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Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genesis Force
The crew of the Enterprise races against time to restore a planet devastated by the passing of the Genesis Wave in order to return the world's eight million survivors, held in stasis in transporter patterns, before it is too late, but the crew is confronted by a dense and impenetrable jungle that regrows as quickly as it is torn down.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 28, 2022
An alright book, but the writing just didn't grab me. And the premise of the story was a bit much. I know it is part of a larger series, but this fits in with a few of the ST novels that just don't quite feel like the larger established universe. It didn't help that this was a TNG novel, where the Enterprise crew felt like secondary characters. I'm all for establishing new characters and crews in this universe, but it can take more work to get them established. I think in the end I just didn't care. About the plot, the characters, the writing, etc. Much better TNG books out there.
June 23, 2019
A largely standalone coda to the TNG "Genesis Wave" series written by John Vornholt, "Genesis Force" examines the impact of the deadly wave on a non-aligned planet with mixed results. A compelling first half quickly gives way to a rushed mish-mash of fantastical ideas condensed into a second half.
Aluwna is a non-aligned planet with a hereditary monarchy style government which just happens to lie smack bang in the middle of the killzone of the deadly Genesis wave. The scientifically advanced population devise a plan to put a large part of their population in transporter stasis to ride the wave out, but encounter a series of problems along the way.
The concept is intriguing - a large scale transporter stasis system maintained across a network of satellites. We've seen this technology before: a clear nod to the principle plot device which saw Scotty enter the 24th century in TNG's "Relics". Much of the first act of the novel is spent introducing us to Aluwna's cast of characters: an elderly Overseer and his selfish narcissistic wife, the Seeress Jenoset; the political exile Marla Karuw who is against the hereditary nature of Aluwna's government; and Farlo and Candra, two street-rats who find themselves playing a big role in their planet's future.
I enjoyed the unexpected focus on a fresh, new cast of characters - Vornholt does a good job of fleshing them out with distinct, interesting voices. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but it is a divergence from the norm, and for that reason held my interest (certainly for the first half). There's a certain amount of helplessness and inevitability about the Aluwnan's fate: we know that most of the population is doomed, yet they are still determined to fight with every last resource they have to preserve their people.
When the wave does eventually strike, a mini-fleet of Klingon ships have entered the story to render aid and assistance. Naturally they are led by our bastion of Klingon morality: newly anointed Ambassador Worf. Worf is accompanied by his son Alexander and long since forgotten orphan Jeremy Aster (TNG's "The Bonding"), taking part in an officer exchange program. The latter's inclusion is perfunctory at best and doesn't add to the story in the slightest - perhaps it's just Vornholt's way of saying "hey look, I know my TNG canon!".
The inevitable conflict between the Klingons and the moss-creatures on the newly transformed Aluwna is a lot of fun to read and keeps the pace of the novel ticking along at an engaging enough speed for the middle section of the book.
Sadly, Genesis Force lost interest for me in the final third. As the Enterprise is introduced to render aid, it's simply a case of "too many cooks". Focus is largely taken off the Aluwnans and the Klingons to throw in an over-the-top coda which lurches from one unbelievable crisis to the next. Enterprise in mortal danger because of implausible event? Check. At least one Enterprise crew member in mortal danger separated from the crew? Check. Inevitable hero/villain makes good plotline? Check. Random dinosaurs/space amoebas trying to kill Deanna Troi? Check. That last one just had my eyes on a constant roll for the last three chapters. I simply have no idea quite why Vornholt decided to throw so much at the reader when he still had the main plot to wrap up. Indeed, this is what compromised the whole book for me: a thoroughly unsatisfying conclusion to the story. The Aluwnans are rescued from stasis in a throwaway line coated in technobabble. Their entry to the Federation is recommended in another throwaway sentence. And then we're back on Earth saying hello to... Jeremy Aster? Ugh. Terrible, terrible ending.
Three stars based on a solid first two-thirds. This isn't the first John Vornholt Star Trek book where the ending has soured my view, and I'm sure it won't be the last!
Aluwna is a non-aligned planet with a hereditary monarchy style government which just happens to lie smack bang in the middle of the killzone of the deadly Genesis wave. The scientifically advanced population devise a plan to put a large part of their population in transporter stasis to ride the wave out, but encounter a series of problems along the way.
