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Star Trek: The Next Generation
METAMORPHOSIS
Unexplained gravitational disturbances summon Captain Picard and the Starship Enterprise to the planet Elysia, and the android Lieutenant Commander Data to a date with destiny. For on this alien world, he is drawn into an impossible quest, leading him to consequences both heartwarming and disastrous, as he finally dares to pursue his fondest to become human.
384 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1990
29 people are currently reading
823 people want to read
About the author
Jean Lorrah
65 books65 followersJean Lorrah is a science fiction and fantasy author. She has produced several Star Trek novels and often collaborated with Jacqueline Lichtenberg. Her most recent work with Lichtenberg is on the Sime - Gen Universe. Her fantasy series The Savage Empire, from the 1980s, is mostly solo work. She is also a professor of English at Murray State University and received her PhD from Florida State University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
September 16, 2013
Okay, so what WAS I thinking? In my desire to relive some of the greatness that was Star Trek the Next Generation (STNG) I thought I would read one of the novels. After all, it doesn't have to be genius to be a good read and since my dream of a new version of STNG on either AMC or HBO will likely never happen the only place to get more STNG is by reading. That said, I did my homework and this novel is the highest rated of the STNG novels on Amazon. I thought "How could I go wrong?"
The premise is simple. Data gets to be human. Finally. Not just Data gets to have emotions or he pretends to be human on the holodeck. Nope. This book goes for broke by actually imagining a scenario that puts Data squarely into a brand new 27 year old body - you know, because apparently Data is 27.
So, how is this achieved? I don't know. I don't think the author knows either and, frankly, I don't think either of us care. That's not the point. The author does invent some crazy plot device about a planet with only nine habitable zones where per-technological people live. The planet also has some crazy mountain on it that people quest to and, to spare you about a 100 pages of reading, Data gets sucked into a quest, succeeds and, in a turn right out of AD&D, is rewarded with 10,000 exp, a magic item and one wish. I'm just kidding about the exp and magic item but he does get the wish.
Anyway, so he's human. So what? Well this idea of what Data is or what Data wants to be and why is really the best part of the book. The novel starts right after the episode of STNG where Data is put on trial and determined to be an actual living being. That's right, they can't turn him off, take him apart, figure out what makes him tick, and build 1,000s other Data's. Nope. Data is a real, if unique, life form. It's a good couple of episodes - better than this book actually. You should go watch them again.
This placement in the STNG cannon gives this book some of its best moments. It does this by actually letting you see the ramifications of those episodes, namely by reminding us it was none other than Cmdr. Wm. Riker who was prosecuting Data and making the case that he was not a life form. This makes Cmdr. Riker very unpopular with the Enterprise crew and, given that he is their commanding officer, things are awkward to say the least amongst the principle characters when this story begins. This is by no means a crucial part of the story but it is the kind of additional back story I was very much looking for in an STNG novel. And, frankly, it accomplished a miracle even larger than the transformation of Data into a human, it made me like Dr. Pulaski. There, I wrote it for all the world to see. Her character in this book was one of my.... it's hard to actually type this out.... favorites. How is that even possible? Was she really Q in disguise? Did Worf sing enough Klingon opera to cause me to have a aneurism? Nope. I liked her because she was saying the kind of smart ass stuff I was thinking as I read this. A rare voice of reason in a narrative thoroughly lacking them.
Speaking of Dr. Pulaski, it's her observation that forms a theme in this novel. Namely, why is Data so obsessed with being a human when what he should really be doing is figuring out how to be the kick ass android he really is? Essentially she acknowledges that, frankly, there are tons of advantages to being an android and, really, not that many to being human. Also, she points out why on earth does Data want to be some other life form now that he is finally an official life form all his own? She does a really nice job of constantly pointing out his tunnel vision and reminding the reader of the conceit that being a human really the obvious end game for any robot, android, or silicon based intelligence. I found this point of view refreshing and wished it had been explored more.
That would have to be the major weakness of this book, and one the editor should have tried harder to remedy. There are so many missed opportunities here and a lot of time is spent on things that just don't matter. For example, this rift among the crew is covered in about a dozen pages. It's fascinating and something that works much better in a novel than in a TV show. It humanizes the crew and makes you see them as people but, given the time devoted to it, it comes across as shallow. The quest, by comparison, makes up between a third to a one half of the book. I'm not kidding. What a waste of space. It's written like campaign module from beginning to end including the pointless NPC, a native woman who accompanies Data on his quest, fulfills her own, disappears, and makes as heartless and stupid cameo at the end of the novel, encounters (you see a Bear/Monkey creature coming down the hallway - roll for initiative!), and, no kidding, more than one point where Data has to choose from a door on the left or a door on the right. All Data needed to do to make it complete was check for traps, hide his gold in a tree, and cast magic missile.
The final third to half of the book is actually very interesting and should have been expanded. Data, now human, has to go with the crew to deal with a very complex situation on another planet. An alien race is calling for help as it's being wiped out by invaders they can't stop and who won't negotiate with them. The author does a great job setting up the drama here and you really feel for this race as their planet is getting taken over step by step. However, with a thoughtful twist this cut and dried scenario, which should easily be resolved with some precision phasers blasts from orbit, gets complicated when its revealed that the alien invaders are really just a sub-group of the main alien race who've experienced a genetic mutation that makes them look different and possess extremely powerful psychic powers. That last point is irrelevant except for the fact that once this conflict turns from alien invaders to civil war the prime directive comes into play. These leads to some excellent conflict among the crew as they find themselves in a front row seat for genocide with no legal way to stop it.
Roll into the above plot Data dealing with the loss of most of this cool android abilities, super recall of information, enhanced strength, speed, and durability, senses beyond the human range, and add in the very real human draw backs of eating, fatigue, and emotions like frustration and you get a wonderful illustration of Dr. Pulaski's question about why on earth would you want to be human?
This part of the book should have been the whole book. I wish the author would have just started at this point and explained Data's transformation in flashback or something. This prime directive conflict was just fascinating and watching the crew try to solve it made for some excellent reading, especially after the painful Data & the Quest of Boring Mountain that preceded it.
Okay, but this is STNG right? I mean, it's a show famous for returning everything to the status quo five minutes before the end of the episode and since Data is clearly not a human we know he has to get changed back before the end of the novel. Well, in order to do that the author comes up with a completely convoluted love story for Data that drives him, Last of the Mohicans style, back to the Boring Mountain planet and right into the path of the even more boring NPC lady from his mind numbing quest at the beginning of the novel. Once there the author again gins up some kind of excuse to undo Data's wish, I swear I read it but I really don't know what the hell actually happened, and in so doing he returns Data back in time to the point at which Data chose to go on his stupid quest in the first place only this time Data wisely avoids that lame trip to D&D hell by beaming the hell off the planet before it can happen again.
At this point you would think the book was over right? Wrong. Apparently the author loved his prime directive plot as much as I did so it's at this point that he decides to subject you to it all over again. I'm not kidding. The book then goes on to show you how the prime directive part of this book would be completely different if Data was his usual android self and not a stupid, slow, weak, smelly human. In fact, it becomes clear that the largely failed mission in this book can only be successful if Data is, in fact, an android. This might be an interesting idea if only the author had not chosen to practically rewrite the whole end of the book all over again with almost no story compression. I'm not kidding. I found myself able to skip pages of this novel because, aside from Data being an android, they were exactly the same as the pages when he was a human. Talk about padding. Cut. Paste. Replace human with android. Add 100 pages to the book.
While disappointing I can't say I completely hated this book. I went in with low expectations and they were met. I think it will keep me from reading any more of these novelizations in the future but it will make me wish somebody somewhere would take these characters seriously and give them the venue they deserve. I'm serious. There is SO much potential here if only somebody would stop selling this material short, tell good stories, provoke interesting discussions of complex ideas, and reward Star Trek fans who are still able to discern crap from solid gold writing. I'm sure I will be dead and buried before this happens but a fan can still hope.
The premise is simple. Data gets to be human. Finally. Not just Data gets to have emotions or he pretends to be human on the holodeck. Nope. This book goes for broke by actually imagining a scenario that puts Data squarely into a brand new 27 year old body - you know, because apparently Data is 27.
So, how is this achieved? I don't know. I don't think the author knows either and, frankly, I don't think either of us care. That's not the point. The author does invent some crazy plot device about a planet with only nine habitable zones where per-technological people live. The planet also has some crazy mountain on it that people quest to and, to spare you about a 100 pages of reading, Data gets sucked into a quest, succeeds and, in a turn right out of AD&D, is rewarded with 10,000 exp, a magic item and one wish. I'm just kidding about the exp and magic item but he does get the wish.
Anyway, so he's human. So what? Well this idea of what Data is or what Data wants to be and why is really the best part of the book. The novel starts right after the episode of STNG where Data is put on trial and determined to be an actual living being. That's right, they can't turn him off, take him apart, figure out what makes him tick, and build 1,000s other Data's. Nope. Data is a real, if unique, life form. It's a good couple of episodes - better than this book actually. You should go watch them again.
This placement in the STNG cannon gives this book some of its best moments. It does this by actually letting you see the ramifications of those episodes, namely by reminding us it was none other than Cmdr. Wm. Riker who was prosecuting Data and making the case that he was not a life form. This makes Cmdr. Riker very unpopular with the Enterprise crew and, given that he is their commanding officer, things are awkward to say the least amongst the principle characters when this story begins. This is by no means a crucial part of the story but it is the kind of additional back story I was very much looking for in an STNG novel. And, frankly, it accomplished a miracle even larger than the transformation of Data into a human, it made me like Dr. Pulaski. There, I wrote it for all the world to see. Her character in this book was one of my.... it's hard to actually type this out.... favorites. How is that even possible? Was she really Q in disguise? Did Worf sing enough Klingon opera to cause me to have a aneurism? Nope. I liked her because she was saying the kind of smart ass stuff I was thinking as I read this. A rare voice of reason in a narrative thoroughly lacking them.
