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Star Trek: The Lost Era #5
Deny Thy Father: Lost Era 2355-2357
The Years Are 2355-2357
Two men. Both defined by the personal tragedy that drove them apart. Both driven by their desire to serve, and their devotion to duty. Both haunted by the past, and uncertain of the future....And both unable to reach across the chasm that separates father and son.
In the wake of the Tholian attack that nearly cost him his life, civilian strategic consultant Kyle Riker becomes the target of an apparent conspiracy within Starfleet Command, forcing him off Earth and beyond Federation territory to evade the attempts on his life. But danger is never far off, even on a backwater world where Kyle's very name brings the promise of death.
At the same time, the Starfleet career of Kyle's estranged son William Riker is under way in earnest, from his turbulent formative years at the Academy to his first perilous missions as an ensign aboard the Starship Pegasus. And even as Kyle searches for the truth behind the events that have made him a fugitive, Will is pursued as well -- by a family legacy he fears he will never escape.
Two men. Both defined by the personal tragedy that drove them apart. Both driven by their desire to serve, and their devotion to duty. Both haunted by the past, and uncertain of the future....And both unable to reach across the chasm that separates father and son.
In the wake of the Tholian attack that nearly cost him his life, civilian strategic consultant Kyle Riker becomes the target of an apparent conspiracy within Starfleet Command, forcing him off Earth and beyond Federation territory to evade the attempts on his life. But danger is never far off, even on a backwater world where Kyle's very name brings the promise of death.
At the same time, the Starfleet career of Kyle's estranged son William Riker is under way in earnest, from his turbulent formative years at the Academy to his first perilous missions as an ensign aboard the Starship Pegasus. And even as Kyle searches for the truth behind the events that have made him a fugitive, Will is pursued as well -- by a family legacy he fears he will never escape.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 12, 2003
26 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Mariotte
274 books118 followersAward-winning author Jeffrey J. Mariotte has published more than 30 novels, including horror epic The Slab, award nominated teen horror quartet Witch Season, and the recent supernatural thrillers River Runs Red and Missing White Girl, in addition to tie-in novels and many, many comic books. He is also co-owner of specialty bookstore Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego. He lives in southeastern Arizona.
Also writes as Jeffrey J. Mariotte.
Also writes as Jeffrey J. Mariotte.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 21, 2024
Yes!
After a tumultous run of books, I am very happy that this is such a fun book. It really felt like a political thriller mixed with Classic Trek storytelling. Jeff Mariotte just really gets this style and it worked well here.
The Kyle Riker thriller storyline was excellent. I really didn't know why he was being attacked and chased after and I was on the edge of my seat to find out the answers. Excellent mystery.
The Will Riker story at the beginning and middle of the book felt like an Academy/College story mixed with a love triangle, but it also surprisingly worked very well and felt very much like Star Trek.
The Will Riker story at the end felt like classic TOS and TNG Trek, and the "solution" to the problem was both genius and very bold (Captain Kirk would approve...kind of).
Despite having three different tones in the book, it meshed really well, which is a testament to Jeff Mariotte's writing abilities.
My only complaints are that the political resistance storyline in the middle with Kyle wasn't my favorite, and the cameo of a certain character near the end of the book was SO GLARINGLY OBVIOUS and such a nostalgia play and I would have inserted a lesser known/smaller screentime character.
Overall, I loved this book, it was so good! Can't wait to discuss it on the Literary Treks Podcast. 9 out of 10!
After a tumultous run of books, I am very happy that this is such a fun book. It really felt like a political thriller mixed with Classic Trek storytelling. Jeff Mariotte just really gets this style and it worked well here.
The Kyle Riker thriller storyline was excellent. I really didn't know why he was being attacked and chased after and I was on the edge of my seat to find out the answers. Excellent mystery.
The Will Riker story at the beginning and middle of the book felt like an Academy/College story mixed with a love triangle, but it also surprisingly worked very well and felt very much like Star Trek.
The Will Riker story at the end felt like classic TOS and TNG Trek, and the "solution" to the problem was both genius and very bold (Captain Kirk would approve...kind of).
