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Star Trek: Titan #1
Taking Wing: Star Trek: Titan Book One
After the wholesale assassination of the Romulan senate in the feature film Star Nemesis, the Romulan Empire is in disarray, with rival factions fighting to pick up the pieces and seize the reins of power. After several factions separately contact the Federation Council - each laying claim to legitimate political power - Starfleet Command sends Captain William Riker and the USS Titan to Romulus to set up a forum for power-sharing talks. But even as the factions take their first faltering steps towards building a new Romulus, civil war looms. Meanwhile the remnants of the Romulan intelligence service, the dreaded Tal Shiar, are regrouping behind the scenes, taking advantage of the political vacuum to mobilize ships and soldiers, threatening to touch off a conflict that would tear Romulus apart. With no other help available, Riker and the Titan crew are all that stands between the shattered Star Empire and a bloodbath.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2005
304 people are currently reading
1351 people want to read
About the author
Michael A. Martin
92 books53 followersMichael A. Martin's solo short fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. He has also coauthored (with Andy Mangels) several Star Trek comics for Marvel and Wildstorm and numerous Star Trek novels and eBooks, including the USA Today bestseller Titan: Book One: Taking Wing; Titan: Book Two: The Red King; the Sy Fy Genre Award-winning Star Trek: Worlds of Deep Space 9 Book Two: Trill -- Unjoined; Star Trek: The Lost Era 2298 -- The Sundered; Star Trek: Deep Space 9 Mission: Gamma: Vol. Three: Cathedral; Star Trek: The Next Generation: Section 31 -- Rogue; Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers #30 and #31 ("Ishtar Rising" Books 1 and 2); stories in the Prophecy and Change, Tales of the Dominion War, and Tales from the Captain's Table anthologies; and three novels based on the Roswell television series. His most recent novels include Enterprise: The Romulan War and Star Trek Online: The Needs of the Many.
His work has also been published by Atlas Editions (in their Star Trek Universe subscription card series), Star Trek Monthly, Dreamwatch, Grolier Books, Visible Ink Press, The Oregonian, and Gareth Stevens, Inc., for whom he has penned several World Almanac Library of the States nonfiction books for young readers. He lives with his wife, Jenny, and their two sons in Portland, Oregon.
His work has also been published by Atlas Editions (in their Star Trek Universe subscription card series), Star Trek Monthly, Dreamwatch, Grolier Books, Visible Ink Press, The Oregonian, and Gareth Stevens, Inc., for whom he has penned several World Almanac Library of the States nonfiction books for young readers. He lives with his wife, Jenny, and their two sons in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
November 2, 2022
This is a book explicitly, but not exclusively for Star Trek fans. I practically inhaled this book. At the time of its writing, there were three next generation Star Trek shows from which to draw from. Next Generation was making movies, Deep Space Nine was wrapping up, and so was Voyager. Let’s not forget that Spock was still alive and striving for Unification with the Romulans. Star Trek Titan took elements from each of those shows – characters, alien races, unresolved plot lines -- and decided to knit them together into a new disparate crew. If you are a Trekker of the most hardcore variety, this is a MUST own. If you think you might be, you probably are and will enjoy looking up all the distinct races and characters in a Trek Wiki. Probably the only negative in this book is that the writers, in their attempt to demonstrate their knowledge of Trek languages, slow the pace of the story with needlessly garbled verbiage using their book to say something in Romulan for instance, and then repeat it in common universal. Gentlemen, there is a Universal translator. Please use it. If not for that, this would have been 5 instead of 4.
January 21, 2016
I feel weird giving a book I enjoyed only three stars. I enjoyed it so much I already bought the sequel. I'm going to have a great deal of fun reading the entire series. One of the pluses to Star Trek books is that the writer can absolutely go to town on alien species. A movie or tv series is much more limited in this regard.
The reason I gave it only three stars is that I cannot imagine ever recommending this book to anyone who isn't already wholly in love with Star Trek. I don't think this book or any other Star Trek book has ever claimed to be worth a look by non Trekkies but as this isn't a Star Trek website I gotta say three stars.
If you're one of us though, have at it.
(Please read Eileen's comment below. Because of it I changed this from three to four stars. This, I think, is a more accurate reflection of my opinion of this book)
The reason I gave it only three stars is that I cannot imagine ever recommending this book to anyone who isn't already wholly in love with Star Trek. I don't think this book or any other Star Trek book has ever claimed to be worth a look by non Trekkies but as this isn't a Star Trek website I gotta say three stars.
If you're one of us though, have at it.
(Please read Eileen's comment below. Because of it I changed this from three to four stars. This, I think, is a more accurate reflection of my opinion of this book)
April 29, 2024
This book blew me away. I had heard readers talk about how good the Titan novel line was, but I had so many other Trek books on my shelves that I kept kicking it down the road. If the rest of the series is of the quality of this book, I am in for something truly special.
This book handles the Romulan and Reman conflict excellently! This felt like a high stakes political thriller story that Trek has tackled many times, but this is one of the better incarnations of it. I would dare to say that this book succeeded at what Star Trek Nemesis tried to do. The book had both small scale and large scale stakes, and the action in this book was really exciting.
I also love the idea of how different the Titan is. It still fits the parameters of what Starfleet wants and what Star Trek means, but they are going about it differently by tailoring it to how different the crew is. So much of the crew is well realized here, and I can't wait to read more from them.
Deanna and Riker are obviously the main characters here, but I thought that Christine Vale and Tuvok and Admiral Akaar were all handled well, as were some of the minor characters. There are a few plotlines that could have been more thoroughly handled, but I expect those to continue on in the next books.
This book also excellently handles references and connections to the "A Time To" books and "Articles of the Federation". If you haven't read those books, everything is explained well enough. If you have read those books, you feel well rewarded for picking up on everything.
This book also excellently explores the themes of diplomacy vs conflict and how sometimes both can be necessary.
Overall, I loved this book. I'm really excited to continue on with the series. 9 out of 10!
This book handles the Romulan and Reman conflict excellently! This felt like a high stakes political thriller story that Trek has tackled many times, but this is one of the better incarnations of it. I would dare to say that this book succeeded at what Star Trek Nemesis tried to do. The book had both small scale and large scale stakes, and the action in this book was really exciting.
I also love the idea of how different the Titan is. It still fits the parameters of what Starfleet wants and what Star Trek means, but they are going about it differently by tailoring it to how different the crew is. So much of the crew is well realized here, and I can't wait to read more from them.
Deanna and Riker are obviously the main characters here, but I thought that Christine Vale and Tuvok and Admiral Akaar were all handled well, as were some of the minor characters. There are a few plotlines that could have been more thoroughly handled, but I expect those to continue on in the next books.
This book also excellently handles references and connections to the "A Time To" books and "Articles of the Federation". If you haven't read those books, everything is explained well enough. If you have read those books, you feel well rewarded for picking up on everything.
This book also excellently explores the themes of diplomacy vs conflict and how sometimes both can be necessary.
Overall, I loved this book. I'm really excited to continue on with the series. 9 out of 10!
September 17, 2019
Ah, William T. Riker. For those of us who grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation, William Riker was awesome. One of the big mistakes studios made about the Wesley Crusher character was assuming that kids would identify with the fourteen-year-old awkward youth on the Enterprise-D. Wrong. Ask any actual child who their favorite character was and it would be Worf, Riker, or Data. That's because kids don't ever want to identify with other kids unless they're Johnny Quest. Even then, the majority of tykes probably prefer Race Bannon breaking the necks of whoever is currently imperiling our hero. I think it's because every child secretly resents being one to some degree. Childhood is a state of powerlessness and just about all of them want to grow up and take control of their lives ASAP. Of course, once you do get that responsibility, we long for the innocence of youth but that's the grass is always greener dilemma.
William Riker, for those unfamiliar with Star Trek: The Next Generation (why would you be reading a book about his adventures then?), is sort of Captan Kirk-lite. He was the brash ladies man who was always eager to get into the thick of things. At least, that's how I remember him. Come to think of it, I don't actually recall him getting into nearly as many scraps as Kirk. Usually, whenever someone needed to get beaten up, it would be Worf. Likewise, all of the command decisions were made by Picard, with the notable exception of "Best of Both Worlds."
So, really, Riker exists mostly on Jonathan Frakes' charisma. Which, as anyone who watched Gargoyles will attest, is not inconsiderable. Anyway, the Star Trek: Titan series is about Riker's continuing adventures as the captain of the U.S.S. Titan. It's set after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis when the death of the Romulan Senate was actually the biggest problem the Romulans had to face. Man, is it awkward to read about that now, given what we know happens to Romulus in the new Abrams Star Trek movie.
The premise of Taking Wing is rather familiar to those who have read the Star Trek: New Frontier series. The Romulan government has effectively fallen and Starfleet is sending in the U.S.S Titan to keep order. I've actually used that premise a couple of times in Star Trek RPG games (tabletop for those dinosaurs - like me - who remember such things). The ship is outfitted with the most diverse crew in Starfleet history, consisting of a vertible Star Wars cantina of oddball creatures, and is also going to be paying host to Deanna Troi (Riker's wife) as its chief ambassador.
Honestly, I'm rather iffy about a number of things in this premise. The first is the assumption Federation starships are particularly un-diverse to begin with. Yes, costuming budgets mean that the majority of people we see on the television shows are humans, but that doesn't mean "below deck" there's not a hundred or more oddball aliens. One thing the Abrams Star Trek movie did right was populate the U.S.S Kelvin with numerous creatures we never saw before and that was set a century before the events of TNG. The Federation is a coalition of races and I doubt it's ever practiced segregation.
The second is that Starfleet would just send in one ship to keep order or one at all. Romulus having its government decapitated is either grounds for a full scale relief effort by Starfleet or it's something they shouldn't be involved in at all. Oddly, I don't particularly mind having Riker's wife as effectively the ship's co-authority. Starfleet has always functioned to its own oddball set of rules and they're in different branches of the Federation.
The central conflict in the book is the Romulan Praetor vs. the Tal'Shiar (Romulan Secret Police) vs. the Romulan military vs. the Remans (Psychic Nosferatu-looking Space Ukrainians for lack of a better description). The U.S.S Titan has to navigate a political mine-field and figure out some way of achieving peace between the various factions. Complicating matters is Ambassador Spock who is the leader of the Unificationists (an analogue to Christians in Pre-Constantine Rome), a semi-friendly Romulan Commander, Klingons, and a undercover Tuvok from Star Trek: Voyager.
Overall, I liked the book but I felt the writing was a little dry. Captain Riker and Deanna Troi were written well enough that I could "hear" their voices and that's always good. Likewise, I really enjoyed Commander Donatra who I wish Dinah Meyer had gotten the chance to do something with in Star Trek: Nemesis (I still think she was the best part of the short-lived Birds of Prey series). Spock is a very difficult character to get wrong, he's become a classic archetype like King Arthur or Sherlock Holmes. Even Tuvok felt very much "in-character" from what I remember of him.
However, just about everyone else left me feeling kind of-flat. The stand-out Expanded Universe character for me is Christine Vale, who is perky and likable. I like to think of her as played by Allison Mack for no other reason than I think she deserves some more roles in science fiction. Just about everyone else doesn't get enough time to really get an introduction. It's mostly, "Hey, I'm [insert name]. I'm a [insert race], and I'm happy to be here. Oh my, aren't all those other aliens weird?"
Still, I'm glad i read the first of the series and I'm definitely intrigued enough to continue onward. Know I'm a hard act to please with 10 out of 10 reserved for only the absolute best fiction there is. I enjoyed Watching the Clock slightly more but I don't feel comfortable just giving this a six.
7/10
William Riker, for those unfamiliar with Star Trek: The Next Generation (why would you be reading a book about his adventures then?), is sort of Captan Kirk-lite. He was the brash ladies man who was always eager to get into the thick of things. At least, that's how I remember him. Come to think of it, I don't actually recall him getting into nearly as many scraps as Kirk. Usually, whenever someone needed to get beaten up, it would be Worf. Likewise, all of the command decisions were made by Picard, with the notable exception of "Best of Both Worlds."
