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Star Trek: The Next Generation
Armageddon's Arrow
It is a new age of exploration, and the U.S.S. Enterprise is dispatched to the Odyssean Pass; a region charted only by unmanned probes and believed to contain numerous inhabited worlds. Approaching a star system with two such planets, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew find a massive alien vessel, drifting in interstellar space for decades. Sensors detect life aboard the derelict;aliens held in suspended animation. Thought to be an immense sleeper ship, the vessel actually is a weapon capable of destroying entire worlds...the final gambit in a war that has raged for generations across the nearby system. Captain Picard is now caught in the middle of this conflict and attempts to mediate, as both sides want this doomsday weapon, which was sent from the future with the sole purpose of ending the interplanetary war before it even began.
About the author
Dayton Ward
63 books318 followersDayton is a software developer, having become a slave to Corporate America after spending eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. When asked, he’ll tell you that he left home and joined the military soon after high school because he’d grown tired of people telling him what to do all the time.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 62 reviews
January 6, 2016
A new age of Star Trek’s space exploration begins here!
This is a perfect “starting point” for new readers and/or old fans who weren’t reading the “Relaunch” (Expanded Universe) novels of Star Trek: The Next Generation since awhile (if not at all).
CAPTAIN'S LOG
The USS Enterprise-E starts the exploration of an uncharted space sector named “The Odyssean Pass”, far away from Federation’s territory. Soon enough, the crew will find a derelict huge vessel, along with making first contact with two different races from the same planetary system, but having a long war between each other.
Senior Staff:
Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Commanding Officer)
Cmdr. Worf (First Officer)
Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (Chief Engineering Officer & Second Officer)
Dr. Beverly Crusher (Chief Medical Officer)
Lt. Aneta Šmrhová (Chief Security Officer)
Glinn Ravel Dygan (Operations Manager)
Lt. Dina Elfiki (Chief Science Officer)
Lt. T’Ryssa “Trys” Chen (Contact Specialist)
Support Crew:
Lt. Cmdr. Taurik (Assistant Chief Engineering Officer)
Lt. Joanna Faur (Helmswoman)
Dr. Tropp (Assistant Chief Medical Officer)
Dr. Tamala Harstad (Medical Officer)
Lt. Rennan Konya (Deputy Chief Security Officer)
Lt. Kirsten Cruzen (Security Officer)
Lt. Jarata “Moose” Beyn (Security Officer)
Lt. T’Sona (Security Officer)
Others:
Rene Picard (4 years-old son of Picard & Crusher)
BOLDLY GOING... AGAIN!
You want to know the problem with going somewhere no one’s ever been? It takes so damned long to get there.
Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-E has been dealing for seven years with many things: alien invasions, cold wars, resignation of Federation’s members, political power plays, ethic struggles, but no so much with their primary goal...
...to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Hardly you could call a “being in a comfort zone” to the Federation while facing dangerous threats such as an all-out massive Borg invasion, the rising of the Typhon Pact and even the assasination of the Federation’s President. However, one thing was clear, they weren’t going anywhere. Starfleet was “bound” to the known frontiers of the Federation. It was becoming kinda some odd “comfort zone” where you know everybody and what to expect from them.
The United Federation of Planets still is struggling with inner situations along with outer events from its opposite neighbors, but Starfleet Command realizes the importance of re-activating its exploration programs, therefore the USS Enterprise-E is commisioned to explore the “Odyssean Pass”, a space sector far away from the Federation’s territory, which has been only slightly charted by unmanned probes.
It was about time to boldly going again, out there, to the final frontier!
OLD FRIENDS & NEW HEROES
If you were looking for something interesting to alleviate the boredom, this should do it.
If you followed the TV seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, it’s very likely that after seven years, the crew of the Enterprise-D became “old friends” to you, in the same way that they became to me.
Once the TV series ended and during the era of the theatrical films of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the familiar status quo changed forever. The Enterprise-D fell, the Enterprise-E raised up, Worf was reassigned to Deep Space Nine station, William Riker and Deanna Troi got married and left to another starship, Data died.
During the following era of “Relaunch” (Expanded Universe) novels ocurred other changes. Worf returned to the Enterprise, Picard and Beverly got married, Riker got a promotion to admiral, Data is alive again but in a new body and decided to be a civilian.
So, from the initial crew of The Next Generation, remained on board: Picard, Beverly, Geordi & Worf.
The Enterprise-E had “lost” many of its “family” due different circumstances, so it was natural that new heroes will rise to help to our old friends who remained aboard. During those years of “Relaunch” novels, in an elegant slow way, step by step, those new heroes found their places along with the known crew.
Aneta Šmrhová: She is a female human, from Earth (Czech Republic). Recently, due the death of previous Security Chief, she was promoted to take the charge. Bold and smart, definitely the security of the Enterprise-E is in good hands. Also, the “Relaunch” novels have given relevance and depth to several security officers in the staff of the department, making them more than just nameless “redshirts” (while in the 24th Century, Security uses gold color) used as “cannon fodder” but an effective and reliable force, giving Šmrhová the support that she needs to do her job.
Ravel Dygan: He is a male Cardassian. He is an officer of the Cardassian Guard, with the rank of “Glinn” which is kinda equivalent to a Starfleet Lieutenant. He got aboard the Enterprise-E thanks to the Officer Exchange Program when the Cardassia Union became an ally of the Federation as a new member of the Khitomer Accords.
Dina Elfiki: She is a female human, from Earth (Egypt). While in Star Trek: The Original Series, the position of Chief Science Officer was a pivotal one, having Spock on charge, on The Next Generation the position wasn’t highlighted, never having any memorable Science Officer during the TV series, but on the “Relaunch” novels, Elfiki was slowly introduced and finally having a relevant position in the chain of command and a key asset on away teams’ missions.
Joanna Faur: She is a female human, from Earth (non defined precise country). After Wesley Crusher left the crew, during the times of the Enterprise-D, to go the Starfleet Academy, never again The Next Generation had a regular Flight Controller aka Helmsman, having a wide rotation of officers in the position. Recently, it has becoming more and more often that in the key moments of a situation, Faur handles, with expertise and effectiveness, the helm of the Enterprise-E.
Taurik: He is a male Vulcan. He isn’t unknown to the fans of the TV series, since he was one of the low ranking officers starring on the episode “Lower Decks” in the seventh season. His character has been expanded on novels, and now he is Assistant Chief Engineering officer, with outstanding skills not only in engineering fields but also in computer sciences.
Tamala Harstad: She is a female human, from Earth (non defined precise country). She is part of the Medical Staff aboard the Enterprise-E and currently she is having a romantic relationship with Commander Geordi La Forge, and even they got to share living quarters now in this new exploration commision.
T’Ryssa Chen: She is half Vulcan, half human (very likely with Chinese heritage). She was assigned to the Enterprise-E as Contact Specialist, but in times where the starship wasn’t doing any exploration or having many first contact situations, her primary role wasn’t well exploited (but having some pivotal moments), but realizing that she won’t have many chances in her field of expertise, she got herself useful in almost any other possible department and position, learning a lot about the operations of a starship, becoming a kind of “wild card” officer and even becoming a key asset in areas such as computer sciences. Now, that the Enterprise-E is in an exploration mission, definitely T’Ryssa will become the most essential officer in any future situation and away teams. (And my favorite character introduced in ST-TNG Relaunch novels)
TIMES AND WARS
Temporal mechanics... It always finds a way to complicate everything, doesn’t it?
Captain Picard and the USS Enterprise-E are beginning their exploration mission into “The Odyssean Pass” when they find a derelict massive vessel, quite close of a planetary system that unmanned probes determined having at least two inhabited worlds.
Away Teams find a small crew in hibernation but only two are still alive and with a chance to be revived. Things get hard to manage when scans determined that the vessel experienced time travel.
The almost dormant huge vessel possess a very, very, VERY, sophisticated and complex computer system with control over every single operation on board.
Whoever wrote this code was a damned genius... ...and a twisted son of a bitch.
The operations trying to understand the systems of the huge vessel and reviving the remaining crewmembers, attract soon enough the attention of the both cultures living in the near Canborek solar system.
The Golvonek race, dominant intelligent species of the Uphrel world.
And...
The Raqilah race, dominant intelligent species of the Henlona world.
Sharing the same solar system BUT involved in a long war between each other.
Their technology is quite less advanced in fields like propulsion, shields and scanning, but they have the territorial legal jurisdiction in the area (including the claim over the derelict vessel), both races have whole fleets and the Enterprise-E is alone, far away from Federation space...
...and of course, there is the teeny-weeny little detail of the colossal time-travelling vessel, that...
...did I mention before that it has the gunpower to destroy whole planets???!
A solid starting story for this new age of space exploration of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Engage and make it so!!!
This is a perfect “starting point” for new readers and/or old fans who weren’t reading the “Relaunch” (Expanded Universe) novels of Star Trek: The Next Generation since awhile (if not at all).
CAPTAIN'S LOG
The USS Enterprise-E starts the exploration of an uncharted space sector named “The Odyssean Pass”, far away from Federation’s territory. Soon enough, the crew will find a derelict huge vessel, along with making first contact with two different races from the same planetary system, but having a long war between each other.
Senior Staff:
Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Commanding Officer)
Cmdr. Worf (First Officer)
Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (Chief Engineering Officer & Second Officer)
Dr. Beverly Crusher (Chief Medical Officer)
Lt. Aneta Šmrhová (Chief Security Officer)
Glinn Ravel Dygan (Operations Manager)
Lt. Dina Elfiki (Chief Science Officer)
Lt. T’Ryssa “Trys” Chen (Contact Specialist)
Support Crew:
Lt. Cmdr. Taurik (Assistant Chief Engineering Officer)
Lt. Joanna Faur (Helmswoman)
Dr. Tropp (Assistant Chief Medical Officer)
Dr. Tamala Harstad (Medical Officer)
Lt. Rennan Konya (Deputy Chief Security Officer)
Lt. Kirsten Cruzen (Security Officer)
Lt. Jarata “Moose” Beyn (Security Officer)
Lt. T’Sona (Security Officer)
Others:
Rene Picard (4 years-old son of Picard & Crusher)
BOLDLY GOING... AGAIN!
You want to know the problem with going somewhere no one’s ever been? It takes so damned long to get there.
Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-E has been dealing for seven years with many things: alien invasions, cold wars, resignation of Federation’s members, political power plays, ethic struggles, but no so much with their primary goal...
...to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Hardly you could call a “being in a comfort zone” to the Federation while facing dangerous threats such as an all-out massive Borg invasion, the rising of the Typhon Pact and even the assasination of the Federation’s President. However, one thing was clear, they weren’t going anywhere. Starfleet was “bound” to the known frontiers of the Federation. It was becoming kinda some odd “comfort zone” where you know everybody and what to expect from them.