Despite having three different tones in the book, it meshed really well, which is a testament to Jeff Mariotte's writing abilities.
My only complaints are that the political resistance storyline in the middle with Kyle wasn't my favorite, and the cameo of a certain character near the end of the book was SO GLARINGLY OBVIOUS and such a nostalgia play and I would have inserted a lesser known/smaller screentime character.
Overall, I loved this book, it was so good! Can't wait to discuss it on the Literary Treks Podcast. 9 out of 10!
June 21, 2018
Great addition to the Lost Era series. Just a notch or two below the first couple of books in the series. Great to get some insight into Kyle Riker and a young Will Riker. Can’t wait to get into the rest of the series!
March 30, 2023
This book was an all over the place patchwork. Intercutting between an all-action plotline in which Riker's estranged father is chased across the galaxy by Tholians and Will Riker's time at the Acdemy; the first ultimately being a series of short, underdeveloped scenes and then a denouement tacked on, the second being a painfully by numbers "school life" type story in which Will gets in trouble and fails at falling in love. As with so much tie-in work, it's just so tentative around its source material it completely fails to be a fun gap-filler.
March 13, 2024
Intriguing
I got this one by chance and was easily drawn in. The story centers around a young Will Riker while in the academy. We get to know his father better along with some family history. This story is filled with danger and intrigue. I wish I had read the first four books in the saga but I still might. Worthwhile read for any Star Trek fan.
I got this one by chance and was easily drawn in. The story centers around a young Will Riker while in the academy. We get to know his father better along with some family history. This story is filled with danger and intrigue. I wish I had read the first four books in the saga but I still might. Worthwhile read for any Star Trek fan.
January 1, 2013
A decent enough bit of Star Trek 'history,' this is one of the 'Lost Era' books, which take us to periods between the original series and prior to the Next Generation.
This book explores Kyle Riker (Will Riker's father), and the reasons he took off and left this son, what really happened at Starbase 311, and other bits of trek detritus, that, while making for a bit of a mind-candy style read, didn't quite have any... well... importance to them. I closed the book, annoyed at the forced cameos, and didn't really find much in it.
Now, if you're a Riker fan (of either generation), there's some fun to be had in exploring the Riker background(s), but other than that, there was nothing new here. Several supporting characters that I found interesting weren't really developed very far, and some of Riker's conflicts were a bit bland.
Still, from a purely mind-candy point of view, I shot through it in a 'don't have to think, enjoying this' way, bought and read nearly the same day.
This book explores Kyle Riker (Will Riker's father), and the reasons he took off and left this son, what really happened at Starbase 311, and other bits of trek detritus, that, while making for a bit of a mind-candy style read, didn't quite have any... well... importance to them. I closed the book, annoyed at the forced cameos, and didn't really find much in it.
Now, if you're a Riker fan (of either generation), there's some fun to be had in exploring the Riker background(s), but other than that, there was nothing new here. Several supporting characters that I found interesting weren't really developed very far, and some of Riker's conflicts were a bit bland.
Still, from a purely mind-candy point of view, I shot through it in a 'don't have to think, enjoying this' way, bought and read nearly the same day.
March 31, 2011
Yep, so I like Star Trek. For some reason I'm embarrassed of this fact...perhaps rightly so, because when I do tell people they laugh. Well, I didn't read anything Star Trek at all in all of 2007, basically just so that I wouldn't have to post it on my xanga site.
Anyway, this one is from a fun little series that tells the stories of some of our favorite heroes in between the years of the original season and the next generation. Deny thy father is a bit weird though, because it tells parallel stories of Will and Kyle Riker in which they never actually encounter one another. Reading it made me request three different seasons so that I could watch episodes with Paul Rice, Kyle Riker, and Erik Pressman just to relive those story lines that introduced these characters who appear in the "prequel" book to fill in the back story.
Fun times.
