Customer Reviews

Imzadi (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Let's be up-front about one thing: for the first 50 pages or so, I expected to hate this book; I read it only because I have a compulsive desire to read every Star Trek book out there. I've never been overly fond of the character of Will Riker, I'm even less fond of the character of Deanna Troi, I hate stories about love at first sight between intrinsically incompatible people, and telepathic "soul mates", and I'm very dubious about time-travel stories, especially stories in which time travel is used to interfere with the time stream to make things better.

This book contains all those things.

In spite of myself, I liked it; partly, that is because Peter David does an excellent job of handling the details of characterization and has a facility for the language that makes a story move well. But partly it is also because, much to my amazement, he actually manages to make many of the weaknesses in concept work: the relationship may be a spiritual, "love-at-first-sight" thing, but that doesn't help it to work out such that they are able to magically "live happily ever after"; their relationship still needs to be worked at, and goes through ups and downs and many stages, in spite of the "spiritual connection"; their conflicts do not end as soon as they both acknowledge the attraction. The time-travel angle is handled much better than I thought possible, being a correction of an interference, rather than a new interference. And in spite of my innate disinterest in (verging on hostility towards) the main characters, I found myself drawn into their challenges and trials. As always, Mr. David handles the story with a deft and surprisingly lighthearted touch; he is capable of injecting a touch of humor into the most intensely dramatic situations, without giving the impression of "playing for laughs".

I've read Star Trek novels that I enjoyed more, but not many of them. And given that this book started with two and a half strikes against it in basic concept, that it managed to climb up past "okay" to "extremely good" is nothing short of astounding. If you actually LIKE the characters of Will Riker or Deanna Troi, or enjoy stories about love at first sight or time travel, you'll undoubtedly find this book spectacular.

Read anything by Peter David; the man could make a workable plot and an enjoyable read out of a recipe for tapioca pudding.

This is a story of what you will do to save the life of the one you love, or, what love is capable of. It has got to be one of the best STTNG books I've ever read (see my review of Time's Enemy to see the BEST ST book of all time), and it is the only book I have ever read that shows, once and for all, what real love is all about.

The book opens with a completely demoralized, elderly Admiral Riker grumpily running Starbase 86, with a nervous lieutenant looking after him. The lieutenant tells him there is a message from Betazed: Luaxana Troi is dying, she wants him to come to Betazed. He gets there, and she doesn't die until she impresses upon him that it's his fault that her daughter, Deanna, is dead. That's okay, Admiral Riker's life has deteriorated because he believes it, too.

Then Data tells him that it may not be true, that in another timeline, Deanna lives. He explains that in this timeline, not only did she live, but she stopped a peace treaty with the Sindareen, a warrior race that is similar to the Ferengi in that they will trade with anyone...but their trade is based on terrorizing worlds and stealing everything they sell.

When Riker hears the story of how Deanna didn't die, he immediately sets out to go back in time and save her from her fate. Data decides to stop him at all costs, in keeping with the Temporal Prime Directive.

Riker cannot live without trying to prevent Deanna's death, and Data cannot live with allowing Riker to stop it.

Not to give away too much of the ending, BUT in the end, Riker turns out to be right and Data is wrong.

This is true love, fellow readers. That's all that this book is about. I cannot stress it enough: this is the story of how one person can change your life permanently, and without them, you are lost. It's about the lengths one will go to to save the one they love, and, in the end, how love can be the strength you draw from when you have nothing left.

IMZADI is an exciting, well written novel that plays with the chronological aspect of a story. I haven't read any Star Trek books before, but I intend to read more now! For any Treky that cares, it goes back and explains the mysterious history behind Riker and Troy, and it shows us what the scars of time can turn us into. The characters interact realistically together, and every page is relevant and entertaining. The story begins with the future William Riker, a disgrunteled old man with unresolved issues. Forty years prior, his Imzadi (Deanna Troy) mysteriously fell ill and died. "Imzadi" is a Betazoid term describing the strong psychological bond they share, and Riker falls deep into a perpetual state of depression when he looses what he describes as, "the greater half of himself." When Lwaxana Troy (Deanna's mother) calls Riker to her death bed, old ghosts start popping out at him from his past, forcing him to remember, and he tries to remember back to a time when he felt no pain. From there, the story is told of how they came to know eachother, after which interisting plot twists and timeline jumps keep you on the edge of your seat. This book is realistically written, with an entertaining story line and well dedigned characters; one of them, whom the uncaring streams of time have forced into an intollerable universe, decides he wants to change his own destiny. And maybe he can-if he can get to the Guardian of Forever...

Imzadi is one of Peter David's finest works of art. If you're already a fan of the show and haven't read this, you're wrong! Imzadi gives a (if not canon) complete explanation of how Deanna Troi and William Riker became "Imzadi." This novel is completely enthralling from cover to cover. It details how the two met, fell in love, separated and later became the best of friends. If you cannot pick this one up in hardback, at least come up with the paperback, this is not one to miss if you've followed TNG from the beginning or if you're new to it.

Star Trek - The Next Generation: Imzadi written by Peter David is a classic, in the sense that the story is that of love, mystery, and of temporal events, all spun together by a master storyteller.

Commander Riker is taken on a wild ride of emotions throughout this book... from dispair, depression, and longing, to warmest love and happiness. A real roller coaster emotional ride for the reader as this story is cleverly crafted. Riker is running a Starbase in his elder years and remembering his Imzadi Deanna Troi. Imzadi is a powerful Betazoid term that describes the enduring bond of two people, in this case Riker and Troi.

As Riker gets word the Lwaxana Troi is dying. Riker makes the trip and Lwaxana lays the blame of Deanna's death, at the hands of the Sindareen, squarely on Riker. Riker's memories of a happier times comes back in his memories and Data makes a suggestion about the Guardian of Forever. It seems that the books I like the best all involve this Iconian relic of space and time... and this is no exception. It was something that Riker knew all too well, for he had stared squarely into the face of regert. There had been a time when an incarnation of Riker from the future had used the Guardian of Forever to come back in time. In that Riker's reality, Deanna Troi had died forty years previously, and he had never gotten over it. Eventually he had come to that conclusion that Deanna had been murdered and, using the Guardian, had come back it time to try to avert that calamity.

This book moves quite quickly and the character-driven dialog is spot-on. For an all encompassing and engrossing love story with a Star Trek flair, you can't go wrong with this book. This is one of Peter David's best efforts in the Trek genre.

The relationship between Riker and Troi is explained in this excellent Star Trek novel. It has action, humor, and romance. It goes to show what someone will do for the person they love. I even reccomended the book to someone who was not a Star Trek fan. This is Peter David's finest novels, and one of Star Trek's best.

I am a true Star Wars fan, and I really could not see liking Star Trek very well. But I watched one movie, (Insurecction) and then I read this book, and although it sometimes didn't make much sense to me, (having only seen the one movie) I loved it.

This is a book that is funny at times, romantic all the time, and strong enough to make you cry. Deanna and Riker (Though I never figured out why, everyone else calls her by her first name and him by his last, so I'll do that too) are strong characters, and easy to get into. They are perfectly capable of living without each other, but they are also strong enough to confront their human (And Betazoid, I guess) weaknesses of not wanting to.

A funny, romantic novel that places even those who do not want to be there, inside the Star Trek universe.

I love this book. A lot. And I love my Kindle. A lot. But I am not buying this Kindle book, because there are no paragraph indentations in the sample. That's just too confusing. I'm not paying nine bucks for something I can barely make sense of. Amazon, please fix this book!

I first read this classic Trek novel when I was sixteen, and at the time it knocked me off my feet as one of the greatest NextGen stories ever told. Now I'm twice as old and happy to report that Imzadi by Peter David has aged well over the years. Many of the show references are dated to the mid-1990's Trek universe, but that matters little because of the specific trekkie fan base this story is for. Plus the subsequent expanded universe has done very little to diminish the story. The Next Generation TV show remains a cultural milestone, which lends this book relevance by extension.

This is the backstory of Riker and Troi's relationship, and I was surprised by how short their pre-Enterprise encounter was. From the show's point of view, their history felt significant, as if they'd know each other for years. Though the more I think about it, a short and passionate affair makes the most sense as Peter David writes it.

The third act of the novel seals the deal for this being one of the best in the Star Trek lexicon. So many great Trek elements are fused together for an unforgettable climax.

So I finally caved in and bought my first Star Trek book after reading all the reviews. I have to tell you buying Imzadi was one of the best things I have ever did! This book is exceptional! Peter David gives you so much depth into these characters that you feel you become part of them. Although there were romantic moments, it was never slow paced or boring. It kept me captivated til the end. I am looking forward to read my next Star Trek novel. I highly recommend this book to all non-fans and fans of the series. Believe me you will not regret it.