Once she was Annika Hansen, an innocent child assimilated by the fearsone, all-conquering Borg.
Now she is Seven of Nine, a unique mixture of human biology and Borg technology. Cut off from the collective that has been her only reality for most of her existence, and forced to join the crew of the Starship Voyager, she must come to grips with her surprising new environment - and her own lost individuality
Award-winning author Christie Golden has written over thirty novels and several short stories in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror. She has over a million books in print.
2009 will see no fewer than three novels published. First out in late April will be a World of Warcraft novel, Athas: Rise of the Lich King. This is the first Warcraft novel to appear in hardcover. Fans of the young paladin who fell so far from grace will get to read his definitive story.
In June, Golden’s first Star Wars novel, also a hardcover, sees print. Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi—Omen is the second in a nine-book series she is co-authoring with Aaron Allston and Troy Denning. Also in June comes the conclusion of Golden’s StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga with the release of Twlight, the third book in the series. The first two are Firstborn and Shadow Hunters.
2004 saw the launch of an original fantasy series called The Final Dance, from LUNA Books. The first novel in the series, On Fire's Wings, was published in July of that year. The second, In Stone’s Clasp , came out in September of 2005. With In Stone’s Clasp, Golden won the Colorado Author’s League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel for the second time. The third book, Under Sea’s Shadow, is available only as an e-book
Golden is also the author of two original fantasy novels from Ace Books, King's Man and Thief and Instrument of Fate, which made the 1996 Nebula Preliminary Ballot. Under the pen name of Jadrien Bell, she wrote a historical fantasy thriller entitled A.D. 999, which won the Colorado Author's League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel of 1999.
Golden launched the TSR Ravenloft line in 1991 with her first novel, the highly successful Vampire of the Mists , which introduced elven vampire Jander Sunstar. Golden followed up Vampire with Dance of the Dead and The Enemy Within . In September of 2006, fifteen years to the month, The Ravenloft Covenant: Vampire of the Mists enabled Jander Sunstar to reach a whole new audience.
Other projects include a slew of Star Trek novels, among them The Murdered Sun , Marooned , and Seven of Nine , and "The Dark Matters Trilogy," Cloak and Dagger , Ghost Dance and Shadow of Heaven .
The Voyager novel relaunch, which includes Homecoming and The Farther Shore , were bestsellers and were the fastest-selling Trek novels of 2003. Golden continued writing VOYAGER novels even though the show went off the air, and enjoyed exploring the creative freedom that gave her in the two-parter called Spirit Walk, which includes Old Wounds and Enemy of my Enemy .
Golden has also written the novelization of Steven Spielberg's Invasion America and an original "prequel," On The Run , both of which received high praise from producer Harve Bennett. On The Run, a combination medical thriller and science fiction adventure, even prompted Bennett to invite Golden to assist in crafting the second season of the show, if it was renewed.
Golden lives in Loveland, Colorado, with her artist husband and their two cats.
I have very recently become pretty much obsessed with Seven of Nine (thanks to Star Trek Picard). I didn't love her when I first watched Voyager, so now I'm kind of making it a point to go back and appreciate the character with new eyes. That meant, of course, diving into the books that I've kind of ignored or skipped over because I didn't want to read things that focused on her character. This was the first of those books that I read, and I have to say that it didn't disappoint at all!
In the beginning, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the way that Seven was being represented. However, this version of her really grew on me as time went on.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to any fan of the Star Trek novels, but I especially recommend it to those who love Seven of Nine!
In writing this review, I found myself having to travel back in time in my mind to the first introduction of Seven of Nine. At the time this novel was written, she was a very new character, and no one knew in which directions she might develop. Reading Seven of Nine, however, one can marvel at how much of a handle Christie Golden had on her character in those early days. Now, 26 years later, the character has grown so far past her origins in season four of Star Trek: Voyager (even more so in the Star Trek: Picard series and attendant novels), and one can see the seeds of that growth in this novel. While it is not the origin story for Seven that the title might imply, it is still a great foundational work for an exceptional and crucial character.