Anyway, this one is from a fun little series that tells the stories of some of our favorite heroes in between the years of the original season and the next generation. Deny thy father is a bit weird though, because it tells parallel stories of Will and Kyle Riker in which they never actually encounter one another. Reading it made me request three different seasons so that I could watch episodes with Paul Rice, Kyle Riker, and Erik Pressman just to relive those story lines that introduced these characters who appear in the "prequel" book to fill in the back story.
Fun times.
November 15, 2014
I enjoy Jeff Mariotte's writing style very much, and the "William" Riker half of this novel makes for a pleasant, if unexciting story. Certainly nothing blood-pumping happens until Riker's assignment to USS Pegasus.
However, there are two things impeding my ability to enjoy this novel. The first is that, no matter how smooth the writing, there's nothing interesting or fascinating about the "Kyle" Riker half of the novel. I just can't get worked up about him, no matter how much I might try. The second impediment is that I believe this book took the wrong approach. It should have ditched the Kyle Riker story, and taken William Riker's story up to the infamous mutiny on board the Pegasus...which would haunt the young Riker up to his time as first officer of the Enterprise. That is the novel I wish Mr. Mariotte's writing skill would have been harnassed to write from the outset.
However, there are two things impeding my ability to enjoy this novel. The first is that, no matter how smooth the writing, there's nothing interesting or fascinating about the "Kyle" Riker half of the novel. I just can't get worked up about him, no matter how much I might try. The second impediment is that I believe this book took the wrong approach. It should have ditched the Kyle Riker story, and taken William Riker's story up to the infamous mutiny on board the Pegasus...which would haunt the young Riker up to his time as first officer of the Enterprise. That is the novel I wish Mr. Mariotte's writing skill would have been harnassed to write from the outset.
October 15, 2023
The Lost Era #5: Deny thy Father by Jeff J. Mariotte
This book was… not it. I rarely ever don’t finish a Star Trek book unless it’s really bad. I’m usually pretty good with filtering out books that may of a bad quality as I use Goodreads to filter books out. Anything above a 3.5/5 on Goodreads is worth reading in my view, and this book was above that. But I was wrong here. This book doesn’t really have a reason to exist. I doubt there was a huge appetite for Kyle Riker and stories about him. The episode he appears in TNG, I skipped it after watching it halfway through because I found it boring.
And this is the same case. I was interested in the Tholian angle but the book doesn’t go anywhere to solve it or hint at who’s responsible for it until like 225 pages in, out of a 350 page book. It was frustrating. I liked the Will stuff at the Academy, particularly the survival exercise in San Francisco as it was a real slice of life. This book would have benefitted from just focusing on Will and the mutiny on the Pegasus, as that was a decent episode on the show and I would have learned to more about it. Who was Will before Imzadi? Tell me that story. Not one about Kyle Riker. Anyway, I’m still going to give this book a 5/10 because of the Will stuff at the academy. That’s two Lost Era books that have disappointed me. Damn
5/10
This book was… not it. I rarely ever don’t finish a Star Trek book unless it’s really bad. I’m usually pretty good with filtering out books that may of a bad quality as I use Goodreads to filter books out. Anything above a 3.5/5 on Goodreads is worth reading in my view, and this book was above that. But I was wrong here. This book doesn’t really have a reason to exist. I doubt there was a huge appetite for Kyle Riker and stories about him. The episode he appears in TNG, I skipped it after watching it halfway through because I found it boring.
And this is the same case. I was interested in the Tholian angle but the book doesn’t go anywhere to solve it or hint at who’s responsible for it until like 225 pages in, out of a 350 page book. It was frustrating. I liked the Will stuff at the Academy, particularly the survival exercise in San Francisco as it was a real slice of life. This book would have benefitted from just focusing on Will and the mutiny on the Pegasus, as that was a decent episode on the show and I would have learned to more about it. Who was Will before Imzadi? Tell me that story. Not one about Kyle Riker. Anyway, I’m still going to give this book a 5/10 because of the Will stuff at the academy. That’s two Lost Era books that have disappointed me. Damn
5/10
October 12, 2024
I enjoyed it overall. Meet Kyle Riker, Will's dad. I suspect some fans will be more into this backstory than others. I actually don't think it does much at all to shine light on the relationship between son and father, other than to recognise that the issue was older than Will's Starfleet career. Anyway, the two get a main plot thread each.
Will goes on assignment at the Academy and briefly falls in love, we are supposed to believe that he is somewhat shy and lacking confidence with the girls at this stage. We follow him onto his first assignment aboard the Pegasus.
Kyle is being pursued by some unknown threat within Starfleet, so he flees to a lesser known world and falls in love over there, particpipates in some kind of liberation movement and then eventually heads back to Earth and Starfleet to face his unseen demons.
The two stories intersect only briefly at the end and with barely any emotional impact at all, which was a little surprising I thought.
Will goes on assignment at the Academy and briefly falls in love, we are supposed to believe that he is somewhat shy and lacking confidence with the girls at this stage. We follow him onto his first assignment aboard the Pegasus.
Kyle is being pursued by some unknown threat within Starfleet, so he flees to a lesser known world and falls in love over there, particpipates in some kind of liberation movement and then eventually heads back to Earth and Starfleet to face his unseen demons.
The two stories intersect only briefly at the end and with barely any emotional impact at all, which was a little surprising I thought.
May 27, 2024
The early life of William Riker
Deny Thy Father features two main narratives: one about William Riker’s time at Starfleet Academy, the other about his father, Kyle River, being pursued by mysterious assassins. I really enjoyed Will Riker’s story; it showed his conflict between his want for friends and his desire to climb the ladder of Starfleet command. I haven’t read too many stories set at Starfleet Academy, and there were several fun cameos from The Original Series, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine. Kyle Riker’s story was not quite as good as Will’s but it was still decent. I thought the master around who was hunting him was intriguing, but the story about him on the run for two whole years felt a bit drawn out. None of it really connected to the conclusion of the story other than Kyle’s own personal development.
I’d definitely recommend this book to any fans of Will Riker; it can 100% be read without knowledge of any other books.
Deny Thy Father features two main narratives: one about William Riker’s time at Starfleet Academy, the other about his father, Kyle River, being pursued by mysterious assassins. I really enjoyed Will Riker’s story; it showed his conflict between his want for friends and his desire to climb the ladder of Starfleet command. I haven’t read too many stories set at Starfleet Academy, and there were several fun cameos from The Original Series, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine. Kyle Riker’s story was not quite as good as Will’s but it was still decent. I thought the master around who was hunting him was intriguing, but the story about him on the run for two whole years felt a bit drawn out. None of it really connected to the conclusion of the story other than Kyle’s own personal development.
I’d definitely recommend this book to any fans of Will Riker; it can 100% be read without knowledge of any other books.
May 4, 2025
The novel covers a three year period where William Riker was still in Starfleet Academy and his first year out and his father is on the run after someone is trying to ruin his career with Starfleet and kill him.
I would have rather have the book focus on one and not both, as they don't really gel together. I wanted more of William and less of his father. Both were interesting to read, and there are several moments for fans that come off well written and not forced into the tales, but I just didn't care for his father and what happened to him.
An insightful read into Riker's past, with his father's tale getting in the way.
I would have rather have the book focus on one and not both, as they don't really gel together. I wanted more of William and less of his father. Both were interesting to read, and there are several moments for fans that come off well written and not forced into the tales, but I just didn't care for his father and what happened to him.
An insightful read into Riker's past, with his father's tale getting in the way.
August 31, 2024
Cadet Babyface, reporting for duty!
These "Lost Era" novels are meant to bridge the gap between Captain James T. Kirk's apparent death on the Enterprise-B during the events of the film Star Trek Generations and the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
This book has two storylines involving a Riker and they alternate every one or two chapters.
In one storyline, we see a young Cadet William T. Riker. He's smart, not very good with women, and just wants a chance to get off the planet for some training. We get little snapshots from a couple of his later years at Starfleet Academy, as well as a brief glimpse of his very first mission on his very first posting, the U.S.S. Pegasus.
Meanwhile, in the other storyline, we follow Will's estranged father Kyle Riker. He's basically a contractor for Starfleet and works as a strategist. He's smart, not very good with women, and just wants to get to the bottom of who's trying to kill him and why.
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Icarus Factor," we learn a little about Will and Kyle's relationship, or lack thereof. In fact, that episode states it had been 15 years since they'd spoken. But this book takes place 8 years before that episode's events. How... how does the author bring these storylines together into a satisfying conclusion without breaking canon?
Best just to listen to the Literary Treks podcast episode (episode 379: The Series' Dad) to get my full thoughts, but suffice it to say that this was a fun book to read.
This book may not have been the story we thought we needed, but Jeff Mariotte definitely understood the assignment when he sat down to write this gem. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars, but honestly, this is really more of a 4.5; especially when compared to the previous couple of Lost Era books I read.
These "Lost Era" novels are meant to bridge the gap between Captain James T. Kirk's apparent death on the Enterprise-B during the events of the film Star Trek Generations and the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
This book has two storylines involving a Riker and they alternate every one or two chapters.
In one storyline, we see a young Cadet William T. Riker. He's smart, not very good with women, and just wants a chance to get off the planet for some training. We get little snapshots from a couple of his later years at Starfleet Academy, as well as a brief glimpse of his very first mission on his very first posting, the U.S.S. Pegasus.
Meanwhile, in the other storyline, we follow Will's estranged father Kyle Riker. He's basically a contractor for Starfleet and works as a strategist. He's smart, not very good with women, and just wants to get to the bottom of who's trying to kill him and why.
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Icarus Factor," we learn a little about Will and Kyle's relationship, or lack thereof. In fact, that episode states it had been 15 years since they'd spoken. But this book takes place 8 years before that episode's events. How... how does the author bring these storylines together into a satisfying conclusion without breaking canon?
Best just to listen to the Literary Treks podcast episode (episode 379: The Series' Dad) to get my full thoughts, but suffice it to say that this was a fun book to read.
This book may not have been the story we thought we needed, but Jeff Mariotte definitely understood the assignment when he sat down to write this gem. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars, but honestly, this is really more of a 4.5; especially when compared to the previous couple of Lost Era books I read.
August 2, 2018
A solid effort, but at times it felt like there were threads that were put out there, but not paid off in the end. I also felt that the ending was slightly rushed relative to the pace of the other parts of the book. But still a good read nevertheless.
November 27, 2020
I continue to enjoy these "Lost Era" books. They do an amazing job of tying the Star Trek Universe together. Sadly I only have one more novel to read in this series. If you enjoy Star Trek give the Lost Era a try, I think you will be glad you did.....
July 27, 2025
A decent Star Trek political thriller. Think Pelican Brief meets Manchurian Candidate. It was nice to learn about Kyle Riker outside of the heinous TNG episode that tried to explain their father/son relationship.
August 7, 2020
Enlightening
This one explains many things about the Riker clan. The questions keep getting answered and the pictures keep getting more vivid.
This one explains many things about the Riker clan. The questions keep getting answered and the pictures keep getting more vivid.
October 1, 2021
Worst book in the series so far.
August 22, 2024
Maybe this reads better for other people, but the writing and the ideas felt dry to me. I feel like I didn’t care enough about what was going on with Kyle Riker.
July 12, 2025
Enjoyable and intriguing story about Riker and his father during his years at Starfleet Academy.
July 31, 2023
This was a real drag. The Kyle Riker plot was meandering and unfocused, taking a break in the second arc to do a side quest before coming to a lame, anti-climactic ending.
The Will Riker slice-of-life stuff at the academy was better and I wish the whole book focused on it. The only thing that turned me off about it was the tired old trope of "women are such alien, unknowable creatures" that made me roll my eyes. Even if Riker wasn't quite the man-slut he would eventually become back then, I still believe he'd have enough awareness to understand that women are people.
Overall, pretty bad.
