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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good story, although I could have done without the teen angst, December 16, 2008
The Enterprise is on a routine mission to survey the planet Domarus IV, a class M world with indigenous plant and animal life but giving no indications of intelligent life. A shuttle conducting the survey containing Data, Troi, Wesley Crusher and two other teenage crewmembers is unexpectedly captured by the Tenirans. While the Federation knows the existence of the Tenirans, nothing of value is known about their history and culture.
The Teniran captain claims ownership of the planet and orders Picard to leave. However, suddenly another power intervenes and the shuttle that was caught in a Teniran tractor beam suddenly vanishes. This leads to some tense negotiations between Picard and Arit, the captain of the Teniran ship. The shuttle was transported away by a species that call themselves the Shapers. Indigenous to the planet, they believed that their planet was the entire universe and the Shapers debate whether the humans and Tenirans are intelligent. After many false starts, Data is able to establish communication with the Shapers and they are happy to allow the Tenirans to colonize the planet.
The Tenirans aboard the failing ship are the last of their species, their people having been all but destroyed in a genocidal biological war. Their ship contains the last 5,000 Tenirans and Domarus IV is their last hope without some form of aid. Geordi and his engineering team are able to repair the Teniran ship before the engines explode and the story closes with the planet having been renamed Mirrillon.
The greatest idea behind Star Trek is the free reign of imagination needed to postulate alien species with their dramatic differences in physiology, thought patterns and cultures. Most science fiction depicts extraterrestrials as humanoid bipedal creatures with smooth, elongated faces. This story has them being forms of energy manifesting itself as light patterns and capable of channeling great energy. While I found the expressions of teen angst unnecessary, the main plot of species contact and interaction made for a very good story.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
STNG #19 Perchance to Dream - An engaging tale!, September 7, 2003
"Perchance to Dream is author, Howard Weinstein's seemingly third and final Star Trek The Next Generation title. I say seemingly final since he hasn't written any STNG novels since 1991 and his last Star Trek novel altogether was 1994's Star Trek "The Better Man." This to me is a shame as I've enjoyed the Star Trek stories of his that I've read so far and it would be nice to see him make a return to either the twenty third or twenty fourth centuries. The premise: The author sets up an interesting premise in which the Enterprise is sent to Domarus IV which is an M Class planet but with no indigenous intelligent life. Data, Troi and young Wesley Crusher launch in a shuttle to the planet but are captured by Tenirans, who have claimed the planet for themselves. While attempting to negotiate for the release of his crew, Captain Picard himself disappears, quite spectacularly. He suddenly finds himself on the planets surface with the Tenarin captain. They both soon realize that they must work together as they find that they're not alone on the planet. What follows from there is an engaging story that I found to be a quick Star Trek read. I recommend this Star Trek The Next Generation novel to any and all fans of the genre. {ssintrepid}
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
ST-TNG: Perchace to Dream, June 22, 2003
Star Trek - The Next Generation: Perchance to Dream written by Howard Weinstein is a lighter Trek novel... Oh, there is some suspense and intrigue, but it doesn't come out and grab you by the ears and makes you want to read this book in one setting. In this book there is a planetary life force which can move mountains and dig valleys in a single day, make new oceans and change the course of rivers. With all of this said, this race is rather a benevolent and what they really want is to communicate with the humanoid species that are now claiming the planet for their own the Tenarins. On a rountine survey of the planet Domarius IV, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Starship Enterprise crew encounter the Tenarins as they try to hijack an Enterprise shuttle with Data, Troi, Wesley Crusher and two of his friends as they leave the planet with some interesting soil and rock samples. Caught up in the Tenarin tractor beam the shuttle is about to break up when it disappears in a flash of colorful light and is transported to a subterranian location. Now, with the Enterprise closing in, the Tenarin captain and Jean-Luc Picard also become missing in a flash of colorful light and are transported to the planet's surface. All of the time under the watchful eye of the planetary intelligence which are diamond shaped with light of different colorsul coursing though them. Until the planetary intelligence discovers how to communicate with the humanoids things become quite mystifing. Data is the link by which the planetary intelligence gains the knowledge to communicate. All along the planetary race that can move mountains is preparing the planet for humanoid life and as they begin to wake-up from their one-thousand year sleep, their mission is about to become complete as the Tenarins looking for a home are invited to stay. This was an interesting read and kept my attention, but it wasn't one of the best TREK novels as the mystery, intrigue and action-adventure was rather lacking and some areas of the story bogged down to a near halt. All in all, this story is a good 4 stars it could have been written with more action-adventure and intrigue to carry the reader to the ending.
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