Seize the Fire

Star Trek: Typhon Pact #2

by Michael A. Martin

The next novel in the Typhon Pact adventure in the universe of Star The Next Generation .

Shortly after revealing its union with the Federation’s newest adversary—a coalition of galactic powers known as the Typhon Pact—the Gorn Hegemony suffers an ecological disaster that destroys the hatchery world of their critically important warrior caste. Fortunately, the Gorn had already been investigating traces of an ancient but powerful “quick terraforming” technology left behind by a long-vanished civilization. This technology, should it prove controllable, promises to restore their delicate biological and social status quo. But when a Gorn soldier prepares to use the technology to reshape the planet Hranrar into a new warrior-caste spawning ground, threatening to extinguish the native Hranrarii, he draws the unwanted attention of a mad Gorn trooper determined to bring the military caste into dominance.

Meanwhile, as the U.S.S. Titan embarks upon a search for this potent technology in the hope of using it to heal the wounds the Federation sustained during the recent Borg crisis, Captain Riker must balance his responsibility for his crew’s safety against the welfare of the Hranrarii and his duty to the Prime Directive. With a menacing Typhon Pact fleet nipping at his heels, Riker must not only stop the Gorn warriors but also plumb the secrets of an ancient terraforming artifact. But of everyone serving aboard Titan , Commander Tuvok may be the only one who understands how dangerous such planet-altering technology can be, even when used with the best of intentions...

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Ebooks, Technology, Space

517 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2010

About the author

Michael A. Martin's solo short fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. He has also coauthored (with Andy Mangels) several Star Trek comics for Marvel and Wildstorm and numerous Star Trek novels and eBooks, including the USA Today bestseller Titan: Book One: Taking Wing; Titan: Book Two: The Red King; the Sy Fy Genre Award-winning Star Trek: Worlds of Deep Space 9 Book Two: Trill -- Unjoined; Star Trek: The Lost Era 2298 -- The Sundered; Star Trek: Deep Space 9 Mission: Gamma: Vol. Three: Cathedral; Star Trek: The Next Generation: Section 31 -- Rogue; Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers #30 and #31 ("Ishtar Rising" Books 1 and 2); stories in the Prophecy and Change, Tales of the Dominion War, and Tales from the Captain's Table anthologies; and three novels based on the Roswell television series. His most recent novels include Enterprise: The Romulan War and Star Trek Online: The Needs of the Many.

His work has also been published by Atlas Editions (in their Star Trek Universe subscription card series), Star Trek Monthly, Dreamwatch, Grolier Books, Visible Ink Press, The Oregonian, and Gareth Stevens, Inc., for whom he has penned several World Almanac Library of the States nonfiction books for young readers. He lives with his wife, Jenny, and their two sons in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not the best this franchise has to offer.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: Titan - Typhon Pact series: Seize the Fire by Michael A. Martin

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense

Medium-paced

Plot or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes

4.25 Stars

This is a wonderful mix of the Federation and the Gorn. I don't think I've ever read a story about these two races...where they were given the equality that they had here, and it was deserved. The story was about getting inside the minds of each race (governmental body) and seeing the situation from their POV, and not putting one above another (which is difficult, since this is a Star Trek novel...that's based on the USS Titan crew, and our captain, Riker and his wife Commander Deanna Troy.

The Gorn representatives, within their fleet, and the ones that were not with their fleet for a portion of this story. You didn't know whether to believe them, trust them, or just set them free (or have them killed, since they ARE "the enemy").

I love how the author allowed BOTH sides to make great decisions and awlful decisions (and it not be the end and be all).

Plus, you have the native inhabitants of the planet...that the two space fairing races are fighting about. In some ways, it is like the Palastinian (Christians) that are trying to live their lives, while the Israeli government and the Muslim governments fight over property. Ugh. What to do?

Loved the story, the characters, and honestly, loved some of the Gorn. When? When would I have ever thought that THAT could/would be a possibility? Never.

Thank you.

[Caleb Dorsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first time I’ve put down a Star Trek book and had to keep coming back to it. This book was about a 100 pages longer than it needed to be and has a very slow start. The Gorn “dialect” was very gimmicky and annoying. It certainly impacted my enjoyment of the one.