The main plot device of this book is based on what really happens to the distinctive features of a society when it is assimilated into the Borg collective. As the “Next Generation” episode “Best of Both Worlds” demonstrated, the memories of an assimilated creature are not lost when they become a Borg drone. Therefore, the terror, frustration and hatred that one experiences when being assimilated would become part of the Borg collective consciousness. Clearly, that does not affect the behavior of the Borg, for there appears to be no change in their behavior. In this story, Voyager is traveling through space controlled by the Lhiaarian Empire, a vast region where the emperor must give personal permission to travel through it and going around is unrealistic. Voyager is also carrying the last few survivors of the Skedan, a race of telepaths whose culture was destroyed by the Borg. The Skedans were part of the Lhiaarian Empire and were promised protection by the Empire when it was known that the Borg were on their way. That assistance never arrived so the few remaining Skedans blame the emperor for their destruction. Seven of Nine begins experiencing hallucinations and flashbacks to events where she was part of the assimilation of a species. She begins taking on the personality characteristics of a young girl that was assimilated and when it happens, Seven of Nine becomes more open and agreeable. The Skedans use their telepathic abilities to manipulate the Voyager crew as the Skedans have plans to seek their own revenge. The surfacing of Seven’s memories as a Borg helps her make the right decision when one has to be made. While the story has some flat spots, the raising of the issue of what effect assimilated memories have on the Borg collective consciousness is one that had me thinking throughout the entire story. It would seem that these memories would have some effect on the Borg, leading to the potential for conflicts within the Borg. A schizophrenic Borg collective makes for a very entertaining thought.
Another good Voyager book from Christie Golden. Again, it could have been an actual episode on the TV series.
The basic premise is that Seven of Nine begins seeing ravens again, with corresponding hallucinations. But in these hallucinations, she's in the body/mind of someone else. As they progress, she realizes she's experiencing the lives of multiple people, and the Doctor can't find an explanation for why it's happening. Meanwhile, Voyager is passing through a section of the Delta Quadrant ruled by a highly bureaucratic Empire and they've taken on a group of refugees seeking an audience with the Emperor. Janeway simply wants the Emperor to grant them passage through their space, and the refugees seem to be able to cut through much of the red tape. But the refugees are far more than they seem and are using Janeway and the crew of the Voyager for their own ends.
Again, the writing is smooth and the plot was good. I could certainly see this as an episode of the show. Seven of Nine's character arc in this was the strongest and coincided nicely with the dilemma that Janeway and the Voyager crew face. She's the only one with a character arc here, the rest of the crew is mainly there to be used by the refugees for their own purposes. If you sit back and enjoy the ride, it's fun.
I did have one problem with the plot, which was this: If the refugees can cut through the red tape so easily, why were they stranded on the station where Voyager first meets them? I'd think, with their own abilities, they wouldn't have needed Voyager at all. I think this little plot point could be easily fixed, so it isn't a major problem with the book, but I don't remember it being addressed at all and it's one of the first questions that popped into my head while reading.
In any case, a good, solid addition to the Voyager adventures.
Awesome book, another Christie Golden's finest. Even if you're not a Seven of Nine fan, the book was still an excellent story. Golden proved once again with this book that she is the quintessential Voyager author.
Man why are tie-in novels always so so bad. Only giving this the extra star because the alien designs were cool. Lizard people, kangaroo people and insect people, plus the occasional Humanoid With One (1) Weird Facial Ridge. Too bad everything else was so lousy. Clumsy, stilted writing. No one sounded in character. Didn't spend nearly enough time with the bad guys and what happened to them, anyway? Multiple references to the worst Voyager episode of them all. Half of this was just a smashup of The Raven and the one where Seven starts being subsumed by all the assimilated people lurking in her brain? And it was a lot more interesting the first time.
Speaking of Seven, multiple times I doubled checked the author out of surprise this wasn't written by a man. Why is everyone always so weird about Seven! Especially coming off of ST Picard which gave us a complex, thoughtful, fully realized Seven (staunchly Not Annika! Dating ladies! Wearing five shirts!), it was grating to be stuck back in the 00s dichotomy of Seven (mean) Vs Annika (nice, bouncing blonde curls and flouncy dress, everyone likes her so much better than that mean ol Seven).
Don't feel like I learned anything new about Seven despite her being the star of the book. And it annoyed me that drone!Seven was talking while assimilating. Individual drones don't talk. In this powerpoint on Borg society I will
OK, one thing I did like was that the only reason anyone survived the bad guys was due to the Borg having already figured out their weak spots. Everyone say "thank u Borg Collective."
Finally, of all the characters to make racist against bug people, even momentarily, how could you choose FORMER SCIENCE OFFICER Captain Janeway? Kidding? You can't tell me her first thought upon seeing a sentient human-sized water bug wouldn't be "neat!!!!!" Plus the Federation absolutely has bug people she probably studied under one at the Academy. Cmon now.
Those are the thoughts I had about this lousy tie-in novel.
Seven of Nine had FINALLY joined the Star Trek Voyager Lit-Verse! Tom and B'Elanna are together. I mention that in my reviews not because I'm a shipper but to use it as a way to place it within the TV series. This story would take place sometime after early Season 4.
Christie Golden is one of the better Star Trek writers and does a great job with this story. It is not however Seven of Nine's 'story'. It does not tell the story of little Annika Hansen's journey to the Collective and back again. It is simply another adventure set on Voyager that could have been an episode. I personally think a different title would be more appropriate but since Seven is the focus character I'll let it pass.
Voyager wishes to pass through the Lhiaarian Empire. If they cannot years will be added to their journey. On their way to seek permission from the Emperor they pick the Skedans who are refugees of a Borg Invasion. They wish to seek redress from the Emperor who was supposed to offer them protection that never came.
These Skedans have a hidden agenda. They can not only read minds, they can manipulate them. They mentally torture Seven of Nine because of their anger at the Borg and they subtly use the crew to make decisions they would not otherwise.
Great read and great use of Seven of Nine and a very good resolution. I omit one star simply because Golden uses the same old trope I keep seeing in these books. Tom becomes involved with a alien female. Now this time around it is a case of mind control and it doesn't last long but its still there. I don't know why that was used over and over again in the numbered books and I realize it is probably not the fault of the authors but someone should have caught it.
For a book written in the span of a couple months, it manages to be (1) an original use of Seven of Nine, (2) a novel with a solid core story of revenge and guilt, and (3) a "Voyager" novel that perfectly captures the cast of characters as they existed in season four. Considering how (with a few exceptions) most of the pre-finale DS9 novels consistently missed their targets, this is quite the exemplar in how to create a "Star Trek" missing adventure that works on all levels.
It was funny to start reading what I initially thought was a sequel to an episode (Infinite Regress), only to realize it's actually a story written long before!
I thoroughly enjoyed Seven of Nine (the book). Christie Golden's dynamic style, with its introspective touches, works perfectly for a pocket novel. Divided into two plots, on one hand we follow Seven, suddenly haunted by the memories of assimilated people, and on the other, the quest for revenge by the last remnant of a species betrayed by its own empire, more specifically, by its emperor.
On the positive side, I'd say I liked how the two stories connect, building upon each other and creating an intriguing mystery within a seemingly simple narrative. I previously mentioned how this story was actually created before the "Infinite Regress" episode, and while I still consider that episode very good (Jeri Ryan's performance is magnificent), I personally think the way the author handled the dilemma here was much better, with a very emotional climax that brought me to tears and connecting brilliantly with Seven's search for identity in Voyager's fourth season. Similarly, the Skedans, the species seeking revenge, are interesting to analyze and read about. They have just the right amount of mystery, and I would have liked to know more about them. The Lhiaarian Empire and its emperor, Beytek, were also well done; he works well enough as an antagonist and the disgusting villain.
On the negative side, I'll say that the way the author portrays Seven at the beginning is a bit odd (she acts more like Data). It's a feeling that lingers once you get deeper into the story, but it can definitely be weird for some readers. Aside from a few minor details here and there, I think my only major issue with the story was that, in the end, the resolution felt a little too convenient, with several random things conveniently coinciding to resolve the issue. This is odd because (SPOILER) the author could easily have had both the Voyager crew and the conspirators within the Lhiaarian Empire working together on a coordinated plan. I clearly can't imagine Janeway being an accomplice to murder, but her plan of just making the emperor confess a crime really was destined to fail without all those convenient interventions.
Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it to any Voyager fan, especially fans of 7 of 9!
It began with a bird. A single black bird — a raven? A crow? — perched in an alien marketplace, its eyes boring into Seven’s own. Then the memories, the tide of sensations from a being who was not heard, overwhelming her. It was only the beginning for poor Seven, who found herself losing her mind even as her skills were desperately needed aboard Voyager. Making its way through a vast empire fond of red tape, Voyager has become the target of a vicious insectoid species, intent on destroying it for reasons unknown. At risk are not only Voyager and her crew, but also a meager band of refugees from a planet which has been destroyed by war and plague. They’re such nice people, so mild and pleasant.
Seven of Nine, so succinctly titled, can’t be dismissed like so many of the numbered novels. Although it carries some of the usual baggage — one-off aliens who we’ll never see again, and language so vanilla it makes B’Elenna Torres say things like “hurts like the dickens” — there’s more here than meets the eye. Golden’s writing chops were enough to let her write the first two novels in the Voyager Relaunch, and there are little hints here as to why. Beyond the awkward language, which may have been imposed by Pocketbooks, characterization is solid; Seven relates to people in a unique way, and Golden has a good grasp on that. There are dashes of humor, even though most of the story is full of bewilderment and fear as Voyager fights for its life and Seven struggles for her mind. Golden not only introduces a premise that will later be explored in a full episode of Voyager (Seven being exposed to and overcome bythe memories of those she’s assimilated — see “Infinite Regress“), but sheds a little light into one of the Borg’s more unique abilities.
Although there were warts and weaknesses, Seven of Nine still recommends itself to those who find its titular character as compelling as I do.
Seven of Nine has always been an intriguing character to me. As a child, I was particularly fond of her as a pretty-yet-cool female role model. (I was seven (ha) years old when I was introduced to Star Trek: Voyager through reruns on TV. Most of the series’s themes, philosophies, morality and ethics went way over my head; I just really liked watching the pretty stars, planets and space ships.) As a teen, rewatching a series from my childhood, I was properly introduced to her deep storyline and intricate character development. Much of Seven’s story resonates with me. Her struggles with reintegration into a primarily human society, with all its implicit, often confusing and even illogical social standards, rules, and behaviours, are a central theme in the development of her character. As a queer and Autistic adult, many of the struggles Seven faces in the show, and particularly her analytical approach to problems, were things I recognized from my own life.
The novel does much to emulate this, though I feel it’s not quite as much of a revelation as, for example, Mosaic was for Captain Janeway as a character. Much, if not all, of how Seven was portrayed in this novel—her character, thought processes, mannerisms, interactions with the rest of the crew—fits very well into the narrative that Star Trek: Voyager has established for her.
An excellent media tie-in of which the plot engaged me much more deeply than both Mosaic’s and Caretaker’s had. Golden’s writing, while not yielding quite as many words added to my personal dictionary as Taylor’s had, made for an enjoyable read. The story was interesting, similarly paced as the two Trek novels I’d read prior and the show they were based on, and had me guessing until the end how all the presented mysteries were connected. Certainly a read I can recommend to anyone looking for more of Seven of Nine, or in general, more of Voyager’s adventures in the Delta Quadrant.
Seven of Nine joined the Star Trek Voyager crew on the first episode of Voyager's fourth season, aired September 3, 1997.
This book was first published as a mass market paperback by Pocket Books/Star Trek on September 1, 1998, and is the first full-length novel featuring Seven of Nine and her past.
I really enjoyed seeing Seven of Nine again on Star Trek: Picard. I enjoyed the Star Trek: Picard tie-in novel Firewall by David Mack which was about what happened with Seven of Nine after Voyager returned to Earth at the end of that series. How Seven joined the Fenris Rangers, etc.
