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Star Trek: Voyager: Spirit Walk #2
Enemy of My Enemy
Chakotay and his sister, Sekaya, are imprisoned on the formerly Cardassian-occupied planet of Loran II. They soon discover that their tormentor is an old enemy: Arak Katal, the Bajoran who betrayed Chakotay's comrades, the Maquis, to Starfleet. Worse still, he is also Chakotay's second-in-command, Lieutenant Andrew Ellis -- for he is in fact a Changeling, a shapechanger, a renegade Founder who has been rejected by the Great Link for his evil actions. On Loran II he has teamed up with Cardassian scientist Crell Moset, who he hopes will restore his Changeling powers to the full. But that is only part of their plan: Moset intends to create a new race, a superspecies to do his will, as the Jem'Hadar serve the Founders. With Chakotay's Sky-Spirit DNA, they may just be able to pull it off -- and stopping them could cost Sekaya her life.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2004
28 people are currently reading
587 people want to read
About the author
Christie Golden
170 books1,872 followersAward-winning author Christie Golden has written over thirty novels and several short stories in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror. She has over a million books in print.
2009 will see no fewer than three novels published. First out in late April will be a World of Warcraft novel, Athas: Rise of the Lich King. This is the first Warcraft novel to appear in hardcover. Fans of the young paladin who fell so far from grace will get to read his definitive story.
In June, Golden’s first Star Wars novel, also a hardcover, sees print. Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi—Omen is the second in a nine-book series she is co-authoring with Aaron Allston and Troy Denning. Also in June comes the conclusion of Golden’s StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga with the release of Twlight, the third book in the series. The first two are Firstborn and Shadow Hunters.
2004 saw the launch of an original fantasy series called The Final Dance, from LUNA Books. The first novel in the series, On Fire's Wings, was published in July of that year. The second, In Stone’s Clasp , came out in September of 2005. With In Stone’s Clasp, Golden won the Colorado Author’s League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel for the second time. The third book, Under Sea’s Shadow, is available only as an e-book
Golden is also the author of two original fantasy novels from Ace Books, King's Man and Thief and Instrument of Fate, which made the 1996 Nebula Preliminary Ballot. Under the pen name of Jadrien Bell, she wrote a historical fantasy thriller entitled A.D. 999, which won the Colorado Author's League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel of 1999.
Golden launched the TSR Ravenloft line in 1991 with her first novel, the highly successful Vampire of the Mists , which introduced elven vampire Jander Sunstar. Golden followed up Vampire with Dance of the Dead and The Enemy Within . In September of 2006, fifteen years to the month, The Ravenloft Covenant: Vampire of the Mists enabled Jander Sunstar to reach a whole new audience.
Other projects include a slew of Star Trek novels, among them The Murdered Sun , Marooned , and Seven of Nine , and "The Dark Matters Trilogy," Cloak and Dagger , Ghost Dance and Shadow of Heaven .
The Voyager novel relaunch, which includes Homecoming and The Farther Shore , were bestsellers and were the fastest-selling Trek novels of 2003. Golden continued writing VOYAGER novels even though the show went off the air, and enjoyed exploring the creative freedom that gave her in the two-parter called Spirit Walk, which includes Old Wounds and Enemy of my Enemy .
Golden has also written the novelization of Steven Spielberg's Invasion America and an original "prequel," On The Run , both of which received high praise from producer Harve Bennett. On The Run, a combination medical thriller and science fiction adventure, even prompted Bennett to invite Golden to assist in crafting the second season of the show, if it was renewed.
Golden lives in Loveland, Colorado, with her artist husband and their two cats.
2009 will see no fewer than three novels published. First out in late April will be a World of Warcraft novel, Athas: Rise of the Lich King. This is the first Warcraft novel to appear in hardcover. Fans of the young paladin who fell so far from grace will get to read his definitive story.
In June, Golden’s first Star Wars novel, also a hardcover, sees print. Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi—Omen is the second in a nine-book series she is co-authoring with Aaron Allston and Troy Denning. Also in June comes the conclusion of Golden’s StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga with the release of Twlight, the third book in the series. The first two are Firstborn and Shadow Hunters.
2004 saw the launch of an original fantasy series called The Final Dance, from LUNA Books. The first novel in the series, On Fire's Wings, was published in July of that year. The second, In Stone’s Clasp , came out in September of 2005. With In Stone’s Clasp, Golden won the Colorado Author’s League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel for the second time. The third book, Under Sea’s Shadow, is available only as an e-book
Golden is also the author of two original fantasy novels from Ace Books, King's Man and Thief and Instrument of Fate, which made the 1996 Nebula Preliminary Ballot. Under the pen name of Jadrien Bell, she wrote a historical fantasy thriller entitled A.D. 999, which won the Colorado Author's League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel of 1999.
Golden launched the TSR Ravenloft line in 1991 with her first novel, the highly successful Vampire of the Mists , which introduced elven vampire Jander Sunstar. Golden followed up Vampire with Dance of the Dead and The Enemy Within . In September of 2006, fifteen years to the month, The Ravenloft Covenant: Vampire of the Mists enabled Jander Sunstar to reach a whole new audience.
Other projects include a slew of Star Trek novels, among them The Murdered Sun , Marooned , and Seven of Nine , and "The Dark Matters Trilogy," Cloak and Dagger , Ghost Dance and Shadow of Heaven .
The Voyager novel relaunch, which includes Homecoming and The Farther Shore , were bestsellers and were the fastest-selling Trek novels of 2003. Golden continued writing VOYAGER novels even though the show went off the air, and enjoyed exploring the creative freedom that gave her in the two-parter called Spirit Walk, which includes Old Wounds and Enemy of my Enemy .
Golden has also written the novelization of Steven Spielberg's Invasion America and an original "prequel," On The Run , both of which received high praise from producer Harve Bennett. On The Run, a combination medical thriller and science fiction adventure, even prompted Bennett to invite Golden to assist in crafting the second season of the show, if it was renewed.
Golden lives in Loveland, Colorado, with her artist husband and their two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 27, 2013
The best part was when Wesley Crusher was mentioned for no apparent reason.
March 3, 2016
3.5 stars (rounded down.)
While I like the so-called "Relaunches" of both DS9 and Voyager, this duology left me cold. (Chakotay has always been my least favorite of the Voyager case, and it's not even close.)
But, especially after the "Homecoming" duology [which left me craving more], this series really had nothing to recommend it for me.
While I like the so-called "Relaunches" of both DS9 and Voyager, this duology left me cold. (Chakotay has always been my least favorite of the Voyager case, and it's not even close.)
But, especially after the "Homecoming" duology [which left me craving more], this series really had nothing to recommend it for me.
November 21, 2019
Oh God, please don't make Chakotay an actual superhuman.
I think what's most impressive about this is just how poorly the core Voyager crew members are used. Some of them are reduced to background characters, and the rest of them are placed in roles which make no sense.
I think what's most impressive about this is just how poorly the core Voyager crew members are used. Some of them are reduced to background characters, and the rest of them are placed in roles which make no sense.
June 29, 2021
And so ends Captain Chakotay's first mission as Captain of Voyager.
I like that the story is a smaller one, it's not about saving the galaxy it's just about figuring out what's going on with an abandoned colony, with some shape shifting espionage thrown in for good measure.
It's about the characters and understanding where they fit into this new world. I enjoyed seeing more of Chakotay and Harry as they were often completely overlooked by fan favourite characters like The Doctor and Seven (both of whom only appear very briefly here).
It was also a lot more spiritual (not surprising given the title) than most other Star Trek stories. I like that Christie Golden reintroduced some elements from the series that were more or less forgotten and combined them in a way that added to Chakotay's backstory.
I noticed a couple of plot points were abandoned, such as the tension between the Delta Quadrant Voyagers vs the Alpha Quadrant faction, but it's fine... I only remembered that thread because I re-read my review of the first book before writing this one.
I like that the story is a smaller one, it's not about saving the galaxy it's just about figuring out what's going on with an abandoned colony, with some shape shifting espionage thrown in for good measure.
It's about the characters and understanding where they fit into this new world. I enjoyed seeing more of Chakotay and Harry as they were often completely overlooked by fan favourite characters like The Doctor and Seven (both of whom only appear very briefly here).
It was also a lot more spiritual (not surprising given the title) than most other Star Trek stories. I like that Christie Golden reintroduced some elements from the series that were more or less forgotten and combined them in a way that added to Chakotay's backstory.
I noticed a couple of plot points were abandoned, such as the tension between the Delta Quadrant Voyagers vs the Alpha Quadrant faction, but it's fine... I only remembered that thread because I re-read my review of the first book before writing this one.
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March 13, 2009Another SUUUUUCK. Seriously, Harry Kim suddenly becoming chief of security? With absolutely no training, after he'd become chief of operations right out of the Academy? Why move him to another department?
June 21, 2023
This book isn't near as good as book 1 "Old Wounds", but it does a serviceable job of tying up loose ends and finishing the duology's storyline.
This book puts a heavy emphasis on Chakotay and Sekaya as they are now captured and being experimented on. If this was a traditional length Trek book from the 200s (340-400 pages), this storyline might have been balanced out with the others. However, because it isn't, this storyline takes up too much time and isn't that exciting. Whenever Trek delves into the "Spirit" realm, it needs to be careful of how much focus it has, because the true excitement and action in these books is the scientific and political and the spiritual stuff works better in the shows than the books.
The best part of the book is the mystery of "What's up with the Captain". We the audience know everything, so its interesting to see our characters try to put the pieces together themselves. And Golden did a nice job of bringing in characters from Voyager who weren't present on the ship at the time.
Tom gets a little to do in this book, but unfortunately he isn't a primary focus despite being on the cover. He should have had an opportunity to take command of Voyager to prove that he should be the first officer, but that sadly doesn't happen. (Although it is a nice result at the end anyway).
Overall, this is a fine conclusion to the duology. I still think Golden or another author could have done a good job of writing a Voyager storyline in the Alpha Quadrant, but I understand why Beyer and the editors at Pocket felt they had to take the story in another direction. I'll give this book a 6 out of 10.
This book puts a heavy emphasis on Chakotay and Sekaya as they are now captured and being experimented on. If this was a traditional length Trek book from the 200s (340-400 pages), this storyline might have been balanced out with the others. However, because it isn't, this storyline takes up too much time and isn't that exciting. Whenever Trek delves into the "Spirit" realm, it needs to be careful of how much focus it has, because the true excitement and action in these books is the scientific and political and the spiritual stuff works better in the shows than the books.
The best part of the book is the mystery of "What's up with the Captain". We the audience know everything, so its interesting to see our characters try to put the pieces together themselves. And Golden did a nice job of bringing in characters from Voyager who weren't present on the ship at the time.
Tom gets a little to do in this book, but unfortunately he isn't a primary focus despite being on the cover. He should have had an opportunity to take command of Voyager to prove that he should be the first officer, but that sadly doesn't happen. (Although it is a nice result at the end anyway).
Overall, this is a fine conclusion to the duology. I still think Golden or another author could have done a good job of writing a Voyager storyline in the Alpha Quadrant, but I understand why Beyer and the editors at Pocket felt they had to take the story in another direction. I'll give this book a 6 out of 10.
November 24, 2025
I must admit I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, it feels like a natural progression of the story and the characters' actions previously showed; on the other, I think it all feels incredibly underdeveloped.
Despite being a story of over 300 pages, almost nothing happens! It's like 80% being character actions or reactions and 20% dedicated to advancing a plot that's really too short for this. This wouldn't be a problem if some of the topics or aspects introduced in the first part, such as the planets wanting to leave the Federation, the rivalry between the new and old Voyager crew, or more of the personal conflicts of some characters, were explored further, but we really see very little of it, leaving me with the feeling that we could have seen more. Along the same lines, Chakotay almost feels like a secondary character in his own novel! He spends more than three-quarters of the book captured, and when he finally does something, it all feels over the top. I appreciate Christie Golden's desire to address the Sky Spirits issue (perhaps the only person in Paramount), but I think there were more subtle ways to do so than magic.
It's not all negative, of course, as the reading still maintains its quality and keeps things quite dynamic. Similarly, I loved the character of Jarem Kaz, the ship's new Doctor. The personal conflict he faces as a Trill with his previous host is genuinely interesting, and I loved his role in the story; he, along with Kim and Janeway, truly carries the parts of the novel I enjoyed most. It was also nice to see more of Tom and B'elanna on Boreth, although I would like to see B'elanna given a more active role in the future, as she feels slightly sidelined, despite being part of the original crew.
Overall, while I wasn't a particular fan of this duology, I still enjoyed reading it. I hope the next books to be more exciting.
Despite being a story of over 300 pages, almost nothing happens! It's like 80% being character actions or reactions and 20% dedicated to advancing a plot that's really too short for this. This wouldn't be a problem if some of the topics or aspects introduced in the first part, such as the planets wanting to leave the Federation, the rivalry between the new and old Voyager crew, or more of the personal conflicts of some characters, were explored further, but we really see very little of it, leaving me with the feeling that we could have seen more. Along the same lines, Chakotay almost feels like a secondary character in his own novel! He spends more than three-quarters of the book captured, and when he finally does something, it all feels over the top. I appreciate Christie Golden's desire to address the Sky Spirits issue (perhaps the only person in Paramount), but I think there were more subtle ways to do so than magic.
It's not all negative, of course, as the reading still maintains its quality and keeps things quite dynamic. Similarly, I loved the character of Jarem Kaz, the ship's new Doctor. The personal conflict he faces as a Trill with his previous host is genuinely interesting, and I loved his role in the story; he, along with Kim and Janeway, truly carries the parts of the novel I enjoyed most. It was also nice to see more of Tom and B'elanna on Boreth, although I would like to see B'elanna given a more active role in the future, as she feels slightly sidelined, despite being part of the original crew.
Overall, while I wasn't a particular fan of this duology, I still enjoyed reading it. I hope the next books to be more exciting.
June 7, 2019
Overall, an unfortunate disappointment. The conclusion to the novel was, in my opinion, confused and jumbled with some troubling aspects that have bothered me ever since their introduction in the Voyager television series. I find the contrast between these novels and the later Voyager "relaunch" stories by Kirsten Beyer to be staggering. While I'm sorry that Christie Golden's run in the Voyager series wasn't more successful, I'm happy that Beyer's books were able to take the premise and do new and interesting things with it. Full Circle is one of my favorite Trek novels, and luckily the story of Voyager doesn't end with this novel.
Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2019/06/enemy...
Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2019/06/enemy...
January 28, 2020
Hoped the plot will pick up some speed in the second book. It didn't.
July 28, 2022
¡Oi! Spoilers, stavfel och alternativa fakta kan förekomma rakt föröver!
Scroll down for English!
Svenska: Mitt stora problem med den här boken (och den föregående) är kanske att jag faktiskt inte håller Chakotay som någon favorit-karaktär. Det tillsammans med nedskalningen av Janeway, B’Elanna och Seven of Nine är kanske varför jag inte riktigt får kontakt med den här boken. Det gör också att hela intrigupplösningen med Sky Spirit-DNA:t lämnade mig tämligen oberörd utöver att jag hoppades att vi inte skulle få dras med superhjälte-Chakotay i bok efter bok.
Men en bit in i den här boken slutar storyn trampa vatten och börjar röra på sig. Och över lag är det en bra intrig-plott med hamnskiftaren och Crell Moset. Gillar också att Voyagers första riktiga uppdrag efter hemkomsten från Deltakvadranten är av den mindre skalan och inte någon grandios rymdopera.
Boken (eller egentligen talar jag om hela ”Sprit Walk”) lider stort av att den minimerar de kvinnliga karaktärerna (till och med Sekaya är snarare ett bihang till Chakotay) till förmån för de manliga. Och det känns som om den breda ut sig onödigt mycket. En hel del scener i båda böckerna känns onödiga och jag undrar om inte bägge böckerna tjänat på en tightare story och nedkortad till en bok.
Efter den här boken tar Kirsten Beyer över pennan. Jag ser fram emot att se vart hon tar storyn och vart hon kommer föra Voyager och i vilken omfattning de trådar Golden lämnar efter sig kommer ha bäring i de kommande böckerna.
English: Perhaps my big problem with this book (and the previous one) is that I don't hold Chakotay as some favorite character. That along with the downscaling of Janeway, B'Elanna, and Seven of Nine is perhaps why I don't really connect with this book. It also contributed to me feeling unmoved by the whole plot resolution with the Sky Spirit DNA, beyond hoping we wouldn't get stuck with “superhero Chakotay” in book after book.
But a bit into this book, the story stops treading water and starts moving. And overall, it's a good plot with the shape shifter and Crell Moset. I also like that Voyager's first real mission after returning home from the Delta quadrant is on the smaller scale and not some grandiose space opera.
The book (or really, I'm talking about the whole "Spirit Walk") suffers greatly from the fact it minimizes the female characters (even Sekaya is rather an appendage of Chakotay) in favor of the male ones. And it feels like it's allowed to spread out too much. A lot of scenes in both books feel unnecessary and I wonder if both books didn't benefit from a tighter story and shortened to one book.
After this book, Kirsten Beyer takes over the pen. I look forward to seeing where she takes the story and where she will take Voyager and to what extent the threads Golden leaves behind will have bearing in the upcoming books.
August 17, 2019
The writing style is enjoyable but the plot is just not what I enjoy. The second dilogy with a conspiracy. Where’s the good old Trek fun of exploring the quadrant? And after four books the plot is still unfinished. How long will this series go on? Why didn’t they just make a lot of standalone novels like in the good old days? To earn more money because you have to buy all this freaking books to know the end?
Also it’s really annoying that the communications are written cursive. Why? That should be for thoughts and emphasis only. This way reading is really tiring.
And why all those cameos?
Gosh, I hope the series finally ends in the next book and we’ll finally get the Monster of the week novels we deserve.
Also it’s really annoying that the communications are written cursive. Why? That should be for thoughts and emphasis only. This way reading is really tiring.
And why all those cameos?
Gosh, I hope the series finally ends in the next book and we’ll finally get the Monster of the week novels we deserve.
May 30, 2017
This book was the best story in the post Voyager-returns-home timeline. I stayed up until 1 am to finish it.
Without giving away too much, I enjoyed how craftily Golden wove all the characters into the story. Particularly when Harry Kim figures out who the bad guy is. He contacts all his former shipmates to help in the solution. Many new characters from other stories in the timeline make appearances here. It's exciting, riveting, and just a darn good story.
Without giving away too much, I enjoyed how craftily Golden wove all the characters into the story. Particularly when Harry Kim figures out who the bad guy is. He contacts all his former shipmates to help in the solution. Many new characters from other stories in the timeline make appearances here. It's exciting, riveting, and just a darn good story.
June 26, 2025
I thought the pacing was really slow and a few plot points were badly motivated/i felt like some characters were just dumb for the sake of the plot (like dr katz when he invented the “umari flu”). the end and treatment of the cardassian doctor as well as fleshing out chakotay a bit more where redeeming factors for me.
May 31, 2024
Summary:
The shapeshifter who was Arak Katal/Commander Ellis tells Chakotay that he's been looking for him for a long time; Chakotay was the only one that ever left Dorvan V, and Arak is a completionist--plus Moset wanted samples of everyone from the colony.
The Changeling thanks Moset for drawing the chamozi just in time to lure Chakotay there. Crell says with the new infusion from Chakotay and Sekaya, the Changeling will be back to his old self in no time. Moset injects him, but it has no effect; the Changeling barely manages an assuring smile.
The Changeling morphs into a Kerovian named Alamys and contacts Amar Merin Kol, who he has been advising to secede from the Federation. He also previously posed as Captain Skhaa so he could read Voyager's logs. Afterwards, he morphs into Chakotay, then beams away with the real Commander Ellis.
Back on the surface of Loran II, the Changeling awakens Ellis, who he's kept in stasis for 7 years. He begins slashing at him with a scalpel, making it look like he was attacked by the creatures on this planet, before finally cutting his throat. He contacts the away team, who are just regaining consciousness after being attacked by the creatures themselves. He tells them Ellis and Sekaya were taken, that he's being attacked, and orders them to return to the shuttle.
"Chakotay" makes it to the shuttle carrying Ellis's body, and they leave for Voyager. He tells Harry that the creatures likely mutilated Sekaya's body; Harry says they can go back for her later, but "Chakotay" oddly says no. Harry tries to scan "Chakotay", but he tells Harry he's fine, like Ellis did earlier.
Upon return, they rush the unconscious Patel to sickbay and Kaz stabilizes her, though he's fighting off Gradak at every step. He tries to examine "Chakotay", who again insists he's fine, and tells Kaz not to do an autopsy on Ellis. When Kaz says it's regulation, "Chakotay" flips out and says he saw Ellis die and there are more important things to worry about. Kaz treats the rest of the away team and tells them to return to duty.
B'Elanna requests to see the Scrolls of Ghargh; the librarian tells her Ghargh was a heretic who believed the Kuvah'Magh would bring the gods back from the dead.
"Chakotay" tells Fortier about the beasts that attacked them, and says it's likely that they killed all the colonists too. "Chakotay" says he needs to get them back to Earth, but Fortier still wants to settle into the colony. "Chakotay" says he'll take some scans when he goes back for the other shuttle to see how dangerous it is. He tells Harry he's beaming down, and when Harry protests, "Chakotay" tells him he's sick of his insubordination; Harry backs off.
Patel awakens, and before Kaz tells her to go to her quarters and get some rest, she hands him her tricorder; she was able to scan the creature before it attacked her.
Sekaya dreams of the first time she met Moset. He seemed polite and unassuming, until she was strapped down and dosed with a paralytic agent. The drug did nothing to dull the agony of the incisions he made in her brain.
Sekaya awakens and sees Chakotay beside her, with implants in his head. He overheard that there's something wrong with the Changeling, and assumes that he was infected by the Federation bioweapon, but never returned to the Great Link to get the cure from Odo; Moset is working on his own cure, but they're not sure why. Chakotay says that during the Dominion War, Moset engineered Jem'Hadar with Betazoid empathic abilities, but they couldn't handle it. He was captured by the Enterprise and was assumed dead when his transport ship exploded; Chakotay theorizes that was when the Changeling saved him.
Janeway, Tuvok, and Paris arrive at the Federation banquet, and quickly run into Amar Kol. Tom finds diplomacy comes somewhat naturally to him, as after a few compliments, Kol asks him to be her dance partner for the evening.
Kaz reviews Patel's scans and is bewildered to find that the creatures have humanoid DNA. He tells the computer to analyze it further, and it says it's a match for human DNA, most closely to Chakotay and Fortier.
Moset injects Chakotay's DNA into his "children" and it has a slight positive effect. The Changeling returns and says he needs all of Moset's treatments to take on Voyager. Moset is furious, as he wants them for his children, but has no choice but to comply. The Changeling is almost able to morph into Sekaya, but can't reduce his mass enough. He tells Moset that he has better come up with a solution soon, as he's have been stuck in solid form for 7 years.
As the Changeling prepares to take the shuttle back to Voyager, Kaz contacts him and says he needs to call a senior staff meeting when Chakotay gets back, regarding Patel's scans of the creatures. The Changeling reluctantly agrees, and decides he'll try to discredit the scans and Dr. Kaz.
Kaz and Astall find Chakotay's behavior quite odd. Kaz starts having Gradak flashbacks of Arak again, and thinks there's a conspiracy afoot.
"Chakotay" meets with Kaz, Astall, and Patel, who explain that the creatures had his and Fortier's DNA. He feigns shock, and when he asks how that's possible, they posit that the villagers may have been genetically manipulated into monsters. "Chakotay" calls for a senior staff meeting in 2 hours. Kaz again asks to treat his wounds, but "Chakotay" tells him to prep for the meeting. He goes to his quarters and takes a reversal drug to fool Kaz's scans.
At the meeting, "Chakotay" tells the story of Voyager's encounter with the Sky Spirits, and how they gifted a generic bond to his people; he says this may be what happened with the colonists. He says the best thing now is to return to Earth for advice from Starfleet, but the others don't buy it and protest until he relents. Kaz and Astall still think he's acting strange and ask him to come to sickbay; they're surprised when he agrees.
Chakotay realizes Moset is so interested in him because he got a recent transfusion from the Sky Spirits. Chakotay asks Moset why he needs the Sky Spirit DNA. He brings in the creature named Kaymar and demonstrates that it can control the weather telepathically; the creatures used to be human, but infusing them with Sky Spirit DNA gave them powers. However, Moset also used other DNA, which turned them into ape-like creatures. Kaymar was Paul Fortier, Marius's nephew. Moset lets slip that the Changeling can't morph, but he's devising a cure.
Kaz scans "Chakotay" and he appears fine. Kaz's isoboromine levels, however, are low, so he decides he needs to mind-meld with Vorik in the morning. Jarem dreams of Gradak, who tells him he's not seeing what Gradak is seeing: creatures with human DNA, Chakotay is acting odd--he needs to do what a doctor does.
Against "Chakotay's" orders, Kaz performs an autopsy on Commander Ellis and finds that he's been in stasis for ~7 years. He finds no traces of DNA or dirt from the supposed animal attack, and the computer definitely says Ellis was killed with a scalpel.
Kaz doesn't have security clearance to check Chakotay's phaser, so he wakes Harry Kim, fills him in about what he's found, and asks him to unlock the security locker. Kim says they could both be arrested for mutiny, but agrees that Chakotay's been acting strange. They find the Chakotay's phaser has been fired, but Ellis's had not, meaning Chakotay lied. Kaz says he knows someone they can trust.
The Changeling dreams of when he was Katal: he led the Maquis to the Tevlik moon, then told the Cardassians exactly where they were. A Vorta found him afterwards and told him that the Founders ordered her to stop him before he brings destruction to the Great Link. She shoots him with a weapon that turns him into a solid, then takes her own life for attacking one of her gods.
Kaz and Kim contact Admiral Janeway, who immediately agrees that something's wrong. She tells them to send her all the info they have, and to send it to Seven and the Doctor too. They contact Seven and explain briefly before someone catches them making the transmission. Kim masks it as a ghost signal, but he says Lyssa might be able to track it back to them.
Janeway contacts "Chakotay" and asks how the mission is going. The Changeling tells her the colonists are all dead and Voyager is investigating. She asks him if he remembers the planet Amasri and all the dead colonists there; he lies that he does. Then she asks about his sister, and he says she's very busy helping the grieving colonists. After the call ends, he tells Lyssa not to allow any more calls in or out.
Immediately after Janeway disconnects, she runs into Amar Kol, who wants to have a private discussion. Although this is the moment she was hoping for, she is forced to decline, citing an emergency situation. She tells Tom, Tuvok, and Montgomery about the imposter Chakotay, and says Tom is the only one that can leave without causing a stir. She tells him to take the Delta Flyer.
Moset says the Founders solidified Katal for giving the Cardassians the location to the Tevlik colony, which mostly consisted of children; this went against the Founders' wishes. Moset says his reward for helping Katal were the creatures. Chakotay sews seeds of doubt by saying that the Changeling likely wants Moset to experiment on them, and will take them away when Moset is no longer useful to him. Crell realizes Chakotay is trying to drive a wedge between him and Katal, though he concedes that he has a point.
Astall asks Kaz if he's mind-melded with Vorik yet; he tells her she has to trust him that he's fine, and there's someone going on that he can't tell her about. She agrees, but says she's going to check on him every hour.
Libby finds that somehow Captain Skhaa accessed sensitive documents from Voyager, and realizes someone must be forging his identity. She contacts Harry to warn him, but "Chakotay" makes him take the call on the bridge. With everyone watching, he's forced to say he can't talk right now. Libby decides to go over Fletcher's head and sends a message.
As soon as Libby hangs up, Irene Hansen calls, feigning senility, asking for Annika. "Chakotay" doesn't seem to know who she is. He calls Seven, who apologizes for her aunt while secretly sending Harry a message.
Janeway is again about to talk to Kol when she gets a priority message: Peregrine warns that Commander Ellis is a mole who has been accessing confidential information on Voyager for months. Janeway concludes that Chakotay is a Changeling.
Seven and the Doctor contact Janeway and tell her the DNA points to the creature being Guillaume Fortier crossed with several other species. Janeway tells them to work on reversing the process, and tells them her suspicions about the Changeling.
Kaz calls Kim to sickbay, saying his scans showed Kim might have Umari flu, which is completely fabricated. Kim tells him about the message from Seven, and they work on decoding it.
"Chakotay" is starting to piece together that Kim and Kaz may be on to him when Lyssa mentions some unauthorized activity. He notices the hidden message that Seven sent, and sees that it's being decoded in sickbay.
Janeway tells Tom to apprehend the Changeling if possible. She says help is on the way, but will take a while.
Kaz and Kim decipher Seven's message, which says: "Chakotay is being impersonated by a...", but it ends there. The Changeling fills in the gap for them though, then attacks and incapacitates them, but not before Kim sends the message to Lyssa Campbell.
Lyssa sees the message and immediately alerts the crew. The Changeling switches his appearance to look like Harry, grabs Kaz, and heads got the shuttle bay.
Tom makes it to Voyager just in time to see the Changeling's shuttle departing. Lyssa tells him to stop it, as their tractor beam is disabled. Tom pursues but takes heavy fire. Kaz lets Gradak take control and manages to smash the weapons console before the Changeling knocks him out. The shuttle escapes into Loran II's giant storm and Tom loses him.
Tom assumes command of Voyager per Admiral Janeway's orders and says they're landing the ship on the planet.
The Changeling contacts Moset and says the jig is up. He tells Moset to put Chakotay and Sekaya in stasis, as they'll have to leave with them and the Changeling's creatures (not Moset's) in a cloaked ship to start over. Chakotay again needles Moset, saying that the Changeling will never let him keep the creatures.
The Changeling arrives at the lab and is furious that Moset still isn't ready. When he leaves, Moset frees Chakotay and Sekaya, and they fill Kaz in about the Changeling being Ellis and Arak Katal. Kaz reluctantly agrees to work with Moset to take out the Changeling.
Posing as Alamys, the Changeling tries to convince Amar Kol to declare her secession from the Federation, but she won't until she speaks with Janeway. He concedes and says he'll be out of touch for a few days.
As they prepare for the procedure, Sekaya tells Moset that the reason his other experiments ended monstrously is because they didn't have a seklaar, an anchor. She says she'll be Chakotay's anchor and Moset puts them both under.
In Sekaya's spirit realm, Chakotay meets her animal guide, the Stag, who tells him he cannot falter. Chakotay meets his father next, and they have a brief reconciliation. Then he meets with many other spirit animals, including Black Jaguar.
As Chakotay ventures deeper into the spirit realm, Sekaya has trouble maintaining her tether to him, and she flatlines; however, she hears Blue Water Dreamer's flute and not only stabilizes again, but her tether to get brother grows stronger.
Chakotay speeds through the cosmos and encounters Wesley Crusher, who tells him that the Traveler took him to Chakotay's planet to study being a Traveler. He tells Chakotay to try out his powers, and he's surprised that he can sense Janeway's thoughts and feelings. He also senses Tom nearby, trying to land Voyager. He feels Kaz's anxiousness, and Wesley tells him to push feelings of calmness and assurance out towards them. Wesley says he'll see him around, and Chakotay wakes up--with Black Jaguar on the bed beside him.
Tom brings Voyager down through the storm; it's a rocky landing, but they make it in one piece. He leaves Kim in charge and leads an away team. They're immediately met by the mutated colonists, and are forced to stun them.
The Changeling returns to the lab with his creatures at his side. Black Jaguar attacks the creatures, trying not to wound them. Moset tries to dose Katal with a hypospray, but is easily tossed aside. He commands the creatures to get Sekaya, and though Chakotay uses his powers to stop them, one manages to slash open her abdomen. In a rage, Chakotay throws everything in the room at Katal, burying him. Katal fires a phaser at him, but Chakotay wills the beam to pass harmlessly through him. This causes his powers to drain rapidly: Black Jaguar disappears, and Chakotay goes down. Before losing consciousness, he directs the creatures to go after Katal. They chase him down, but he escapes in his ship.
Kaz comes to and sees Sekaya. He takes her pulse and realizes she's dead; however, in the spirit realm, Blue Water Dreamer holds back the blood on her abdomen. Kaz realizes that somehow, time is standing still for Sekaya. The storm has stopped, so he requests an emergency medical beam-out.
On Voyager, Tom fills in Harry about the Changeling and Moset, who both managed to escape. He says they're keeping the mutated colonists in stasis until the think tank can figure out how to revert them.
Kaz finishes surgery on Sekaya, then whispers that she can return to her body. She immediately comes alive, healthy as ever. Kaz returns to Moset's lab, certain that Crell is still hiding there. When Moset turns up, Jarem hands control over to Gradak, who easily overpowers Moset. With a phaser pointed at his head, Gradak explains to Moset why he's an evil butcher, not a doctor, until it truly sinks in. Moset eventually begs Kaz to kill him, but he only stuns him.
Someone slips a message under B'Elanna's door that says she and the Kuvah'Magh are in danger.
Chakotay greets Sekaya when she wakes up. He says that without her help, he's lost most of his powers, though he can still enter the spirit realm just by closing his eyes. He also says Moset is in the brig, a broken man.
2 weeks later, Janeway meets with Chakotay and Kaz. The think tank devised a way to fix the colonists, and they've decided to find a new world to live on. Gradak has receded and Jarem is back to normal. Tom Paris is taking Ellis's place as first officer.
Janeway gets a call from Amar Kol, who says Kerovi is leaving the Federation, and this will likely be the last time they speak. She thanks her for recovering her advisor Alamys from the Changeling, then signs off. Afterwards, she morphs back into Andrew Ellis.
Review: 2.5 stars. Chakotay's spirit walk episodes were never my favorite, and this book wasn't much better--though I did think it was interesting that Wesley Crusher showed up. Again though, most of the Voyager crew, new and old, is given fairly little of interest to do. Also, Libby's plot was also completely half-baked and felt tacked on. Won't be revisiting this one anytime ever.
The shapeshifter who was Arak Katal/Commander Ellis tells Chakotay that he's been looking for him for a long time; Chakotay was the only one that ever left Dorvan V, and Arak is a completionist--plus Moset wanted samples of everyone from the colony.
The Changeling thanks Moset for drawing the chamozi just in time to lure Chakotay there. Crell says with the new infusion from Chakotay and Sekaya, the Changeling will be back to his old self in no time. Moset injects him, but it has no effect; the Changeling barely manages an assuring smile.
The Changeling morphs into a Kerovian named Alamys and contacts Amar Merin Kol, who he has been advising to secede from the Federation. He also previously posed as Captain Skhaa so he could read Voyager's logs. Afterwards, he morphs into Chakotay, then beams away with the real Commander Ellis.
Back on the surface of Loran II, the Changeling awakens Ellis, who he's kept in stasis for 7 years. He begins slashing at him with a scalpel, making it look like he was attacked by the creatures on this planet, before finally cutting his throat. He contacts the away team, who are just regaining consciousness after being attacked by the creatures themselves. He tells them Ellis and Sekaya were taken, that he's being attacked, and orders them to return to the shuttle.
"Chakotay" makes it to the shuttle carrying Ellis's body, and they leave for Voyager. He tells Harry that the creatures likely mutilated Sekaya's body; Harry says they can go back for her later, but "Chakotay" oddly says no. Harry tries to scan "Chakotay", but he tells Harry he's fine, like Ellis did earlier.
Upon return, they rush the unconscious Patel to sickbay and Kaz stabilizes her, though he's fighting off Gradak at every step. He tries to examine "Chakotay", who again insists he's fine, and tells Kaz not to do an autopsy on Ellis. When Kaz says it's regulation, "Chakotay" flips out and says he saw Ellis die and there are more important things to worry about. Kaz treats the rest of the away team and tells them to return to duty.
B'Elanna requests to see the Scrolls of Ghargh; the librarian tells her Ghargh was a heretic who believed the Kuvah'Magh would bring the gods back from the dead.
"Chakotay" tells Fortier about the beasts that attacked them, and says it's likely that they killed all the colonists too. "Chakotay" says he needs to get them back to Earth, but Fortier still wants to settle into the colony. "Chakotay" says he'll take some scans when he goes back for the other shuttle to see how dangerous it is. He tells Harry he's beaming down, and when Harry protests, "Chakotay" tells him he's sick of his insubordination; Harry backs off.
Patel awakens, and before Kaz tells her to go to her quarters and get some rest, she hands him her tricorder; she was able to scan the creature before it attacked her.
Sekaya dreams of the first time she met Moset. He seemed polite and unassuming, until she was strapped down and dosed with a paralytic agent. The drug did nothing to dull the agony of the incisions he made in her brain.
Sekaya awakens and sees Chakotay beside her, with implants in his head. He overheard that there's something wrong with the Changeling, and assumes that he was infected by the Federation bioweapon, but never returned to the Great Link to get the cure from Odo; Moset is working on his own cure, but they're not sure why. Chakotay says that during the Dominion War, Moset engineered Jem'Hadar with Betazoid empathic abilities, but they couldn't handle it. He was captured by the Enterprise and was assumed dead when his transport ship exploded; Chakotay theorizes that was when the Changeling saved him.
Janeway, Tuvok, and Paris arrive at the Federation banquet, and quickly run into Amar Kol. Tom finds diplomacy comes somewhat naturally to him, as after a few compliments, Kol asks him to be her dance partner for the evening.
Kaz reviews Patel's scans and is bewildered to find that the creatures have humanoid DNA. He tells the computer to analyze it further, and it says it's a match for human DNA, most closely to Chakotay and Fortier.
Moset injects Chakotay's DNA into his "children" and it has a slight positive effect. The Changeling returns and says he needs all of Moset's treatments to take on Voyager. Moset is furious, as he wants them for his children, but has no choice but to comply. The Changeling is almost able to morph into Sekaya, but can't reduce his mass enough. He tells Moset that he has better come up with a solution soon, as he's have been stuck in solid form for 7 years.
As the Changeling prepares to take the shuttle back to Voyager, Kaz contacts him and says he needs to call a senior staff meeting when Chakotay gets back, regarding Patel's scans of the creatures. The Changeling reluctantly agrees, and decides he'll try to discredit the scans and Dr. Kaz.
Kaz and Astall find Chakotay's behavior quite odd. Kaz starts having Gradak flashbacks of Arak again, and thinks there's a conspiracy afoot.
"Chakotay" meets with Kaz, Astall, and Patel, who explain that the creatures had his and Fortier's DNA. He feigns shock, and when he asks how that's possible, they posit that the villagers may have been genetically manipulated into monsters. "Chakotay" calls for a senior staff meeting in 2 hours. Kaz again asks to treat his wounds, but "Chakotay" tells him to prep for the meeting. He goes to his quarters and takes a reversal drug to fool Kaz's scans.
At the meeting, "Chakotay" tells the story of Voyager's encounter with the Sky Spirits, and how they gifted a generic bond to his people; he says this may be what happened with the colonists. He says the best thing now is to return to Earth for advice from Starfleet, but the others don't buy it and protest until he relents. Kaz and Astall still think he's acting strange and ask him to come to sickbay; they're surprised when he agrees.
Chakotay realizes Moset is so interested in him because he got a recent transfusion from the Sky Spirits. Chakotay asks Moset why he needs the Sky Spirit DNA. He brings in the creature named Kaymar and demonstrates that it can control the weather telepathically; the creatures used to be human, but infusing them with Sky Spirit DNA gave them powers. However, Moset also used other DNA, which turned them into ape-like creatures. Kaymar was Paul Fortier, Marius's nephew. Moset lets slip that the Changeling can't morph, but he's devising a cure.
Kaz scans "Chakotay" and he appears fine. Kaz's isoboromine levels, however, are low, so he decides he needs to mind-meld with Vorik in the morning. Jarem dreams of Gradak, who tells him he's not seeing what Gradak is seeing: creatures with human DNA, Chakotay is acting odd--he needs to do what a doctor does.
Against "Chakotay's" orders, Kaz performs an autopsy on Commander Ellis and finds that he's been in stasis for ~7 years. He finds no traces of DNA or dirt from the supposed animal attack, and the computer definitely says Ellis was killed with a scalpel.
Kaz doesn't have security clearance to check Chakotay's phaser, so he wakes Harry Kim, fills him in about what he's found, and asks him to unlock the security locker. Kim says they could both be arrested for mutiny, but agrees that Chakotay's been acting strange. They find the Chakotay's phaser has been fired, but Ellis's had not, meaning Chakotay lied. Kaz says he knows someone they can trust.
The Changeling dreams of when he was Katal: he led the Maquis to the Tevlik moon, then told the Cardassians exactly where they were. A Vorta found him afterwards and told him that the Founders ordered her to stop him before he brings destruction to the Great Link. She shoots him with a weapon that turns him into a solid, then takes her own life for attacking one of her gods.
Kaz and Kim contact Admiral Janeway, who immediately agrees that something's wrong. She tells them to send her all the info they have, and to send it to Seven and the Doctor too. They contact Seven and explain briefly before someone catches them making the transmission. Kim masks it as a ghost signal, but he says Lyssa might be able to track it back to them.
Janeway contacts "Chakotay" and asks how the mission is going. The Changeling tells her the colonists are all dead and Voyager is investigating. She asks him if he remembers the planet Amasri and all the dead colonists there; he lies that he does. Then she asks about his sister, and he says she's very busy helping the grieving colonists. After the call ends, he tells Lyssa not to allow any more calls in or out.
Immediately after Janeway disconnects, she runs into Amar Kol, who wants to have a private discussion. Although this is the moment she was hoping for, she is forced to decline, citing an emergency situation. She tells Tom, Tuvok, and Montgomery about the imposter Chakotay, and says Tom is the only one that can leave without causing a stir. She tells him to take the Delta Flyer.
Moset says the Founders solidified Katal for giving the Cardassians the location to the Tevlik colony, which mostly consisted of children; this went against the Founders' wishes. Moset says his reward for helping Katal were the creatures. Chakotay sews seeds of doubt by saying that the Changeling likely wants Moset to experiment on them, and will take them away when Moset is no longer useful to him. Crell realizes Chakotay is trying to drive a wedge between him and Katal, though he concedes that he has a point.
Astall asks Kaz if he's mind-melded with Vorik yet; he tells her she has to trust him that he's fine, and there's someone going on that he can't tell her about. She agrees, but says she's going to check on him every hour.
Libby finds that somehow Captain Skhaa accessed sensitive documents from Voyager, and realizes someone must be forging his identity. She contacts Harry to warn him, but "Chakotay" makes him take the call on the bridge. With everyone watching, he's forced to say he can't talk right now. Libby decides to go over Fletcher's head and sends a message.
As soon as Libby hangs up, Irene Hansen calls, feigning senility, asking for Annika. "Chakotay" doesn't seem to know who she is. He calls Seven, who apologizes for her aunt while secretly sending Harry a message.
Janeway is again about to talk to Kol when she gets a priority message: Peregrine warns that Commander Ellis is a mole who has been accessing confidential information on Voyager for months. Janeway concludes that Chakotay is a Changeling.
Seven and the Doctor contact Janeway and tell her the DNA points to the creature being Guillaume Fortier crossed with several other species. Janeway tells them to work on reversing the process, and tells them her suspicions about the Changeling.
Kaz calls Kim to sickbay, saying his scans showed Kim might have Umari flu, which is completely fabricated. Kim tells him about the message from Seven, and they work on decoding it.
"Chakotay" is starting to piece together that Kim and Kaz may be on to him when Lyssa mentions some unauthorized activity. He notices the hidden message that Seven sent, and sees that it's being decoded in sickbay.
Janeway tells Tom to apprehend the Changeling if possible. She says help is on the way, but will take a while.
Kaz and Kim decipher Seven's message, which says: "Chakotay is being impersonated by a...", but it ends there. The Changeling fills in the gap for them though, then attacks and incapacitates them, but not before Kim sends the message to Lyssa Campbell.
Lyssa sees the message and immediately alerts the crew. The Changeling switches his appearance to look like Harry, grabs Kaz, and heads got the shuttle bay.
Tom makes it to Voyager just in time to see the Changeling's shuttle departing. Lyssa tells him to stop it, as their tractor beam is disabled. Tom pursues but takes heavy fire. Kaz lets Gradak take control and manages to smash the weapons console before the Changeling knocks him out. The shuttle escapes into Loran II's giant storm and Tom loses him.
Tom assumes command of Voyager per Admiral Janeway's orders and says they're landing the ship on the planet.
The Changeling contacts Moset and says the jig is up. He tells Moset to put Chakotay and Sekaya in stasis, as they'll have to leave with them and the Changeling's creatures (not Moset's) in a cloaked ship to start over. Chakotay again needles Moset, saying that the Changeling will never let him keep the creatures.
The Changeling arrives at the lab and is furious that Moset still isn't ready. When he leaves, Moset frees Chakotay and Sekaya, and they fill Kaz in about the Changeling being Ellis and Arak Katal. Kaz reluctantly agrees to work with Moset to take out the Changeling.
Posing as Alamys, the Changeling tries to convince Amar Kol to declare her secession from the Federation, but she won't until she speaks with Janeway. He concedes and says he'll be out of touch for a few days.
As they prepare for the procedure, Sekaya tells Moset that the reason his other experiments ended monstrously is because they didn't have a seklaar, an anchor. She says she'll be Chakotay's anchor and Moset puts them both under.
In Sekaya's spirit realm, Chakotay meets her animal guide, the Stag, who tells him he cannot falter. Chakotay meets his father next, and they have a brief reconciliation. Then he meets with many other spirit animals, including Black Jaguar.
As Chakotay ventures deeper into the spirit realm, Sekaya has trouble maintaining her tether to him, and she flatlines; however, she hears Blue Water Dreamer's flute and not only stabilizes again, but her tether to get brother grows stronger.
Chakotay speeds through the cosmos and encounters Wesley Crusher, who tells him that the Traveler took him to Chakotay's planet to study being a Traveler. He tells Chakotay to try out his powers, and he's surprised that he can sense Janeway's thoughts and feelings. He also senses Tom nearby, trying to land Voyager. He feels Kaz's anxiousness, and Wesley tells him to push feelings of calmness and assurance out towards them. Wesley says he'll see him around, and Chakotay wakes up--with Black Jaguar on the bed beside him.
Tom brings Voyager down through the storm; it's a rocky landing, but they make it in one piece. He leaves Kim in charge and leads an away team. They're immediately met by the mutated colonists, and are forced to stun them.
The Changeling returns to the lab with his creatures at his side. Black Jaguar attacks the creatures, trying not to wound them. Moset tries to dose Katal with a hypospray, but is easily tossed aside. He commands the creatures to get Sekaya, and though Chakotay uses his powers to stop them, one manages to slash open her abdomen. In a rage, Chakotay throws everything in the room at Katal, burying him. Katal fires a phaser at him, but Chakotay wills the beam to pass harmlessly through him. This causes his powers to drain rapidly: Black Jaguar disappears, and Chakotay goes down. Before losing consciousness, he directs the creatures to go after Katal. They chase him down, but he escapes in his ship.
Kaz comes to and sees Sekaya. He takes her pulse and realizes she's dead; however, in the spirit realm, Blue Water Dreamer holds back the blood on her abdomen. Kaz realizes that somehow, time is standing still for Sekaya. The storm has stopped, so he requests an emergency medical beam-out.
On Voyager, Tom fills in Harry about the Changeling and Moset, who both managed to escape. He says they're keeping the mutated colonists in stasis until the think tank can figure out how to revert them.
Kaz finishes surgery on Sekaya, then whispers that she can return to her body. She immediately comes alive, healthy as ever. Kaz returns to Moset's lab, certain that Crell is still hiding there. When Moset turns up, Jarem hands control over to Gradak, who easily overpowers Moset. With a phaser pointed at his head, Gradak explains to Moset why he's an evil butcher, not a doctor, until it truly sinks in. Moset eventually begs Kaz to kill him, but he only stuns him.
Someone slips a message under B'Elanna's door that says she and the Kuvah'Magh are in danger.
Chakotay greets Sekaya when she wakes up. He says that without her help, he's lost most of his powers, though he can still enter the spirit realm just by closing his eyes. He also says Moset is in the brig, a broken man.
2 weeks later, Janeway meets with Chakotay and Kaz. The think tank devised a way to fix the colonists, and they've decided to find a new world to live on. Gradak has receded and Jarem is back to normal. Tom Paris is taking Ellis's place as first officer.
Janeway gets a call from Amar Kol, who says Kerovi is leaving the Federation, and this will likely be the last time they speak. She thanks her for recovering her advisor Alamys from the Changeling, then signs off. Afterwards, she morphs back into Andrew Ellis.
Review: 2.5 stars. Chakotay's spirit walk episodes were never my favorite, and this book wasn't much better--though I did think it was interesting that Wesley Crusher showed up. Again though, most of the Voyager crew, new and old, is given fairly little of interest to do. Also, Libby's plot was also completely half-baked and felt tacked on. Won't be revisiting this one anytime ever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2016
I really like this continuation to Spirit Walk. I think it's a great book that has depth to it. I love the way it deals with human nature, deception, friendship and spirituality. And, as usually, Christie Golden writes the story and the characters beautifully.
This quote is, to me, beautifully brilliant. It describes different parts of a personality in such a simple and yet profound way. I really like how Golden in this duology goes deep into, especially, Chakotay as a character. After all, he is my favorite character after Janeway. I love these different aspects of him.
Also, being a spiritual person myself, I've always found his spirituality to be very interesting and that is something that we get a lot of in this book. I especially like the spirit walk he takes with Sekaya and how that all turns out. I like how faith can make a way where there was no way. No matter how intriguing science is and how much we can learn from it, faith has its place as well and we can't always explain everything.
I'm also glad that this story took on a different aspect of there being a mole in the Federation than the Homecoming and The Farther Shore books did. This turned out to be something different altogether, and I found it both creepy and interesting at the same time to have a Changeling as the bad guy. Him together with the crazy scientist Cardassian made quite the pair in stirring up trouble for our Voyager crew...
Three of them there were now; his cultural Self, his Starfleet Self and the Maquis. Traditionalist, adventurer, rebel. He was all of these. Janeway, too, was more than one aspect of her personality. They were all Changelings, in their way, transforming from one to the other as the need surfaced.
This quote is, to me, beautifully brilliant. It describes different parts of a personality in such a simple and yet profound way. I really like how Golden in this duology goes deep into, especially, Chakotay as a character. After all, he is my favorite character after Janeway. I love these different aspects of him.
Also, being a spiritual person myself, I've always found his spirituality to be very interesting and that is something that we get a lot of in this book. I especially like the spirit walk he takes with Sekaya and how that all turns out. I like how faith can make a way where there was no way. No matter how intriguing science is and how much we can learn from it, faith has its place as well and we can't always explain everything.
"Don't try," Kaz said, "just accept."
I'm also glad that this story took on a different aspect of there being a mole in the Federation than the Homecoming and The Farther Shore books did. This turned out to be something different altogether, and I found it both creepy and interesting at the same time to have a Changeling as the bad guy. Him together with the crazy scientist Cardassian made quite the pair in stirring up trouble for our Voyager crew...
November 27, 2017
This is a continuation of the Story Enemy of My Enemy. Once again if you don't care for spiritual themes in Star Trek you might not want to read this but as it is an integral part of Chakotay's character I have no problem with it.
Chakotay and his sister have been taken prisoner and are subjected to experiments. Janeway apparently still considers herself as Tom's mentor and begins to groom him in the ways of diplomacy by ordering him to be her guest at an event as she attempts to convince a world not to leave the Federation. This is oddly enough ties in with the Chakotoy story line. They begin to receive alarming news about Voyager and Tom is sent to investigate. Back on the Klingon world B'elanna discovers something disturbing in the prophecies.
This book had a good idea but it was either rushed or not edited properly. Perhaps there was a time constraint. The reader should know that all of the plot points were dropped(with the exception of the story line concerning the Paris family) or dealt with 'off screen' by the time Byers picked up this series.
Chakotay and his sister have been taken prisoner and are subjected to experiments. Janeway apparently still considers herself as Tom's mentor and begins to groom him in the ways of diplomacy by ordering him to be her guest at an event as she attempts to convince a world not to leave the Federation. This is oddly enough ties in with the Chakotoy story line. They begin to receive alarming news about Voyager and Tom is sent to investigate. Back on the Klingon world B'elanna discovers something disturbing in the prophecies.
This book had a good idea but it was either rushed or not edited properly. Perhaps there was a time constraint. The reader should know that all of the plot points were dropped(with the exception of the story line concerning the Paris family) or dealt with 'off screen' by the time Byers picked up this series.
January 2, 2013
Well, as far as the Star Trek: Voyager books go, I'm starting to get a little frustrated. While this had an admirable A-plot (a changeling, the return of Krell Moset, etc), the B-stories are starting to annoy the crap out of me. I'm finding the Trill doctor annoying (have we not done the whole 'past life becoming too dominant' thing with Jadzia and Ezri already?) and the new counsellor drives me crazy (she comes off like a child, not a counsellor). Ugh. I dunno. Even the Torres/Paris' child plot is leaving me cold. Hopefully, further parts to the tale will be a tad more... well, more.
June 22, 2017
Not bad. Works just as well as part one.
January 2, 2016
Just plain awful.
February 27, 2016
Pretty good plot... Just wished it had been one continuous book!
March 13, 2025
The USS Voyager under command of a changeling!
This book is a tie-in original prose novel of “Star Trek: Voyager”. The fourth in the Expanded Universe line of this spin-off series. And it’s the second part of a duology arch known as “Spirit Walk”.
ALL THE ACTION WAS LEFT FOR THE SECOND PART
Here, there is the conclusion to the events displayed in the first part Old Wounds, that for obvious reason I didn’t spoil much about the cliffhanger. I won’t say who was the changeling in the first part, but here, it’s impossible not telling plainly that the changeling is impersonificating Captain Chakotay, meanwhile the real one is imprisoned in Loran II, along with his sister, Sekaya, that it’s said that she died to the rest of the crew to explain her absence.
The Changeling was able to remain under disguise for several years and affecting in insidious ways here and there in the policies of the Federation, but he’s sick with the virus created by Starfleet to deal with the Founders during the Dominion War, therefore, the Changeling frees Crell Mosset, a Cardassian War Criminal known as the Butcher of Bajor (it’s like the Cardassion version of Third Reich’s Dr. Joseph Mengele), he appeared as a hologram version in a Star Trek: Voyager episode when The Doctor needed his medical expertise to deal with a complicated sickness, and he appeared too in a prose novel of Star Trek: The Next Generation titled The Battle of Betazed, he is taken in custody but the Changeling manages to get him free and now they share an alliance where each does his best to help with the goals of the other.
Lt. Harry Kim and Dr. Jarem Kaz are the first to notice the deception but it’s not easy to prove since Mosset applied to the Changeling a substance making him almost impossible to distinguish from the person that he’s copying. They are sure about it but they can't prove it without risking to be charged of mutiny.
Meanwhile, Admiral Janeway, Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok and Lt. Cmdr. Paris are in a diplomatic mission trying to convince several delegations to avoid to take the decision of abandoning the Federtation, since they are uneasy with all the situation during the Dominion War and fearing that the Federation may enter into a newer conflict in the near future.
This novel definitely is a lot more interesting to read than the previous one, and where you have a compelling conclussion to the events at hand but leaving open to further adventures in the series.
This book is a tie-in original prose novel of “Star Trek: Voyager”. The fourth in the Expanded Universe line of this spin-off series. And it’s the second part of a duology arch known as “Spirit Walk”.
ALL THE ACTION WAS LEFT FOR THE SECOND PART
Here, there is the conclusion to the events displayed in the first part Old Wounds, that for obvious reason I didn’t spoil much about the cliffhanger. I won’t say who was the changeling in the first part, but here, it’s impossible not telling plainly that the changeling is impersonificating Captain Chakotay, meanwhile the real one is imprisoned in Loran II, along with his sister, Sekaya, that it’s said that she died to the rest of the crew to explain her absence.
The Changeling was able to remain under disguise for several years and affecting in insidious ways here and there in the policies of the Federation, but he’s sick with the virus created by Starfleet to deal with the Founders during the Dominion War, therefore, the Changeling frees Crell Mosset, a Cardassian War Criminal known as the Butcher of Bajor (it’s like the Cardassion version of Third Reich’s Dr. Joseph Mengele), he appeared as a hologram version in a Star Trek: Voyager episode when The Doctor needed his medical expertise to deal with a complicated sickness, and he appeared too in a prose novel of Star Trek: The Next Generation titled The Battle of Betazed, he is taken in custody but the Changeling manages to get him free and now they share an alliance where each does his best to help with the goals of the other.
Lt. Harry Kim and Dr. Jarem Kaz are the first to notice the deception but it’s not easy to prove since Mosset applied to the Changeling a substance making him almost impossible to distinguish from the person that he’s copying. They are sure about it but they can't prove it without risking to be charged of mutiny.
Meanwhile, Admiral Janeway, Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok and Lt. Cmdr. Paris are in a diplomatic mission trying to convince several delegations to avoid to take the decision of abandoning the Federtation, since they are uneasy with all the situation during the Dominion War and fearing that the Federation may enter into a newer conflict in the near future.
This novel definitely is a lot more interesting to read than the previous one, and where you have a compelling conclussion to the events at hand but leaving open to further adventures in the series.
January 22, 2022
...Huh. Not sure why this author seems to have issues writing the second halves of her Voyager duologies, but unfortunately she really does. 😕 Editing errors (), abandoned/forgotten plotlines (the whole tension-between-old-and-new-crew literally vanished for no apparent reason, and thus was really rather pointless; etc.), and out-of-character moments (both in actions and in dialogue) that are only there because the plot needed them to be to advance in the ways it did all unfortunately abound. Also, everything happens way too quickly at the end-- especially -- and the was a total cop-out. 🤦♀️ Hopefully, with the series changing authors starting from the next book onward, things might improve...?
May 27, 2021
Excellent slut på boken och jag måste säga att jag läste den snabbt. Inte för att den var extra lättläst, men för att jag ville se vad som hände. Att se Crell Moset igen, en person som vi såg som hologram i avsnittet Nothing Human, var en trevlig men skrämmande återblick. Böckerna anknyter till boken The Battle of Betazed något från dess slut till denna bokseries första del. Det kan därför vara en idé att faktiskt ha läsa The Battle of Betazed först, vilket jag inte gjorde. Crell Mosets utveckling är intressant att få ta del av i sin rätta ordning.
Boken var som sagt en bladvändare och rekommenderas varmt.
Boken var som sagt en bladvändare och rekommenderas varmt.
May 9, 2022
The second half of this story was better than the first. The two-parter covers Chakotays first mission as Captain of Voyager. It was an interesting next part to the story following Homecoming and Farther Shore. I found this slow going, with most of the real action not really happening to the end. I did get engrossed in the Shapeshifters deception, feeling genuinely worried for the characters on the ship. Moset became more of a moustache-twirling villian in this, in comparison to his appearance on Voyager. Overall a fair story, and intrigued to see what will happen after the mysterious ending.
December 14, 2025
Wrapped up the Spirit Walk duology this morning. I enjoyed it only slightly less than the first. There's less emphasis on character and more "stuff" happens, which I suppose was necessary as there were a lot of threads to pull together in this book. It starts with some rather shocking violence (by trek standards) which I found a bit off-putting. It was sad and dark, which I don't enjoy, but the book doesn't dwell in that mood past the first 1/3. By the end, several plot points have been satisfyingly resolved and some new ideas are established and left open for future development. Overall, another very good entry in the Trek Reboot era.
Read
October 12, 2019Entertaining read.
Fast paced, with. few bumps.
Many doors left open for continuing story lines and characters.
But I find Golden's dialog a bit too 21st century twee and, at times, not worthy of the mature, highly educated 24th
adults she is attempting to depict.She
If these are YA level books, start marketing them as such.
(Gratefully enjoyed reading this while I suffered through an upper respiratory infection and was condemned to bed for the weekend.)
Fast paced, with. few bumps.
Many doors left open for continuing story lines and characters.
But I find Golden's dialog a bit too 21st century twee and, at times, not worthy of the mature, highly educated 24th
adults she is attempting to depict.She
If these are YA level books, start marketing them as such.
(Gratefully enjoyed reading this while I suffered through an upper respiratory infection and was condemned to bed for the weekend.)
June 10, 2021
The two book series, Spirit Walk, was a refreshing read. It was nice to finally see Chakotay as Captain of Voyager. Getting to know his sister, Sekaya, was nice, too. I really enjoyed the brief glimpses into the Spirit World of Chakotay's people. It was interesting to get a glimpse into headspace of a joined Trill, too. (This two book series would have made a good 4 part mini-episode arc in the show).
January 14, 2023
This felt like it switched authors about 75% of the way through. It was fine up until everything was over-explained, repeatedly, as though the writer expected its audience to just forget everything that had been written a chapter before. The characters lost their dimension, the plot was unnecessarily complicated, and every relationship was written in a vaguely romantic way that was never paid off. A disappointment, because I rather enjoyed the previous books in this series.
February 8, 2017
A fantastic Star Trek sci-fi novel.
One of the highlights for me, is that the author tied in a lot of the current events of that time into the story. Little Easter eggs from DS9, next generation and of course, voyager.
From a fans perspective, I really enjoyed reading about the progressions of the main cast from the series. The plot lines were realistic and believable.
Recommend.
One of the highlights for me, is that the author tied in a lot of the current events of that time into the story. Little Easter eggs from DS9, next generation and of course, voyager.
From a fans perspective, I really enjoyed reading about the progressions of the main cast from the series. The plot lines were realistic and believable.
Recommend.
April 28, 2020
A very enjoyable read that, for me, moved at a much better pace than the first installment. Chakotay is one of my favorite Star Trek characters. I gave 4 stars as the Trill related segments can be confusing and I was hoping Chakotay would have a more centered role. I lapped up the ending where he was focused on more as a main hero.
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