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Star Trek: Myriad Universes #1
Infinity's Prism
It's been said that for any event, there are an infinite number of possible outcomes. Our choices determine which outcome will follow, and therefore all possibilities that could happen do happen across countless alternate realities. In these divergent realms, known history is bent, like white light through a prism -- broken into a boundless spectrum of what-might-have-beens. But in those myriad universes, what might have been...is what actually happened.
A LESS PERFECT UNION: More than a hundred yeas after the Terra Prime movement achieved its dream of an isolated Earth, humanity is once again at a fork in the river of history...and the path it follows may ultimately be determined by the voice of a single individual: the sole surviving crewmember of the first Starship Enterprise.
PLACES OF EXILE: Midway through Voyager's journey across the galaxy, Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay must choose whether to brave a deadly war zone or abandon their quest for home. But an attack by Species 8472 cripples the ship, and the stranded crew must make new choices that will reshape their destinies...and that of the Delta Quadrant itself.
SEEDS OF DISSENT: Khan victorious! Almost four centuries after conquering their world, genetically enhanced humans dominate a ruthless interstellar empire. But the warship Defiance, under its augmented commander, Princeps Julian Bashir, makes a discovery that could shake the pillars of his proud civilization: an ancient sleeper ship from Earth named the Botany Bay.
A LESS PERFECT UNION: More than a hundred yeas after the Terra Prime movement achieved its dream of an isolated Earth, humanity is once again at a fork in the river of history...and the path it follows may ultimately be determined by the voice of a single individual: the sole surviving crewmember of the first Starship Enterprise.
PLACES OF EXILE: Midway through Voyager's journey across the galaxy, Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay must choose whether to brave a deadly war zone or abandon their quest for home. But an attack by Species 8472 cripples the ship, and the stranded crew must make new choices that will reshape their destinies...and that of the Delta Quadrant itself.
SEEDS OF DISSENT: Khan victorious! Almost four centuries after conquering their world, genetically enhanced humans dominate a ruthless interstellar empire. But the warship Defiance, under its augmented commander, Princeps Julian Bashir, makes a discovery that could shake the pillars of his proud civilization: an ancient sleeper ship from Earth named the Botany Bay.
515 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
87 people are currently reading
458 people want to read
About the author
Christopher L. Bennett
66 books220 followersChristopher L. Bennett is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, with a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in History from the University of Cincinnati. A fan of science and science fiction since age five, he has spent the past two decades selling original short fiction to magazines such as Analog Science Fiction and Fact (home of his "Hub" series of comedy adventures), BuzzyMag, and Galaxy's Edge. Since 2003, he has been one of Pocket Books' most prolific and popular authors of Star Trek tie-in fiction, including the epic Next Generation prequel The Buried Age, the Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations series, and the Star Trek: Enterprise -- Rise of the Federation series. He has also written two Marvel Comics novels, X-Men: Watchers on the Walls and Spider-Man: Drowned in Thunder. His original novel Only Superhuman, perhaps the first hard science fiction superhero novel, was voted Library Journal's SF/Fantasy Debut of the Month for October 2012. Other tales in the same universe can be found in Among the Wild Cybers and the upcoming Arachne's Crime, both from eSpec Books. His Hub stories are available in two collections from Mystique Press.
Christopher's homepage, fiction annotations, and blog can be found at christopherlbennett.wordpress.com. His Patreon page with original fiction and reviews is at https://www.patreon.com/christopherlb..., and his Facebook author page is at www.facebook.com/ChristopherLBennettA....
Christopher's homepage, fiction annotations, and blog can be found at christopherlbennett.wordpress.com. His Patreon page with original fiction and reviews is at https://www.patreon.com/christopherlb..., and his Facebook author page is at www.facebook.com/ChristopherLBennettA....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
June 20, 2017
What if....Khan won the Eugenics Wars? What if....Earth had succumbed to fear after the Xindi attack, and withdrawn from the Coalition of Planets and exploring the final frontier? And what if -- and this is a big one -- what if Harry Kim was promoted to lieutenant? Such are the stories, the three novellas, comprising ST: Myriad Universes, volume one. Three Treklit veterans have produced here a collection of stories that have old heroes and villains -- Kirk, Dukat, KHAAAAAAAAN! -- playing very different roles. An unexpected discovery for me, I couldn't stop reading it.
William Leisner's "A Less Perfect Union" starts us off with an alternate Babel conference, featuring a xenophobic James Kirk who serves the United Earth ship Enterprise, under the command of an aging Christopher Pike. Although Earth succumbed to xenophobic politics following the conclusion of the Xindi war, withdrawing from the proto-Federation, after a century of isolation some on Earth are interested in restoring relations with the Vulcans and Andorians. Unfortunately, their spokesperson -- T'Pol, who remembers the hopeful days of Archer's Enterprise -- is kidnapped by a Romulan impersonating Ambassador Sarek, with the unwitting help of Jim Kirk. Leiser almost rivals Greg Cox for subtle allusions to parts of the Trek verse, including Trek literature. This was a strong start to the book, with the hilarious sight of Doctor McCoy urging Jim not to be so defensively racist about Vulcans.
In Christopher Bennett's "Places of Exile", we see a Voyager too shattered by its first encounter with Species 8472 to continue pressing on towards the Alpha Quadrant, choosing instead to temporarily settle among the residents and officers of a space station-based civilization. Bennett brings his customary science strengths to the table here, and they serve him and the reader well when he begins exploring fluidic space. Janeway and Chakotay's enthuaism for making a home in the Delta Quadrant vary widely: Janeway's intention of returning to the Federation never wavers, and she is concerned that her crew might lose its identity. But it is Federation ideals that move Janeway and the other to work with refugees of the Borg-8472 war, creating a nascent coalition that works to find a way, martial or scientific, to end the brewing catastrophe. Another interesting aspect of this story is the expansion of the Doctor, who becomes a dispersed intelligence controlling medical droids throughout the Coalition's stations and ships. Although Bennett kills off Tuvok and Paris, Harry Kim finally gets a love life and a promotion. (Was it worth it, Harry?)
"Seeds of Dissent", authored by James Swallow, visits a very different 24th century, one in which Khan Noonien Singh won the Eugenics Wars and created a human empire nearly engulfing the Alpha Quadrant. The discovery of an ancient human freighter -- the Botany Bay -- sparks problems for the Children of Khan, however. The freighter contains the last survivors of unmodified humanity, and their memory banks contain records of the atrocities committed during Khan's rise to power -- and challenging a history of Khan that sees him personally doing everything from being the first to step foot on Mars to breaking the lightspeed barrier. Although this story features an amusingly perverse pairing of Kira and Dukat (rebel lovers), it's mostly a generic rebels vs the Empire story. The augmented humans aren't even interesting: they're big and can survive in space for a few moments, but nothing of their society is revealed beyond a lot of Roman-derived titles. The ending was a little different than expected, however.
Of the three, I regard Bennett's as the strongest. Swallow's had the most interesting premise, but its development wasn't nearly as imaginative as it could have been. This book is first in a trilogy of alt-tales, but the others don't seem particularly interesting -- with one exception, of Soong-type androids becoming pervasive in the Federation. As usual, Bennett posts annotations for his story.
William Leisner's "A Less Perfect Union" starts us off with an alternate Babel conference, featuring a xenophobic James Kirk who serves the United Earth ship Enterprise, under the command of an aging Christopher Pike. Although Earth succumbed to xenophobic politics following the conclusion of the Xindi war, withdrawing from the proto-Federation, after a century of isolation some on Earth are interested in restoring relations with the Vulcans and Andorians. Unfortunately, their spokesperson -- T'Pol, who remembers the hopeful days of Archer's Enterprise -- is kidnapped by a Romulan impersonating Ambassador Sarek, with the unwitting help of Jim Kirk. Leiser almost rivals Greg Cox for subtle allusions to parts of the Trek verse, including Trek literature. This was a strong start to the book, with the hilarious sight of Doctor McCoy urging Jim not to be so defensively racist about Vulcans.
