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Star Trek: Titan #2
The Red King
Investigating the disappearance of a secret Romulan fleet, the U.S.S. Titan, commanded by Captain William Riker, is unexpectedly propelled more than 200,000 light-years into the Small Magellanic Cloud. One of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies, the Cloud is also home to the Neyel, the long-sundered offshoots of Terran humanity, with whom the Federation has had no contact in over eighty years.Nearby, Riker's uncertain ally, Commander Donatra of the Romulan Warbird Valdore, rescues a young Neyel, the survivor of a mysterious cosmic upheaval that seems at times to be both unraveling and reweaving the very fabric of space...the fulfillment of an apocalyptic vision that has already claimed millions of lives. Titan's science team soon finds evidence that the ravaging of Neyel space is the work of a vast and powerful the stirrings of a dormant consciousness that is maintaining the existence of the Small Magellanic Cloud -- and all life within it -- from one moment to the next. And if it should awaken, the consequences are unimaginable.As Riker considers his options, his new crew struggles with the scientific and philosophical implications of what they've discovered...while the young Neyel in their midst forges a bond with the captain, conjuring old ghosts Riker has yet to lay to rest.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2005
135 people are currently reading
689 people want to read
About the author
Andy Mangels
152 books44 followersAndy Mangels is an American science fiction author who has written novels, comics, and magazine articles, and produced DVD collections, mostly focusing on media in popular culture. As an openly-gay man, he has been a longtime advocate for greater visibility of gay and lesbian characters in various media, especially comics, including the coordination and moderation of the annual "Gays in Comics" panel for Comic Con International since it was begun in 1988. He is the founder of an annual "Women of Wonder Day" event, which raises funds for domestic violence shelters and related programs. As of 2011 he has had books on the USA Today "best-selling books" list three times. wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
July 16, 2022
This one was a bit tough to finish; I didn't enjoy it all that much. Hopefully, the later volumes will be better.
October 17, 2018
I find it quite hard to rate this book. I think it would be 2.5 stars for me. Tending to 3 but actually I read a lot better Star Trek books
What I liked:
the variety of characters and life forms
that a lot background from TNG and Vanguard was involved
that Tuvok played a role
that racism and superiority of humans within the Star Fleet was reflected
What I disliked:
the plot was actually not that exciting
belabouring on the deep connection between Riker and Deanna and that they sense what the other thinks and feel ALL THE TIME. Take a break, we got it. No need to mention it like 50 times
that the topic of racism, which was so central, then was just wiped away with a mediocre gesture
What I liked:
the variety of characters and life forms
that a lot background from TNG and Vanguard was involved
that Tuvok played a role
that racism and superiority of humans within the Star Fleet was reflected
What I disliked:
the plot was actually not that exciting
belabouring on the deep connection between Riker and Deanna and that they sense what the other thinks and feel ALL THE TIME. Take a break, we got it. No need to mention it like 50 times
that the topic of racism, which was so central, then was just wiped away with a mediocre gesture
May 31, 2024
This book takes a marked departure from the first book in the series (Taking Wing). Book 1 is much more of a political thriller book, much like the TNG and DS9 storytelling style, whereas this book features the traditional exploration and stranded themes that are more familiar with the Original Series and Voyager.
The idea that Titan is thrown way out of the galaxy, but this time they know how to get back quickly, creates a very different dynamic than Voyager or The Next Generation. Rather, it allows for there to be small stakes for the story, but you don't feel roped into a multi-book series trying to get home.
This book handles its characters servicably. None of them really stand out (except for the new character Frane and returning character Donatra). I found the Titan crew the least interesting part of the book.
The themes in this book are very strong, particularly those about interferring with another group and also putting the needs of others ahead of your own.
The story itself is actually really interesting, and I was most intrigued by the way that the Romulans would deal with the Klingons and how they both would deal with the new species and with Starfleet in this new system.
There is a really strong chapter depicting the backstory of Tuvok and Akaar. That backstory chapter was really exciting and thrilling, but the rest of their subplot was mediocre.
Overall, an entertaining book, but nowhere near the upper eschelons of Star Trek books. 7 out of 10.
The idea that Titan is thrown way out of the galaxy, but this time they know how to get back quickly, creates a very different dynamic than Voyager or The Next Generation. Rather, it allows for there to be small stakes for the story, but you don't feel roped into a multi-book series trying to get home.
This book handles its characters servicably. None of them really stand out (except for the new character Frane and returning character Donatra). I found the Titan crew the least interesting part of the book.
The themes in this book are very strong, particularly those about interferring with another group and also putting the needs of others ahead of your own.
The story itself is actually really interesting, and I was most intrigued by the way that the Romulans would deal with the Klingons and how they both would deal with the new species and with Starfleet in this new system.
There is a really strong chapter depicting the backstory of Tuvok and Akaar. That backstory chapter was really exciting and thrilling, but the rest of their subplot was mediocre.
Overall, an entertaining book, but nowhere near the upper eschelons of Star Trek books. 7 out of 10.
January 31, 2018
The science in this one made very little sense. First the forming universe contains intelligent life (ok, plausible, if a stretch) -- and then it itself is alive and intelligent???
Nonetheless, worth a read.
Nonetheless, worth a read.
July 3, 2019
While it was a lot of fun revisiting the Neyel, I could see some frustration reading this novel if you haven't previously read The Sundered. However, this was a fascinating story with some great character moments, and a good conclusion to the beginning of Titan's mission of exploration. Some of the science was a bit suspect, and the plot got pretty convoluted towards the end, but overall I enjoyed the story and it made me eager to read on for more adventures of Captain Riker and the U.S.S. Titan.
Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2019/07/red-k...
Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2019/07/red-k...
November 22, 2022
Much like the previous Titan book, this is a bit of a let down. Once again the core "mission" of the series is derailed as a big event gets in the way of introducing us to this new cast of characters and I'm still quite lost as to who is who on the ship. I can't quite get over what a bizarre decision this approach was.
The adventure itself isn't a terrible one and has a suitably epic scope. Donatra is an interesting enough character and gives a nice Romulan perspective to the events happening. Riker begins to show his leadership style and Christine Vale remains a character I really enjoy. I can't say the same about the awful Admiral Akaar, who has been hanging around for several novels now and drains the energy out of every scene he's in.
I hope this series is finally about to get on track with book 3.
The adventure itself isn't a terrible one and has a suitably epic scope. Donatra is an interesting enough character and gives a nice Romulan perspective to the events happening. Riker begins to show his leadership style and Christine Vale remains a character I really enjoy. I can't say the same about the awful Admiral Akaar, who has been hanging around for several novels now and drains the energy out of every scene he's in.
I hope this series is finally about to get on track with book 3.
December 26, 2015
I really liked this one. The crew begins to form. LT Christine vale becomes Riker's first officer. Promoted twice to become commander. She doesn't like the idea that deanna is part of his crew. Vale is promoted twice just to take the first officer spot. Admiral Akkaar is on board as well to see how Captain Riker adjusts to command and making command decisions. He does not like the fact that Wil picks humans for his command staff citing the fact that he has mostly a non human crew. Though he does note how well his crew has gelled as a team with him in a short space of time when normal crews take years.
July 6, 2015
The second in the Titan books has our new crew stranded far from home. It is great fun to see such a diverse cast of characters and meet some new alien races. Interesting to see where the Titan goes next!
October 29, 2024
not as fun as the first but a fun adventure. cant decide if donatra is written they way she was in nemesis. first time i thought it was all wrong then i think on this read it might be more in line. dont remember reading her as a main character after this point so im not too hung up on it.
September 17, 2019
Star Trek: Titan: The Red King by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels is the second book of the series. Continuing directly off from Taking Wing, it follows Captain William T. Riker and his wife Ambassador Deanna Troi as they continue their exploration of universe with the crew of the U.S.S Titan.
The premise of the Titan series is that Captain Riker and his wife are being sent on essentially the same mission as Captain James T. Kirk. They're taking their Luna-class starship out into the reaches of space to boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone before. Part of the humor of last book derived from the fact they were hijacked from this mission to help with the Romulan government's rebuilding.