The concept is intriguing - a large scale transporter stasis system maintained across a network of satellites. We've seen this technology before: a clear nod to the principle plot device which saw Scotty enter the 24th century in TNG's "Relics". Much of the first act of the novel is spent introducing us to Aluwna's cast of characters: an elderly Overseer and his selfish narcissistic wife, the Seeress Jenoset; the political exile Marla Karuw who is against the hereditary nature of Aluwna's government; and Farlo and Candra, two street-rats who find themselves playing a big role in their planet's future.
I enjoyed the unexpected focus on a fresh, new cast of characters - Vornholt does a good job of fleshing them out with distinct, interesting voices. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but it is a divergence from the norm, and for that reason held my interest (certainly for the first half). There's a certain amount of helplessness and inevitability about the Aluwnan's fate: we know that most of the population is doomed, yet they are still determined to fight with every last resource they have to preserve their people.
When the wave does eventually strike, a mini-fleet of Klingon ships have entered the story to render aid and assistance. Naturally they are led by our bastion of Klingon morality: newly anointed Ambassador Worf. Worf is accompanied by his son Alexander and long since forgotten orphan Jeremy Aster (TNG's "The Bonding"), taking part in an officer exchange program. The latter's inclusion is perfunctory at best and doesn't add to the story in the slightest - perhaps it's just Vornholt's way of saying "hey look, I know my TNG canon!".
The inevitable conflict between the Klingons and the moss-creatures on the newly transformed Aluwna is a lot of fun to read and keeps the pace of the novel ticking along at an engaging enough speed for the middle section of the book.
Sadly, Genesis Force lost interest for me in the final third. As the Enterprise is introduced to render aid, it's simply a case of "too many cooks". Focus is largely taken off the Aluwnans and the Klingons to throw in an over-the-top coda which lurches from one unbelievable crisis to the next. Enterprise in mortal danger because of implausible event? Check. At least one Enterprise crew member in mortal danger separated from the crew? Check. Inevitable hero/villain makes good plotline? Check. Random dinosaurs/space amoebas trying to kill Deanna Troi? Check. That last one just had my eyes on a constant roll for the last three chapters. I simply have no idea quite why Vornholt decided to throw so much at the reader when he still had the main plot to wrap up. Indeed, this is what compromised the whole book for me: a thoroughly unsatisfying conclusion to the story. The Aluwnans are rescued from stasis in a throwaway line coated in technobabble. Their entry to the Federation is recommended in another throwaway sentence. And then we're back on Earth saying hello to... Jeremy Aster? Ugh. Terrible, terrible ending.
Three stars based on a solid first two-thirds. This isn't the first John Vornholt Star Trek book where the ending has soured my view, and I'm sure it won't be the last!
December 26, 2013
This is a sci-fi novel, but not a Star Trek one. Our heroes from the Enterprise are just guest stars in a story that is about an alien civilization on the brink of extinction because of the Genesis Wave.
While the story is not bad in itself, it is simply something a Trekker is not expecting from a ST novel and, worst of all, it is a very bad way of closing the Genesis wave book series. Simply it is not a conclusion at all, just a collateral story that really doesn't add anything to the main Genesis storyline.
While the story is not bad in itself, it is simply something a Trekker is not expecting from a ST novel and, worst of all, it is a very bad way of closing the Genesis wave book series. Simply it is not a conclusion at all, just a collateral story that really doesn't add anything to the main Genesis storyline.
May 29, 2019
This should be called Genesis Wave book 4 it continues seamlessly from the other 3 books, This was a great story told well, I will be waiting for the movie, I think it would be one of the greats if they did it. This was a Good Read but do read the other three books first.
October 4, 2020
I have found one thing you should NEVER say when reading the Genesis Wave saga is... it can't possibly get any worse.
The first book Geordi was acting mildly out of character. The second book did the same for Riker. The third book was really an original characters novel with TNG characters operating on side sidelines. Picard acted out of characters with a really rushed explanation was evemtually tapped in but seemed to come out of left field.
But this one... dear lord.
It's like Vornholt wrote a first draft of half of an original sci-fi novel about a doomed planet. He couldn't sell it it. He added Worf to the prologue. Rewrote what he had written to have little tidbits of Trek stuff to tie it into his Genesis Books and when he got about halfway through the rewrite he remembered this was SUPPOSED to be a Star Trek book.
