Miracle Workers

Starfleet Corps of Engineers #2

by John J. Ordover, Kevin Dilmore, David Mack

STARFLEET CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Their motto: Have tech, will travel

Need to build a subspace accelerator while under attack by a deadly local predator? Need to rescue a starship from interphase without getting trapped there yourself? Call in the Starfleet Corps of Engineers team, specifically the crack team from the U.S.S. da Vinci. Under the guidance of Captain David Gold and his first officer, former Starship Enterprise™ engineer Commander Sonya Gomez, the crew of the da Vinci can construct six impossible things before breakfast.

Overseen by Captain Montgomery Scott from his office at Starfleet Headquarters, the S.C.E. crew put their lives on the line to rescue a space station from catastrophe, and face off against a deadly alien race of technology thieves with the aid of Lieutenant Nog from Space Station Deep Space 9 ™.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Ebooks

464 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say this is a solid sequel to the original SCE omnibus and everyone who enjoyed the first one will probably enjoy the second one every bit as much. The one problem I had with the book is the fact that it includes an archenemy of the USS Da Vinchi showing up that never appeared in any of the previous books. I felt confused rather than intrigued. On the other hand, the final novella of the book is fantastic. It's basically a combination of THE GHOST IN THE DARKNESS and HEART OF DARKNESS in space! Sonya Gomez vs. a monstrous pair of killers stalking her dig site. This was a fantastic story.

[Trev · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to pass the time, but not the best SCE by any stretch of the imagination. I enjoyed the first one a great deal so read this book expectantly. Whilst I wasn't disappointed, I was very under-whelmed.
The first story was as strong as the first SCE book finished that story nicely. The second and third didn't play as well as I'd hoped.

I'll try and explain (I'm trying to do this without leaving spoilers...). The second story involves Nog from DS9 and the interplay with him just doesn't feel right. The SCE team don't come across as likeable and then when Nog comes up with a plan (a fairly simple plan it has to be said) everyone suddenly wants him to join the SCE.
The third story is a decent storyline (though often seen before in Trek) and is enjoyable, but misses the interaction and humour that makes the novels so enjoyable.
The book does also include a minipedia for SCE which is useful and worth flicking through. If your a geek like me you'll enjoy the references that help tie everything in with the rest of the Trek universe.

The stories presented are well written and are worth reading but come out weaker in comparison to book 1.

[Bryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first volume. I read the first one because I received it free when I downloaded the eReader software for my Palm smartphone.

And I read the second book because one of the stories was left on a cliffhanger in the first book, and it was continued here.

But really, this was not as good, and I likely will not read any more.

At least it was short and I was able to read it without too much effort.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interphase, book 2: This is a direct continuation of Interphase, book 1. Which was in the previous omnibus and it has been years since I read that. As such, I couldn't really remember much about it. But the fragments of memory of the previous story with the hints/reminders in this volume were enough to fully follow the story. Which is about retrieving the Classic Trek era USS Defiant from an interspatial rift. On-screen, this ship disappeared, the Enterprise tried to get it back, and failed. In this story, we find our Engineering heroes split between the USS da Vinci and the Defiant. Where the crew on the Da Vinci is trying not to get blown up by Tholians, and the gang on the Defiant is trying to escape the rift. The whole thing feels like a proper episode, and ends with a heroic saving of the Defiant from the rift and bringing her home. Lovely end for this trusty ship. Just a shame that some three years after this story was published, it was revealed in an Enterprise episode that the Defiant was lured into the rift and captured by our 'friends' from the Mirror Universe. Leading to quite a different fate for this ship.
⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Cold Fusion: Here the crew is asked to help Lieutenant Nog of Deep Space 9 to retrieve a fusion core from DS9's sister station Empok Nor. Once there, they find the station has been claimed by another alien race who is trying to turn it into a mobile weapons platform. Apparently, these aliens have been encountered in one of the previous stories, but I could not remember. I found this story to be too much surface, not enough depth. And the way the Da Vinci crew treated Nog was disrespectful. He is, at this point, the Chief of Operations on DS9 and a Lieutenant. You do not get to dismiss him, and actually call him 'kid' just because he looks like one. I expect better from Starfleet personnel. The aliens felt like an afterthought, showing up, and then just leaving after getting a minor beating. Despite the advanced tech they clearly have. The ending was rushed, glossing over the feat of moving the entirety of Empok Nor to DS9 in favour of speeding off to the next adventure.
⭐⭐

Invincible: During the previous story, Sonya Gomez was not present. Sonya is the First Officer of the Da Vinci, and the person in charge of the Engineering crew. While the rest is helping Nog, she has been sent to a distant planet on a special mission. The Nalor, who have been keeping the Federation away for centuries have finally approached and asked for help. They have a planet teeming with a useful resource, but no way to get it off planet. So they must build a special transport system to basically shoot the stuff into space where the refinery is. In comes Sonya who once wrote a paper on this. Complications: In Nalor culture, women are seen as lower, and do not work these kinds of jobs. So her being in charge, and of the Federation is a double no-no. Add to that the presence of monsters who seem to randomly kill the workers, and an atmosphere that only allows communication off-planet twice per day.... The story was told through Sonya's log entries, letters home by some of the Nalor crew and transcripts of recordings. It's a format I really enjoyed. The Nalor culture and how that affected the behaviour of the workmen and the events that transpire was well built. I also liked the mystery around what the monsters are and why they attack.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interphase: Book Two – Well I liked the conclusion of this two parter and how Duffy was forced to stretch himself as a caption of the ship and Corsi making sure that he stayed on his toes as a commander. Gold and the crew on the Defiant were also a great part of the story as they had to struggle with getting the ship out of the interphase before they lost their minds. Where I felt it was a little weaker was when the Defiant emerged and its impact in the battle. As the book even states it’s a 100 year old ship, would its phasers at not full power really be that devastating to a TNG era Tholian ship? The da Vinci I could believe being that impactful but the story sure seemed to be setting up the Defiant to be thrown into the oncoming net and then threw a curveball. Perhaps that was the intention but it was just a bit too much of a stretch for me to believe. However, it did give the nice ending for the book but at what cost? AT WHAT COST?! 4/5

Cold Fusion - Okay this series likes its guests stars and that's what Nog is this time. Going to Empok Nor is always a fun ride so I enioyed that aspect of the story and they don't even go in ignorant. However I felt ignorant about the whole Androssi thing. Did I miss a story? The book assumed I knew about the events they were referencing but I couldn't think of it. I remembered the bugs on The Beast but not the Androssi guys. Anyways that annoyed me more than anything so I had to just push past it whenever it was referenced. Liked everything else though. 4/5

Invincible – Well I liked this one at first until I realized it was plagiarizing The Ghost and the Darkness that I almost wondered if there was a lawsuit. I think the only thing protecting it was that the Ghost and the Darkness was based off a real-life historical event so there is probably a grey area in there. The whole story being told through logs and letters was very reminiscent of Dracula so I thought that was neat but it went off that format a few times. I think it could have been done better with a testimony at a trial or something instead of intermixing her logs and his letters to make a bit of a mess for how the finale came about. I like both these authors so it kind of bums me out at their lack of originality for the story but the monster is cool and what it is makes the story more interesting as it keeps decapitating everyone. Wanted to score it higher but the rip off story was too much. 3/5

Minipedia – Not a story but a reference guide for the SCE series. I think this was a great addition and resource to have. Can’t really evaluate it so I won’t add it to the score but just mention that I liked its addition as a majority of the SCE characters are either new or minor characters within Star Trek.


3.7/5 Stars – so 4

[James Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

We now have a series of books based on enginers in Star Trek and it is a quite interesting series with well-done characters and enough things going on to please just about everyone.

One story revolves around getting a 'lost' constitution star ship out of a strange form of space while, at the same time, trying to deal with Tholians who are not exactly friendly. We also learn McCoy is at a starbase and Worf is now an ambassador.

The second story involves Nog from Deep Space 9 and a Cardassian space station. There's also a story where a lot of stuff seems to be breaking down and then a listing of various sub-stories in the first two books which, frankly, I don't think was necessary at all. It loses a star for that.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

We'll call this 3.5 stars -- it's not quite as strong as the first book, as the second story involving Nog and DS9 isn't up to the level of the two stories that bookend it. There's also a mini-SCE encyclopedia at the end to help with some information for newbies...but I would have preferred another story. A fairly satisfying diversion.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why, exactly, but I'm really enjoying the SCE series.

Like the first volume, this is an omnibus edition of some novellas which had previously been available separately.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Smooth Read

I always have enjoyed DeCandido's writing style, smooth and not tiresome. I look forward to many new books written by him.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the greatest Star Trek book in my opinion. It really leaves something to desire in my opinion.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first omnibus.

[Jonne Steen Redeker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The SCE's adventures continue in the second omnibus in the series, which goes from escaping a tholian web, to surviving on a planet where both flora and fauna are crystalline.