Speaking of Dr. Pulaski, it's her observation that forms a theme in this novel. Namely, why is Data so obsessed with being a human when what he should really be doing is figuring out how to be the kick ass android he really is? Essentially she acknowledges that, frankly, there are tons of advantages to being an android and, really, not that many to being human. Also, she points out why on earth does Data want to be some other life form now that he is finally an official life form all his own? She does a really nice job of constantly pointing out his tunnel vision and reminding the reader of the conceit that being a human really the obvious end game for any robot, android, or silicon based intelligence. I found this point of view refreshing and wished it had been explored more.
That would have to be the major weakness of this book, and one the editor should have tried harder to remedy. There are so many missed opportunities here and a lot of time is spent on things that just don't matter. For example, this rift among the crew is covered in about a dozen pages. It's fascinating and something that works much better in a novel than in a TV show. It humanizes the crew and makes you see them as people but, given the time devoted to it, it comes across as shallow. The quest, by comparison, makes up between a third to a one half of the book. I'm not kidding. What a waste of space. It's written like campaign module from beginning to end including the pointless NPC, a native woman who accompanies Data on his quest, fulfills her own, disappears, and makes as heartless and stupid cameo at the end of the novel, encounters (you see a Bear/Monkey creature coming down the hallway - roll for initiative!), and, no kidding, more than one point where Data has to choose from a door on the left or a door on the right. All Data needed to do to make it complete was check for traps, hide his gold in a tree, and cast magic missile.
The final third to half of the book is actually very interesting and should have been expanded. Data, now human, has to go with the crew to deal with a very complex situation on another planet. An alien race is calling for help as it's being wiped out by invaders they can't stop and who won't negotiate with them. The author does a great job setting up the drama here and you really feel for this race as their planet is getting taken over step by step. However, with a thoughtful twist this cut and dried scenario, which should easily be resolved with some precision phasers blasts from orbit, gets complicated when its revealed that the alien invaders are really just a sub-group of the main alien race who've experienced a genetic mutation that makes them look different and possess extremely powerful psychic powers. That last point is irrelevant except for the fact that once this conflict turns from alien invaders to civil war the prime directive comes into play. These leads to some excellent conflict among the crew as they find themselves in a front row seat for genocide with no legal way to stop it.
Roll into the above plot Data dealing with the loss of most of this cool android abilities, super recall of information, enhanced strength, speed, and durability, senses beyond the human range, and add in the very real human draw backs of eating, fatigue, and emotions like frustration and you get a wonderful illustration of Dr. Pulaski's question about why on earth would you want to be human?
This part of the book should have been the whole book. I wish the author would have just started at this point and explained Data's transformation in flashback or something. This prime directive conflict was just fascinating and watching the crew try to solve it made for some excellent reading, especially after the painful Data & the Quest of Boring Mountain that preceded it.
Okay, but this is STNG right? I mean, it's a show famous for returning everything to the status quo five minutes before the end of the episode and since Data is clearly not a human we know he has to get changed back before the end of the novel. Well, in order to do that the author comes up with a completely convoluted love story for Data that drives him, Last of the Mohicans style, back to the Boring Mountain planet and right into the path of the even more boring NPC lady from his mind numbing quest at the beginning of the novel. Once there the author again gins up some kind of excuse to undo Data's wish, I swear I read it but I really don't know what the hell actually happened, and in so doing he returns Data back in time to the point at which Data chose to go on his stupid quest in the first place only this time Data wisely avoids that lame trip to D&D hell by beaming the hell off the planet before it can happen again.
At this point you would think the book was over right? Wrong. Apparently the author loved his prime directive plot as much as I did so it's at this point that he decides to subject you to it all over again. I'm not kidding. The book then goes on to show you how the prime directive part of this book would be completely different if Data was his usual android self and not a stupid, slow, weak, smelly human. In fact, it becomes clear that the largely failed mission in this book can only be successful if Data is, in fact, an android. This might be an interesting idea if only the author had not chosen to practically rewrite the whole end of the book all over again with almost no story compression. I'm not kidding. I found myself able to skip pages of this novel because, aside from Data being an android, they were exactly the same as the pages when he was a human. Talk about padding. Cut. Paste. Replace human with android. Add 100 pages to the book.
While disappointing I can't say I completely hated this book. I went in with low expectations and they were met. I think it will keep me from reading any more of these novelizations in the future but it will make me wish somebody somewhere would take these characters seriously and give them the venue they deserve. I'm serious. There is SO much potential here if only somebody would stop selling this material short, tell good stories, provoke interesting discussions of complex ideas, and reward Star Trek fans who are still able to discern crap from solid gold writing. I'm sure I will be dead and buried before this happens but a fan can still hope.
May 31, 2015
I remember reading this back in high school and loving that Data was experiencing REALLY being human. Why is it that the main thing that stuck with me about this book was Data figuring out that THAT sensation meant he had to take a dump?
August 24, 2021
The character of Data has always appealed to me, and this novel that focuses on his one true desire--being truly human--was a great read.
March 1, 2011
The first "Giant Novel" in The Next Generation series this book takes us on a journey where the android Data becomes human. I mean, literally human. This isn't a spoiler because the book sets up this notion from page one where Dr. Pulaski is goading everyone about how non-human Data truly is... but never fear, Data takes it all in stride with most of his friends taking the brunt of her offensive words (androids have feelings too Pulaski).
The novel starts well and I was intrigued about the alien world the Enterprise was sent to investigate, but after Data becomes human my mind started to wander. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say a human Data is an angsty Data.
I was expecting a steller novel since Jean Lorrah wrote one of my favorite TNG novels, Survivors (a Tasha Yar backstory, which I highly recommend) but this one kind of ran out of steam towards the end. With the steam running out it was still a pretty good novel, which I recommend if you're a Data fan.
The novel starts well and I was intrigued about the alien world the Enterprise was sent to investigate, but after Data becomes human my mind started to wander. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say a human Data is an angsty Data.
I was expecting a steller novel since Jean Lorrah wrote one of my favorite TNG novels, Survivors (a Tasha Yar backstory, which I highly recommend) but this one kind of ran out of steam towards the end. With the steam running out it was still a pretty good novel, which I recommend if you're a Data fan.
May 4, 2014
Bad, just bad ! Data wants to be human, we all know that. But then some god like creature grants him his wish and he is human. He has to deal with all the unknown feelings and emotions and learns what it means to be human.
Sounds like a great story, but the writing is just bad. Too long, too boring and not even close to interesting.
Sounds like a great story, but the writing is just bad. Too long, too boring and not even close to interesting.
October 26, 2022
The "giant" novels were Pocket's stepping stone to hardcover Star Trek novels, which took over the 'premium' slots in the production of way too many novels at the start of the '90s. They were longer, more involved stories, and the three Original Series giant novels were excellent. I'd heard good things about Metamorphosis, the first (of two) TNG giant novels, at the time, so I was happy to finally get to read it.
Now, I'm frustrated. This novel is well written, but has a big glaring problem.
Now, this isn't a spoiler, this is the high-concept of the entire novel, stated clearly in the blurb: Data is turned into a human. The core tension of his character is that while as an android he is superhuman in many ways, there is much he is missing, and he longs to understand just how organic sentient life, and humans in particular, work. This is 1990, the series is still airing, so you know going in there's going have to be a big reset button in there somewhere. If Data is still human at the end of the novel, then it's not going to fit with anything else, and therefore he won't be.
In fact, this novel is placed explicitly as happening right after "The Measure of a Man" in second season. (Which, by the way, is a very good episode, and well worth reviewing. Especially as it is the first appearance of Bruce Maddox, who shows up again in the first season of Picard.) Everyone is still feeling the emotional effects of the trial to determine if Data could be considered property, or an actual person. The Enterprise moves on to it's next mission which is very interesting in and of itself.
In fact, given the prominence of that high concept, the plot does quite well without it. I won't spoil that, but we are fairly deep in before the magic happens. Which, from our viewpoint, it might as well be, since Data is turned into an ordinary human down to the last detail (if perhaps with an uncanny resemblance to a 27-year old Brent Spiner). And we get treated to Data's viewpoint as he discovers all he's been missing. Sleep, eating (and the complexities of the human perception of taste), emotions, not being superhumanly strong and durable.... And, this is well done, and well thought through, and well presented.
This also serves as something of a bridge to a completely new plotline in the novel, as the Enterprise finishes up its mission, and goes on to the next, which, in the ordinary, run-of-the-mill, aired episodes scheme of things would be another episode entirely. Of course, Data (newly re-qualified for most of his duties) is different, and that ties in intimately with what's going on here.
And here's where we run into trouble. The big reset button that you know must be in here somewhere shows up. I do think it's a little more forced than the change itself, and a bit more abrupt, pacing wise. But the big problem of the novel is here: the reset is basically going back in time so that Data never becomes human, and in so doing, he also loses all memories having been human. (Technically, he has the memories, just sealed away, so he gets a couple bouts of deja vu as we go through the finishing leg of the time loop.)
Plots are the general 'engine' of a story. The mainspring that serves it is that the main character will learn (or occasionally, spectacularly fail to learn) something by the end of the story. This is often subtle, but robbing the character of his memories at the end makes them unable to do this at all, and spells danger to the plot as a whole. I particularly find this irksome, and I am put out by any story that does this (the end of Silver on the Tree wrecked an entire series for me).
That said, Data does get to save the day at the end, and does learn something related to the main theme here anyway. But... we still have nearly two hundred pages that might as well not exist as far as any of the characters are concerned. I still give a limited recommendation to this novel because it is well written, and if you want to see how Data handles being human, this is a good presentation of it.
Now, I'm frustrated. This novel is well written, but has a big glaring problem.
Now, this isn't a spoiler, this is the high-concept of the entire novel, stated clearly in the blurb: Data is turned into a human. The core tension of his character is that while as an android he is superhuman in many ways, there is much he is missing, and he longs to understand just how organic sentient life, and humans in particular, work. This is 1990, the series is still airing, so you know going in there's going have to be a big reset button in there somewhere. If Data is still human at the end of the novel, then it's not going to fit with anything else, and therefore he won't be.
In fact, this novel is placed explicitly as happening right after "The Measure of a Man" in second season. (Which, by the way, is a very good episode, and well worth reviewing. Especially as it is the first appearance of Bruce Maddox, who shows up again in the first season of Picard.) Everyone is still feeling the emotional effects of the trial to determine if Data could be considered property, or an actual person. The Enterprise moves on to it's next mission which is very interesting in and of itself.
In fact, given the prominence of that high concept, the plot does quite well without it. I won't spoil that, but we are fairly deep in before the magic happens. Which, from our viewpoint, it might as well be, since Data is turned into an ordinary human down to the last detail (if perhaps with an uncanny resemblance to a 27-year old Brent Spiner). And we get treated to Data's viewpoint as he discovers all he's been missing. Sleep, eating (and the complexities of the human perception of taste), emotions, not being superhumanly strong and durable.... And, this is well done, and well thought through, and well presented.
This also serves as something of a bridge to a completely new plotline in the novel, as the Enterprise finishes up its mission, and goes on to the next, which, in the ordinary, run-of-the-mill, aired episodes scheme of things would be another episode entirely. Of course, Data (newly re-qualified for most of his duties) is different, and that ties in intimately with what's going on here.
And here's where we run into trouble. The big reset button that you know must be in here somewhere shows up. I do think it's a little more forced than the change itself, and a bit more abrupt, pacing wise. But the big problem of the novel is here: the reset is basically going back in time so that Data never becomes human, and in so doing, he also loses all memories having been human. (Technically, he has the memories, just sealed away, so he gets a couple bouts of deja vu as we go through the finishing leg of the time loop.)
Plots are the general 'engine' of a story. The mainspring that serves it is that the main character will learn (or occasionally, spectacularly fail to learn) something by the end of the story. This is often subtle, but robbing the character of his memories at the end makes them unable to do this at all, and spells danger to the plot as a whole. I particularly find this irksome, and I am put out by any story that does this (the end of Silver on the Tree wrecked an entire series for me).
That said, Data does get to save the day at the end, and does learn something related to the main theme here anyway. But... we still have nearly two hundred pages that might as well not exist as far as any of the characters are concerned. I still give a limited recommendation to this novel because it is well written, and if you want to see how Data handles being human, this is a good presentation of it.
February 4, 2019
Hmm, an interesting book. Having just read 'Small Gods' the Discworld novel dealing with religion, it felt quite odd reading a Start Trek novel following the same sort of themes, even if it comes up with a completely different reasoning.
After all the episodes and films, I guess that it was inevitable that someone would explore what would happen if Data did suddenly become human. The trouble is, I am human, so although it was quite amusing having him 'discover' lots of things (like taste, sex, distractions, loss of memory), I'm quite well aware of them so it wasn't exactly a total surprise! It also meant that a lot of the novel was taken up with long discussions or thoughts about what he was going through - back to the action please!
I have to admit that I enjoyed the Kondor storyline better than the whole thing on Elysia - although the two are very much linked. However, I had to go back and re-read the whole outcome again to get what was happening. An interesting concept, with the ability to transmit on a sound frequency mistaken for telepathy, and the whole question of souls was a good read too. But I'm not sure I completely bought into the whole Elysian Gods thing and why they set up the planet and quests and things ...
Still, a good, entertaining read that seemed pretty true to the original characters. And a nice way to return to the Star Trek world.
After all the episodes and films, I guess that it was inevitable that someone would explore what would happen if Data did suddenly become human. The trouble is, I am human, so although it was quite amusing having him 'discover' lots of things (like taste, sex, distractions, loss of memory), I'm quite well aware of them so it wasn't exactly a total surprise! It also meant that a lot of the novel was taken up with long discussions or thoughts about what he was going through - back to the action please!
I have to admit that I enjoyed the Kondor storyline better than the whole thing on Elysia - although the two are very much linked. However, I had to go back and re-read the whole outcome again to get what was happening. An interesting concept, with the ability to transmit on a sound frequency mistaken for telepathy, and the whole question of souls was a good read too. But I'm not sure I completely bought into the whole Elysian Gods thing and why they set up the planet and quests and things ...
Still, a good, entertaining read that seemed pretty true to the original characters. And a nice way to return to the Star Trek world.
January 27, 2012
i can't remember that much about this novel except that i read it in the 5th grade during recess while all the other kids were playing. i loved it because it dealt with Data and was a rich story that even a kid could read. i remember being entranced with this book and not being able to put it down. this was a time when my mom bought and read every st:ng novel she could get her hands on. i tried to read most of them too but they all kind of blurred together after a while. i definitely need to find a copy of this book and relive a part of my childhood.
November 29, 2023
Definitely 3 1/2 stars since I really enjoyed this, but like most good (early) Star Trek novels it's also ultimately a little bit trivial, competently written but never inspiring, fun in an early TNG type of way but never quite as brilliant as the later seasons. Still, the extra time allows Lorrah to stretch her legs when it comes to a Data story in which he finally becomes human (finally? It was only Season 3 on TV when this book was written) and so a big chunk of this novel is dedicated to Data discovering things about ourselves that we already know. I'm not sure it quite draws the perfect line between wistful and humorous - I can certainly imagine this being a lot bawdier and funnier in another's hands but Lorrah is a bit of a romantic and eh it worked for me although I'd like to have seen conclusions pushed further and harder. Let's face it, going from being an android to a human would be mind-numbingly bizarre and it's damn weird how the Enterprise crew instantly expect Data to pass a ton of tests and get right back on duty. I'd expect him to be straight into a psychiatric unit.
I love how old school and earnest Lorrah reads as a writer though. There's a lot of heart to her Star Trek books and you can tell she genuinely loves the show and that's sortof what counts when I pick one of these up. It's funny how much of a nostalgia fest this is because in the 90s this was pushing the show to places it really couldn't go!(Although this adventure features that tried and tested Trek classic adversary "the Godlike". Love it.
I love how old school and earnest Lorrah reads as a writer though. There's a lot of heart to her Star Trek books and you can tell she genuinely loves the show and that's sortof what counts when I pick one of these up. It's funny how much of a nostalgia fest this is because in the 90s this was pushing the show to places it really couldn't go!(Although this adventure features that tried and tested Trek classic adversary "the Godlike". Love it.
September 24, 2019
There's a scene where Wesley TheBoy Crusher barges into Data's quarters only to discover Data Morning Aftering and y'all I hated it so much THREE STARS THERE IS A CAT IN THIS BOOK
July 28, 2009
if i'd realised that jean Lorra had written this novel I would have read it a long, long time ago. survivors, the other work I've read, is without doubt the most emotionally-compelling Star Trek novel I have ever come across.
Lorra's done it again, this time, with Data. He played an important part in Survivors, and a lot of that bleeds through. The story of tasha yar was a tragic one - but of course, Data's quest for Humanity, if written well, could be as poignant and as heartfelt as yar's lost love.
Could be, I said? Only could be? Why should I be so unstinting with my enjoyment? To answer that, we have to go back a little in time - my time, that is. In actuality we're jumping forward from the viewpoint of the novel, all the way to the tenth star trek movie, nemesis. And forward again, to the end of nemesis... to Data's sacrifice. "Good bye", he said. And then he fired his phaser into the Thalaron matrix of the Scimitar, obliterating the ship, the danger, and himself. The look In picard's eyes when he realises what's going to happen - pivital. Immense. Breathtaking. Or it should have been. having no vision, I am unable to judge. The paragraphs describing it on page 180 of J.M. Dillard's novelisation certainly seem adequate, but no more than that. there's no depth, no emotional punch. I left the cinema having enjoyed the film, wondering absently just how many more times the Enterprise would grace our screens, saddened that Data was gone, but not truly involved in the sacrifice he made for his crew and the people of Earth. The novel? I don't know, I haven't read it. Apart from the few pages I just consumed to get an impression of the thing it has never been opened.
so perhaps now you'll understand why, when I sat down to read this author of Authors and realised that the story was going to be Data-centric, I had my doubts. not about the quality of the writing or the impact it would have, but about just how far my own feelings could stretch to a character I'd enjoyed on TV but that I knew was going to be blown to smithereens in an alien starship. I wanted the Data from the future of All Good Things, the professorial, contraction-spouting Data that he'd tried so hard to become, whilst respect for the character and his actor swelled through one-hundred and seventy-five television and four feature-film appearances.
This book takes place before all of that, of course, and before anyone starts jumping down my throat, I know that these things aren't canon. I even know that there are some apocrypha, some inconsistencies in both backstory and future development. But how can anyone deny the power of this novel? how can anybody, anyone at all who appreciates the character that was Data not read this book and come away moved? i'll admit that it didn't have the emotional impact of the story of yar - Tasha was different. less defined on screen, more malleable and, I think, better suited to lorra's style of story. But with that in mind,, the impact is still considerable.
There are a few minor things to point out. The use of the term "landing party" leads into "away team", and I like that - truly a generation gap. did they use Landing party on enterprise, when matter transport was less employed? I hope so. good continuity. Similarly, the "it was a vision/dream" approach might have been tiresome, if it weren't for the vestigial deja vu-like sequences. personally, I think Thralen should've died the second time around, just to bring home the universal constants of suffering and pain - perhaps I'm being a little morbid but it otherwise seems too perfect, too q-like, to keep terms within trek Vernacular.
Darryl Adin has remained a seriously underplayed character - if Peter David's new Frontier lot can take off so well, why not an extraordinarily effective bunch of freedom fighters with a former Starfleet security officer?
That's enough, I think. jean Lorra has managed to take two brilliantly portrayed characters right off of our television screens and provide them with deep, rich, and vibrant emotions through two TNG novels all their own. i'm sorry, but Dillard's pros just cannot compare.
Lorra's done it again, this time, with Data. He played an important part in Survivors, and a lot of that bleeds through. The story of tasha yar was a tragic one - but of course, Data's quest for Humanity, if written well, could be as poignant and as heartfelt as yar's lost love.
Could be, I said? Only could be? Why should I be so unstinting with my enjoyment? To answer that, we have to go back a little in time - my time, that is. In actuality we're jumping forward from the viewpoint of the novel, all the way to the tenth star trek movie, nemesis. And forward again, to the end of nemesis... to Data's sacrifice. "Good bye", he said. And then he fired his phaser into the Thalaron matrix of the Scimitar, obliterating the ship, the danger, and himself. The look In picard's eyes when he realises what's going to happen - pivital. Immense. Breathtaking. Or it should have been. having no vision, I am unable to judge. The paragraphs describing it on page 180 of J.M. Dillard's novelisation certainly seem adequate, but no more than that. there's no depth, no emotional punch. I left the cinema having enjoyed the film, wondering absently just how many more times the Enterprise would grace our screens, saddened that Data was gone, but not truly involved in the sacrifice he made for his crew and the people of Earth. The novel? I don't know, I haven't read it. Apart from the few pages I just consumed to get an impression of the thing it has never been opened.
so perhaps now you'll understand why, when I sat down to read this author of Authors and realised that the story was going to be Data-centric, I had my doubts. not about the quality of the writing or the impact it would have, but about just how far my own feelings could stretch to a character I'd enjoyed on TV but that I knew was going to be blown to smithereens in an alien starship. I wanted the Data from the future of All Good Things, the professorial, contraction-spouting Data that he'd tried so hard to become, whilst respect for the character and his actor swelled through one-hundred and seventy-five television and four feature-film appearances.
This book takes place before all of that, of course, and before anyone starts jumping down my throat, I know that these things aren't canon. I even know that there are some apocrypha, some inconsistencies in both backstory and future development. But how can anyone deny the power of this novel? how can anybody, anyone at all who appreciates the character that was Data not read this book and come away moved? i'll admit that it didn't have the emotional impact of the story of yar - Tasha was different. less defined on screen, more malleable and, I think, better suited to lorra's style of story. But with that in mind,, the impact is still considerable.
There are a few minor things to point out. The use of the term "landing party" leads into "away team", and I like that - truly a generation gap. did they use Landing party on enterprise, when matter transport was less employed? I hope so. good continuity. Similarly, the "it was a vision/dream" approach might have been tiresome, if it weren't for the vestigial deja vu-like sequences. personally, I think Thralen should've died the second time around, just to bring home the universal constants of suffering and pain - perhaps I'm being a little morbid but it otherwise seems too perfect, too q-like, to keep terms within trek Vernacular.
Darryl Adin has remained a seriously underplayed character - if Peter David's new Frontier lot can take off so well, why not an extraordinarily effective bunch of freedom fighters with a former Starfleet security officer?
That's enough, I think. jean Lorra has managed to take two brilliantly portrayed characters right off of our television screens and provide them with deep, rich, and vibrant emotions through two TNG novels all their own. i'm sorry, but Dillard's pros just cannot compare.
May 27, 2020
Back in the 90s, I was full of TNG awe. It’s the first “grown up” TV show I latched onto (my parents watched it by themselves for years because it came on after my bedtime — so I heard the Red Alert noise, the theme music, and other sounds before I ever watched the show).
Also in the 90s, I got into reading with more of my own agency. Sure, I was still in school, and to this day I get cringey when I hear the words “required reading”, but I learned that not all books were mind-numbingly boring, and I looked forward to going to the bookstore for more than just the little toy section.
The Nancy Drew Files were an easy pick for me at the time — they were actually written in the 80s and 90s, as opposed to the “original” series, which was favorable to my boring parents. (Tom Swift IV was another rebooted Stratemeyer Syndicate-adjacent series about a young inventor who did time travel and other cool stuff. I picked that one because they looked enough like Nancy Drew files to pique my interest, and the guy on the cover was handsome. Couldn’t read the Hardy Boys Casefiles, though, because they were for boys. Face-palm emoji.) I liked Sunfire romances (even though I argued profusely they weren’t romances, because for some reason there was a mortal stigma attached to that genre) because their cover artwork was beautiful, and they showcased different eras in such an interesting way. Sure, there was a love triangle, but the stories, man.
Around the same time I started watching TNG (not just listening to it from down the hall), my sister and I discovered a young adult book series about the same characters: Star Trek: The Next Generation – Starfleet Academy. Like it says on the tin.
At the time, there were only two or three books in the series, and we burned through them pretty quickly. Lucky for us, the same authors also wrote for the Star Trek books in the adult section, so on our regular trips to the used bookstore, we picked a few of those up. One of them was Metamorphosis by Jean Lorrah.
You could tell from the cover who the dominant character would be. Usually two or three characters would be on the cover, and the one in the center was the one to look out for. This one promoted Data, who was (for I don't know what reason) my favorite character on the show (although to this day, I’m a sucker for a humanoid robot character — finishing up the third season of Westworld now). This was a big fat novel, too. The only thing I needed to know was that Data became human in the book, and I was like, “hell yes.”
I loved this book so much when I was a teenager I still remembered some of the plot points into adulthood (enough that I wanted to read it again just now).
I almost didn't want to read it again because sometimes stuff from back then doesn't hold up, and I liked having a good memory. But after a few pages, I was suddenly halfway through the book.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Because Star Trek plots can be convoluted (and this one was no exception), in a nutshell, the ship flew through the neighborhood of a planet and experienced power surges, but why? They sent a crew to the planet’s surface to investigate, and long story short, Data is left alone and he accidentally gets involved in a quest to see the planet’s gods. Data thinks, “oh good, I'll ask the gods about the power surges so we can get this under control.” At the end of the quest, the gods might give you your dearest wish (the answer to that question, for example). You might also fail and get nothing.
He doesn't undertake this quest alone, however. A young woman shows up for her own quest, who she knows will be with a stranger from far away — oh look, it’s Data, from far away. Let’s go.
Their quest is perilous, but they get through it. Data wants to ask his work-friendly question, but you know Data really wants to be human. And those seeds of want have been planted throughout the beginning of the novel. Because that’s his dearest wish, that’s what the gods give him.
With the quest over and able to contact the ship again, Data has to adjust to being human now, and not having all the world’s knowledge programmed into his head, and not having super strength, and having to do things like sleep and eat (and take a poop). (Also, women are super distracting.)
But being human how, he’s got to re-qualify for all his Starfleet positions, and can't go on away missions because there’s no telling if he can hack it or not. So he does training of the mental and combat kind, and does really well — so well that you think he’s going to be a dick as a human. But he gets his ass handed to him in enough ways (mostly in smartness areas) (and also women are making him super depressed) that you keep rooting for him.
Finally, he’s so bummed (and getting fat, and his blood pressure’s going up) that he goes to talk to the counselor and discovers he’s in love with the woman he went on the quest with. So of course, they turn the ship around so he can go back to the planet and find her, and he’s stoked about that. But once he gets there, not only is she Queen of her country, she’s getting married to some dude from another country so their regions can finally unite and stop fighting, and it’s an annoyingly noble thing. She's happy, the countries are happy, and Data can’t justify breaking all that up so he can get the girl.
More bummed than ever, so the gods take Data back to their temple and give him a talking to. Yes, when she kissed him on the cheek at the end of their quest, they accidentally bonded for life (but he had been a robot at the time, so she didn’t think that would happen). No, the gods can’t take that bonding away. No, she can’t not marry the dude from the other country. Yes, Data has to be a sad sack forever because he’ll be pining for her until he dies. I mean, unless he becomes an android again. Exchange your gift for another one, maybe? Holy Status Quo, that's perfect! So Data gives up his humanity in exchange for knowledge of how the gods work on that world and knowledge of the future, which involves an intergalactic war because of his initial turning into a human and being kind of incompetent.
But hey, the catch is that once he’s turned back into an android, he loses ALL that memory and information, as if nothing happened at all. He’s returned to the moment right before he went on the quest in the first place. The guy the woman was supposed to go questing with was the dude she eventually married, so Data stays back and lets that happen (mind you, not remembering anything that happened), and goes back to the ship.
And so after the actual climax of the A story, we still have about 15% of the book left to wrap up, and it’s all the B story you didn’t really care about. And because Data has essentially gone back in time, but as an android this time, there are identical scenes from before. Only this time, Data has all this robot computing power, and he solves the problem with flying colors, avoiding war, and setting the ship ready for the next syndicate-appropriate episode.
A couple of things:
While I remembered very vague plot points from when I read this as a teen, I didn't remember the “oh nevermind” ending.
What I liked:
Good Lord, Data and his crush’s interactions at the beginning of the book were so sweet. Both of them totally came apart by the time their quests were over, and they took care of each other.
There’s a tip in writing that encourages you to describe only the things that are different for the character. For instance, if you (your character) walk into your own house, you’re not going to fixate on stuff that’s been the same forever. You’ll notice something out of the ordinary, so you describe that, and in so doing, also describe the ordinary things for the reader in a good way. Because Data is new to being human, the author was able to describe things like being tired, or how fruit juice tastes in an interesting way. Excellent example of how to use descriptions.
Even though Data was poised to be an absolute asshole because enough of his android skillz copied over to his human form, he has enough humbling experiences to keep that full transformation from happening. That’s good because I love this character and I don’t want him to be a shithead.
What I didn't like:
This book was written in 1990, which I guess was before the full cutoff for plots involving the whole “it was all a dream” resolution. Maybe it was a product of its time, but the gods revealing that Data’s entire human experience took place on top of the mountain and not in reality … I was done with the book at that point. An absolute deflation of the good reading experience I'd had up until that point.
The “how do we stop this planet’s civil war” plot repetition. Oh my god. For me, it was the most boring part of the book, and she repeated it almost verbatim twice.
Granted, this novel belongs to a universe where each episode has to wrap up in such a tidy way that the watcher/reader can pick up any syndicated episode and know exactly what's going on. That leaves so little room for character development and plot progression it's almost maddening. Now that we’re doing TV shows like novels instead of episodes, it’s hard to go back to a time when everything resets every 40 minutes. If this novel had been a stand-alone piece with its own original characters (but the same otherwise), it would have probably been one of my favorite books. But the return to status quo zapped its magic.
Star Trek definitely has a particular … way of talking. Did Shatner start this? Because it’s … annoying.
Also, the cat. I love cats so much — I've had one almost my entire life. So when at the beginning of the novel the characters are petting the cat and she’s purring for everyone except Data (because he’s a machine, and "cats don’t purr for machines”), I was calling bullshit through the whole scene. Look, a cat gets on a purring streak because you’re rubbing her, and she does not stop purring when she takes a break from your hand and rubs against the edge of your phone/laptop/remote control because it's a machine and not a human. She just keeps purring until she's done with the whole session and goes back to licking her own butt.
Overall, I liked the book better than I thought I would. I have to be fair about the parts that didn’t gel with me, but damn, that ending was unsatisfying. If the whole telepathy planet/civil war part wasn't involved and the story ended with Data returning to his android form and going back to his ship to continue with his life (and allowed to keep the memories he’d formed, to learn from them, to get a little character development), it would have been perfect.
It's hard to say if I recommend this book or not. If you're a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, you might enjoy this one. If you're not into the show, the ending is going to piss you off. With my writer’s brain, I like thinking about how the book “should” have been more than the actual book.
Also in the 90s, I got into reading with more of my own agency. Sure, I was still in school, and to this day I get cringey when I hear the words “required reading”, but I learned that not all books were mind-numbingly boring, and I looked forward to going to the bookstore for more than just the little toy section.
The Nancy Drew Files were an easy pick for me at the time — they were actually written in the 80s and 90s, as opposed to the “original” series, which was favorable to my boring parents. (Tom Swift IV was another rebooted Stratemeyer Syndicate-adjacent series about a young inventor who did time travel and other cool stuff. I picked that one because they looked enough like Nancy Drew files to pique my interest, and the guy on the cover was handsome. Couldn’t read the Hardy Boys Casefiles, though, because they were for boys. Face-palm emoji.) I liked Sunfire romances (even though I argued profusely they weren’t romances, because for some reason there was a mortal stigma attached to that genre) because their cover artwork was beautiful, and they showcased different eras in such an interesting way. Sure, there was a love triangle, but the stories, man.
Around the same time I started watching TNG (not just listening to it from down the hall), my sister and I discovered a young adult book series about the same characters: Star Trek: The Next Generation – Starfleet Academy. Like it says on the tin.
At the time, there were only two or three books in the series, and we burned through them pretty quickly. Lucky for us, the same authors also wrote for the Star Trek books in the adult section, so on our regular trips to the used bookstore, we picked a few of those up. One of them was Metamorphosis by Jean Lorrah.
You could tell from the cover who the dominant character would be. Usually two or three characters would be on the cover, and the one in the center was the one to look out for. This one promoted Data, who was (for I don't know what reason) my favorite character on the show (although to this day, I’m a sucker for a humanoid robot character — finishing up the third season of Westworld now). This was a big fat novel, too. The only thing I needed to know was that Data became human in the book, and I was like, “hell yes.”
I loved this book so much when I was a teenager I still remembered some of the plot points into adulthood (enough that I wanted to read it again just now).
I almost didn't want to read it again because sometimes stuff from back then doesn't hold up, and I liked having a good memory. But after a few pages, I was suddenly halfway through the book.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Because Star Trek plots can be convoluted (and this one was no exception), in a nutshell, the ship flew through the neighborhood of a planet and experienced power surges, but why? They sent a crew to the planet’s surface to investigate, and long story short, Data is left alone and he accidentally gets involved in a quest to see the planet’s gods. Data thinks, “oh good, I'll ask the gods about the power surges so we can get this under control.” At the end of the quest, the gods might give you your dearest wish (the answer to that question, for example). You might also fail and get nothing.
He doesn't undertake this quest alone, however. A young woman shows up for her own quest, who she knows will be with a stranger from far away — oh look, it’s Data, from far away. Let’s go.
Their quest is perilous, but they get through it. Data wants to ask his work-friendly question, but you know Data really wants to be human. And those seeds of want have been planted throughout the beginning of the novel. Because that’s his dearest wish, that’s what the gods give him.
With the quest over and able to contact the ship again, Data has to adjust to being human now, and not having all the world’s knowledge programmed into his head, and not having super strength, and having to do things like sleep and eat (and take a poop). (Also, women are super distracting.)
But being human how, he’s got to re-qualify for all his Starfleet positions, and can't go on away missions because there’s no telling if he can hack it or not. So he does training of the mental and combat kind, and does really well — so well that you think he’s going to be a dick as a human. But he gets his ass handed to him in enough ways (mostly in smartness areas) (and also women are making him super depressed) that you keep rooting for him.
Finally, he’s so bummed (and getting fat, and his blood pressure’s going up) that he goes to talk to the counselor and discovers he’s in love with the woman he went on the quest with. So of course, they turn the ship around so he can go back to the planet and find her, and he’s stoked about that. But once he gets there, not only is she Queen of her country, she’s getting married to some dude from another country so their regions can finally unite and stop fighting, and it’s an annoyingly noble thing. She's happy, the countries are happy, and Data can’t justify breaking all that up so he can get the girl.
More bummed than ever, so the gods take Data back to their temple and give him a talking to. Yes, when she kissed him on the cheek at the end of their quest, they accidentally bonded for life (but he had been a robot at the time, so she didn’t think that would happen). No, the gods can’t take that bonding away. No, she can’t not marry the dude from the other country. Yes, Data has to be a sad sack forever because he’ll be pining for her until he dies. I mean, unless he becomes an android again. Exchange your gift for another one, maybe? Holy Status Quo, that's perfect! So Data gives up his humanity in exchange for knowledge of how the gods work on that world and knowledge of the future, which involves an intergalactic war because of his initial turning into a human and being kind of incompetent.
But hey, the catch is that once he’s turned back into an android, he loses ALL that memory and information, as if nothing happened at all. He’s returned to the moment right before he went on the quest in the first place. The guy the woman was supposed to go questing with was the dude she eventually married, so Data stays back and lets that happen (mind you, not remembering anything that happened), and goes back to the ship.
And so after the actual climax of the A story, we still have about 15% of the book left to wrap up, and it’s all the B story you didn’t really care about. And because Data has essentially gone back in time, but as an android this time, there are identical scenes from before. Only this time, Data has all this robot computing power, and he solves the problem with flying colors, avoiding war, and setting the ship ready for the next syndicate-appropriate episode.
A couple of things:
While I remembered very vague plot points from when I read this as a teen, I didn't remember the “oh nevermind” ending.
What I liked:
Good Lord, Data and his crush’s interactions at the beginning of the book were so sweet. Both of them totally came apart by the time their quests were over, and they took care of each other.
There’s a tip in writing that encourages you to describe only the things that are different for the character. For instance, if you (your character) walk into your own house, you’re not going to fixate on stuff that’s been the same forever. You’ll notice something out of the ordinary, so you describe that, and in so doing, also describe the ordinary things for the reader in a good way. Because Data is new to being human, the author was able to describe things like being tired, or how fruit juice tastes in an interesting way. Excellent example of how to use descriptions.
Even though Data was poised to be an absolute asshole because enough of his android skillz copied over to his human form, he has enough humbling experiences to keep that full transformation from happening. That’s good because I love this character and I don’t want him to be a shithead.
What I didn't like:
This book was written in 1990, which I guess was before the full cutoff for plots involving the whole “it was all a dream” resolution. Maybe it was a product of its time, but the gods revealing that Data’s entire human experience took place on top of the mountain and not in reality … I was done with the book at that point. An absolute deflation of the good reading experience I'd had up until that point.
The “how do we stop this planet’s civil war” plot repetition. Oh my god. For me, it was the most boring part of the book, and she repeated it almost verbatim twice.
Granted, this novel belongs to a universe where each episode has to wrap up in such a tidy way that the watcher/reader can pick up any syndicated episode and know exactly what's going on. That leaves so little room for character development and plot progression it's almost maddening. Now that we’re doing TV shows like novels instead of episodes, it’s hard to go back to a time when everything resets every 40 minutes. If this novel had been a stand-alone piece with its own original characters (but the same otherwise), it would have probably been one of my favorite books. But the return to status quo zapped its magic.
Star Trek definitely has a particular … way of talking. Did Shatner start this? Because it’s … annoying.
Also, the cat. I love cats so much — I've had one almost my entire life. So when at the beginning of the novel the characters are petting the cat and she’s purring for everyone except Data (because he’s a machine, and "cats don’t purr for machines”), I was calling bullshit through the whole scene. Look, a cat gets on a purring streak because you’re rubbing her, and she does not stop purring when she takes a break from your hand and rubs against the edge of your phone/laptop/remote control because it's a machine and not a human. She just keeps purring until she's done with the whole session and goes back to licking her own butt.
Overall, I liked the book better than I thought I would. I have to be fair about the parts that didn’t gel with me, but damn, that ending was unsatisfying. If the whole telepathy planet/civil war part wasn't involved and the story ended with Data returning to his android form and going back to his ship to continue with his life (and allowed to keep the memories he’d formed, to learn from them, to get a little character development), it would have been perfect.
It's hard to say if I recommend this book or not. If you're a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, you might enjoy this one. If you're not into the show, the ending is going to piss you off. With my writer’s brain, I like thinking about how the book “should” have been more than the actual book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2015
As my first dip into the TNG novels I don't think I could have picked a better place to start!
I've only recently really started getting into all of Trek (only slightly through TNG season 2 and TOS season 2) and since Lieutenant Commander Data is for me, so far, the most delightful character to watch, I'm glad to see he translates extremely well into writing. Perhaps it's because I loved Commander Spock in TOS since Data appears to have similarly themed difficulties with emotions but on the opposite end of the spectrum to Spock.
Anyway, it was really enjoyable to see Data experiencing the pleasures of intimacy, limitations of thought and, somewhat regrettably, sorrows of being and feeling human. It's most definitely a journey and one which at the end still left me curious as to his final thoughts on humanity, but most certainly gave enough material to keep me hooked. After all, because of the eventual turn of events (many foreshadowed), Data still seeks a human soul.
I don't usually finish books of this size in a day but I couldn't stop once I had started.
Give it a try; you don't have anything to lose!
I've only recently really started getting into all of Trek (only slightly through TNG season 2 and TOS season 2) and since Lieutenant Commander Data is for me, so far, the most delightful character to watch, I'm glad to see he translates extremely well into writing. Perhaps it's because I loved Commander Spock in TOS since Data appears to have similarly themed difficulties with emotions but on the opposite end of the spectrum to Spock.
Anyway, it was really enjoyable to see Data experiencing the pleasures of intimacy, limitations of thought and, somewhat regrettably, sorrows of being and feeling human. It's most definitely a journey and one which at the end still left me curious as to his final thoughts on humanity, but most certainly gave enough material to keep me hooked. After all, because of the eventual turn of events (many foreshadowed), Data still seeks a human soul.
I don't usually finish books of this size in a day but I couldn't stop once I had started.
Give it a try; you don't have anything to lose!
February 14, 2012
I like the philosophical aspects of a good science fiction story and this filled the bill. I liked it because it caused me to reflect on "the human condition". It is a mixture of several stories that are blended together, but it is nicely done. Lorrah's writing held my interest to the end. I would say the end may have been a bit weak; just an attempt to tie up the loose ends of the story about the Konor and the Samdians on the planet Elysia which was just adequate. The middle of the story is the strongest part, the metamorphosis! So probably a three star book, but I added one subjective star because I personally liked the way Lorrah brought these Star Trek characters to life.
June 13, 2023
This book was really weird. I liked the first bit when Data was doing the trials through the mountain, but everything else after that got a little boring. Seeing Data in a human form was cool, and him learning about food and love was also very interesting. But then the human stuff never ended. It was a long time before they went to the other planet, and then even longer of just trying to get charts on the planet and the people invading it.
Basically, I think the book had a nice premise, but it was just drawn out too much. With the publishers saying this was "The First Giant Novel", maybe they added a bit too much filler to make it a full book.
Basically, I think the book had a nice premise, but it was just drawn out too much. With the publishers saying this was "The First Giant Novel", maybe they added a bit too much filler to make it a full book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2025
I originally read this novel in 1993 (as a teenager) and I really enjoyed it. Re-reading it in 2025, it's still good, but not one of my favourites, so it gets 3 stars rather than 4.
This was published in March 1990 (about halfway through season 3 of TNG). At this point, the TV episodes would mostly maintain the status quo, with occasional cast changes. Likewise, the tie-in novels couldn't do anything that would contradict the episodes. (Several years later, the "relaunch" novels that were set after the end of their respective series had more creative freedom.)
The simplest approach was to tell self-contained stories, e.g. dealing with a natural disaster that threatens a planet. There's no particular reason for people to refer to this later (unless you're doing a clip show), so it's easy to treat this as a "lost episode" that fits in between the existing episodes.
However, the basic premise of this novel is that , and it was set in the middle of TNG season 2 (immediately after "The measure of a man"). That means that the reset button is looming over the story, because you know the change can't stick. Despite that, it actually works well. There's a decent plot, and nice character moments; in particular, this book does a good job of "rehabilitating" Pulaski!
Going back to the original series, there was an ongoing rivalry between Spock and McCoy. A typical exchange would go like this (paraphrased from memory):
McCoy: "Why you green-blooded, inhuman, ..."
Spock: "Indeed, Doctor, I am not human, and every conversation with you makes me grateful for that fact."
In other words, Spock would give as good as he got. By contrast, a typical exchange between Data and Pulaski would go like this (paraphrased again):
Data: "It is my fondest wish to one day become human."
Pulaski: "Well, you're not. We're human, and you're a machine. Suck it!"
That just made her seem like a bully.
This was published in March 1990 (about halfway through season 3 of TNG). At this point, the TV episodes would mostly maintain the status quo, with occasional cast changes. Likewise, the tie-in novels couldn't do anything that would contradict the episodes. (Several years later, the "relaunch" novels that were set after the end of their respective series had more creative freedom.)
The simplest approach was to tell self-contained stories, e.g. dealing with a natural disaster that threatens a planet. There's no particular reason for people to refer to this later (unless you're doing a clip show), so it's easy to treat this as a "lost episode" that fits in between the existing episodes.
However, the basic premise of this novel is that , and it was set in the middle of TNG season 2 (immediately after "The measure of a man"). That means that the reset button is looming over the story, because you know the change can't stick. Despite that, it actually works well. There's a decent plot, and nice character moments; in particular, this book does a good job of "rehabilitating" Pulaski!
Going back to the original series, there was an ongoing rivalry between Spock and McCoy. A typical exchange would go like this (paraphrased from memory):
McCoy: "Why you green-blooded, inhuman, ..."
Spock: "Indeed, Doctor, I am not human, and every conversation with you makes me grateful for that fact."
In other words, Spock would give as good as he got. By contrast, a typical exchange between Data and Pulaski would go like this (paraphrased again):
Data: "It is my fondest wish to one day become human."
Pulaski: "Well, you're not. We're human, and you're a machine. Suck it!"
That just made her seem like a bully.
October 14, 2010
I loved the fact that my favorite character-- the android known as Data-- was able to fufill his dream of becoming human. After helping a native of a planet that he was stranded on, the 'gods' of the planet allow him his deepedt desire of being a human. But the dream soon takes a turn as he constantly deals with the struggles he faces. In a quest to undo what has been done, Data realizes that there is more to being human than just flesh and blood.
September 1, 2018
Data is an outsider: always dreaming of a chance to be human. In the wake of the landmark case which proved he was not Starfleet property, he finally achieves his goal of becoming human. But his dream comes at much to high a cost.
Proving that Starfleet's goal is to explore new life, Jean Lorrah's novel explores Data's fondest dream and proves that it is not what the android ever dreamed of. A novel that explores humanity at its finest.
Proving that Starfleet's goal is to explore new life, Jean Lorrah's novel explores Data's fondest dream and proves that it is not what the android ever dreamed of. A novel that explores humanity at its finest.
July 16, 2008
I was excited to take a literature course with Jean Lorrah at Murray State University in about 1989-ish, titled, "Fantasy, Myth, and Legends." The class was a lot of fun, and I didn't appreciate what I learned from Jean until far too late to offer an appropriate thank-you. But ... we're still reading her books, so maybe that counts for something!
August 25, 2019
This was an odd one for me. There was so much I really like and so much that I really didn't like.
Chapter 15 was just weird, I think I'll just have to let it sit and really think about it. before I finish my review.
Chapter 15 was just weird, I think I'll just have to let it sit and really think about it. before I finish my review.
March 20, 2008
It's a great Data book. It's neat to see him experiencing life as a real flesh and blood human.
April 16, 2018
Advanced Dungeons & Data
July 14, 2007
If you're a big Data fan, this book is BRILLIANT.
January 24, 2021
If I had to give this book a score out of 100, it would be either a 55 or a 65. This is the second Star Trek book I have read, the first being Q-in-law. I picked up this because it was one of the most popular ST Pocket books even though it had sort of a mixed reception. Another reason was that it was a Data centered book and Data is one of my main favorites. While I came in hoping for a Data fill, I just ended up having mixed views on this book in the end and an unknown distinct feeling of "meh," so to speak.
Starting off, I didn't mind the opening. Also, just a heads up: the rest of the review will contain spoilers. This book takes place in season 2 of TNG, immediately after the episode, "Measure of a Man." How the author portrays how the rest of the crew feels around Riker after he had to represent Maddox during Data's trial was well written. The crew felt some slight resentment because of what Riker did and understandably so, even though he didn't want to. The author's portrayal of Dr. Pulaski made me like the character too. Originally, I just felt that she was just awkwardly written into the show. All of it was fine so far until they went to Elysia.
I didn't mind how the away teams' time on Elysia was written. What started to put me off was the portrayal of Data on Elysia during his Quest. Originally it was just small things that peeved me but it wasn't something that could bother me and make me stop reading it. It was just small things like Data finding something funny and laughing or Data thinking romantically. It was just things I nitpicked but didn't hamper my want of reading it.
What started really bug me was how Data acted as he lived his life as a human. In my opinion, it didn't seem wholly like how he would act. Like yeah, the process of him getting used to being human made sense, he would have to gradually get accustomed to it when he was an android for 27 years but how he would act on some things didn't seem like him. Like how he immediately became attracted to women and went on dates with four different girls even though he just became human. They address it as something foreign to him when he first noticed the opposite sex but that doesn't feel like enough time when he was a human for like only 5 days, he shouldn't automatically be interested in my opinion when he is only a week old human. He may have been around 27 years old but that was as an android, not a human.
Then they had him in love with Tasha even though they had sex once and that was from one of the poorly written season one episodes. Then the author had him in love with someone he only knew for about three days. Granted the show has done that with others but I always thought that was silly. It was revealed that he fell in love because it was from a spell so that kind of pardons that but it still annoyed me.
That was the major thing that perturbed me but the rest of the book, which involved another group of planets kind of smoothed over my annoyance. This group of planets is of a race of humanoids who have isolated ways which recently started to have a civil war amongst themselves. This subplot was quite interesting but since it was a subplot and Data being human was part of the main plot, it didn't help how I felt overall so I came out with mixed feelings.
I liked the beginning and end but I didn't like the majority of the middle of it. Would I recommend it? It all depends on if you're interested enough to pick it up. Would I read it again? No.
Starting off, I didn't mind the opening. Also, just a heads up: the rest of the review will contain spoilers. This book takes place in season 2 of TNG, immediately after the episode, "Measure of a Man." How the author portrays how the rest of the crew feels around Riker after he had to represent Maddox during Data's trial was well written. The crew felt some slight resentment because of what Riker did and understandably so, even though he didn't want to. The author's portrayal of Dr. Pulaski made me like the character too. Originally, I just felt that she was just awkwardly written into the show. All of it was fine so far until they went to Elysia.
I didn't mind how the away teams' time on Elysia was written. What started to put me off was the portrayal of Data on Elysia during his Quest. Originally it was just small things that peeved me but it wasn't something that could bother me and make me stop reading it. It was just small things like Data finding something funny and laughing or Data thinking romantically. It was just things I nitpicked but didn't hamper my want of reading it.
What started really bug me was how Data acted as he lived his life as a human. In my opinion, it didn't seem wholly like how he would act. Like yeah, the process of him getting used to being human made sense, he would have to gradually get accustomed to it when he was an android for 27 years but how he would act on some things didn't seem like him. Like how he immediately became attracted to women and went on dates with four different girls even though he just became human. They address it as something foreign to him when he first noticed the opposite sex but that doesn't feel like enough time when he was a human for like only 5 days, he shouldn't automatically be interested in my opinion when he is only a week old human. He may have been around 27 years old but that was as an android, not a human.
Then they had him in love with Tasha even though they had sex once and that was from one of the poorly written season one episodes. Then the author had him in love with someone he only knew for about three days. Granted the show has done that with others but I always thought that was silly. It was revealed that he fell in love because it was from a spell so that kind of pardons that but it still annoyed me.
That was the major thing that perturbed me but the rest of the book, which involved another group of planets kind of smoothed over my annoyance. This group of planets is of a race of humanoids who have isolated ways which recently started to have a civil war amongst themselves. This subplot was quite interesting but since it was a subplot and Data being human was part of the main plot, it didn't help how I felt overall so I came out with mixed feelings.
I liked the beginning and end but I didn't like the majority of the middle of it. Would I recommend it? It all depends on if you're interested enough to pick it up. Would I read it again? No.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2024
4.25 stars. I very much enjoyed this story. I think most fans of Data would, so long as they were willing to accept a few things:
1. This book was written very early in the series and contradicts a good bit of information we learn later.
2. The author, like most TNG authors of the time, really hasn't fully grasped that Data does not have emotions or feelings - not fear, not sadness, not envy - and has not discovered how to write Data with a full understanding of and respect for his Soong-type android nature, and did not find a way to explore his impressions of the world around him without inaccurately applying his own (non-existent) personal emotions to his experiences.
3. The reader must employ sometimes extreme suspension of disbelief.
The first two I can easily forgive and overlook. The first due to the lack of time machine, the second due to the fact that every TNG author was making the same mistake. But as for the third point, that's where the other 3/4 star went, when the need for suspension of disbelief was just too great. It makes no sense that a god-like race could switch a being's species at will, but not remove a single "magical" effect (or adjust time so the action that preceded the effect never occurred). It is highly unlikely that a murderous people utterly convinced of their own superiority through religious dogma could be so easily convinced to change their mind in the space of about a page. It is wildly ridiculous that the entire senior staff would somehow not recognize their own crew member due to very minor cosmetic changes - not just for a few seconds, or from a distance, but for an outrageously long period of time, and when standing right in front of them.
There are multiple little moments like these that made me squirm, sigh, or roll my eyes, but despite my criticisms, they really don't matter in the scope of this absolutely wonderful and creative story. There is so much going on in this book, one plot after the other, that there are essentially three complete episodes in this one novel, all of which would have been fascinating watching. At 371 pages, this was an incredibly easy read, encouraging every page turn, discouraging ever putting it down.
It's a fantastic character exploration of Data, written from his POV all the way through, and doing an excellent job of capturing his voice, despite the out of character moments and the emotional slip-ups.
There are also multiple callbacks to a previous novel by the same author, Survivors, bringing back some characters we'd previously met and recounting some of the adventures therein. Looking back over this author's previous Trek works, I'm delighted to see that, in my opinion, every novel in succession has shown marked improvement in writing, story-telling, and characterization. I'm so excited to read their next one!
If you like Data, can suspend your disbelief, and can accept that the earlier novels had their flaws, then I'd recommend it highly.
1. This book was written very early in the series and contradicts a good bit of information we learn later.
2. The author, like most TNG authors of the time, really hasn't fully grasped that Data does not have emotions or feelings - not fear, not sadness, not envy - and has not discovered how to write Data with a full understanding of and respect for his Soong-type android nature, and did not find a way to explore his impressions of the world around him without inaccurately applying his own (non-existent) personal emotions to his experiences.
3. The reader must employ sometimes extreme suspension of disbelief.
The first two I can easily forgive and overlook. The first due to the lack of time machine, the second due to the fact that every TNG author was making the same mistake. But as for the third point, that's where the other 3/4 star went, when the need for suspension of disbelief was just too great. It makes no sense that a god-like race could switch a being's species at will, but not remove a single "magical" effect (or adjust time so the action that preceded the effect never occurred). It is highly unlikely that a murderous people utterly convinced of their own superiority through religious dogma could be so easily convinced to change their mind in the space of about a page. It is wildly ridiculous that the entire senior staff would somehow not recognize their own crew member due to very minor cosmetic changes - not just for a few seconds, or from a distance, but for an outrageously long period of time, and when standing right in front of them.
There are multiple little moments like these that made me squirm, sigh, or roll my eyes, but despite my criticisms, they really don't matter in the scope of this absolutely wonderful and creative story. There is so much going on in this book, one plot after the other, that there are essentially three complete episodes in this one novel, all of which would have been fascinating watching. At 371 pages, this was an incredibly easy read, encouraging every page turn, discouraging ever putting it down.
It's a fantastic character exploration of Data, written from his POV all the way through, and doing an excellent job of capturing his voice, despite the out of character moments and the emotional slip-ups.
There are also multiple callbacks to a previous novel by the same author, Survivors, bringing back some characters we'd previously met and recounting some of the adventures therein. Looking back over this author's previous Trek works, I'm delighted to see that, in my opinion, every novel in succession has shown marked improvement in writing, story-telling, and characterization. I'm so excited to read their next one!
If you like Data, can suspend your disbelief, and can accept that the earlier novels had their flaws, then I'd recommend it highly.
June 28, 2025
When I started this book pretty sure what I was getting into - which is to say, I went through most of the Star Trek fics on ao3 and fanfic.net I was interested in and decided to turn elsewhere - so yeah, I wasn’t expecting anything closely resembling cannon, just a fun time. As this one had the highest reviews, I started here.
And yeah, if you’ve read fanfics before, this feels pretty much the same. I’d argue that this has a weird vibe of late 80s early 90s to it, but that’s when it was written so it tracks. It reminds me of the really old fics you can track down sometimes (if you know, you know). I’ve read better fics and I’ve read worse ones, this one is pretty much stuck in the average category, and if it weren’t for the fact that it’s a published novel I probably wouldn’t have finished it.
Here’s the thing: I came in expecting a fanfic, but I wasn’t expecting this extreme of a fanfic. Which is fine! To each their own! But everyone’s taste is different, and for me, reading what was essentially a ‘beach day’ chapter was a bit too extreme for me to take the story seriously or even be emotionally invested in it. The OC’s are kinda driving me crazy, and pretty much all the characters are OOC imo. There are a few continuity errors, but it came out while the show was airing, so you can’t fault them for that. Oh, and the whole ‘Data can experience sexual attraction’ bits that kept coming up throughout were making me cringe. Like it’s pretty much the only emotion really expanded upon??? Also the language used when talking about women is kiiiinda sexist, but it was written by a women so??? I don’t know what to say about that.
The whole story once Data becomes human is kinda just… about him experiencing romantic/sexual attraction. I kid you not. Like - spoilers for the end - but the crux of the reason why he becomes android again is because he has some love spell put on him and he can’t deal with it. And the fact that the entire galaxy apparently goes to war is like, a side point. Even if this was just a fanfic, I think I would be going insane over this weird plot… but to each their own.