Even then, 90% of the real action and resolution doesn't come from the characters we know. They come from people from planet of the month. Or from Sleven and Regimol from the last book. Okay, Vornholt sort of pays lip service to TNG by giving Alexander a big part. But this is a grown up Alexander so divorced from the version we saw on TNG or even DS9 that you could just as easily called him B'hobb the Klingon and the story itself wouldn't have been all that different.
I'm not saying Star Trek novels have to feature characters from movies and shows. Writing a Star Trek novel with new characters can be done well. Diane Duane used to do it all the time. So did Peter David. I like most of the new characters in the Titan books and those are multiauthor. I don't really care when they sorta squeeze Riker, Troi and Tuvok out of the book. I adored the Department of Temporal Investigations novels. The trick is to do something to make the new characters interesting. Give us a reason to care about them. Vornholt doesn't QUITE succeed with any of them.
Worst of all, the happyish ending to the story seems not only rushed but counter to the enitre tone of the novel. But then again, giving the Genesis Wave/Genesis Force saga a definitive ending means there isn't a book five for i guess I should count my blessings.
Oh and all that being said... still not the worse Star Trek book I've ever read. I've seen a hell of a lot worse. But just because I've seen worse doesn't I recommend anyone else read this one.
The first book Geordi was acting mildly out of character. The second book did the same for Riker. The third book was really an original characters novel with TNG characters operating on side sidelines. Picard acted out of characters with a really rushed explanation was evemtually tapped in but seemed to come out of left field.
But this one... dear lord.
It's like Vornholt wrote a first draft of half of an original sci-fi novel about a doomed planet. He couldn't sell it it. He added Worf to the prologue. Rewrote what he had written to have little tidbits of Trek stuff to tie it into his Genesis Books and when he got about halfway through the rewrite he remembered this was SUPPOSED to be a Star Trek book.
Even then, 90% of the real action and resolution doesn't come from the characters we know. They come from people from planet of the month. Or from Sleven and Regimol from the last book. Okay, Vornholt sort of pays lip service to TNG by giving Alexander a big part. But this is a grown up Alexander so divorced from the version we saw on TNG or even DS9 that you could just as easily called him B'hobb the Klingon and the story itself wouldn't have been all that different.
I'm not saying Star Trek novels have to feature characters from movies and shows. Writing a Star Trek novel with new characters can be done well. Diane Duane used to do it all the time. So did Peter David. I like most of the new characters in the Titan books and those are multiauthor. I don't really care when they sorta squeeze Riker, Troi and Tuvok out of the book. I adored the Department of Temporal Investigations novels. The trick is to do something to make the new characters interesting. Give us a reason to care about them. Vornholt doesn't QUITE succeed with any of them.
Worst of all, the happyish ending to the story seems not only rushed but counter to the enitre tone of the novel. But then again, giving the Genesis Wave/Genesis Force saga a definitive ending means there isn't a book five for i guess I should count my blessings.
Oh and all that being said... still not the worse Star Trek book I've ever read. I've seen a hell of a lot worse. But just because I've seen worse doesn't I recommend anyone else read this one.
June 27, 2021
For those of us who were quietly mourning the lack of Worf in the Genesis Wave trilogy, Genesis Force immediately makes up for that by showing us exactly what Ambassador Worf was doing when the first wave hit.
I was surprised by this. In my characteristic haste, I jumped in without reading the blurb and had presumed that Genesis Force was going to be about the cleanup process following after the events of the Genesis Wave trilogy. I was also hoping that it would fill in much of the unanswered background details but instead we've got one more perspective of the same catastrophe.
I enjoyed the story but I might have liked it even more if the previous trilogy didn't come first.
I was surprised by this. In my characteristic haste, I jumped in without reading the blurb and had presumed that Genesis Force was going to be about the cleanup process following after the events of the Genesis Wave trilogy. I was also hoping that it would fill in much of the unanswered background details but instead we've got one more perspective of the same catastrophe.
I enjoyed the story but I might have liked it even more if the previous trilogy didn't come first.
April 24, 2023
I thought this was an enjoyable and well read space opera story. There are many existential dilemmas that are common to a Star Trek. I would possibly read this story if it wasn't a Star Trek story. To that point, it kind of wasn't a Star Trek story. I was disappointed at how little the main Next Gen crew was in the book. Worf appeared for a bit in a prologue and then the rest of the crew of the Enterprise-E didn't show up until close to the end of the book.
October 9, 2023
A completely unnecessary book in an underwhelming story arc.
