Customer Reviews

Mosaic (Star Trek Voyager)

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yes, I love Janeway. But that tends to make me more critical than blindly accepting when it comes to VOY novels, because I don't hesitate to pick them apart and I hate it when I find inconsistencies in her character. Well, this novel was absolutely magnificent. It includes so many important events in her life, from the time she is four years old till she is standing before a Starfleet review board after her first mission as a captain (and meets Tuvok). (One thing: didn't Tom's accident happen *after* the Academy, not while he was a cadet? Oh well, never mind.) The "present" storyline is definitely inferior to the "past," and I almost wish the "present" could have been completely deleted. True, the book would read like a patchwork quilt--but any loyal Trekker would be more than willing to overlook that. (To be honest, it sorta reads like patchwork anyway, but I really don't mind a bit.) If you've ever wondered how Janeway became the woman she is "now", read this book. Anybody who complains that "Janeway just gets these obsessions with saving *everybody*" and "Why would she feel guilty?"--you have obviously not read Mosaic. When I finished this novel, I was left with a singular feeling of "Wow." Nobody can read this and hate Kathryn Janeway.

This books author, Jeri Taylor, started as a writer on Star Trek The Next Generation in the middle of its run and soon became one of the shows most prominent writers. Near the end of that series, she, along with Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, became the creators, lead writers and executive producers of Star Trek Voyager, Star Trek's newest series.

While Voyager was received and perceived quite differently by many Star Trek fans, in my opinion, the series was a very good one despite it not living fully to its potential. The character of Captain Kathryn Janeway is a strong and multi faceted one played to perfection by Kate Mulgrew. The person most directly responsible for Captain Janeway's back story and overall development is Jeri Taylor, the author of this extraordinary novel.

"Mosaic" is more than just a novel in the series, it provides what Jeri Taylor described as Janeway's back story and it essentially adds up as the "tapestry" of her life and all of the decisions that brought her to where she was at the time this novel was published.

For several years, "Mosaic" and Jeri Taylor's sole other Star Trek Voyager novel, "Pathways" were considered to be the only Star Trek novels to be canon by a majority of the fandom. It has only been recently that that opinion has changed, for whatever reasons I'm not sure.

Jeri Taylor's writing style is perfect for this novel; the premise, plot setup and execution, characterizations and overall pacing of this novel makes for an excellent read in the Star Trek Voyager series. The cover art for "Mosaic" is perfect for the title!

The premise:

"Mosaic" tells the tale of Captain Kathryn Janeway's back story through the current events in her life in which she finds herself in a quagmire where she could lose an away team and one of her best friends or lose the entire ship. Faced with such a dire dilemma, Captain Janeway looks through the events of her life to find the solution to her current problem...

What follows from there, as stated above, is one of the most outstanding novels in all of the Star Trek series and most certainly one of the very few, if any, novels that "could" be considered canon in the Star Trek universe considering if you've read this book and watched the entire series you will see that Jeri Taylor did squeeze some of this into the shows.

I highly recommend this novel to any and all fans of Star Trek Voyager and Star Trek in general for you will most certainly find that you'll have an even better appreciation for the character of Captain Kathryn Janeway after you've read it. {ssintrepid}

Just gotta gush! Jeri Taylor is my absolute favorite, and I know her writing style will be missed on the new season of Voyager. I hope she continues to pen the novels, because her stories are magnificent. We are given a clear view of Janeway in this book. The story may make a few leaps, but the path is still direct from child to captain - to television, in fact, because some of the "facts" in the book have been related on screen. I shall re-read often.

Attention all Star Trek fans, especially those who love Voyager. Undoubtedly, Star Trek Voyager: Mosaic is a must read, because it is a compelling addition to the Star Trek saga. Telling the story of the first female captain since Star Trek was created in the 1960s, this book brilliantly brings Captain Janeway to life. Mosaic was published in 1996 by Pocket Books, the company that publishes all of the Voyager books. As co-creator and executive producer of Star Trek Voyager, Jeri Taylor, the author of Mosaic, has a good grasp of the essence of Voyager. She eloquently conveys that in her book. Mosaic has 312 pages.

Although the Star Trek story line in this book is only mediocre, the memories of Captain Janeway make this book fascinating. Obviously, Kathryn Janeway is the primary character in this book. Taking place during their time in the Delta Quadrant, this book never pinpoints exactly where in the journey this story takes place. After a nearly fatal adventure on a planet which they nicknamed "Sizzle", Captain Janeway begins to have strange dreams. In these dreams she continually tries to get through a locked door, because she thinks she has to clean the room behind it. While Captain Janeway has these dreams and starts experiencing memories of her life, Voyager is attacked by the Kazon.

Meanwhile,there is an away team stranded on a nearby planet that is exploring burial monuments and dealing with their own Kazon attack. Voyager is forced to retreat and make repairs. Captain Janeway continues to have flashbacks to all of the most important points in her life. They vary from the first time she solved a math problem to the first time she saved someone's life, and many others. Will she be able to cope with the flashbacks and rescue the away team? You will have to read Mosaic to find out.

Because of all the interesting flashbacks, because of its decent story line, and because of the facts you learn about Kathryn Janeway, Mosaic is a very good book. Certainly it tells more than you could ever find out just watching the show, although some of the memories were vaguely mentioned on TV. Mosaic will probably be appreciated most by a Voyager fan. However, if you are just getting interested in the show, you will have no problem understanding Mosaic. How does Janeway become captain? Mosaic and its insightful flashbacks will answer that.

Personaly I didn't get envolved with Voyager until the 5th season (when Seven of Nine comes to the show) and Janeway has always been one of my favorite charaters...For her attitude, authority and those little glimps of kindness in between that command mask. I've always wanted to know how Janeway got to be who she is on Voyager and this book tells you everything! From her early childhood days all the way up until she takes command of Voyager. Her trials and errors, joys and pride all stick out in this book. Jeri Taylor was an exceptional writer for the show ... she is even a better novelist to this book! A++ work!!

Oh my God! I am a faithful Voyager fan and LUV Kathryn Janeway. There is just something about her character that intrigues me. My friend has this book (it's her only Voyager book) and she's been reading it since December. I also own this book, and I can find only one complaint. That Ms. Taylor didn't go into more detail about her life. Oh well. What she did go into was like peeking into a Christmas present before Christmas. You don't know what's in there but whatever it is is sure to be wonderful. This book shows the sides of Janeway that we've already seen in other characters. It shows her as a daughter, sister, lover, captain and student. I admit that I cry easily, so I was an emotional rollocoster with MOSAIC. * there are no Voyager fans where I live so if you're a fan and want someone to talk to please e-mail me!*

There were too many gaps in MOSAIC. It leapt and skimmed through her career when it should have cavorted and revelled in it. Kathryn Janeway's intensity, determination and leadership qualities rival that of Captain James T Kirk. But I would have liked to have known more about her career in starfleet, the star-ships she served on, her various ranks. Captain Jean Luc Picard was promoted from a lieutenant to a captain after saving the USS Stargazer and her crew, becoming it's new commander after the untimely death of the captain.

Did Janeway leapfrog any ranks, was she ever a first officer etc?

No I'm afraid I was a little disppointed but it was an adequate novel and insight into Janeway's character.

This has got to be the best voyager book I have ever read! From the day I bought it I cant put it down! I really recommend this book to any Janeway fan out there. Love her life story, its filled with hurt, happiness, struggles and triumph! Her life should have been a movie!

This could be one of the best books that I have ever read. I am a total Voyager fan, and my favorite character is Janeway, so I of course loved this book. I especially liked the one where Janeway remembered life as a 4 year old. I reccomend this book to anyone who even remotely likes Voyager.

A devoted fan who has to go because Warhead is coming on.

This book was very good. Janeway sure had a hard time growing up. The story is so good I couldn't put it down. Although there is one thing that I think is overused in ALL Star Trek stories. That is crashing. They just crash too much, especially in suttles. I wish they could think of more things, but crashes add suspense....

Anyway, it was a very good book my 3rd fav, TNG Vendetta being 1st and TNG Q-Sqared 2nd.

If you want to understand or learn more about Janeway or if your a fan of her, you MUST read this book.