I really did just read it looking for a fun time, and even though it was a bit too… wild for me, I’m sure there are others who would enjoy it.
And yeah, if you’ve read fanfics before, this feels pretty much the same. I’d argue that this has a weird vibe of late 80s early 90s to it, but that’s when it was written so it tracks. It reminds me of the really old fics you can track down sometimes (if you know, you know). I’ve read better fics and I’ve read worse ones, this one is pretty much stuck in the average category, and if it weren’t for the fact that it’s a published novel I probably wouldn’t have finished it.
Here’s the thing: I came in expecting a fanfic, but I wasn’t expecting this extreme of a fanfic. Which is fine! To each their own! But everyone’s taste is different, and for me, reading what was essentially a ‘beach day’ chapter was a bit too extreme for me to take the story seriously or even be emotionally invested in it. The OC’s are kinda driving me crazy, and pretty much all the characters are OOC imo. There are a few continuity errors, but it came out while the show was airing, so you can’t fault them for that. Oh, and the whole ‘Data can experience sexual attraction’ bits that kept coming up throughout were making me cringe. Like it’s pretty much the only emotion really expanded upon??? Also the language used when talking about women is kiiiinda sexist, but it was written by a women so??? I don’t know what to say about that.
The whole story once Data becomes human is kinda just… about him experiencing romantic/sexual attraction. I kid you not. Like - spoilers for the end - but the crux of the reason why he becomes android again is because he has some love spell put on him and he can’t deal with it. And the fact that the entire galaxy apparently goes to war is like, a side point. Even if this was just a fanfic, I think I would be going insane over this weird plot… but to each their own.
I really did just read it looking for a fun time, and even though it was a bit too… wild for me, I’m sure there are others who would enjoy it.
January 13, 2020
It is difficult to put into words my thoughts on this novel without writing an entire book about it, but boy oh boy. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it, but my enjoyment was certainly a roller coaster. And I do not believe that I could ever, in good conscience, recommend this to literally anybody, unless you have a Data kink and you've read every single fanfiction on the internet and you thirst for something more (in that case, you are going to LOVE this book).
This book has no idea what it wants to be. It tells 3 stories and then attempts to paste them together cohesively. It barely succeeds. It also has the absolute lamest cliche in all of history. There were redeemable parts however, and even some parts I genuinely liked. The parts where Data is experiencing all the new flavors and sensations he has now that he's human? I ate that up. Loved it. Though I can't say I enjoyed hearing him notice the "femaleness" of literally every woman he saw. No thanks.
More often than not though, the book was not great at its best, and down right nonsensical at its worst (and that literal 30 PAGE section where she recaps EVERYTHING THAT ALREADY HAPPENED but feels the need to say it again because now it's happening when he's an android? Ya, can't say I really cared for that at all).
Even though it wasn't great though, I did enjoy the first 2/3's or so of the book, even if it did have many problems. At the very least, it had a vision, and I can respect that. The end however felt rushed, uninteresting, and in some parts, down right out of character for Data.
This book has no idea what it wants to be. It tells 3 stories and then attempts to paste them together cohesively. It barely succeeds. It also has the absolute lamest cliche in all of history. There were redeemable parts however, and even some parts I genuinely liked. The parts where Data is experiencing all the new flavors and sensations he has now that he's human? I ate that up. Loved it. Though I can't say I enjoyed hearing him notice the "femaleness" of literally every woman he saw. No thanks.
More often than not though, the book was not great at its best, and down right nonsensical at its worst (and that literal 30 PAGE section where she recaps EVERYTHING THAT ALREADY HAPPENED but feels the need to say it again because now it's happening when he's an android? Ya, can't say I really cared for that at all).
Even though it wasn't great though, I did enjoy the first 2/3's or so of the book, even if it did have many problems. At the very least, it had a vision, and I can respect that. The end however felt rushed, uninteresting, and in some parts, down right out of character for Data.
abgebrochen
July 16, 2025DNFed. I couldn't even get past throwing in an OC that apparently appeared in a different book before (without those books being collected as a subseries that one has to read in a specific order). No can do, Jean Lorrah. There's a reason I don't read this relaunch extended-universe stuff, and that's because my brain literally can't deal with having to read EVERYTHING ELSE before to understand a throw-away line in a book.
But I had pondered giving up before, because what sense is there making a book about Data becoming human when the first chapters are already him being emotional like a teenager at peak puberty? Like, the book (at least the German translation, but I assume even the worst translator didn't add THAT much) had Data already experience amusement (he's smiling unpromptedly) and frustration, with a few other emotions being hinted at.
And sorry, that really takes away any interest in Data becoming human, because the defining thing about humans ARE emotions.
Also, why would the crew be angry with Riker for doing something he was ordered to do and didn't WANT to do? A whole lot of the beginning just makes no sense. Didn't they have book editors actually pointing that stuff out back then? (Gosh, I would've loved getting this book in my job as editor, because there is so much one can point out to make it better. It's fun to help an author throw out all the illogical and OOC sh*t and create the best version of a story.) But ... yeah, this ain't it.
But I had pondered giving up before, because what sense is there making a book about Data becoming human when the first chapters are already him being emotional like a teenager at peak puberty? Like, the book (at least the German translation, but I assume even the worst translator didn't add THAT much) had Data already experience amusement (he's smiling unpromptedly) and frustration, with a few other emotions being hinted at.
And sorry, that really takes away any interest in Data becoming human, because the defining thing about humans ARE emotions.
Also, why would the crew be angry with Riker for doing something he was ordered to do and didn't WANT to do? A whole lot of the beginning just makes no sense. Didn't they have book editors actually pointing that stuff out back then? (Gosh, I would've loved getting this book in my job as editor, because there is so much one can point out to make it better. It's fun to help an author throw out all the illogical and OOC sh*t and create the best version of a story.) But ... yeah, this ain't it.
August 18, 2021
Our story begins at the world's most awkward party - this book takes place right after The Measure of a Man so everyone in attendance is pissed off at Riker. But that's not really important.
Since this is a "giant novel" it's longer than a typical trek paperback and the story really suffers for it. It really drags - both in the first part (Data's quest on Elysia) and second half (solving the conflict with the Konor, which is unrelated).
The crux of this story is that Data is granted his fondest wish - he becomes human! It's a fun premise, reading about him adjusting to the change and dealing with the downsides to being human. But I found his obsession with women rlly creepy! Data is kinda a perv in this book...and apparently he was in love with Tasha Yar before she died? News to me though I haven't seen much of season 1 of TNG.
Another thing - does everyone on Enterprise have a gambling addiction or something? From the first chapter everyone's making bets on whether Data could ever pass as human, then later everyone's betting on whether he'll pass his training exercises. Does money even exist in Star Trek?
I think that covers it...it wasn't AWFUL but I wouldn't recommend it either. Go watch TV instead. The most worthwhile part of the book is the author's foreword on Fandom (written in 1990). It's charming
Since this is a "giant novel" it's longer than a typical trek paperback and the story really suffers for it. It really drags - both in the first part (Data's quest on Elysia) and second half (solving the conflict with the Konor, which is unrelated).
The crux of this story is that Data is granted his fondest wish - he becomes human! It's a fun premise, reading about him adjusting to the change and dealing with the downsides to being human. But I found his obsession with women rlly creepy! Data is kinda a perv in this book...and apparently he was in love with Tasha Yar before she died? News to me though I haven't seen much of season 1 of TNG.
Another thing - does everyone on Enterprise have a gambling addiction or something? From the first chapter everyone's making bets on whether Data could ever pass as human, then later everyone's betting on whether he'll pass his training exercises. Does money even exist in Star Trek?
I think that covers it...it wasn't AWFUL but I wouldn't recommend it either. Go watch TV instead. The most worthwhile part of the book is the author's foreword on Fandom (written in 1990). It's charming
April 24, 2023
My criteria for evaluating a Star Trek novel are a) how closely does it stick to Gene Roddenberry's principles and b) how easily can you visualise it, as though one of the tv episodes were playing out inside your head. This one scores high on both counts, in fact, it was a delightful read.
It's set in the earlier TNG period, soon after the episode that determined that Data was a person rather than a machine. The first part flows along like a fairy tale quest where Data and a female companion have to undergo several trials in order to meet the 'gods' of Elysia, who seem to be somewhat akin to the prophets of Bajor, with Q-like powers but a highly developed sense of ethics. Successfully completing the Quest means they grant the questor's dearest wish.
Data suddenly finds himself human.
There follows some scenes where Data has to learn how to be human, which are amusing, but at the same time, have some profundity. At very least, it makes to stop and appreciate some aspects of being a 'person' in a flesh and blood body.
As the book starts with a famous quote from Spock at the end of Amok Time: you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting, you are warned right from the start that Data is going to run up against some trouble, and some of the trouble has repercussions that spread far beyond his personal dreams.
It's set in the earlier TNG period, soon after the episode that determined that Data was a person rather than a machine. The first part flows along like a fairy tale quest where Data and a female companion have to undergo several trials in order to meet the 'gods' of Elysia, who seem to be somewhat akin to the prophets of Bajor, with Q-like powers but a highly developed sense of ethics. Successfully completing the Quest means they grant the questor's dearest wish.
Data suddenly finds himself human.
There follows some scenes where Data has to learn how to be human, which are amusing, but at the same time, have some profundity. At very least, it makes to stop and appreciate some aspects of being a 'person' in a flesh and blood body.
As the book starts with a famous quote from Spock at the end of Amok Time: you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting, you are warned right from the start that Data is going to run up against some trouble, and some of the trouble has repercussions that spread far beyond his personal dreams.
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