They get hijacked from this mission again, no spoilers, fairly early in this book. However, it does nicely settle our heroes back down in the usual Star Trek pattern of exploration. They encounter a new civilization (or semi-new since the one featured in this book was apparently introduced in a previous novel), discover a crisis, and basically have to deal with all the fallout from this crisis.
What changes in this book is that the nature of a novel means that there's no limit to the "budget" that the authors can work with. As a result, the events depicted are staggeringly more epic and grandiose than Captain Kirk usually had to deal with. Well, maybe not Captain Kirk, he often had to deal with planet-eating monsters and worse. Ditto Picard. Okay, Sisko too. Never mind, bad example. What's important is that a lot of stuff happens that we could never see on screen.
Likewise, the novel is a great deal darker than the usual Star Trek fair. Not dark like Troi's unnecessary rape in Star Trek: Nemesis but dark like massive disasters occurring. I'm not a big fan of portraying huge tragedies in space opera as being less important than the individual ones. Alderaan blowing up is a billion times bigger disaster than Obi Wan Kenobi, no matter how much I like Sir Alec Guinness' portrayal.
One of the things I like about Star Trek is the fundamental optimism of Roddenberry's vision. I actually disliked it in Star Trek: Voyager when they left Vidiian space without curing the Phage. As an adolescent, I assumed that the natural end to the Vidiian storyline would be the crew saving their enemies because that's what Star Trek heroes do. When the crew abandoned the Vidiians to a horrific, if well-earned, fate I was left nonplussed.
Here, Riker is largely powerless against the kind of events he's arrayed against and must really struggle to achieve any lasting result. Indeed, futility and the struggle against overwhelming despair is a major theme of the book. In the end, it affected my overall enjoyment because I get enough darkness in my day-to-day life that I'd rather avoid it in my Star Trek. One of the reasons I quit reading Star Wars books is I couldn't stand how gritty and "realistic" they'd made the series after the New Jedi Order.
Ironically, some of the lightest fair in the book comes from the interaction between Commander Donatra and the Klingons. The Romulans and the Klingons were ostensibly allies in the original Star Trek series but quickly became mortal enemies in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Here, there's a great deal of humor derived from the utter loathing the two groups have for one another. I hope Commander Donatra continues to play a role in the series because she never ceases to entertain.
Despite this book being about Captain Riker and his wife, the real stars of the story are Admiral Leonard James Akaar and Tuvok. The two of them were said to have had a long-lasting friendship in the previous Titan novel only for it to have fallen apart over an unexplained event in their past. Here, we discover the root of that conflict and see how the two react to having it once more shoved in their faces. This is, by far, the most compelling plot thread of the book.
I'm only familiar with Admiral Akaar from the previous novel and a short cameo he made in Star Trek: Online. However, the book indicates he's a much better established character in the Star Trek Expanded Universe than I would know about. In a way, he's sort of an anti-Vulcan, embracing cultural passion and emotional displays at the expense of logic. Oddly, it makes his friendship with Tuvok all the more believable to me.
Tuvok, on the other hand, gets a chance to shine as part of the U.S.S Titan cast that he never really got to do as part of Voyager. I salute the authors for making use of a much-underused character in a way that makes sense and is interesting.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, though not as much as Taking Wing. The relentless darkness of the tragedies the crew have to deal with along with the inability of the heroes to have a meaningful effect on it undercut my appreciation. The character interaction is fine, even if I didn't find it particularly ground-breaking.
As a result, I'm going to have to give the book a 6.5 out of 10. The extra .5 comes from the amusement I derived from Commander Donatra and the Klingons.
The premise of the Titan series is that Captain Riker and his wife are being sent on essentially the same mission as Captain James T. Kirk. They're taking their Luna-class starship out into the reaches of space to boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone before. Part of the humor of last book derived from the fact they were hijacked from this mission to help with the Romulan government's rebuilding.
They get hijacked from this mission again, no spoilers, fairly early in this book. However, it does nicely settle our heroes back down in the usual Star Trek pattern of exploration. They encounter a new civilization (or semi-new since the one featured in this book was apparently introduced in a previous novel), discover a crisis, and basically have to deal with all the fallout from this crisis.
What changes in this book is that the nature of a novel means that there's no limit to the "budget" that the authors can work with. As a result, the events depicted are staggeringly more epic and grandiose than Captain Kirk usually had to deal with. Well, maybe not Captain Kirk, he often had to deal with planet-eating monsters and worse. Ditto Picard. Okay, Sisko too. Never mind, bad example. What's important is that a lot of stuff happens that we could never see on screen.
Likewise, the novel is a great deal darker than the usual Star Trek fair. Not dark like Troi's unnecessary rape in Star Trek: Nemesis but dark like massive disasters occurring. I'm not a big fan of portraying huge tragedies in space opera as being less important than the individual ones. Alderaan blowing up is a billion times bigger disaster than Obi Wan Kenobi, no matter how much I like Sir Alec Guinness' portrayal.
One of the things I like about Star Trek is the fundamental optimism of Roddenberry's vision. I actually disliked it in Star Trek: Voyager when they left Vidiian space without curing the Phage. As an adolescent, I assumed that the natural end to the Vidiian storyline would be the crew saving their enemies because that's what Star Trek heroes do. When the crew abandoned the Vidiians to a horrific, if well-earned, fate I was left nonplussed.
Here, Riker is largely powerless against the kind of events he's arrayed against and must really struggle to achieve any lasting result. Indeed, futility and the struggle against overwhelming despair is a major theme of the book. In the end, it affected my overall enjoyment because I get enough darkness in my day-to-day life that I'd rather avoid it in my Star Trek. One of the reasons I quit reading Star Wars books is I couldn't stand how gritty and "realistic" they'd made the series after the New Jedi Order.
Ironically, some of the lightest fair in the book comes from the interaction between Commander Donatra and the Klingons. The Romulans and the Klingons were ostensibly allies in the original Star Trek series but quickly became mortal enemies in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Here, there's a great deal of humor derived from the utter loathing the two groups have for one another. I hope Commander Donatra continues to play a role in the series because she never ceases to entertain.
Despite this book being about Captain Riker and his wife, the real stars of the story are Admiral Leonard James Akaar and Tuvok. The two of them were said to have had a long-lasting friendship in the previous Titan novel only for it to have fallen apart over an unexplained event in their past. Here, we discover the root of that conflict and see how the two react to having it once more shoved in their faces. This is, by far, the most compelling plot thread of the book.
I'm only familiar with Admiral Akaar from the previous novel and a short cameo he made in Star Trek: Online. However, the book indicates he's a much better established character in the Star Trek Expanded Universe than I would know about. In a way, he's sort of an anti-Vulcan, embracing cultural passion and emotional displays at the expense of logic. Oddly, it makes his friendship with Tuvok all the more believable to me.
Tuvok, on the other hand, gets a chance to shine as part of the U.S.S Titan cast that he never really got to do as part of Voyager. I salute the authors for making use of a much-underused character in a way that makes sense and is interesting.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, though not as much as Taking Wing. The relentless darkness of the tragedies the crew have to deal with along with the inability of the heroes to have a meaningful effect on it undercut my appreciation. The character interaction is fine, even if I didn't find it particularly ground-breaking.
As a result, I'm going to have to give the book a 6.5 out of 10. The extra .5 comes from the amusement I derived from Commander Donatra and the Klingons.
