"We're supposed to be in this together."
So I stayed up until after 3am on Thursday finishing Protectors. Hands up who saw that coming? ;) No, but as I saw the end creeping nearer and nearer I just had to know what happened. So here are some thoughts on it. Spoilers, obviously, and if you do intend to read the novel in full I'd recommend waiting until you have to read this, as there were a couple of very cool reveals that I wouldn't have wanted to be spoiled for.
I'll start by saying that I - obviously - am very heavily (over)invested in the Janeway/Chakotay relationship and so went into the novel with that as my 'priority', so to speak. It was the part of the novel I had the highest hopes for, so that inevitably colours my experiences with it. So this isn't exactly an unbiased or balanced review in that sense (well, part of it is, I guess), though I'm sure many of those will pop up online in the days/weeks to come.
So, the tl;dr version is: I didn't enjoy it as much as The Eternal Tide, but I thought it was a better novel. If that makes sense. Obviously I'd been so excited for it for so long that the likelihood of it being disappointing in some ways was quite high, I suppose.
There were three interconnected stories going on throughout the book - Voyager and Demeter in the Delta Quadrant dealing with the wave forms, Ark Planet and Confederacy (more on that later); Galen, the Doctor and Axum (!!!) in the Beta Quadrant, and Janeway back on Earth. Of these, I enjoyed Voyager/Demeter's story the most - I found some of B'Elanna's behaviour a bit OTT but I can also see why she was troubled. I called ages ago that they would end up getting the mahusive Fleet Commander's quarters; but I also assumed that would be because Janeway would be moving in with Chakotay (at least some of the time). :/
I did actually say "NO WAAAAY" out loud when it was revealed that Patient C-1 was Axum, and for a while I assumed that *he* had tampered with the Doctor somehow. I found what the Doctor did troubling; I had thought he'd gotten over that by now, but I guess he never got the chance to do so, really. Seven's relationship with Cambridge must have brought it all to the surface. Geez, everybody wants Seven. ;)
The setup for the next novel is certainly intriguing, with the possible base at the Confederacy and the worrying alliances of old, familiar enemies, which could be reaaaally interesting if they ever encounter Voyager again (and it's almost certain they will). Not to mention Tom, Sharak and Seven being gone, at least for a while.
Kathryn's reunion with Neelix was exactly what I wanted to see, d'awwww. The memorial service was incredibly beautiful, I thought, and had some lovely speeches.
I liked the focus on Glenn, Farkas and O'Donnell, as it was good to get to know them as part of the new Fleet command team along with Chakotay. And to see Harry stepping up made sense now he's going to be Acting First Officer.
I was less keen on the Janeway parts, surprisingly, though some parts I liked - I enjoyed the long-awaited meeting with Picard, though he was a bit jollier than I'm used to seeing him. I guess that's domestic bliss for you, but I almost preferred him more taciturn. ;) (His son's name is utterly ridiculous. ;)) I also loved Kathryn visiting her own memorial; I'd really hoped that would happen and it was a wonderful scene. The scene with the second counsellor where she had her breakthrough was a bit 'new age' for me but having never been in that position I can't say if it is or isn't like that.
I wasn't crazy about the whole part with Kathryn 'hiding' at her mother's house, though that might be because I've seen it about 300 times in fic. (Though, there's *so much* post-Endgame fic that pretty much every scenario has been addressed in one way or another over the years.) It was all just a little too perfect and blissful for me. It did seem to do her good, and I'm happy for her that she found her equilibrium again, but I kept getting the impression that she was avoiding her life more than anything else. I was surprised - not necessarily in a good way - by how easily she could put the fleet, and the people in it, completely out of her mind. She didn't seem to think of them at all, though I loved the conclusion she came to that her blood relations might be on Earth but her family was in the fleet. Made me all warm and fuzzy, that did. ;)
But I found it a bit - much, that she could so quckly and easily go 'meh' to everything in her life and then just as easily go back to it at the end. I don't know. Just something about it was a bit - off. I enjoyed the conflict with Phoebe a lot because it was more realistic.
It was fairly inevitable that she would get command of the Fleet back (though for a while there I was really worried she either wouldn't get it or would turn it down, especially when she reached her state of IDGAF-nirvana-like bliss), and I thought rebuilding the Vesta and sending it out was a neat solution. The second Kathryn mentioned the Vesta I thought, she's going back aboard that ship.
I did like the insight into her feelings about everything that had been piling on her shoulders over the years. One thing this novel did was remind me once again how much I love Kathryn Janeway (as though I needed reminding). I particularly liked that it was brought up how afraid she was of becoming the Endgame Admiral Janeway, and her later realisation that that was now impossible.
Part of what I enjoy the most about these books is how much Kirsten gets the Voyager characters, especially Kathryn and especially Chakotay, who is an underappreciated character in general but she's done him such justice in the relaunch.
OOH and I forgot to talk about Cambridge. He's still brilliant. XD I did feel sorry for him with the whole Axum thing popping up, and can't wait to see where that goes. He's my favourite addition of the new characters to the crew. ("Are you a hundred and fifty years old?" XD)
Okay, so that's the plotty stuff talked about. (I may think of more later so will post again, like I did for The Eternal Tide.) I'm actually really looking forward to finding out where the plotty stuff goes next, some really interesting setups going on.
So now to talk about the J/C stuff.
I'm not going to lie - I found it rather disappointing, for the most part. They spent the majority of the novel apart, and when they did reunite they were immediately in conflict, which wasn't resolved by the end of the book. This left me feeling a bit frustrated, especially after the way The Eternal Tide ended. (However, it's a good setup for the next novel, I suppose.) I'd read a spoiler that the 'M' word was mentioned and I got excited - I really must learn to temper my expectations. ;) It was only mentioned briefly and even then pretty much to confirm it wouldn't be happening any time soon. Aw. However, they don't seem totally averse to the idea; though not terribly enthusiastic either, haha. Except for Chakotay's lovely quote about staying with her.
Despite that, after everything that happened, they didn't seem particuarly torn up to be separated nor did they seem to particuarly miss each other while they were apart. Chakotay mentioned his intention to stay with Kathryn to B'Elanna but seemed a little indifferent to the realities of it, as did Kathryn. Given everything they said and thought in The Eternal Tide and the beginning of this one ("and then, no matter what happens..."), this rather surprised me. Kathryn didn't seem to be particuarly bothered about a place for him in the life she was trying ot build, beyond a brief mention of him to her mother (which I wish we'd seen more of besides the fact she was 'pleased' about it).
I thought for a moment that Montgomery was building towards some sort of insistence that they marry for the sake of propriety (WTF), but then he discouraged it. Wha? His insistence that she maintain her quarters on the Vesta was rather depressing.
I adore reunion scenes - possibly my favourite trope - but this one was the most disappointing I've ever seen. I knew it wouldn't be plain sailing for them, especially given Chakotay's comments to Cambridge about 'old habits' of theirs etc - I expected something like that to happen but they almost didn't seem to be especially pleased to see each other again after their long separation (though Chakotay notes that Kathryn *seems* pleased to see him with a nod, at least). And with Kathryn on the Vesta they could be even more remote to each other than they were during the show. At least they lived on the same ship then.
Chakotay almost got a sweeter and more intimate scene with *B'Elanna* than he did with his own girlfriend. Harsh. ;) I was also confused by Chakotay's conversation with B'Elanna about marriage. Why did his demeanour change like that, from pleased to not pleased? What does it mean??
I didn't like their goodbye scene much either tbh. ;) The last night they could have had together for at least weeks and potentially years, and she doesn't come to see him at all? WTF, Kathryn. ;)
I don't know, I mean, I know they love each other (they said so) but you almost wouldn't know it from this book. Considering they both said they should make an effort to seize the day/not waste another moment etc after everything they'd been through, I expected more, and was saddened by the way things were left. I'm hoping it's a setup for them finding more of a balance and starting their life together properly in Acts of Contrition, but who knows? I was kind of hoping that would begin in this book, though I get the need for Janeway to establish herself again *on her own* before becoming part of anything else, I suppose.
I did love the scene in Federation Park that I already mentioned, especially the parallel with Chakotay's journey through Full Circle - leaving Starfleet, finding his path and it bringing him back to Voyager. And her realisation that he is her family. (And her reference to him as her 'lover, partner and dearest friend'. :))
Still - at the very least, they're together in the Delta Quadrant, which was never guaranteed, so we're in a good position going forward. At least they don't have 2 quadrants between them any more. ;) And I have faith in Kirsten, and a bit of conflict and distance makes the resolution, the coming together, all the sweeter. :)
So, yeah! Given they were on the cover, even, I'd hoped for more, but perhaps indeed the best is yet to come. I certainly hope so. It was a very enjoyable read apart from that, however, and I did really enjoy the main plots in the DQ and BQ and am looking forward to what's to come.
The next novel, Acts of Contrition, should be out at the end of September according to the author, so it's not a crazy long wait. Yay!
Oh, and I had to channel the way I felt about the lack of resolution for poor ol' J/C at the end (though I'm half expecting it in Acts of Contrition) into a short story, which I've posted here. It's the first thing I've written in several years. Thank you, Kirsten! ;)
I'll start by saying that I - obviously - am very heavily (over)invested in the Janeway/Chakotay relationship and so went into the novel with that as my 'priority', so to speak. It was the part of the novel I had the highest hopes for, so that inevitably colours my experiences with it. So this isn't exactly an unbiased or balanced review in that sense (well, part of it is, I guess), though I'm sure many of those will pop up online in the days/weeks to come.
So, the tl;dr version is: I didn't enjoy it as much as The Eternal Tide, but I thought it was a better novel. If that makes sense. Obviously I'd been so excited for it for so long that the likelihood of it being disappointing in some ways was quite high, I suppose.
There were three interconnected stories going on throughout the book - Voyager and Demeter in the Delta Quadrant dealing with the wave forms, Ark Planet and Confederacy (more on that later); Galen, the Doctor and Axum (!!!) in the Beta Quadrant, and Janeway back on Earth. Of these, I enjoyed Voyager/Demeter's story the most - I found some of B'Elanna's behaviour a bit OTT but I can also see why she was troubled. I called ages ago that they would end up getting the mahusive Fleet Commander's quarters; but I also assumed that would be because Janeway would be moving in with Chakotay (at least some of the time). :/
I did actually say "NO WAAAAY" out loud when it was revealed that Patient C-1 was Axum, and for a while I assumed that *he* had tampered with the Doctor somehow. I found what the Doctor did troubling; I had thought he'd gotten over that by now, but I guess he never got the chance to do so, really. Seven's relationship with Cambridge must have brought it all to the surface. Geez, everybody wants Seven. ;)
The setup for the next novel is certainly intriguing, with the possible base at the Confederacy and the worrying alliances of old, familiar enemies, which could be reaaaally interesting if they ever encounter Voyager again (and it's almost certain they will). Not to mention Tom, Sharak and Seven being gone, at least for a while.
Kathryn's reunion with Neelix was exactly what I wanted to see, d'awwww. The memorial service was incredibly beautiful, I thought, and had some lovely speeches.
I liked the focus on Glenn, Farkas and O'Donnell, as it was good to get to know them as part of the new Fleet command team along with Chakotay. And to see Harry stepping up made sense now he's going to be Acting First Officer.
I was less keen on the Janeway parts, surprisingly, though some parts I liked - I enjoyed the long-awaited meeting with Picard, though he was a bit jollier than I'm used to seeing him. I guess that's domestic bliss for you, but I almost preferred him more taciturn. ;) (His son's name is utterly ridiculous. ;)) I also loved Kathryn visiting her own memorial; I'd really hoped that would happen and it was a wonderful scene. The scene with the second counsellor where she had her breakthrough was a bit 'new age' for me but having never been in that position I can't say if it is or isn't like that.
I wasn't crazy about the whole part with Kathryn 'hiding' at her mother's house, though that might be because I've seen it about 300 times in fic. (Though, there's *so much* post-Endgame fic that pretty much every scenario has been addressed in one way or another over the years.) It was all just a little too perfect and blissful for me. It did seem to do her good, and I'm happy for her that she found her equilibrium again, but I kept getting the impression that she was avoiding her life more than anything else. I was surprised - not necessarily in a good way - by how easily she could put the fleet, and the people in it, completely out of her mind. She didn't seem to think of them at all, though I loved the conclusion she came to that her blood relations might be on Earth but her family was in the fleet. Made me all warm and fuzzy, that did. ;)
But I found it a bit - much, that she could so quckly and easily go 'meh' to everything in her life and then just as easily go back to it at the end. I don't know. Just something about it was a bit - off. I enjoyed the conflict with Phoebe a lot because it was more realistic.
It was fairly inevitable that she would get command of the Fleet back (though for a while there I was really worried she either wouldn't get it or would turn it down, especially when she reached her state of IDGAF-nirvana-like bliss), and I thought rebuilding the Vesta and sending it out was a neat solution. The second Kathryn mentioned the Vesta I thought, she's going back aboard that ship.
I did like the insight into her feelings about everything that had been piling on her shoulders over the years. One thing this novel did was remind me once again how much I love Kathryn Janeway (as though I needed reminding). I particularly liked that it was brought up how afraid she was of becoming the Endgame Admiral Janeway, and her later realisation that that was now impossible.
Part of what I enjoy the most about these books is how much Kirsten gets the Voyager characters, especially Kathryn and especially Chakotay, who is an underappreciated character in general but she's done him such justice in the relaunch.
OOH and I forgot to talk about Cambridge. He's still brilliant. XD I did feel sorry for him with the whole Axum thing popping up, and can't wait to see where that goes. He's my favourite addition of the new characters to the crew. ("Are you a hundred and fifty years old?" XD)
Okay, so that's the plotty stuff talked about. (I may think of more later so will post again, like I did for The Eternal Tide.) I'm actually really looking forward to finding out where the plotty stuff goes next, some really interesting setups going on.
So now to talk about the J/C stuff.
I'm not going to lie - I found it rather disappointing, for the most part. They spent the majority of the novel apart, and when they did reunite they were immediately in conflict, which wasn't resolved by the end of the book. This left me feeling a bit frustrated, especially after the way The Eternal Tide ended. (However, it's a good setup for the next novel, I suppose.) I'd read a spoiler that the 'M' word was mentioned and I got excited - I really must learn to temper my expectations. ;) It was only mentioned briefly and even then pretty much to confirm it wouldn't be happening any time soon. Aw. However, they don't seem totally averse to the idea; though not terribly enthusiastic either, haha. Except for Chakotay's lovely quote about staying with her.
Despite that, after everything that happened, they didn't seem particuarly torn up to be separated nor did they seem to particuarly miss each other while they were apart. Chakotay mentioned his intention to stay with Kathryn to B'Elanna but seemed a little indifferent to the realities of it, as did Kathryn. Given everything they said and thought in The Eternal Tide and the beginning of this one ("and then, no matter what happens..."), this rather surprised me. Kathryn didn't seem to be particuarly bothered about a place for him in the life she was trying ot build, beyond a brief mention of him to her mother (which I wish we'd seen more of besides the fact she was 'pleased' about it).
I thought for a moment that Montgomery was building towards some sort of insistence that they marry for the sake of propriety (WTF), but then he discouraged it. Wha? His insistence that she maintain her quarters on the Vesta was rather depressing.
I adore reunion scenes - possibly my favourite trope - but this one was the most disappointing I've ever seen. I knew it wouldn't be plain sailing for them, especially given Chakotay's comments to Cambridge about 'old habits' of theirs etc - I expected something like that to happen but they almost didn't seem to be especially pleased to see each other again after their long separation (though Chakotay notes that Kathryn *seems* pleased to see him with a nod, at least). And with Kathryn on the Vesta they could be even more remote to each other than they were during the show. At least they lived on the same ship then.
Chakotay almost got a sweeter and more intimate scene with *B'Elanna* than he did with his own girlfriend. Harsh. ;) I was also confused by Chakotay's conversation with B'Elanna about marriage. Why did his demeanour change like that, from pleased to not pleased? What does it mean??
I didn't like their goodbye scene much either tbh. ;) The last night they could have had together for at least weeks and potentially years, and she doesn't come to see him at all? WTF, Kathryn. ;)
I don't know, I mean, I know they love each other (they said so) but you almost wouldn't know it from this book. Considering they both said they should make an effort to seize the day/not waste another moment etc after everything they'd been through, I expected more, and was saddened by the way things were left. I'm hoping it's a setup for them finding more of a balance and starting their life together properly in Acts of Contrition, but who knows? I was kind of hoping that would begin in this book, though I get the need for Janeway to establish herself again *on her own* before becoming part of anything else, I suppose.
I did love the scene in Federation Park that I already mentioned, especially the parallel with Chakotay's journey through Full Circle - leaving Starfleet, finding his path and it bringing him back to Voyager. And her realisation that he is her family. (And her reference to him as her 'lover, partner and dearest friend'. :))
Still - at the very least, they're together in the Delta Quadrant, which was never guaranteed, so we're in a good position going forward. At least they don't have 2 quadrants between them any more. ;) And I have faith in Kirsten, and a bit of conflict and distance makes the resolution, the coming together, all the sweeter. :)
So, yeah! Given they were on the cover, even, I'd hoped for more, but perhaps indeed the best is yet to come. I certainly hope so. It was a very enjoyable read apart from that, however, and I did really enjoy the main plots in the DQ and BQ and am looking forward to what's to come.
The next novel, Acts of Contrition, should be out at the end of September according to the author, so it's not a crazy long wait. Yay!
Oh, and I had to channel the way I felt about the lack of resolution for poor ol' J/C at the end (though I'm half expecting it in Acts of Contrition) into a short story, which I've posted here. It's the first thing I've written in several years. Thank you, Kirsten! ;)