The United Federation of Planets still is struggling with inner situations along with outer events from its opposite neighbors, but Starfleet Command realizes the importance of re-activating its exploration programs, therefore the USS Enterprise-E is commisioned to explore the “Odyssean Pass”, a space sector far away from the Federation’s territory, which has been only slightly charted by unmanned probes.
It was about time to boldly going again, out there, to the final frontier!
OLD FRIENDS & NEW HEROES
If you were looking for something interesting to alleviate the boredom, this should do it.
If you followed the TV seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, it’s very likely that after seven years, the crew of the Enterprise-D became “old friends” to you, in the same way that they became to me.
Once the TV series ended and during the era of the theatrical films of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the familiar status quo changed forever. The Enterprise-D fell, the Enterprise-E raised up, Worf was reassigned to Deep Space Nine station, William Riker and Deanna Troi got married and left to another starship, Data died.
During the following era of “Relaunch” (Expanded Universe) novels ocurred other changes. Worf returned to the Enterprise, Picard and Beverly got married, Riker got a promotion to admiral, Data is alive again but in a new body and decided to be a civilian.
So, from the initial crew of The Next Generation, remained on board: Picard, Beverly, Geordi & Worf.
The Enterprise-E had “lost” many of its “family” due different circumstances, so it was natural that new heroes will rise to help to our old friends who remained aboard. During those years of “Relaunch” novels, in an elegant slow way, step by step, those new heroes found their places along with the known crew.
Aneta Šmrhová: She is a female human, from Earth (Czech Republic). Recently, due the death of previous Security Chief, she was promoted to take the charge. Bold and smart, definitely the security of the Enterprise-E is in good hands. Also, the “Relaunch” novels have given relevance and depth to several security officers in the staff of the department, making them more than just nameless “redshirts” (while in the 24th Century, Security uses gold color) used as “cannon fodder” but an effective and reliable force, giving Šmrhová the support that she needs to do her job.
Ravel Dygan: He is a male Cardassian. He is an officer of the Cardassian Guard, with the rank of “Glinn” which is kinda equivalent to a Starfleet Lieutenant. He got aboard the Enterprise-E thanks to the Officer Exchange Program when the Cardassia Union became an ally of the Federation as a new member of the Khitomer Accords.
Dina Elfiki: She is a female human, from Earth (Egypt). While in Star Trek: The Original Series, the position of Chief Science Officer was a pivotal one, having Spock on charge, on The Next Generation the position wasn’t highlighted, never having any memorable Science Officer during the TV series, but on the “Relaunch” novels, Elfiki was slowly introduced and finally having a relevant position in the chain of command and a key asset on away teams’ missions.
Joanna Faur: She is a female human, from Earth (non defined precise country). After Wesley Crusher left the crew, during the times of the Enterprise-D, to go the Starfleet Academy, never again The Next Generation had a regular Flight Controller aka Helmsman, having a wide rotation of officers in the position. Recently, it has becoming more and more often that in the key moments of a situation, Faur handles, with expertise and effectiveness, the helm of the Enterprise-E.
Taurik: He is a male Vulcan. He isn’t unknown to the fans of the TV series, since he was one of the low ranking officers starring on the episode “Lower Decks” in the seventh season. His character has been expanded on novels, and now he is Assistant Chief Engineering officer, with outstanding skills not only in engineering fields but also in computer sciences.
Tamala Harstad: She is a female human, from Earth (non defined precise country). She is part of the Medical Staff aboard the Enterprise-E and currently she is having a romantic relationship with Commander Geordi La Forge, and even they got to share living quarters now in this new exploration commision.
T’Ryssa Chen: She is half Vulcan, half human (very likely with Chinese heritage). She was assigned to the Enterprise-E as Contact Specialist, but in times where the starship wasn’t doing any exploration or having many first contact situations, her primary role wasn’t well exploited (but having some pivotal moments), but realizing that she won’t have many chances in her field of expertise, she got herself useful in almost any other possible department and position, learning a lot about the operations of a starship, becoming a kind of “wild card” officer and even becoming a key asset in areas such as computer sciences. Now, that the Enterprise-E is in an exploration mission, definitely T’Ryssa will become the most essential officer in any future situation and away teams. (And my favorite character introduced in ST-TNG Relaunch novels)
TIMES AND WARS
Temporal mechanics... It always finds a way to complicate everything, doesn’t it?
Captain Picard and the USS Enterprise-E are beginning their exploration mission into “The Odyssean Pass” when they find a derelict massive vessel, quite close of a planetary system that unmanned probes determined having at least two inhabited worlds.
Away Teams find a small crew in hibernation but only two are still alive and with a chance to be revived. Things get hard to manage when scans determined that the vessel experienced time travel.
The almost dormant huge vessel possess a very, very, VERY, sophisticated and complex computer system with control over every single operation on board.
Whoever wrote this code was a damned genius... ...and a twisted son of a bitch.
The operations trying to understand the systems of the huge vessel and reviving the remaining crewmembers, attract soon enough the attention of the both cultures living in the near Canborek solar system.
The Golvonek race, dominant intelligent species of the Uphrel world.
And...
The Raqilah race, dominant intelligent species of the Henlona world.
Sharing the same solar system BUT involved in a long war between each other.
Their technology is quite less advanced in fields like propulsion, shields and scanning, but they have the territorial legal jurisdiction in the area (including the claim over the derelict vessel), both races have whole fleets and the Enterprise-E is alone, far away from Federation space...
...and of course, there is the teeny-weeny little detail of the colossal time-travelling vessel, that...
...did I mention before that it has the gunpower to destroy whole planets???!
A solid starting story for this new age of space exploration of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Engage and make it so!!!
August 24, 2022
This was a great story. The Enterprise E crew find a derelict ship with some of its passengers in stasis. Crusher inadvertently begins reviving the frozen crew when another vessel arrives demanding custody of the derelict and its occupants. The two groups of aliens are enemies of a long and brutal war and the derelict appears to be a time traveling weapon of mass destruction. What are Picard and the crew going to do now they've unwittingly and unwillingly become entangled in this feud?
It's a classic type of scenario made a little unique by the use of the time traveling weapon, although (as pointed out in the story), it does have similarity with elements of the Xindi threat. The war has been fought for so long now that its original purpose no longer has any meaning and continues mainly because it seems that it must. Both sides desire an end to the war but both are also convinced that total annihilation of their foe is the only way to achieve peace.
Ward typically writes vivid combat scenarios and this was as good as we've come to expect. There are some great tense moments which gave this a mild horror feel at times, it was very atmospheric when the away team were first exploring the derelict and a little later it was especially dramatic when one of the cryo-patients was first revived.
At one point a character steps into view to indicate that they are of a different species and I realised that I don't think any of the alien species were physically described. This seems unusual for scifi and I'm casually wondering if Ward had a secret bet on with some other authors to see if he could pull off a good alien story without once referring to their appearance. It's also possible that I read it and forgot it and made this whole paragraph up with no justification.
I'd say these were excellent characterisations, better than perfect replicas of the crew we love, showing very well who they've become over the years since 'All Good Things...' and 'Nemesis.' Of particular note, Ward has absolutely nailed Picard's dialogue here. It reads as though it was very carefully chosen language, I think, and it all came across just how Picard would in such an ethically and diplomatically ambiguous situation.
I've gotta tell ya, I've got a bit of an awkward love/hate relationship with Taurik. He was easy to despise after his Pon Faux with B'Elanna but he has since had some great character development in the books. He gets a pretty good role here too, isolating himself from the crew by necessity and eventually involving the DTI, Department of Temporal Investigations.
I'm not sure if it's super obvious but I saw the plot twist in the final stretch coming. It kind of made the whole situation easier to be talked down, although that's not exactly an apt description of the way things end.
This begins the final section of the six-part, post-nemesis reading list that I've been following in order to get to the finale, the 'Coda' trilogy, which was published last year. Last year! So, if I'm counting correctly, there's 14 books left until I reach 'Coda' and I'd like to finish those by the end of 2022. Toot-toot, coming through. Look out!
It's a classic type of scenario made a little unique by the use of the time traveling weapon, although (as pointed out in the story), it does have similarity with elements of the Xindi threat. The war has been fought for so long now that its original purpose no longer has any meaning and continues mainly because it seems that it must. Both sides desire an end to the war but both are also convinced that total annihilation of their foe is the only way to achieve peace.
Ward typically writes vivid combat scenarios and this was as good as we've come to expect. There are some great tense moments which gave this a mild horror feel at times, it was very atmospheric when the away team were first exploring the derelict and a little later it was especially dramatic when one of the cryo-patients was first revived.
At one point a character steps into view to indicate that they are of a different species and I realised that I don't think any of the alien species were physically described. This seems unusual for scifi and I'm casually wondering if Ward had a secret bet on with some other authors to see if he could pull off a good alien story without once referring to their appearance. It's also possible that I read it and forgot it and made this whole paragraph up with no justification.
I'd say these were excellent characterisations, better than perfect replicas of the crew we love, showing very well who they've become over the years since 'All Good Things...' and 'Nemesis.' Of particular note, Ward has absolutely nailed Picard's dialogue here. It reads as though it was very carefully chosen language, I think, and it all came across just how Picard would in such an ethically and diplomatically ambiguous situation.
I've gotta tell ya, I've got a bit of an awkward love/hate relationship with Taurik. He was easy to despise after his Pon Faux with B'Elanna but he has since had some great character development in the books. He gets a pretty good role here too, isolating himself from the crew by necessity and eventually involving the DTI, Department of Temporal Investigations.
I'm not sure if it's super obvious but I saw the plot twist in the final stretch coming. It kind of made the whole situation easier to be talked down, although that's not exactly an apt description of the way things end.
This begins the final section of the six-part, post-nemesis reading list that I've been following in order to get to the finale, the 'Coda' trilogy, which was published last year. Last year! So, if I'm counting correctly, there's 14 books left until I reach 'Coda' and I'd like to finish those by the end of 2022. Toot-toot, coming through. Look out!
January 8, 2017
Not bad but not great either. Sometimes Dayton Ward can be awesome (Peaceable Kingdoms), but sometimes his stories are good but just don't really pull me in. Yeah, this one for me was just ok.
February 6, 2017
I wish that time travel could be banned from any incarnation of the Star Trek universe, whether cinematic or print. Too often it is a convenient deus ex machina. This is a classic example: here we have the Enterprise-E going boldly and exploring the Odyssean Pass, where it discovers a derelict spaceship that turns out to be a doomsday weapon from the past meant to end the war between two competing species. These civilisations are only cursorily differentiated, to the point where they seem interchangeable. And since when do we have a Temporal Prime Directive? Solidly written, however Ward takes no chances with his toy box, sticking to the well-proven as far as possible. Disappointing.
June 13, 2015
2015 has so far been an excellent year for Star Trek fiction, and Armageddon's Arrow is no exception. Dayton Ward is in top form here, and I love the direction he has taken the TNG crew in. He has said that he is going to be working on another novel for the Enterprise-E crew, and I can't wait to see where he goes next with Picard and company.
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2015/06/A...
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2015/06/A...
July 12, 2017
Die ENTERPRISE unter Captain Picard und seinem XO Worf sind nach den Wirren des Borg-Krieges und dem Umsturz in der Förderations-Präsidentschaft wieder auf großer Forschungsfahrt. In einem entferntem Sonnensystem stoßen sie auf ein riesiges Raumschiff mit einer gigantischen Kanone, offenbar eine ultimative Waffe um ganze Planeten zu vernichten, obwohl die Technik nicht so weit wie der Förderationsstandard entwickelt ist, das Schiff ist mit einer kleinen Besatzung im Kryoschlaf bemannt und kommt offenbar aus der Zukunft. In der weiteren Ermittlungsarbeit lösen Picard und die Besatzung der ENTERPRISE schließlich das Geheimnis um dieses Schiff und den Konflikt zwischen 2 verschiedene Spezies, die dieses Sonnensystem bewohnen.
Der Roman ähnelt den Episoden von Star Trek: The Next Generation, weil die Geschichte nicht in einem größeren Kontext, wie z. B. den Zyklus um "The Typhon Pact" oder "The Fall" eingebettet ist, sondern er ist eigenständig und in sich abgeschlossen. Auf jeden Fall macht die Leküre Spaß, wird aber bald wieder dem Vergessen anheimfallen, weil das, was die Star Trek Novelisation in den letzten Jahre stark gemacht hat, hier fehlt; nämlich die Einbettung in einem groß- angelegten Zyklus, der das Star Trek Universum um viele Facetten erweitert; dies fehlt hier etwas...
Der Roman ähnelt den Episoden von Star Trek: The Next Generation, weil die Geschichte nicht in einem größeren Kontext, wie z. B. den Zyklus um "The Typhon Pact" oder "The Fall" eingebettet ist, sondern er ist eigenständig und in sich abgeschlossen. Auf jeden Fall macht die Leküre Spaß, wird aber bald wieder dem Vergessen anheimfallen, weil das, was die Star Trek Novelisation in den letzten Jahre stark gemacht hat, hier fehlt; nämlich die Einbettung in einem groß- angelegten Zyklus, der das Star Trek Universum um viele Facetten erweitert; dies fehlt hier etwas...
September 12, 2017
See my other reviews at Never Enough Books
It is a new age of exploration and the U.S.S. Enterprise is returning to her roots. Sent on a mission to the Odyssean Pass, it is a far flung region of space that has only been mapped by unmanned probes but is believed to have inhabited worlds. As they approach a star system with two such worlds, Captain Picard and crew come first upon a massive alien vessel.
The derelict ship shows signs of being adrift in space for decades and upon closer inspection a small crew in suspended animation is found. The Enterprise crew soon learn this ship is an ultimate weapon, sent from the future and designed to bring an end to a war that has raged for generations. With both sides claiming this doomsday ship, Captain Picard must mediate some kind of truce before one side or the other uses the weapon for its ultimate purpose.
Those who know me know I have been a Star Trek fan for a LONG time – like I joined the fandom in the early 90’s long time. So I have definitely read my fair share of Star Trek books. I got out of reading them for a time but came back with Armageddon’s Arrow and I am glad I did.
While there are many of the characters we Next Generation fans are familiar with, there are also numerous new characters added. This mix of old and new is refreshing and enough to bring new readers in while keeping older readers (like myself) happy.
With Armageddon’s Arrow, Ward presents a difficult dilemma – just how far is someone willing to go to end a war? It is one that is handled with aplomb, however to say too much will give away the ending.
Fast paced with occasional less frenetic passages, Arrow is an excellent addition to the Star Trek universe. There is enough to please old fans and welcome new fans. For those who are fans this is a definite must read.
It is a new age of exploration and the U.S.S. Enterprise is returning to her roots. Sent on a mission to the Odyssean Pass, it is a far flung region of space that has only been mapped by unmanned probes but is believed to have inhabited worlds. As they approach a star system with two such worlds, Captain Picard and crew come first upon a massive alien vessel.
The derelict ship shows signs of being adrift in space for decades and upon closer inspection a small crew in suspended animation is found. The Enterprise crew soon learn this ship is an ultimate weapon, sent from the future and designed to bring an end to a war that has raged for generations. With both sides claiming this doomsday ship, Captain Picard must mediate some kind of truce before one side or the other uses the weapon for its ultimate purpose.
Those who know me know I have been a Star Trek fan for a LONG time – like I joined the fandom in the early 90’s long time. So I have definitely read my fair share of Star Trek books. I got out of reading them for a time but came back with Armageddon’s Arrow and I am glad I did.
While there are many of the characters we Next Generation fans are familiar with, there are also numerous new characters added. This mix of old and new is refreshing and enough to bring new readers in while keeping older readers (like myself) happy.