So, really, Riker exists mostly on Jonathan Frakes' charisma. Which, as anyone who watched Gargoyles will attest, is not inconsiderable. Anyway, the Star Trek: Titan series is about Riker's continuing adventures as the captain of the U.S.S. Titan. It's set after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis when the death of the Romulan Senate was actually the biggest problem the Romulans had to face. Man, is it awkward to read about that now, given what we know happens to Romulus in the new Abrams Star Trek movie.
The premise of Taking Wing is rather familiar to those who have read the Star Trek: New Frontier series. The Romulan government has effectively fallen and Starfleet is sending in the U.S.S Titan to keep order. I've actually used that premise a couple of times in Star Trek RPG games (tabletop for those dinosaurs - like me - who remember such things). The ship is outfitted with the most diverse crew in Starfleet history, consisting of a vertible Star Wars cantina of oddball creatures, and is also going to be paying host to Deanna Troi (Riker's wife) as its chief ambassador.
Honestly, I'm rather iffy about a number of things in this premise. The first is the assumption Federation starships are particularly un-diverse to begin with. Yes, costuming budgets mean that the majority of people we see on the television shows are humans, but that doesn't mean "below deck" there's not a hundred or more oddball aliens. One thing the Abrams Star Trek movie did right was populate the U.S.S Kelvin with numerous creatures we never saw before and that was set a century before the events of TNG. The Federation is a coalition of races and I doubt it's ever practiced segregation.
The second is that Starfleet would just send in one ship to keep order or one at all. Romulus having its government decapitated is either grounds for a full scale relief effort by Starfleet or it's something they shouldn't be involved in at all. Oddly, I don't particularly mind having Riker's wife as effectively the ship's co-authority. Starfleet has always functioned to its own oddball set of rules and they're in different branches of the Federation.
The central conflict in the book is the Romulan Praetor vs. the Tal'Shiar (Romulan Secret Police) vs. the Romulan military vs. the Remans (Psychic Nosferatu-looking Space Ukrainians for lack of a better description). The U.S.S Titan has to navigate a political mine-field and figure out some way of achieving peace between the various factions. Complicating matters is Ambassador Spock who is the leader of the Unificationists (an analogue to Christians in Pre-Constantine Rome), a semi-friendly Romulan Commander, Klingons, and a undercover Tuvok from Star Trek: Voyager.
Overall, I liked the book but I felt the writing was a little dry. Captain Riker and Deanna Troi were written well enough that I could "hear" their voices and that's always good. Likewise, I really enjoyed Commander Donatra who I wish Dinah Meyer had gotten the chance to do something with in Star Trek: Nemesis (I still think she was the best part of the short-lived Birds of Prey series). Spock is a very difficult character to get wrong, he's become a classic archetype like King Arthur or Sherlock Holmes. Even Tuvok felt very much "in-character" from what I remember of him.
However, just about everyone else left me feeling kind of-flat. The stand-out Expanded Universe character for me is Christine Vale, who is perky and likable. I like to think of her as played by Allison Mack for no other reason than I think she deserves some more roles in science fiction. Just about everyone else doesn't get enough time to really get an introduction. It's mostly, "Hey, I'm [insert name]. I'm a [insert race], and I'm happy to be here. Oh my, aren't all those other aliens weird?"
Still, I'm glad i read the first of the series and I'm definitely intrigued enough to continue onward. Know I'm a hard act to please with 10 out of 10 reserved for only the absolute best fiction there is. I enjoyed Watching the Clock slightly more but I don't feel comfortable just giving this a six.
7/10
January 3, 2021
If you're a TNG fan, love Romulans, wondered what happened after Nemesis and the Unification episodes, then this book is for you! I loved the setup of the book, the characters and excited to embark on adventures on the USS Titan.
I think this was a much better sequel to Unification parts 1 and 2 in TNG, than part 3 in Discovery.
I think this was a much better sequel to Unification parts 1 and 2 in TNG, than part 3 in Discovery.
December 29, 2011
(2.5 / 5)
This book suffers from a lot of flaws within the 'pilot story' syndrome, and this is exacerbated by the fact they seemed to have split it over two books and you need to read #2 to find out what happens. I don't know if the cliffhanger is going to be an ongoing part of the story, but as I was already struggling with this first book it may just prove to be annoying.
I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. But I felt a lot of plot and characterisation was cut to make way for authors salivating over different races. A problem with the Star Trek books is that because they don't have to deal with make-up and special effect budgets they tend to go totally over the top. Hence the crew of the Titan is the most diverse in all of Starfleet, and boy are we told it over and over again. As each new character is introduced we are told in great detail of their race and their appearance, almost to the point of fetishization. Maybe if they had spent less words on the crew's differences the plot could have been resolved in the first book.
It also doesn't help that much of the story hinges on the plot of the weakest Trek film - Nemesis. If you thought that film was a snorefest, the continuation of that plot isn't going to make you feel any better over it.
But at least we finally have a gay Starfleet officer. I'm sure that must have the more conservative Trek fans quaking in their boots. Homosexuals in space! Pass the smelling salts! (It's rather convenient that he lost his partner to the Borg and seems to be eschewing any thought of romance while everybody else looks to be partnering off.)
I'll give the next couple of books in the series a try, and see if it improves.
This book suffers from a lot of flaws within the 'pilot story' syndrome, and this is exacerbated by the fact they seemed to have split it over two books and you need to read #2 to find out what happens. I don't know if the cliffhanger is going to be an ongoing part of the story, but as I was already struggling with this first book it may just prove to be annoying.
I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. But I felt a lot of plot and characterisation was cut to make way for authors salivating over different races. A problem with the Star Trek books is that because they don't have to deal with make-up and special effect budgets they tend to go totally over the top. Hence the crew of the Titan is the most diverse in all of Starfleet, and boy are we told it over and over again. As each new character is introduced we are told in great detail of their race and their appearance, almost to the point of fetishization. Maybe if they had spent less words on the crew's differences the plot could have been resolved in the first book.
It also doesn't help that much of the story hinges on the plot of the weakest Trek film - Nemesis. If you thought that film was a snorefest, the continuation of that plot isn't going to make you feel any better over it.
But at least we finally have a gay Starfleet officer. I'm sure that must have the more conservative Trek fans quaking in their boots. Homosexuals in space! Pass the smelling salts! (It's rather convenient that he lost his partner to the Borg and seems to be eschewing any thought of romance while everybody else looks to be partnering off.)
I'll give the next couple of books in the series a try, and see if it improves.
January 13, 2023
I've been doing some deep Star Trek literary dives lately so I figured I'd give this series a chance. "Taking Wing" is the first book in the Titan series, where Riker is the Captain of the (you guessed it) Titan. I didn't know what to expect going in but I LOVED THIS! It was capital S, capital T Star Trek through and through. I loved the adventure. I loved the politics. It tied so much of the history and series together effectively and yet is its own thing. Plus, I'm always a sucker for an Ambassador Spock storyline. I will definitely read the rest of the books in the series (and a few other offshoots I've noticed).
September 14, 2022
Call it 3.5. I am always a fan of Romulan intrigue and when mixed with Riker and his new crew it was quite an exciting place to start. (I have read Dark Veil so it's not entirely my first outing with Titan)
That said I wasn't super keen on how the book ended. The climax occurred and then things continued to a cliff hanger almost like an episode of a show leaving things for me feeling unresolved and like the last bit of the book belonged elsewhere.
That said I wasn't super keen on how the book ended. The climax occurred and then things continued to a cliff hanger almost like an episode of a show leaving things for me feeling unresolved and like the last bit of the book belonged elsewhere.
May 30, 2025
I'm reminded of a thing Star Trek novels can do beautifully: while the main plot isn't much more than an episode's amount, the authors spend a lot of time with Titan's crew during their daily lives. Starfteet starships are big and have lots of people onboard, most of them are colorful weirdos and I really love when a story shows them off.
The main plot is… well, there's enough so the whole book gets 4.5/5 from me.
The main plot is… well, there's enough so the whole book gets 4.5/5 from me.
August 29, 2022
I've made no secret of it over the years, Riker is my favorite TNG character, but my reason for trying out the Titan books is that someone told me the premise was that Riker assembled the most diverse crew in Starfleet. And indeed, the book goes out of its way to create some budget-busting aliens (like the CMO who is basically a dinosaur, the arachnid computer expert, etc.). Riker wants his mission to be a social experiment as well as a trip to unexplored space - pure IDIC. Even the human characters tend to represent different ethnicities. There are some familiar faces, but for the most part, we're meeting new people, even if some have appeared in other books. In fact, all the back stories for these characters can be a bit of a pain and leave new readers wondering if they should have started somewhere else. Martin & Mangels' prose is sometimes clunky and there are a LOT of names to learn, many of them difficult to remember. Exchanges like this: “Doctor Shenti Yisec Eres Ree,” Troi said, “may I present Doctor Xin Ra-Havreii of Utopia Planitia.” are common, and starting on Romulus (in the wake of the TNG movie no one cares about), adds even more "alienness". Hiding Tuvok's identity seems pointless in those sequences given the authors just blurt it out later, and the opening chapters might have benefited from our knowing. In fact, my eyes glazed over whenever we were on Romulus and none of the Titan crew were present. So it was a little hard to get into, but I think the book grabbed me when Riker recruited his first officer. There was the humor and out-of-the-box thinking that made Riker my favorite (and it definitely pays off in the climax - the man plays jazz in everything he does). I like Christine and her manic energy too, and Troi comes out of this looking very good. We're inside her head more than is achievable on screen, and better understand her powers, and thus the people around her. And that means she can be motivated to make diplomatic power moves. So while the mission does its job in terms of making the characters shine, it's also apparently unlike what the series is meant to be about. Everyone goes on and on about finally getting a pure exploration assignment, and then this, which isn't. And while the second book will apparently take place in parts unknown, it's not REALLY pulling a Voyager, is it? (If so, poor Tuvok.) But no, a quick look ahead shows it's just another delay before they can go out and explore. So why is the "pilot" like this? Similarly, two members of the staff are introduced, given relationships, etc. only to be knocked out of the series before the end. Still, Taking Wing pretty efficiently makes its introductions, supplies a lot of action, and most importantly, I can imagine Riker's trademark grin in certain scenes. At the end of the day, while I question some of the decisions, I find there's a lot of potential in this ship and its crew and would I read another? Yes, I would.
September 29, 2016
Not bad for a first book in an ongoing series. Glad to see the continuation of what happened to the "real" Trek universe after that last movie (Nemesis). Which, i had to look up a lot, because i didn't like it and haven't seen it since it was in theaters (and i refuse to even acknowledge the abrams films). I can't believe i forgot that Data died... jeeze. (that really shouldn't be a spoiler to anyone, given how old that movie is. But it comes up quite a bit in the book, so if you didn't know before...)
Definitely a book for the super Trek fan though. LOADS of obscure references to all four TV Series and several of the films, and even a bunch of nods to previous novels and story lines from the expanded universe. I made the joke early on that after 3 chapters, i felt like i'd spent just as much time reading the "memory alpha" wiki as i did the book... that trend continued through the whole thing, but part of that was that i wasn't content to just let descriptions of aliens go and i had to look up where and how they may have shown up previously, and what they looked like on screen.
But it felt like it could have plausibly been a big two-episode pilot to a new show... and i found that satisfying. The plot and the set up were fairly standard, neither exceptional or disappointing in any way...
One thing that i loved about the book was the extremely high importance of the diversity of the crew. This was a breath of fresh air and really felt like "Trek" to me. On the USS Titan, humans only make up 15% of the crew and it really shows. The small stories and scenes with the ship's crew getting to know one another and getting over their prejudices was fantastic. It's always bugged me that on TV, any given Federation ship was nearly all human with only the occasional "weird" character who was an alien of some sort. Definitely not the case here. And the casual way that sexual orientation was handled as being a non-thing, (but still very much being represented) was also rather pleasing. That alone makes me really really eager to read more about this crew and their adventures.
Definitely a book for the super Trek fan though. LOADS of obscure references to all four TV Series and several of the films, and even a bunch of nods to previous novels and story lines from the expanded universe. I made the joke early on that after 3 chapters, i felt like i'd spent just as much time reading the "memory alpha" wiki as i did the book... that trend continued through the whole thing, but part of that was that i wasn't content to just let descriptions of aliens go and i had to look up where and how they may have shown up previously, and what they looked like on screen.
But it felt like it could have plausibly been a big two-episode pilot to a new show... and i found that satisfying. The plot and the set up were fairly standard, neither exceptional or disappointing in any way...
One thing that i loved about the book was the extremely high importance of the diversity of the crew. This was a breath of fresh air and really felt like "Trek" to me. On the USS Titan, humans only make up 15% of the crew and it really shows. The small stories and scenes with the ship's crew getting to know one another and getting over their prejudices was fantastic. It's always bugged me that on TV, any given Federation ship was nearly all human with only the occasional "weird" character who was an alien of some sort. Definitely not the case here. And the casual way that sexual orientation was handled as being a non-thing, (but still very much being represented) was also rather pleasing. That alone makes me really really eager to read more about this crew and their adventures.
October 29, 2024
good stuff! ill be reading this again next year for the 3rd or 4th time
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February 1, 2023Genre: Science Fiction
Author: Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin
Published: March 29th, 2005
Length: 370’ish pages, I found it a very easy read and finished fairly quickly.
Language: English
What Version Did You Read: I got a paper back copy from my local library.
Do I Need To Know Anything: Essentially everything about Star Trek.
Is It Good: I liked it a lot, but your enjoyment is completely dependent on your love of the franchise.
Like a great deal of Star Trek media, Titan: Taking Wing is a difficult book to review. If you, like me, have watched all 870 episodes across 43 television series, thirteen films, and dabbled in the comic, gaming and literally offshoots of the Star Trek franchise you will find yourself STILL confused reading this book. I was surprised to find there is another entire nine book series named Star Trek: A Time To, that is heavily referenced in this one.
I am apparently still not a good enough Star Trek fan to ‘get’ this book. Don’t worry, I will start Star Trek: A Time to Be Born immediately so I can return to the second Titan book as soon as possible.
If you, like me, are really jazzed that Melora Pazlar AND nurse Ogawa are on the same ship together, or that yes, you do want to hear more about the systemic political infrastructure of how the office of the Praetor will change after the power imbalance of the invigorated Reman people due to Shinzon’s machinations post the battle of the Bassen Rift… Then you don’t need me to review this book. You should read it. You’ll like it.
However if any of that does not excite you, or possibly dare I say bewilders you, then you should not read this book. You won’t like it.
Taking Wing really only does one thing well: giving me more Star Trek. In this Taking Wing is like eating a packed lunch, filling and satisfying in the moment but resigned to be forgotten the next day. You may not remember what you ate three days later if asked, only vaguely remembering that you ‘liked it’ and nothing else, but still you would will eat the same lunch items next Tuesday.
The characters of Star Trek are part of my family, I have grown up with them. I have memories of Uncle Riker playing trombone when I was six in our tiny Edmonton family apartment. My father and Aunt Janeway quarreling over the possibility she really did rolling on the floor fighting a ‘macro-virus’ the size of a dog. My spouse and I laughing as Uncle Data tried to tap dance and smile.
Like visiting family, visiting Star Trek is not always exactly thrilling. Sometimes it’s dull, boring, or even offense. Sometimes packing up and visiting the grandparents is more like a chore than entertainment. But no matter what, you always come back. And from the outside the gathering may not seem particularly special, but to us and those who love us we know how remarkable each are. We know each others stories, and revel in their successes and failures, even if the telling is dull.
Taking Wing is a lunch meal, but it is a lunch prepared and packed by a loving parent, packaged in that special way because only they know our story. I know William Riker, I know Dianna Troi, and I just want to spend more time with them. I want eat lunch with them, and just hang out in the lazy way real friendship is. Taking Wing is a opportunity to catch up with old friends. “Hey Will,” I call across the room, “I heard your Captain on the Titan now. How’s that going?” He smiles to me with his sparkling eyes and coy grin and starts to tell me a story.
Honestly, it’s not the best story. It feels like it’s building to something that never comes together. The story more ends then has an ending. There are a nearly bewildering amount of characters, who’s trials and personalities more depend on my foreknowledge from previous tales than the actual characterization in the story itself.
But it’s just nice to spend time with Will and Troi, and any of my complaints with the plot don’t really matter. I’m going to come back next week. These are my friends.
To conclude, Star Trek Titan: Taking Wing is aggressively average and only for the most die hard of Star Trek fans. There is nothing wrong with it, and entirely possible a blind reader may even enjoy it the same way they enjoy a bowl of popcorn.
I liked it. I thought it was fine. I would not recommend it to anyone unless they were already interested. I will probably forget most of the details in the next month.
But I’m going to read nine other books, just so I can read the second book in this series and better appreciate the book I just read. Oh, and rewatch Nemesis. Yes, and definitely view Melora, Deep Space Nine season two episode six for a refresher. Probably should review the wiki too…
Final Rating: 10/10
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Author: Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin
Published: March 29th, 2005
Length: 370’ish pages, I found it a very easy read and finished fairly quickly.
Language: English
What Version Did You Read: I got a paper back copy from my local library.
Do I Need To Know Anything: Essentially everything about Star Trek.
Is It Good: I liked it a lot, but your enjoyment is completely dependent on your love of the franchise.
Like a great deal of Star Trek media, Titan: Taking Wing is a difficult book to review. If you, like me, have watched all 870 episodes across 43 television series, thirteen films, and dabbled in the comic, gaming and literally offshoots of the Star Trek franchise you will find yourself STILL confused reading this book. I was surprised to find there is another entire nine book series named Star Trek: A Time To, that is heavily referenced in this one.
I am apparently still not a good enough Star Trek fan to ‘get’ this book. Don’t worry, I will start Star Trek: A Time to Be Born immediately so I can return to the second Titan book as soon as possible.
If you, like me, are really jazzed that Melora Pazlar AND nurse Ogawa are on the same ship together, or that yes, you do want to hear more about the systemic political infrastructure of how the office of the Praetor will change after the power imbalance of the invigorated Reman people due to Shinzon’s machinations post the battle of the Bassen Rift… Then you don’t need me to review this book. You should read it. You’ll like it.
However if any of that does not excite you, or possibly dare I say bewilders you, then you should not read this book. You won’t like it.
Taking Wing really only does one thing well: giving me more Star Trek. In this Taking Wing is like eating a packed lunch, filling and satisfying in the moment but resigned to be forgotten the next day. You may not remember what you ate three days later if asked, only vaguely remembering that you ‘liked it’ and nothing else, but still you would will eat the same lunch items next Tuesday.
The characters of Star Trek are part of my family, I have grown up with them. I have memories of Uncle Riker playing trombone when I was six in our tiny Edmonton family apartment. My father and Aunt Janeway quarreling over the possibility she really did rolling on the floor fighting a ‘macro-virus’ the size of a dog. My spouse and I laughing as Uncle Data tried to tap dance and smile.
Like visiting family, visiting Star Trek is not always exactly thrilling. Sometimes it’s dull, boring, or even offense. Sometimes packing up and visiting the grandparents is more like a chore than entertainment. But no matter what, you always come back. And from the outside the gathering may not seem particularly special, but to us and those who love us we know how remarkable each are. We know each others stories, and revel in their successes and failures, even if the telling is dull.
Taking Wing is a lunch meal, but it is a lunch prepared and packed by a loving parent, packaged in that special way because only they know our story. I know William Riker, I know Dianna Troi, and I just want to spend more time with them. I want eat lunch with them, and just hang out in the lazy way real friendship is. Taking Wing is a opportunity to catch up with old friends. “Hey Will,” I call across the room, “I heard your Captain on the Titan now. How’s that going?” He smiles to me with his sparkling eyes and coy grin and starts to tell me a story.
Honestly, it’s not the best story. It feels like it’s building to something that never comes together. The story more ends then has an ending. There are a nearly bewildering amount of characters, who’s trials and personalities more depend on my foreknowledge from previous tales than the actual characterization in the story itself.
But it’s just nice to spend time with Will and Troi, and any of my complaints with the plot don’t really matter. I’m going to come back next week. These are my friends.
To conclude, Star Trek Titan: Taking Wing is aggressively average and only for the most die hard of Star Trek fans. There is nothing wrong with it, and entirely possible a blind reader may even enjoy it the same way they enjoy a bowl of popcorn.
I liked it. I thought it was fine. I would not recommend it to anyone unless they were already interested. I will probably forget most of the details in the next month.
But I’m going to read nine other books, just so I can read the second book in this series and better appreciate the book I just read. Oh, and rewatch Nemesis. Yes, and definitely view Melora, Deep Space Nine season two episode six for a refresher. Probably should review the wiki too…
Final Rating: 10/10
Follow my monthly newsletter Add It To The Pile for more reviews at https://addittothepile.substack.com/
May 1, 2022
Very good story on what happens after the movie Nemesis. I have always been a Riker fan and have always wondered what type of captain he would make. This book does not disappoint. Captain Riker assembles a diverse crew, really diverse, I think humans are the minority on his ship. Well not to give it all away, the story kept me intrigued from the beginning. I like the way the authors developed the characters of the crew and give me insight into Captain Riker and his, Deanna thoughts from past missions. Highly recommended.
April 16, 2025
Introducing Captain Riker! After all these years and turning down three commands, Will Riker is now captain of the Titan. He has a multispecies crew and a mission of exploration- what more could he want?
Problem- here comes the surprise mission. Admiral Akaar diverts the Titan to Romulus, where Praetor Tal'ura wants help mediating a peace between various factions all seeking the power she claimed for herself after the death of Shinzon. Now Captain Riker has to adjust to a new command and a new crew with one of the highest ranking admirals in Starfleet on board looking over his shoulder.
I enjoyed the mix of Enterprise alumni and new characters. Newly promoted Commander Christine Vale has accepted the role of first officer. Lieutenant Sariel Rager is at ops, Lieutenant Commander Ranul Keru is chief of security, Nurse Alyssa Ogawa is serving in medical and of course his wife Deanna is senior counselor/diplomatic officer. I was pleasantly surprised to see Lieutenant Melora Pazlar from the Gemworld two-part book on board heading up stellar cartography, complete with a gravity negating exo-skeleton to help her cope with regular gravity.
Of the newcomers, I was particularly intrigued by Dr. Shenti Yisec Eres Ree, a Pakwa'thanh. I can understand why some of the crew were shocked- when the chief medical officer looks like a velociraptor, there will be some double takes. I was also interested in Ensign Aili Lavena, the Selkie helmsman who has to wear a hydration suit outside of her aquarium-like quarters.
Captain Riker has a double mission: deliver relief supplies and facilitate meetings among the rival Romulan factions, and find Commander Tuvok, the Starfleet deep cover agent who went missing on Romulus while bringing a message to Ambassador Spock about the future of his reunification efforts. Three Klingon attack ships are there to protect Titan and the three relief ships and to help talk to the Remans, at the Remans' request.
It's an exciting tale: new shipmates learning one another, political intrigue on Romulus and a pitched battle between the Remans (who are tired of being slaves) and the Romulans. I enjoyed watching the newly minted captain pull a rabbit out of his hat to save the day, only to find himself and his crew pulled directly into the next adventure. The area where Data sacrificed his life to blow up Shinzon's ship is now a dimensional warp; a fleet of ships commanded by Commanders Donatra and Suran vanished into its depths without a trace. Titan and Donatra's Valdore followed them in and found themselves in a realm familiar to Admiral Akaar and the rescued Tuvok: the Small Magellenic Cloud, home of the Neyel. I'm interested to see how this turns out in the next book.
Problem- here comes the surprise mission. Admiral Akaar diverts the Titan to Romulus, where Praetor Tal'ura wants help mediating a peace between various factions all seeking the power she claimed for herself after the death of Shinzon. Now Captain Riker has to adjust to a new command and a new crew with one of the highest ranking admirals in Starfleet on board looking over his shoulder.
