Sacrifices of War (Star Trek) Sacrifices of War

Star Trek: Errand of Fury #3

by Kevin Ryan

Poised on the verge of interstellar war, Captain Kirk's last best hope that the Federation can stop the Klingons is the people of Organia, avowed pacifists. Forced to disguise themselves as interstellar traders, Captain Kirk and Mister Spock are trapped on the primitive world of Organia as Klingon Defense Forces occupy the planet. Determined to make the Organians see that they need not bow to oppression, the Starfleet officers sabotage Klingon materiel. In retaliation, the Klingon captain, Kor, executes many Organians. Unconcerned, the Council of Elders begs Kirk and Spock to stop the violence. While in deep space the forces of Starfleet and the Klingon Empire scramble to position their fleets for the first onslaught of what could be a long and deadly war.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek Original Series, Ebooks, Fiction

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Kevin Ryan is an American writer of many Star Trek books and one episode. He has also written comic books and the novelization of the movie Van Helsing. He lives in New York with his wife and children.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

While waiting the release of the new "Star Trek" film, I found myself yearning for a new adventure of the classic crew. Enter Kevin Ryan's latest installment of the "Errand of Fury" series, "Sacrifices of War."

The series is part of Pocket's on-going attempt to have "Trek" novels that boil down to little more than crew comes across problem, crew solves problem, crew head on out for more adventures. I commend them for this and it's been remarkably successful in a lot of the other on-going "Trek" series. So why hasn't it worked with classic "Trek"?

Part of me says that a big reason was the original series was intended to be episodic. But so was "Next Generation" and the movies set post-"Nemesis" have incorporated an arc and new characters rather successfully. Another part of me wonders if it isn't that the calibre of talent and the potential to mine new and interesting stories isn't richer in the more modern Treks, simply because they've had less time for novels to be published. I think that's a huge part of it.

And then you've "Sacfices of War." I can see what the novel is trying to do. It's trying to offer some kind of build-up to the events we see in "Errand of Mercy," making the potential war with the Klingons not just come our of nowhere. So, we have a novel where various parties are getting ready for war and we see the Federation in dire straits, facing an overwhelming enemy who is predicted to defeat them unless something drastic occurs. The story is full of minor characters, introduced mainly for this series and it allows us to see the world of classic Trek through eyes other than those of the main characters.

I didn't find that all that compelling. Part of what drew me to classic Trek (and still does) is the main characters. I like to see them in action and to have new adventures with my old favorites. And this story had the potential to give us some depth to the characters, especially Kirk as he faces the burden of being on the front lines of a potential war. Instead, we have the first two-thirds devoted to a Kirk-led mission to destroy a Klingon weapon's stash and prevent it from being used against the Federation.

And that may be part of the problem with the book. Placing it so directly into the original series canon and having Kirk lead the mission, it takes away some of the drama. We know Kirk will live to fight another day. And that's a problem faced by all Trek novels, but it seems a bit more conspicious here. Kirk leads a shuttlecraft full of recruits on this dangerous mission. And yet, none of them die. In fact, it seems like the author goes to great lengths to make sure that none of the new characters die, since many of them appear to be haunted by the death of team members in previous novels.

It ends up taking away a lot of the tension and fun from this section of the novel.

Then, there's the last third which is a retelling of "Errand of Mercy" that adds nothing to the story. Yes, it's probably a more faithful adaptation than what we got from James Blish, but do we really need another novelization of an episode that's aired for forty plus year on TV and is easily accessible on DVD?

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting conclusion to this six-part saga, expertly penned by Kevin Ryan, leading nicely into a top-notch novelization of one of the most memorable episodes of the original Star Trek. The stakes were high, the characterizations were well done, and I have very little to complain about. The tone of the novel did change noticibly when it transitioned into the "Errand of Mercy" section, so it wasn't quite as seamless as it could have been. But all-in-all, I was very satisfied with the conclusion to the Errand of Fury trilogy.

Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/01/s...

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: Errand of Fury 03 Sacrifices of War by Kevin Ryan

4.25 Stars

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense

Medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It was a good story. I liked how the author is using the Star Trek: TOS television series episodes to prop up the story (naturally), while giving context to the overall story.

In other ways, I kept wanting to know the story of the Klingon War, and how it impacted the early part of The Federation / Starfleet.

I understand, but I also wanted more...if you can understand this want.

It wasn't as satisfying as the setup (not only of this trilogy, but of the previous trilogy...too).

Obviously, I loved the time being with the two main characters. Michael Fuller...and him becoming a full person again, with purpose...was an intriguing point of view. I could see myself in him (though not having lost a son in battle, and against this same foe).

Also, the counter point of view being from a Klingon perspective, of Karel...older brother to Kell (who we all grew to love).

I just wanted more...and I'm not sure we are going to get any more, sadly.

Of course I loved the interactions with the main characters, but their narrative was already known...since the Organian plot was known...and as I was reading this, kept hoping for a BIT more, and not JUST this.

Oh well.

Next up is Star Trek: SCE - Foundations trilogy [Book Five] by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore.

#17, #18 and #19 stories from the Starfleet Corps of Engineering.

So...that will be the next novel/stories that I'm reading. This should be interesting.

[Bruce Stephenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final book in the Errand of Fury series which finishes (2nd half of the book) with a re-telling of the episode "Errand of Mercy" with the addition of material from different perspectives. Ultimately a quick, fun read but the resolution of the impending Klingon/Federation war and knowing the ending reduces the impact of the presented threats. The D'k Tahg, under the command of Captain Koloth, which played a significant role in the other two books in this series is mentioned early on as being ordered to Chandra IV (where Kirk also takes a shuttlecraft and team) but absolutely nothing comes of this potential threat/conflict. It then reappears as a ship in the Klingon fleet at Organia with minor involvement in the story. Two characters (West and Lei) also keep running off to have sex which is particularly silly. Once again, however, the characters are usually portrayed well and the story proceeds at a fast pace.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion of the Errand of Fury trilogy reads like a couple of classic Star Trek episodes. I have to admit that I’m a little embarrassed I didn’t see where this novel was going. War between the Federation and the Klingon Empire has been building for the entire trilogy and the “Errand of Fury” series title obviously is reminiscent of the “Errand of Mercy” Star Trek episode which deals, of course, with the war between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. The build up to this moment is well done and the author expands a lot on the actual episode. If you love the original series, you’ll enjoy this book.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concluding entry to this trilogy gets a strong 3.5 stars from me. While the original material maintains its first-rate intensity, it's the adaptation of the events of the season one episode "Errand of Fury" that I found to be underwhelming. There's a feeling of the author holding back in adding layers to the on-screen events, and while I was looking forward to the p.o.v. of the Organians speaking on Earth & Kronos, those scenes were very much lacking...to say nothing of adding more follow-up from the imposition of the Organian Treaty. Those irritations keep my rating lower than the other two entries in the series.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book in which deceptions play a major part. Also where Kirk gets to know an ugly side of himself. A buildup to the final confrontation between the massed Klingon and federation fleets. And then a deus ex machina. You need to read this to believe but in a way to climax of this story as an anti-climax but then not, only extremely different that aanything you could expect. A great cycle of 6 books of with i mostly remember the insights we got in the Klingon psycho and way of life.
Larded with action, tons of action.

[Robert Paterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good ending

A good ending but not a great one to the trilogy of books. The previous two were excellent but this one fails to live up to what has been set up. A competent good read but nothing more.

[David King · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Sacrifices of War" is the final novel in Kevin Ryan’s “Errand of Fury” Trilogy, which in itself was a sequel to his earlier “Errand of Vengeance” Trilogy. In this novel, we see that time has finally run out and both the Federation & Klingon Empire are truly teetering on the brink of war. The story is split into two parts with the first section following a Kirk led mission to destroy a Klingon weapon stash to ensure it cannot be used against the Federation. In addition, we get to see some more about Lieutenant Leslie Parrish who is traveling back to Earth aboard a cargo ship which is soon attacked by a Klingon raider. The final element of the novel is a novelization of the “Errand of Mercy” TV episode in which war finally breaks out and Kirk must try and persuade the peaceful Organians to try and resist the Klingon Empire’s advances.

To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed in this novel, it felt very schizophrenic with the first half of the novel continuing to utilise Ryan’s original ‘lower deck’ characters, before then abandoning them with a faithful adaptation of the “Errand of Mercy” episode. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very competent and well written novelization but I think I would have preferred to have seen that story told from an original point of view as it was this fresh look at the Original Series that had kept me entertained throughout the previous five novels.

My favourite bit of the novel had to be in relation to the story around Leslie Parrish and her time spent trying to fight off a Klingon attack on the cargo ship Antares. In this section, we get to see her trying to contend with a civilian crew, dated equipment and her own pregnancy, whilst trying to get everyone to safety. I particularly loved seeing how she manages to persuade some of Antares’ crew assist her in killing Klingon’s resulting in an opportunity to explore the morality of the individual involved. It was very unexpected and interesting to see as normally the characters just dispatch enemies such as the Klingon’s without much thought or remorse.

Overall, this was an average conclusion to Ryan’s series, let down in my opinion by the decision to tack on a novelization of “Errand of Mercy” at the end. If Ryan had continued to concentrate on his original characters we may have gotten some new insights into what occurred at the time but unfortunately we just get to see something we already know. For anyone who has read the previous novels, it is really a no brainer about reading this to conclude the series but it is probably my least favourite of the six.

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 3 out of 5]

After two rather dry novels the "Errand of Fury" trilogy shows promise with the first half of its concluding installment "Sacrifices of War". Kevin Ryan reaches his characters in ways not seen since his previous trilogy "Errand of Fury" and his analysis on war and violence is much more original and greyshaded than before. It all builds up to a potentially excellent conclusion. But.

We have already seen how the second Federation-Klingon war concluded in the TV episode "Errand of Mercy". And the second half of this novel is a faithful adaptation of that episode, to the point of Ryan abandoning his original characters almost completely. The decision to novelize an episode is itself an unfortunate one. On the other hand this project was all about creating a plausible build-up to that episode, but I still feel these novels might just as well have ended suddenly, leaving the classic TV story to bring everything to a close. A preferable way would have been to handle the political events of "Errand of Mercy" in a new way, using the points of view of the original characters.

"Sacrifices of War" ends up being a schizoid novel that does many good things but is an uneasy combination of original storytelling and uninspired novelization. Can't help but declare it as mediocre as the other offerings of this trilogy.

[Jimyanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is extremely well-written, captures the characters well, has excellent pacing and good action. It suffers a tiny bit from the fact that the main character of the previous two books is gone (having died at the end of the previous book) but gains from progressing from the period prior to an excellent episode from the original series ("Errand of Mercy") to being a novelization of that episode, a novelization which is handled excellently in that virtually every scene from the episode is transcribed faithfully, the novelization merely filling in blanks between scenes and the internal thoughts of the charcters.

I dock it one star for not standing on its own; it relies too heavily on events from the previous books and therefore cannot be said to have a beginning. The series as a whole I will give five stars.

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the final book of a six-book series dealing with conflicts between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. It culminates at the same point in the Star Trek timeline as TOS episode Errand of Mercy (the beginnings of the Organian Peace Treaty).

Ryan has epic aspirations, with multiple characters and storylines that arc across all six books. Unfortunately, the books were released years apart and I read them at quite different times, so I often felt like I was playing catch-up. Ryan helps by giving brief reminders, but this the detracts from the narrative drive of the overall story. I would probably have enjoyed this a bit more if I had read all six back-to-back-to-back.

Nevertheless, this is an entertaining novel for what it is. If you like Star Trek stories with Klingons, this one is pretty good. But it's best read in sequence with the others in the series.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel built around The Errand of Mercy episode from TOS.

It develops the coming war with the Klingon Empire and Kirk's battles with Kor on the planet Organia. Koloth and Kang make appearances as well.

[Judith Paterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good conclusion to the 2nd of 2 trilogies, meshing in with the TV series I remember from my youth.
Satisfactory wrapping up of lots of story lines and an enjoyable read.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ehat fun. This has been a good story-ride

[Alyn Lunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read. Extremely well written.