Customer Reviews

Forged in Fire (Star Trek: Excelsior)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A great book featuring some of the more underused TREK characters (Janice Rand, Christine Chapel, etc.). Everything fits together perfectly. Also, we FINALLY find out why the Trills seen on TNG's ep. "The Host" look different from all of the other Trills shown on DS9 (I am going to use the reason to also explain why a few other TREK species underwent different looks at different times).

I really wish that there were more EXCELSIOR novels out there, BTW (listen up authors!).

One of the strengths of many Star Trek novels is the ability to fill in continuity gaps left by the various television series. At times they can go too far, but if the book tells a good story as well as filling in the hole, I'm all for it. Thus, when a novel like Excelsior: Forged in Fire comes along, I have to stand up and take notice of it. This book is fairly dense, but it is marvelous. I enjoyed it so much that I could hardly find any flaws in it.

I'll get the first and only real criticism out of the way here. The threat to Sulu and his daughter seems tacked on, to make him even more involved in the story than he really needs to be. I think it's enough that he's involved in the events that set the blood oath into motion. Due to his past history with the Albino, he had every reason to take part in the events here. Tacking on the attempt to murder Demora seemed pointless.

That being said, the rest of this novel is riveting. Almost 500 pages, with small text, it has to be one of the longest Trek books ever (certainly the longest not written by David R. George III), yet it's almost impossible to put down. Martin & Mangels' prose just flows off the page. Whether it's a tactical briefing, a discussion between a former first officer and his new acting first officer who doesn't appear to like him, or whether it's an action scene, it all just grabs you and won't let you go. I've always enjoyed their storytelling, and Forged in Fire is no exception.

Even better is the characterization, with not a false note in the bunch. Sulu is his typical self, having learned from Jim Kirk when it's time to go against orders and follow what you believe is right. They get Captain Styles down pat, fleshing out his character from the arrogant boob who was in Star Trek III yet still making him recognizable. It seems Starfleet brass has seen fit to force Sulu upon him, despite the fact that it was Sulu's mentor who embarrassed him in front of the entire fleet. Yet despite not liking Sulu, he demonstrates why he deserves at least some respect as a captain. Finally, Dax and the three Klingons are picture-perfect. They even manage to give the Albino a believable and interesting back story.

The best thing about Forged in Fire, at least in my eyes, is the way Mangels and Martin handle the continuity. Filling this many holes in Trek history (Sulu taking command of Excelsior, Dax and the Klingons, they even manage to throw in how these three Klingons went from having a smooth forehead to the bumpy ones between the two television series!), it would be very easy to mire the book in a swamp of continuity references. But they don't do that. In fact, they seem to make a lot of assumptions that readers will generally know all of this stuff. The references are there, but they pass by quickly and then move on.

Forged in Fire is a must-read for almost any Star Trek fan. Not only does it explain a lot of things, it's just a rollicking good Star Trek novel. Even for those uninitiated into the whole Trek phenomenon, this book would be good. Despite being a prequel of sorts, it's definitely a standalone novel. Though if you find yourself fascinated with this whole situation, you may have to track down the episode to see what eventually happens. All in all, this is a stellar Trek book.

David Roy

Have you ever wondered why the Klingons in Star Trek (the Original Series) looked basically like swarthy humans, while in the movies and later series, they had brow ridges that would have prevented them from EVER being mistaken for humans? (OK, we all know the real reason is the the original series didn't have much of a makeup budget, while the movies and later series had the budget to make their aliens look a bit more ALIEN.) But that's not a very satisfying answer to those geeky enough to want their Star Trek world to be internally consistent, so in the Deep Space Nine episode, "Trials & Tribblations", in which the Defiant crew go back in time to the date of the original series episode, "Trouble With Tribbles", the issue is acknowledged (but far from addressed) when Worf, responsing to his cohorts' confusion at seeing Klingons with no brow ridges, simply snarls, "We don't talk about that." Later, in another Deep Space Nine episode, we see Kor, Kang, and Koloth (three Klingons that we saw in the original series & animated series with smooth foreheads) as older men, and they had brow ridges.

An attempt at explaining this internal inconsistency away was made in an episode of "Enterprise". That explanation is expanded upon in this book, and it is done well enough that I'm willing to consider it the final word on the subject. In addition, this book shows the first adventure of Sulu as Captain of the Excelsior, as well as the first adventure of Curzon Dax. It is, for the most part, a delightful book and the only reason that I do not rate it five stars is that in the beginning of it, the transitions between time periods (it relates events happening in several different periods of time) are rather choppy and difficult to follow; otherwise it is excellent.

For anyone who enjoys Star Trek stories that don't revolve around the 3 "main" characters, this is a very good book for you. I usually steer away from books written by more than 1 author, however both authors wrote a book that is very engaging, and a fun read. Keep caught up with Sulu, Rand, Chappel, from the original series as they move on to the USS Excelsior. Great adventure from the Klingon side as well. I read this book in about 3 days. I look forward to the next book, hoping this will be a series of novels. I highly recommend this to fans of ST:TOS. Enjoy!
jj

Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels have produced some of my favorite Star Trek novels and I believe they single handedly resurrected the Enterprise series with the cogent and brilliant "Last Full Measure" & "The Good That Men Do." So I had high expectations for "Forged in Fire" as we would find out the history of the nebulous Albino character from DS9. David Roy gives a great synopsis to the book in his review so I would just add that I enjoyed the tapestry that these authors bring to this story. One of the great aspects of Star Trek is that the TV series and movies gave us many broad strokes of story arcs that has allowed talented authors like these to fill in the details that flesh out our favorite universe.

Michael & Andy reward the Star Trek fans who have viewed all of the shows with the immense and accurate detail that they seemingly do without straining credulity and all so seamlessly. Yet, the story is so accessible that it will satisfy fans who are familiar with Star Trek but who do not possess every detail of the Trek canon. This is a Star Trek novel that I highly recommend to the full spectrum of Star Trek and Sci-Fi fans. My only complaint is that these authors don't publish more stories as they are certainly at the top of their game.

"Forged In Fire" is noted as being a novel featuring Captain Sulu and the Excelsior but it really is more of a prequel to the Deep Space Nine episode 'Blood Oath'. Story wise, a majority of the plot takes place before the events of 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' and some after the opening scenes of 'Star Trek: Generations'. Without spoiling the plot, this is a book that explains more than a few unanswered questions and plots brought up by various Trek episodes and movies. First, it's the story of how Sulu comes to be Excelsior's captain. That plot was handled okay, but if you've read the novel 'The Valiant' about Picard's rise to command on the Stargazer, this plot isn't too different. Second, this is about how Curzon Dax came to be so highly regarded among the Klingons and the origins of the 'blood oath' Jadzia Dax and some of the original series Klingons carried out in the early season of 'Deep Space Nine' against a figure known as the Albino.

The Good: What I enjoyed the most was the dynamics explored between the characters. Reading of how Curzon Dax had to prove himself to the Klingons and his mentor (another big Trek figure) in the Diplomatic Corps was interesting. We get to see a young, less experienced Dax whose figuring things out and finding his niche and style and how that both helps him make great progress and backfires. Another interesting set of characters in the novel were Christine Chapel and Janice Rand who, for once, are given their due time in the spotlight and actually are in the thick of the action. Reading of how Sulu's quest to become Excelsior's captain wasn't as simple and expected as implied in 'Star Trek VI' was a surprise, and a plot worth reading.

The Bad: The main action and plot is centered on The Albino wreaking havoc on the Klingons, and Dax helping them to seek vengeance. I just didn't find this all that compelling or executed well. The book is one of Trek's longest novels at 480 some pages. Were all the scenes and cat-and-mouse action worthy of such a long novel? In my opinion, no. It makes for a long, drawn-out, rather dull read of scenes where not much seems to happen and the pacing is very see-saw like, going from being very interesting to landing in a slow lull. A lot of the dialogue and action seemed unnecessary, as if to fill space, and in this case could have been better summarized or implied rather than occupying pages in the book.

In all, I found the book to be just average for me. With all the hype surrounding the release, I expected this novel to be a lot more than it amounted to (in my view). I hope if there is another Excelsior novel that it can focus on something new and original rather than having to be based on explaining plots and episodes of Trek (which in the end spoils and takes away from the excitement and impact when you pretty much know what's going to happen in the end). Buy this novel used.

If you all recall the STVOY episode where Tuvok and Capt Janeway were on the Excelsior, this was supposed to be the spin off for Excelsior's own TV series, but didn't happen. This book is great on filling in the Back story of a Deep Space Nine, season 2 show where Dax teams up with 3 Klingons to fulfill a blood oath. A must read!

While this novel really isnt an Excelsior novel as much as a Lost Era novel about Curzon Dax and the 3 Klingons and their quest to catch the Albino its a great read and a well told story. While the Excelsior and crew pretty much take a back seat the times they are there are very well done. I look forward to seeing more Excelsior novels and highly recommend the story

On the surface, the new Captain Sulu novel, Forged in Fire, is full of a number of good ideas. How did Sulu gain command of the Excelsior? What precisely led to Curzon Dax's blood oath with Kang, Kor, and Koloth to feast on the still beating heart of the Albino'? And how did the smooth headed Klingons get their ridges back?

However, these ideas are presented in an ultimately unsatisfying way. While the ridges subplot was handled well, it didn't really fit with the overall narrative of the story. But the story is ultimately going to be unsatisfying when you start from such a flawed premise. The events of the DS9 episode `Blood Oath' are the basis for pretty much the entire novel, and it establishes that not only did the Albino escape from the Klingons and Dax, he also managed to kill their firstborn sons. Therefore, we know when starting the novel that the Albino won't be brought to justice within the novel, no matter what happens. 480 pages that lead up to an unsatisfying conclusion that we already knew was coming. Of course, this is assuming that a reader is familiar with the episode; if one isn't, the book probably seems to just abruptly end without any real resolution at all.

If Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels couldn't bring something new and compelling to the story to give the reader a sense of closure, then maybe the conception of this novel should have been rethought. That said, their prose was capable, as always, and their characterizations were well done: from people we know well, like Sulu and Sarek, to original characters like Cutler, all seemed like realistic, believable people.

Limited scope is also an issue. While the plot appears at first to be complicated and spanning a range of times, the flashbacks merely serve to set up small plot elements in the story and aren't returned to afterwards. The narrative essentially boils down to a terrorist attack, followed by our heroes chasing the terrorist for the next 300+ pages. It's not any more complicated than that.

I sat down to watch `Blood Oath' this afternoon after finishing the novel last night. I'd forgotten how uneven and undramatic it was. (Not to mention how bad an actor I find Terry Farrell to be.) But it did help me put a point on something that I find monotonous and unrealistic.

I understand that vengeance is not accepted behavior by the Federation of the 24th century, but why does every damn Klingon story have to drive this point home? Both Sulu in the novel and Sisko in the episode take great strides to make their abhorrence for the Klingon's oath known. But are condemnation and understanding really irreconcilable things? Have we not all had feeling of vengeance that we haven't acted upon? Could we not look at a man whose son has been killed and understand why he would seek the death of the killer even if we felt it would be the wrong thing to do.

For all the permissiveness and acceptance the Federation supposedly has for other peoples and culture, we don't really seem to actually see it all that much. Perhaps it is the writer's fault; they use humanity (the Federation) as the inflexible moral line, the white in what is actually a grey situation. But it would be nice to see some of the novel authors try and combat this practice, given that they tout their freedom to go places that the television shows couldn't.

This book is linked with the DS9 episode Blood Oath and tells of the back story Where Kor Koloth Kang And Dax Hunt down a Albino Klingon pirate after decades old Blood Oath. The best part of the book is the Klingons and Dax The fact that Sulu and the U.S.S. Excelsior is in the book is happen stands and dose not add much more to the story. This book is excellent so if you are a fan of DS9 or klingons or Sulu get it because there plunty for everyone.