I enjoyed the mix of Enterprise alumni and new characters. Newly promoted Commander Christine Vale has accepted the role of first officer. Lieutenant Sariel Rager is at ops, Lieutenant Commander Ranul Keru is chief of security, Nurse Alyssa Ogawa is serving in medical and of course his wife Deanna is senior counselor/diplomatic officer. I was pleasantly surprised to see Lieutenant Melora Pazlar from the Gemworld two-part book on board heading up stellar cartography, complete with a gravity negating exo-skeleton to help her cope with regular gravity.
Of the newcomers, I was particularly intrigued by Dr. Shenti Yisec Eres Ree, a Pakwa'thanh. I can understand why some of the crew were shocked- when the chief medical officer looks like a velociraptor, there will be some double takes. I was also interested in Ensign Aili Lavena, the Selkie helmsman who has to wear a hydration suit outside of her aquarium-like quarters.
Captain Riker has a double mission: deliver relief supplies and facilitate meetings among the rival Romulan factions, and find Commander Tuvok, the Starfleet deep cover agent who went missing on Romulus while bringing a message to Ambassador Spock about the future of his reunification efforts. Three Klingon attack ships are there to protect Titan and the three relief ships and to help talk to the Remans, at the Remans' request.
It's an exciting tale: new shipmates learning one another, political intrigue on Romulus and a pitched battle between the Remans (who are tired of being slaves) and the Romulans. I enjoyed watching the newly minted captain pull a rabbit out of his hat to save the day, only to find himself and his crew pulled directly into the next adventure. The area where Data sacrificed his life to blow up Shinzon's ship is now a dimensional warp; a fleet of ships commanded by Commanders Donatra and Suran vanished into its depths without a trace. Titan and Donatra's Valdore followed them in and found themselves in a realm familiar to Admiral Akaar and the rescued Tuvok: the Small Magellenic Cloud, home of the Neyel. I'm interested to see how this turns out in the next book.
January 8, 2017
I gave up on this one before I got halfway through.
Before beginning the book I saw some negative reviews complaining about how PC and diversity-conscious this book was. I brushed them off. Diversity has deliberately been a big component of Trek for a long time.
But no, the negative reviews were exactly right. The authors are much more interested in talking about the Titan's incredibly diverse crew than they are in telling the story the book is supposedly about. The species of each crew member is described in excruciating detail, as are the thoughts of each crew member about the species of other crew member, as is the reaction of each crew member to the actions of the other crew members about this crew member's species, and... ugh. Wasn't there supposed to be a story here? Nope, let's just hang out in the ship's lounge and listen to dozens of interchangeable characters talk about mundane nonsense for page after page after page.
There are way, way too many characters, very few of whom seem to have any real connection to the plot. I mean, insanely, pathologically, way too many characters, to the point where I can't imagine readers are able to remember who's who without keeping notes. I don't understand what the authors were thinking. I'm sure it's difficult to simultaneously tell a story and introduce new characters for an ongoing series. But it seems like the authors deliberately made things hard on themselves. We had Riker and Troi, why couldn't we have gotten away with another 5 or so senior officers (some of whom could have been Trek characters we already know) who will be recurring in the series and a handful of "guest stars" for this particular book? Instead, we've got a laundry list of all kinds of random people on the Titan, and there seems to be an absurd level of redundancy in the "guest stars," where several characters all seem to play essentially the same role.
In the fairly small number of pages so far the book has devoted to the actual plot, we learn that there are six Romulan factions vying for power in the wake of the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. Six. Each of which have their own motivation and goals, and each of which has several characters we interact with. How is the reader supposed to keep track of all this?
Before beginning the book I saw some negative reviews complaining about how PC and diversity-conscious this book was. I brushed them off. Diversity has deliberately been a big component of Trek for a long time.
But no, the negative reviews were exactly right. The authors are much more interested in talking about the Titan's incredibly diverse crew than they are in telling the story the book is supposedly about. The species of each crew member is described in excruciating detail, as are the thoughts of each crew member about the species of other crew member, as is the reaction of each crew member to the actions of the other crew members about this crew member's species, and... ugh. Wasn't there supposed to be a story here? Nope, let's just hang out in the ship's lounge and listen to dozens of interchangeable characters talk about mundane nonsense for page after page after page.
There are way, way too many characters, very few of whom seem to have any real connection to the plot. I mean, insanely, pathologically, way too many characters, to the point where I can't imagine readers are able to remember who's who without keeping notes. I don't understand what the authors were thinking. I'm sure it's difficult to simultaneously tell a story and introduce new characters for an ongoing series. But it seems like the authors deliberately made things hard on themselves. We had Riker and Troi, why couldn't we have gotten away with another 5 or so senior officers (some of whom could have been Trek characters we already know) who will be recurring in the series and a handful of "guest stars" for this particular book? Instead, we've got a laundry list of all kinds of random people on the Titan, and there seems to be an absurd level of redundancy in the "guest stars," where several characters all seem to play essentially the same role.
In the fairly small number of pages so far the book has devoted to the actual plot, we learn that there are six Romulan factions vying for power in the wake of the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. Six. Each of which have their own motivation and goals, and each of which has several characters we interact with. How is the reader supposed to keep track of all this?
August 10, 2021
I found this book quite dull. I read this at the behest at my dad. As we are both big Star Trek fans I must say that I was moderately excited for the continuation of Riker's adventures in Starfleet and finally having his own command, but the book's lack of a story had me waiting quite impatiently for the story to come to an end. I was further disappointed when I mentioned my overall dislike for this book and he completely agreed (why then was I encouraged to read this? 🤦♂️). I liked the idea of the incredibly diverse crew on board the Titan but there were too many different aliens to keep track of and to possibly care about, I did however like the reptilian doctor character, but he was one of the few new characters that was expanded upon at all. I also appreciated the inclusion of gay characters, as it is something that was very lacking in the great era of Star Trek television. The bland story kills this book for me however and guaranteed that I will not be reading more in the Titan series, they go on a diplomatic mission to Romulus, things go slightly awry on the trip, they arrive to various Romulan factions venting various frustrations and there's a murder: the end. Not enough for me to care to find out what happens next.
September 10, 2025
I enjoyed this reading more than previous ones. It does have some elements I enjoyed from the TNG era-seeing Riker take command, Riker and Troi together. I also enjoyed seeing some of the other familiar characters join the crew like Tuvok and Vale. There were a couple of things that didn’t work for me. The book spent a lot of time going over the diversity of the crew and it became sort of an eye roll after a while. I also find it somewhat difficult to believe a ship designated to long term exploration could accommodate so many diverse species with a number of different living requirements. I also had a problem with how the character of Keru was handled. It’s clear this character didn’t appreciate the circumstances that happened in First Contact and if there was any kind of psychological tests or counselor sessions they would know that his obsession with not leaving anyone behind would a. Potentially compromise whatever mission was being conducted and b. Would be impractical and lead to more issues within Keru’s personal life and mentality.
April 24, 2016
This is a very well done "Star Trek" novel, though there are a couple of artistic choices that will leave the "Star Trek" fan scratching their head. The biggest complaint is that it is definitely the first in a series, and leaves the reader on a cliffhanger ending.
October 10, 2020
An enjoyable post-Nemesis novel; can't wait to read the sequels!
December 15, 2013
Easily a five. If they made this into a series, I would watch every week. Amazing!
Read
December 20, 2015Wasn't a bad start. I can see how he is mingling the new crew with his hand picks from Enterprise. It will be exciting to see how they develop. The story was about unification.
April 6, 2016
Summary: In the sewers beneath the Romulan capital of Ki Baratan, an undercover Federation operative under the assumed name of "Rukath" meets with Ambassador Spock. Rukath tells Spock that the Federation Council and President have decided to endorse his Unification movement, but they need him to return to Earth and report back first. Spock says his place is on Romulus, and ultimately refuses to return with Rukath. Later, Shinzon attacks and kills the Romulan senate, and in the proceeding riots, Rukath is assaulted by Romulan uhlans and sent to Vikr'l prison, where he is incarcerated and interrogated.
The USS Titan is at at Utopia Planitia undergoing final preparations for departure. Being the most diverse crew in the entire fleet, many special accommodations must be made. Stellar cartographer Melora Pazlar, an Elaysian from the null-gravity, artificial planet of Gemworld, has vertically built, low-gravity quarters; flight controller Aili Lavena is a Pacifican, a species that primarily live under water, and thus has quarters filled with water; chief medical officer Shenti Yisec Eres Ree is a Pahkwa-thanh, a dinosaur-like species who hunt live prey and eat it raw.
Captain William T. Riker is still in need of a first officer, however, so he departs Titan and meets up with the Enterprise E. He still can't convince Geordi LaForge or Worf to take the job, but on his third try, he does convince Christine Vale to take the job, despite her reservations about Commander Troi, his wife, being one of his senior officers.
Riker and Vale return to the Titan only to find that Admiral Akaar is coming aboard. Akaar stays on board for the next couple of weeks, ostensibly to check up on the ship and its crew; however, just as they're about to depart, Akaar informs Riker that Titan's first mission will not be one of exploration after all, but that Titan will instead be deployed to Romulus to commence peace negotiations. Riker still feels that Akaar is holding mission details back, and moments later 3 Klingon ships decloak directly ahead, weapons charged! It turns out they're only there to escort Titan to Romulus, however--but Riker isn't happy about the surprise.
The Romulans have fragmented into multiple different factions: Tal'Aura has taken over as praetor, with Tomalak in charge of her defenses; Commander Donatra has control of the military; the Tal Shiar, the Romulan Secret Service, have eyes and ears everywhere, and are also vying for control; and the Remans, vowing never again to be repressed by the Romulans, also want to have an equal say in the upcoming negotiations.
Once the Federation convoy arrives at Romulus (they were further escorted by members of Donatra's fleet after reaching the Neutral Zone), they are informed that there will be a preliminary meeting of only a select few of the Romulan factions, primarily praetor Tal'Aura, commander Donatra, and senator Pardek's groups--thereby excluding the Remans and the Tal Shiar before discussions even get under way. Riker reluctantly agrees to this because he realizes that in their fractured state, the Romulans are hardly capable of sustaining negotiations as it is.
The preliminary meeting does not go well; senator Parkdek is absent, with senator Durjik taking his place. He informs everyone that Pardek was found dead with his neck slit, and immediately blames the Federation for the assassination (Pardek was actually killed by the Tal Shiar when he voiced his opposition to Tal'Aura as praetor). It's not long before all Romulan parties are at each other's throats, and duelling swords/knives are drawn on multiple occasions. The meeting is adjourned when Troi points out that the Remans are going to "scoop out the Romulan's brains and eat them" if they don't get their shit together. Before they beam back to Titan, security officer Ranul Keru takes a sweep of the area and finds that they're all covered in Tal Shiar nanobot listening devices that broadcasted the entire conversation.
Another of Akaar's missions while at Romulus was to find and retrieve a Vulcan operative that had gone missing; it turns out Rukath the Romulan, who was thrown in Vikr'l prison earlier on, was actually Tuvok the Vulcan. With help from a Reman prisoner named Mekrikuk, Tuvok insights a prison riot and manages to escape his cell. Titan detects his biosign and sends down a covert team to extract him, since there is too much interference to transport. The away team flies down in a cloaked ship, wearing cloaked suits similar to the observation suits from Star Trek: Insurrection. However, the Remans, who live in perpetual darkness on their planet, have no problem at all detecting the stealth suits and craft with their non-visual senses. Needless to say, the rescue does not go smoothly. Still, Ranul manages to find Tuvok, but just as they're about to repair back to the shuttle, a bomb goes off and a third party of Remans make off with Tuvok. Mekrikuk was gravely wounded by the bomb, so Ranul takes him back to Titan.
Luckily, Tuvok is now outside the scattering effect of the mineral compounds in the prison and Titan manages to beam him aboard--along with his rescuer, Ambassador Spock. This turns out to be a very bad thing however, because Spock had been negotiating with the Reman leader, Xiomek, when he was beamed aboard. With Spock's abrupt departure, Xiomek uncloaks his fleet of decommissioned Romulan warbirds and assumes positions around many of the major Romulan cities. Not long after, Tomalak's fleet decloaks and a battle begins. During the battle, a giant chunk of debris from a Reman ship collides with the Titan, causing massive damage and multiple casualties: Ranul Keru is impaled by a chunk of metal and is in critical condition (Tuvok takes over as Tactical Officer); chief engineer Nidani Ledrah is killed and the ship's designer, Xin Ra-Havreii, is forced to take over as acting chief engineer.
As a last ditch effort to cease the hostilities, Riker has a teleconference with Xiomek and Khegh, the Klingon commander, and makes arrangements for Remus to be a protectorate of the Klingon Empire. With the Remans now under the direct protection of the entire Klingon Empire, the Romulans have no choice but to cease their attacks, and decide they better get their shit together before the Klingons set up all kinds of bases on Remus, right next door.
After some further talks, a temporary peace seems to be holding tenuously in place. Spock agrees to meet with the Federation Council and the president, and leaves on one of the other ships in the convoy. Titan is about to resume its originally intended mission of exploration when they get a hail from Donatra. It turns out she was largely absent from the fight because her entire fleet has disappeared; they were cloaked and hiding near a spatial anomaly known as the Great Bloom--a rift in space caused by the explosion of Shinzon's thalaron weapon. Upon arrival at the Great Bloom, Titan attempts to scan the anomaly, which triggers some sort of reaction that pulls the ship in... Sensors indicate that Titan has travelled 210,000 light-years across the galaxy, inside one of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies--Neyel territory, a civilization descended from humans that Tuvok and Admiral Akaar pale at the mention of (they had encountered them previously while serving aboard the USS Excelsior).
Review: 4 stars. This book serves as a direct sequel to Nemesis and does a much better job of it than Death in Winter; I was always interested in what was going on, even in the slower parts, whereas DiW was a slog. While DiW stated that the Romulan government was in disarray after Shinzon's disastrous praetorship, this book really shows how far reaching the consequences are, and we get to witness each of the different factions interacting directly (i.e. trying to kill one another). I also particularly liked that the destruction of Shinzon's thalaron weapon created a beautiful, massive spatial anomaly--a permanent memorial to Data.
Books, not being limited by a budget, are the perfect outlet to finally show how diverse a Federation crew can be--and I loved it. The authors did a great job of building up an almost entirely new cast of characters, making each of them distinct and interesting, and most of the main crew members got at least one solid scene of character development. I really wish the Titan books came with an appendix though, because there are so many different characters and so many different races that it's really hard to keep track of them (I created my own cheat sheet, but I'd prefer it was actually in the book, like it was in Destiny).
I really enjoy the Romulans and Remans as Star Trek villains, and I think this book did a great job expounding on both cultures, which made them feel more like actual races with real goals and motivations instead of just two-dimensional TV bad guys. There was plenty of political intrigue with all the appropriate backstabbing and sabre rattling; we learned that the Remans have heightened senses from living in the dark and can detect cloaked things nearby; we saw the systematic abuse of the Remans in the Romulan jails, showcasing that the Romulans still feel they are the dominant species; and of course there was the obligatory starship battle during the climax. I liked the "twist" ending that the Klingons declared Remus a Klingon Protectorate, but the Klingons were already there on behalf of the Remans anyway, so it didn't seem like that big of a difference that it immediately made the Romulans cease hostilities.
So overall, a great start to the Titan series. It leaves off on a cliffhanger, but luckily I picked up the whole lot at once, so I'll be diving in to the next book right away.
The USS Titan is at at Utopia Planitia undergoing final preparations for departure. Being the most diverse crew in the entire fleet, many special accommodations must be made. Stellar cartographer Melora Pazlar, an Elaysian from the null-gravity, artificial planet of Gemworld, has vertically built, low-gravity quarters; flight controller Aili Lavena is a Pacifican, a species that primarily live under water, and thus has quarters filled with water; chief medical officer Shenti Yisec Eres Ree is a Pahkwa-thanh, a dinosaur-like species who hunt live prey and eat it raw.
Captain William T. Riker is still in need of a first officer, however, so he departs Titan and meets up with the Enterprise E. He still can't convince Geordi LaForge or Worf to take the job, but on his third try, he does convince Christine Vale to take the job, despite her reservations about Commander Troi, his wife, being one of his senior officers.
Riker and Vale return to the Titan only to find that Admiral Akaar is coming aboard. Akaar stays on board for the next couple of weeks, ostensibly to check up on the ship and its crew; however, just as they're about to depart, Akaar informs Riker that Titan's first mission will not be one of exploration after all, but that Titan will instead be deployed to Romulus to commence peace negotiations. Riker still feels that Akaar is holding mission details back, and moments later 3 Klingon ships decloak directly ahead, weapons charged! It turns out they're only there to escort Titan to Romulus, however--but Riker isn't happy about the surprise.
The Romulans have fragmented into multiple different factions: Tal'Aura has taken over as praetor, with Tomalak in charge of her defenses; Commander Donatra has control of the military; the Tal Shiar, the Romulan Secret Service, have eyes and ears everywhere, and are also vying for control; and the Remans, vowing never again to be repressed by the Romulans, also want to have an equal say in the upcoming negotiations.
Once the Federation convoy arrives at Romulus (they were further escorted by members of Donatra's fleet after reaching the Neutral Zone), they are informed that there will be a preliminary meeting of only a select few of the Romulan factions, primarily praetor Tal'Aura, commander Donatra, and senator Pardek's groups--thereby excluding the Remans and the Tal Shiar before discussions even get under way. Riker reluctantly agrees to this because he realizes that in their fractured state, the Romulans are hardly capable of sustaining negotiations as it is.
The preliminary meeting does not go well; senator Parkdek is absent, with senator Durjik taking his place. He informs everyone that Pardek was found dead with his neck slit, and immediately blames the Federation for the assassination (Pardek was actually killed by the Tal Shiar when he voiced his opposition to Tal'Aura as praetor). It's not long before all Romulan parties are at each other's throats, and duelling swords/knives are drawn on multiple occasions. The meeting is adjourned when Troi points out that the Remans are going to "scoop out the Romulan's brains and eat them" if they don't get their shit together. Before they beam back to Titan, security officer Ranul Keru takes a sweep of the area and finds that they're all covered in Tal Shiar nanobot listening devices that broadcasted the entire conversation.
Another of Akaar's missions while at Romulus was to find and retrieve a Vulcan operative that had gone missing; it turns out Rukath the Romulan, who was thrown in Vikr'l prison earlier on, was actually Tuvok the Vulcan. With help from a Reman prisoner named Mekrikuk, Tuvok insights a prison riot and manages to escape his cell. Titan detects his biosign and sends down a covert team to extract him, since there is too much interference to transport. The away team flies down in a cloaked ship, wearing cloaked suits similar to the observation suits from Star Trek: Insurrection. However, the Remans, who live in perpetual darkness on their planet, have no problem at all detecting the stealth suits and craft with their non-visual senses. Needless to say, the rescue does not go smoothly. Still, Ranul manages to find Tuvok, but just as they're about to repair back to the shuttle, a bomb goes off and a third party of Remans make off with Tuvok. Mekrikuk was gravely wounded by the bomb, so Ranul takes him back to Titan.
Luckily, Tuvok is now outside the scattering effect of the mineral compounds in the prison and Titan manages to beam him aboard--along with his rescuer, Ambassador Spock. This turns out to be a very bad thing however, because Spock had been negotiating with the Reman leader, Xiomek, when he was beamed aboard. With Spock's abrupt departure, Xiomek uncloaks his fleet of decommissioned Romulan warbirds and assumes positions around many of the major Romulan cities. Not long after, Tomalak's fleet decloaks and a battle begins. During the battle, a giant chunk of debris from a Reman ship collides with the Titan, causing massive damage and multiple casualties: Ranul Keru is impaled by a chunk of metal and is in critical condition (Tuvok takes over as Tactical Officer); chief engineer Nidani Ledrah is killed and the ship's designer, Xin Ra-Havreii, is forced to take over as acting chief engineer.
As a last ditch effort to cease the hostilities, Riker has a teleconference with Xiomek and Khegh, the Klingon commander, and makes arrangements for Remus to be a protectorate of the Klingon Empire. With the Remans now under the direct protection of the entire Klingon Empire, the Romulans have no choice but to cease their attacks, and decide they better get their shit together before the Klingons set up all kinds of bases on Remus, right next door.
After some further talks, a temporary peace seems to be holding tenuously in place. Spock agrees to meet with the Federation Council and the president, and leaves on one of the other ships in the convoy. Titan is about to resume its originally intended mission of exploration when they get a hail from Donatra. It turns out she was largely absent from the fight because her entire fleet has disappeared; they were cloaked and hiding near a spatial anomaly known as the Great Bloom--a rift in space caused by the explosion of Shinzon's thalaron weapon. Upon arrival at the Great Bloom, Titan attempts to scan the anomaly, which triggers some sort of reaction that pulls the ship in... Sensors indicate that Titan has travelled 210,000 light-years across the galaxy, inside one of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies--Neyel territory, a civilization descended from humans that Tuvok and Admiral Akaar pale at the mention of (they had encountered them previously while serving aboard the USS Excelsior).
Review: 4 stars. This book serves as a direct sequel to Nemesis and does a much better job of it than Death in Winter; I was always interested in what was going on, even in the slower parts, whereas DiW was a slog. While DiW stated that the Romulan government was in disarray after Shinzon's disastrous praetorship, this book really shows how far reaching the consequences are, and we get to witness each of the different factions interacting directly (i.e. trying to kill one another). I also particularly liked that the destruction of Shinzon's thalaron weapon created a beautiful, massive spatial anomaly--a permanent memorial to Data.
Books, not being limited by a budget, are the perfect outlet to finally show how diverse a Federation crew can be--and I loved it. The authors did a great job of building up an almost entirely new cast of characters, making each of them distinct and interesting, and most of the main crew members got at least one solid scene of character development. I really wish the Titan books came with an appendix though, because there are so many different characters and so many different races that it's really hard to keep track of them (I created my own cheat sheet, but I'd prefer it was actually in the book, like it was in Destiny).
I really enjoy the Romulans and Remans as Star Trek villains, and I think this book did a great job expounding on both cultures, which made them feel more like actual races with real goals and motivations instead of just two-dimensional TV bad guys. There was plenty of political intrigue with all the appropriate backstabbing and sabre rattling; we learned that the Remans have heightened senses from living in the dark and can detect cloaked things nearby; we saw the systematic abuse of the Remans in the Romulan jails, showcasing that the Romulans still feel they are the dominant species; and of course there was the obligatory starship battle during the climax. I liked the "twist" ending that the Klingons declared Remus a Klingon Protectorate, but the Klingons were already there on behalf of the Remans anyway, so it didn't seem like that big of a difference that it immediately made the Romulans cease hostilities.
So overall, a great start to the Titan series. It leaves off on a cliffhanger, but luckily I picked up the whole lot at once, so I'll be diving in to the next book right away.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2016
Star Trek: Titan: Taking Wing by Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin Unfortunately, the only review I can offer right now is the German one I wrote for the Austrian Star Trek-newsgroup back in 2005.
Basically, I find the premise of Titan quite intriguing, I'm cautiously optimistic about the crew, quite a few very interesting and likeable characters mixed with others I don't particularly care about. The plot suffers a bit because of the concentration on the characters, though... When all is said and done, given that I'm no longer an avid reader of Star Trek-novels, the notion that I truely intend to pick up the next installment of this new series means quite a lot of praise. I hope I won't be disappointed!~~
Mich hat "Taking Wing" nicht ganz so vom Hocker gerissen, sicher nicht so sehr wie "Avatar" oder die erste NF-Tetralogie. Liegt vielleicht daran, daß ich die "A Time to..."-Serie nicht gelesen habe, nachdem ich das 1. Buch wirklich zum Einschlafen fand und nach 50 Seiten weglegte. Daher kenne ich zB. Commander Vale nicht, die mir hier rein von diesem Buch her gesehen, recht farblos vorkam. Andererseits habe ich auch nicht wirklich Lust, einen 9-Teiler zu lesen, nur damit mir ein Charakter irgendwie näher gebracht wird. Wenn "Titan" selbst das nicht schafft, dann soll's wohl nicht sein.Natürlich ist es interessant, wie sich Riker *endlich* auf sein eigenes Kommando einläßt, mit all den Unsicherheiten, die man von einem neuen Captain, der ja auch nicht mehr der Jüngste ist, erwarten kann. Andererseits stören mich gerade einige dieser Unsicherheiten ein wenig, denn Riker sollte schon ein wenig selbstsicherer sein nach seinen bisherigen Erfahrungen. Ich fand's ein wenig übertrieben, mit welcher Aggressivität und Paranoia er Akaar begegnete. Wiederum natürlich weiß ich nicht genau, was in "A Time to..." geschehen ist, das ihn an den Admirälen der Flotte zweifeln läßt, aber diese Art der Unsicherheit kam mir schon etwas übertrieben vor. Das Ende jedoch stimmt mich wieder etwas positiver, einerseits Akaars Reaktion auf Rikers Anschuldigungen, andererseits auch wieder einmal einen kleinen Blick auf Rikers Einfallsreichtum in Krisenzeiten werfen zu können... ja, so könnte das schon weitergehen!Gegenüber Riker und Trois Beziehung bin ich noch ein wenig zwiegespalten. Ich habe nichts dagegen, daß die beiden auf demselben Schiff dienen, wobei ich Trois zusätzliche Aufgabe als Chefdiplomatin des Schiffes für nicht wirklich bemerkenswert halte. Schließlich hatte sie schon zuvor wichtige Aufgaben, gerade was Verhandlungen mit fremden Spezies anbelangt. Ich vertraue darauf, daß die beiden ihre private Beziehung durchaus von der beruflichen Hierarchie trennen können. Was mich jedoch ziemlich störte, waren diese kleinen Gesten auf der Brücke, wie die Umarmung oder das Händchenhalten. Mag kleinlich sein, aber gerade dadurch wird das Privatleben in den Beruf hinein gezogen. Auch diese telepathischen Konversationen fand ich unangebracht. Meiner Meinung nach ist das Problem, Troi und Riker in derselben Kommandostruktur zu haben, nicht so sehr die Möglichkeit eines "Change of Heart"-Szenarios, sondern eher darin gegeben, daß Riker Trois Meinung über die all seiner anderen Berater stellen könnte. Und das wird natürlich verstärkt, wenn er mit ihr "reden" kann in einer Weise, die alle anderen nicht mitbekommen. Ich hoffe sehr, das wird noch ein bißchen runtergefahren und schließlich ähnlich professionell gelöst wie die Odo/Kira-Beziehung. Von Calhoun/Shelby möchte ich gar nicht anfangen, da die NF in meinen Augen seit Restoration ziemlich abgebaut hat... aber das ist ein anderes Kapitel.Der Speziesvielfalt auf der Titan stehe ich auch noch eher etwas skeptisch gegenüber, da ich noch nicht ganz verstehe, wie diese Vielfalt dann wirklich in die Praxis umgesetzt werden soll. Bisher gab's da ja nur kleine Einblicke. Sowohl Ree als auch Bralik haben mich von Anfang an angesprochen, auch dieser cardassianische Kadett könnte noch interessant werden, besonders wenn er vom bajoranischen Wissenschaftsoffizier unter die Fittiche genommen wird. Die gesamte Ingenieursriege berührte mich nicht wirklich, ob die eine jetzt tot ist und der andere sein Vergangenheitstrauma bewältigen will, ist mir herzlich egal. Was ich ehrlich gesagt aber fast seltsam finde, ist die Reaktion einiger Crewmitglieder auf ihre Kollegen. So finde ich den Typen, der später Keru versucht anzumachen, eher sehr unsympathisch, und auch die Szene mit Ree in der Kantine erfüllte mich eher mit Mitleid für den Arzt als Verständnis für die Zuseher. Ich meine, Klingonen essen lebende Würmer (und Riker tut das auch), so weit ist der Schritt nicht mehr zum Mahl eines Velociraptors, was die Ekelstufe betrifft... ja, vielleicht ist es gewöhnungsbedürftig, aber dieses offene Zurschaustellen von Angst, Ekel und Argwohn finde ich einfach nicht angebracht für Sternenflottenangehörige.An bekannten Personen werden TNGs Alyssa Ogawa, DS9s Melora Pazlar und der Trill Keru, der bereits vor einigen Jahren im TNG-Teil der Section 31-Reihe auftauchte, als Crewmitglieder eingeführt. Während man über Melora noch nicht viel sagen kann, so sind Keru und Ogawa einander wichtige Stützen über den Tod des jeweiligen Partners hinweg zu kommen. Ich hoffe, diese Freundschaft, die auch Ogawas kleinen Sohn Noah mit einschließt, bleibt ein wichtiger Bestandteil dieser Serie. Ich glaube nämlich, auch wenn das naiv oder kitschig klingen mag, man kann Personen viel eher über ihre Freunde definieren, als über solch vage Zuweisungen wie "Keru ist der "Parade"-Homosexuelle an Bord". Damit werden Personen oder in diesem Fall Buchcharaktere auf nur einen Punkt reduziert, der natürlich einen wichtigen Teil ihres Lebens ausmacht, aber doch keineswegs als einziger zeigt, *wer* man ist. Ganz ehrlich gesagt finde ich es traurig, wenn es andere Menschen stört, was 2 Erwachsene aus freien Stücken und ungezwungen in ihren eigenen 4 Wänden machen. Das geht doch niemanden was an! Es ist schade, daß wahrscheinlich schon die Vorstellung, einen Homosexuellen an Bord der Titan zu haben, bei einigen Lesern negative Reaktionen auslösen wird. Andererseits muß man auch sagen, daß diese Leser dann wohl auch den Geist Star Treks, allem mit offenen Augen und Toleranz zu begegnen, nicht verstanden haben und sich wohl eher anderem zuwenden sollten. Um wieder auf Keru zurück zu kommen, so hoffe ich wirklich, hier wird ein guter Mittelweg gefunden, der ihn als Person wachsen läßt - so man sich nicht entscheidet, ihn seinen Verletzungen erliegen zu lassen...Spock ist natürlich immer ein gern gesehener Gast, er ist und bleibt mein Lieblingscharakter von Star Trek, auch wenn er hier ein wenig farblos, um nicht zu sagen unnötigerweise hier inkludiert, herüber kommt. Auf der anderen Seite dient er dazu, Tuvok auf den Plan zu bringen, der hier nun hoffentlich endlich mal zu dem aberundeten Charakter werden darf, der er 7 Jahre auf der VOY nicht sein durfte. Ich bin jedenfalls schon jetzt gespannt, wie er sich in diese Crew einfügen und später mit Keru zusammenarbeiten wird.Für mich ist die Crew immer der wichtigste Bestandteil von SF-Serien. Sie muß die Fantasiewelt dem Leser/Zuseher glaubhaft übermitteln können, sozusagen die Brücke zur Handlung sein. Ich denke schon, daß diese Truppe dieses Potential hat, wenn man es mit den diversen Einzel"quirks" nicht übertreibt, andererseits aber auch nicht den Fehler begeht, zu schnell über diese Besonderheiten hinweg zu gehen und den üblichen ST-Mannschaftseintopf zu kreieren.Zur Geschichte selbst gibt's nicht viel zu sagen. Ich fand die Prämisse der vielen konkurrierenden Fraktionen auf Romulus sehr interessant, die Auflösung allerdings doch etwas zu einfach und abrupt. Rikers Idee ist zwar brillant, ich hätte jedoch lieber gern mehr von den Verhandlungen gesehen. Die Titan wurde immerhin nach Romulus geschickt, um dort zu helfen, Ordnung wieder herzustellen und die verschiedenen Fraktionen an einen Tisch zu bringen. Aber genau das geschieht schließlich quasi hinter verschlossenen Türen... Riker gewinnt zwar an Ansehen, aber bei mir läßt das einen eindeutig faden Geschmack zurück.Abschließend bleibt zu sagen, daß "Titan" definitiv einiges Potential hat. Ich bin kein regelmäßiger ST-Leser mehr, aber ich kann mir durchaus vorstellen, bei dieser neuen Serie dran zu bleiben. Um ein endgültiges Urteil zu fällen, ist es allerdings noch viel zu früh.
Basically, I find the premise of Titan quite intriguing, I'm cautiously optimistic about the crew, quite a few very interesting and likeable characters mixed with others I don't particularly care about. The plot suffers a bit because of the concentration on the characters, though... When all is said and done, given that I'm no longer an avid reader of Star Trek-novels, the notion that I truely intend to pick up the next installment of this new series means quite a lot of praise. I hope I won't be disappointed!~~
Mich hat "Taking Wing" nicht ganz so vom Hocker gerissen, sicher nicht so sehr wie "Avatar" oder die erste NF-Tetralogie. Liegt vielleicht daran, daß ich die "A Time to..."-Serie nicht gelesen habe, nachdem ich das 1. Buch wirklich zum Einschlafen fand und nach 50 Seiten weglegte. Daher kenne ich zB. Commander Vale nicht, die mir hier rein von diesem Buch her gesehen, recht farblos vorkam. Andererseits habe ich auch nicht wirklich Lust, einen 9-Teiler zu lesen, nur damit mir ein Charakter irgendwie näher gebracht wird. Wenn "Titan" selbst das nicht schafft, dann soll's wohl nicht sein.Natürlich ist es interessant, wie sich Riker *endlich* auf sein eigenes Kommando einläßt, mit all den Unsicherheiten, die man von einem neuen Captain, der ja auch nicht mehr der Jüngste ist, erwarten kann. Andererseits stören mich gerade einige dieser Unsicherheiten ein wenig, denn Riker sollte schon ein wenig selbstsicherer sein nach seinen bisherigen Erfahrungen. Ich fand's ein wenig übertrieben, mit welcher Aggressivität und Paranoia er Akaar begegnete. Wiederum natürlich weiß ich nicht genau, was in "A Time to..." geschehen ist, das ihn an den Admirälen der Flotte zweifeln läßt, aber diese Art der Unsicherheit kam mir schon etwas übertrieben vor. Das Ende jedoch stimmt mich wieder etwas positiver, einerseits Akaars Reaktion auf Rikers Anschuldigungen, andererseits auch wieder einmal einen kleinen Blick auf Rikers Einfallsreichtum in Krisenzeiten werfen zu können... ja, so könnte das schon weitergehen!Gegenüber Riker und Trois Beziehung bin ich noch ein wenig zwiegespalten. Ich habe nichts dagegen, daß die beiden auf demselben Schiff dienen, wobei ich Trois zusätzliche Aufgabe als Chefdiplomatin des Schiffes für nicht wirklich bemerkenswert halte. Schließlich hatte sie schon zuvor wichtige Aufgaben, gerade was Verhandlungen mit fremden Spezies anbelangt. Ich vertraue darauf, daß die beiden ihre private Beziehung durchaus von der beruflichen Hierarchie trennen können. Was mich jedoch ziemlich störte, waren diese kleinen Gesten auf der Brücke, wie die Umarmung oder das Händchenhalten. Mag kleinlich sein, aber gerade dadurch wird das Privatleben in den Beruf hinein gezogen. Auch diese telepathischen Konversationen fand ich unangebracht. Meiner Meinung nach ist das Problem, Troi und Riker in derselben Kommandostruktur zu haben, nicht so sehr die Möglichkeit eines "Change of Heart"-Szenarios, sondern eher darin gegeben, daß Riker Trois Meinung über die all seiner anderen Berater stellen könnte. Und das wird natürlich verstärkt, wenn er mit ihr "reden" kann in einer Weise, die alle anderen nicht mitbekommen. Ich hoffe sehr, das wird noch ein bißchen runtergefahren und schließlich ähnlich professionell gelöst wie die Odo/Kira-Beziehung. Von Calhoun/Shelby möchte ich gar nicht anfangen, da die NF in meinen Augen seit Restoration ziemlich abgebaut hat... aber das ist ein anderes Kapitel.Der Speziesvielfalt auf der Titan stehe ich auch noch eher etwas skeptisch gegenüber, da ich noch nicht ganz verstehe, wie diese Vielfalt dann wirklich in die Praxis umgesetzt werden soll. Bisher gab's da ja nur kleine Einblicke. Sowohl Ree als auch Bralik haben mich von Anfang an angesprochen, auch dieser cardassianische Kadett könnte noch interessant werden, besonders wenn er vom bajoranischen Wissenschaftsoffizier unter die Fittiche genommen wird. Die gesamte Ingenieursriege berührte mich nicht wirklich, ob die eine jetzt tot ist und der andere sein Vergangenheitstrauma bewältigen will, ist mir herzlich egal. Was ich ehrlich gesagt aber fast seltsam finde, ist die Reaktion einiger Crewmitglieder auf ihre Kollegen. So finde ich den Typen, der später Keru versucht anzumachen, eher sehr unsympathisch, und auch die Szene mit Ree in der Kantine erfüllte mich eher mit Mitleid für den Arzt als Verständnis für die Zuseher. Ich meine, Klingonen essen lebende Würmer (und Riker tut das auch), so weit ist der Schritt nicht mehr zum Mahl eines Velociraptors, was die Ekelstufe betrifft... ja, vielleicht ist es gewöhnungsbedürftig, aber dieses offene Zurschaustellen von Angst, Ekel und Argwohn finde ich einfach nicht angebracht für Sternenflottenangehörige.An bekannten Personen werden TNGs Alyssa Ogawa, DS9s Melora Pazlar und der Trill Keru, der bereits vor einigen Jahren im TNG-Teil der Section 31-Reihe auftauchte, als Crewmitglieder eingeführt. Während man über Melora noch nicht viel sagen kann, so sind Keru und Ogawa einander wichtige Stützen über den Tod des jeweiligen Partners hinweg zu kommen. Ich hoffe, diese Freundschaft, die auch Ogawas kleinen Sohn Noah mit einschließt, bleibt ein wichtiger Bestandteil dieser Serie. Ich glaube nämlich, auch wenn das naiv oder kitschig klingen mag, man kann Personen viel eher über ihre Freunde definieren, als über solch vage Zuweisungen wie "Keru ist der "Parade"-Homosexuelle an Bord". Damit werden Personen oder in diesem Fall Buchcharaktere auf nur einen Punkt reduziert, der natürlich einen wichtigen Teil ihres Lebens ausmacht, aber doch keineswegs als einziger zeigt, *wer* man ist. Ganz ehrlich gesagt finde ich es traurig, wenn es andere Menschen stört, was 2 Erwachsene aus freien Stücken und ungezwungen in ihren eigenen 4 Wänden machen. Das geht doch niemanden was an! Es ist schade, daß wahrscheinlich schon die Vorstellung, einen Homosexuellen an Bord der Titan zu haben, bei einigen Lesern negative Reaktionen auslösen wird. Andererseits muß man auch sagen, daß diese Leser dann wohl auch den Geist Star Treks, allem mit offenen Augen und Toleranz zu begegnen, nicht verstanden haben und sich wohl eher anderem zuwenden sollten. Um wieder auf Keru zurück zu kommen, so hoffe ich wirklich, hier wird ein guter Mittelweg gefunden, der ihn als Person wachsen läßt - so man sich nicht entscheidet, ihn seinen Verletzungen erliegen zu lassen...Spock ist natürlich immer ein gern gesehener Gast, er ist und bleibt mein Lieblingscharakter von Star Trek, auch wenn er hier ein wenig farblos, um nicht zu sagen unnötigerweise hier inkludiert, herüber kommt. Auf der anderen Seite dient er dazu, Tuvok auf den Plan zu bringen, der hier nun hoffentlich endlich mal zu dem aberundeten Charakter werden darf, der er 7 Jahre auf der VOY nicht sein durfte. Ich bin jedenfalls schon jetzt gespannt, wie er sich in diese Crew einfügen und später mit Keru zusammenarbeiten wird.Für mich ist die Crew immer der wichtigste Bestandteil von SF-Serien. Sie muß die Fantasiewelt dem Leser/Zuseher glaubhaft übermitteln können, sozusagen die Brücke zur Handlung sein. Ich denke schon, daß diese Truppe dieses Potential hat, wenn man es mit den diversen Einzel"quirks" nicht übertreibt, andererseits aber auch nicht den Fehler begeht, zu schnell über diese Besonderheiten hinweg zu gehen und den üblichen ST-Mannschaftseintopf zu kreieren.Zur Geschichte selbst gibt's nicht viel zu sagen. Ich fand die Prämisse der vielen konkurrierenden Fraktionen auf Romulus sehr interessant, die Auflösung allerdings doch etwas zu einfach und abrupt. Rikers Idee ist zwar brillant, ich hätte jedoch lieber gern mehr von den Verhandlungen gesehen. Die Titan wurde immerhin nach Romulus geschickt, um dort zu helfen, Ordnung wieder herzustellen und die verschiedenen Fraktionen an einen Tisch zu bringen. Aber genau das geschieht schließlich quasi hinter verschlossenen Türen... Riker gewinnt zwar an Ansehen, aber bei mir läßt das einen eindeutig faden Geschmack zurück.Abschließend bleibt zu sagen, daß "Titan" definitiv einiges Potential hat. Ich bin kein regelmäßiger ST-Leser mehr, aber ich kann mir durchaus vorstellen, bei dieser neuen Serie dran zu bleiben. Um ein endgültiges Urteil zu fällen, ist es allerdings noch viel zu früh.
November 2, 2025
Taking Wing offers an intriguing premise for a series of Star Trek tie-in novels but is hampered by having to follow up one of the worst instalments of the franchise.
Aboard the USS Titan, William Riker has finally taken command of his own ship after more than a decade of serving as first officer under Jean-Luc Picard aboard the Enterprise. Joined by his wife, Deanna Troi, as the ship’s chief diplomatic officer. Taking Wing does well in setting up the context of the new ship in a series of recurring adventures. It takes too many cues from a television pilot in trying to introduce us to all the characters that will be important aboard the ship, some original to the novels and some drawn from The Next Generation or other Star Trek series. Where the characters are not directly involved in the main plot these introductions can make the novel feel disjointed or meandering. Those feelings are not helped by significant portions of the novel taking place on Romulus either amongst Romulan characters or following Tuvok (imported from Voyager) in a search for Spock. These scenes might have worked, were they not bound to the status quo of the franchise as set by its most recent entry, but more on that later.
The disjointed plot, of the Titan’s maiden mission, of introducing the Titan crew, and Romulan intrigue, all harm the pacing of the novel. It takes far too long to get going since the reader is jostled about from point-of-view to point-of-view when it does finally get going there’s already too much fatigue. This is a shame since once it does get going the plot really comes alive. Authors Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels write action sequences in an exciting way without ever making them disoriented. Even characters that felt staid or flat in earlier sequences feel more alive once they shift out of first gear. The characterisation isn’t helped by their dialogue in the earlier parts of the novel, which often devolves into the various alien characters info dumping about their species and culture. It feels perfunctory that this is information readers of the series should know, and uninspired since the authors just chose to have the characters announce these aspects.
It should not be forgotten that Taking Wing was intended as the first novel in a new spin-off series, like several Star Trek novel series trying to do a new show without doing a new show. Warts and all, it does succeed in this even directly setting up their next adventure in the closing chapter. What really makes the novel suffer however is by tying it in so directly into the film Star Trek: Nemesis, released three years prior to the novel and actually setting up Riker’s command of the Titan, but whose plot left so much to be desired that this novel returning to it as a direct sequel has the feel of a dog returning to its vomit. There is also a lot of fanservice to the point of being distracting. In addition to aforementioned prominent characters, Alyssa Ogawa from The Next Generation and Melora from Deep Space Nine serve aboard the Titan. The resident Admiral overseeing the Titan is a grown-up version of a baby from The Original Series. There are also cameos from Picard, La Forge, Worf, and, in flashback, Kirk and Sulu.
Taking Wing makes for a good literary interpretation of Star Trek television pilots of the 80s/90s, in the sense that they are a glass half empty whilst still setting up an intriguing premise for the future.
Aboard the USS Titan, William Riker has finally taken command of his own ship after more than a decade of serving as first officer under Jean-Luc Picard aboard the Enterprise. Joined by his wife, Deanna Troi, as the ship’s chief diplomatic officer. Taking Wing does well in setting up the context of the new ship in a series of recurring adventures. It takes too many cues from a television pilot in trying to introduce us to all the characters that will be important aboard the ship, some original to the novels and some drawn from The Next Generation or other Star Trek series. Where the characters are not directly involved in the main plot these introductions can make the novel feel disjointed or meandering. Those feelings are not helped by significant portions of the novel taking place on Romulus either amongst Romulan characters or following Tuvok (imported from Voyager) in a search for Spock. These scenes might have worked, were they not bound to the status quo of the franchise as set by its most recent entry, but more on that later.
The disjointed plot, of the Titan’s maiden mission, of introducing the Titan crew, and Romulan intrigue, all harm the pacing of the novel. It takes far too long to get going since the reader is jostled about from point-of-view to point-of-view when it does finally get going there’s already too much fatigue. This is a shame since once it does get going the plot really comes alive. Authors Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels write action sequences in an exciting way without ever making them disoriented. Even characters that felt staid or flat in earlier sequences feel more alive once they shift out of first gear. The characterisation isn’t helped by their dialogue in the earlier parts of the novel, which often devolves into the various alien characters info dumping about their species and culture. It feels perfunctory that this is information readers of the series should know, and uninspired since the authors just chose to have the characters announce these aspects.
It should not be forgotten that Taking Wing was intended as the first novel in a new spin-off series, like several Star Trek novel series trying to do a new show without doing a new show. Warts and all, it does succeed in this even directly setting up their next adventure in the closing chapter. What really makes the novel suffer however is by tying it in so directly into the film Star Trek: Nemesis, released three years prior to the novel and actually setting up Riker’s command of the Titan, but whose plot left so much to be desired that this novel returning to it as a direct sequel has the feel of a dog returning to its vomit. There is also a lot of fanservice to the point of being distracting. In addition to aforementioned prominent characters, Alyssa Ogawa from The Next Generation and Melora from Deep Space Nine serve aboard the Titan. The resident Admiral overseeing the Titan is a grown-up version of a baby from The Original Series. There are also cameos from Picard, La Forge, Worf, and, in flashback, Kirk and Sulu.
Taking Wing makes for a good literary interpretation of Star Trek television pilots of the 80s/90s, in the sense that they are a glass half empty whilst still setting up an intriguing premise for the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2018
Taking Wing kicks off with Riker taking Command of the USS Titan after the events of Star Trek Nemesis! :D We are introduced to his crew who is a bigger than normal mixture of species types from across the Federation requiring the Titan to have many different facilities that we have not yet seen on one Starfleet vessel! :D So Riker has Troi as his Diplomatic Officer recruits finally Commander Vale and along the way manages to snag Tuvok and a Dr Ree's who has more than a passing resemblance to a carnivorous Dinosaur! :D
As Taking Wing warps along Riker and co find themselves mixed up in Romulan and Reman politics (often involving disruptor fire and assassination! :D ) with a dousing of Klingon thrown in on the top which makes for a very unpredictable story that you are really are not sure how it is going to tie up especially considering how many new crew members are around and who could down with a case of George R R Martin shrapnel! :D The action scenes are tense whether it is storming a Romulan prison or the Titan getting caught in the crossfire between the Remans and Romulans! :D
At the same time that characters a re brilliantly portrayed warts and all! :D Riker fits perfectly into being a Captain and about time you realise as the story goes on! :D Admiral Akaar initially butting heads with Riker really ramps the tension up, Troi and Diplomatic officer really suits here, Dr Rees steals the show with mammal jokes and returning Romulans like Donatra and Pardek really set the scene for the Federations return in Romulan space not to mention Spock pops up up to his usual tricks! :D The immensity of the cast works brilliantly with everyone getting screen/ page time throughout and this really shows how much of the Titan is very different to other vessels we have seen in terms of its makeup! :D This provides excellent scope for crew iterations as well as world building and we see this kicking off throughout the book! :D
The humour flows at a cracking pace as well from tales of Rikers immunity to horrific food as the veteran of many a Klingon feast to the comments from less than diplomatic crew members as well! :D Rikers visit to the Enterprise is hysterical and feature some neat cameo's from Work and LaForge as Riker continues his First Officer hunt! :D The Klingon diplomatic meals are hysterical and Vale's handling of the situation is brilliant as is Rikers checking for spillage before answering any hails! :D Throughout there are cutting observations and analogies about their societies that really ring brilliants and allow for grandstanding and doing the right choices situations that will have you guessing cheering all the way! :D
Taking Wing set things up brillaintly! :D Every scene is laced with tid bits and revelations as to what is coming and Easter eggs left right and centre! :D This all sets a cracking pace throughout that will keep you up late to find out what happens, brilliant, fast-paced full of adventure, heroics and action packed throughout!:D Crisp High Five make sure you have the sequel! :D
As Taking Wing warps along Riker and co find themselves mixed up in Romulan and Reman politics (often involving disruptor fire and assassination! :D ) with a dousing of Klingon thrown in on the top which makes for a very unpredictable story that you are really are not sure how it is going to tie up especially considering how many new crew members are around and who could down with a case of George R R Martin shrapnel! :D The action scenes are tense whether it is storming a Romulan prison or the Titan getting caught in the crossfire between the Remans and Romulans! :D
At the same time that characters a re brilliantly portrayed warts and all! :D Riker fits perfectly into being a Captain and about time you realise as the story goes on! :D Admiral Akaar initially butting heads with Riker really ramps the tension up, Troi and Diplomatic officer really suits here, Dr Rees steals the show with mammal jokes and returning Romulans like Donatra and Pardek really set the scene for the Federations return in Romulan space not to mention Spock pops up up to his usual tricks! :D The immensity of the cast works brilliantly with everyone getting screen/ page time throughout and this really shows how much of the Titan is very different to other vessels we have seen in terms of its makeup! :D This provides excellent scope for crew iterations as well as world building and we see this kicking off throughout the book! :D
The humour flows at a cracking pace as well from tales of Rikers immunity to horrific food as the veteran of many a Klingon feast to the comments from less than diplomatic crew members as well! :D Rikers visit to the Enterprise is hysterical and feature some neat cameo's from Work and LaForge as Riker continues his First Officer hunt! :D The Klingon diplomatic meals are hysterical and Vale's handling of the situation is brilliant as is Rikers checking for spillage before answering any hails! :D Throughout there are cutting observations and analogies about their societies that really ring brilliants and allow for grandstanding and doing the right choices situations that will have you guessing cheering all the way! :D
Taking Wing set things up brillaintly! :D Every scene is laced with tid bits and revelations as to what is coming and Easter eggs left right and centre! :D This all sets a cracking pace throughout that will keep you up late to find out what happens, brilliant, fast-paced full of adventure, heroics and action packed throughout!:D Crisp High Five make sure you have the sequel! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2023
3.5 stars. I enjoyed reading this book and getting into the Titan series of Star Trek. My interest was caught early on with the operative from the Federation on Romulus meeting with Spock, as well as getting to be introduced to the crew of Titan as they are all coming together to form a brand new crew on this new ship.
I really liked the idea of the reader getting to be a part of Captain Riker getting to know this crew while some of them are still coming aboard the ship at Utopia Planitia. All of the different species are very interesting as well and I look forward to getting to know them even deeper during the books to come. I like the diversity, and coming across species that I can't even remember hearing about earlier makes it both new and interesting. Especially Dr. Ree had me smiling several times.
The Romulan main story was an interesting one as the Romulans struggle with power sharing talks and what the future will look like. There's the Praetor, the military, the Tal Shiar and the Remans among the main groups and it provides somewhat of a challenge for Riker and his crew to manage together with the Klingons that are also a part of this.
With my favorite Star Trek being Voyager I also can't not mention my delight at having Tuvok as a part of this story. :)
This Riker quote from the beginning of the book really stood out to me, and as I let you all know how much the ending made me happy about already having the next Titan book waiting for me on the shelf it only seems fitting to share it. I can't wait to find out what's out there...
Mars grew huge, and Utopia Planitia's orbiting starship assembly facilities swung across the terminator into the planet's sunward, daylit side. Floating in orbital freefall along the open spacedock facility that surrounded it was the graceful, twin-nacelled shape of the U.S.S. Titan.
I really liked the idea of the reader getting to be a part of Captain Riker getting to know this crew while some of them are still coming aboard the ship at Utopia Planitia. All of the different species are very interesting as well and I look forward to getting to know them even deeper during the books to come. I like the diversity, and coming across species that I can't even remember hearing about earlier makes it both new and interesting. Especially Dr. Ree had me smiling several times.
The Romulan main story was an interesting one as the Romulans struggle with power sharing talks and what the future will look like. There's the Praetor, the military, the Tal Shiar and the Remans among the main groups and it provides somewhat of a challenge for Riker and his crew to manage together with the Klingons that are also a part of this.
With my favorite Star Trek being Voyager I also can't not mention my delight at having Tuvok as a part of this story. :)
So much to explore, he thought, at once humbled and exhilarated by the realization. Who's out here? What will we find waiting for us? And what'll we learn along the way? These were the same questions that had led him to join Starfleet years ago. Now, as then, he could think of only one certain way to unveil the answers.
This Riker quote from the beginning of the book really stood out to me, and as I let you all know how much the ending made me happy about already having the next Titan book waiting for me on the shelf it only seems fitting to share it. I can't wait to find out what's out there...
June 8, 2024
Star Trek: TNG/Titan - 01 Taking Wing by Michael A. Martin, Andy Mangels - First book in the Titan series
Adventurous, challenging, emotional, funny,
informative, inspiring, mysterious, reflective,
sad, and tense.
Medium-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
4.5 Stars
For fans of TNG, we've been waiting a LONG time...for William Riker to sit in the BIG chair, as captain. It's a big step, but this story was a worthy "test" of what type of captain he is/will be...in the future. This is an excellent start to his career as captain of the USS Titan.
I love, also...the dynamic of Counselor Troy, now his wife, being a ranked and on the bridge command hierarchy.
In this story, we also have a plethera of new creatures/characters of different races (almost too many), but we will get to KNOW them in subsequent stories (ten novels in this series).
Good to see/read about Commander Tuvok (long time, no see/read (for me). Also, always good to read about/experience Ambassador Spock.
This is a story based mostly in the Romulan Star Empire, which is on the brink of a political disaster. That was a LOT of fun to read and see the goings on internally (and how it effects external governments).
The political strivings of this empire...are...complicated. Especially the Remen and the struggles they've recently (most of their existence.
Love how old alliances and adventures, were able to smooth over the current temptations.
Great characters in the Romulan, Remen and even the Klingon areas...that made this such a colourful and fan story to read about.
Loved the battle sequences and the balance between a skirmish, and war. Hmmm.
On to the next book.
Adventurous, challenging, emotional, funny,
informative, inspiring, mysterious, reflective,
sad, and tense.
Medium-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
4.5 Stars
For fans of TNG, we've been waiting a LONG time...for William Riker to sit in the BIG chair, as captain. It's a big step, but this story was a worthy "test" of what type of captain he is/will be...in the future. This is an excellent start to his career as captain of the USS Titan.
I love, also...the dynamic of Counselor Troy, now his wife, being a ranked and on the bridge command hierarchy.
In this story, we also have a plethera of new creatures/characters of different races (almost too many), but we will get to KNOW them in subsequent stories (ten novels in this series).
Good to see/read about Commander Tuvok (long time, no see/read (for me). Also, always good to read about/experience Ambassador Spock.
This is a story based mostly in the Romulan Star Empire, which is on the brink of a political disaster. That was a LOT of fun to read and see the goings on internally (and how it effects external governments).
The political strivings of this empire...are...complicated. Especially the Remen and the struggles they've recently (most of their existence.
Love how old alliances and adventures, were able to smooth over the current temptations.
Great characters in the Romulan, Remen and even the Klingon areas...that made this such a colourful and fan story to read about.
Loved the battle sequences and the balance between a skirmish, and war. Hmmm.
On to the next book.
December 11, 2017
While the prose was passable at best and there were a few moments that lagged in the middle, this story was surprisingly interesting. It strikes a good balance between familiar characters in Trek and new ones, while continuing on in a direction that still seems far more interesting than anything that's happened in the post-Nemesis movies.
I've started and stopped several Trek novels in the last few weeks. Most suffer from trying to emulate the format of the show in that they quickly introduce a cast and then move on to plot elements. The trouble is that with TV we need very little establishment (compared to written media) for characters. We have faces for each of the names. We have memories from episodes. Several characters in this book (in many Star Trek books in fact) are just names on the page and nothing more. In all the Trek books I've started there is this urgency to introduce us to some of these new "names" with short intro segments before jumping off to the next until we have enough to safely kick off this episode's plot. There were moments in this book where several of these "names" were in conversations and I felt lost without the grounding of one of the franchise heavies being there. I'd love to see a Trek novel go slower and take further time to bring us characters, not just names. But this book did endear itself to me eventually. And some characters stood out more than others. The XO, Vale and the dinosaur-like doctor were quite enjoyable.
I've started and stopped several Trek novels in the last few weeks. Most suffer from trying to emulate the format of the show in that they quickly introduce a cast and then move on to plot elements. The trouble is that with TV we need very little establishment (compared to written media) for characters. We have faces for each of the names. We have memories from episodes. Several characters in this book (in many Star Trek books in fact) are just names on the page and nothing more. In all the Trek books I've started there is this urgency to introduce us to some of these new "names" with short intro segments before jumping off to the next until we have enough to safely kick off this episode's plot. There were moments in this book where several of these "names" were in conversations and I felt lost without the grounding of one of the franchise heavies being there. I'd love to see a Trek novel go slower and take further time to bring us characters, not just names. But this book did endear itself to me eventually. And some characters stood out more than others. The XO, Vale and the dinosaur-like doctor were quite enjoyable.
September 5, 2022
[3.5/5] I'm a little conflicted about this one, because what is a very well written book is bogged down by the story it chooses to tell.
The Titan series is the kicking off point for a new era in Trek books, giving William Riker his own ship and his own command. But it also brings with it a huge amount of continuing plot threads that have already happened in the books preceding this, and throwing all that in with the need to introduce so many new characters makes for a very dense book.
The story comes on the heels of the movie Nemesis, which dealt with Romulan politics, and the novel Death in Winter which also dealt with Romulan politics. So it seems odd to me for this book to dive into yet more Romulan politics instead of forging something new. Honestly, it had gotten exhausting, and a little difficult to care about. None of these stories really made the Romulans all that interesting or memorable.
The book also introduces a hell of a lot of new characters, along with transferring older ones over. There is simply not enough time devoted to any of them; we are giving fleeting hellos and then they disappear outside of some fleeting mentions a couple of hundred pages down the line. I completely lost track of the various species and relationships, and had no idea who any of these people were. The only standout is Dr. Ree, and that's partly because he's well written, partly because he keeps popping up and partly because he's a dinosaur.
The Titan series is the kicking off point for a new era in Trek books, giving William Riker his own ship and his own command. But it also brings with it a huge amount of continuing plot threads that have already happened in the books preceding this, and throwing all that in with the need to introduce so many new characters makes for a very dense book.
The story comes on the heels of the movie Nemesis, which dealt with Romulan politics, and the novel Death in Winter which also dealt with Romulan politics. So it seems odd to me for this book to dive into yet more Romulan politics instead of forging something new. Honestly, it had gotten exhausting, and a little difficult to care about. None of these stories really made the Romulans all that interesting or memorable.
The book also introduces a hell of a lot of new characters, along with transferring older ones over. There is simply not enough time devoted to any of them; we are giving fleeting hellos and then they disappear outside of some fleeting mentions a couple of hundred pages down the line. I completely lost track of the various species and relationships, and had no idea who any of these people were. The only standout is Dr. Ree, and that's partly because he's well written, partly because he keeps popping up and partly because he's a dinosaur.
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