Customer Reviews

Metamorphosis (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is without a doubt the best Trek book I have ever read. I sat on my bed for around 7 or 8 hours reading it. I couldn't put it down! This story gives us the information that we have always wanted to know: What would it be like for Data to become human. Data has to go through daring challenges and trials with the help of a friend, and in the end is rewarded with his fondest wish. From this story we get to know Data better as a person and not just a machine. We find out what adjustments and sacrifices he has to make in order to attain and keep his new gift. He ponders about Tasha and relives certain moments of their friendship with emotion. A Trek book has never before been so well written and given such depth to characters as this one. Read it, you won't regret it. Keep it displayed on a shelf in your home afterwards. When you walk by it, you will instantly remember all of the touching and daring scenes and a spark of emotion will flutter from your heart.

"Metamorphosis" was "the first giant novel" for Star Trek: The Next Generation, although Jean Lorrah's story is bigger in its ambition than it is in length. I have always thought that most Star Trek novels written while that particular series is still in production fall into two ends of the spectrum, either they are not worthy of being filmed as episodes or they involves things that make them too costly to do. In the middle there are books that go back and fill in the gaps in the show's history. However, "Metamorphosis" is different because it tells a story you would have thought they would get around to on STNG sooner or later: Data becomes human.

The Enterprise is studying unexplained gravitational disturbances on the planet Elysia. On the planet's surface Data meets a young woman named Thelia who thinks the android has been sent by the gods to accompany her on her quest. Data believes these "gods" might be the legendary Preservers and the pair proceeds on the quest together. To Data's surprise, whatever the Elysian gods are they grant his fondest desire and turn him into a human being. When he returns to the Enterprise and is immediately accosted by security guards demanding to know what has happened to Commander Data.

"Metamorphosis" takes place during the show's second season (obviously, since Katharine Pulaski is the ship's doctor), and takes place after "The Measure of a Man," the episode where Data has to defend his right to exist in a Starfleet court. The set-up is a tad on the mystical side, but Lorrah is on firmer ground in detailing the actual consequences of Data no longer being an android. I loved the irony that Pulaski, who has always been the one who treated Data least like he was human, is the only one who recognizes that Data looks exactly like he would if he was human. I do not think any one reading this book will be surprised that in the end Data discovers being human is not all he thought it would be, but this simply speaks to how on target Lorrah is in this novel. For fans of Data, this is certainly the STNG novel that should be first on their list for tracking down and checking out.

This book answers, to some degree, all the questions ever asked about what would happed to Data if he became human. And the biggest question of all, of course, was about love. This answers the most important questions, but i think it is wonderful the way Lorrah also pays so much attention to detail - all those little things that we do automatically, every day of our lives, were magically brought to life as Data examined them. This book is not only a must for everyone who loves Data, but simply for everyone who wants a fresh and joyful look at 24th Century life.

When I first purchased a copy of "Metamorphosis", my original impression of its content was a far cry from its true escence, you could say I judged the book by its cover and its synopsis too quickly. When I finally turned the last page, I was literally stunned. Although this book was initially not meant for that reaction, the excellent writing, wonderful description, and remarkable storytelling upon a frequently wondered premise (what would it be like if Data was human) has highlighted this book as a truly fantastic and surprisingly thought-provoking (at least for me) novel. "Metamorphosis" is among one of the most well-written and wonderfully told Star Trek books ever. Even though I give this book such high praise, it is not perfect and I do have one comment. Although I enjoyed this part of the book very much, when Data and (for those of you who have never read it I will not mention her name) the girl go on their trek together, I felt that it was over done, that it should've been shortened, not as elongated as it was. Still, I suppose it was a vital part of the entire story. This book is highly worth the read, so pick up a copy of it today.

This is one of the few books I really wish they would have adapted into an episode or a movie. If you know Trek like a soap opera and the characters personalities, Brent Spiner (Data) would have done a fantastic job with it. The book is one of the Trek novels and last longer so you have more enjoyment. It's a keeper

This book is great. It does the one thing many people have wondered about. It makes Data human. This book is fantastic. It is everything you would wish in a Star Trek book it is sad, exciting, humorous, and Data actually has sex. It is a very good book and I would recomned it to anyone. I really liked it and the hell Data has to go through. It was very intresting. The ending is a surprise to most and it is at the same time the way you would expect. I hope you all can read this book and come in here and write your own thoughts about it, cause I can't really put it into words so I'll just say again "WOW!!!!"

Jean Lorrah's book explores an issue that the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series never tackled: what would it be like for Data to get his wish of understanding what it is to be human?
Metamorphosis is reasonably well-written, at least for a Star Trek novel - the problems lie in plot and character.
Essentially, Data stumbles into a "quest to the gods" while on an away mission to the planet Elysia, and when he successfully completes his quest he is given (without specifically asking for it) humanity - flesh, blood, and all. The book then deals with Data's experience of his new humanity, and the unexpectedly serious problems that result from his transformation.
The plot is quite enjoyable, but too contrived. That the existence of a single android in a single place and time should be of such vital signficance, and that the Elysian "gods" should demonstrate this to Data by showing him what would result if he was human and then wiping that knowledge from his memory, all seems a little silly in the end - since Data cannot even be said to have learnt anything from the experience. (After multiple re-readings, I'm still not sure exactly what happened in the scene where Data is changed back, I have to say) The love story angle with Thelia was also contrived and pointless. Yet Lorrah, to her credit, did try to bring some deeper themes to the book, and her take on a horrible Prime Directive dilemma was well done.
I've never felt that Lorrah does a good job of bringing Data to life in either of her books that I've read, and he even seems quite at variance with his portrayal by Brent Spiner. It's more like she turns the character into what she wants him to be, rather than using the character as he is. Her depictions of the other characters from the TV series are more on the mark, though.
Lorrah reintroduces, rather gratuitously, a number of her characters from Survivors, namely Darryl Adin and his crew. While Adin, an interesting character himself, interacts well with Data in some useful scenes, the book could have done without him and the tired re-exploration of the whole Tasha Yar business.
I had two major issues with this story. One is not entirely Lorrah's fault, but it was intensely annoying all the same. Because the TV series had only had a few seasons when this was published and showed no signs of ending, Metamorphosis could not allow anything sigificant to happen to the characters. But changing Data's experience as a human to "it was only a dream" (or in this case, "it was only one out of many lines of probability") is an awful plot device that I was warned off using in high school. The other major flaw to this book was that Lorrah seemed to believe that exploring Data's new humanity meant only the physical experience of being human. Since he got emotions along with his humanity, it was astonishing that Lorrah did not explore this aspect at all.
Yes, Metamorphosis was quite an entertaining read. But I think that people tend to expect far too little of Star Trek novels. I wanted this to be better, and it could have been better.

Sadly enough, this was author, Jean Lorrah's fourth and final venture into Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek universe. Conversely, this was the first Star Trek The Next Generation non numbered novel that set the path for many more to come, both in paperback and hardback. As many good authors do, she drew characters from her earlier novel, STNG #4 "Survivors" and pulled them into this new adventure. In this first grand novel adventure, Jean Lorrah presents to the reader what the episodes never did, Data actually becoming human and the consequences of that.

The premise:

The Enterprise is called to the planet Elysia when it starts to experience unexplained gravitational disturbances. Captain Picard quite fatefully assigns primary control of the mission to Lieutenant Commander Data who sets out to accomplish the mission. While on the mission he meets an Elysian named Thelia who believes that Data has been sent by the Gods to help her on her quest and in helping her do so, he meets these "Gods" who grant him the one thing he's not capable of doing himself; they make him human.

What follows from there is an intriguing and compelling story that at times doesn't quite live up to what the reader might expect but still carries the story along rather well. Overall, this was a good first "novel" for the Star Trek The Next Generation series and sadly, the last visit into this "universe" by its author. Hopefully in the future, she will come back as some of the authors who disappeared from the rolls have.

I would definitely recommend this early STNG novel to any and all fans, casual or die hard alike. {ssintrepid}

This is a wonderful addition to any Trekkers library. When an away team is sent to a planet to investigate rumors of an all powerful God, it is up to Commander Data to follow a local girl as she journeys to the "Gods", to have them grant a wish to help her family. Upon arrival, Data finds 2 things. First, that the rumors were correct. Second, that he, like the girl, will get his fondest wish...to become Human. He learns the meaning of the saying-"Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it". A heart warming story, and extremely thought provoking, as well. Pick up your copy today

This was the first Next Generation "Giant Novel", but I don't think it really warrants being quite so long.

In this story we get to explore Data, both as a sentient machine and a newby human. Personally, I found Data the sentient machine infinitely more interesting than newby human Data.

The story: Enterprise D is rescues 2 ships containing the crew of Daryl Adin (Tasha Yar's lost and rediscovered love-see the Next Generation novel Survivors). Strong gravitational forces emanating from the planet Elysia caused the problem, and the Enterprise crew tries to discover what causes these gravitational surges and can they be mitigated in some way so that other ships are not similarly effected.

Data ends up joining one of the residents of Elysia on her Quest to meet the gods of Elysia and have her wish granted. This part of the novel could definitely have been trimmed. The quest starts out fairly interesting, but continues on far too long. Data and the woman successfully complete their quest, and are both granted their fondest wishes-she to unite her land with another, he to become human.

Data then returns to the Enterprise and has a difficult time convincing his crewmates that he is in fact Data, but now a human. Data must now come to grips with all that he has lost (the ability to compute at lightening speed, indestructibility, strength, endurance, etc.) and all that he has gained (emotions, human senses-especially taste, touch and smell-the ability to feel pain, etc.). There are some very interesting scenes where Data must deal with some of the realities of being human, such as when Data realizes he must now take care of personal grooming and tries to purchase basic toiletry items such as toothpaste, shampoo and deodorant for the first time and becomes completely bewildered by the wide variety of choices avaiable. However, these realities and experiences soon take a backseat to hormones, romance, lust and love. I'm not much of a romance novel fan, so I found the endless scenes of Data becoming aware of various crewmates as women, and his kind of romance (mutual lust) with one woman rather tedious. I also found his "love story" ludicrous, and was relieved when it was quickly pre-empted.

If I had been reviewing the book on the first two thirds of the story, it would probably have only warranted 2 or 3 stars. However, once Data is returned to his android form (obviously, since he was an android for the rest of the series) the story really picked up for me. The story of the planet where the population is being ruthlessly killed by another group who takes over their lands, cities and technology was very interesting.

This novel is worth a read for the exploration of the character of Data, but I would recommend that you read Jean Lorrah's previous Next Generation novel, Survivors. It would probably be enjoyed more by the casual fan, than the die-hard fan.