May 21, 2018
The Red King picks off straight away from the previous book with Riker and Crew of the Titan facing the fact that they have taken a shortcut 200,000 light years out of their way! :D As the story progresses they find themselves, along with some initially reluctant Romulans, up to their necks in a mass evacuation as the Neyel coreworld Oghen is busily being torn about by the same emerging universe that is giving Riker and the Romulans so much trouble! :D
The action is daringly staged throughout with many of the crew engaged in search and rescue operations throughout the book and we get to catch up with them as they engage in this giving all the characters such as Riker, Troi, Tuvok, Akaar, Cethente, Ree etc all all a lot more scree/page time! :D This really develops the crew of the Titan even more giving them all much more character development in that we can see that they are all continuing to bond as a crew and to flesh out their backstories even more than before! :D This gives the gives the crew a great feeling of camaraderie the bursts off the page and really works well! :D Riker along with useful advice from Troi really sets the tone for the ship and this really is an expression of how well the whole crew gels and promises much for future adventures! :D We also get to see Akaar and Tuvok mending bridges and with Tuvok moving in permanently so to speak and bringing his wife on board it also opens up another can of worms that will be sure to upset the status Quo! :D
We also get serious exploration with the Neyel coreworld, as well as discovering a plethora of different races throughout! :D We also get the return of Vanguard to boot and at the same time the lengths that the Titan and the Romulans go is epic! :D Romulan politics till play a part though as you would expect with Donatra taking care of Suran is particularly as is her disposal (alleged! :D Lol ) of Captain Tchev and his entire ship the IKS Dugh! :D This throughout the book gives the Titan and Riker a diplomatic headache as both Riker and Donatra regard each other with respect and the strains that develop really keep both on their tones which also makes it handy when Troi is around that also develops her character and shows how much Riker trusts in her judgement! :D
Throughout the book though the humour really comes through Christine Vales reaction to Dr. Bralik impromptu party on the bridge to Riker's 'Help Select Titan's Dedication Plague Motto Suggestion Box' is hysterical and when Riker and Tuvok come out the ready room and Riker points out 'Great party Christine!' provides a brilliant topping the whole scene and serves as one great example of the tone of the book! :D
The Red King is full of humour, character development, the crew gelling together, Troi and Riker getting to know the raw meet eaters, great epic stage action, exploration, neat tie in with the other books Vanguard being only one such example and is action packed throughout! :D Brilliant, highly recommenced Crisp high Five and make sure you have the sequel! :D
The action is daringly staged throughout with many of the crew engaged in search and rescue operations throughout the book and we get to catch up with them as they engage in this giving all the characters such as Riker, Troi, Tuvok, Akaar, Cethente, Ree etc all all a lot more scree/page time! :D This really develops the crew of the Titan even more giving them all much more character development in that we can see that they are all continuing to bond as a crew and to flesh out their backstories even more than before! :D This gives the gives the crew a great feeling of camaraderie the bursts off the page and really works well! :D Riker along with useful advice from Troi really sets the tone for the ship and this really is an expression of how well the whole crew gels and promises much for future adventures! :D We also get to see Akaar and Tuvok mending bridges and with Tuvok moving in permanently so to speak and bringing his wife on board it also opens up another can of worms that will be sure to upset the status Quo! :D
We also get serious exploration with the Neyel coreworld, as well as discovering a plethora of different races throughout! :D We also get the return of Vanguard to boot and at the same time the lengths that the Titan and the Romulans go is epic! :D Romulan politics till play a part though as you would expect with Donatra taking care of Suran is particularly as is her disposal (alleged! :D Lol ) of Captain Tchev and his entire ship the IKS Dugh! :D This throughout the book gives the Titan and Riker a diplomatic headache as both Riker and Donatra regard each other with respect and the strains that develop really keep both on their tones which also makes it handy when Troi is around that also develops her character and shows how much Riker trusts in her judgement! :D
Throughout the book though the humour really comes through Christine Vales reaction to Dr. Bralik impromptu party on the bridge to Riker's 'Help Select Titan's Dedication Plague Motto Suggestion Box' is hysterical and when Riker and Tuvok come out the ready room and Riker points out 'Great party Christine!' provides a brilliant topping the whole scene and serves as one great example of the tone of the book! :D
The Red King is full of humour, character development, the crew gelling together, Troi and Riker getting to know the raw meet eaters, great epic stage action, exploration, neat tie in with the other books Vanguard being only one such example and is action packed throughout! :D Brilliant, highly recommenced Crisp high Five and make sure you have the sequel! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2024
Star Trek: Titan #2: The Red king by Michael A. Martin, Andy Mangels
Adventurous, challenging, emotional,
hopeful, informative, inspiring, mysterious,
reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25 Stars
I really enjoed the story, but for some reason...I liked it less than the previous book, but still had fun within the story.
I have always enjoyed the Riker/Troy dynamic, both when they were in other relationships and when they were fighting each other, or reconciling with each other. The tension has always been there...and I'm thankful for that.
Having Tuvok on this mission was heartbreaking to experience his struggles on Romulus, but also what he brought to the Titan crew...was great, too.
Again, there is an embarrassment of riches, when it comes to characters (in my view, they've gone a BIT too far). I wish I could remember all of them, and to WANT to know more. I have my favourites, and feel they are not getting the page time they deserve, but I guess there are other readers that feel the same way, for their favourites. It will all be fixed within the series.
The Romulans are such a juicy enemy, especially when you have "play nice" with them...for the greater good (of the Neyen).
Speaking of the Neyen, it is interesting the similarity in origin, but the most notable physical differences. Makes you think, doesent it? Love how they "put a bow" on that point, near the end of the book.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series, but I think MY next book is a pivot...with Articles of the Federation by Keith R. DeCandido. I will cycle back after this book.
Adventurous, challenging, emotional,
hopeful, informative, inspiring, mysterious,
reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25 Stars
I really enjoed the story, but for some reason...I liked it less than the previous book, but still had fun within the story.
I have always enjoyed the Riker/Troy dynamic, both when they were in other relationships and when they were fighting each other, or reconciling with each other. The tension has always been there...and I'm thankful for that.
Having Tuvok on this mission was heartbreaking to experience his struggles on Romulus, but also what he brought to the Titan crew...was great, too.
Again, there is an embarrassment of riches, when it comes to characters (in my view, they've gone a BIT too far). I wish I could remember all of them, and to WANT to know more. I have my favourites, and feel they are not getting the page time they deserve, but I guess there are other readers that feel the same way, for their favourites. It will all be fixed within the series.
The Romulans are such a juicy enemy, especially when you have "play nice" with them...for the greater good (of the Neyen).
Speaking of the Neyen, it is interesting the similarity in origin, but the most notable physical differences. Makes you think, doesent it? Love how they "put a bow" on that point, near the end of the book.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series, but I think MY next book is a pivot...with Articles of the Federation by Keith R. DeCandido. I will cycle back after this book.
May 23, 2023
Another strong entry in the Titan series. A continuation of the last story, the Titan (and some Romulans and Klingons) are sucked through a wormhole into a distant galaxy. They discover the Neyel, an offshoot of humanity with increased evolutionary traits. It's a story of rescue, cooperation, betrayal, growth, and adventure. I particularly liked the portrayal of the Romulans. So interesting! High recommend!
February 16, 2017
The sequential follow-up to "Taking Flight," the U.S.S. Titan's maiden voyage, "The Red King" takes place in a whole other galaxy, specifically the Small Magellanic Cloud, where the Titan was thrown after falling into a subspace fissure (or some such techie term).
Being by the same authors, this book continues the same trends established in the first Titan novel. Not a good thing.
-Blocky prose still reigns free. X character asks Y character a question. The authors spend several paragraphs yapping. Y character finally answers, leaving the reader scratching his head at the sentence fragment that has seeming come out of nowhere, until he remembers that Y character was actually engaged in a conversation with another character.
-Plot holes and unlikely storylines abound. The Neyel, the civilization Titan encounters in the SMC, is descended from the survivors of an early human space mission that fell into a similar fissure. They struggle for survival, but somehow manage to become a full-fledged totalitarian empire in just a century or two.
Then there is the mutual loathing going on between Tuvok and Admiral Akaar (the latter perhaps the only redeemable character created by the authors). The authors make up a rather contrived story to explain it, and an even more contrived one to explain how Akaar comes to his senses. It comes across as nothing but filler space, and isn't really adequately resolved.
-The atmosphere of this novel, as well as much of its predecessor's, thrums with left-wing propaganda. Most noticeably, the Neyel protagonist, Frane, is uber-guilty about his ancestors' enslavement of the SMC's native beings, so he hopes all his life that his people will be destroyed as punishment. This is too similar to the modern-day concept of "white guilt" to ignore. Of course, Frane had absolutely nothing to do with his ancestors' actions, but that doesn't matter. Sound familiar? Other notables include a chapter devoted to a gay character's relationships, commentary on Titan's "human supremacy," and a wholly infantile jab at Christianity. For real, people!
-Made-up words for the Romulan language and a bunch of others. Plus, garbled English words in the Neyel vocabulary! Maybe this isn't such a big deal but to me it's quite annoying.
On the whole, the novel did a pretty lackluster job at keeping my attention. Many sections of chapters are devoted solely to characters' thoughts, and seem quite useless. What does it add to the book to write about what x weird alien thinks about what he or she is seeing on the viewscreen for three paragraphs with little or no dialogue, then go to the next one? Filler space! It seems that Mangels and Martin tried way too hard to make these novels character-driven. With the crew of the Enterprise, that might be doable. But since M & M decided to make Titan's crew an unrecognizable grotesquerie of outlandish creatures, it is extremely difficult to take seriously.
The authors of the following Titan books no doubt had quite a challenge to continue on with the convoluted groundwork Mangels & Martin laid here; I'm curious to see were it went.
Being by the same authors, this book continues the same trends established in the first Titan novel. Not a good thing.
-Blocky prose still reigns free. X character asks Y character a question. The authors spend several paragraphs yapping. Y character finally answers, leaving the reader scratching his head at the sentence fragment that has seeming come out of nowhere, until he remembers that Y character was actually engaged in a conversation with another character.
-Plot holes and unlikely storylines abound. The Neyel, the civilization Titan encounters in the SMC, is descended from the survivors of an early human space mission that fell into a similar fissure. They struggle for survival, but somehow manage to become a full-fledged totalitarian empire in just a century or two.
Then there is the mutual loathing going on between Tuvok and Admiral Akaar (the latter perhaps the only redeemable character created by the authors). The authors make up a rather contrived story to explain it, and an even more contrived one to explain how Akaar comes to his senses. It comes across as nothing but filler space, and isn't really adequately resolved.
-The atmosphere of this novel, as well as much of its predecessor's, thrums with left-wing propaganda. Most noticeably, the Neyel protagonist, Frane, is uber-guilty about his ancestors' enslavement of the SMC's native beings, so he hopes all his life that his people will be destroyed as punishment. This is too similar to the modern-day concept of "white guilt" to ignore. Of course, Frane had absolutely nothing to do with his ancestors' actions, but that doesn't matter. Sound familiar? Other notables include a chapter devoted to a gay character's relationships, commentary on Titan's "human supremacy," and a wholly infantile jab at Christianity. For real, people!
-Made-up words for the Romulan language and a bunch of others. Plus, garbled English words in the Neyel vocabulary! Maybe this isn't such a big deal but to me it's quite annoying.
On the whole, the novel did a pretty lackluster job at keeping my attention. Many sections of chapters are devoted solely to characters' thoughts, and seem quite useless. What does it add to the book to write about what x weird alien thinks about what he or she is seeing on the viewscreen for three paragraphs with little or no dialogue, then go to the next one? Filler space! It seems that Mangels and Martin tried way too hard to make these novels character-driven. With the crew of the Enterprise, that might be doable. But since M & M decided to make Titan's crew an unrecognizable grotesquerie of outlandish creatures, it is extremely difficult to take seriously.
The authors of the following Titan books no doubt had quite a challenge to continue on with the convoluted groundwork Mangels & Martin laid here; I'm curious to see were it went.
September 16, 2025
The writing and story were so uninteresting and it took way longer to read through this book then it should have.
2nd review: Unfortunately, I did not like this book as much as part 1. Part 1 had some interesting political ramifications that began in Star Trek: Nemesis. This book didn’t conclude those but took the ship (and some Romulan and Klingon ships) outside the galaxy and it felt instead like part 2 of another book that took place when Tuvok was an ensign. These authors also have similar faults the the writers of today’s Star Trek in that they take whatever political issue they want to address and slap you in the back of the head with their viewpoint. Star Trek always worked best when political or societal issues were analogies or were flexible enough to allow the reader or viewer to take the story and make it their own. A number of the character actions felt out of place. Riker seemed to have trouble not sharing critical tactical data with the Klingons about the Romulans while needing the Romulans help to save millions of lives and it felt needlessly contentious. A number of the characters also felt overly emotional in one spectrum or another and it didn’t feel genuine or needed.
2nd review: Unfortunately, I did not like this book as much as part 1. Part 1 had some interesting political ramifications that began in Star Trek: Nemesis. This book didn’t conclude those but took the ship (and some Romulan and Klingon ships) outside the galaxy and it felt instead like part 2 of another book that took place when Tuvok was an ensign. These authors also have similar faults the the writers of today’s Star Trek in that they take whatever political issue they want to address and slap you in the back of the head with their viewpoint. Star Trek always worked best when political or societal issues were analogies or were flexible enough to allow the reader or viewer to take the story and make it their own. A number of the character actions felt out of place. Riker seemed to have trouble not sharing critical tactical data with the Klingons about the Romulans while needing the Romulans help to save millions of lives and it felt needlessly contentious. A number of the characters also felt overly emotional in one spectrum or another and it didn’t feel genuine or needed.
January 23, 2019
This book is in the wrong series. It shouldn't be in Titan, it should be in the lost era. I have no intention of reading the author's past work to continue Riker's story. I feel as if the author has hijacked this premise and now we'll never get to read about Riker in a way where we also have to read about the Neyel.
Just after WWIII, Earth makes a space colony that somehow gets sent to this alternate galaxy. This is to the author can have fun making words that sound slightly like other words (a klomter is a kilometer for example). They present no explanation for the Neyel drifting so far from present English while the people in our galaxy still speak as if the book was written today. It's lazy writing and makes me think the author thinks that they are very clever.
Also, since I've made it clear I don't like this book, if you name a book "The Red King" then make your cover red. I know this is a petty objection but marketing 101.
I will not continue the series.
Just after WWIII, Earth makes a space colony that somehow gets sent to this alternate galaxy. This is to the author can have fun making words that sound slightly like other words (a klomter is a kilometer for example). They present no explanation for the Neyel drifting so far from present English while the people in our galaxy still speak as if the book was written today. It's lazy writing and makes me think the author thinks that they are very clever.
Also, since I've made it clear I don't like this book, if you name a book "The Red King" then make your cover red. I know this is a petty objection but marketing 101.
I will not continue the series.
October 14, 2011
Definitely not the best book I've ever had the displeasure of reading, nor is it anywhere close to the best, even for a Star Trek novel.
I did struggle with this, I put it down several times. Only to remind myself later that I would need to finish this, before moving on to bigger, and hopefully better things.
The story drags in places, the characters did seem fairly disinterested, or maybe that was my projection upon them, due in no small part to my own boredom.
Some parts are worthy, but if you're not a hardcore trekkie, you'll pluck your own eyes out about chapter six.
It earned it's two stars, barely...
I did struggle with this, I put it down several times. Only to remind myself later that I would need to finish this, before moving on to bigger, and hopefully better things.
The story drags in places, the characters did seem fairly disinterested, or maybe that was my projection upon them, due in no small part to my own boredom.
Some parts are worthy, but if you're not a hardcore trekkie, you'll pluck your own eyes out about chapter six.
It earned it's two stars, barely...
October 24, 2016
I really want to find a toe-hold into this series but they are so poorly written aahhhh! I finished a Terry Pratchett novel then went to pick this back up midway, read three paragraphs and then said "Argh I can't read this!!" The contrast in quality was too stark to handle. Melora hops like a desert bird?!? Someone got paid to write this?
I really love Riker captaining the Titan, which is a cool ship and interesting crew. I will chug along a few more in this series because some of the later ones have different authors. But I only recommend this to a die hard Trek fan who isn't in a mood to be troubled by poor quality prose.
I really love Riker captaining the Titan, which is a cool ship and interesting crew. I will chug along a few more in this series because some of the later ones have different authors. But I only recommend this to a die hard Trek fan who isn't in a mood to be troubled by poor quality prose.
June 3, 2012
Being the continuation of a pretty lacklustre story, it was a good thing I didn't have high hopes for this one. Even the writers seemed to tire of it towards the end, rushing through scenes and chapters that really should have had more depth and development. But then that would have prolonged it, and really, it seemed long enough.
January 1, 2014
#Read another waste of time on the USS Hookup. I really think Captain Whinelliam Riker needs to stop whining. I believe because Troi is on the ship the authors are making him have all this self-doubt so they can "speak telepathically". I think she needs to go to a different ship so Riker can stand on his own.
March 1, 2016
I found this an interesting take on the whole new crew, new challenges thing that Star Trek has missed of late. I take slight umbrage at White/Red for chess, rather than the usual Black, but the action built up nicely with some interesting plot twists. The climax was a little telegraphed, but I did really enjoy the drawn out resolution.
August 11, 2017
I was so disappointed! I really had hoped for a solid bit of Romulan Empire/Federation intrigue from, and at the end of the last book we were just flung into another part of the Galaxy (the moment Tuvok gets aboard the Titan!). I was immediately disengaged from the plot, as I felt it was a real bait and switch. I hear they get back on track after Articles of Federation. We shall see!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2023
Summary: "The Red King" picks up immediately where "Taking Wing" left off, with the USS Titan having been sucked through the Great Bloom and into the Small Magellanic Cloud dwarf galaxy 200,000 light years away.
This area of space is primarily controlled by the Neyel, descendants of Zefram Cochrane's team of scientists and engineers that developed the first warp drive engine; their hollow-asteroid L-5 spacehab was transported to this galaxy when a warp-field test went awry (The Lost Era: The Sundered). Though descended from humans, the Neyel have adapted to this area of space by using genetic engineering, and thus have gray skin, tails, and other non-human features. They maintained a hegemony by conquering and enslaving many of this galaxy's indigenous species, up until Federation Ambassador Aidan Burgess visited a few decades back (she stole a shuttlecraft from the USS Excelsior, the ship Tuvok and Akaar were serving aboard at the time, during the Neyel Tholian war). Burgess taught them to act more like Starfleet officers than conquerors, and was revered by many of the Neyel, but not all...
(In a flashback, we learn that Akaar and Tuvok hate each other because they were stranded on a desert planet and Akaar ceremonially killed himself so Tuvok wouldn't run out of supplies before he could be rescued. However, Tuvok did a mindmeld and resuscitated Akaar, dishonoring Akaar's sacrifice--which is a big no-no in Capellan culture.)
A Neyel convoy is destroyed when Donatra's missing Romulan fleet comes through the Great Bloom and attacks them without so much as a courtesy hail. Some of the Neyel survive in escape pods.
A cloaked Klingon ship came through the Bloom as well, though it was much more worse for wear than the Romulan ships. Donatra beams the Klingon captain aboard and ostensibly offers to help--though really she needs supplies and Klingon ships have boobytraps everywhere.
The Romulans notice the Neyel escape pods and beam the survivors aboard. They can't speak the Neyel language, so they use invasive mind probes on the survivor named Frane to rapidly learn the language. After interrogation, Donatra learns that her fleet survived and is here in Neyel space.
A problem soon arises, however: the Great Bloom is causing a sentient protouniverse to form, and it will soon consume the entire Small Magellanic galaxy to make space for itself--destroying everything within.
The Romulans, Klingons, and Neyel come aboard Titan to discuss what to do about the situation. Frane says that it is the prophesized "Sleeper" or "Red King" of Neyel legend, awakening to punish his people for their past enslavement of other races. The Titan science officers theorize that it's possible this has happened before, since this section of space is "downhill" from many others, so the legend may have some basis on past events.
The Klingons and Romulans decide the best course of action is to blow up the protouniverse, but Riker wants to find a less hostile solution, since the "Red King" displays signs of sentience: it has taken control of the fleet of Romulan ships and has begun clearing out solar systems to make space for itself (by using subspace distortions caused by the ships' warp fields close to the star's photosphere).
An away team from Titan and another from Donatra's ship beam aboard the lead Romulan ship and find the crew unconscious, but alive. To regain control of the ship they erase the Red King from the computer's AI; however, this causes the Red King to accelerate it's consumption of space; when the intelligence is forced out of the computer, it had to go elsewhere and thus started "reordering" local space even faster.
The massive subspace distortions are set to overtake the Neyel coreworld of Oghen in a few days, and Riker wants Titan, the Klingons, and the Romulans to help evacuate the planet, since this is partially their fault (they think coming through the Great Bloom could've somehow brought the protouniverse here, as something similar happened in Deep Space 9). However, the Klingon ship is too damaged to do much of anything, and the Romulans decide that since they got their fleet back, staying in Neyel space is too risky (the Great Bloom could close back up and they'd be stranded) and they want to GTFO. Riker rebukes Donatra and tells her she has no honor, so she changes her mind and decides to help. Romulan co-Commander Suran says there's no way in hell he's sticking around, so Donatra roofies him and confines him to sickbay.
Titan arrives at Oghen to find that the whole planet is being fucked up: there are massive tsunamis, tornados, hurricanes, etc. being caused by the spatial distortions. The best plan Riker can come up with is to send shuttles down to rescue as many people as possible, then put them on the hollow-asteroid station near the planet. Admiral Akaar saves a bunch of crazy religious people who were trying to commit mass suicide, but they get all indignant about it; Akaar realizes this is exactly what happened between him and Tuvok, so he instantly gets over his 70-year long grudge and forgives Tuvok. Security chief Ranul Keru is forced to leave another member of his team, T'Lirin, behind to die when his shuttle is forced to take off before she can get aboard.
After they get as many Neyel as possible aboard the asteroid, the Romulan fleet tows the asteroid with tractor beams back to the Great Bloom. The only potential solution the Titan science crew could come up with to stop the protouniverse's expansion and to get back home is to fly through the Bloom and have the Romulans detonate a bunch of their warp cores on their way out. The Romulans are obviously not happy about this, but agree to it as long as Riker won't tell the Klingons that most of their fleet will be disabled. This is just about the time that Commander Suran wakes up, pulls a phaser on Donatra, and says there's no way in hell they're going to blow up 12 of their warp cores. Donatra gets the ship's computer to disable Suran's weapon, then stabs him to death with her honor blade.
Since the Klingon ship is too beat to hell to travel through the Great Bloom on its own accord, and since Titan needs all its power diverted to its sensor net to seek out and avoid spatial disturbances during the return trip, it's up to the Romulans to tow the Klingon ship back through. Donatra gives her word that she won't try any funny business and the Klingons acquiesce.
Everyone flies into the Great Bloom and things seem to going to plan; however, the Romulans break their word (duh) and use their tractor beams to tear the Klingon ship to pieces, so they don't have to worry about the Klingons learning about all their lost warp cores. The remaining ships all make it through by the skin of their teeth. Riker is royally pissed that Donatra destroyed the Klingon ship, but he begrudgingly agrees not to tell the Klingons, for fear of throwing the Federation's diplomatic mission to Romulus out the window.
The Magellanic galaxy is so far away that it will take many years before they find out if they stopped the protouniverse from destroying it, but everyone's glad to be back home so who fucking cares about that place.
Riker decides to split up Ranul Keru's roles as both Tactial Officer and Security Officer into 2 separate positions, and asks Tuvok to become the new Tactical Officer and Second Officer. Tuvok accepts, with the stipulation that his wife live aboard with him.
There's a big party on the bridge for all the senior officers to (finally) celebrate the completion of the ship's dedication plaque. After much ado, Riker ultimately decided to go with a quote from Surak of Vulcan: "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations", which perfectly describes Titan's crew, and acts as a memorial to the Vulcan crewman lost on Oghen, T'Lirin.
With all repairs complete, Titan heads off to explore the Gum nebula.
Review: 2.75 stars.