January 22, 2024
These are my least favourite kinds of Star Trek novels - that focus more on the world and what is there and less on the characters who we actually want to read about. I felt like this was a story that was cobbled together from the "deleted scenes" of the prior 3 books and then they bring in the Enterprise in the last 1/3 of the book because it needs to be a TNG story. That's at least why it was given a second star is that I actually liked the tail end of the book, it was the first 2/3s I didn't care for especially since I felt that all of the plot points were irrelevant in the end as they were all taken care of in the last chapter of the book. Vornholt does such a great job with the TNG characters, I wish he would have stuck to them closer here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2015
Genesis Force is a fitting B-story for The Genesis Wave, Book 1 and 2. It does a good job of focusing on the outcome for a single world and it's key inhabitants.
The planet Aluwna lies in the path of the deadly Genesis wave, a force with the power to destroy all life on a planet to be replaced with alien flora and fauna. The only hope for the inhabitants is a discredited scientist with a plan to protect the inhabitants with a trick of science.
Tim Russ again provides excellent narration, differentiated characters and intonations. The focus on individual characters, none of whom are perfect is a welcome change. Especially after The Genesis Wave: Book 3 of 3's ending left quite a sugary taste in my mouth. A good balance is stuck between at least 4 factions, none of whom is portrayed as without a reason for their actions.
Detracting from this are a few odd choices. Such as moss infecting satellites that wouldn't re-materialize anything inside themselves, a murder investigation handled by an alien engineer when there are so many law enforcers around. I guess Mr Vornholt needed a plot device or 2.
All and all, an improvement over the last installment.
The planet Aluwna lies in the path of the deadly Genesis wave, a force with the power to destroy all life on a planet to be replaced with alien flora and fauna. The only hope for the inhabitants is a discredited scientist with a plan to protect the inhabitants with a trick of science.
Tim Russ again provides excellent narration, differentiated characters and intonations. The focus on individual characters, none of whom are perfect is a welcome change. Especially after The Genesis Wave: Book 3 of 3's ending left quite a sugary taste in my mouth. A good balance is stuck between at least 4 factions, none of whom is portrayed as without a reason for their actions.
Detracting from this are a few odd choices. Such as moss infecting satellites that wouldn't re-materialize anything inside themselves, a murder investigation handled by an alien engineer when there are so many law enforcers around. I guess Mr Vornholt needed a plot device or 2.
All and all, an improvement over the last installment.
August 28, 2013
An odd choice of story for the 4th in the series. A planet is in the way of the genesis wave, you see them preparing for it, dealing with it, and trying to cope after it. It's more about the people on the planet than being a proper next gen story. The characters are engaging and you do care what happens with them. The inclusion of Worf as an ambassador is the only way this can be classed as next gen. So don't get disappointed if you are expecting the full crew. A good read.
February 18, 2012
A weaponized Genesis wave hits a planet where the leaders have stored as many of their people's molecules in transporter satelittes. But internal politics and new invaders make their survival uncertain.
Some interesting new characters as well as returning favorites and a suspenseful story are narrated by Tim Russ (from Voyager).
A very fun story
Some interesting new characters as well as returning favorites and a suspenseful story are narrated by Tim Russ (from Voyager).
A very fun story
April 8, 2014
A terrible addition to a series that should've ended in Book II.
I struggled to finish this, as the story was mediocre, and the crew of the Enterprise were but a backseat audience in this horrid novel.
I struggled to finish this, as the story was mediocre, and the crew of the Enterprise were but a backseat audience in this horrid novel.
October 3, 2015
Much like the Genesis Wave books, this one had an interesting premise. Sadly, the writing wasn't up to par. People acted out of character and the whole thing felt more like a list of events than it did a story.
March 16, 2009
I was hoping this would be better than the third book in the series, it was not. I think I am going to put off Star Trek novels for a while. This one left a bad taste in my mouth.
March 9, 2013
Once I got into it it was a good read, from a slightly different angle. Concentrates more on the victims than the trek characters, but enough of Worf to still be a STNG story.
October 5, 2013
transporter buffer, as Noah’s Ark, wolf like Klingon death howl, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, rather have real pain then false pleasure, wear the sash.
August 18, 2015
as audiobook. super great production, wonderful for driving. so much fun! old school radio drama for the star trek set.
December 31, 2016
The original Genesis arc should have ended in book 2. This installment was not necessary or particularly interesting.
November 12, 2015
great story
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews