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Star Trek SCE (ebooks) Novellas #1
In der Höhle des Löwen
Die brandneue Romanserie: Corps of Engineers - exklusiv im E-Book!
Alle zwei Monate eine neue Episode
--
Ein gigantisches, verlassenes Raumschiff muss erkundet werden? Das schiffsweite Computersystem ist ausgefallen? Dann rufen Sie am besten die Experten des Ingenieurkorps der Sternenflotte! Vom Hauptquartier der Sternenflotte aus und unter der Leitung von Captain Montgomery Scott kann das I.K.S. alles bauen, reparieren, programmieren, umprogrammieren, neu konstruieren oder einfach herausfinden, um was es sich handelt - seien das fremde Replikatoren oder Planetenkiller. Erwarten Sie nur keine Wunder von ihnen. Es sei denn, es gäbe gar keine andere Möglichkeit ...
Captain David Gold, sein Erster Offizier Commander Sonya Gomez und die Besatzung der U.S.S. da Vinci setzen ein ums andere Mal ihr Leben aufs Spiel. Begleiten Sie die Wunderknaben zu einer fesselnden Reise durch die Randgebiete der Galaxis!
--
Episode 1:
Captain Picard und die U.S.S. Enterprise haben ein gigantisches, herrenloses Raumschiff aus den unbekannten Tiefen des Raums besiegt. Jetzt, nachdem die unmittelbare Bedrohung beseitigt ist, ist das Sternenflotteningenieurkorps an der Reihe. Die Ingenieure des S.I.K. sollen das besiegte Raumschiff auf neue Technologien untersuchen, um vielleicht Hinweise auf seinen mysteriösen Ursprung zu finden. Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge wurde kurzfristig von der Enterprise zur U.S.S. da Vinci, dem S.I.K.-Schiff unter Captain David Gold, versetzt, um an der faszinierenden Mission teilzunehmen. La Forge arbeitet mit Gold, Sonya Gomez und den technischen Top-Experten zusammen, um dem anscheinend leblosen fremden Schiff seine Hightechgeheimnisse zu entreißen - nur um zu entdecken, dass es jetzt erst richtig gefährlich wird!
Alle zwei Monate eine neue Episode
--
Ein gigantisches, verlassenes Raumschiff muss erkundet werden? Das schiffsweite Computersystem ist ausgefallen? Dann rufen Sie am besten die Experten des Ingenieurkorps der Sternenflotte! Vom Hauptquartier der Sternenflotte aus und unter der Leitung von Captain Montgomery Scott kann das I.K.S. alles bauen, reparieren, programmieren, umprogrammieren, neu konstruieren oder einfach herausfinden, um was es sich handelt - seien das fremde Replikatoren oder Planetenkiller. Erwarten Sie nur keine Wunder von ihnen. Es sei denn, es gäbe gar keine andere Möglichkeit ...
Captain David Gold, sein Erster Offizier Commander Sonya Gomez und die Besatzung der U.S.S. da Vinci setzen ein ums andere Mal ihr Leben aufs Spiel. Begleiten Sie die Wunderknaben zu einer fesselnden Reise durch die Randgebiete der Galaxis!
--
Episode 1:
Captain Picard und die U.S.S. Enterprise haben ein gigantisches, herrenloses Raumschiff aus den unbekannten Tiefen des Raums besiegt. Jetzt, nachdem die unmittelbare Bedrohung beseitigt ist, ist das Sternenflotteningenieurkorps an der Reihe. Die Ingenieure des S.I.K. sollen das besiegte Raumschiff auf neue Technologien untersuchen, um vielleicht Hinweise auf seinen mysteriösen Ursprung zu finden. Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge wurde kurzfristig von der Enterprise zur U.S.S. da Vinci, dem S.I.K.-Schiff unter Captain David Gold, versetzt, um an der faszinierenden Mission teilzunehmen. La Forge arbeitet mit Gold, Sonya Gomez und den technischen Top-Experten zusammen, um dem anscheinend leblosen fremden Schiff seine Hightechgeheimnisse zu entreißen - nur um zu entdecken, dass es jetzt erst richtig gefährlich wird!
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 8, 2000
5 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Dean Wesley Smith
819 books176 followersPen Names
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley
Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.
With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.
Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.
Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley
Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.
With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.
Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.
Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 26, 2025
Pretty much all fun and not much else, this one starts and ends in action. An unknown alien vessel has opened fire without warning or explanation on an essentially defenceless colony planet.
We open to find Picard's Enterprise defending the colony but after a short battle an unexpectedly successful shot has blown a hole in the offending vessel which apparently kills all lifeforms aboard.
This leaves Starfleet with the prize and puzzle of investigating the wreck. Picard hands the spoils over to Scotty at SCE and leaves LaForge there to assist.
A neat introduction to the series and well placed in the timeline. After the Dominion War and before the epic events of the Star Trek Destiny trilogy. We meet Christine Vale and Selena Gomez here and I wonder if this is when they were first introduced, my previous earliest encounter had been in the later Destiny books.
We open to find Picard's Enterprise defending the colony but after a short battle an unexpectedly successful shot has blown a hole in the offending vessel which apparently kills all lifeforms aboard.
This leaves Starfleet with the prize and puzzle of investigating the wreck. Picard hands the spoils over to Scotty at SCE and leaves LaForge there to assist.
A neat introduction to the series and well placed in the timeline. After the Dominion War and before the epic events of the Star Trek Destiny trilogy. We meet Christine Vale and Selena Gomez here and I wonder if this is when they were first introduced, my previous earliest encounter had been in the later Destiny books.
April 5, 2015
"My ship, whom I love like a woman..." is my favorite line from the Futurama episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" because it is a perfect example of the majority of fan fiction. It's stilted, cliche, and renders the characters cardboard cutouts of the the characters from the original media. On every single page of this book I was reminded of that line. The dialogue is awkward and unnatural, the characters from the show are flat imitations, the new characters are uninteresting, and the mess is full of weird random blocks of exposition.
Frankly this is not a promising start to the S.C.E. series.
Frankly this is not a promising start to the S.C.E. series.
February 19, 2016
Not very long books but good reading
October 11, 2014
This is a series based around the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, and more specifically a group of them who are based on the starship DaVinci.
In principle, this all sounds like a good idea. I remember Scott Adams saying that engineers like Star Trek because it portrays them as heroes, and this series puts the engineers at the forefront - it's all about figuring out how things work, rather than just blowing stuff up. I'd say that there's some similarity to Stargate Atlantis - while there are military types around, their job is to help out the scientists, rather than vice-versa. In the case of SCE, the starship has its own captain/command crew, along with security personnel, but the engineers are calling the shots. Scotty is in charge of SCE as a whole (i.e. all the various personnel/ships), but he's based at Starfleet HQ on Earth, so he just makes short appearances to brief the crew on new missions, a bit like Charley in Charley's Angels.
Like some other books, this series does involve a few obscure characters from the TV series. However, I don't really think it works well here. For instance, New Frontier features Commander Shelby from the TNG episode "The Best of Both Worlds" (where Picard gets turned into Locutus), and Robin Lefler (Wesley's girlfriend from the TNG episode "The Game") - those are both memorable characters, and I was happy to see them again. Similarly, Diplomatic Implausibility features a whole bunch of Klingons to crew the IKS Gorkon, including Toq (the boy Worf rescued from a Romulan prison camp in "Birthright"), Klag (Riker's second officer on the Pagh when he did an exchange program in "A Matter of Honor"), and Rodek (Worf's brother Kurn's new identity from the DS9 episode "Sons of Mogh"); I remembered them all, and their characters were fleshed out further in that story. In SCE, we have Sonja Gomez (engineer who spilt hot chocolate over Picard in "Q Who"), Dr Elisabeth Lense (the one who beat Dr Bashir to first place in the medical exams at Starfleet Academy, as seen in "Explorers"), and Fabian Stevens (engineer from the DS9 episode "Starship Down"). Having seen all the episodes in question, I recognise Gomez, and I remember her being polite to a replicator, although I don't remember the hot chocolate incident; similarly I remember that Bashir met the doctor who beat him, but not much else about her. As for Stevens, I remember that episode (which was pretty good), but nothing at all about him - as far as I can tell, the only reason he's in the SCE books is because one of the people who wrote that episode is involved with these novels. So, not really an inspiring group.
I read this story as part of the first paperback collection; if I'd read it in isolation then I wouldn't have bought any more. It didn't help that the writer put Geordi LaForge in a prominent role, which shows a lack of confidence in the core characters.
In principle, this all sounds like a good idea. I remember Scott Adams saying that engineers like Star Trek because it portrays them as heroes, and this series puts the engineers at the forefront - it's all about figuring out how things work, rather than just blowing stuff up. I'd say that there's some similarity to Stargate Atlantis - while there are military types around, their job is to help out the scientists, rather than vice-versa. In the case of SCE, the starship has its own captain/command crew, along with security personnel, but the engineers are calling the shots. Scotty is in charge of SCE as a whole (i.e. all the various personnel/ships), but he's based at Starfleet HQ on Earth, so he just makes short appearances to brief the crew on new missions, a bit like Charley in Charley's Angels.
Like some other books, this series does involve a few obscure characters from the TV series. However, I don't really think it works well here. For instance, New Frontier features Commander Shelby from the TNG episode "The Best of Both Worlds" (where Picard gets turned into Locutus), and Robin Lefler (Wesley's girlfriend from the TNG episode "The Game") - those are both memorable characters, and I was happy to see them again. Similarly, Diplomatic Implausibility features a whole bunch of Klingons to crew the IKS Gorkon, including Toq (the boy Worf rescued from a Romulan prison camp in "Birthright"), Klag (Riker's second officer on the Pagh when he did an exchange program in "A Matter of Honor"), and Rodek (Worf's brother Kurn's new identity from the DS9 episode "Sons of Mogh"); I remembered them all, and their characters were fleshed out further in that story. In SCE, we have Sonja Gomez (engineer who spilt hot chocolate over Picard in "Q Who"), Dr Elisabeth Lense (the one who beat Dr Bashir to first place in the medical exams at Starfleet Academy, as seen in "Explorers"), and Fabian Stevens (engineer from the DS9 episode "Starship Down"). Having seen all the episodes in question, I recognise Gomez, and I remember her being polite to a replicator, although I don't remember the hot chocolate incident; similarly I remember that Bashir met the doctor who beat him, but not much else about her. As for Stevens, I remember that episode (which was pretty good), but nothing at all about him - as far as I can tell, the only reason he's in the SCE books is because one of the people who wrote that episode is involved with these novels. So, not really an inspiring group.
I read this story as part of the first paperback collection; if I'd read it in isolation then I wouldn't have bought any more. It didn't help that the writer put Geordi LaForge in a prominent role, which shows a lack of confidence in the core characters.
October 12, 2013
In the late 1990's the producers of Star Trek literature wanted to expand their franchise into a new market called eREADERS. The first product to roll-out was a series of short novellas introducing a new series based around the engineering class of Starfleet personal. The first author to be commissioned for the task was Dean Wesley Smith, an accomplished writer whose work includes novels in franchises like Smallville, Spider-Man, X-Men and Aliens.
Dean Wesley Smith, limited to about one hundred pages, created a handful of characters that were intelligent and powerful, much like the story itself. The first pages of the book start out with a bang as the Enterprise is in a blow-for-blow battle with an enormous craft of unknown origins. After narrowly defeating the Beast, as it comes to be known, Picard allows Geordi and Christine Vale to leave the ship and meet up with his longtime friend Captain David Gold of the Federation starship da vinci.
Captain David Gold is a strong intelligent man from the Bronx and the husband to a Rabbi of a Jewish synagogue. Getting along in years the Captain has become set in his ways and demands a strong and professional crew but is willing to relinquish some authority to his staff.
Commander Sonya Gomez is Captain Gold's First Officer and is in charge of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. A capable officer with a questionable past chooses to focus on the task at hand rather than the love that lingers for a fellow crewman.
110 and 111, two Bynars with he ability to communicate with computers and are essential to the story. One has a fate that is both heartbreaking and a little funny as well.
Many have said that the book itself is poorly written but I found the short story to be very smooth and fun. The characters are well described and their personalities are well rounded, making for compelling people. By the end of the book I found myself rooting for the crew and was satisfied with just how much was packed into this short story.
Dean Wesley Smith, limited to about one hundred pages, created a handful of characters that were intelligent and powerful, much like the story itself. The first pages of the book start out with a bang as the Enterprise is in a blow-for-blow battle with an enormous craft of unknown origins. After narrowly defeating the Beast, as it comes to be known, Picard allows Geordi and Christine Vale to leave the ship and meet up with his longtime friend Captain David Gold of the Federation starship da vinci.
Captain David Gold is a strong intelligent man from the Bronx and the husband to a Rabbi of a Jewish synagogue. Getting along in years the Captain has become set in his ways and demands a strong and professional crew but is willing to relinquish some authority to his staff.
Commander Sonya Gomez is Captain Gold's First Officer and is in charge of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. A capable officer with a questionable past chooses to focus on the task at hand rather than the love that lingers for a fellow crewman.
110 and 111, two Bynars with he ability to communicate with computers and are essential to the story. One has a fate that is both heartbreaking and a little funny as well.
Many have said that the book itself is poorly written but I found the short story to be very smooth and fun. The characters are well described and their personalities are well rounded, making for compelling people. By the end of the book I found myself rooting for the crew and was satisfied with just how much was packed into this short story.
March 13, 2015
Want a quick story you can read in one sitting? Want an interesting premise hobbled by fanfic-level characters and cardboard stand-ins of classic characters? Likely not, so avoid this book.
The setup is actually pretty fun: follow a group of elite engineers as they explore a massive and mysterious alien ship. Of course the whole thing turns into a haunted house in the last two chapters, but at least the IDEA is neat. Books like this always pile on the cool stuff they can't afford to do on TV, Pillbug aliens with 6 arms, decapitations, and massive, moon-sized ships. There are a good dozen references to obscure bits of other episodes just to raise the fanfic quotient.
My favorite bit is the opening scene on the Enterprise, where we see Picard, Riker, Troi, and... Lieutenant Vale, with her deep blue eyes and innocent face. She was either going to die horribly, or receive constant praise and be the hero. Sadly, it wasn't the former.
The setup is actually pretty fun: follow a group of elite engineers as they explore a massive and mysterious alien ship. Of course the whole thing turns into a haunted house in the last two chapters, but at least the IDEA is neat. Books like this always pile on the cool stuff they can't afford to do on TV, Pillbug aliens with 6 arms, decapitations, and massive, moon-sized ships. There are a good dozen references to obscure bits of other episodes just to raise the fanfic quotient.
My favorite bit is the opening scene on the Enterprise, where we see Picard, Riker, Troi, and... Lieutenant Vale, with her deep blue eyes and innocent face. She was either going to die horribly, or receive constant praise and be the hero. Sadly, it wasn't the former.
November 26, 2014
The first book in the SCE/COE series is a wonderful melange of TOS/TNG and the novels from both series. We're introduced to the USS Da Vinci, commanded by a friend of Jean-Luc Picard's, the flagship of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, of which Captain Montgomery Scott is the main liaison with Starfleet proper. Georgi LaForge joins the crew to investigate a mysterious and powerful alien ship that the Enterprise-D just barely defeated.
The Da Vinci's crew includes former Enterprise Ensign Selina Gomez, along with a pair of the computer-minded Bynars. A couple of new alien races round things out, in a very well-written book. Definitely looking forward to the next book in the series!
The Da Vinci's crew includes former Enterprise Ensign Selina Gomez, along with a pair of the computer-minded Bynars. A couple of new alien races round things out, in a very well-written book. Definitely looking forward to the next book in the series!
October 25, 2024
While this is the introduction of a new crew and book series, it felt comfortably like an episodic Star Trek The Next Generation TV adventure. The plot was fine (though a tad more Starship Troopers than Trek), but the writing style was my biggest drawback. Descriptions were very bare bones, bland, and lack Trek’s typical prose flourishes that make the novels so enjoyable. Maybe it’s a necessity due to the shorter length, but it was missed.
May 13, 2013
A fascinating beginning to this anomalous series in Trek Lit. The mystery is well done, and the conclusion is exciting and unnerving. The story has piqued my interest enough to make me want to read more about this crew and their missions. I'm looking forward to continuing with the SCE story and learning more about the interesting group of people that have been assembled for this series.
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/05/t...
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/05/t...
December 22, 2024
By far the most amateurish Star Trek story I have ever read. This novella is written like a Scholastic junior novelization. The exposition is agonizingly long and needless. Nearly every page has a character that ‘thinks’ through all the current plot points, as if spoon feeding the audience with the main plot points over and over again.
Worse, this entire story has almost NOTHING to do with the Engineering branch of Starfleet. This exact same plot with zero changes could have involved ANY crew/team from any of the Star Trek series or Starfleet services and the story would have played out EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. At no point did an Engineering expertise save the day or even come in handy. We’ve seen non-engineering characters perform essentially the same tasks needed to move this plot forward in every series of the show. A young Wesley Crusher and the academy students could have been the characters involved in this story and it would have played out exactly the same. Zero engineering other than the title.
The most egregious sin of all - unforgivable even - was that Geordi’s inner voice is so un-Geordi that it becomes distracting. The 50-year-old author made zero attempt to research Geordi enough to get his ‘voice’ right.
Secondly, there are long sections of needless exposition that kill the story. These would be fine if sprinkled with action and plot development, but we start with a great premise, then are regaled with crap exposition that serves mostly to needlessly talk about how everyone in this S.C.E. crew/team are interconnected with well known Star Trek characters. We don’t need all this. Just write a good, compelling story and stop trying to get me to automatically like your characters cuz they happen to have served with other characters I know and love. It’s lazy writing.
But this whole story is filled with lazy writing. I think the author had a great idea for a story with a cool beginning and a cool ending, but then the author didn’t know what to write in the middle to make it all cohesive. I have read many Star Trek novels and fanfics; this novella is by far the most boring, unsatisfying Star Trek fiction I’ve ever read.
Furthermore, the characters don’t act like real human beings would act/respond to things. The leader of an away mission finds something incredibly disturbing, then plans to blindly lead the ship’s doctor into that disturbing situation with no warning. Does the author think real people act this way? Again, I point out that the author is 50 years old when writing this; how does he not know how real humans respond to situations like this? Geordi certainly would not have stood by and allowed that ridiculous situation to happen without warning the doctor what she was about to be unknowingly exposed to. It’s not something a normal person would do, and it’s certainly not something a trained Starfleet officer would do. It’s just dumb.
Lastly, this entire novella is filled with explanations that are as illogical as they are needless. The only reason I finished this novella is because this series is billed as Scotty after the events of Relics (episode), so I thought we might get a scene or two more with him, so I persevered. It was a great story idea and it could’ve been so much more, but it just took a huge crap and I can’t wait to read the next SCE novella by a different author as a means of cleaning my palette.
Worse, this entire story has almost NOTHING to do with the Engineering branch of Starfleet. This exact same plot with zero changes could have involved ANY crew/team from any of the Star Trek series or Starfleet services and the story would have played out EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. At no point did an Engineering expertise save the day or even come in handy. We’ve seen non-engineering characters perform essentially the same tasks needed to move this plot forward in every series of the show. A young Wesley Crusher and the academy students could have been the characters involved in this story and it would have played out exactly the same. Zero engineering other than the title.
The most egregious sin of all - unforgivable even - was that Geordi’s inner voice is so un-Geordi that it becomes distracting. The 50-year-old author made zero attempt to research Geordi enough to get his ‘voice’ right.
Secondly, there are long sections of needless exposition that kill the story. These would be fine if sprinkled with action and plot development, but we start with a great premise, then are regaled with crap exposition that serves mostly to needlessly talk about how everyone in this S.C.E. crew/team are interconnected with well known Star Trek characters. We don’t need all this. Just write a good, compelling story and stop trying to get me to automatically like your characters cuz they happen to have served with other characters I know and love. It’s lazy writing.
But this whole story is filled with lazy writing. I think the author had a great idea for a story with a cool beginning and a cool ending, but then the author didn’t know what to write in the middle to make it all cohesive. I have read many Star Trek novels and fanfics; this novella is by far the most boring, unsatisfying Star Trek fiction I’ve ever read.
Furthermore, the characters don’t act like real human beings would act/respond to things. The leader of an away mission finds something incredibly disturbing, then plans to blindly lead the ship’s doctor into that disturbing situation with no warning. Does the author think real people act this way? Again, I point out that the author is 50 years old when writing this; how does he not know how real humans respond to situations like this? Geordi certainly would not have stood by and allowed that ridiculous situation to happen without warning the doctor what she was about to be unknowingly exposed to. It’s not something a normal person would do, and it’s certainly not something a trained Starfleet officer would do. It’s just dumb.
Lastly, this entire novella is filled with explanations that are as illogical as they are needless. The only reason I finished this novella is because this series is billed as Scotty after the events of Relics (episode), so I thought we might get a scene or two more with him, so I persevered. It was a great story idea and it could’ve been so much more, but it just took a huge crap and I can’t wait to read the next SCE novella by a different author as a means of cleaning my palette.
August 16, 2017
Während Kriege oft ewig dauern, verfliegt während der einzelnen Schlachten zumeist die Zeit. Aktion - Reaktion; Zielen, schießen, ducken und weg - Captain Picard hat so ziemlich alles bekämpft, was im Weltraum einen Phaser halten oder ein Schiff steuern kann. Diesmal jedoch ist es ein wenig anders: Der Kampf zieht sich in die Länge, will und will nicht enden.
Das Schiff, dem er sich diesmal gegenübersieht, ist von gänzlich unbekannter Bauart. Und als es endlich besiegt scheint, steht eines fest: Der Grund für den Angriff wird wohl für immer unbekannt bleiben. Der Feind ist besiegt. Restlos.
Doch was an Technologie noch zu erforschen ist, das soll vom "Corps of Engineers", also der der Technik-Abteilung der Sternenflotte genauer in Augenschein genommen werden. Schließlich halten nicht viele Schiffe den Waffen eines Föderationsraumschiffes stand, auf dem der Name "Enterprise" geschrieben steht. Und während der Captain und seine Mannschaft sofort zur nächsten Mission eilen, schließt sich Geordie LaForge dem Corps an.
Als sie das fremde Schiff betreten, wird es immer merkwürdiger für die gestandenen Offiziere. Zum einen sieht an Bord alles danach aus, als ob dieses nunmehrige Wrack bis vor kurzem eine Art Kreuzfahrtschiff gewesen war. Zum Anderen ... tja. Zum Anderen macht der Fund unglaublicher Leichenberge die Sache auch nicht gerade weniger mysteriös. Und ... hat sich da nicht gerade etwas in einer der Leichen bewegt?
Die e-Book-Reihe "Corps of Engineers" hat mit "In der Höhle des Löwen" sicherlich einen gelungen Auftakt gefunden. Der kleine Text ist eine Chimäre aus Star-Trek, wie wir es kennen und lieben, auf der einen Seite und einem durchaus spannenden Grusel-Plot auf der anderen. Während wir Geordie über die Schulter schauen treffen wir (wie bei Star-Trek-Romanen neueren Baujahrs inzwischen üblich) eine ganze Menge bekannter und neuer Charaktere, die wir später sicherlich noch weiter verfolgen dürfen.
Das Buch war gut - ich werde also weiter an der Serie dran bleiben. Auch die Länge überzeugt - es ist, als hätte man einen kleinen ST-Side-Plot als Appetithäppchen gefunden...
Das Schiff, dem er sich diesmal gegenübersieht, ist von gänzlich unbekannter Bauart. Und als es endlich besiegt scheint, steht eines fest: Der Grund für den Angriff wird wohl für immer unbekannt bleiben. Der Feind ist besiegt. Restlos.
Doch was an Technologie noch zu erforschen ist, das soll vom "Corps of Engineers", also der der Technik-Abteilung der Sternenflotte genauer in Augenschein genommen werden. Schließlich halten nicht viele Schiffe den Waffen eines Föderationsraumschiffes stand, auf dem der Name "Enterprise" geschrieben steht. Und während der Captain und seine Mannschaft sofort zur nächsten Mission eilen, schließt sich Geordie LaForge dem Corps an.
Als sie das fremde Schiff betreten, wird es immer merkwürdiger für die gestandenen Offiziere. Zum einen sieht an Bord alles danach aus, als ob dieses nunmehrige Wrack bis vor kurzem eine Art Kreuzfahrtschiff gewesen war. Zum Anderen ... tja. Zum Anderen macht der Fund unglaublicher Leichenberge die Sache auch nicht gerade weniger mysteriös. Und ... hat sich da nicht gerade etwas in einer der Leichen bewegt?
Die e-Book-Reihe "Corps of Engineers" hat mit "In der Höhle des Löwen" sicherlich einen gelungen Auftakt gefunden. Der kleine Text ist eine Chimäre aus Star-Trek, wie wir es kennen und lieben, auf der einen Seite und einem durchaus spannenden Grusel-Plot auf der anderen. Während wir Geordie über die Schulter schauen treffen wir (wie bei Star-Trek-Romanen neueren Baujahrs inzwischen üblich) eine ganze Menge bekannter und neuer Charaktere, die wir später sicherlich noch weiter verfolgen dürfen.
Das Buch war gut - ich werde also weiter an der Serie dran bleiben. Auch die Länge überzeugt - es ist, als hätte man einen kleinen ST-Side-Plot als Appetithäppchen gefunden...
August 15, 2021
I quite like the idea of "alternate Star Trek series" (I'll get to my favorite, New Frontier, at some point), especially the way they often include characters from the actual series. Does the SCE make a good one though? I think the potential is certainly there, and the shorter ebook format does make the stories feel more like episodes than longer novels do. But as a series premiere, it's somewhat lacking. For starters, there's an inordinate amount of scanning in the story. A series focused on engineering missions (not to say engineers since the da Vinci has a diverse crew) runs the risk of boring technobabble plots, and while I wouldn't say it's the case with The Belly of the Beast, I'd have done with less scanning and more character development. There are a lot of new characters here and they're barely sketched in. Part of the reason is the inclusion of Geordi. Yes, he transitions us into the new series, but takes the spotlight away from everyone else. For once, a Star Trek series doesn't focus on the captain. This is clearly Sonya Gomez' show. And while I'm glad she's come into her own in the past 10 years, it's taken everything that made her charming in her two brief appearances away from her. Might as well be a different character. Her romantic relationship with Duffy has promise, and one Bynar dying might give its mate something to explore. Otherwise, the crew has no real distinguishing characteristics. P8 Blue is a fun CGI alien insect. Scotty's cameos would have been a lot of fun on tv. As for this first story, it takes entirely too much time to develop towards its climax, and once there, is extremely gory. I'm going to call it merely ok.
February 19, 2025
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
I'm finally going through my physical tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
I'm finally going through my physical tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
March 9, 2024
This is a spaceship adventure where La Forge, the guy that is kind of ok personality vice, travels to a huuuge shippy ship (expert term for huge ship) in order to explore it. He takes some friends with him and takes orders from captain gold.
Captain Gold is a good captain but sometimes annoying when he talks about tea for hours.
Then suddenly it starts raining heavily and they have to enter the foreign ship quickly which takes them to the intraspacecourt where they have to explain why they violated the non entering of ships without clear permission act.
Captain Gold is a good captain but sometimes annoying when he talks about tea for hours.
Then suddenly it starts raining heavily and they have to enter the foreign ship quickly which takes them to the intraspacecourt where they have to explain why they violated the non entering of ships without clear permission act.
May 4, 2025
A quick read that reminds me of a two-part series kickoff. There’s definitely a break between chapters that seems like the end of Episode 1 (Part 1). I actually really enjoyed the format and while the characters are still a little flat, it’s the kind of thing that can be overlooked depending on how the next few books are. It’d be hard to give all of the backstory and character development in this short of a book. Very reminiscent of a tv show episode written in book form. Worth the read, and feeling hopeful for the rest of the books.
January 26, 2020
This was a pleasant surprise. It’s clearly part of a series meant to appeal to a teen audience, but that doesn’t mean punches are pulled. Geordi is our focus character to bring us into a new group of characters, some of whom have previously appeared in various television series. While Scotty’s role is considerably smaller than the cover art seems to promise, the unexpected maturity of the story makes up for that.
In tone, this most closely rivals “First Contact”. The movie, not the episode.
In tone, this most closely rivals “First Contact”. The movie, not the episode.
June 27, 2022
A bit of a poor start to the series. No real stakes until about 2/3 of the way through, and the characters lack much motivation or interest. Still, I did enjoy the feeling of a Trek episode in written form.
July 18, 2023
Read this after re-watching the 'Relics' episode from TNG. I wanted to know more about Scotty's life after the episode. He only has a small part to play, but it was enough to get me reading the S.C.E series which I'll be reading. Good and fast read.
May 16, 2019
I like the concept for the series but the initial story didn't do much for me.
March 27, 2021
😭 Schön geschrieben und der Beweis, dass SciFi auch kurz geht. Aber das Ende ist so meeeeh. Erst zeigen die uns so ein tolles Schiff, und dann das.
November 21, 2021
Ok for younger audience
This book is obviously meant for ten and eleven years olds. For a seasoned star trekie leave this for the next generation
This book is obviously meant for ten and eleven years olds. For a seasoned star trekie leave this for the next generation
April 19, 2025
Cardboard, stilted characters. Intriguing setup veered into well-trodden tropes. Skimmed through all the action stuff.
August 18, 2025
This book is a fantastic kickoff to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers series. I loved how it introduced the da Vinci crew while weaving in familiar faces like Geordi La Forge and Scotty to anchor the story in the broader Trek universe. The balance between new and established characters felt seamless, making me care about the da Vinci crew right from the start.
The story itself is tightly written with a clear beginning, middle, and end - no small feat for a novella - and it managed to keep me genuinely invested all the way through. Suspenseful, engaging, and a perfect setup for what's to come, I'm giving this one a full 5 stars.
The story itself is tightly written with a clear beginning, middle, and end - no small feat for a novella - and it managed to keep me genuinely invested all the way through. Suspenseful, engaging, and a perfect setup for what's to come, I'm giving this one a full 5 stars.
March 23, 2015
Star Trek: S. C. E.: #1 The Belly of the Beast by Dean Wesley Smith This is the first part of an e-book series, launched in 2000, that describes the adventures of the crew of the U.S.S. daVinci - a highly competent team of engineers under the command of Sonya Gomez (who we remember spilling her cacao on Picard's uniform in "Q Who") whose task is to investigate alien technology, and any other engineering problems.
This time, the "Starfleet Corps of Engineers" is called in to investigate a giant spaceship that attacked the Enterprise and was barely overcome. Geordi joins the team and serves as a prop to introduce its members. There's Gomez, who now outranks Geordi (which admittedly is kind of strange - but then, so is the stagnancy of ranks on the Enterprise from season 3 onwards... with the exception of Troi's promotion in season 7), her second-in-command Kieran Duffy (also formerly on the Enterprise, and in an on-and-off relationship with Gomez) - others are mentionned, but only a Bynar pair is worth expanding on here, since one half gets killed off in this mission. Whether the remaining one will continue on the daVinci is not really in doubt, but his development could get interesting. The daVinci itself is commanded by Captain Gold, the SCE itself is headed by Scotty.
I'm not sure why nearly every ST-series needs visitors from other series to sort of give them their blessing. And in this case it was even more annoying than usual, since Geordi didn't really contribute anything else than, "Wow, what a crew", "They are sooo competent", etc. Either you achieve showing that the new crew is something special via your story-telling, or not - but as a reader I don't need to be indoctrinated on such things. I like to form my own judgment. And given the fact that a novella is short enough, I definitely don't need to spend pages on Enterprise, Geordi and/or his opinions.
The investigation on the giant spaceship, which gets the nickname "The Beast", is a bit slow in coming - only the last few chapters gain some speed and suspense. The imagery in the "big reveal" (which is quite disgusting and horrifying) is pretty poignant, but I would have wanted the threat to have been better developed and introduced earlier. This way, though, the threat is barely shown (f.e., the telepathic interference is only mentionned, solved by Geordi-technobabble, and henceforth forgotten, even when the bugs are grown up and in direct contact with the away-team), the Bynar 111 bites the dust, everything goes kaboom - the end. That's not a very sophisticated build up with a gripping plot and a satisfying ending.
Nevertheless, I think I'm going to give at least the next few books a chance to introduce the "cast" further and perhaps improve on the story-telling. Of course, a pilot always has its problems doing both, telling a good story and introducing the characters, which later parts don't have. So, I guess, even with the flaws that I mentionned, Smith did his job well enough, because my interest is peeked - for now.
This time, the "Starfleet Corps of Engineers" is called in to investigate a giant spaceship that attacked the Enterprise and was barely overcome. Geordi joins the team and serves as a prop to introduce its members. There's Gomez, who now outranks Geordi (which admittedly is kind of strange - but then, so is the stagnancy of ranks on the Enterprise from season 3 onwards... with the exception of Troi's promotion in season 7), her second-in-command Kieran Duffy (also formerly on the Enterprise, and in an on-and-off relationship with Gomez) - others are mentionned, but only a Bynar pair is worth expanding on here, since one half gets killed off in this mission. Whether the remaining one will continue on the daVinci is not really in doubt, but his development could get interesting. The daVinci itself is commanded by Captain Gold, the SCE itself is headed by Scotty.
I'm not sure why nearly every ST-series needs visitors from other series to sort of give them their blessing. And in this case it was even more annoying than usual, since Geordi didn't really contribute anything else than, "Wow, what a crew", "They are sooo competent", etc. Either you achieve showing that the new crew is something special via your story-telling, or not - but as a reader I don't need to be indoctrinated on such things. I like to form my own judgment. And given the fact that a novella is short enough, I definitely don't need to spend pages on Enterprise, Geordi and/or his opinions.
The investigation on the giant spaceship, which gets the nickname "The Beast", is a bit slow in coming - only the last few chapters gain some speed and suspense. The imagery in the "big reveal" (which is quite disgusting and horrifying) is pretty poignant, but I would have wanted the threat to have been better developed and introduced earlier. This way, though, the threat is barely shown (f.e., the telepathic interference is only mentionned, solved by Geordi-technobabble, and henceforth forgotten, even when the bugs are grown up and in direct contact with the away-team), the Bynar 111 bites the dust, everything goes kaboom - the end. That's not a very sophisticated build up with a gripping plot and a satisfying ending.
Nevertheless, I think I'm going to give at least the next few books a chance to introduce the "cast" further and perhaps improve on the story-telling. Of course, a pilot always has its problems doing both, telling a good story and introducing the characters, which later parts don't have. So, I guess, even with the flaws that I mentionned, Smith did his job well enough, because my interest is peeked - for now.
November 20, 2012
Précis
The Enterprise under Picard disables a strange ship that is attacking an agricultural colony. The S.C.E. ship DaVinci is in the area and is assigned with investigating the ship. At first it appears that the ship has a very small crew, but then it is discovered that ship actually had a huge compliment of beings and what happened to them is the crux of the book.
Protagonist - Ensemble - away team from DaVinci and Geordi LaForge
Antagonist - Unknown aliens
What I liked - The story was well-paced with the tense battle scene at the beginning to the mystery of what happened on the ship, to the final struggle. This is a solid ST story that will satisfy any fan.
What I didn’t like - The opening battle seemed stiff and I would like to have known a little more about the aliens.
Final Comment - This is a novella and one of four novellas in Have Tech Will Travel available in papaerback. (it is still on Amazon as of April 2008). The book includes Fatal Error and Interphase Book 1 which I also reviewed.
The Enterprise under Picard disables a strange ship that is attacking an agricultural colony. The S.C.E. ship DaVinci is in the area and is assigned with investigating the ship. At first it appears that the ship has a very small crew, but then it is discovered that ship actually had a huge compliment of beings and what happened to them is the crux of the book.
Protagonist - Ensemble - away team from DaVinci and Geordi LaForge
Antagonist - Unknown aliens
What I liked - The story was well-paced with the tense battle scene at the beginning to the mystery of what happened on the ship, to the final struggle. This is a solid ST story that will satisfy any fan.
What I didn’t like - The opening battle seemed stiff and I would like to have known a little more about the aliens.
Final Comment - This is a novella and one of four novellas in Have Tech Will Travel available in papaerback. (it is still on Amazon as of April 2008). The book includes Fatal Error and Interphase Book 1 which I also reviewed.
January 9, 2016
A pretty exciting adventure/exploration story set in the Star Trek Universe.
The first story in the Star Trek: S.C.E. series finds Captain Picard fighting a massive moon sized ship. For hours. Eventually he disables it and calls on the S.C.E. to come investigate the unidentified spaceship. Geordi and Lt. Vale stay behind to help the S.C.E.
It was an interesting story about exploring an unknown spaceship, searching for the missing crew and passengers, trying to find out what they could find out.
A fully formed story on it's own that can be read without reading the 66+ stories that come after it. Some knowledge of Star Trek is likely needed, though I am not sure if required.
The only slow moments, reading-wise not story wise, were the Captain Picard sections, and the Scotty section. But they were quickly read through.
The first story in the Star Trek: S.C.E. series finds Captain Picard fighting a massive moon sized ship. For hours. Eventually he disables it and calls on the S.C.E. to come investigate the unidentified spaceship. Geordi and Lt. Vale stay behind to help the S.C.E.
It was an interesting story about exploring an unknown spaceship, searching for the missing crew and passengers, trying to find out what they could find out.
A fully formed story on it's own that can be read without reading the 66+ stories that come after it. Some knowledge of Star Trek is likely needed, though I am not sure if required.
The only slow moments, reading-wise not story wise, were the Captain Picard sections, and the Scotty section. But they were quickly read through.
February 22, 2013
I've recently heard this type of book called "professional fan fiction" and really, it suits the style perfectly. Characters and character templates I already know and understand, few if any new ideas - it's just all plot and all action. It helps a lot that I can finish one during one day's commute as well.
July 11, 2015
Great little adventure !!
I always knew Star Trek was a huge franchise and now I can see why ! I gave it a try and really I just want to stay in the Star Trek realm ! This was the first book I read, certain ain't gonna be last one ! Maybe I should have started with the original series though. Easy language & short adventure, totally worth reading !
I always knew Star Trek was a huge franchise and now I can see why ! I gave it a try and really I just want to stay in the Star Trek realm ! This was the first book I read, certain ain't gonna be last one ! Maybe I should have started with the original series though. Easy language & short adventure, totally worth reading !
August 8, 2020
This was a quick fun read. I’ve always enjoyed Star Trek TNG and this book takes place in the same time and place as the Enterprise. Picard has an appearance but it’s really a Geordi story. He joins the SCE crew of the diVinci in exploring a weird alien ship. It’s a short story and a good introduction to the SCE crew and book series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2012
A fun beginning to a new series. It's essentially a next gen story that introduces a new starship and characters. A monster ship is disabled by the Enterprise and Geordi is left behind with the SCE to investigate the ship. It has a feeling of unease with a bit of horror thrown in. A good read.
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