In Christopher Bennett's "Places of Exile", we see a Voyager too shattered by its first encounter with Species 8472 to continue pressing on towards the Alpha Quadrant, choosing instead to temporarily settle among the residents and officers of a space station-based civilization. Bennett brings his customary science strengths to the table here, and they serve him and the reader well when he begins exploring fluidic space. Janeway and Chakotay's enthuaism for making a home in the Delta Quadrant vary widely: Janeway's intention of returning to the Federation never wavers, and she is concerned that her crew might lose its identity. But it is Federation ideals that move Janeway and the other to work with refugees of the Borg-8472 war, creating a nascent coalition that works to find a way, martial or scientific, to end the brewing catastrophe. Another interesting aspect of this story is the expansion of the Doctor, who becomes a dispersed intelligence controlling medical droids throughout the Coalition's stations and ships. Although Bennett kills off Tuvok and Paris, Harry Kim finally gets a love life and a promotion. (Was it worth it, Harry?)
"Seeds of Dissent", authored by James Swallow, visits a very different 24th century, one in which Khan Noonien Singh won the Eugenics Wars and created a human empire nearly engulfing the Alpha Quadrant. The discovery of an ancient human freighter -- the Botany Bay -- sparks problems for the Children of Khan, however. The freighter contains the last survivors of unmodified humanity, and their memory banks contain records of the atrocities committed during Khan's rise to power -- and challenging a history of Khan that sees him personally doing everything from being the first to step foot on Mars to breaking the lightspeed barrier. Although this story features an amusingly perverse pairing of Kira and Dukat (rebel lovers), it's mostly a generic rebels vs the Empire story. The augmented humans aren't even interesting: they're big and can survive in space for a few moments, but nothing of their society is revealed beyond a lot of Roman-derived titles. The ending was a little different than expected, however.
Of the three, I regard Bennett's as the strongest. Swallow's had the most interesting premise, but its development wasn't nearly as imaginative as it could have been. This book is first in a trilogy of alt-tales, but the others don't seem particularly interesting -- with one exception, of Soong-type androids becoming pervasive in the Federation. As usual, Bennett posts annotations for his story.
March 2, 2014
“What if?” stories have always found an audience. It can be too tempting to imagine worlds where Hitler won World War II or JFK wasn't assassinated. The stories in the first volume of Star Trek Myriad Universes takes the “what if?” notion and alter the various shows and events in them in a strong launch for the series.
The first novella, A Less Perfect Union, is set in the Original Series era where the events of the Enterprise episode Terra Prime instead led to Earth returning to isolationism and the steps taken a century later to bring Earth into the Coalition Of Planets. A lot of characters from that series make appearances from Christopher Pike and Kirk as well as the original Enterprise's last surviving crew member T'Pol and the characterizations throughout are strong (though for some reason I kept imagining the cast from the 2009 reboot instead of the original TV cast). Overall, it's a strong story with plenty of twists (especially one that pays off one of the more interesting casting of the same actor in multiple roles in the Original Series), tension and action.
The middle story, Places Of Exile, features an alternative time-line where Voyager ends up stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Not being a Voyager fan myself, this was the story I enjoyed least out of the volume and the fact that it was also the longest of the three by some pages probably didn't help matters either. A decent story though, if perhaps a bit too long.
The final story, Seeds Of Dissent, picks up one of the more intriguing Trek “what if?” premises: what if Khan had won the Eugenics Wars? The story itself though is set more than three hundred years later when the Defiance, captained by Julian Bashir, stumbles across the Botany Bay in a fascinating reversal of the Original Series episode “Space Seed”. The story makes good use of several characters from Deep Space Nine (which though I'm not a big fan of it I found them engaging here) as well as characters introduced in the two excellent Eugenics Wars novels by Greg Cox that I read last summer. While it is the shortest of the three, it moves along at a fast pace and builds to an excellent ending that makes the reader yearn to know what happens next.
Overall, the first Myriad Universes is a strong collection of three Trek themed “what if?” stories. While I found that the enjoyment of the individual stories was somewhat dependent on how much I liked the series it was taking off from (and I therefore suspect that might be the case for others as well), if you're a Trek fan I strongly recommend this. It's just too intriguing to ignore.
The first novella, A Less Perfect Union, is set in the Original Series era where the events of the Enterprise episode Terra Prime instead led to Earth returning to isolationism and the steps taken a century later to bring Earth into the Coalition Of Planets. A lot of characters from that series make appearances from Christopher Pike and Kirk as well as the original Enterprise's last surviving crew member T'Pol and the characterizations throughout are strong (though for some reason I kept imagining the cast from the 2009 reboot instead of the original TV cast). Overall, it's a strong story with plenty of twists (especially one that pays off one of the more interesting casting of the same actor in multiple roles in the Original Series), tension and action.
The middle story, Places Of Exile, features an alternative time-line where Voyager ends up stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Not being a Voyager fan myself, this was the story I enjoyed least out of the volume and the fact that it was also the longest of the three by some pages probably didn't help matters either. A decent story though, if perhaps a bit too long.
The final story, Seeds Of Dissent, picks up one of the more intriguing Trek “what if?” premises: what if Khan had won the Eugenics Wars? The story itself though is set more than three hundred years later when the Defiance, captained by Julian Bashir, stumbles across the Botany Bay in a fascinating reversal of the Original Series episode “Space Seed”. The story makes good use of several characters from Deep Space Nine (which though I'm not a big fan of it I found them engaging here) as well as characters introduced in the two excellent Eugenics Wars novels by Greg Cox that I read last summer. While it is the shortest of the three, it moves along at a fast pace and builds to an excellent ending that makes the reader yearn to know what happens next.
Overall, the first Myriad Universes is a strong collection of three Trek themed “what if?” stories. While I found that the enjoyment of the individual stories was somewhat dependent on how much I liked the series it was taking off from (and I therefore suspect that might be the case for others as well), if you're a Trek fan I strongly recommend this. It's just too intriguing to ignore.
October 18, 2016
A Less Perfect Union by William Leisner explores a world where Christopher Pike remains the captain of the Enterprise while James T. Kirk is at his side as First Officer. Where's Spock? Well, Vulcans are not a member of the Federation of Planets...in fact, Earth is at odds with the Vulcans due to an incident many years earlier which devastated San Francisco. Kirk has his own bone to pick with the Vulcan people and it all comes to a head when the Enterprise picks up T'Pol for a diplomatic mission to try to repair relations with their alien neighbors. Stranger still, McCoy has joined the crew and he and Kirk immediately butt heads over what McCoy perceives is Kirk's racist feelings toward the Vulcans. Of course, longtime fans of TOS will find this humorously ironic. It's politically and racially charged with tons of action just like all the great Trek episodes. 9/10
Maybe my favorite of the entire lot was Places of Exile by Christopher L. Bennett. I've never seen any episodes of Voyager (I know, I know) so I found this one extremely easy to accept as canon. I guess it might have been harder if you already knew the "real" events of this universe. For those unfamiliar, the crew of Voyager is stranded in the Delta Quadrant and are trying to find their way back to planet Earth while navigating the unknown (and dangerous) stretch of space in-between. In this version, their ship is crippled and they must make an emergency landing on a planet where they are essentially refugees forced to make new lives for themselves. It delves into how each member of the crew reacts to the knowledge that they will most likely never reach their homes in their lifetimes. I love character studies so this one was right up my alley. 10/10
What would happen if Khan had actually succeeded in his quest to rule Earth and create a dominant race of superhumans? Well, Seeds of Dissent by James Swallow has a truly terrifying answer. After Khan's victory, augmented humans become the norm and Khan is viewed as a deity. Princeps Julian Bashir (from Deep Space Nine) is in command of the Defiant and he comes across a most unusual ship named Botany Bay. (If you're a Trekkie, then you most certainly heard ominous music playing just then.) When fictionalized history clashes with the harsh truth of reality the world crafted under Khan's descendants begins to fragment. (This book was the push I needed to continue my Trek tutelage by beginning DS9 by the way.) 9/10
Maybe my favorite of the entire lot was Places of Exile by Christopher L. Bennett. I've never seen any episodes of Voyager (I know, I know) so I found this one extremely easy to accept as canon. I guess it might have been harder if you already knew the "real" events of this universe. For those unfamiliar, the crew of Voyager is stranded in the Delta Quadrant and are trying to find their way back to planet Earth while navigating the unknown (and dangerous) stretch of space in-between. In this version, their ship is crippled and they must make an emergency landing on a planet where they are essentially refugees forced to make new lives for themselves. It delves into how each member of the crew reacts to the knowledge that they will most likely never reach their homes in their lifetimes. I love character studies so this one was right up my alley. 10/10
What would happen if Khan had actually succeeded in his quest to rule Earth and create a dominant race of superhumans? Well, Seeds of Dissent by James Swallow has a truly terrifying answer. After Khan's victory, augmented humans become the norm and Khan is viewed as a deity. Princeps Julian Bashir (from Deep Space Nine) is in command of the Defiant and he comes across a most unusual ship named Botany Bay. (If you're a Trekkie, then you most certainly heard ominous music playing just then.) When fictionalized history clashes with the harsh truth of reality the world crafted under Khan's descendants begins to fragment. (This book was the push I needed to continue my Trek tutelage by beginning DS9 by the way.) 9/10
July 27, 2015
Absolutely loved the second and third stories set in Voyager and DS9 shows. First one was ok. Love the Myriad Universe concept too.
May 18, 2018
I don't know why, but I'm a sucker for a good alternate universe story. This might stem from my enjoyment of alternate history, with its speculation of what might have happened and what those differences reveal about people. But this isn't limited to fictional speculations about history, as I get no less pleasure from alternate spins on fictional universes such as that of Gene Roddenberry's much-loved creation.
And this book just hit the spot in that respect. The first of what was a three-book series, it offers three novellas that take the Star Trek canon and spin it off in radical directions. The three are:
"A Less Perfect Union" by William Leisner — Premised on a different outcome to the events of the season four Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Terra Prime," it has a more isolationist Earth reconsidering its rejection of joining the alliance of interstellar species (known here as the "Coalition"). It features a lot of characters from the very start of the original series, including a xenophobic James T. Kirk. The name-checking was a little exhausting, but never overdone and was part of the enjoyment of the story.
"Places of Exile" by Christopher L. Bennett — This one is most closely tied to its source material. Premised on a slightly different ending to the season three finale "Scorpion, Part I," a slightly more cautious approach to the war between the Borg and Species 8472 soon forces the Voyager crew to adopt a very different mission from the one they had been on since their relocation to the Delta Quadrant. This was the one that, based on the description, I was least looking forward to reading, yet (possibly because of my lower expectations) I enjoyed it the most.
"Seeds of Dissent" by James Swallow — Remember Khan Noonien Singh? Imagine what would have happened had he triumphed on Earth and what would have followed over the course of the following three centuries. In some ways it's the most radical departure of the trio, which made it the most entertaining of the three (albeit with a major caveat).
All three novellas represent radical departures from the events of their source material, which gives their authors latitude to tell very different stories. Yet what makes it work is the authors' verisimilitude to the characters from the original shows. All three authors nail their depiction of characters that have been so well established over the years, sometimes across multiple shows. Combined with the freshness of the plots, the three stories make for a stimulatingly different yet still faithful departure from the canon that fans of the original series can enjoy.
And this book just hit the spot in that respect. The first of what was a three-book series, it offers three novellas that take the Star Trek canon and spin it off in radical directions. The three are:
"A Less Perfect Union" by William Leisner — Premised on a different outcome to the events of the season four Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Terra Prime," it has a more isolationist Earth reconsidering its rejection of joining the alliance of interstellar species (known here as the "Coalition"). It features a lot of characters from the very start of the original series, including a xenophobic James T. Kirk. The name-checking was a little exhausting, but never overdone and was part of the enjoyment of the story.
"Places of Exile" by Christopher L. Bennett — This one is most closely tied to its source material. Premised on a slightly different ending to the season three finale "Scorpion, Part I," a slightly more cautious approach to the war between the Borg and Species 8472 soon forces the Voyager crew to adopt a very different mission from the one they had been on since their relocation to the Delta Quadrant. This was the one that, based on the description, I was least looking forward to reading, yet (possibly because of my lower expectations) I enjoyed it the most.
"Seeds of Dissent" by James Swallow — Remember Khan Noonien Singh? Imagine what would have happened had he triumphed on Earth and what would have followed over the course of the following three centuries. In some ways it's the most radical departure of the trio, which made it the most entertaining of the three (albeit with a major caveat).
All three novellas represent radical departures from the events of their source material, which gives their authors latitude to tell very different stories. Yet what makes it work is the authors' verisimilitude to the characters from the original shows. All three authors nail their depiction of characters that have been so well established over the years, sometimes across multiple shows. Combined with the freshness of the plots, the three stories make for a stimulatingly different yet still faithful departure from the canon that fans of the original series can enjoy.
February 29, 2024
In short story form, these three alternate universe tales are certainly pushing the epic...perhaps packing in too much in the case of the Voyager story. That said, these are interesting choices of forks-in-the-road, adapted into even more interesting follow-ups...and the first story certainly makes a better conclusion to "Enterprise" than its actual final episode. The final story, about a future where Khan was the victor, feels even darker today...when the world seems to be headed for an abyss of its own making.
April 5, 2018
When I first heard about these Myriad Universes novels I loved the whole idea of it. What would have happened if...? is a question that has intrigued me and got me thinking more times than I could even remember. Both regarding my own life, life in general and Star Trek. It's just one of those things that gets me going. And, having finished this book, I can say that I'm not disappointed. I give this book as a whole 3 1/2 stars.
It will, however, be a whole lot easier to review the three different stories in this book individually. So that's what I'll do.
A Less Perfect Union (TOS/ENT) 3 stars
This story started off good enough. I really liked the premise of a xenophobic Earth and getting to explore what that would have been like. Here we have a TOS crew, serving under Captain Christopher Pike, that isn't quite the way that we're used to seeing them. Their lives, not to mention their view of life, turned out very differently. The Federation, obviously, didn't come to be. Earth is closed off, and in a desert an old T'Pol is living isolated from other people - the only non human on the planet after having chosen to stay there to be with Trip about a 100 years earlier.
What's the difference between judging a whole group of people because of the color of their skin, and judging them because of the planet they come from?
The story then goes on about the prospect of change and acceptance of other species. It was an interesting read. But even though I liked the story, I did feel it to be somewhat slow (for lack of a better word) at times. I guess I would have wanted more to happen, or to have been drawn in to the story a little bit more.
Places of Exile (VOY) 4 1/2 stars
This story started off with a bang right about the time when Janeway considered making an alliance with the Borg. So, there I was, thrown right into a storyline that I loved and getting to know what might have happened if that alliance never came to be, if Voyager instead were crippled from an attack by Species 8472 and couldn't continue their journey towards Earth...
Do I even have to mention that I loved this story? And not just because of it being about Voyager and involving so many of the interesting species from the Delta Quadrant that we got to know during the series run. But also because it's really well written by Christopher L. Bennett. The world building and the character development is really good. I mean, come on, Harry Kim even gets to be something more than an Ensign! But, all jokes aside, I really loved this. The world and the people that the crew ended up with made for a great story. Just the idea of Voyager not continuing on their journey makes for a lot of interesting issues in itself. How the crew copes, if they really will manage to make a life for themselves so far from home, if Janeway will ever let go of accepting this etc.
I would even go so far as to saying that I gladly could have read a whole trilogy just based on this story, just so that I could dive deeper into it and get even more out of it. Let's just say that the book was very hard to put down during this story. :)
Seeds of Dissent (DS9) 3 1/2 stars
This last story was a pretty dark one. Just imagine Khan getting his way and humanity is shaped off of this several hundreds of years later enslaving and conquering other species that are not as enhanced and worthy as they are. I really liked getting to see where this was going, though. And it didn't hurt having Julian Bashir in the lead and the Botany Bay sleeper ship showing up from before Khan had risen to power...
What was especially interesting was the idea of how a dictatorship is seen differently from different points of view. How it's all about getting the people to believe the lies and how you can end up fighting for something that wasn't what you thought it was. I really enjoyed seeing the characters develop, and to see the history explained both as it was thought to have been and how it actually was.
It will, however, be a whole lot easier to review the three different stories in this book individually. So that's what I'll do.
A Less Perfect Union (TOS/ENT) 3 stars
This story started off good enough. I really liked the premise of a xenophobic Earth and getting to explore what that would have been like. Here we have a TOS crew, serving under Captain Christopher Pike, that isn't quite the way that we're used to seeing them. Their lives, not to mention their view of life, turned out very differently. The Federation, obviously, didn't come to be. Earth is closed off, and in a desert an old T'Pol is living isolated from other people - the only non human on the planet after having chosen to stay there to be with Trip about a 100 years earlier.
What's the difference between judging a whole group of people because of the color of their skin, and judging them because of the planet they come from?
The story then goes on about the prospect of change and acceptance of other species. It was an interesting read. But even though I liked the story, I did feel it to be somewhat slow (for lack of a better word) at times. I guess I would have wanted more to happen, or to have been drawn in to the story a little bit more.
Places of Exile (VOY) 4 1/2 stars
This story started off with a bang right about the time when Janeway considered making an alliance with the Borg. So, there I was, thrown right into a storyline that I loved and getting to know what might have happened if that alliance never came to be, if Voyager instead were crippled from an attack by Species 8472 and couldn't continue their journey towards Earth...
Do I even have to mention that I loved this story? And not just because of it being about Voyager and involving so many of the interesting species from the Delta Quadrant that we got to know during the series run. But also because it's really well written by Christopher L. Bennett. The world building and the character development is really good. I mean, come on, Harry Kim even gets to be something more than an Ensign! But, all jokes aside, I really loved this. The world and the people that the crew ended up with made for a great story. Just the idea of Voyager not continuing on their journey makes for a lot of interesting issues in itself. How the crew copes, if they really will manage to make a life for themselves so far from home, if Janeway will ever let go of accepting this etc.
I would even go so far as to saying that I gladly could have read a whole trilogy just based on this story, just so that I could dive deeper into it and get even more out of it. Let's just say that the book was very hard to put down during this story. :)
Seeds of Dissent (DS9) 3 1/2 stars
This last story was a pretty dark one. Just imagine Khan getting his way and humanity is shaped off of this several hundreds of years later enslaving and conquering other species that are not as enhanced and worthy as they are. I really liked getting to see where this was going, though. And it didn't hurt having Julian Bashir in the lead and the Botany Bay sleeper ship showing up from before Khan had risen to power...
What was especially interesting was the idea of how a dictatorship is seen differently from different points of view. How it's all about getting the people to believe the lies and how you can end up fighting for something that wasn't what you thought it was. I really enjoyed seeing the characters develop, and to see the history explained both as it was thought to have been and how it actually was.
December 17, 2012
It's been said that for any event, there are an infinite number of possible outcomes. Our choices determine which outcome will follow, and therefore all possibilities that could happen do happen across countless alternate realities. In these divergent realms, known history is bent, like white light through a prism -- broken into a boundless spectrum of what-might-have-beens. But in those myriad universes, what might have been...is what actually happened.
A LESS PERFECT UNION: More than a hundred yeas after the Terra Prime movement achieved its dream of an isolated Earth, humanity is once again at a fork in the river of history...and the path it follows may ultimately be determined by the voice of a single individual: the sole surviving crewmember of the first Starship Enterprise.
PLACES OF EXILE: Midway through Voyager's journey across the galaxy, Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay must choose whether to brave a deadly war zone or abandon their quest for home. But an attack by Species 8472 cripples the ship, and the stranded crew must make new choices that will reshape their destinies...and that of the Delta Quadrant itself.
SEEDS OF DISSENT: Khan victorious! Almost four centuries after conquering their world, genetically enhanced humans dominate a ruthless interstellar empire. But the warship Defiance, under its augmented commander, Princeps Julian Bashir, makes a discovery that could shake the pillars of his proud civilization: an ancient sleeper ship from Earth named the Botany Bay.
I Love "Alternate Timeline" Stories! Fantastic Book! Interesting tales. If your a Star Trek Fan you will like this book!
A LESS PERFECT UNION: More than a hundred yeas after the Terra Prime movement achieved its dream of an isolated Earth, humanity is once again at a fork in the river of history...and the path it follows may ultimately be determined by the voice of a single individual: the sole surviving crewmember of the first Starship Enterprise.
PLACES OF EXILE: Midway through Voyager's journey across the galaxy, Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay must choose whether to brave a deadly war zone or abandon their quest for home. But an attack by Species 8472 cripples the ship, and the stranded crew must make new choices that will reshape their destinies...and that of the Delta Quadrant itself.
SEEDS OF DISSENT: Khan victorious! Almost four centuries after conquering their world, genetically enhanced humans dominate a ruthless interstellar empire. But the warship Defiance, under its augmented commander, Princeps Julian Bashir, makes a discovery that could shake the pillars of his proud civilization: an ancient sleeper ship from Earth named the Botany Bay.
I Love "Alternate Timeline" Stories! Fantastic Book! Interesting tales. If your a Star Trek Fan you will like this book!
June 9, 2010
I love "what if" stories. This set of short stories was a great idea. It differs from the "mirror universe" because it explored what would happen if different events in Star Trek history were tweaked. There are three stories in this volume.
"A Less Than Perfect Union"--What if the attack by Terra Prime on Earth hadn't been stopped by the Enterprise. In this universe, humans have shunned the rest of the aliens, including Vulcans, and gone it on their own. Captain Pike and his first officer, James Kirk are out patrolling in the new Enterprise, Kirk still bitter about the death of his wife Carol at the hands of Vulcans. Now times are changing, and some people on Earth are thinking about joining the rest of the universe again and they are looking to T'Pol, the last member of the original Enterprise for guidance.
"Places of Exile"--What if Voyager hadn't made it through the attack on Species 8472 and had been stranded in the Delta Quadrant. New alliances are formed with the Vostigye which some crew members accept but others don't.
"Seeds of Dissent"--What if Khan had won the Eugenics Wars. What if most humans were genetically enhanced. Princips Julien Bashir leads a ship of genetially enhanced humans and alien slaves around the galaxy, stamping out any signs of dissent. Then, they find a ship of humans from before Eugenics called the Botany Bay and things begin to change.
"A Less Than Perfect Union"--What if the attack by Terra Prime on Earth hadn't been stopped by the Enterprise. In this universe, humans have shunned the rest of the aliens, including Vulcans, and gone it on their own. Captain Pike and his first officer, James Kirk are out patrolling in the new Enterprise, Kirk still bitter about the death of his wife Carol at the hands of Vulcans. Now times are changing, and some people on Earth are thinking about joining the rest of the universe again and they are looking to T'Pol, the last member of the original Enterprise for guidance.
"Places of Exile"--What if Voyager hadn't made it through the attack on Species 8472 and had been stranded in the Delta Quadrant. New alliances are formed with the Vostigye which some crew members accept but others don't.
"Seeds of Dissent"--What if Khan had won the Eugenics Wars. What if most humans were genetically enhanced. Princips Julien Bashir leads a ship of genetially enhanced humans and alien slaves around the galaxy, stamping out any signs of dissent. Then, they find a ship of humans from before Eugenics called the Botany Bay and things begin to change.
May 17, 2014
Lets face it, if you're looking for a great novel to stimulate your mind and expand your horizons you're in the wrong place. As with all tv and movie tie-ins the Star Trek books are light hearted distractions not the heights of modern literature.
Infinity's Prism offers three "What If's" set in the Star Trek Universe. Three very different types of what if too.
A LESS PERFECT UNION, breaks from the Trek narative in Archer's time, but is set in Kirk's. Many recognisable characters from TOS are found here illustrating how culture strongly affects individuals.
PLACES OF EXILE, is a Voyager story. The plot follows directly on from the break point during the Species 8472/Borg conflict. This offering gives us the standard characters that change only with the ongoing plot, showing how big a difference a single change can make.
SEEDS OF DISSENT is set in the DS9 time frame, the break point being Khan Noonien Singh winning the Eugenics war on Earth. The characters here are mostly name touch points, the human counterparts being unregonisable in terms of personality or indeed physical appearance.
I enjoyed all the stories, they're interesting looks into other types of future, the first and last could have been non-Star Trek stories, but they would have needed longer to set them up. Playing on the differences makes it quick and easy to understand the new timeline. None of them have any link to the "real" Trek universe and they don't link to each other.
Infinity's Prism offers three "What If's" set in the Star Trek Universe. Three very different types of what if too.
A LESS PERFECT UNION, breaks from the Trek narative in Archer's time, but is set in Kirk's. Many recognisable characters from TOS are found here illustrating how culture strongly affects individuals.
PLACES OF EXILE, is a Voyager story. The plot follows directly on from the break point during the Species 8472/Borg conflict. This offering gives us the standard characters that change only with the ongoing plot, showing how big a difference a single change can make.
SEEDS OF DISSENT is set in the DS9 time frame, the break point being Khan Noonien Singh winning the Eugenics war on Earth. The characters here are mostly name touch points, the human counterparts being unregonisable in terms of personality or indeed physical appearance.
I enjoyed all the stories, they're interesting looks into other types of future, the first and last could have been non-Star Trek stories, but they would have needed longer to set them up. Playing on the differences makes it quick and easy to understand the new timeline. None of them have any link to the "real" Trek universe and they don't link to each other.
August 11, 2008
Overall, an ok book. It's always fascinating to discover the events of alternate realities and to learn where they diverged with our so-called normal universe. There are 3 short stories in this book.
The first story shows what would've happened had humanity not developed a "federation" with aliens. There's still a Starfleet with an overall peaceful mission, but there are a few sublte differences. For anyone who is a fan of classic Star Trek, consider this a treat.
The second story is a Voyager episode where Capt. Janeway and crew never negotiated with the Borg regarding a solution to their threat. Here, Voyager finds a planet to settle and the crew lead different lives throughout the region. While Capt. Janeway obsesses with getting home, she might not be too far away.
Lastly, the third story shows the events if Khannnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!! would've conquered Earth with his genetic soliders. Humans have become ruthless in the galaxy, enslaving any alien species. One such human, Julian Bashir, discovers the gravest threat to their empire, humans without any genetic enhancements from the past.
Overall, a decent book. Parts could've been wrapped up better, but a good escapist read.
The first story shows what would've happened had humanity not developed a "federation" with aliens. There's still a Starfleet with an overall peaceful mission, but there are a few sublte differences. For anyone who is a fan of classic Star Trek, consider this a treat.
The second story is a Voyager episode where Capt. Janeway and crew never negotiated with the Borg regarding a solution to their threat. Here, Voyager finds a planet to settle and the crew lead different lives throughout the region. While Capt. Janeway obsesses with getting home, she might not be too far away.
Lastly, the third story shows the events if Khannnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!! would've conquered Earth with his genetic soliders. Humans have become ruthless in the galaxy, enslaving any alien species. One such human, Julian Bashir, discovers the gravest threat to their empire, humans without any genetic enhancements from the past.
Overall, a decent book. Parts could've been wrapped up better, but a good escapist read.
August 10, 2009
Well, the first story was ok... it lost some interest and character development wasn't great. I remember and enjoy the original series and it does link nicely with Enterprise, however it just didn't carry the plot well. (TOS time period)
The second story was alright as well. However, at times it was too convoluted and probably spread over too long a period of time. Kes was dealt with in too saintly of a way. She had faults and we saw them constantly throughout the series. Some of the portrayals, even given their hardships, were not very realistic. (Voyager time period)
The final story was the best in my opinion. I liked the Augments story and the way it linked up with TOS history. The fact that Bashir was used made sense and connected well. The pace was also good.
Lets be honest, none of these stories are what I'd call high art. In fact, these were bathroom stories... yep, the book was kept on the cabinet beside my toilet. However, they were mostly entertaining.
The second story was alright as well. However, at times it was too convoluted and probably spread over too long a period of time. Kes was dealt with in too saintly of a way. She had faults and we saw them constantly throughout the series. Some of the portrayals, even given their hardships, were not very realistic. (Voyager time period)
The final story was the best in my opinion. I liked the Augments story and the way it linked up with TOS history. The fact that Bashir was used made sense and connected well. The pace was also good.
Lets be honest, none of these stories are what I'd call high art. In fact, these were bathroom stories... yep, the book was kept on the cabinet beside my toilet. However, they were mostly entertaining.
June 6, 2012
I enjoyed Places of Exile the most, I think. Voyager's confrontation with the Borg was one of the ship's most pivotal moments, and could easily have gone in so many different ways. The author really nailed Janeway's personality, her drive and determination to finish her mission, her unease at doing anything that would detract from said mission, and her fierce protectiveness of her crew.
Ultimately, the book was rather interesting, playing on some of the most fascinating moments of Star Trek lore.
Ultimately, the book was rather interesting, playing on some of the most fascinating moments of Star Trek lore.
July 19, 2011
I enjoyed all three stories within this volume and would like to see a continuation of all three of them from the Unifcation of Valucan and Romulas and the inclusion of Earth into the Intersteller Coliton to the Detla Colitions introduction into the United Federation of Planets post Donimion War to the rebellion within the Khan rulled universe and how they could toppel it. Needless to say this was a very good read but I would like to see these stories continued.
January 30, 2012
Hasil beli dengan alasan utama: itu judulnya tentang STAR TREK.
Pas baca, ..... *.*" aaa pusing.
Mungkin karena saya bacanya tersendat-sendat, alias tidak langsung dibaca hingga tamat.
Tetap saja kerinduan saya terhadap dunia starship, pasher, senjata photon, transponder, Vulcan, Klingon, dan Enterprise, terobati sudah.
Jadi sekarang pertanyaannya adalah: adakah yang berniat menjual buku lanjutan dari serial ini ???
Pas baca, ..... *.*" aaa pusing.
Mungkin karena saya bacanya tersendat-sendat, alias tidak langsung dibaca hingga tamat.
Tetap saja kerinduan saya terhadap dunia starship, pasher, senjata photon, transponder, Vulcan, Klingon, dan Enterprise, terobati sudah.
Jadi sekarang pertanyaannya adalah: adakah yang berniat menjual buku lanjutan dari serial ini ???
August 30, 2012
Enjoyed the stories....I am not always a fan of alternate universes and the "reasons" behind them but the writers did a great job pulling events from the accepted canon and what fans wanted into three enjoyable stories.
March 20, 2013
I'm usually not a fan if alternate universes stories (which is pretty much most fanfic), but these three stories were awesome. There was a lot of technobabble in the second one, but there is something for every Trekkie in these stories. Definite recommend!
September 11, 2018
I love to see how things could of been. The authors can let there imaginations run wild. I always find it interesting to get a different take on the characters I love.
July 15, 2018
I really wish we could review these stories individually. I bought this book specifically for the "Voyager" story, and while the other two seem interesting enough, I'm not in a dying hurry to read them. If and when I do read them, I'll add their reviews to this one, and the book's overall rating might change. But for now, this review pertains only to the "Voyager" story, "Places of Exile."
The timelines seen in the "Myrad Universe" series are not any we saw onscreen, but are based on reasonable questions about major events in the "Star Trek" mythos. What if Khan had won the Eugenics Wars? What if Bajor had never been freed from Cardassia?
Premise: "Places of Exile" asks: What if Voyager had given up the journey home and settled in the Delta Qudadrant? What if Janeway hadn't made that fateful Alliance with the Borg? And what if for once, instead of the other way around? For the most part, the concept is well handled. It's grim enough not to cheapen the victory of the "real" Voyager in the "real" timeline, but optimistic enough to show that even in this situation, the crew finds a way to remain a family and uphold their values.
The execution of this premise was not bad, but could have been far better. The events of this alternate timeline were interesting and plausible, but the actual story never really enthralled me. The alien society Voyager takes refuge with is fairly bland, and the Voyager characters are very hit-or-miss, for me at least. Still, the interesting concepts were very compelling. In this story, Fluidic Space is explored and explained, very well in my opinion.
The story does tiptoe into fanfic territory more than once, with the characters learning about their counterparts in the "real" timeline, a sappy ending full of babies, and a certain fan favorite finding her way into this reality via asspull. But for the most part, these things didn't bother me, and I have to admit I've enjoyed reading and writing these types of things on Fanfic. net.
Fluidic Space Gets a full explanation and development here. This is a short novella, so we don't get a grand tour, but what we do see is pretty interesting. We learn that their universe is tiny and incredibly dense, and all of its species are telepathically linked, working almost like one massive organism. But unlike our universe, theirs has only one timeline and encounters with our universe has had unexpected consequences for them.
"By the way, did you guys know you're an alternate timeline? As someone who loves to read and write "AU" stories for "Voyager," I know it's tempting if not outright impossible not to have your alternate versions of the characters somehow find out about their canon counterparts. I was pleasantly surprised to see that here. But the way it was done was very meh. Species 8472 gives them data on the Voyagers from "Before and After" and the canon timeline. The concept of alternate timelines has a huge effect on Species 8472, but virtually none on the Voyager crew of this story. Their reactions to learning about their counterparts seemed too brief, and Janeway judged hers far too harshly IMO (though that may have been a justification to herself, for giving up on the journey).
Characters:
As mentioned above, the characters were very hit or miss. Some were developed well, others were written like cardboard cutouts. And how much attention they got in the story, unfortunately, didn't always coincide with that. Everything else I have to say about the characters, I'm marking as a "spoiler"
Continuity: The best thing about this story, ironically, is its references to canon episodes and characters. The most well developed concepts in this story could just as easily been done with the canon timeline (Fluidic Space, Ocampan biology, other ships the Caretaker captured...) The deviations from the main timeline were overall somewhat interesting, but nothing special.
The Ending: Yuck. This is where it sails clean into fanfic territory. Kes's great victory in the climax apparently wasn't enough, so she also somehow managed to defeat the Breen and save Cardassia in the Dominion War despite being on the others side of the galaxy. And she was doing so well at not being a full on Mary Sue up until then. It's like the author kept it under control, and then went "Just kidding! KES IS DE BESTUS!!2!!" Kes and Janeway have babies (not with each other), that are all named after dead people. (Is anyone in sci-fi and fantasy capable of concocting an original name for one of their children?) Granted, I do like the little continuity nod with Janeway's daughter being named Shannon. (Shannon O'Donnell, "11:59.")
Verdict: Overall this is one of the better (published) Alternate Universe stories I've seen from "Star Trek." Then again, anything would look magnificent after "Mirror Scaled Serpent" (that insulting Mirror Universe story written by that gushing Kes fan). I would recommend this story to fans of Species 8472, non-canon romance, and alternate timelines.
The timelines seen in the "Myrad Universe" series are not any we saw onscreen, but are based on reasonable questions about major events in the "Star Trek" mythos. What if Khan had won the Eugenics Wars? What if Bajor had never been freed from Cardassia?
Premise: "Places of Exile" asks: What if Voyager had given up the journey home and settled in the Delta Qudadrant? What if Janeway hadn't made that fateful Alliance with the Borg? And what if for once, instead of the other way around? For the most part, the concept is well handled. It's grim enough not to cheapen the victory of the "real" Voyager in the "real" timeline, but optimistic enough to show that even in this situation, the crew finds a way to remain a family and uphold their values.
The execution of this premise was not bad, but could have been far better. The events of this alternate timeline were interesting and plausible, but the actual story never really enthralled me. The alien society Voyager takes refuge with is fairly bland, and the Voyager characters are very hit-or-miss, for me at least. Still, the interesting concepts were very compelling. In this story, Fluidic Space is explored and explained, very well in my opinion.
The story does tiptoe into fanfic territory more than once, with the characters learning about their counterparts in the "real" timeline, a sappy ending full of babies, and a certain fan favorite finding her way into this reality via asspull. But for the most part, these things didn't bother me, and I have to admit I've enjoyed reading and writing these types of things on Fanfic. net.
Fluidic Space Gets a full explanation and development here. This is a short novella, so we don't get a grand tour, but what we do see is pretty interesting. We learn that their universe is tiny and incredibly dense, and all of its species are telepathically linked, working almost like one massive organism. But unlike our universe, theirs has only one timeline and encounters with our universe has had unexpected consequences for them.
"By the way, did you guys know you're an alternate timeline? As someone who loves to read and write "AU" stories for "Voyager," I know it's tempting if not outright impossible not to have your alternate versions of the characters somehow find out about their canon counterparts. I was pleasantly surprised to see that here. But the way it was done was very meh. Species 8472 gives them data on the Voyagers from "Before and After" and the canon timeline. The concept of alternate timelines has a huge effect on Species 8472, but virtually none on the Voyager crew of this story. Their reactions to learning about their counterparts seemed too brief, and Janeway judged hers far too harshly IMO (though that may have been a justification to herself, for giving up on the journey).
Characters:
As mentioned above, the characters were very hit or miss. Some were developed well, others were written like cardboard cutouts. And how much attention they got in the story, unfortunately, didn't always coincide with that. Everything else I have to say about the characters, I'm marking as a "spoiler"
Continuity: The best thing about this story, ironically, is its references to canon episodes and characters. The most well developed concepts in this story could just as easily been done with the canon timeline (Fluidic Space, Ocampan biology, other ships the Caretaker captured...) The deviations from the main timeline were overall somewhat interesting, but nothing special.
The Ending: Yuck. This is where it sails clean into fanfic territory. Kes's great victory in the climax apparently wasn't enough, so she also somehow managed to defeat the Breen and save Cardassia in the Dominion War despite being on the others side of the galaxy. And she was doing so well at not being a full on Mary Sue up until then. It's like the author kept it under control, and then went "Just kidding! KES IS DE BESTUS!!2!!" Kes and Janeway have babies (not with each other), that are all named after dead people. (Is anyone in sci-fi and fantasy capable of concocting an original name for one of their children?) Granted, I do like the little continuity nod with Janeway's daughter being named Shannon. (Shannon O'Donnell, "11:59.")
Verdict: Overall this is one of the better (published) Alternate Universe stories I've seen from "Star Trek." Then again, anything would look magnificent after "Mirror Scaled Serpent" (that insulting Mirror Universe story written by that gushing Kes fan). I would recommend this story to fans of Species 8472, non-canon romance, and alternate timelines.
October 22, 2023
All three reviews for three novels in this book.
A Less Perfect Union by William Leisner
Now, this a great and short story! The first part of the Myriad Universes: Infinity’s Prism, this story is about Paxton and Terra Prime successfully destroying Starfleet headquarters and basically killing any chance of the Federation being formed. As a result, Vulcan, Tellar and Andor form their own Federation without United Earth and it’s colonies. Earth for the latter part of a century, slides back into xenophobia and is in a Cold War with the Interstellar Coalition. Also, Spock does not exist in this reality. But after a century, United Earth is finally ready to join the Coalition but it will not be easy.
This was a great short novel as we get to many different takes on beloved characters such as Kirk, Pike and T’Pol. We even get an appearance by the Romulan captain from Balence of Terror! Kirk and T’Pol were the most interesting as instead of hating Klingons, Kirk hates Vulcans and T’Pol has lived on Earth for a century after the events of Terra Prime. I absolutely love Trek books, but this very refreshing. Seeing a very different Kirk was very interesting, so full of hatred. Also, this novel was really written well and very enjoyable. The ending was also so wonderful and hopeful.
I’m giving this a strong 9/10. Onto Places of Exile next, part II of this book.
Places of Exile by Christopher Bennett
Onto the second part of Myriad Universes: Infinity’s Prism, we come to Places of Exile. Basically, Voyager is crippled as a result of Species 8472 as Janeway is persuaded by Chakotay not to make an alliance with the Borg. Because of this one simple decision, Voyager is not stranded in the Delta Quadrant and the Delta Quadrant will never be the same.
This one wasn’t as good as A Less Perfect Union, but it was still a decent what if. Imagining Voyager being stuck in the Delta Quadrant and trying to make their own version of a Federation was interesting. This was written before Beyer’s Voyager run so the Conferdacy as presented in her run isn’t here. The book didn’t contain the same emotional punch that was the first story and had some of the issues I’ve had previously with Bennett’s writing. Also, one criticism I have is, they mention about being some of the only humans in the Delta Quadrant meanwhile Amelia Earhart and 100,000 humans are chilling on a nearby planet and they do back to the Caretaker Array, so they were probably able to find them. Also, the stuff with multiple timelines and Species 8472 was fairly convoluted. But I still enjoyed this.
7/10
Seeds of Dissent by James Swallow
If you thought the Mirrorverse was the worst timeline, boy do I have the timeline for you. The third and final story of Infinity’s Prism, we come to what if Khan Noonien Singh won the Eugenics War… and it’s beyond worse. Khan turns the whole human race into augments and unleashes them on the galaxy. It’s the year 2376 and after capturing some Bajoran rebels, Princpeps Julian Bashir of the Defiance finds a mysterious ship from 300 years in the past; the S.S Botany Bay.
This was the story I was looking forward to reading the most as I very much enjoyed Greg Cox’s Eugenics War trilogy, particularly to Reign in Hell. It showed how great of a character and a villain Khan was. I sort of viewed this as the last Khan story I’ll probably read until something new comes out.But my god, this story was great. First of all, Bashir was a terrifying villain and makes you think, if he had been raised under the wrong circumstances, he would be an unstoppable force. This is instead of the charming doctor we see on DS9. The plot twist that the Botany Bay carried people from the Year 2010 including Shannon O’Donell, Kathryn Janeway’s ancestor was interesting. Basically it was normal people trying to escape Khan’s Augments.
The only major complaint I have with this sorry is making Dukat and Kira lovers. It feels wrong on so many levels. But the ending with Bashir in the holodeck experiencing the trust history was one hell of a gut punch.
I’m going to rate this 9/10
The overall book 9/10
A Less Perfect Union by William Leisner
Now, this a great and short story! The first part of the Myriad Universes: Infinity’s Prism, this story is about Paxton and Terra Prime successfully destroying Starfleet headquarters and basically killing any chance of the Federation being formed. As a result, Vulcan, Tellar and Andor form their own Federation without United Earth and it’s colonies. Earth for the latter part of a century, slides back into xenophobia and is in a Cold War with the Interstellar Coalition. Also, Spock does not exist in this reality. But after a century, United Earth is finally ready to join the Coalition but it will not be easy.
This was a great short novel as we get to many different takes on beloved characters such as Kirk, Pike and T’Pol. We even get an appearance by the Romulan captain from Balence of Terror! Kirk and T’Pol were the most interesting as instead of hating Klingons, Kirk hates Vulcans and T’Pol has lived on Earth for a century after the events of Terra Prime. I absolutely love Trek books, but this very refreshing. Seeing a very different Kirk was very interesting, so full of hatred. Also, this novel was really written well and very enjoyable. The ending was also so wonderful and hopeful.
I’m giving this a strong 9/10. Onto Places of Exile next, part II of this book.
Places of Exile by Christopher Bennett
Onto the second part of Myriad Universes: Infinity’s Prism, we come to Places of Exile. Basically, Voyager is crippled as a result of Species 8472 as Janeway is persuaded by Chakotay not to make an alliance with the Borg. Because of this one simple decision, Voyager is not stranded in the Delta Quadrant and the Delta Quadrant will never be the same.
This one wasn’t as good as A Less Perfect Union, but it was still a decent what if. Imagining Voyager being stuck in the Delta Quadrant and trying to make their own version of a Federation was interesting. This was written before Beyer’s Voyager run so the Conferdacy as presented in her run isn’t here. The book didn’t contain the same emotional punch that was the first story and had some of the issues I’ve had previously with Bennett’s writing. Also, one criticism I have is, they mention about being some of the only humans in the Delta Quadrant meanwhile Amelia Earhart and 100,000 humans are chilling on a nearby planet and they do back to the Caretaker Array, so they were probably able to find them. Also, the stuff with multiple timelines and Species 8472 was fairly convoluted. But I still enjoyed this.
7/10
Seeds of Dissent by James Swallow
If you thought the Mirrorverse was the worst timeline, boy do I have the timeline for you. The third and final story of Infinity’s Prism, we come to what if Khan Noonien Singh won the Eugenics War… and it’s beyond worse. Khan turns the whole human race into augments and unleashes them on the galaxy. It’s the year 2376 and after capturing some Bajoran rebels, Princpeps Julian Bashir of the Defiance finds a mysterious ship from 300 years in the past; the S.S Botany Bay.
This was the story I was looking forward to reading the most as I very much enjoyed Greg Cox’s Eugenics War trilogy, particularly to Reign in Hell. It showed how great of a character and a villain Khan was. I sort of viewed this as the last Khan story I’ll probably read until something new comes out.But my god, this story was great. First of all, Bashir was a terrifying villain and makes you think, if he had been raised under the wrong circumstances, he would be an unstoppable force. This is instead of the charming doctor we see on DS9. The plot twist that the Botany Bay carried people from the Year 2010 including Shannon O’Donell, Kathryn Janeway’s ancestor was interesting. Basically it was normal people trying to escape Khan’s Augments.
The only major complaint I have with this sorry is making Dukat and Kira lovers. It feels wrong on so many levels. But the ending with Bashir in the holodeck experiencing the trust history was one hell of a gut punch.
I’m going to rate this 9/10
The overall book 9/10
December 18, 2023
My first Star Trek book in a while. Wasn't sure whether to proceed in the post-Nemesis litverse what with all the changes wreaked by the Picard show. So with the Treklit bug biting me once again I decided to try for something with different universes altogether!
There are three stories written by three different authors contained in this volume.
A Less Perfect Union by William Leisner
This takes place during the TOS era, but the Federation has not yet been founded. The political structure of Earth from the Star Trek: Enterprise has basically continued to exist. Xenophobia has prevailed, and aliens are not allowed on Earth. T'Pol, however, has secretly lived there for decades, and becomes the key player in an attempt to achieve peace. She is very old by this time, and somewhat cranky, but understandably so given what she has been through. Kirk is here too, though not captain of the Enterprise, and he makes some... decisions that I found rather odd. There is political intrigue to be found, interesting character stories from the altered timeline, and a reasonable amount of suspense. I was pretty entertained by it. 3/5
Places of Exile by Christopher L. Bennett
U.S.S. Voyager is crippled in battle and her crew is forced to rely on the charity of the Vostigye, a people with a somewhat reactionary government and culture, as well as a tenuous relationship with nearby interstellar powers. Stuck for the foreseeable future with these people, the crew begin to live and work among the Vostigye over the months it takes to get Voyager spaceworthy again. Has Voyager found a new home, one to replace the Alpha Quadrant? Should they abandon their quest and put down roots here? While they debate that question, the powerful Voth, Borg, and Species 8472 come into play, and everyone must band together to either stand against them or forge alliances. It is a well-crafted setup, but I wasn't altogether thrilled with the story as a whole. I found a lot of the dialogue stilted, the speeches wearisome, and didn't find the whole Species 8472/fluidic space/threaten-your-whole-galaxy line particularly compelling. 2/5
Seeds of Dissent by James Swallow
Takes place around the time of DS9, but in a universe where Khan won the Eugenics Wars on Earth. He doesn't stop on Earth, spreading a superhuman empire throughout the galaxy. Julian Bashir is the "Princeps" of the starship Defiance, which I took to be the analogue of the prime-timeline Defiant. The Botany Bay turns up, but not with Khan in it- with a bunch of regular old humans frozen in time, from the days of the Eugenics Wars. They have evidence of Khan's brutality, genocide, and all-around despotism, which have been erased by centuries of revisionist history. If the evidence gets out, it could shake the very foundations of superhuman civilization. Attempting just that is the key player, Ezri Dax, in this timeline an alien "helot" to Bashir and his crew. It has some tense, page-turning stretches, compelling dialogue, and some vividly imagined twists and turns. I like this one the best of the three. 4/5
Very interesting read; I look forward to the others in the series.
There are three stories written by three different authors contained in this volume.
A Less Perfect Union by William Leisner
This takes place during the TOS era, but the Federation has not yet been founded. The political structure of Earth from the Star Trek: Enterprise has basically continued to exist. Xenophobia has prevailed, and aliens are not allowed on Earth. T'Pol, however, has secretly lived there for decades, and becomes the key player in an attempt to achieve peace. She is very old by this time, and somewhat cranky, but understandably so given what she has been through. Kirk is here too, though not captain of the Enterprise, and he makes some... decisions that I found rather odd. There is political intrigue to be found, interesting character stories from the altered timeline, and a reasonable amount of suspense. I was pretty entertained by it. 3/5
Places of Exile by Christopher L. Bennett
U.S.S. Voyager is crippled in battle and her crew is forced to rely on the charity of the Vostigye, a people with a somewhat reactionary government and culture, as well as a tenuous relationship with nearby interstellar powers. Stuck for the foreseeable future with these people, the crew begin to live and work among the Vostigye over the months it takes to get Voyager spaceworthy again. Has Voyager found a new home, one to replace the Alpha Quadrant? Should they abandon their quest and put down roots here? While they debate that question, the powerful Voth, Borg, and Species 8472 come into play, and everyone must band together to either stand against them or forge alliances. It is a well-crafted setup, but I wasn't altogether thrilled with the story as a whole. I found a lot of the dialogue stilted, the speeches wearisome, and didn't find the whole Species 8472/fluidic space/threaten-your-whole-galaxy line particularly compelling. 2/5
Seeds of Dissent by James Swallow
Takes place around the time of DS9, but in a universe where Khan won the Eugenics Wars on Earth. He doesn't stop on Earth, spreading a superhuman empire throughout the galaxy. Julian Bashir is the "Princeps" of the starship Defiance, which I took to be the analogue of the prime-timeline Defiant. The Botany Bay turns up, but not with Khan in it- with a bunch of regular old humans frozen in time, from the days of the Eugenics Wars. They have evidence of Khan's brutality, genocide, and all-around despotism, which have been erased by centuries of revisionist history. If the evidence gets out, it could shake the very foundations of superhuman civilization. Attempting just that is the key player, Ezri Dax, in this timeline an alien "helot" to Bashir and his crew. It has some tense, page-turning stretches, compelling dialogue, and some vividly imagined twists and turns. I like this one the best of the three. 4/5
Very interesting read; I look forward to the others in the series.
April 4, 2025
Three and a half stars. This is a great idea for a Star Trek book - alternate timelines, playing off canon. I think probably nearly every Trek fan has watched one episode or another and thought "What would it have been like if...?" Hell, half of fanfiction explores that concept.
Crucially, it explores alternate timelines in a way that is far more interesting to me than the bloody Mirror Universe, which I have been entirely sick of for decades now. It's probably no coincidence that, of the three novellas collected here, the one most resembling the Mirror Universe ("Seeds of Dissent" by James Swallow, in which Khan wins and the quadrant is ruled by genetically augmented characters like Bashir - essentially Space Nazis) is the one I like least. It also has a far too easy conversion at the end, I feel, but that's neither here nor there.
The best of the three, I think, was "A Less Perfect Union" by William Leisner, where Earth is not a member of the Federation and Kirk really struggles to get over a hatred of Vulcans after they are responsible for the death of his wife and child. There's something very hard and very hopeful and relatable about what the characters go through in this one.
Apparently there's a second, similar volume out there - my local library supposedly has it, but they seem to have lost it so here's hoping it turns up soon in the bowels of stack.
Crucially, it explores alternate timelines in a way that is far more interesting to me than the bloody Mirror Universe, which I have been entirely sick of for decades now. It's probably no coincidence that, of the three novellas collected here, the one most resembling the Mirror Universe ("Seeds of Dissent" by James Swallow, in which Khan wins and the quadrant is ruled by genetically augmented characters like Bashir - essentially Space Nazis) is the one I like least. It also has a far too easy conversion at the end, I feel, but that's neither here nor there.
The best of the three, I think, was "A Less Perfect Union" by William Leisner, where Earth is not a member of the Federation and Kirk really struggles to get over a hatred of Vulcans after they are responsible for the death of his wife and child. There's something very hard and very hopeful and relatable about what the characters go through in this one.
Apparently there's a second, similar volume out there - my local library supposedly has it, but they seem to have lost it so here's hoping it turns up soon in the bowels of stack.
October 25, 2017
Una compilación de tres libros basados en la premisa de "qué hubiera sucedido si..."
En el primer libro, A Less Perfect Union, nos trae a un futuro Capitán Kirk o Primer Oficial bajo el mando del Capitán Pike en este caso, lleno de prejuicios contra los seres de otros planetas, especialmente hacia los Vulcanos, y su lucha para sobreponerse a dichos prejuicios.
En el segundo, Places of Exile, la tripulación del Voyager, bajo el mando de la Capitán Janeway, busca un camino de regreso al Cuadrante Alfa, pero encuentra un nuevo hogar en el lejano Cuadrante Delta.
Y para finalizar, en el tercer y último libro de esta colección, Seeds of Dissent, el autor nos muestra lo que hubiera pasado si Khan ganase las Guerras Eugenésicas.
Creo que estas son preguntas que todo trekkie se ha hecho alguna vez...
Recomiendo este libro a todos los interesados en el universo Star Trek y muy especialmente, claro, a los trekkies del tercer planeta del Sistema Solar!
Larga vida y prosperidad...
En el primer libro, A Less Perfect Union, nos trae a un futuro Capitán Kirk o Primer Oficial bajo el mando del Capitán Pike en este caso, lleno de prejuicios contra los seres de otros planetas, especialmente hacia los Vulcanos, y su lucha para sobreponerse a dichos prejuicios.
En el segundo, Places of Exile, la tripulación del Voyager, bajo el mando de la Capitán Janeway, busca un camino de regreso al Cuadrante Alfa, pero encuentra un nuevo hogar en el lejano Cuadrante Delta.
Y para finalizar, en el tercer y último libro de esta colección, Seeds of Dissent, el autor nos muestra lo que hubiera pasado si Khan ganase las Guerras Eugenésicas.
Creo que estas son preguntas que todo trekkie se ha hecho alguna vez...
Recomiendo este libro a todos los interesados en el universo Star Trek y muy especialmente, claro, a los trekkies del tercer planeta del Sistema Solar!
Larga vida y prosperidad...
September 26, 2024
Okay not a Deep Space Nine-branded book, but I read all of these Myriad Universes collections because some of them are centered around Deep Space Nine and I couldn’t just skip over some stories. They’re all worth the read even if the first thirds of most stories are weirdly consistent at dragging before the pace picks up. The DS9 story in this book is the third and final novella, Seeds of Dissent. All of these books present “what if?” scenarios and this one focuses on an alternate history in which Khan creates his own version of the mirror universe with genetically augmented humans ruling the alpha quadrant with an iron fist. It’s centered on Bashir and Dax (Ezri), but they bring in elements from ENT, TOS, and even a flashback character from Voyager. It’s also funny to see someone like O’Brien as a meathead augment. I don’t know if I buy Bashir’s turn in the story but it was a nice romp where the good guys put on their evil goatees for a while.
April 26, 2022
It's Star Trek alt-history, what's not to love‽ The individual novellas are just the right length: you understand where you are, you get invested in the specific story, you get to relish in the differences, and you're left wanting more yet satisfied with this particular story. Each novella is crafted by an author with deep understanding of Trek lore, so everything feels just right (or just wrong, depending on the story) and the deep cuts are both delightful and fun prizes for the truly neck-deep Trekkie.
I've reread each of the Myriad Universes collections enough times now, my copies are delaminating and I will need to look for replacements sometime in the next half-dozen reads or so. I cannot recommend enough.
I've reread each of the Myriad Universes collections enough times now, my copies are delaminating and I will need to look for replacements sometime in the next half-dozen reads or so. I cannot recommend enough.
October 9, 2023
I got this book solely because I wanted to read Places of Exile by Christopher L. Bennett and it did not disappoint. It's a story about what if Captain Janeway had not tried to make an alliance with the Borg. The Voyagers end up settling on a planet with the Vostigye and they think it's going to be temporary but end up integrating into their society. I love how the Doctor explores his AI side. If you like Kes, Species 8472, and seeing Harry get promoted, you will like this story. Don't miss the author notes at his website (they contain spoilers) https://christopherlbennett.wordpress...
April 8, 2018
An excellent look on how things might have been if events had occurred differently. Some things change. Some things stay the same. A prime example of how the butterfly effect operates. Each story in this volume is also a study in how one person or a group of people can possibly influence bad turns in history towards good ends. Highly recommended.
October 24, 2020
A different take on the Star Trek universe. Each story has several characters woven together, but not in the way that you would normally have them. It's kind of hard to explain, but I thoroughly enjoyed them, especially the Voyager and DS9 universes. Characters you would never think of showing up in each of them and to me, that was what made them such fun to read.
May 6, 2018
If things had gone left instead of right!
I admit I always love seeing glimpses into the alternative timelines that are always hinted at in the Star Trek Mythos. Reminding us that choices matter. One life effects all others for the worse as much as the better.
I admit I always love seeing glimpses into the alternative timelines that are always hinted at in the Star Trek Mythos. Reminding us that choices matter. One life effects all others for the worse as much as the better.
January 8, 2021
Fun fan fic stuff. All three stories are well done, really capturing the characters, even though in these alt timelines there are some big differences. The first one set in TOS era is my fave, but all have myriad charms.
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