A Fury Scorned

Star Trek: The Next Generation #43

by Pamela Sargent, George Zebrowski

With their sun about to go nova, the people of Epictetus III face annihilation. Although the USS Enterprise-D has come to lead the rescue operation, there is no way to evacuate a population of over twenty million, leaving Captain Picard to make an agonizing decision. Should he try to salvage the planet's children, its greatest leaders and thinkers, or its irreplaceable archaeological treasures? No matter what he decides, millions must be sacrificed – unless another solution can be found.

With time running out, Data proposes a revolutionary scientific experiment that could save all of Epictetus III, or doom both the planet and the Enterprise as well.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek The Next Generation, Fiction, Ebooks, German Literature, Media Tie In

271 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1996

About the author

Pamela Sargent has won the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and has been a finalist for the Hugo Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the Sidewise Award for alternate history. In 2012, she was honored with the Pilgrim Award by the Science Fiction Research Association for lifetime achievement in science fiction scholarship. She is the author of the novels Cloned Lives, The Sudden Star, Watchstar, The Golden Space, The Alien Upstairs, Eye of the Comet, Homesmind, Alien Child, The Shore of Women, Venus of Dreams, Venus of Shadows, Child of Venus, Climb the Wind, and Ruler of the Sky. Her most recent short story collection is Thumbprints, published by Golden Gryphon Press, with an introduction by James Morrow. The Washington Post Book World has called her “one of the genre's best writers.”

In the 1970s, she edited the Women of Wonder series, the first collections of science fiction by women; her other anthologies include Bio-Futures and, with British writer Ian Watson as co-editor, Afterlives. Two anthologies, Women of Wonder, The Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s and Women of Wonder, The Contemporary Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1970s to the 1990s, were published by Harcourt Brace in 1995; Publishers Weekly called these two books “essential reading for any serious sf fan.” Her most recent anthology is Conqueror Fantastic, out from DAW Books in 2004. Tor Books reissued her 1983 young adult novel Earthseed, selected as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and a sequel, Farseed, in early 2007. A third volume, Seed Seeker, was published in November of 2010 by Tor. Earthseed has been optioned by Paramount Pictures, with Melissa Rosenberg, scriptwriter for all of the Twilight films, writing the script and producing through her Tall Girls Productions.

A collection, Puss in D.C. and Other Stories, is out; her novel Season of the Cats is out in hardcover and will be available in paperback from Wildside Press. The Shore of Women has been optioned for development as a TV series by Super Deluxe Films, part of Turner Broadcasting.

Pamela Sargent lives in Albany, New York.

Reviews

[Bobby Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every fan of Star Trek knows that the books set in each universe of the franchise are often problematic. Sometimes the story is ho-hum, other times the writing isn’t that good, occasionally, especially with books written early in the show’s run, the writer seems to have no grasp of the characters, and they don’t conform to the crew as we came to know them through television. For these reasons, perhaps 2/3 of the books aren’t as good as we’d like them to be. I’d been lucky with a few in the past, but also obtained some that sounded good, and ended up not being so — which I didn’t review. When I had a chance to pick up several at one go recently, I spent a great deal of time researching them, and haven’t come across a dud yet among the several I acquired in both the Voyager and Next Generation universes.

A Fury Scorned in the Next Generation universe had some mixed reviews, but I read enough about it to take a chance on it, and threw this one in at the last second. I’m very glad I did! Pamela Sargent and George Zebrowski have written an excellent book for Next Generation fans, that is no ordinary entry. There’s a real story here, and it’s big. A world is created, and it’s done slowly through the inhabitants so that by the end, we feel for what happens to them. Red Shirts — Star Trek fans will know the term well — are not just there to be extinguished. Some in fact, survive, and when one does go down, we’ve been made through the dense and involving narrative to like the individual Star Fleet officer so much that we’re uttering unpleasant things under our breath when it happens.