This book is set shortly after the Voyager crew discover Seven of Nine's parents' ship the Raven, where six-year-old Annika Hansen (Seven) and her parents had been assimilated by the Borg.
This time Voyager comes across a vast empire in space. If they were not allowed to cross peaceably, it would take them a good year to go around this empire to continue their journey to the Alpha Quadrant & Earth. The crew runs into another group who says that they can get Captain Janeway an interview with the Emperor to ask for safe passage but they are refugees and need to ask Voyager to help them re-settle on a new planet after their own planet had been attacked and destroyed.
And so, the adventure begins. I don't want to say too much but Seven of Nine learns more about herself in this book and I'm glad that I had the chance to read it.
Highly recommended for all Star Trek: Voyager fans, fans of well-drawn alien species, and fans of a well-told tale!
This starts out as Voyager still just trying to get home and they have come to a region of space that is a bit harder to get threw then run into refugees that they decide to help.
This book is centered around Seven and a few aliens, unfortunately there were only nominal mentions of the rest of the crew. One thing that did surprise me was how much I was laughing, here is one quote I think is pretty good.
""An unkindness of Ravens. Much the way we discuss a pack of wolves, a flock of sheep, a gaggle of geese, a squabble of Klingons." He smiled. "Klingon gatherings aren't actually called 'squabbles,' of course. Though it would be an appropriate term."" (pg 160)
I could go on a lot further with that quote it just keeps getting funnier. Golden just paints such a realistic interactions with the crew and always seems to nail the characters. She also does such a great job weaving in theories and sub-stories that just made me unable to put this book down. This story did remind me the episode 'Infinite Regress', however, much much better.
Overall a great read, one of Golden's best books I have read, well maybe Murdered Sun was a bit better. I do recommend this to everyone even to those that don't love Seven of Nine I never really loved her character but I still really enjoyed the book.
Mi-a plăcut stilul lui Christie Golden, căci a creat personajele din Star Trek într-un mod destul de fidel. În timpul lecturii am simțit că vizionez un episod din ”Voyager” cu ochii minții, cu singura diferență că gândurile personajelor și contextul mai detaliat al acțiunii a făcut experiența mult mai bogată decât o simplă vizionare.
Din poveste simt doar că a lipsit într-o oarecare măsură partea filosofică, etică sau socială care să te facă să reflectezi și care este atât de specifică universului Star Trek. Cu siguranță unele teme au fost prezente, precum limitele pe care o societate telepatică ar trebui să și le impună în exercitarea abilităților asupra unor indivizi non telepatici, sau ce înseamnă ”eu”-ul în contextul în care posezi amintirile a zeci de alți indivizi pe care i-ai asimilat în colectivul Borg, sau care este gradul de responsabilitate pe care îl deții asupra atrocităților comise ca și Borg, când propria individualitate ți-a fost ștearsă și absorbită de colectivitate. Cu toate acestea, am perceput aceste dileme ca fiind deja digerate, iar stilul lui Christie nu a obligat cititorul să se frământe cu ele și să încerce să le proceseze mai în profunzime.
”Seven of Nine” a fost prima mea carte citită din universul Star Trek. Și, deși am fost puțin sceptică la început, trebuie să recunosc că a fost o experiență plăcută.
What can I say, it's Christie Golden. She writes good stories, and she knows the Voyager crew inside and out. When you read one of her books, you can hear the lines being spoken in the character's voices from the show, which doesn't hold true for many of the pre-Kirsten Beyer novels.
My only real complaint is that the story could have used more Janeway, and especially more Janeway/Seven interactions. More minor complaints include some weird plot holes - like why didn't experienced telepaths like Vorik and especially chief-of-security Tuvok detect the Skedan's telepathic manipulation of the crew. But, it's Star Trek. Technobabble and plotholes are part of the charm.
Maybe I'm biased in giving this an above average rating, but I love this universe, and I love these characters, and Golden writes them well enough that I'm willing to overlook problematic elements more so that in other works of fiction.
I picked this up for a quick read. Voyager has always been my favourite of the Star Trek series and I enjoy reading book adaptations of the episodes, even if they are only loosely linked, or more original ones like this. I picked this book because it gives us a good look at Seven's internal struggles and search for self after being severed from the Collective. The book format allows us to delve deeper into Seven as a character. We see her gain a little understanding of her humanity and self worth. So as well as being an adventurous read, it is also quite philosophical. It's not the best Voyager read out there, and can at times be a little confusing as the narrative is a little unclear, but the insight into Seven's character is worth it.
Another solid story from Christie Golden. The aliens are particularly interesting in their ability to influence the crew to do their bidding. Sevens characterisation is great, and the black bird returning from the TV show to herald a warning to her was a cool idea. An interesting exploration of the Borg and Seven's responsibility for assimilating other individuals and how that plays on her mind. The motives of the aliens are also sympathetic, and it's interesting to see how Seven tries to deal with her humanity by empathising with them but not necessarily going about helping them that is in line with the Federation. Overall a great story which had me hooked throughout.
Golden really understands Voyager and does a great job with their characters and story. This was her first stab at Seven of Nine to my understanding and she does a great job with a complex character such as her. The plot seemed a little convoluted at times but seemed to make sense in the end although I still had questions. I feel this book was just a little too much like the episode that they reference where Seven displays different personalities (at least I think they reference it) otherwise it was pretty much the best you could expect from a Star Trek Voyager novel.
This is not a biography about Seven's past like I assumed, but it was an excellent Voyager episode. this author really captured the personalities of the Voyager characters very well--so well that I recalled actual scenes where they had said some phrases. no one behaved strangely or out of character which is a problem with many of these novels. the story was deep and complex and very enjoyable. Seven has to endure some horrendous mental torture from her memories as a drone and that was interesting.
Probably more of a 3.5. Feels like a serviceable episode of Voyager dealing with Seven’s humanity. Since it’s said that Chakotay has worn the Starfleet uniform for over four years, I imagine this takes place between seasons 4 and 5. Like the Seven’s Reckoning comic I read earlier, a highlight of this story is when, toward the end, there’s a debate about ethics between Seven and Janeway, and Janeway is on the fence about how she should feel about it all. I do admit Seven’s thoughts at the very end, which indicate that she’s becoming more of an individual, are heartwarming.
I liked the perspective from Seven's thought processes, both when she's "in" her own mind and "out" of it. The nursery rhyme aspect was a bit obvious, but since it was a memory from her childhood before she was Borg, I guess it's childishness, including the belated child like realization of it's meaning, is understandable. All in all, not my favorite Star Trek Voyager book, but I still liked it. 4 stars!
A well written Trek novel accompanied by a true Trekian plot. Aliens attacked by the Borg seek revenge on their King that abandoned them in their time of need. The plot felt like one that belongs in Trek although the story does lack action. Lots of time, especially in the middle of the book, is spent on the characters and little is spent on action or adventure.
A good Seven of Nine story but long and sometimes stale.
This book was well written and original in its storyline. Seven of Nine is an interesting character as a former Borg. The story had drama and action in good measure. The plot was developed smoothly and played out interestingly. A great story of Star Trek Voyager's collection.
Nice Voyager book. Seven of Nine plot is nice but it's not the main plot of the book. As always there are two plots to follow. Even if the title of the book is "Seven of nine" and one of the plot si Senven based the book is not adding new info on Seven character. It's a good read for a trekker.
The Voyager episode Infinite Regress handled this similarly and perhaps better. maybe I just wasn't feeling the Trek vibe, but although the backstory here was interesting, it didn't sadly come to life.
Given her back story, any story involving Seven of Nine as the main character has great potential. This book did an adequate job as she was tormented by her past. Too short a story to deal with all the issues raised. I would and will read another.
This was a pretty good Star Trek book, I really enjoyed it. It gave a lot of insight into Seven's character. A couple of times the writing was a bit confusing though.
This book took a new angle on the Voyager series. We learn more about Seven of Nine and some interesting Aliens. Some interesting dealings with a dictatorship appears in book and a very interesting resolution.