Book review: Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Sky's the Limit
Again, I apologize up front for this post's length without a working text-cut.
It's been a while since I read a Star Trek book. This particular one is an anthology, put out in 2007 as part of the celebration of TNG's 20th anniversary (anyone else beside me feel old from that statement??). The book covers the full 15 years of continuity, from just prior to the TV series' premier, to just after the events of the movie Star Trek: Nemesis. The book's title quotes Captain Picard from the final episode of the TV series.
I am pleased to say this was a good collection. Every major character from the show gets focused on, even the oft-forgotten Dr. Pulaski from season two, as well as a brief guest appearance (just like on the show!) of Guinan. There were a few stories I felt were somewhat lackluster. A few annoying, easily-fixed continuity errors were made in two or three tales. At least one story makes references to other recent TNG novels that are supposed to all share the same continuity (much like the Star Wars expanded universe novels), novels I have not read but know enough about to recognize confusing references. However, this book was overall very good. I will just list a few of the stand-outs:
"Acts of Compassion" by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore. Set during season one, Security Chief Tasha Yar and Dr. Crusher go into Cardassian space (we never even heard of the Cardassians until season four) to meet up with a Cardassian doctor with Starfleet patients in need of aid he cannot provide. Tensions run high from the ongoing behind-the-scenes war between the Federation and the Cardassians at this point in the saga's timeline, and our heroes and their patients are put at risk when violent conflict breaks out among the Cardassian ship's command staff over allowing the presence and aiding of enemy combatants. The whole story is like a darker version of the episode of M*A*S*H where Hawkeye, Trapper and company had to retrieve U.S. wounded from a Chinese army doctor behind enemy lines.
"Thinking of You" by Greg Cox - Set during season five, this story is the gem of the book. Our favorite Starfleet neurotic Reginald Barclay gets the spotlight here, with a little help from the notorious Ensign Ro Laren. This time Barclay is afraid of telepaths, which doesn't help when he's forced to work a politically-delicate and dangerous assignment for Lwaxana Troi! And in a holodeck no less!! Greg Cox is becoming a new favorite Trek author for me; the man clearly knows his Trek continuity and has a sense of humor (I've read some of his Trek novels, and having read this story, I'm definitely going to pursue more). Cox actually has Barclay wearing a 24th Century equivalent of a tinfoil hat. Seriously. Laugh-out-loud funny.
"Friends with the Sparrows" by Christopher L. Bennett - Set after Star Trek: Generations, this story focuses on Data who is having a seriously difficult time managing his new emotions while under pressure to help with translating the language of the Tamarians (the aliens from the series who speak in mytho-historical metaphor only and are otherwise impossible to understand). Data has to have his emotion chip altered so he can think like a Tamarian in time for negotiations, with armed conflict a possibility if the negotiations fail. Clearly, a bad time to be having intense emotional problems! Bennet's written excellent Trek before, and he continues to do so here.
"Four Lights" by Keith R.A. DeCandido - Set during the final months of the Dominion War (after Star Trek: Insurrection), Picard and the Enterprise-E rescue a Cardassian officer from a ship in distress... and the Cardassian is none other than Gul Madred, who once horribly tortured Picard during the TV series. I always wondered how Picard would act if he met Madred again, and this story explores the idea very well.
"'Til Death" by Bob Ingersoll & Thomas F. Zahler - Set just prior to Star Trek: Nemesis, Riker is grievously wounded on a planet once occupied by the Fabrini (originally seen in the original Trek series). Kept alive by a mysterious and short-term-use-only medical device Dr. Crusher finds in an ancient Fabrini hospital, Riker must come to terms with his impending death and the wedding he and Deanna Troi are supposed to be having soon, while finding a way to protect Crusher from the alien scavenger that has murdered him. Obviously, Riker lives, but the story's a great character study of Riker.
"On the Spot" by David A. McIntee - Set just after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, Worf inherits Data's cat Spot. While this story plays for some laughs at first, it quickly turns into a mystery as a bizarre alien starts causing increasingly dangerous and deadly malfunctions about the still-under-repair Enterprise-E. Both Worf and Spot - yes, Spot - must save the day. This was a fun tale, although the end of the mystery was a bit of a let-down--I can't tell if the alien's identity is connected to another Trek novel I have not read, or if the author just decided to be ambiguous or rush the end of the story. It felt kind of tacked-on without any depth or meaning. Otherwise, as I said, a fun story.
It's been a while since I read a Star Trek book. This particular one is an anthology, put out in 2007 as part of the celebration of TNG's 20th anniversary (anyone else beside me feel old from that statement??). The book covers the full 15 years of continuity, from just prior to the TV series' premier, to just after the events of the movie Star Trek: Nemesis. The book's title quotes Captain Picard from the final episode of the TV series.
I am pleased to say this was a good collection. Every major character from the show gets focused on, even the oft-forgotten Dr. Pulaski from season two, as well as a brief guest appearance (just like on the show!) of Guinan. There were a few stories I felt were somewhat lackluster. A few annoying, easily-fixed continuity errors were made in two or three tales. At least one story makes references to other recent TNG novels that are supposed to all share the same continuity (much like the Star Wars expanded universe novels), novels I have not read but know enough about to recognize confusing references. However, this book was overall very good. I will just list a few of the stand-outs:
"Acts of Compassion" by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore. Set during season one, Security Chief Tasha Yar and Dr. Crusher go into Cardassian space (we never even heard of the Cardassians until season four) to meet up with a Cardassian doctor with Starfleet patients in need of aid he cannot provide. Tensions run high from the ongoing behind-the-scenes war between the Federation and the Cardassians at this point in the saga's timeline, and our heroes and their patients are put at risk when violent conflict breaks out among the Cardassian ship's command staff over allowing the presence and aiding of enemy combatants. The whole story is like a darker version of the episode of M*A*S*H where Hawkeye, Trapper and company had to retrieve U.S. wounded from a Chinese army doctor behind enemy lines.
"Thinking of You" by Greg Cox - Set during season five, this story is the gem of the book. Our favorite Starfleet neurotic Reginald Barclay gets the spotlight here, with a little help from the notorious Ensign Ro Laren. This time Barclay is afraid of telepaths, which doesn't help when he's forced to work a politically-delicate and dangerous assignment for Lwaxana Troi! And in a holodeck no less!! Greg Cox is becoming a new favorite Trek author for me; the man clearly knows his Trek continuity and has a sense of humor (I've read some of his Trek novels, and having read this story, I'm definitely going to pursue more). Cox actually has Barclay wearing a 24th Century equivalent of a tinfoil hat. Seriously. Laugh-out-loud funny.
"Friends with the Sparrows" by Christopher L. Bennett - Set after Star Trek: Generations, this story focuses on Data who is having a seriously difficult time managing his new emotions while under pressure to help with translating the language of the Tamarians (the aliens from the series who speak in mytho-historical metaphor only and are otherwise impossible to understand). Data has to have his emotion chip altered so he can think like a Tamarian in time for negotiations, with armed conflict a possibility if the negotiations fail. Clearly, a bad time to be having intense emotional problems! Bennet's written excellent Trek before, and he continues to do so here.
"Four Lights" by Keith R.A. DeCandido - Set during the final months of the Dominion War (after Star Trek: Insurrection), Picard and the Enterprise-E rescue a Cardassian officer from a ship in distress... and the Cardassian is none other than Gul Madred, who once horribly tortured Picard during the TV series. I always wondered how Picard would act if he met Madred again, and this story explores the idea very well.
"'Til Death" by Bob Ingersoll & Thomas F. Zahler - Set just prior to Star Trek: Nemesis, Riker is grievously wounded on a planet once occupied by the Fabrini (originally seen in the original Trek series). Kept alive by a mysterious and short-term-use-only medical device Dr. Crusher finds in an ancient Fabrini hospital, Riker must come to terms with his impending death and the wedding he and Deanna Troi are supposed to be having soon, while finding a way to protect Crusher from the alien scavenger that has murdered him. Obviously, Riker lives, but the story's a great character study of Riker.
"On the Spot" by David A. McIntee - Set just after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, Worf inherits Data's cat Spot. While this story plays for some laughs at first, it quickly turns into a mystery as a bizarre alien starts causing increasingly dangerous and deadly malfunctions about the still-under-repair Enterprise-E. Both Worf and Spot - yes, Spot - must save the day. This was a fun tale, although the end of the mystery was a bit of a let-down--I can't tell if the alien's identity is connected to another Trek novel I have not read, or if the author just decided to be ambiguous or rush the end of the story. It felt kind of tacked-on without any depth or meaning. Otherwise, as I said, a fun story.