With Armageddon’s Arrow, Ward presents a difficult dilemma – just how far is someone willing to go to end a war? It is one that is handled with aplomb, however to say too much will give away the ending.
Fast paced with occasional less frenetic passages, Arrow is an excellent addition to the Star Trek universe. There is enough to please old fans and welcome new fans. For those who are fans this is a definite must read.
April 9, 2018
This is "Star Trek" at its best. There is an issue which occurs, and the discussion begins with how to properly solve it, with some science fiction action thrown in for entertainment value. The issue is easily identifiable with a current, real world issue; and now you must think about how you intend to deal with the issue in the future. As I said, this is "Star Trek" at its best.
October 22, 2015
Decent ST book. Missing some of my favorite characters and has made some significant changes since I last read or saw anything but enjoyable.
October 24, 2016
Well done TNG time travel tale by Dayton
July 6, 2022
Solid installment but lacked any real sense of danger or suspense as all the twists were quite predictable. It was good to see Chen take a main role, I hope future books continue this. Also curious to see if what Taurik found out will be pivotal in future books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2020
I'm normally iffy on time travel, but I actually really enjoyed this book.
Even though it's well into the new story arc, it's written as a standalone. I'd honestly recommend this for any TNG fan wondering if the books are for them.
Even though it's well into the new story arc, it's written as a standalone. I'd honestly recommend this for any TNG fan wondering if the books are for them.
February 17, 2017
A solid but not spectacularly good time travel story from the slightly unusual perspective of our heroes meeting upon visitors from the future.
The characters are pleasantly well written and there are several amongst them you just have to like to follow through this adventure. And while the plot does not try to reinvent the wheel it at least manages occasionally to be not too predictable.
But the backside of this novel is the extreme case of author-nostalgitis... although i'll admit that due to the series i've primarily followed in the ST universe a BIT of a "what happened since" was a nice thing as the post "the Fall" ENT-E is all but unrecognizable from her movie days ... a lot HAS happened.
But when every single personal point of view starts with a full recap of what they did and thought and how it influenced them to be onboard the 1701-E, it turns tedious VERY very quickly. There could have been a far better balance between these retelling scenes and the actual plot and dialogue bits. I truly would have preferred it if half or three quarters of the space lost for these scenes and reminiscencing would have gone into actual physical description of people, ships and items... where it stays regretfully bland and without any clues that would stick with the various "new" crewmembers (as in "novelverse only"), aliens and vessels... even the big moon destruction scene is bland and nondescript, a vague and boring shade of moments like the Deathstar blast of Alderaan in A New Hope and the great battle towards the end reads like one of the 1970es text based computergames (like Oregontrail in space) instead of worthy of the age of 3D CGI MMORPGs full of quick, vivid and colorful fight scenes...
Overall a fluent read and not too irritating, but Ward could easily have done a lot better. Heck, he DID in other books a way better job of bringing his plot ideas alive...
The characters are pleasantly well written and there are several amongst them you just have to like to follow through this adventure. And while the plot does not try to reinvent the wheel it at least manages occasionally to be not too predictable.
But the backside of this novel is the extreme case of author-nostalgitis... although i'll admit that due to the series i've primarily followed in the ST universe a BIT of a "what happened since" was a nice thing as the post "the Fall" ENT-E is all but unrecognizable from her movie days ... a lot HAS happened.
But when every single personal point of view starts with a full recap of what they did and thought and how it influenced them to be onboard the 1701-E, it turns tedious VERY very quickly. There could have been a far better balance between these retelling scenes and the actual plot and dialogue bits. I truly would have preferred it if half or three quarters of the space lost for these scenes and reminiscencing would have gone into actual physical description of people, ships and items... where it stays regretfully bland and without any clues that would stick with the various "new" crewmembers (as in "novelverse only"), aliens and vessels... even the big moon destruction scene is bland and nondescript, a vague and boring shade of moments like the Deathstar blast of Alderaan in A New Hope and the great battle towards the end reads like one of the 1970es text based computergames (like Oregontrail in space) instead of worthy of the age of 3D CGI MMORPGs full of quick, vivid and colorful fight scenes...
Overall a fluent read and not too irritating, but Ward could easily have done a lot better. Heck, he DID in other books a way better job of bringing his plot ideas alive...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2015
The first third of this novel is about as archetypal TNG as you can possibly get: all soapy relationships, lots of discussion, and methodical scientific investigation. It feels very real...but it's not exactly the most exciting way to pass the time. However, halfway through this book, a surprise is revealed that takes the action up a few notches, and transforms the story into something compelling indeed. Ideally, I'd give this novel a 3.5 star rating, but I've settled for 3 stars because, while it may be pleasant overall, at best it's solid comfort food.
December 24, 2015
Not a bad book. Was slow in some parts but thought it was good overall.
January 22, 2020
Sorry, but this was deeply unbelievably awful! It was so deeply boring.
June 26, 2017
Zusammenfassung
Die Enterprise unter dem Kommando von Captain Picard ist wieder unterwegs auf einer Forschungsmission. In einem unerforschten Bereich des Alls findet die Enterprise ein treibendes, riesiges Raumschiff, dessen Minimalbesatzung im Kälteschlaf liegt. Als die Enterprise sich anschickt, die Besatzung aufzuwecken, kommt ein Raumschiff der Golvonek an und deklariert das Raumschiff als Kriegsbeute. Picard und seine Crew sind in den Konflikt zweier Mächte geraten.
