Customer Reviews

A Good Day to Die (Star Trek: I.K.S. Gorkon, Book 1)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having been inducted into the honorable and prestigious Order of the Bat'leth, Captain Klag commands one of a number of ships sent into the Kavrot Sector to find new planets to conquer for the Klingon Empire. However, what he finds is a planet populated by the Children of San-Tarah, a species perhaps more dedicated to the warrior ethos than the Klingons themselves. Having proved themselves worthy opponents, the San-Tarah make Klag an offer he can't refuse. The Klingons and the San-Tarah will compete in five contests - if the Klingons win then the world and its people belong to the Empire, but if the San-Tarah win then the Klingons will leave and never return. With such an honorable and glorious tournament it is indeed a good day to die! But, before it's over, Klag will find his ability and his honor tasked to the breaking point.

I must admit that I have not read many Star Trek books lately, but this book was definitely one worth returning for! The author really brings the Klingons alive in this story, giving the reader a real feel for them. I enjoyed the story, the action, the characters and (definitely) the glossary of Klingon terms at the end. This is a great book, one that I highly recommend to all fans of science-fiction!

I'm not really a fan of Klingons, their culture and such. I'm old-school enough that my preferred alienated-aliens are the vulcans; I much prefer the logical, unemotional folks trying to understand and acclimate to human ways to the over-emotional, violent, hostile jocks with a chip on their shoulders, but this book does a fine job of exploring a setting in which Klingons are the protagonists (and not Anglicized Klingons like Worf or B'elanna, either.) It succeeds in a rather difficult undertaking: making the characters sympathetic without downplaying the fact that they ARE Klingons, from a culture which I despise. Not an easy task, but one that DeCandido accomplishes quite well.

And it's even well-written in terms of technical merit, too.

I have been trying to read every ST book out there. I have to say I like some more than others, and this book is a worthy read. You will be thinking like a Klingon in no time, and wishing for the blessing of an honorable place in SoVoKor before long.

Honestly, I did not expect to like this book. After about fifty pages I couldn't put it down. It rocks. Read it.

A great read! I couldn't put it down. The character development and descriptions are excellent, and I felt like I was part of the Klingon crew. While the author doesn't Humanize the Klingons per se, he does make their motives, concerns, and feelings easy to understand.

These are not the evil Klingons of the old Star Trek:TOS, but more of the honor craving warriors of Star Trek:TNG and DS9, who want to really LIVE life to the fullest.

The San Tarah'ans are also a wonderfully likeable race, and the conflict between the two factions is enjoyable. The conclusion is good, and sets up the rest of the series well.

If you like anything Klingon, this is a must read!

I bought this book purely on the basis of the outstanding diplomatic implausibilty. I was so happy with my decision.

From time to time, an author is able to work with the tried and tested universe of Star Trek and produce something that is really waaaaaay above the rest of the literature that the star trek machinery churns out. This series is one of these.

When extraordinary adventure, extraordinary locations and species, extraordinary story are bundled into one book, is there anything else you can do except give the book 5 stars? Even the minor characters are much more interesting and have much more of a presence that some of the main characters in other star trek books. This is not just another book. This is an achievement. This book and the next two have a lot of repeat value.

Keith R. A. DeCandido is a writer of excellent pro-novels and wonderful fan-fiction. His new Star Trek series "IKS Gorkon" should be a huge hit with the klinfandom. Here is epic Klingon adventure written in the fanfic tradition. I say this with the sincerest praise for his work. DeCandido "gets it". He knows the Klingon heart. His writing perfectly captures the archetypal appeal of this alien race for the legions of Trek fans who identify with it. You know this author has true Klingon spirit when you read his dedication to Gene L. Coon, John Colicos, and John M. Ford. Qapla' KRAD! Populating the warcruiser IKS Gorkon are Klingons we met in episodes of TNG and DS9, developed far beyond their one-shot supporting roles. We catch up with Kornan, Leskit, Kurak, and Toq, who have somehow all ended up on Klag's crew. And as good as these characters are, DeCandido's own creations, such as Dr. B'Oraq and Leader Wol, are even better! KRAD realizes that there are male and female Klingons, just as there are fans of both genders. And he writes characters interchangeably, without stereotypes. There's plenty of action and violence and even a little sex for a klinfan's passion. In "A Good Day to Die", the first novel of the series, the Empire is searching for new inhabited worlds to conquer. The crew discovers a lupine species, the Children of San-Tarah, whose pure warrior culture earns its respect and admiration. A battle to the death seems inevitable, as these fierce canids will never surrender to the Empire. So Klag and his San-Tarah counterpart conceive of an honorable alternative: a sequence of contests will determine the planet's fate. The story continues in Book Two of the series, "Honor Bound". Order both together, and hope for more books to come in this exciting series!

"A Good Day to Die" is a wonderful beginning to a new Klingon saga. No need to worry with Kirk, Spock, Picard, or even Janeway, nope, this book is all about the Klingon Empire. Suffering a great blow during the Dominion war, the Klingons send out their ships in search of new planets. Unlike the Federation, though, they have no intention of making nice with anyone. Their plan is to overtake the natives, enslave them, and use them to harvest whatever minerals the Klingon Empire needs. In this particular story (part one of a trilogy), Keith R.A. DeCandido takes us on a conquest with the I.K.S. Gorkon, headed up by Captain Klag. The Gorkon's crew feel as if they should be fighting someone instead of "exploring," but they get the chance to fight soon enough when they stumble upon the Children of San-Tarah, a violent, almost simien-like race who values the honor of a good fight just as much or more than the Klingons. Their weapons are primitive, but their planet's atmosphere (explained in the book) prevents the use of "technology." What this essentially means is that the disruptors have to stay onboard the Gorkon and the Klingons have to count on their hand-to-hand combat skills and their traditional bladed weapons such as the much-heralded bat'leth in a series of contests devised by the Children of San-Tarah's leader, Me-Larr. If the Klingons win the most contests, then the tribes will submit to them without a fight, but if the primitives are victorious, the Klingons must leave and never return. All of this is tied up nicely at the end by a message from General Talak, who literally sets the stage for book two.

Klag's inner demons are what drive the story, but it's the actions of his crew, from Goren to Voq to Leskit and all in between, that make this such a fun read. It's space opera at its best, told from the viewpoint of an alien race that seems to be bred for both violence and rather comedic interactions between each other.

This was the first "Trek" book that I've ever read. I picked it up primarily due to the fact that it's about the Klingons, and not about the typical "Trek" characters such as Data, Picard, McCoy, etc. Not that I have anything against these characters (I actually love McCoy), it's just nice to see that the entire "Trek" universe doesn't revolve around the Enterprise. The tale is a fun, briskly paced read, and I have the full intention to finish the trilogy. DeCandido has done well with this book.

Highly recommended.

This is like a Deep Space Nine comedy episode: the story is really basic, so all the focus is on the action and the characters. The action is very well done. The descriptions are very good. The choice and changing of viewpoint is very well done too. (For instance, we get the viewpoints of the Captain and his opponent in the final combat, and both think their opponent is tough and tenacious but is not as skilled as he thinks.) Four of the main characters, Klag, Kurak, B'Oraq and Leskit, continue to be as vivid, interesting and entertaining as they were in previous books. Toq and Rodek continue to be less interesting. The minor characters are quite well done, but too many and in my opinion the wrong ones die. Character deaths may be appropriate for the setting, but it becomes hard to get interested in any but core characters as a result. That could be a problem for this series. It's a fairly minor drawback for this book, however, and this is good, light entertainment. It also sets the stage for a real epic in the next book.

Inspired by the Klingon ship episodes in Deep Space Nine; R.A. DeCandido has everything for Klingon fans in this two book saga. Aboard the I.K.S. Gorkon, Captain Klag, from the Next Generation episode "A Matter of Honor," commands the ship. The Klingon Defense Force ship is a Chancellor Class out to explore space just as the Enterprise. Only this adventure embodies more of the Klingon value system; which is more entertaining than Federation based stories. The characters have just as much honor and will to do "the right thing," just as the Starfleet officers do.

It's great to see Federation politics from a different perspective. The San-Tarah world rivals that of the Klingons. Klag and his men have to challenge them in several contests that pit their fighting skills. If the Klingons are defeated they can never return. However if they win; the consequences will have political ramifications that will influence the Empire forever.

Another great addition to this novel is the glossary of Klingon terms. It's an overview of terms used in Klingon episodes from all the Star Trek TV shows. It looks like this is an ongoing series that we can look forward to for the next few years.

The pursuit of honor and glory is the heart of Klingon culture and once again Keith R. A. DeCandido proves with this splendid new novel "A Good Day to Die" that he understands what it means to be Klingon. Book one of the new I.K.S. Gorkon series; "A Good Day to Die" reintroduces the crew of the Chancellor-class I.K.S. Gorkon that fans first met in DeCandido's 2001 novel "Diplomatic Implausibility".

While exploring the previously uncharted Kavrot Sector in the Beta Quadrant the Gorkon discovers an M-Class world rich in resources the Empire desperately needs. However, instead of the populace of easily subdued primitives they expect to encounter, the crew of the Gorkon finds themselves facing the Children of San-Tarah, a race of warriors whose skill any Klingon can admire. In fact both groups find much to respect in the other. Klag and the leader of the San-Tarah, Me-Larr, come to an unusual decision; the fate of the San-Tarah will be decided by five martial contests. If the Klingons win the majority, the San-Tarah will willingly become subjects of the Empire. But if the San-Tarah are victorious the Klingons will depart and leave them in peace.

This is indeed a tale worthy of song as DeCandido brings the characters and culture of both the Klingons and the San-Tarah to life in a glorious tale that will leave you salivating for book two that will conclude the story.