The characters we grew so fond of in the show seem very much themselves for the vast majority of A Fury Scorned. There is much less light-hearted banter here than in some books, because this is a more serious “episode” in the Next Generation universe. This doesn’t detract from enjoying the story, however, as the writers deftly draw us into the mood and ambiance of this particular story. With characters so familiar, and perimeters so pre-outlined, it’s difficult to do what Sargent and Zebrowski have done here, which is to write a human-driven science fiction story about a world in need of a miracle, then drop the Next Generation characters and Federation into the mix as the element responsible for the miracle — which comes at a great price.

There is in fact, probably more story here than a lot of fans are used to in the books. It’s layered, it’s involving, and it adds to what happens rather than detract from it. The characters on the world of Epictetus III are shaded in gray, becoming distinct; ranging from selfish to noble, brave to misguided, as their world is bathed in hopelessness. And even once Data comes up with a plan, it’s so out there, and dangerous for both the planet and the Enterprise itself, even Data isn’t positive it will work. With 20 million lives at stake, Picard must weight the danger for not only his own crew, but the lives that might be saved if Data’s extremely risky plan works. And the latter he must way against the handful that they can definitely save and keep the Enterprise safe, against the millions who will die on the planet when the sun goes Nova if he does.

Where many have a problem is Star Fleet ordering Picard to keep from the inhabitants Data’s plan, leaving them so hopeless that some on the planet are committing suicide, preferring to die in a less horrific manner than they are certain to within days. It’s a moral dilemma Picard has on his hands, one he shares with his crew, who all feel the weight of their actions, whatever they decide. It truly is a no-win situation, and there’s no way to cheat it as Kirk did. While on the surface the reasoning of Star Fleet to forbid Picard from giving what may turn out to be false hope to the inhabitants of Epictetus III seems lame, even flimsy, it is exactly like all organizations and entities in any government react — protecting their own backs and own reputation when push comes to shove. Once you realize that, you just get on with the story.

The story gradually morphs from a cerebral study of the morality of choices, to an exciting action story as Data’s plan is put into motion, and not everything goes to plan. There are consequences in this one, lives lost, but a world — for the most part — saved, if still devastated. The ending is exciting, the enterprise crew themselves touched by a deep loss, but there is also hope. It’s pretty terrific in a quiet, almost subdued way, but is somewhat different from most entries in the book arm of the universe. It is only in the last conversation between Picard and Data that I felt the intrusion of the writers’ thoughts and feelings, as it seemed a tick off for the characters, but it’s a minor quibble. Mostly Sargent and Zebrowski stay out of the way of this involving story. They give us real and clearly defined characters, a terrific story, and the crew seem to be the crew we know for the vast majority of this one. This one doesn’t have much light-heartedness, none of the feel-good or humorous moments that might mark it as a favorite, but in this universe I think it ranks among the best as per writing and story and execution. Great stuff, just maybe a bit more story than a lot of readers expect when they pick up a Star Trek book. Recommended.

[Adeniji Ogunlana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a heavier tone than any of the others I’ve read. 20 million lives are on the line and they don’t let you forget it. New crew members were introduced and we were given time to learn about them and like them rather than just be throw away side characters. Definitely different from other the others but characters were consistent with expectation and the story was engaging.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was torn about this book. I hated it most of the way through because I thought the justification for not telling the inhabitants about their plan seemed very thin...and frankly stupid. The characters wrestle weakly with the decision and following it through. Plus there were at times moments where I swear I was reading the same thing over and over again. I think they were trying to stay technical with their writing but it seemed like every five minutes they had to check to see if Picard was okay with his decision. I do like how everything resolved in the end and that's why this one didn't get a one star as I was planning to give it the whole way through. I appreciated how it wasn't a cookie-cutter ending and that there was a cool down period after. I don't get mad at books too often but this one was coming close.

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

The best novel I've read from this franchise in quite a while.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book starts off with a good premise - a sun going nova, and how to save the inhabitants of its 3rd planet - and then bogs itself down in inconsistent technology and pads its word count with repeated recognition of how concerned the crew is about whether or not the planet's inhabitants or the Enterprise will survive. These musings do nothing to add tension and drag the pace down. It is noted that there is concern about some sublight ships being unable to escape the nova, despite having 2+ days head start. How slow are these craft? There is also a brief mention of separating the saucer section to save some people, but this is discarded because the saucer section "can't escape in time". It would take minutes - as proven in "Encounter at Farpoint" - to warp outside the system, separate the saucer, and return. The countless times the crew worried about how history would perceive them if they failed, whether or not they would succeed, and what the planet's citizens would think of them and the Federation really took me out of the story, and the technical aspects didn't help. A moment's reflection is only natural, and would be in keeping with the show and the characters, but the authors return to these ruminations time and again. On top of the sublight dilemmas, the prospect of successfully opening up a temporary wormhole and using it to move a planet is farfetched even in Star Trek physics. I'll admit I haven't read much Star Trek since college, but these books are making me worried about what I will find if I go back and reread my collection from high school.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen some really negative reviews of this one, but I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It might even be one that I'll read again.

I have seen some criticism of the pseudo-science involved in the book. Let me go ahead and put the disclaimer out there that I'm in the practice of simply accepting Star Trek for what it is: science fiction. I'm really heavy on the "fiction" part. I don't know enough about science to confirm or dispute anything, so I just enjoy it for the sake of the story. That being said, that could be one of the biggest reasons that I had no problem with this book while others seemed really stressed over whether or not it was reasonable or accurate.

I enjoyed the book, as a Star Trek novel, and I'd recommend it to other fans of TNG, especially if you like Deanna and Data, since I felt they had pretty good roles in this one.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Been enjoying lots of star trek novels recently, but this one I struggled so hard to finish. Even with a good idea, we already know what will happen about 1/4 of the way through, and although all the decisions at that point seem to have only one solution that makes any kind of sense, they keep having to debate what to do, and there is so much regret about these decisions later. Also, a long list of new characters that don't seem to amount to much. With all these characters we can go through the same exact thoughts multiple times.

Why this does not feel like the normal Star Trek story: 1) no real plot twisters are held back for the end of the story 2) A real focus on the darkness of mankind, instead of the hope 3) Is it just me or does the character of Data seem off?

[Andrew Beet · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like these type of star trek stories where there is a moral dillema and i do like this book. it was good to see the characters in this situation figuring out how to save Epicetus 3 and that the plan could backfire on them. it also asks the question what would you do if you were faced with this situation

[Randy Mcdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

In march of 2012, I picked up a copy of Pamela Sargent and George Zebrowski's 1996 novel A Fury Scorned , #43 in the old TNG novel series, from BMV on Bloor West.

I'd hopes for the novel when I opened it up. I'd bought most of the TNG novels consistently until the mid-1990s, #40 or so. I posted here last February about Diane Duane's Intellivore, #45 in the series, probably the last book I bought as I lost interest in the series. I probably passed up #43 in the bookstores. It wasn't until later, when I learned more about the authors as I read more SF, that I became curious. Sargent and Zebrowski, it turned out, were notable authors in their own rights, Sargent writing among other things a noteworthy trilogy about Venus terraforming and a YA generation ship novel ( Earthseed ) that I quite like, Zebrowski writing "Big Idea" SF of which perhaps his most notable might be his 1979 Macrolife . Their credentials made me curious about what they'd do with the book, especially when I read the promising premise.

"With their sun about to go nova, the people of Epictetus III face utter annihilation. Although the "U.S.S. Enterprise" TM has come to lead the rescue operation, there is no way to evacuate a population of over one hundred million, leaving Captain Picard to make an agonizing decision. Should he try to salvage the planet's children, its greatest leaders and thinkers, or its irreplaceable archeological treasures? No matter what he decides, millions must be sacrificed -- unless another solution can be found.
With time running out, Data proposes a revolutionary scientific experiment that could save all of Epictetus III, or doom both the planet and the "Enterprise" as well."

Happily, I wasn't disappointed.

Epictetus III is a Federation colony world with a largely human population, a hospitable ocean world (92% of the surface) with beautiful landmasses, an enchanting ecology, and the fascinating mystery of a vanished and accomplished indigenous civilization that has left vestiges of a very advanced all over the planet's surface. By the time that the Enterprise arrives on stardate 46003.6 (early January 2369), the planet has been settled for 150 years and is home to 20 million people who've built a thriving civilization. Most unfortunately, it turns out that Epictetus III's sun is set to go nova, as the ancient indigenous civilization's mechanisms for stabilizing an apparently unstable star finally break down. (Or something.)

A Fury Scorned is a Trek novel that's explicitly concerned with ethics, appropriately enough for a novel concerned with the fate of a planet apparently named after the Greek philosopher who was concerned with finding ways to lead an ethical life and avoid suffering. How does anyone behave ethically in the context of the impending death of a world? How do you show sympathy? Who and what do you evacuate? What is the best way to meet your world's end? These questions keep coming up as the Enterprise-D crew--including a native of the planet in question, Ensign Ganesh Mehta, an interesting character who's a friend of Worf--try to deal with an impossible situation. The character of Captain Picard is of particular note as an individual concerned with the ethics of how to behave, but other characters--Worf, Troi, Mehta, various Epictetans like the planet's chief minister's Mariamna Fabre and archeologist/politician Samas Rychi--also share this concern. This concern engages with different situations featuring in the novel. What are people to think of the few thousand Epictetans who took the planet's few sublight craft and tried to flee? How important is it to save vestiges of the planet's past? Just how do you pick three thousand people to evacuate out of a planetary population of twenty million? How do you deal with the sort of despair that makes suicide--even mass suicide--more palatable than waiting helpless for the apocalypse?



Fortunately for Epictetus III, there always was a solution. (Did you really think that there wouldn't be?) Data saves the day, coming up with the idea of using the ancient Epictetans' sun-stabilizing technology to tap vast volumes of energy from the planet's sun to let the Enterprise generate a wormhole that could deposit the planet in a suitable orbit around another stabler star. (We'll come to the Trekverse mechanics of this later.) Interesting, in A Fury Scorned ethical problems feature as highly as the technical. While the Enterprise crew do end up deciding that it's better to risk everything with the hope of saving the entire planet--the wormhole generation might fail, and the ship could be left without warp drive in front of the nova--than to play it safe, save three thousand people, and let the world die, they're under orders from the Federation Council to remain silent about the plan until they're sure they can implement it. (Better not to tell the desperate people of a doomed world that there's a high-risk solution that could save their world, the Council judged, in case the plan can't be implemented and the Federation and Starfleet look like liars. Even if the mass suicides are ongoing.)

The awesome plan is implemented, despite the challenges, and they do an awesome job of showing what happened. I have to give props to the authors for coming up with the idea of shunting an endangered planet via wormhole from one system to another. The authors did a good job of vividly describing the planet's features before, but they do a great job of showing what happens: the slicing-off of ocean and ocean floor carved off the planet by the wormhole when it started prematurely to contract, the strange distortions of time inside, the massive earthquakes and tsunamis besetting the planet, even the final fluttering and death of beautiful colourful ephemeral insects under a oddly rippling black wormhole sky. The planet and its people don't come off lightly, with massive damage worldwide and hundreds of thousands of dead, while Picard especially is left wondering what he could have done differently. At least the Epictetans are left with the luxury of deciding what their world should be called now that it's the second planet out from its new sun.

A Fury Scorned is a very good novel: I'd give it an 8 out of 10, easily. The scenario--the planet and its people and the threatened catastrophe and its risky solution and the final resolution all --is interesting, both the established crew and original characters are characterized well. I really like the way that Sargent and Zebrowski's describe Data in their novel, depicting him as a meticulous and unflappable being who's able to come up with an audacious plan, get it approved, and implement it, showing him able to deal with Picard's concerns as an equal. The Epictetan characters are all memorable, concerned in their own ways with trying to figure things out (Mehta how to behave on this mission to her threatened homeworld, Fabre with govering her planet, Rychi with figuring out what happened to the natives before it was too late. Worf and Troi also stand out, Worf for his rigourous and not unhelpful approach to the catastrophe and Troi for taking the initiative to negotiate with hostage-takers and taking charge generally. A Fury Scorned is easily one of the best TNG novels published before the current line, and I'd hope it like so many others could also be grandfathered into the current continuity. (I just hope that Epictetus III survived the Borg invasion of 2381. What a terrible irony it would be if it didn't!)

The biggest problem with the novel is that it features the Enterprise-D creating a wormhole big enough to fit a planet through. I don't think it's insuperable. In the Trekverse, artificial wormholes were created at least as early as the V'Ger encounter, when the unbalanced engines of the NCC-1701 accidentally created a wormhole. Just a few years later, the DS9 episode "Rejoined" starting on stardate 49195.5 featured a Trill science team under Lenara Kahn trying to manufacture a stable wormhole, one that would be as suitable for regular passage to and fro as the Bajoran. It's not unreasonable to imagine that the Enterprise-D might have had the equipment necessary to create a wormhole that would be stable for just long enough to permit safe passage to Epictetus III and the ship itself, especially with the MacGuffin of an alien technology that was able to tap and transmit vast quantities of energy from the core of the dying star.

[David Palazzolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some thoughts on STTNG: A Fury Scorned by Pamela Sargent and George Zebrowski

It’s not often one gets to read a Star Trek book written by authors who are not regulars in the media tie-in field, so the book feels like a special treat of sorts. (No shade to any media tie-in authors—there are many I enjoy and look forward to their next release)

One of the best things about the novel is that Sargent and Zebrowski gave us no crazy antagonists with a desire to take advantage of the dire circumstances of the novel to promote their nefarious ends. It’s a pure Protagonist vs Nature story and nature is a vicious enough adversary as it is. The Enterprise is called on to save a fraction of a world’s population whose sun is suddenly showing signs of going nova. Of course, saving only 3000 people out of several million is a solution that sticks in the craw of Jean-Luc Picard and company, so they decide to act on a plan “that’s so crazy it just might work!”

The story leaps forward from the very first sentence and the pace has not let up. Given the authors involved, it’s no surprise Geordi and Data are taking a lot of the spotlight to move all the wonderful science parts along, but there are other more human moments you don’t get out of Star Trek in general: like Riker struggling with frustration and possibly even helplessness in a situation that he is unable to affect personally and Picard’s visceral reaction (and his struggle to keep that reaction a secret from his crew) to the negative possibilities of the very ambitious plan they must enact in order to save the population of a planet orbiting a dying star. The novel keeps an old school all-star disaster movie vibe throughout. It belongs on a shelf next to such videos as The Towering Inferno and the original Poseidon Adventure.

Another thing that is unusual for a TNG story is that Troi is leading an away team. In the situations the story brings to bear, she is the most logical choice to head up Enterprise’s boots on the ground and it’s great to see her stretch her legs in a command situation. Also cool that Worf is the team’s 2nd officer

I have to admit that I wish for there to be a sequel of sorts to this novel—I want to see how the survivors of the story pick up their lives and make the best of their new situation, but alas, the time for that to written has probably passed. But it remains a singularly fine Star Trek novel anyway.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A planet of 20 million needs evacuation because their sun is going to go nova. There's no way the crew of the Enterprise can save them all...or can they?