Es geht um Mut und Opferbereitschaft im Angesicht eines alles verschlingenden Krieges.
Persönlicher Eindruck
Die Star-Trek-Bücher von Dayton Ward sind immer gut geschrieben und dieser Band stellt keine Ausnahme dar. Der Konflikt zwischen den Golvonek, den Raqilan und der Pfeil des Schicksals, in den die Enterprise hineingerät, besticht mit unerwarteten Wendungen und interessanten Charakteren, allen voran der Captain der Pfeil des Schicksals, Jonis.
Mit Jonis und seiner Besatzung fängt das Buch an, um dann aus der Perspektive der Enterprise-Crew personal erzählt zu werden.
ST-TNG-Charaktere wie Picard, Crusher, Worf, Elfiki, Cruzen oder Konya werden in gewohnt guter Manier präsentiert, eine charakterliche Weiterentwicklung findet allerdings nicht statt. Ich hätte mir vielleicht eine ein wenig lebhaftere Charakterisierung gewünscht. Die Charaktere waren nicht gerade flach, aber dennoch einen Tick zu wenig präsent.
Ein Schwerpunkt liegt auf T'Ryssa Chen. Die Halbvulkanierin präsentiert sich gefestigt und als erwiesenermaßen wertvolles Besatzungsmitglied und stellt ihren Mut und ihre gute Gesinnung unter Beweis. Besonders Spaß gemacht haben mir ihre verbalen Schlagabtausche mit Taurik.
Picard manövrierte wie immer sich selbst und seine Crew souverän durch die Untiefen der schwierigen Situation - er ist ja auch der galaxisbeste Raumschiffcaptain. Die Situation, Kleinkind René und Missionen unter einen Hut zu bringen, wurde allerdings nur angeschnitten. Bisher scheint alles ganz gut zu funktionieren, was ich sehr schön findet.
Die Zeitreise-Geschichte machte allen Beteiligten Kopfzerbrechen und die Behörde für Temporale Ermittlung wird wohl Überstunden machen müssen. In der Haut des armen Taurik möchte man auch nicht stecken.
Obwohl das Buch Teil einer Reihe ist, kann man es auch alleinstehend lesen.
(c) Buchvogel - meine
Die Enterprise unter dem Kommando von Captain Picard ist wieder unterwegs auf einer Forschungsmission. In einem unerforschten Bereich des Alls findet die Enterprise ein treibendes, riesiges Raumschiff, dessen Minimalbesatzung im Kälteschlaf liegt. Als die Enterprise sich anschickt, die Besatzung aufzuwecken, kommt ein Raumschiff der Golvonek an und deklariert das Raumschiff als Kriegsbeute. Picard und seine Crew sind in den Konflikt zweier Mächte geraten.
Es geht um Mut und Opferbereitschaft im Angesicht eines alles verschlingenden Krieges.
Persönlicher Eindruck
Die Star-Trek-Bücher von Dayton Ward sind immer gut geschrieben und dieser Band stellt keine Ausnahme dar. Der Konflikt zwischen den Golvonek, den Raqilan und der Pfeil des Schicksals, in den die Enterprise hineingerät, besticht mit unerwarteten Wendungen und interessanten Charakteren, allen voran der Captain der Pfeil des Schicksals, Jonis.
Mit Jonis und seiner Besatzung fängt das Buch an, um dann aus der Perspektive der Enterprise-Crew personal erzählt zu werden.
ST-TNG-Charaktere wie Picard, Crusher, Worf, Elfiki, Cruzen oder Konya werden in gewohnt guter Manier präsentiert, eine charakterliche Weiterentwicklung findet allerdings nicht statt. Ich hätte mir vielleicht eine ein wenig lebhaftere Charakterisierung gewünscht. Die Charaktere waren nicht gerade flach, aber dennoch einen Tick zu wenig präsent.
Ein Schwerpunkt liegt auf T'Ryssa Chen. Die Halbvulkanierin präsentiert sich gefestigt und als erwiesenermaßen wertvolles Besatzungsmitglied und stellt ihren Mut und ihre gute Gesinnung unter Beweis. Besonders Spaß gemacht haben mir ihre verbalen Schlagabtausche mit Taurik.
Picard manövrierte wie immer sich selbst und seine Crew souverän durch die Untiefen der schwierigen Situation - er ist ja auch der galaxisbeste Raumschiffcaptain. Die Situation, Kleinkind René und Missionen unter einen Hut zu bringen, wurde allerdings nur angeschnitten. Bisher scheint alles ganz gut zu funktionieren, was ich sehr schön findet.
Die Zeitreise-Geschichte machte allen Beteiligten Kopfzerbrechen und die Behörde für Temporale Ermittlung wird wohl Überstunden machen müssen. In der Haut des armen Taurik möchte man auch nicht stecken.
Obwohl das Buch Teil einer Reihe ist, kann man es auch alleinstehend lesen.
(c) Buchvogel - meine
May 23, 2022
I am a longtime fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation novels. These are the types of books I enjoy reading to relax. This one did not disappoint. This was set during a time that Picard continued to command the Enterprise with Worf as his #1 and married to Dr Crusher. The Enterprise responded to a distress call to find a large ship basically running on computer commands and with the crew in stasis. This was in a section of the galaxy with being they had not yet made contact with.
Unfortunately, the two entities were at war with each other. Tie in the fact that the ship they discovered was from the past with a purpose of destruction of one of the societies.
The intricate twists and turns made for engrossing reading in the usual TNG fashion. As usual, the ending was a bit more surprising than anticipated. Highly recommend this book for TNG fans.
Some of the books and the TV series timelines are definitely not the same. This book is more in line with others that show Picard and Beverely married and with a son.
Unfortunately, the two entities were at war with each other. Tie in the fact that the ship they discovered was from the past with a purpose of destruction of one of the societies.
The intricate twists and turns made for engrossing reading in the usual TNG fashion. As usual, the ending was a bit more surprising than anticipated. Highly recommend this book for TNG fans.
Some of the books and the TV series timelines are definitely not the same. This book is more in line with others that show Picard and Beverely married and with a son.
June 19, 2017
To be honest, I thought this book was going to be about something different. I thought an enemy of the Voyager crew was back and giving Picard and company a temporal migraine.
The look of the ship on the cover and the hints of a "returning ship" had me excited about the book. (Although it is a Dayton Ward book. And so far, the man has yet to let me down with anything he writes in Star Trek. Which, in turns, sets the bar higher and higher with each new book).
As I was reading it, I was loving the inside jokes and little nods to past Trek.
And then I learned what the Armageddon's Arrow really was. (Nope, no spoilers for you. Buy the book - read the book).
I was hoping to finish the book a couple of days ago - for the annual #Captain_Picard_Day reading, but instead, I decided to go with a different book for that day. But I am glad I waiting - rushed reading just means you miss out on the the good stuff. And this one is filled with good stuff!
The look of the ship on the cover and the hints of a "returning ship" had me excited about the book. (Although it is a Dayton Ward book. And so far, the man has yet to let me down with anything he writes in Star Trek. Which, in turns, sets the bar higher and higher with each new book).
As I was reading it, I was loving the inside jokes and little nods to past Trek.
And then I learned what the Armageddon's Arrow really was. (Nope, no spoilers for you. Buy the book - read the book).
I was hoping to finish the book a couple of days ago - for the annual #Captain_Picard_Day reading, but instead, I decided to go with a different book for that day. But I am glad I waiting - rushed reading just means you miss out on the the good stuff. And this one is filled with good stuff!
April 22, 2020
Slow-moving. One-third in and there's still not much going on, except for the fact that everyone seems to be having (or planning to have) a relationship with everyone else.
The dialogues between T'Ryssa Chen, Taurik and Konya were cringe-worthy in print. I can't imagine how they translate to the screen.
And oh yeah, that time travel thing. You will need a suspension of disbelief to accept that a vessel traveled back in time, drifted for centuries, and (AND) the ship's on-board computers still functioned like a charm, even though the ship suffered battle damage prior to making the jump through time.
The way the story is written by Dayton, some of the Starfleet characters seemed too childish (in manner of speech and action) and sentimental to be assigned on an exploratory mission. This Utopian mindset is puzzling, given that the Federation just emerged from the Borg invasion.
Overall, it's a mediocre read.
The dialogues between T'Ryssa Chen, Taurik and Konya were cringe-worthy in print. I can't imagine how they translate to the screen.
And oh yeah, that time travel thing. You will need a suspension of disbelief to accept that a vessel traveled back in time, drifted for centuries, and (AND) the ship's on-board computers still functioned like a charm, even though the ship suffered battle damage prior to making the jump through time.
The way the story is written by Dayton, some of the Starfleet characters seemed too childish (in manner of speech and action) and sentimental to be assigned on an exploratory mission. This Utopian mindset is puzzling, given that the Federation just emerged from the Borg invasion.
Overall, it's a mediocre read.
October 29, 2017
This was excellent overall. I found it tense and with a surprising amount mystery and a satisfying story. The time travel element was good, especially as one tried to work out how the start point would lead to the end point and back to the start point. All of this outweighed the niggling criticisms, of which I had some: I struggled to differentiate the less well known characters of the Enterprise (and found them a bit light), the first part in the Raqilan future was hard to get through (it was hard to care for the unknown characters), and so many of the characters seemed to be romantic relationships which jarred somewhat as it didn't feel particularly Trek-ish (though on reflection I suppose every series had its couples!). But actually all those criticisms were outweighed by the story and writing - at times I couldn't put it down.
July 5, 2018
Awesome story with brand new worlds and first contact scenarios. The first inhabitants of the Odyssean Pass and the secrets they're hiding make for a wonderful return to the mission of exploration and the seeking out of new life and new civilization, for which the Enterprise and the Star Trek franchise are best known. Dayton Ward continues to build on the wonderful side characters from the more recent years, including the lovable and quite capable T'Ryssa Chen and the badass Kirsten Cruzen. This story shows once again why Dayton Ward is repeatedly tapped to write Trek.
September 25, 2019
This is a great standalone novel that takes place after the The Fall mini series. We get exploration and some action. A little character development with some lower decks characters too. Also a cool appearance of something from a TOS ep. Overall, good story.
July 10, 2023
Engaging Story
I really found this story enjoyable. It had the right amount of dramatic tension and action. If it lacked anything at all it would be character development of some of the new aliens but otherwise a good read.
I really found this story enjoyable. It had the right amount of dramatic tension and action. If it lacked anything at all it would be character development of some of the new aliens but otherwise a good read.
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