"The Red King" was OK, but I had a lot of problems with it. First and foremost, it focused way too much on the Neyel race, serving as a direct sequel to the "Lost Era" book "The Sundered" that I've never read and don't really care to (I've ordered a used copy, but I doubt I'll ever read it). What better way to kick off a new book series about a brand new ship, the USS Titan, than to make it a sequel to a book written years before about the USS Excelsior? No thank you. Whereas the first book is all about Federation/Romulan/Klingon/Reman politics--which I found fairly intriguing--this book has almost nothing to do with any of that--and I was not intrigued.
I was onboard with the Great Bloom functioning as a wormhole to the Small Magellanic galaxy (SMG) because it was "downhill" from the Milky Way, and I liked the idea that this caused a protouniverse to come through and start replacing the galaxy to make room for itself--but the protouniverse was sentient? At first I thought sentient life had simply formed somewhere within the protouniverse, so they didn't want to destroy it, but then the "sentience" itself took over the Romulan fleet... This was a really weird concept for me that I just didn't care for--it's unimaginable to me that one day our Milky Way galaxy might suddenly come alive and consciously decide to go to eat another galaxy.
So, they erase the sentience from the Romulan computers, and this causes the protouniverse's expansion rate to increase, because now that it was out of the computers it had nowhere else to go? So if it was slower for this "Red King" to use the ships, then why did it use them in the first place? Did the Red King hitch a ride on the Romulan fleet back when it went through the Great Bloom, and that's how it initially began taking over the SMG? I just didn't think it was clear at all. And did this all happen before or not? It seems that the "downhill" concept, coupled with the Neyel mythology about the Red Sleeper, could mean that this all happened in the past, but that was never really clarified either. I'm not usually one to get befuddled by plot details, but oy vey this plot is convoluted.
It wasn't all bad though. On the plus side, there were some good character moments and ideas: Torvig and Cethente talking about how it's "interesting" that humans are primarily the species in charge on the ship (and in Starfleet in general) was provocative (though it's obviously due to TV budget constraints), and the Neyel enslaving all the other species in their galaxy shows how much worse it could've been.
I was also glad to see the Reman Mekrikruk get a bit more development, though it still wasn't much. I thought maybe he'd turn out to be trouble, since they broke him out of prison, after all, but he turned out to be a genuinely nice guy--and even saved some girl from getting raped. I actually wish he would've joined the crew at the end (like Tuvok!), so we could learn more about him (and because we still didn't know much about the Remans in general), but that would've been too interesting I think.
Akaar on the other hand, is a total dumbass. He holds a grudge against Tuvok for 70-80 years, then realizes what a jackass he's been when he saves a bunch of suicidal cult members THE SAME WAY TUVOK SAVED HIM. It was so immediately obvious what was going to happen that I actually groaned out loud when it proceeded exactly as expected. And what an outrageous coincidence that two Excelsior crew members who dealt with the Neyel in "The Sundered" just so happened to be on Titan when it gets sucked into the SMG. Give me a break.
Worst of all though was the ending. The ships fly back through the Great Bloom and then!...everything's just fine. All goes according to plan (other than the obvious twist that the Romulans fucked over the Klingons--who could've seen that coming?!) in the most anticlimactic way possible. Even better, we never even find out if blowing the warp cores stopped the protouniverse from taking over the SMG or not. Not that I care anyway.
All the bad aside, I really loved the scene at the very end when they unveiled the dedication plaque; it was a touching and appropriate character moment where all the senior officers finally got a little chance to shine--and something finally went right for a change. Maybe if you gutted all the middle out about the Neyel and just left the very beginning and the very end, there might actually be a decent novella here. As it stands though, it's a shame that the excellent first Titan book will be forever bogged down by this disappointing follow-up. I definitely won't be re-reading this one any time soon.
This area of space is primarily controlled by the Neyel, descendants of Zefram Cochrane's team of scientists and engineers that developed the first warp drive engine; their hollow-asteroid L-5 spacehab was transported to this galaxy when a warp-field test went awry (The Lost Era: The Sundered). Though descended from humans, the Neyel have adapted to this area of space by using genetic engineering, and thus have gray skin, tails, and other non-human features. They maintained a hegemony by conquering and enslaving many of this galaxy's indigenous species, up until Federation Ambassador Aidan Burgess visited a few decades back (she stole a shuttlecraft from the USS Excelsior, the ship Tuvok and Akaar were serving aboard at the time, during the Neyel Tholian war). Burgess taught them to act more like Starfleet officers than conquerors, and was revered by many of the Neyel, but not all...
(In a flashback, we learn that Akaar and Tuvok hate each other because they were stranded on a desert planet and Akaar ceremonially killed himself so Tuvok wouldn't run out of supplies before he could be rescued. However, Tuvok did a mindmeld and resuscitated Akaar, dishonoring Akaar's sacrifice--which is a big no-no in Capellan culture.)
A Neyel convoy is destroyed when Donatra's missing Romulan fleet comes through the Great Bloom and attacks them without so much as a courtesy hail. Some of the Neyel survive in escape pods.
A cloaked Klingon ship came through the Bloom as well, though it was much more worse for wear than the Romulan ships. Donatra beams the Klingon captain aboard and ostensibly offers to help--though really she needs supplies and Klingon ships have boobytraps everywhere.
The Romulans notice the Neyel escape pods and beam the survivors aboard. They can't speak the Neyel language, so they use invasive mind probes on the survivor named Frane to rapidly learn the language. After interrogation, Donatra learns that her fleet survived and is here in Neyel space.
A problem soon arises, however: the Great Bloom is causing a sentient protouniverse to form, and it will soon consume the entire Small Magellanic galaxy to make space for itself--destroying everything within.
The Romulans, Klingons, and Neyel come aboard Titan to discuss what to do about the situation. Frane says that it is the prophesized "Sleeper" or "Red King" of Neyel legend, awakening to punish his people for their past enslavement of other races. The Titan science officers theorize that it's possible this has happened before, since this section of space is "downhill" from many others, so the legend may have some basis on past events.
The Klingons and Romulans decide the best course of action is to blow up the protouniverse, but Riker wants to find a less hostile solution, since the "Red King" displays signs of sentience: it has taken control of the fleet of Romulan ships and has begun clearing out solar systems to make space for itself (by using subspace distortions caused by the ships' warp fields close to the star's photosphere).
An away team from Titan and another from Donatra's ship beam aboard the lead Romulan ship and find the crew unconscious, but alive. To regain control of the ship they erase the Red King from the computer's AI; however, this causes the Red King to accelerate it's consumption of space; when the intelligence is forced out of the computer, it had to go elsewhere and thus started "reordering" local space even faster.
The massive subspace distortions are set to overtake the Neyel coreworld of Oghen in a few days, and Riker wants Titan, the Klingons, and the Romulans to help evacuate the planet, since this is partially their fault (they think coming through the Great Bloom could've somehow brought the protouniverse here, as something similar happened in Deep Space 9). However, the Klingon ship is too damaged to do much of anything, and the Romulans decide that since they got their fleet back, staying in Neyel space is too risky (the Great Bloom could close back up and they'd be stranded) and they want to GTFO. Riker rebukes Donatra and tells her she has no honor, so she changes her mind and decides to help. Romulan co-Commander Suran says there's no way in hell he's sticking around, so Donatra roofies him and confines him to sickbay.
Titan arrives at Oghen to find that the whole planet is being fucked up: there are massive tsunamis, tornados, hurricanes, etc. being caused by the spatial distortions. The best plan Riker can come up with is to send shuttles down to rescue as many people as possible, then put them on the hollow-asteroid station near the planet. Admiral Akaar saves a bunch of crazy religious people who were trying to commit mass suicide, but they get all indignant about it; Akaar realizes this is exactly what happened between him and Tuvok, so he instantly gets over his 70-year long grudge and forgives Tuvok. Security chief Ranul Keru is forced to leave another member of his team, T'Lirin, behind to die when his shuttle is forced to take off before she can get aboard.
After they get as many Neyel as possible aboard the asteroid, the Romulan fleet tows the asteroid with tractor beams back to the Great Bloom. The only potential solution the Titan science crew could come up with to stop the protouniverse's expansion and to get back home is to fly through the Bloom and have the Romulans detonate a bunch of their warp cores on their way out. The Romulans are obviously not happy about this, but agree to it as long as Riker won't tell the Klingons that most of their fleet will be disabled. This is just about the time that Commander Suran wakes up, pulls a phaser on Donatra, and says there's no way in hell they're going to blow up 12 of their warp cores. Donatra gets the ship's computer to disable Suran's weapon, then stabs him to death with her honor blade.
Since the Klingon ship is too beat to hell to travel through the Great Bloom on its own accord, and since Titan needs all its power diverted to its sensor net to seek out and avoid spatial disturbances during the return trip, it's up to the Romulans to tow the Klingon ship back through. Donatra gives her word that she won't try any funny business and the Klingons acquiesce.
Everyone flies into the Great Bloom and things seem to going to plan; however, the Romulans break their word (duh) and use their tractor beams to tear the Klingon ship to pieces, so they don't have to worry about the Klingons learning about all their lost warp cores. The remaining ships all make it through by the skin of their teeth. Riker is royally pissed that Donatra destroyed the Klingon ship, but he begrudgingly agrees not to tell the Klingons, for fear of throwing the Federation's diplomatic mission to Romulus out the window.
The Magellanic galaxy is so far away that it will take many years before they find out if they stopped the protouniverse from destroying it, but everyone's glad to be back home so who fucking cares about that place.
Riker decides to split up Ranul Keru's roles as both Tactial Officer and Security Officer into 2 separate positions, and asks Tuvok to become the new Tactical Officer and Second Officer. Tuvok accepts, with the stipulation that his wife live aboard with him.
There's a big party on the bridge for all the senior officers to (finally) celebrate the completion of the ship's dedication plaque. After much ado, Riker ultimately decided to go with a quote from Surak of Vulcan: "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations", which perfectly describes Titan's crew, and acts as a memorial to the Vulcan crewman lost on Oghen, T'Lirin.
With all repairs complete, Titan heads off to explore the Gum nebula.
Review: 2.75 stars.
"The Red King" was OK, but I had a lot of problems with it. First and foremost, it focused way too much on the Neyel race, serving as a direct sequel to the "Lost Era" book "The Sundered" that I've never read and don't really care to (I've ordered a used copy, but I doubt I'll ever read it). What better way to kick off a new book series about a brand new ship, the USS Titan, than to make it a sequel to a book written years before about the USS Excelsior? No thank you. Whereas the first book is all about Federation/Romulan/Klingon/Reman politics--which I found fairly intriguing--this book has almost nothing to do with any of that--and I was not intrigued.
I was onboard with the Great Bloom functioning as a wormhole to the Small Magellanic galaxy (SMG) because it was "downhill" from the Milky Way, and I liked the idea that this caused a protouniverse to come through and start replacing the galaxy to make room for itself--but the protouniverse was sentient? At first I thought sentient life had simply formed somewhere within the protouniverse, so they didn't want to destroy it, but then the "sentience" itself took over the Romulan fleet... This was a really weird concept for me that I just didn't care for--it's unimaginable to me that one day our Milky Way galaxy might suddenly come alive and consciously decide to go to eat another galaxy.
So, they erase the sentience from the Romulan computers, and this causes the protouniverse's expansion rate to increase, because now that it was out of the computers it had nowhere else to go? So if it was slower for this "Red King" to use the ships, then why did it use them in the first place? Did the Red King hitch a ride on the Romulan fleet back when it went through the Great Bloom, and that's how it initially began taking over the SMG? I just didn't think it was clear at all. And did this all happen before or not? It seems that the "downhill" concept, coupled with the Neyel mythology about the Red Sleeper, could mean that this all happened in the past, but that was never really clarified either. I'm not usually one to get befuddled by plot details, but oy vey this plot is convoluted.
It wasn't all bad though. On the plus side, there were some good character moments and ideas: Torvig and Cethente talking about how it's "interesting" that humans are primarily the species in charge on the ship (and in Starfleet in general) was provocative (though it's obviously due to TV budget constraints), and the Neyel enslaving all the other species in their galaxy shows how much worse it could've been.
I was also glad to see the Reman Mekrikruk get a bit more development, though it still wasn't much. I thought maybe he'd turn out to be trouble, since they broke him out of prison, after all, but he turned out to be a genuinely nice guy--and even saved some girl from getting raped. I actually wish he would've joined the crew at the end (like Tuvok!), so we could learn more about him (and because we still didn't know much about the Remans in general), but that would've been too interesting I think.
Akaar on the other hand, is a total dumbass. He holds a grudge against Tuvok for 70-80 years, then realizes what a jackass he's been when he saves a bunch of suicidal cult members THE SAME WAY TUVOK SAVED HIM. It was so immediately obvious what was going to happen that I actually groaned out loud when it proceeded exactly as expected. And what an outrageous coincidence that two Excelsior crew members who dealt with the Neyel in "The Sundered" just so happened to be on Titan when it gets sucked into the SMG. Give me a break.
Worst of all though was the ending. The ships fly back through the Great Bloom and then!...everything's just fine. All goes according to plan (other than the obvious twist that the Romulans fucked over the Klingons--who could've seen that coming?!) in the most anticlimactic way possible. Even better, we never even find out if blowing the warp cores stopped the protouniverse from taking over the SMG or not. Not that I care anyway.
All the bad aside, I really loved the scene at the very end when they unveiled the dedication plaque; it was a touching and appropriate character moment where all the senior officers finally got a little chance to shine--and something finally went right for a change. Maybe if you gutted all the middle out about the Neyel and just left the very beginning and the very end, there might actually be a decent novella here. As it stands though, it's a shame that the excellent first Titan book will be forever bogged down by this disappointing follow-up. I definitely won't be re-reading this one any time soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2023
4 stars. I really liked this book and had felt excited about reading it ever since I finished Taking Wing because of how that one ended. The satellite galaxy 200,000 light years away just had me feel that this would be my kind of story, and I wasn't disappointed.
Not only was it the fact that they ended up so far away and the journey towards getting back that caught my attention, but also life in this alien satellite galaxy. The Neyel and the other species felt very different and interesting, and perhaps even more so knowing that the Neyel was actually descendants from Earth humans no matter how different they had ended up becoming. The story and myth about the Sleeper that some of them believed in was also really interesting, and in some very far off way him possibly waking up had me thinking about Jesus' second coming.
The way the book was written was also at times something that just had me wanting to read more and more with the quote above being a perfect example. It made me feel things, if that makes sense, and reading and feeling what you're reading leaves such a greater impression than simply reading ever could.
I also have to mention how much I enjoy having Tuvok as part of the story as he was a part of the Voyager crew, with Voyager being my favorite Star Trek. The backstory with him and Akaar was also very well written and interesting. I feel in general that backstory to characters contributes a lot to how we know them, and I love hearing about what was going on in their lives previously and how that affects them in the present. And speaking about Tuvok and Akaar I have to share one more quote before this review ends just because of how it made me smile.
I look very much forward to continuing reading this series and other Star Trek books. :)
... According to the relative locations of every pulsar detectable form here to the Milky Way's Orion Arm, we've just been thrown two hundred and ten thousand light-years from our previous position in Romulan space."
"Into a completely different galaxy," Vale said, clearly still trying to get her mind around the idea.
"We're actually well inside one of the relatively small, irregular satellite galaxies that orbits our own," Pazlar said as she entered another series of manual commands into her padd.
Not only was it the fact that they ended up so far away and the journey towards getting back that caught my attention, but also life in this alien satellite galaxy. The Neyel and the other species felt very different and interesting, and perhaps even more so knowing that the Neyel was actually descendants from Earth humans no matter how different they had ended up becoming. The story and myth about the Sleeper that some of them believed in was also really interesting, and in some very far off way him possibly waking up had me thinking about Jesus' second coming.
The Beiderbecke broke the surface and pushed upward, into the dusky, smoke-clogged skies of a dying planet.
The way the book was written was also at times something that just had me wanting to read more and more with the quote above being a perfect example. It made me feel things, if that makes sense, and reading and feeling what you're reading leaves such a greater impression than simply reading ever could.
I also have to mention how much I enjoy having Tuvok as part of the story as he was a part of the Voyager crew, with Voyager being my favorite Star Trek. The backstory with him and Akaar was also very well written and interesting. I feel in general that backstory to characters contributes a lot to how we know them, and I love hearing about what was going on in their lives previously and how that affects them in the present. And speaking about Tuvok and Akaar I have to share one more quote before this review ends just because of how it made me smile.
The huge Capellan chuckled, a great rumbling sound that reminded Tuvok about better times. "It must be getting tiresome for you, constantly being catapulted thousands of light-years from Federation space."
"That is something of an understatement," Tuvok admitted dryly. "After three such events, I have begin to wonder if my presence aboard a starship should be considered a warning to its crew."
I look very much forward to continuing reading this series and other Star Trek books. :)
May 23, 2023
If GoodReads had half stars, this would be rated 2.5 stars, not 3. The idea and plot was interesting. Sadly I was basically bored throughout, though. Not 100% sure why I was. I've read a follow-up series that involved many of the same characters in this Titan series but that shouldn't really have an impact on this read. I did like the first book, and nothing here was 'spoiled' by reading the later series.
There were too many point of views, some random and super brief. One was there just to show a woman running scared about to be raped. And wasn't. Why exactly was that one there? Many people died, most without any emotional attachment; though one seemed to die to add to the story-arc of another character. That one did have an emotional impact, both sadness and rage, both more aimed at the manipulative authors. That later series also had a needless death to build up another character's story-arc - that was handled better by the author(s) in that later series (not the same authors as here).
Let's see. Oh - there was a bunch of emotional/relationship baggage that mostly wasn't handled very well. Some people seemed to hook up out of the blue, just to add that relationship checkmark. The admiral was emotionally unstable, reckless, and seemed to rage regardless of what others were doing (helping him, or going against him).
Right, so. Less desire now to read book three. First and second books have same authors. Third has a different author. I've read that author before. Alternatively loathed, liked, and was meh about their prior works.
Rating: 2.67
May 23 2023
There were too many point of views, some random and super brief. One was there just to show a woman running scared about to be raped. And wasn't. Why exactly was that one there? Many people died, most without any emotional attachment; though one seemed to die to add to the story-arc of another character. That one did have an emotional impact, both sadness and rage, both more aimed at the manipulative authors. That later series also had a needless death to build up another character's story-arc - that was handled better by the author(s) in that later series (not the same authors as here).
Let's see. Oh - there was a bunch of emotional/relationship baggage that mostly wasn't handled very well. Some people seemed to hook up out of the blue, just to add that relationship checkmark. The admiral was emotionally unstable, reckless, and seemed to rage regardless of what others were doing (helping him, or going against him).
Right, so. Less desire now to read book three. First and second books have same authors. Third has a different author. I've read that author before. Alternatively loathed, liked, and was meh about their prior works.
Rating: 2.67
May 23 2023
Read
February 9, 2023Three books into the post-Nemesis novels and now the second installment of the Titan series, specifically. And so far I have been happy with what I have read. And while I felt like Taking Wing was at times a bit on the slow side, The Red King seemed to address some of the pacing issues.
Following immediately after Taking Wing, I was a little concerned that the book was going to just start recycling Star Trek Voyager but I was pleasantly surprised to see the direction things went in. The whole notion of an emerging universe was pretty cool and I loved that there was discussion of De Sitter space, a super deep cut from the classic Star Trek novels. It was a cool callback - even though the actual science of the concept is pretty well over my head.
One aspect of this book I really liked was how the relationship between Tuvok and Akaar was explored and examined. It gave a nice insight not just into their apparent hostility but their own characters as well. It represented what I thought the first Titan book fumbled at too much. In the first book I felt overwhelmed by new characters and the writing seemed a little too focused on the diversity of the crew. I thought this book had better focus and momentum to the narrative.
It’s not perfect and the story does drag a bit at times. But overall I found it to be a strong book. I wasn’t sure after Taking Wing how long I would stick with these and reading this makes me feel more firmly on board.
Following immediately after Taking Wing, I was a little concerned that the book was going to just start recycling Star Trek Voyager but I was pleasantly surprised to see the direction things went in. The whole notion of an emerging universe was pretty cool and I loved that there was discussion of De Sitter space, a super deep cut from the classic Star Trek novels. It was a cool callback - even though the actual science of the concept is pretty well over my head.
One aspect of this book I really liked was how the relationship between Tuvok and Akaar was explored and examined. It gave a nice insight not just into their apparent hostility but their own characters as well. It represented what I thought the first Titan book fumbled at too much. In the first book I felt overwhelmed by new characters and the writing seemed a little too focused on the diversity of the crew. I thought this book had better focus and momentum to the narrative.
It’s not perfect and the story does drag a bit at times. But overall I found it to be a strong book. I wasn’t sure after Taking Wing how long I would stick with these and reading this makes me feel more firmly on board.
February 12, 2024
Star Trek: Titan #2: the Red King by Micheal Martin and Andy Mangels
A sequel to one of my favourite Trek books, the Sundered? And it takes place outside the galaxy? Sign me up please. The second book in the Titan series, this is also a direct sequel to Taking Wing. This book also feels like a spiritual sequel to The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane, one of my favourite Trek authors given how metaphysical it gets with the proto-universe and the spiritual beliefs of the Neyel.
This was a good read overall and I always enjoy a book set outside the main galaxy, but it didn’t quite have the oompf of the first book. The first book does a great job of setting up the crew and they shine here, but the writing wasn’t as good as the first. I also would have like they spent more time exploring the larger Mallegnic Cloud as it’s a whole new galaxy and that’s interesting in itself. We got that a bit in the Sundered but I wanted more. Anyway, this was still a good read.
7/10
A sequel to one of my favourite Trek books, the Sundered? And it takes place outside the galaxy? Sign me up please. The second book in the Titan series, this is also a direct sequel to Taking Wing. This book also feels like a spiritual sequel to The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane, one of my favourite Trek authors given how metaphysical it gets with the proto-universe and the spiritual beliefs of the Neyel.
This was a good read overall and I always enjoy a book set outside the main galaxy, but it didn’t quite have the oompf of the first book. The first book does a great job of setting up the crew and they shine here, but the writing wasn’t as good as the first. I also would have like they spent more time exploring the larger Mallegnic Cloud as it’s a whole new galaxy and that’s interesting in itself. We got that a bit in the Sundered but I wanted more. Anyway, this was still a good read.
7/10
July 12, 2020
As a die hard Trek fan, I enjoyed. The idea of Titan's crew being so diverse is great, and it makes the characters more interesting to read about. It's also great that many of the characters have popped up in the Trek universe before; from TNG, DS9, Voyager and other Star Trek books. I really like how the character of Donatra has developed and hope she appears in future stories. The story overall touches on some great themes on racial diversity, but I feel the concept of the Great Bloom and the Protouniverse could have used a bit more development. On the whole a solid read if you're a Trekkie!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2021
I must have read this before as the story seemed very familiar. I found myself rushing to finish it and found that the story didn't really engage me. I did enjoy finding out a little more information on some of the crew members. I'm not sure if this is a sequel to a previous novel set on the Excelsior, it certainly sounds like it could be, and if it is, it would make sense to read that one first.
June 5, 2022
I like when Frane explained the space-time do-dad as a core tenet of his religious beliefs. And instead of poo-pooing the idea (like on DS9), Titan actually said, “Well, how do we save people from the Sleeper?”
Also, the rescue sequence from Oghen was thrilling.
And it just keeps pulling from more Trek books, but feeling very organic about all of it. I’m so stunned at how much better the Trek lit-verse is compared to the SW Legends lit-verse.
Also, the rescue sequence from Oghen was thrilling.
And it just keeps pulling from more Trek books, but feeling very organic about all of it. I’m so stunned at how much better the Trek lit-verse is compared to the SW Legends lit-verse.
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