Customer Reviews

Planet X

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

When it was first announced, this book seemed to me (a Trek and a X-Men fan) a terrible idea... dreamed up by the two corporations to pull in the millions of fans (and dollars) of both mega-pop-culture phenomena. Well, sure, it may be that, but it's also a lot of fun. Friedman isn't my favorite Trek writer, but his enthusiasm for both teams shows, and there's some solid character work: an intriguing spotlight on Archangel (never one of my favorite X-Men, but portrayed here with an interesting and original twist), Wolverine and Worf bonding in the holodeck, and a scene every fan has been waiting for: Picard and Xavier noting just how much the other looks like him (Patrick Stewart *should* be the frontrunner to play Professor X in any proposed X-Men movie, if there's justice in the universe!). The plot --the emergence of alien mutants-- seems almost tacked on as an excuse to get the two teams together, but that's forgiveable, the team-up is so much fun. Not one of the classic Trek books, not even an all-time great X-Men story, but a fun evening's read and a solid contribution to a genre previously only seen in fan fiction.

Friedman's novel brings together two pop-culture icons (the universes of Star Trek and the X-Men) seamlessly in this action-packed novel. While I think Friedman is one of the best Trek authors around (in both the comics and fiction world) this is not up there with his best work. Still, it's a fun, well-paced read, and he stays true to the characters of both universes. For fans, the Epilogue is a special treat! Perfect summer reading for Star Trek and X-Men fans. And though this is a sequel to Marvel Comics Star Trek/X-Men crossover entitled "Second Contact" you don't need to have read that to enjoy this.

I really loved this book, and read it twice. I was confused a little bit the first time I read it, but realized that it was a sequel to a comic book. I thought that it was a good adventure all around, although Mike Friedman could have used other characters instead of members from Excalibur. I would have liked to have seen Gambit, Rogue, and Psylocke there instead. All in all, it was a good read. I hope that more Marvel Comics/Star Trek crossovers come out in novel form.

This manuscript...this *concept*...should have never left the Internet fan-fiction chat room in which it was spawned.

And I say this as both a SF *and* comic book fan.

Outside of watching "The X-Men" movie and looking forward to the next one, I'm not a huge X-Men fan. That being said, this book absolutely floored me. I couldn't put it down and read it in two days (if I wasn't working 18 hours a day at that time it would've been one day). MJ Friedman has with this Star Trek installment, once again, shown why he's one of the top selling Star Trek authors. Thanks to the author for a great read.

This is a book that shouldn't be taken all that seriously. It's just a fun read. Fans of both "Star Trek" and The X-Men will have a good time with this. Underused characters such as Banshee and Nightcrawler are treated well in this story.

The Marvel Universe and the Star Trek Universe are two vastly different place and their characters should stay in their respective universes, not in these silly crossovers.

I am a fan of both the X-men and Star Trek, but I must admit I am very disappointed in this book. About half way through I contemplated about not finishing it, but it was a short book and I kept telling myself it would get better. Sadly however, it did not. I found the X-men characters poorly portrayed, and did not care at all for the romance between Storm and Picard. In addition, I believe several of the characters actions, both X-men and Starfleet, to be out of character and inaccurate according to their respective story lines. Finally, I must say I was expecting a little more depth to the story line as I found it very predictable and free of any twists. About the only good things I could say about the book would have to be the camaraderie between Worf and Wolverine, and the fact that the nook was in fact short!

What a great book, dovetailing well with the comic book that started this inter-company crossover. Mike Friedman knows his stuff, both sets of characters act like they should, and the interactions between them are a treat, especially Worf & Wolverine, Nightcrawler & La Forge and especially Picard & Storm. The plot is a little off-putting at first but when the action kicks into high gear, the book showcases each characters strengths and / or their mutant powers and quite well at that. The various team-ups mix up the group dynamics often to keep it very interesting and there are lots of nice continuity touches for both fans of the X-Men comic book and the Star Trek: Next Generation TV series and films, like the surprise twist ending or Wolverines rendition of Worf's holodeck program. My only complaint is that the enemy in this book is a little too one-dimensional and their motivations and society are not fleshed out that well. But don't read this book for the bad guy, they are a necessary plot device to get the two teams to interact in fun ways, which is what the book does in spades. It also assures us that there will be lasting effects on the characters, not just a "lets team-up for the hell of it" attitude, but true character exploration and interaction. Each character is necessary, not ancillary, to the plot, and its unpredictability of who will team up with who kept me delighted throughout the book. If you are not a fan, this book is still quite accessable to those with limited knowledge of the X-Men comic book, like myself. I thought it was fun to see the two teams interact and expand the characters in ways never seen before, like the mutual dislike Archangel & Picard had for each other, how Nightcrawler's powers are compared with 24th century transporter technology and the Xavier / Dr. Crusher team-up, brief as it was, was just too funny. A fun book all around for both X-Men and Star Trek fans.

The planet Xhaldia is facing an interesting blossoming of youths into mutants, or as the inhibitants of the planet call them transformed. The chancellor afraid of these youth and how they may affect society appeals to the Federation, specifically the starship Enterprise E. Meanwhile on station 88 a group of mutants familiar to Marvel comic collectors appear, yes the X-men. Soon the X-Men are guests aboard the Enterprise and drawn into the situation on Xhaldia, especially when hostile aliens start kidnapping the transformed off-planet.

The plot to this crossover novel is not as deep as other Star Trek novels. Then again why should it be. This is basically a story for fun. While there are some deep moments as Friedman;s description of physics in the Star Trek universe attests, and the themes that travel with the X-Men no matter what format they appear in also exemplifies. The main theme being tolerance.

So overall I would say it was fun and interesting to see some of my favourite comic characters guest star in the Star Trek universe and that this book is a light read.
With all due respect to Trekkies and comic book "geeks" if you start this novel with expectations other than a side trip of momentary amusement you are bound to be disappointed. Friedman after all handled the continuity and characterization well but I think everyone will agree this is not War and Peace:).