It picks up right where the last one's cliffhanger left off, rescuing the stranded crew from the Defiant in interphase, Duffy really shines here as he is thrust in command in what could easily turn into an interstellar diplomatic incident if not a shooting war. After this our crew goes on a mission to Empok Nor, DS9's sister station. Accompanying them is fan favourite Nog, the first Ferengi in Starfleet. It seems that the previous story has given Duffy a rather inflated sense of ego, because he treats the poor "kid" like an ass. It seems a bit out of character, but it is actually dealt with within the pages, and will be referenced again later. These kinds of inconsistencies are likely unavoidable in a series with multiple authors. Then finally we have the story of Sonya Gomez stranded on a beautiful but very dangerous planet. This one is told entirely from log entries, and makes for a gripping story. Her character growth is obvious, and the story will effect all those that come after it.

Another great set of stories from the SCE, it is really nice to see the seeds being layed for later overarching stories to come, they felt a lot more subtle on my first reading but they stand out a lot more now. In particular Elizabeth's seeming over reliance on her EMH is handled rather well, it is believable that she does not see a problem with it, but it should send of some alarm bells in the readers.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Miracle Workers' consists of: 'Interphase: Book Two', 'Cold Fusion', 'Invincible', and the 'Star Trek: S.C.E. Minipedia'. I thought all of the stories were mediocre. I just never really got into them. I was afraid of too much technobabble, which though present, was not overwhelming.

Interphase: Book Two - The crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci try to salvage an old ship, U.S.S. Defiant (TOS), from intersphase in Tholian space. I found some of the plot points forced or contrived. I might just be missing some context from the first book since it has been a long time since I read it.

Cold Fusion - The da Vinci is sent to help Nog obtain a fusion core for DS9 from Empok Nor. I liked this story best from the set. I did not fully buy the plot, but there was more interesting crew interaction / background.

Invincible - Sonya Gomez is on temporary assignment to help mining operations on a planet. The story was an interesting idea, but the series of mistakes and subsequent deaths seemed unbecoming of a capable Starfleet officer. I was surprised Sonya was not more traumatized by the ordeal (or more competent at dealing with it), given that she was so scarred from her encounter with the Borg.

Star Trek: S.C.E. Minipedia - Glossary as pertains to the S.C.E.

[reherrma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im 2. Sammelband von "Star Trek: Corps of Engineers" wird der Kurzromen "Interphase" von Dayton Ward und Kevin Dilmore fortgesetzt, bei dem die Besatzung der DA VINCI das historische Wrack eines Schiffes aus der Kirk-Ära zu retten versucht, das in einem Dimensionsspalt gefangen ist.
Unglücklicherweise wird die Rettungsaktion durch die Tholianische Versammlung gestört und angegriffen, aber die listigen Ingenieure finden wie immer einen Ausweg aus der gefährlichen Situation. Die beiden anderen Geschichten des Bandes sind nicht weniger spannend und mit großem Vergnügen zu lesen, besonders die witzigen Momente, wie z.B. die Bemerkung Montgomery Scotts über die Aufgabe des Ingenieurs "Normen sind nur eine grobe Handlungsanweisung, die Aufgabe des Ingenieurs ist, möglichst kreativ darum herumzunavigieren", sind immer für einen Lacher gut.
Die letzte Geschichte, in der es um eine Ingenieurs-Aufgaben inmitten einer lebensfeindlichen Umgebung und inmitten von Fremden- und Frauenfeindlichen Mitarbeitern geht, ist wieder ein Cliffhanger zu einem dritten Sammelband.
Insgesamt mit Vergnügen zu lesen, ohne jedoch einen literarischen Leckerbissen verpasst zu bekommen, macht Spaß wie ein Big Mac, aber wenige Tage später sind die Highlights vergessen...

[Robert R · Rating 3 out of 5]

The adventures of the S.C.E. continue

This book continues to follow the crew as we left them in the end of book 1. Episodic in nature, we see Gomez and her crew in a new story trying to assist an alien race. Geordi LaForge is still on the daVinci but his character takes a backseat role her letting Sonya Gomez and her crew lead. A quick easy read, looking forward to book 3.

[Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of four stories, better on average than the first four, including one cleverly done story. The first story finishes up the cliff hanger from the first collection. Having read the first 8 stories from the S.C.E., I have to say they are pretty enjoyable.

[Leo Matoush · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't mind the first 2 stories, they were nice homages to the TOS and DS9, but the 3rd one just ticked me off. It was Ghost in the Darkness in Star Trek.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing short stories. I rather enjoyed them. =)