Those critiques aside, there’s a certain “flavor” of Star Trek storytelling that is unique to the Titan stories that is thankfully still present here. There’s a new species they encounter, there’s some heavier “science” problem they solve, and there’s some sort of conflict where they have to take the time to get to understand the other party involved. This story adds dimension to the Gorn which is a net positive. I also appreciated the role of Vale, Tuvok, and Dr. Ree in this story. The majority of the Titan crew were well utilized.

Overall, still worth a read for the sake of the Typhon Pact series, but I wish it dragged a little less at times.

[Elizabeth Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one actually started off strong. I was never a huge Riker fan but he actually came off likeable to me, the characters and relationships worked, and it was a great story line. I really liked how the Gorn perceived humanoids, lost of great observations and antidotes. It was traditional 'time is running out' trek, which I like.

But then the book took a turn...

Really it started off over written. I didn't mind that too much but then it just got worse. It's so frustrating that this book could have been so much more if it just had been edited more.

Despite my low-ish rating I'd recommend it. Just go in knowing it is slow in many places and then fast in others but in extremes.

[Crystal Bensley · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the Gorn names made this slow going and it was longer than necessary I feel but still an interesting Titan story.

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Trek: Seize the Fire is the second novel in the Typhon Pact series. It was written by Michael A Martin and was released in December of 2010.

After reading this novel, I can kind of see where they are taking this Typhon pact series. It appears that every book will essentially be another book in that ship's particular line of novels (TNG, Titan, Aventine, DS9, etc), but there is a throughline current here about the threat about the Typhon Pact, although you'd almost be forgiven if you didn't realize it in this book.

This book really does feel like another Titan novel. That is not only because the Titan is the only established Trek ship present, but the story follows the type of storyline that the Titan novels followed (not to mention that the author is the creator of the titan line and author of 3 official Titan novels). In that sense, it feels like just a standard Star Trek romp. Nothing here doesn't fit with Star Trek, but nothing really works for me.

My biggest issue with this book is its inclusion in the Typhon Pact line. When it was pitched, it seemed like the Typhon Pact line would be about this epic Cold War struggle between the Federation and the Typhon Pact including spy missions, epic battles, and political struggles. That is kind of what we got in book 1 (Zero Sum Game by David Mack). Here, however, there is a discussion of a Typhon Pact fleet incoming to help the Gorn, and the Gorn mention their ties to the Typhon Pact. That is about the extent of the connection to the Typhon Pact. In my opinion, this should have been rebranded as another Titan novel and they should have been more focused in the actual Typhon Pact line.

I didn't particularly like the writing of the Gorn here. There were some interesting facets to their culture and to their species, but it seemed like bland reptilian alien storylines to me. I kind of connected with Syrrix a little, but since he was the main character of the novel, I should have connected with him more.

There was one chapter earlier in the book where Tuvok has a flashback to his days on the Exelsior where he deals with a rogue element trying to use a Genesis type device. That storyline as a flashback was actually the most interesting thing in the book, and I realized that I wanted the story of that book more than I wanted the story of this book.

Because there is nothing extraordinary or particularly excellently well done here, it just feels like a bland book. I cannot point out issues where I think "That was horrible", but I cannot point out too much that I actually loved. I just feel in the middle on this one.

Overall, a decent novel, but nothing stellar. I still have hope for some of the Typhon Pact novels, but not all of them, considering the next one "Rough Beasts of Empire" is so controversial. But "Seize the Fire" gets 3 out of 5 from me.

[Michael Hicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading Seize the Fire, I couldn't help but suspect that Michael A. Martin must have received a lucrative per-word payment and stretched out things as much as he was capable of. For a taste of the writing style employed here, instead of simply saying somebody was sleeping Martin writes that they were "engaging in the regular pattern of nocturnal dormancy." Because why use one word when nearly a dozen works, amiright?

This unnecessarily long and burdensomely repetitive sophomore Typhon Pact novel focuses around a pair of rival Gorn ships seeking a planet to rebuild their crecheworld following the destruction of their warrior caste's planetary hatchery. One ship possesses terraforming technology and are getting ready to launch an assault against an inhabited planet. The other wants to destroy that technology and gain supremacy over the Gorn entirely. Enter Captain Will Riker and the crew of the Titan, who are caught between a rock and a hard place. Below them are the Hranrarii, a pre-warp civilization unaware how near death's door they are. Due to the Prime Directive, Riker is forbidden from interfering or making contact with the Hranrarii, and his presence in this planet's system puts him directly in the crosshairs of the Gorn. Certainly not an easy predicament!

In case you're ever unsure of just how uneasy this affair is, Martin is sure to remind you often and repeatedly of just how sticky a situation it is. We're told over and over and over and over and over again about how desperately the Federation needs terraforming technology after the Borg's devastating attack the year prior. Nearly every Titan POV character pops ups to tell the reader that the Federation could really benefit from the promise of such technology, but that it could also be used as an incredibly powerful weapon. But the Federation could truly benefit from it, even if it poses a massive existential threat. Still, the Federation could make use of it. But it is dangerous. However, it could really help the Federation recover and rebuild. Although, it could be used against them and any other world should it proliferate. But it also represents a miracle for the Federation and the worlds that suffered under the Borg assault. But, hey, you remember Project Genesis from Star Trek III? Yeah, it could be bad! But it could also be good! Has it been mentioned yet that it could be bad, but also maybe do a whole lot of good? Fifteen percent into this damn book I was already getting sick of the constant reminders about this alien technology!

It doesn't help, either, that every time Martin shifts the story over to the Gorn, the pacing grinds to a freaking halt thanks too many similar and oftentimes impenetrable names, plus even more ad nauseam repetition that the Gorn need to find a new hatchery world tailored specifically for their warrior caste. The rival Gorn ships involve the Ssevarrh and the S'alath, and are crewed by characters like Gog’resssh, Zegrroz’rh, Z’shezhira, and the like. I had trouble keeping track of who was who and on which ship despite the chapter headers telling us which ship was supposed to be which!

To the positive - and there are positives to be sure! - the internal and external conflicts are actually promising and intriguing. Riker wanting to do the right thing and ramming face-first into the Prime Directive is a really neat wrinkle. Points, too, for the Gorn rivalry, which sees a bloodthirsty captain on one side squaring off against bloodthirsty pirates who have their own plans for supremacy over the Gorn Hegemony, and the various ways they conflict with the Titan. I really dug the dilemmas these aspects created for Riker and company, and the climax is suitably action-packed and thorny.

Seize the Fire is ultimately a mixed bag - it has enough going for it to keep the pages turning, but would have benefited from a more judicious and ruthless edit. Martin's prose is unnecessarily bloated, and he spends a lot of time repeating himself, frustratingly covering and recovering the same ground while making questionable plotting and character choices. We get a brief look at Tuvok's service history aboard the Excelsior and his encounter with a Genesis weapon way back when, but it ultimately serves little purpose other than to remind us of how much better The Search for Spock was than the book we are currently reading. Martin also delivers an interesting thread involving the terraforming technology that pops up very, very late in the book and goes absolutely nowhere with it, to the point that I wondered why it was included at all. Quite a lot of Seize the Fire could, and should have, been left on the cutting room floor to the benefit of the end product. What we're given, instead, is a faintly serviceable read that offers glimpses of promise buried under a whole lot of unwanted fat.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, the story was interesting. I'm glad we got to see more of the Gorn society after looking at the Breen in the last book, I hope that keeps up with the other species in the Typhon Pact in future books.

However, I think this book needed a closer eye when it came to proof-reading/editing. It was way longer than it needed to be, and that made it a real chore to read at various points. Events and descriptions felt a bit repetitive, there were even repetitive phrasing and words which made parts feel almost amateurish. Also noticed a few random errors and typos. This is a personal preference and only a small complaint, but the Gorn names were also hard-going.

I did like Vale a tiny bit more in this book. Even though she's still way more abrasive than the XO on Titan's mission should be, she had some good one-liners and her emotional connection to Riker came through a little better. Her relationship with Troi is still a bit weird.

The epilogue was interesting, I'm looking forward to finding out what the ecosculptor told Tuvok and White-Blue.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I didn't hate it, but this book left a lot to be desired. In terms of world-building, Michael Martin is no David R. George. I've enjoyed the Typhon Pact series so far because it's given a window into species that have been under-used in Trek, but here the Gorn just felt cartoony. The Tuvok story felt very underdeveloped to me and the way most of the familiar Titan characters were written felt laboured and... off. I didn't really understand the ending; is this story going to be continued later in the Typhon Pact series? Or in a Titan novel? I dunno. Anyway, I only recommend this title for those who are completists (as I am) for the current post-series timeline.

[Ceremony · Rating 4 out of 5]

i like reading about the gorn ! pretty interesting !

[Mac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Among the ugliest books I have ever read. Reading Martin’s prose is like the scene in “The Office” where Kevin drops the pot of chili dragged on for 500 pages. I cannot believe that writing this sloppy and weak was approved by a publisher.

It’s possible that some of the flaws originated above the author’s pay grade. I’m sure that the publishing wing of Star Trek/Paramount has some say in how the books are structured, just like how writers on the series have to adhere to the show bible. But no one but Michael A. Martin himself can be blamed for writing shit like:

“…nearly blindingly refulgent with an internally generated, bluish brilliance”

How many fucking adverbs can this man cram into one clause? If you CTRL+F and removed just the consecutive letters LY from this book, it would be 75 pages shorter.

Every page is full of phrases like the one quoted above: tedious, sloppy, belabored, ugly fucking writing. Every fucking conversation drags on ad nauseam without revealing new information or making a fucking point, every movement through a physical environment is described with a dozen watered down words. It's god damned maddening waiting for this man to make a fucking point.

And to add insult to injury, the plot is weak to begin with, so it's not even like the story itself saves the weak prose. The characters' motivations are as weak and fuzzy as the prose, there's so much telling instead of showing, characters magically deduce information for the convenience of the plot, and Martin's incessant attempts to be "witty" fall flat approximately 100% of the time.

Given how weak the prose is, the characterization is, the plot is, it seems superfluous to even mention how everything about the Gorn is annoying, not least of all the decision to stick to eye dialect even when not writing explicitly from their POV. Every time I read "Rye'Kurr" or "Tie-Tan" I wanted to blind myself like Oedipus after finding out that he fucked his mom.

I didn't think anything could make me hate a Riker-centric story, but Michael A. Martin managed to not only do that, but make me skeptical of ever reading another Star Trek novel. I mean, shit, I know it's genre fiction, but this was fucking painful.

Fuck.

FFO: adverbs, anti-mammalian prejudice, words that end in ly, caste systems, adverbs, sibilance, adverbs

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't really know what to expect coming in; my last experience with the name Michael A. Martin was the first two Titan novels which disappointed me. But this one was really quite superb!
The premise is very interesting: the Gorn (yes, those green reptiles that Captain Kirk tussled with) have just lost the world where their warrior caste is hatched, and a crazy, radiation-poisoned captain is threatening to use an ancient "ecosculptor" on the plant Hranrar, which will allow a new hatchery to be made but wipe out the indigenous population. It's up to the U.S.S. Titan to put a stop to them.
First of all, this would have made more sense as a Titan series novel rather than a Typhon Pact novel. The only Federation ship involved in this story is the U.S.S. Titan, and the plot is a Gorn-Federation conflict more so than it is a Typhon Pact-Federation conflict.
But from the start, this was a very well-crafted story. The characters are exceptional. My favorite character was Gog'resssh (yes I spelled it right) who is the crazy irradiated captain. He is gnarly, brutal, and quite frankly terrifying. The usual cast of characters are dealt with very well. They have depth and command sympathy, something that's been missing in a lot of Trek novels I've read recently.
The pacing is kind of slow, but when the story bites, it bites hard. There are a lot of tense moments, including a few situations I thought were jumping the shark. But overall, I was pulled along by the story quite well.
This is a solid four stars. It ALMOST has the bite for a perfect rating; had it been a bit more compact I think it would have qualified in my opinion (the story is about 500 pages long). But I enjoyed it very much, and I hope the rest of Typhon Pact is like this.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

In spite of being the product of multiple authors, The Titan books have sort of hit a nice little groove. You get just enough of the minor characters that you don't forget about them. Just enough action on the main plot to tell a complete story and quite a bit of most of the preexisting characters (in this case Riker, Troi and Tuvok) that it's not the 'new guys and friends' show.

The tension is real. At least for some of the book there are some legitimate and nice twists on the Prime Directive. Yes, it sort of falls into 'the crew have to save the universe' trap that many Star Trek books fall into. But at least it left the door open that they might, in some respects, fail. Which, I'm not going to say how exactly, but they sort of do.

Really, my four major complaints about the book are....

1. The one paragraph with Councillor Tori is in it. I know it's a typo but it's there and it's sort of off putting.

2. There are a lot of Rashoman style scenes with Riker and The Gorn. Which when it works, work really well. It's an effect device. However, near the end, it seems to slow the book down. It's a well the book visits a little too often. Which would be fine if the book were a little over long and by the end it seems like two chapters were missing. A lot of that could have been reintroduced by not doing some of the scenes from the Gorn or Titan's point of view.

3. As much as most of the new guys got plenty of space, I was hoping to see more of the ongoing plot with Torvig than we actually see here. However, the ending of this book makes it very clear that story will probably come to a head very, very soon.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not finished this book yet but I really like the insight into the Gorn Hegemony.

I think the author does a great job of challenging our definition of racial tolerance. Even tho in the 24th century, humans seem to have accepted each other and for the most part other humanoids, we still have a ways to go with respect to more alien races. A really good comparison to our current global problem of social and racial tolerance, reflecting the core values of Star Trek itself.

I like the story line too with no win scenario - almost. I think the Titan could have just destroyed the planet terraforming technology and warped the heck out of there without any concern for violating the prime directive. Based on my understanding, you cant interfere with a pre-warp civilization but at the same time, I don't think it prevents you from protecting it against a space faring race with warp technology. If they were threatened by another race in the same planetary system without warp capability that would be hands off - but I am no Federation Lawyer. I think the real issue would just be pissing off the Gorn and starting a war but this doesnt seem to be their main concern.

Also, since the the Titan crew discover anti-matter power on the planet they decide this is the same as warp capable - I think this is technologically incorrect in the Star Trek universe. Anti-matter power is not he same as a warp core. Warp engines warp space using a gravitational field. I think this is a totally different technology than an anti-matter reactor. Maybe the two technologies are integral but not really the same.

Anyway, I am really enjoying this book.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really hoping to like this book, unfortunately I just couldn't do it.

Overall it had an interesting premise, however with the authors the writing style I had difficulty keeping track of the two Gorn factions - becoming confused between the two and their animosity despite having agreeing goals. The author also overzealously used "interference" which clears, comes back, and clears again more times than the Patriots throw interceptions; all to move the book forward. All of these are compounded by the unrealistic behaviors of the Herrari and Gorn. Too many times in the book things just had to go right, or actions that didn't make sense/out of character had to occur in order to progress and every time I cringed.

I'm going to continue with the series, as they are written by different authors, and I loved the first in the series, but this one had to many problems to be enjoyable.

[Peter Rydén · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nu tar Typhon pact-serien (TP) en ordentlig fart. Med skeppet Titan i centrum och med en välskriven berättelse av Michael A Martin så är detta en riktig fröjd för läsningen. Boken är mycket bättre än den förra boken i TP-serien och även bättre än tidigare Titan-böcker! Jag fick en bra inblick i Gornhegemonins sociala strukturer, en social struktur som verkar avsevärt skild mot människans, och det är här som Star Trek kan övertyga och engagera mig särskilt mycket. Boken rekommenderas till alla som velat se mer av Gornhegemonin, ända sedan det där TOS-avsnittet när vi fick se dem första gången. En formidabel fiende och en hedervärd art på sitt sätt! Jag hoppas verkligen att fortsättningen i TP-serien förblir så här bra.

Boken kan läsas fristående från övriga böcker i Typhon pact-serien, men det finns många kopplingar till Destiny-serien så för att förstå allt kan det vara roligt att ha läst dessa först.

[Scott Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally like Martin's storytelling. I think he does a good job of setting the scene. It's mostly thanks to Martin that we have such a strong sense of what the USS Titan is like. In this book, Martin does a good job of tying together diverse bits of Trek arcana to create a cohesive look at Gorn society.

I'm not keen on the characterization of Christine Vale. I get that she's a substitute for young Riker and she's supposed to be energetic, and more into actions than words but she's a bit much. She's always got something sarcastic to say and she's also racist (not always out loud but often in her thoughts) which makes her seem more like a 21st century human than a 24th century Starfleet officer.

[Petra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rozpačité pocity. Po dlhom čakaní som sa tešila, ale nenadchla, ani neurazila. Taký šedý priemer.
Séria Star Trek: Titan má rozhodne aj lepšie knižky, ako je táto, hoci u mňa zásadným problémom asi je, že toto je kniha niekde uprostred série, zatiaľ čo ja som čítala už aj tie, ktoré sú v poradí za ňou. (keď som videla, že vyjde v češtine, rozhodla som sa počkať na preklad, hoci ostatné som čítala v angličtine)
Boli tu moje obľúbené postavy a v zásade aj dosť akcie, hnevali ma aj krátke podkapitoly (?) - dianie sa striedalo na troch lodiach + planéte, niekedy boli tri odseky na jednej lodi, potom 3,5 strany na druhej lodi etc. Počet strán tiež na nálade nepridal, niekde uprostred ma to prestalo baviť, zatiaľ čo začiatok a záver boli super. Slabšie 3 hviezdičky.

[Edmund Bloxam · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little bloated. Could have done with more editing.

The alien perspective was interesting. The Gorn are suitably different and, well, alien. And their aggression and racism is not an off-pat thing, like it sometimes is, but a thought out and well described element.

I ended up reading small snippets at first, because the plot took so long to progress - if something important or worthwhile doesn't happen in each chapter of a genre novel, then it wasn't a chapter worth writing.

It's a good story, it just needed to get to the point. Bizarrely, the Hranrii themselves, and their own little reveal, were rushed through at the end. Perhaps the writer wanted to pick up on this later. Really needed to tell me why any of that stuff was worth reading in this volume, however.

[Roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly thought Michael A. Martin knocked this one out of the park! An incredibly enjoyable read for all those who appreciate a good Trek storyline / conundrum. Also, Martin throws in some UNBELIEVABLE vocabulary words. Had me constantly reaching for my "dictionary" - In a good way! He does all the characters we know and love justice, and creates dimensionality for the ones who we don't know from TV. While some might find this novel verbose and slow-moving, I very much appreciated the rapt attention to detail and the in-depth exploration regarding the Gorn, a species that doesn't really get talked about enough aside form TOS's "Arena" and SNW...Super cool, a lot of fun, I was hooked.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The crew of the Titan go up against the Gorn. While investigating new systems they find evidence of an old advanced civilisation who could terraform. The Gorn have found the technology and want to use it. This is quite a good look at the Gorn civilisation, and makes them more than just warriors. It looks at prejudice, and how to over come it by shared experiences. Surprisingly Tuvok is not one of the main characters here, despite being on the cover, he is the tactical officer and does play a part but not the main one. A very good read.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed parts of this book -- the story, the characterization of Tuvok (and it was great to see Melora again!!). However honestly, the prose of this book -- the inanity of the technical babble -- made it really hard to slog through. The latter third of the book was better, and I appreciated the deeper look at the Gorn. But...it was hard to get through, honestly. I reached for the dictionary several times.

[Graeme Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a good book but not great. Some of the plot lines were a little slow. I found the trip to the planet practically pointless and the Pacts fleet just warping in at the time Titan was ready to leave was too predictable.. made for easy reading at the poolside though.

Ps - Those Gorn names were annoying difficult to read so I ended up making up my own interpretations of them!

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riker, Tubok and Gorn!

Such a good story! It is wonderful to see some of our favorite characters like Riker, Troi and Tuvok. And interesting to learn more about the Gorn. Seeing a different side other than the warrior caste. It's a good stand alone book. I'm going to read all of the Typhon Pact series because I can't stop! They are so good!

[Nicolas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really I blame myself for continuing to read Titan books. This book is 50% Gorn, 25% original characters and 25% Riker/Troi/Tuvok. I did appreciate the references to former books, but as a whole this did not do it for me.

I discussed this more on a recent episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...

[Brennon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

Not quite as tedious a read as the first book in this miniseries. There has yet to be an underlying plot to link the books together though, nothing to make it worth reading the books in order.

[Matthew Greig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining

This was a very enjoyable book. The story is compelling and the results, the ending is not obvious. Good book.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels like maybe one to many story lines in this one, but overall this was a good read. Anything with the Gorn involved has to be pretty good.

[Euftis Emery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice expansion on the Gorn

Nice expansion on the Gorn. If only cbs would use the books over the crap STD scripts that are being written.

[Moogie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best book out there. Pretty boring actually. I was hoping for something more since it's a part of a long story ark.