that bright. To fight instead of making peace.
February 1, 2018
Good story! TREK!
January 2, 2019
Certainly not the greatest of the Star Trek Titan series but ok
February 3, 2019
Really enjoyed this e-novella. It really felt like an episode of the Titan series we never got!
April 12, 2019
This novella doesn’t really bring anything new to the franchise. It sort of sequelizes a couple of TNG episodes. Nevertheless, it’s a quick, diverting read.
May 6, 2020
Fun follow-up to the rollicking adventure of 'The Next Phase'.
December 23, 2022
What a fun little read. And took me back to the memories of Ro and Geordie's adventure being out of phase with the Enterprise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2024
I was not expecting Tolkien to be mentioned in Star Trek! The Titan series has been a mixed bag for me, so this shorter story was more feasible for me.
December 3, 2025
A nicely written story, just wish it was a bit longer!
June 27, 2023
JJM is my favorite of the current Star Trek novelists. This was his first Trek book and it’s a very satisfying novella. I’d love more Trek novellas as they have a story size that matches an episode very well.
February 25, 2014
Star Trek: Titan – Absent Enemies is the perfect way to spend an evening lost in the realm of sci-fi. Author John Jackson Miller weaves a fun little tale involving Admiral William T. Riker and the crew of the starship Titan as they deal with a situation on Garadius IV. There’s action, mystery, science, flashbacks and humor, providing readers with a little bit of everything. Even if you’re not familiar with The Next Generation or Titan eras, this is a story you can still dive into and enjoy.
Set in the year 2385 after the recall of Titan and the election of the new Federation president, Admiral Riker is sent to put out fires in the Beta Quadrant. Using Titan as his flagship, he’s tasked with a peace mission on Garadius IV. It’s a planet that’s been waging an eternal war between its two species for decades. On one side there’s the diminutive Ekorr with their outrageous demands. On the other, there’s the Baladonians who refuse to even acknowledge the existence of their enemies. It’s a deadlock all previous delegations have failed to resolve. And now it’s Riker’s job to end it.
Along the way, Riker gets a lot of help from his fellow crew mates. There’s his wife, Deanna Troi, Commander Tuvak, Captain Christine Vale, and even cryptolinguist Y’lira Modan. All of them pitch in with the crisis and have moments to shine. As someone who’s not familiar with the characters, I didn’t have any trouble following along. The relationships between the crew all felt natural and fell into place easily. It also helped that the story had a flashback toward the beginning that set the stage for what was to come.
Without spoiling anything, the story has plenty of twists and turns. From one mess to another, the Titan crew stays busy, and transitions keep the adventure fresh. There are moments of action on both the ground and in space. At several points, the storytelling dives into avenues of science, and ties back into existing Star Trek material. But most appreciative of all is the solid through-line of humor that is weaved into the story. It keeps things enjoyable and provides a few good laughs. Altogether, the story has all the elements you would expect to find in a great Star Trek episode.
For readers who aren’t well versed in Star Trek: The Next Generation, be it books, films or television, have no fear, this story stands on its own. I’ve only seen a couple Next Generation films and television shows. On top of that, I’ve never read a Star Trek novel. This being my first Star Trek story I’ve ever dived into, I really liked it, and never felt overwhelmed by the subject matter. John nailed the familiar themes of show and delivered an entertaining story that anyone can pick up and enjoy. I highly recommend it and give Star Trek: Titan – Absent Enemies a five out of five.
Set in the year 2385 after the recall of Titan and the election of the new Federation president, Admiral Riker is sent to put out fires in the Beta Quadrant. Using Titan as his flagship, he’s tasked with a peace mission on Garadius IV. It’s a planet that’s been waging an eternal war between its two species for decades. On one side there’s the diminutive Ekorr with their outrageous demands. On the other, there’s the Baladonians who refuse to even acknowledge the existence of their enemies. It’s a deadlock all previous delegations have failed to resolve. And now it’s Riker’s job to end it.
Along the way, Riker gets a lot of help from his fellow crew mates. There’s his wife, Deanna Troi, Commander Tuvak, Captain Christine Vale, and even cryptolinguist Y’lira Modan. All of them pitch in with the crisis and have moments to shine. As someone who’s not familiar with the characters, I didn’t have any trouble following along. The relationships between the crew all felt natural and fell into place easily. It also helped that the story had a flashback toward the beginning that set the stage for what was to come.
Without spoiling anything, the story has plenty of twists and turns. From one mess to another, the Titan crew stays busy, and transitions keep the adventure fresh. There are moments of action on both the ground and in space. At several points, the storytelling dives into avenues of science, and ties back into existing Star Trek material. But most appreciative of all is the solid through-line of humor that is weaved into the story. It keeps things enjoyable and provides a few good laughs. Altogether, the story has all the elements you would expect to find in a great Star Trek episode.
For readers who aren’t well versed in Star Trek: The Next Generation, be it books, films or television, have no fear, this story stands on its own. I’ve only seen a couple Next Generation films and television shows. On top of that, I’ve never read a Star Trek novel. This being my first Star Trek story I’ve ever dived into, I really liked it, and never felt overwhelmed by the subject matter. John nailed the familiar themes of show and delivered an entertaining story that anyone can pick up and enjoy. I highly recommend it and give Star Trek: Titan – Absent Enemies a five out of five.
August 11, 2025
Another blast from the Enterprise past rears its head, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Titan is withdrawn from a standoff with the Breen and sent to Garadius IV, home to two intransigent races, the Ekorr and the Baladonians. 17 years ago, Commander Riker tried in vain to help Captain Picard broker a peace between the two races. Now Admiral Riker is tasked with returning there to ensure no Typhon Pact influence on the planet (or attempts to harvest the rich mineral deposits in the Gradian oceans).
They discover that one of the Ekorr stole a padd from a starfleet engineer during their first encounter, and that said padd contained Commander LaForge's account of how he and Ensign Ro Laren were temporarily trapped in a phased state. Now both sides are trying to weaponize the phasing technology, the Breen are egging both sides on and Admiral Riker's job is to put an end to it.
I enjoyed another revisit of an event from Riker's time on board the Enterprise, and the next step in the Breen's ongoing efforts to become technological top dog in the Typhon Pact.
Titan is withdrawn from a standoff with the Breen and sent to Garadius IV, home to two intransigent races, the Ekorr and the Baladonians. 17 years ago, Commander Riker tried in vain to help Captain Picard broker a peace between the two races. Now Admiral Riker is tasked with returning there to ensure no Typhon Pact influence on the planet (or attempts to harvest the rich mineral deposits in the Gradian oceans).
They discover that one of the Ekorr stole a padd from a starfleet engineer during their first encounter, and that said padd contained Commander LaForge's account of how he and Ensign Ro Laren were temporarily trapped in a phased state. Now both sides are trying to weaponize the phasing technology, the Breen are egging both sides on and Admiral Riker's job is to put an end to it.
I enjoyed another revisit of an event from Riker's time on board the Enterprise, and the next step in the Breen's ongoing efforts to become technological top dog in the Typhon Pact.
October 12, 2014
Absent Enemies is a quick paced novella of part action and part political thriller that delivers. This is a shorter piece that does not develop any of the characters, but shows them interact together to solve a problem in an enjoyable manner that even Picard had failed to do. We are even treated to a Next Gen flashback that expands on an episode from the series. The center is about the hows and whys of phasing technology. Should it be developed? How do you guard against it? It's a great topic that I've always felt the federation have handcuffed themselves about. How many lives would be saved if no one could destroy your ship? It's a great defensive tool. We are also treated to some good Riker swagger. This probably could have been expounded upon, with more espionage scenes, battles or even a subplot utilizing one of the many interesting peoples onboard Titan to make it a full novel. A fun read!
January 19, 2015
Fan Fiction at Its Worst
The author's choice of characters, setting, and source material are questionable at best. The enemies aren't the only thing absent in this story, the entire book is void of excitement. As a long time fan of TNG, I couldn't help but feel that the author preyed upon one of the worst, most nauseating storylines in the series: Riker and Troi's relationship. Those two characters serve absolutely no purpose to the story, and could have easily not been included. Actually none of the characters serve any purpose and could have all been left out, as that the entire read is a complete waste of time. Avoid at all cost.
The author's choice of characters, setting, and source material are questionable at best. The enemies aren't the only thing absent in this story, the entire book is void of excitement. As a long time fan of TNG, I couldn't help but feel that the author preyed upon one of the worst, most nauseating storylines in the series: Riker and Troi's relationship. Those two characters serve absolutely no purpose to the story, and could have easily not been included. Actually none of the characters serve any purpose and could have all been left out, as that the entire read is a complete waste of time. Avoid at all cost.
April 13, 2014
This book is a fairly quick read and takes the Star Trek universe back to exploration. While the task presented is difficult and has action, it also has humor and has Riker falling back on his strengths. Less diplomacy and more action. He's smart, funny and doesn't second guess himself. What a wonderful and refreshing book after the Destiny and Typhon Pact story arcs. I hope the writers keep in this direction. It is possible to have mystery and secret conspiracies along with fun.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
March 1, 2014
A tightly-plotted and fun little story that is very much in the spirit of classic Star Trek. A good start for John Jackson Miller's Star Trek adventures. And it has been reported that Miller will be writing a full-length Trek novel to be released in 2015. After reading Absent Enemies, I am very much looking forward to more from him!
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2014/02/a...
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2014/02/a...
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