Customer Reviews

Death in Winter (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

The story of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" continues in "Death in Winter." Michael Jan Friedman weaves a powerful and emotional tale of suspense, love and dedication.

As the Enterprise E is being retrofitted, Beverly Crusher has accepted once again the role of head of Starfleet Medical. Picard thinks he can with it, thinks he'll be okay --- after all, she's really not all that far away. But he finds himself longing for her and regretting what he's let slip away. Then, things all change when Beverly is declared lost, and possibly dead on a secret mission that Picard had no idea about.

Beverly had gone to help the people of Kevrata, a Romulan subject-world, find a cure for a plague that's afflicting them. It's something with which she's quite familiar, as the plague had affected the colony she lived in when she was young, but she managed to survive. But with the Kevratans and other of their subjects revolting, the Romulans want to see to it that the Kevratans do not obtain a cure for their disease. And they sent someone with whom both Picard and Beverly are quite familiar to deal with it --- Sela!

"Death in Winter" features this plot, an intriguing substory on treachery and rebellion among the Romulans themselves, but most important "Death in Winter" is the story of Jean Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher and I think it's here that it's really at its strongest. Beverly is obviously a fan-favorite, replaced by Katherine Pulaski for one year and then triumphantly returning for the rest of the series. This book explores the deepest connections of their relationship and sends it on a new path. There are flashbacks to past events and the emotions and situations are explored fully.

Perhaps the only thing I didn't like about this novel was the poor use of Admiral Janeway, who really seems to be getting the short shrift lately. Janeway is a powerful and amazing character and if she's just going to be stuck in for bit stuff, then she shouldn't be used at all. I know this is a "Star Trek: The Next Generation" novel and not "Voyager," but it still doesn't hold with me.

Star Trek fans' reactions to the last movie (Nemesis) were overwhelmingly negative (and the box office showed it). However, it has been the springboard to some wonderful Star Trek books (not to mention the fact that I, basically, enjoyed the movie anyway). The A Time to... book series, the Titan series, as well as the wonderful Articles of the Federation. But what happens to the Next Generation crew after the movie? Death in Winter, by Michael Jan Friedman, begins to answer that question. Whether it does it well is yet another question.

The Enterprise E is in drydock, being repaired after the horrible battle with Shinzon in Nemesis. But Captain Picard has more on his mind than just his ship. Doctor Beverly Crusher, the woman whom he has loved since he first met her when she was marrying his best friend Jack, has left her position on his ship and is now head of Starfleet Medical. He is pining, but he begins to pine even more when he is informed that she was on a covert mission to the planet Kevratas, a world on the rim of the Romulan empire, and that she is missing in action. She was there to find a cure for the disease running rampant through the population there. Starfleet wants Picard to lead another mission there, with a doctor from his old ship, the Stargazer. A doctor who is now in a penal colony for trying to kill Picard and other former Stargazer officers. Recruiting his old security officer to help them, along with a Romulan dissident, they go to Kevratas to find a cure, while Picard plans the search for the woman he loves, the woman he is certain is still alive. Meanwhile, Romulan politics intervene, which could mean the deaths of them all.

Death in Winter is not a very filling book. With small pages and large type, it looks bigger than it is. I raced through it in two days, partially because I wanted to know what happened, and partially because there wasn't a lot of substance to it. It deals almost exclusively with Picard and Crusher, as well as with the Romulan political situation. Unfortunately, those having read the books in publication order already know how the political problems have turned out, as we are told what happened in both Articles of the Federation and, more importantly, in Titan: Taking Wing. We just didn't know the details.

In fact, this is one of the problems. I don't mind the limited characters, but in an attempt to shoe everybody in, Worf and Geordi are also featured attempting to find out where Picard went, as they find out about Beverly's disappearance and think that they should go help. Worf even has a dream showing that if he doesn't go help Picard find her, she'll die. Ultimately, nothing happens. What was the point of this again? Talk about your dead-end subplots! It just seemed like filler in an already thin plot.

Also thin is the Doctor Greyhorse plot. A lot of tension is created with the fact that he could very well be insane, despite what his doctors have told Picard and Starfleet. He starts acting kind of weird, saying some odd things, making Picard wonder if he's going to jeopardize the mission. Then, not surprisingly, nothing happens with it. He does what he's set out to do, acting a bit more strangely but nothing too major, and the thread is dropped. I know I'm repeating myself, but what was the point of this again? Sure, it adds a bit of characterization to Greyhorse, but considering we barely hear from him anyway, it all seems superfluous.

Friedman's characterization is pretty good, though. I'm glad he finally deals with the Picard/Crusher relationship, in a way I heartily approve (and the excerpt from next summer's Resistance shows that it even continues!). Crusher's reaction to Picard's whispered statement to her near the end is understandable, despite the fact that she'd been realizing some things about him too during her captivity. He blindsides her a bit, and she needs some time to come to terms with it. The ending is a bit predictable because of that, but it was still nice to see. Picard and Crusher are captured wonderfully, both in their outward characterization as well as internal monologues. Worf and Geordi, despite being extraneous to the plot, are also done well, even without using stereotypical mannerisms from the series. The Romulan characters are extremely fun, making the political plot interesting despite already knowing the outcome. We do find out a bit more information about the Romulan commander Donatra, adding more colour to her portrayal in the previous books, such as why she was so fiercely loyal to Admiral Braeg.

What's missing is the Stargazer crew. Both Greyhorse and "Pug" Joseph depend mostly on what is known from previous books. I've already stated that the Greyhorse conflict is over before it begins, but I also get no real sense for why Joseph was so loyal to Picard and why Picard depends on him so much. Friedman tells us a lot about them, and there are a couple of nice scenes between them, but it just felt like most of the "showing" of why they're such good friends appeared in the other books. Those of us who haven't read the Stargazer books are left out in the Kevratan cold.

Overall, Death in Winter is an enjoyable book, despite the missteps above. It sparkles when either the Romulans are on screen or the Picard/Crusher relationship is being dealt with. Some of the passages in the middle drag, but when the action starts, Friedman does a good job with that too. I wanted the first post-Nemesis book to be a home run, but instead it's a single. The good points and bad points almost even out. Hopefully, Resistance will be that home run.

David Roy

This book had more plot lines than three books and yet there were more gaps and a rushed ending that stole the drama of the final scene. Overall, the book left me wanting more. More TNG characters, more exporation of both Picard and Crusher's thoughts as they moved through the plot and more of an explanation for the sudden turnaround at the end.

I found the various Romulan characters and sordid power plays to be a bit confusing and often times it seemed to detract from the prime or rather more prime storylines. Friedman did a great job of winding them all together in the end to create some great drama as the final scenes began to unfold. However, just as we catch our breath and the hero finds the girl, nothing. She rejects him for no good reason!

This is a good Beverly Crusher story, in that it explores some of her background and gives her a strong role in her own survival. For Picard, we see his somewhat blank, if determined, efforts to rescue her but we never truly get in his head - we just get to see how he moves through his role as Starfleet Captain, not a man dealing with potential loss of the love of his life, but the Captain out to rescue a fellow officer and friend.

As others have said, it would have been nice to see the other TNG characters actually have a role rather than just acting like they were going to do something but never actually doing anything. And while I'm sure Greyhorse was once a good physician, not having practiced in years, we're really to believe only he was qualified to try to come up with a cure? The cameo appearances by various Trek characters was almost as distracting as all the Romulan players and I'm not sure if any of them added to the story. Even Sela's, the ever-present Romulan enemy, role could have been enhanced. I would have loved to have a scene where Sela used Picard's feelings for Beverly against him or vice versa. Although the Crusher versus Sela fight was almost worth it.

Minor gripes aside I enjoyed this offering from the Trek writing world. It's been a long time since I visited with these characters on such an intimate level so I was glad to read the teasers and looked forward to finally having a new copy in my hands. I hope you'll find your copy soon and spend some time with these old friends.

Oh and the best it seems, is yet to come! Be sure to read the teaser at the end of the book for the next book.

Episodes, books, movies, they all seem to lack real involvement from my favorite Star Trek character: Dr. Beverly Crusher. But not this time!

I was very happy to see her have a lot to do in this book, however, I really wish we could have believed that she had been killed a little bit longer. It kept me from being truly engaged in the plot, though the action sequences did pull me back in, especially between Beverly and Sela.

Gripes:
Stargazer crew: I do not know much of the Stargazer's history, but I would have much rather seen familiar Next Generation characters on Picard's journey (why not Pulaski? Geordi or Worf maybe?) than the others. I understand that in books I have not read, Carter Greyhorse has a connection with Beverly and the virus on Kevratas, but ultimately I found him dull. In fact, I found everyone on Picard's team quite dull.

Enterprise E: If you're going to talk about Worf and Geordi charge to the rescue, actually have them charge to the rescue. Carry on that sense of family we get in Nemesis. I would've loved for them to slip out under Janeway's nose, or perhaps even steal the unfinished Enterprise a la Star Trek III.

Format: I would've really liked to have explored Picard and Beverly's past. The wedding had me captivated, especially tying in Nemesis plotlines, but I wanted more. A format to the story similar to the New Frontier back and forth with "Stone and Anvil" would've worked perfectly, and really fleshed out Beverly and Jean-Luc for those who haven't watched every episode of TNG.

Ending: I really wanted to know what was going on in Beverly's head after the love confession. The ending was predictable, and that is unavoidable, but I felt a little more insight into the emotions of both Beverly and Picard would've given me a "oh yes, it's gonna happen" feel rather than a "oh come on let's just get to it already".

Bravo:

Beverly: This book captured Beverly perfectly. I could see Gates McFadden in my mind's eye performing these scenes. Way for her to finally kick some tail (like the shuttle fight in "Suspicions" TNG 6th Season).

Romulans: The machinations of Tal'Aura and the others were great, and all of the Romulans were portrayed well. If only this could've been done in Titan 1.

Kevratas: What a great choice of atmosphere for this book. The connections between a cold, dieing world and the Beverly/Jean-Luc relationship were very pleasing. Or maybe I'm just making this up, seeing what I want to see, but I at least thought it was there.

Overall, I rate books on whether I could visualize it well enough, in characterizations, plot and settings, that I could mistakingly recall the story as an episode of the series. With this book, I could. I have clear pictures of several scenes, and though the Stargazer crew drug me down a bit (maybe it was a pleasant reunion for Stargazer fans), I overall enjoyed this book. It was a long time coming.

warning! Spoilers galore, but nothing as spoiled as this horrible book!

How bad is this book? Let me count the ways:

*contains Stargazer characters in a Next Generation book. Ok, this is fine if you've read those books (and I've read a few), but even for fans of the 'other' Picard series had to get tired about hearing details they've already read before. For those who haven't read them, little will make sense.

*contains NG episode retellings. Hello? Was the author bored? I've SEEN these episodes.

*I 'hardly knew you characters'. Absolutely filled with them. Some girl who loves some guy who loves somebody else who gets killed. After a while, you couldn't keep any of it straight - Decalon, Phajan, Kito, and on and on it goes, nameless faceless characters with little backstory and no future (literally!).

*'They did what?' characters. Totally inexplicable actions, from Crusher's rejection of Picard after her life was nearly taken, to page about page about Greyhorse's insanity (and yet he somehow manages to be the Federation's best hope for wiping out a disease), to the never ending 'evil Sela (hiss hiss boo boo) gotta kill as many people as possible cause mommy is weak'; the characterization of Sela was so cartoonish that mid-way through the book you just pleaded for somebody to kill her off, but to no avail!

*Rushed endings (Crusher mysteriously discovers that she really loves Picard even though she's spent the entire book thinking about how much she loves Picard), mysterious appearances (boy, does Janeway get around - I'm starting to think she is the only Admiral in Starfleet), stupid Romulans (Crusher and the spy manage to break out of a jail by beating up LOTS of folks along the way), regular character halos (Crusher gets darned near killed almost a dozen times and yet someone manages to live with no lasting impact even though EVERBODY, and I mean EVERYBODY, dies around her - thank goodness Crusher isn't wearing a red shirt), and the appearance of Ninja Warrior Crusher, who is able to physically best BOTH a master spy (who knocked out all those Romulans before in jail) and Sela who must be half Crusher's age!

In short, this is the worst of Star Trek Fiction. Badly written, incomprehensible, boring, inconceivable, and a waste of a paycheck to the author. And I've prob. read 100 of these novels by now but this deserves the 'worst of the lot' award. Makes Resistance look like a classic...


(P.S. And it ain't like the author can't do better - his Scotty/McCoy/Spock/NG "Crossover" novel was a quick, funny enjoyable read and one of my all-time ST novel favorites)

(This review contains some spoilers.) This was the first Next Generation novel I had picked up in years - I used to be frustrated with the "reset button" characteristic of the novels (except for Peter David's) and found novels such as those in the Star Wars EU much more satisfying, since they allowed for real character development and multi-book plot advancement. When I recently realized that Star Trek authors had been allowed to do the same thing, I picked up this book and looked forward to reading it. I have liked Friedman's writing in the past, and one of the most maddening threads left hanging in the years after the show ended was the Picard/Crusher relationship. So despite some of the negative reviews posted here, I was optimistic about this novel.

First, the good: Friedman does bring some resolution to the relationship thread. It was nice to see some of the old Stargazer crew again. Friedman also weaves a pretty good story with Romulan intrigue; and the plot, with several good premises, moves along briskly. I like that Friedman recalls scenes from the show, introducing familiar elements that fans can appreciate. I particularly like Picard's recollection of being rescued from the Borg.

However, the bad: I've read fanfic with more depth and better characterization than are found in this novel. The whole book, we're supposed to believe Picard is driven to find Beverly because of his love for her, but the main reasons we know this are, one, we're told this repeatedly, and two, other characters observe it repeatedly. But we're very rarely *shown* it. There is little emotion from Picard when he is told Crusher is missing, and less real angst. For her part, the musings are much more believable, but her reaction at the end is not as comprehensible because it isn't really explained. What is she *thinking*? We don't really know. For a book that's supposed to be giving more insights than we could see onscreen, that's a major shortcoming.

The Romulan intrigue plot has a good skeleton, but it's not fleshed out to the extent that it could have been, in a way that really involves the reader. Characters are brought in for cameos, and left at that (Worf and Geordi serve no real purpose here). And the scenes from the show that Friedman incorporates are, for the most part, both poorly chosen and dropped in too abruptly. Scenes from "Arsenal of Freedom" and "Sub Rosa"? I couldn't help but cringe, as these aren't scenes that did much to establish affection between the main characters. How about "Attached" or "High Ground"? There was more material here to mine, I think.

In short, this book seemed promising, but was a major letdown. In all honesty, the four preview pages for "Resistance" at the end of the book make it sound like that novel has much more potential than this one turned out to have. If you do read it (and I will say it is worth at least one read-through), I would check it out from the library. Though I'd like to report otherwise, it's not one I think many readers would want to go back to.

This story was a long time in coming, and I'm glad that for the book relaunch The Powers That Be had decided to finally match this couple. However, I'm not sure that this story was quite as fulfilling as I might have liked, that the story fit the directive (get P/C together), or that this is the author I would have chosen to write this story.

I thought there were too many characters and not enough time paid to any of them. Yes, I understand that Romulan politics are very twisty, but there were too many plotlines about the Romulans and none of them had any real resolution or affect on the ST universe, or any true bearing on the story. (IMHO, of course.) Worf, Geordi and Janeway appear but for no real apparent reason. It felt sort of like a setup, and while those are necessary they are often frustrating because we don't know why certain people or events have significance.

The whole romance was anticlimactic; there seemed to be no true feeling and the POVs of the "main" characters were not included enough to have any sort of momentous bearing on the universe. (I wonder, not so secretly and no particular offence to MJF, why Peter David was not tapped to write this book. He was the original Next Gen-- and P/C-- romance writer, someone who could write action and plot while making passion feel real.)

The writing is only so-so-- this book illustrates that this author is best when he sticks to the basics and gets the storytelling job done without embellishment. Attempts at fanciful wording fall flat-- I was a bit tired of the author trying to find too many different ways to describe being shot with a phasor or disruptor, and all of them basically were variations on the theme of "pierced by green death," or something equally silly.

All that said, it's not a terrible read, and touches on and continues themes from the movie "Nemesis," which is a welcome refresher. There were also some nice bits near the beginning with Beverly's past, showing how she learned to use natural medicine, and showing an early boyfriend as well as a medical disaster that affected her profoundly. Overall not great but certainly not as bad as some books.

It's been a few years since I've read a Star Trek novel. Seeing this one on Amazon and reading the reviews here persuaded me to give it a try. I've always been a fan of the Picard/Crusher storyline - albeit a frustrated fan. I really enjoyed this book. I won't give away any plot points, but the only thing I wish could have been better was the ending. It didn't seem to ring true, but perhaps it was written the way it was to set up the final "scene". I am very much looking forward to the next book this year!

Michael Jan Friedman is one of the better writers of "Star Trek" fiction and his 2005 "Star Trek: The Next Generation" novel "Death in Winter" is bound to please most fans of the series. It is a sequel to the film "Star Trek: Nemesis", opening with Captain Jean-Luc Picard mourning the loss of friends, both deceased and departed, including his Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Beverly Crusher, now head once more of Starfleet Medical. Crusher disappears during a secret medical relief mission to Kevratas, a desolate, frigid planet on the far side of the Romulan Neutral Zone. She is sent to find a vaccine for a virulent plague which has devastated the native furry humanoids of Kevratas and those they've been in contact. Soon Picard will join her on Kevratas, in charge of a second Federation medical relief mission, accompanied by some old shipmates from the USS Stargazer, and find himself in the midst of Romulan intrigue orchestrated from distant Romulus by the new Praetor, and her newly appointed military governor, one Commander Sela.

Friedman does a decent job in writing a memorable page-turner of a novel which successfully resolves almost all the loose ends in the longstanding professional - and personal - relationship between Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher. He also excels in emphasizing Romulan political intrigue in the aftermath of Praeter Shinzon's downfall, reacquainting us with several Romulans from "Star Trek: Nemesis" and from the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" television series, most notably, Commander Sela herself. However, I don't think Friedman has done an admirable job in offering vivid three-dimensional portrayals of his main characters, leaving merely barebone threads to explain the motivations of, for example, Picard and Crusher. Regrettably, this is in stark contrast to the fully realized characters which I've come to enjoy in David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series (Fans of fine military space opera may find the Harrington series far more rewarding.). So I've decided only to give this novel a marginal recommendation primarily for this reason, even though I realize that many "Star Trek" fans may still find it quite memorable as literary entertainment.

"Death in Winter" was a long time in coming. Smacked square in the midst of the "Titan" relaunch and partially bridging the crew's emotional gap left by "Nemesis," Friedman was charged with one goal in writing "Winter": finally finish the ongoing tension between Crusher and Picard.
And Friedman does just that. Wonderfully.

The Romulans have gotten much print over the past few years, and they are a welcome villain. "Winter" explores much of the cloak-and-dagger politics plaguing Romulus after the Shinzon affair, with Tal'aura still struggling to cement her foothold as praetor--before the arrival of "Titan" and the events therein. Likewise, we are shown "The Hundred," a collection of the wealthiest, most influential Romulan families. This particular family is charged with weapons manufacture, and one of their own, a man named Eborion, has the praetor's ear--and designs of his own. Add to that Manathas, a Romulan spy, and the always intriguing Commander Sela, and there are enough pointy-eared manipulators to fill three volumes.
And then there are the good guys.
Carter Greyhorse, the attempted murderer last seen in "Reunion" (temporally speaking) is released from the penal colony in New Zealand to help create a cure for the Kevrata, travelling with his former comrades Picard and "Pug" Joseph. There are a few scenes from Greyhorse's point of view, and we never get the overall feeling that this is a man who has successfully overcome his demons. And yet he does his job.
Picard wrestles with his conscience; he has finally come to realize that he is in love with the good Doctor Crusher. Who may or may not be dead. But certainly she's being held prisoner. By Sela. Picard doesn't know, and while his chief mission is to ensure the Kevrata are cured, he needs to find Crusher, whom he believes (and we know) to be alive.
Joseph is no longer an alcoholic.
Worf and LaForge are the only two from the "E" we see, and they want to charge off into Romulan space and rescue their comrades. Worf even has an entertaining conversation with Captain Idun Asmund.
Plus, there's an expat Romulan named Decalon along for the ride, and with him will come an explanation as to why the Romulan underground ceased to exist.
And therein lies the chief problem with "Death in Winter": there are a lot of plotlines, and when all is said and done, it seems too short. Yes, everything is explained and packaged away quite neatly, but it could've been longer, for there is a lot of ground covered. Friedman does his job--the Picard and Crusher romance finally comes to an emotional head--and those loose threads of Romulan politics will perhaps be explained in "The Red King."
"Death in Winter" is a quick read and well worth it, and you will most definitely not want to wait for the paperback reprint.