This is probably the most emotionally realistic Star Trek novel I've read. That's because the book deals with a world that knows it can't survive, yet discovers they can save pieces of it and some of its inhabitants. Authors Sargent and Zebrowski excel at communicating the pain of the people, not just on the ground, but the crew of the Enterprise, who realize that are participating in the ultimate version of Sophie's Choice. It's almost like the Trek version of the film Deep Impact.

Naturally one of the officers of the Enterprise has an idea how to save the world, but it won't be easy, as it's not been done before. Given the science of the shows, this idea is possible, but does seem radically impossible, with the fallout from such a possible solution very miniscule.

The book goes at a leisurely pace, following several inhabitants and what they're going through, before, during, and after the possible solution--as does the crew. Their thoughts, feelings, and words are make this a good read.

What brought the book down for me was the solution to the planet's plight and the ambiguous nature of what's hidden in an archaeologist's find. This last plot thread is eluded to, discussed, and ultimately doesn't go anywhere. This bothered me. Even the Preservers had more backstory in the series, and several other Trek novels, than what's in this. This element of the book could be entirely omitted and nothing lost from the story, and that's just not good.

I'd also like to know who created the cover art for this book as both Picard and Troi are heavily airbrushed--I've never seen such a soft lens technique put on any novel's cover.

I'm glad I reread this book, but I'll not return to it again.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't know Pamela Sargent wrote Star Trek! Not very well, unfortunately, however.

I cannot accept the decision made to create a wormhole, take the planet through, and not only to withhold the information from the people (thereby giving them no reason to take shelter or to refrain from suicide) but also not to include the people in the decision in the first place. Granted, there wasn't time for a whole election, but their leader seemed competent & impartial. Whatever happened to Prime Directive philosophy, that of letting people (or their representative) control their own destiny?

Well, but then, there were an awful lot of citizens who seemed to have a victim mentality. And to be supremely incompetent. Was Enterprise choosing a 'white savior' role?

Whatever the heck. Didn't work at all as a ST novel. Might have been almost ok as an original story, in its own science fictional world with its own characters... maybe.

[Solitudes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh no, not another Star Trek Novel!
Oh yeah, cause I am planning to read as many as I can in this lifetime :))))
And as usual, this is another book from the many settled in the Star Trek Universe, which, while it is not an outstanding piece of literature, is good enough for me to provide a couple of hours of entertaining reading.
I really like this fandom and it is my guilty pleasure to read about more and more adventures of U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew, this time desperately trying to save an entire planet and its population from total destruction due to her sun going nova even if the ship might perish to save the day. And it reminded me of good ol' TNG episodes where JLP is faced with serious ethical and moral dilemmas.
So, another easy reading but a great reward to my inner geek :D

[Bryce Zayne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely boring, tedious, one dimensional and at least 100 pages too long.

It's common for film and TV tie in novels to struggle to capture the character's quirks, but this one feels like it's an entirely different set of characters. Picard spends most of the book seeking assurances from anyone and everyone that he's making the right choices, Data makes guesses and uses contractions, and Picard even drinks coffee, not the Earl Grey Tea that he's known for.

I reluctantly completed this disaster over the course of several weeks, repeatedly putting it away to focus on other books that were much more fun and better written.

I finished it only due to love of the franchise, and the fact I didn't want to have a DNF on my hands.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't a patch on the authors' previous work in the TOS corner of the Trek universe. While the prose style remains smooth & easy to read, and there are some big ideas at play, it ends up feeling less than the sum of its parts. It's a story full of angst and much soul-searching...but not in a way that makes it compelling. If anything, it certainly makes it a prime example of TNG's ability to reduce things to a beigey-grey mush of talking and hand-wringing...which doesn't make for exciting or action-packed adventure. Reading this, it's clear to me that Sargent & Zebrowski belong in the TOS universe, where the characters clearly inspire them far more than the TNG crowd.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot, but the pace was patchy, dragging in places. The outright disgust every character is said to feel at the idea of refugees fleeing a doomed planet is very strange indeed, it doesn't seem to fit into any of the characters, nor the Trek universe particularly. It jars.

[Judith Paterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid Next Generation story. Data and Geordie have to come up with a solution to a star going nova and destroying a whole world. Lots of agonising and bravery.

[Doreen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The synopsis doesn’t sound enticing and hence this one is a skip for me. Maximum warp... to the last chapter! Engage!

[Steven Shinder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has an interesting inhabitants evacuation premise, but lacks the tension.

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 4 out of 5]

A planet about to be destroyed and resources for saving only a small fraction of the population. A premise that could easily spawn an epic novel with unending potential for storytelling. However, "A Fury Scorned" is a compact novel that restrains itself from wandering too far into all the realms of possible stories and issues that would have been easy to reach. The choice is a correct one I think. The merit with a Star Trek science fiction story is in the way the characters are outsiders to the situation/culture explored, merely passing through the scene. This allows for a universal approach that- although potentially cold- contains credibility.

The problem with stories about the end of a world is often the way the reader is expected to be emotionally engaged with the protagonists and the protagonists only. That doesn't often work as we are presented with so much death. However distanced, the mass extermination in these scenarios begs to be addressed and it most often isn't.

"A Fury Scorned" views the oncoming tragedy from an objective standpoint. We do get scenes on the planet showing panic, suicide and struggle for survival and some original characters more personally affected by what's going on are introduced, but the main focus is in the processes. And as always with any book written by either of the sci-fi veterans Sargent and Zebrowski, the story is loaded with intriguing sci-fi speculation. But by no means is this novel lacking in emotional content; the impossibility of the ethical dilemma our heroes face is utilized with ambition, in true Trek style.

As Star Trek as opposed to general sci-fi the book fares slightly worse. The characterization is spot on, but Federation politics seem off. The crew is not allowed to contain the mass suicides caused by the impending disaster by revealing rescue plans. Why? Because a probable failure in them might affect public opinion. Plausible in our age, but not really in par with what we know of the UFP community.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, every Star Trek book I've read so far (that wasn't an adaptation of an episode) was... worse than this one. This was the first book I could get my hands on amidst the boxes & mess of our process of unpacking; with no internet or anything, that was enough to get me to read it. It felt more like hanging out with the characters as they went about their mission than it felt like reading an adventure that would actually make you feel any emotions, but hey, we all like to spend time with our favorite characters.

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I remember reading a George Zebrowski novel in high school and was curious how he and his co-author would flesh out the Star Trek universe. I really enjoyed how Picard and crew dealt with the moral dilemma of who to save on a doomed planet. I love these Star Trek books. I might even dare to say they're better than the TV shows and movies. Maybe not some of the TV shows, but the depth and front row seat the writers give you to this cool universe make them all the more enjoyable.

[Jeremiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happens when a star threatens to go nova near an inhabited planet? An uncertain timeline and and a seemingly forced solution.

While I have learned not to expect much from Star Trek novels, this one was lacking even with that in consideration. It's still a decent read but it's subpar in light of others I have read.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written but very predictable. The Enterprise is called to a planet that is going to be destroyed by their sun going nova. Obvously things aren't that straight forward, and there's lots of moral issues. An ok read, real shame about the pedictability.

[George Hahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better Star Trek novels, with good roles for all your favorite Next Generation characters, high stakes (the fate of a world of 20 million people), and several ethical questions for Picard to worry about. Some pretty good characterization of the novel-specific characters, too.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, Star Trek. I like Trek, but they gave too much away in the intro. No suprises to speak of, from page 1 you new the finish. The finish dragged on as well

[LeePS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed A Fury Scorned, at some points couldn't put it down, I have a sense of missed opportunity.

[Polus · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was everything i expected it to be!

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5

[Melvin Lance]

Enjoyed