Breakdowns

Star Trek SCE (ebooks) Novellas #28

by Keith R.A. DeCandido

The surviving crew of the USS Da Vinci must try to recover from their devastating mission to Galan VI. Corsi returns home to try to mend a long-standing rift with her father; while Abramowitz becomes embroiled in a complex problem on a mysterious alien world. But Commander Gomez faces the most difficult test of all: how can she deal with her grief at the death of Lieutenant Commander Duffy?

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Technology

60 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2003

Reviews

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some important and poignant chapters of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers saga, dealing with loss and survivor's guilt in an emotional way, even though you couldn't say there's a traditional Star Trek plot here. We meet Gold's family - so big you can't keep it straight, though the Klingon son-in-law is a hilarious addition - and there are estrangement problems there, but the book can't possibly give Gold an arc on that score. That's perhaps realistic, but it's not "plot". Similarly, there are problems in Sonya's family, especially with the older sister who, like Bashir's dad, has never been able to find her niche and expresses some jealousy about Sonya's realized ambitions, but she's kind of let off the hook for the things she says because that's not what the book is about. Rather, both groupings are background and color for what's really at stake - our heroes' dilemma concerning their careers in the wake of a painfully disastrous mission. In the final chapters, when their paths converge, we get an entirely emotional climax. DeCandido, one of the architects of the S.C.E. series, is the perfect choice to add this much to two of the line's principal stars, and it's a shame we don't actually get more. In a few brief strokes, he creates the portrait of two dissimilar families (though Sonya's is perhaps a bit similar to Corsi's only three chapters back), each impacting the leads' attitudes over time and in this particular moment. You can tell I'm well invested in these stories because I welled up several times, so no action plot? Who cares?

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book looking at the aftermath of the tragedy. This time featuring the Captain and the Security Chief. I really liked how Gold reacted to the events, and makes an effort to talk to all the relatives. I think also seeing his family really added to his character. This book feels like it answers lots of questions, and I think its an essential read for fans of this series. A good read.

[John Barclay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bit of a filler novel. Finishing the story of the aftermath of the disaster, but not a lot else. Some character development, but too simple.