The Will Riker slice-of-life stuff at the academy was better and I wish the whole book focused on it. The only thing that turned me off about it was the tired old trope of "women are such alien, unknowable creatures" that made me roll my eyes. Even if Riker wasn't quite the man-slut he would eventually become back then, I still believe he'd have enough awareness to understand that women are people.
Overall, pretty bad.
May 4, 2025
I read this book about ten years apart. The first time, I felt that the first two thirds of the book were excellent. Young Will Riker grows and learns key lessons during the Academy and on his first assignment. Meanwhile, Kyle Riker is on the run and has to figure out who tried to kill him. The first time, I felt the ending suddenly sped up as all everything "magically" resolves in 20 pages.
Then he returns and "magically" figures things out all with a young Ensign Kathryn Janeway. Here's the problem with the last scene; an ensign with minimal security clearance presumably using Admiral Owen Paris' higher security clearance gets classified information and guessed correctly who burned him and why.
Then the second time, I slowed down and paid attention to more to the details. I noticed that Kyle did spend the time to figure things out logically and with perspective. He reviewed the missions and the irregularities such as who attempted to leave just before the attack, which scientists acted suspiciously, and who might have information they were not supposed to have. I noticed the PTSD scenes - how certain things could trigger the memories.
I gave it only three stars because it was very long and a lot of flashbacks.
Then he returns and "magically" figures things out all with a young Ensign Kathryn Janeway. Here's the problem with the last scene; an ensign with minimal security clearance presumably using Admiral Owen Paris' higher security clearance gets classified information and guessed correctly who burned him and why.
Then the second time, I slowed down and paid attention to more to the details. I noticed that Kyle did spend the time to figure things out logically and with perspective. He reviewed the missions and the irregularities such as who attempted to leave just before the attack, which scientists acted suspiciously, and who might have information they were not supposed to have. I noticed the PTSD scenes - how certain things could trigger the memories.
I gave it only three stars because it was very long and a lot of flashbacks.
May 18, 2015
A decent enough bit of Star Trek 'history,' this is one of the 'Lost Era' books, which take us to periods between the original series and prior to the Next Generation.
This book explores Kyle Riker (Will Riker's father), and the reasons he took off and lef this son, what really happened at Starbase 311, and other bits of trek detritus, that, while making for a bit of a mind-candy style read, didn't quite have any... well... importance to them. I closed the book, annoyed at the forced cameos, and didn't really find much in it.
Now, if you're a Riker fan (of either generation), there's some fun to be had in exploring the Riker background(s), but other than that, there was nothing new here. Several supporting characters that I found interesting weren't really developed very far, and some of Riker's conflicts were a bit bland.
Still, from a purely mind-candy point of view, I shot through it in a 'don't have to think, enjoying this' way.
This book explores Kyle Riker (Will Riker's father), and the reasons he took off and lef this son, what really happened at Starbase 311, and other bits of trek detritus, that, while making for a bit of a mind-candy style read, didn't quite have any... well... importance to them. I closed the book, annoyed at the forced cameos, and didn't really find much in it.
Now, if you're a Riker fan (of either generation), there's some fun to be had in exploring the Riker background(s), but other than that, there was nothing new here. Several supporting characters that I found interesting weren't really developed very far, and some of Riker's conflicts were a bit bland.
Still, from a purely mind-candy point of view, I shot through it in a 'don't have to think, enjoying this' way.
April 1, 2019
I appreciate the Lost Era series for the opportunity to explore this under developed times. This Riker father/son story is excellent. Extra points for the Janeway cameo.
Tune in here for my discussion on some favorite Trek books and comics: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
Tune in here for my discussion on some favorite Trek books and comics: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
July 3, 2012
Not a good book. The main characters are Will Riker and his father, Kyle. Neither of which were very interesting in this book. There's some conspiracy with the Tholians that I didn't get, and Will is at the academy. Clearly, this was a Lost Era for a reason.
April 18, 2016
I really liked this book, because I really like Star Trek. I thought it was well written, and I liked the story. I would say that it's really two separate stories, though. There's one about Will Riker, and one about his dad. I liked both of them.
Want to read
December 12, 2015I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13756732
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13756732
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews