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Star Trek: Day of Honor #3
Her Klingon Soul
Even light-years from the Klingon Empire, the Day of Honor remains an occasion of great importance. And sometimes honor is found in the most unexpected places...B’Elanna Torres has never cared for the Day of Honor. Ashamed of her Klingon heritage, she regards the holiday as an unwanted reminder of all she has struggled to repress. Besides, something awful always seems to happen to her then. Her bad luck seems to be running true to form when she and Harry Kim are captured by alien slavers. Imprisoned by the enigmatic Risatti, forced to mine for deadly radioactive ore, Torres will need all of her strength and cunning to survive—and her honor as well.™, ®, & © 2014 CBS Studios, Inc. STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1997
18 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Michael Jan Friedman
374 books205 followersMichael Jan Friedman is an author of more than seventy books of fiction and nonfiction, half of which are in the Star Trek universe. Eleven of his titles have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list. Friedman has also written for network and cable television and radio, and scripted nearly 200 comic books, including his original DC superhero series, the Darkstars.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 8, 2018
A lot of the Star Trek tie in novels are nonsense, but some are fun nonsense, whilst others are just bad. When done correctly they can throw off some of the burden of being on TV and be a fun adventure that would cost too much to shoot. ‘Her Klingon Soul’ by Michael Jan Friedman is a prime example of when they get it right. Yes the story is silly, but at least it is great fun.
B'Elanna Torres has always been caught between her Human side and her Klingon side. It annoys her no end that people assume that she is a certain way, therefore the Klingon Day of Honor is always going to make her blood boil. The crew of the Voyager think that she wants to celebrate it, but B’Elanna just wants to be left alone. Perhaps a stint on a prison planet will help? This is where B’Elanna and Harry Kim find themselves once captured. Can the Klingon/Human use both sides of her personality to survive the radioactive mine?
‘Soul’ is part of a wider series of Star Trek books called ‘Day of Honor’. They all purport to have links to the Klingon holiday, but most times this is tenuous. This particular outing is really just another adventure that happens to be set on that day. You get a little bit of to and froing from B’Elanna about how the day feels, but there is little reason that her thought processes could not have happened another day. She is constantly aware of her dual personality.
With the shackles of the Day of Honor loosened you are provided with a fun action story. The main thrust of the book is B’Elanna and Kim on a prison planet. It is here that B’Elanna is able to study her two sides. Can she lead the prisoners in a rebellion? Friedman does a good job of creating a believable prison planet and has some dastardly villains. The various fights, riots and escape attempts make for some entertaining reading. We do learn a little bit about the Day of Honor, but it does not interfere with the action.
‘Her Klingon’ soul is not the greatest piece of science fiction ever written, but it certainly one of the more fun Star Trek tie in books. The action is breezy and a lot happens over a short space of time. Out of all the books in the ‘Day of Honor’ series, it is the most fun and possibly the best.
B'Elanna Torres has always been caught between her Human side and her Klingon side. It annoys her no end that people assume that she is a certain way, therefore the Klingon Day of Honor is always going to make her blood boil. The crew of the Voyager think that she wants to celebrate it, but B’Elanna just wants to be left alone. Perhaps a stint on a prison planet will help? This is where B’Elanna and Harry Kim find themselves once captured. Can the Klingon/Human use both sides of her personality to survive the radioactive mine?
‘Soul’ is part of a wider series of Star Trek books called ‘Day of Honor’. They all purport to have links to the Klingon holiday, but most times this is tenuous. This particular outing is really just another adventure that happens to be set on that day. You get a little bit of to and froing from B’Elanna about how the day feels, but there is little reason that her thought processes could not have happened another day. She is constantly aware of her dual personality.
With the shackles of the Day of Honor loosened you are provided with a fun action story. The main thrust of the book is B’Elanna and Kim on a prison planet. It is here that B’Elanna is able to study her two sides. Can she lead the prisoners in a rebellion? Friedman does a good job of creating a believable prison planet and has some dastardly villains. The various fights, riots and escape attempts make for some entertaining reading. We do learn a little bit about the Day of Honor, but it does not interfere with the action.
‘Her Klingon’ soul is not the greatest piece of science fiction ever written, but it certainly one of the more fun Star Trek tie in books. The action is breezy and a lot happens over a short space of time. Out of all the books in the ‘Day of Honor’ series, it is the most fun and possibly the best.
May 23, 2020
Star Trek Voyager was a fun show,with plenty of interesting characters.And though I'm not a fan of Klingons,the mixed race Klingon character in Voyager,B'Elanna Torres was rather good.
There is a truckload of bad Star Trek fiction out there.This is one of the more readable Star Trek books.
B'Elanna and Harry Kim get kidnapped and get trapped on a prison planet.How they get away from there by way of riots and fights makes for an interesting read.Plus,there is the conflict between the human and Klingon sides of B'Elanna's personality.
There is a truckload of bad Star Trek fiction out there.This is one of the more readable Star Trek books.
B'Elanna and Harry Kim get kidnapped and get trapped on a prison planet.How they get away from there by way of riots and fights makes for an interesting read.Plus,there is the conflict between the human and Klingon sides of B'Elanna's personality.
June 30, 2018
More like 3.5 stars.
"...There's nothing more onerous than betrayal. It can't be tolerated. That's the Nograkh way."
So my big grip with this one is that the characters seem to be just slightly off and a little softer than in the show. I can't really use an example without spoiling but I'll say generally I don't think most of the characters would stick their necks out as much as they did here, maybe it just felt forced though.
Other than that one grip I did enjoy this one, it was fasted paced. I liked the back and fourth with all the story lines, and not having to wait 20+ pages to get back to the part I care more about. I really enjoyed the endings of the story and sub-stories it was well done without being overwritten, and the author did tie up all lose ends which I didn't think was going to happen.
This also wasn't as Klingon heavy/saturated as I thought it would be but there was still enough. I loved learning more about the federation with the tid bits they added and friendships that seemed to grow. All the aliens were great, I loved how I viewed them all one way then things changed in a believable way.
Overall I would recommend this to everyone, you can not care for the Klingon stuff and still love this one.
"...There's nothing more onerous than betrayal. It can't be tolerated. That's the Nograkh way."
So my big grip with this one is that the characters seem to be just slightly off and a little softer than in the show. I can't really use an example without spoiling but I'll say generally I don't think most of the characters would stick their necks out as much as they did here, maybe it just felt forced though.
Other than that one grip I did enjoy this one, it was fasted paced. I liked the back and fourth with all the story lines, and not having to wait 20+ pages to get back to the part I care more about. I really enjoyed the endings of the story and sub-stories it was well done without being overwritten, and the author did tie up all lose ends which I didn't think was going to happen.
This also wasn't as Klingon heavy/saturated as I thought it would be but there was still enough. I loved learning more about the federation with the tid bits they added and friendships that seemed to grow. All the aliens were great, I loved how I viewed them all one way then things changed in a believable way.
Overall I would recommend this to everyone, you can not care for the Klingon stuff and still love this one.
March 17, 2013
This story takes place one year prior to the "Day of Honor" television episode. In this story B'Elanna and Harry get kidnapped twice. Once by the Kazon and right after that by the Risatti.
It's fun to read how the Risatti have lots in common with Klingons if you look deeper beyond the surface. How you can go from hating a species that has captured you, seeing their capability to start random files, to in the end respecting said species. The fear and logic in their predicament in the mines, their daring escape, the sacrifice ... and the unexpected friendship.
I like B'Elanna in the series and it was easy to picture her in this story. Her struggle with her Klingon side and the reminder of it on board by her crewmates. I liked how she got to see honor in a different species like the Risatti, who in essential hold up the same values as Klingons and start to value it in herself, seeing her luck beginning to change on that 'horrid' day.
It's fun to read how the Risatti have lots in common with Klingons if you look deeper beyond the surface. How you can go from hating a species that has captured you, seeing their capability to start random files, to in the end respecting said species. The fear and logic in their predicament in the mines, their daring escape, the sacrifice ... and the unexpected friendship.
I like B'Elanna in the series and it was easy to picture her in this story. Her struggle with her Klingon side and the reminder of it on board by her crewmates. I liked how she got to see honor in a different species like the Risatti, who in essential hold up the same values as Klingons and start to value it in herself, seeing her luck beginning to change on that 'horrid' day.
October 6, 2024
It has a perfect depiction of the Voyager season 1-2 cast...but they're in a story that takes far too long to get going. A pity, as there are elements of this story that become particularly poignant in the final act...I only wish the entire novel had been devoted to that story. It would have worked much better as a stand-alone story, and not part of the "Day of Honor" trilogy.
July 21, 2012
"“How long?” asked the lieutenant. “A minute,” said the Nograkh. “Maybe less, maybe more.”"
With that profound example of temporal awareness, and a complete stranger having intricate knowledge of Voyager's shield configurations, I think I'm justified in the assessment that this book leaves a little to be desired. Stil, it's an interesting take on Klingon values, more so because being lightyears away from home Klingon's are few and far between for our crew and another species makes up a rather good analogy.
Sadly, the ending was far too pat and wishy-washy for my liking. Plenty of opportunity to kill at least two new characters and neither of them dies.
With that profound example of temporal awareness, and a complete stranger having intricate knowledge of Voyager's shield configurations, I think I'm justified in the assessment that this book leaves a little to be desired. Stil, it's an interesting take on Klingon values, more so because being lightyears away from home Klingon's are few and far between for our crew and another species makes up a rather good analogy.
Sadly, the ending was far too pat and wishy-washy for my liking. Plenty of opportunity to kill at least two new characters and neither of them dies.
September 21, 2009
The third installment of the Day of Honor series. It's a decent portrayal of Torres and her feelings about being Klingon. The writing is unimaginative and the plot fairly predictable. If it weren't part of a series I would have skipped this one.
June 30, 2011
Not the best, not the worst. Nothing earth shattering
June 4, 2015
A good read. Written well and in a way that keeps the action moving.
February 23, 2024
This was entirely predictable in every respect, but I still enjoyed it - it's a quick, easy read that's fairly relaxing, and that was all I was looking for today so that's good. The title does make me cringe a little... it almost sounds as if it should be one of those bodice-rippers that B'Elanna canonically reads, but alas, nothing doing.
The most interesting thing about this was one of the subplots, where Voyager picks up an alien who is dying from a disease. There's a cure available, but that cure was made by a Mengele type who experimented on her species, and she has understandable moral qualms about using his work, even if it's to save her own life. I had to go and look up the date of a Voyager episode, "Nothing Human," which is similar, albeit with the storyline transposed over to B'Elanna and a Cardassian doctor. The moral quandary, and even the hologram representations of both the evil doctors, are very much alike, hence my curiosity. I even wondered if they had the same writers, but no. Michael Jan Friedman wrote this book, which came out in 1997, and Jeri Taylor wrote the 1998 episode.
I wonder if the two of them discussed it! Maybe swapped ideas, or something like that. The similarities seem too great for coincidence.
The most interesting thing about this was one of the subplots, where Voyager picks up an alien who is dying from a disease. There's a cure available, but that cure was made by a Mengele type who experimented on her species, and she has understandable moral qualms about using his work, even if it's to save her own life. I had to go and look up the date of a Voyager episode, "Nothing Human," which is similar, albeit with the storyline transposed over to B'Elanna and a Cardassian doctor. The moral quandary, and even the hologram representations of both the evil doctors, are very much alike, hence my curiosity. I even wondered if they had the same writers, but no. Michael Jan Friedman wrote this book, which came out in 1997, and Jeri Taylor wrote the 1998 episode.
I wonder if the two of them discussed it! Maybe swapped ideas, or something like that. The similarities seem too great for coincidence.
April 5, 2020
Although I love B'Elanna Torres, I'm not a huge fan of Klingons and Klingon culture. I wasn't sure I wanted to read another Day of Honor novel. Unlike the first one, Her Klingon Soul is not based on a TV episode. It started slowly and with too many Kazon, but I enjoyed the insight into B'Elanna as the novel went on, and seeing a bit more of her and Harry without Tom being involved.
One of the better Star Trek novels I've read (although it could have done without the subplot of an alien who refuses to be cured because others of her species died for the cure to be found).
One of the better Star Trek novels I've read (although it could have done without the subplot of an alien who refuses to be cured because others of her species died for the cure to be found).
December 4, 2019
A little slow
While ultimately a great story the execution gave a story that either had too much going on or not enough. Very uneven storytelling. Hard to place in the Voyager timeline as well.
While ultimately a great story the execution gave a story that either had too much going on or not enough. Very uneven storytelling. Hard to place in the Voyager timeline as well.
August 25, 2020
A strong opening that gives way to a very long midsection. Wrapped up with some action and some threads tied up. Overall not a book with a ton of depth but there was some character background expansion. Decent read, nothing special.
July 24, 2021
This was a quick read, in a good way - a solid tale from "Star Trek: Voyager." It focuses mostly on Torres and Kim, with a good B story involving Kes and an alien visitor. If you're looking for a quick but good trip to the Delta quadrant, this is a good one!
November 3, 2024
Easily the best Day of Honor story so far. Pretty breezy read, characterizations are on point, does a good job of thematically tying in the Day of Honor idea with a story that doesn't hammer you over the head with it.
March 15, 2019
Pretty much as good as a well-constructed episode.
August 10, 2019
I remember watching this episode. Reading this book helps me to understand it better
October 22, 2019
Good book if your a fan of the tv series Star Trek - Voyager.
October 21, 2020
An extra episode story about Belanna
April 15, 2021
Exceptionally badly written, in my opinion. Was boring and tiresome. Very shallow story, like for children. Good grief.
October 6, 2021
It was a very good book.
October 25, 2021
Pretty good story. I like how Belanna learned how others view honor.
September 12, 2023
A nice B’Elanna centric story. You get a sense of how she feels out of place not enjoying Klingon food and the holiday Day of Honor. There were moments I found very relatable.
January 10, 2024
Her Klingon Soul is a hearty salad.
October 14, 2011
Good, I think. At least it kept me reading on. The characters are fitting and the problems and solutions are fitting for si-fi. The theme is all around "the day of honor" that Torres does not care to think about. But only because of her Klingon side is she able to.... Well, you will have to read the story.
July 12, 2015
It's the Day of Honor, and B'lanna is not happy. She is sent on a mission where she meets a violent race who have their own sense of honour. This would have made a decent TV episode. The characters all acted how you feel they should but there was no real depth to them or the story. A good read.
June 22, 2017
Enjoyed thoroughly.
August 14, 2013
This third book in the series has to be my favourite so far. I liked the story, the characters seemed right and it kept me hooked right to the last page.
September 24, 2014
4.5/5
February 6, 2016
Enjoyable pulp, but I'll admit, I've never been a huge fan of the Voyager crew... so my enjoyment was lessened as a result. Less a reflection on the actual story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews