Customer Reviews

Q-Squared (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Of the many great Star Trek authors that have been published, one of them consistently rises above them all with thought provoking, humorous and intriguing stories in this genre, that being Peter David. With Q-Squared being Peter David's second Q story, after STNG #18 - "Q-In-Law," he again proved that he perfectly captured the character of Q and put to print a true masterpiece involving this extremely intriguing character.

The premise:

Q-Squared is nothing short of brilliant as Peter David deftly weaves this tale involving characters from both The Original Series and past characters from Star Trek The Next Generation. Many a fan will remember Trelane from The Original Series episode "The Squire of Gothos." As Captain Kirk dealt with him, he was an extremely powerful but ultimately impetuous character that at the end of that wonderful episode he was proven to be a young character from an unknown race of beings.

As you will quickly learn, the powerful race of beings that Trelane comes from is the Q-Continuum and guess who has recently taken on the responsibility for his growth and development, you guessed it, Q. As it happens, Q finds this responsibility to be somewhat taxing so he seeks out his good old "pal" Captain Jean Luc Picard, more affectionately known by Q as "Mon Capitan," to aid in this great burden.

Here is where Peter David also firsts introduces the notion of the multiverse as he tracks us along in three different "universes," three different crews of the Enterprise and their dealings with Q and Trelane. I believe this to be the most appealing plot device in the entire story.

What follows is as stated above, one of the best Star Trek novels to ever grace the printed page as we follow along on Trelane's bent to destroy the universe and Q's amazing trials and tribulations while he's attempting to stop him.

I highly recommend this superb Star Trek novel to any and all who enjoy a great Star Trek story and to those who are just casual fans of the genre as this one does not disappoint in the least.

Additionally, I highly recommend the audio tape or CD if you can get your hands on it as it is a great way to spend three hours on the highway, especially with Q himself, John De Lancie reading it. {ssintrepid}

If you are a true fan of Star Trek's first two incarnations, you cannot miss this book. If you loved the Next Generation finale, you will REALLY love this book. If you loved Q and wondered why they never brought the Trelane character back you will REALLY REALLY... well, guess what I'm going to say.
This is, by far, the best Star Trek book, and I've read a bunch of them. Alternate timelines, insight into the characters, loose threads you NEVER thought would come together all unite in what would be an excellent book by any measure, but is an absolute must-have delight for Star Trek fans.
Q'll get ya if you miss this one.

...at least his best that I've read thus far. This book is not for the person who likes a nice, evenly paced Trek story. This book is running at top speed right out of the gate! As long as you can keep up, you'll love it.

This book might be of particular interest to those Trekkies that are also fans of TOS (The Original Series), as a fan-favorite villain - Trelane - is really the primary nemesis. David does a fantastic job of intertwining the back-stories of both Trelane and Q to come up with a very feasible and fun tale of "things that might have been..."

Realities merge, dead characters walk the halls of the Enterprise, unborn children save their parents' lives, cats and dogs sleeping together...it's everything that you would expect, or wouldn't expect, when Q is involved. So hold onto your seat when you start into this book, because it doesn't let up at all!

Peter David has written many books for Star Trek and all have been pheonomenal. I'm not going to say that "Q-Squared" is his best yet, for there are others that are just as good, but it is wonderful. There's lots of good stuff in this one: romance, humorous lines and situations, horror, timetravel/parallel universe confusion, and science fiction at it's best.

"Q-Squared" features unforgettable characters (too bad not all of them are real). Jack Crusher and the alternate Riker and Deanna Troi are some of those. There's lots of emotional dialogue with these people like when Crusher is lamenting about his dead son, Wesley and when Riker is reunited with his "wife" Deanna. Of course the real reason this book is so good is because of Q, who is the one of the funniest and memorable characters of Star Trek. And if you thought he could be a bit cruel and nasty once in a while, wait till you read about the villain, Trelane.

WARNING: This book is not one to sit down and skim through in just a few hours. There's too much happening between the character development and the alternate timelines mingling. Take your time and read slowly; let it sit for a while and read it again. You can find all kinds of funny lines and stuff you didn't see the first time.

Get this book. It is one of the greatest. For those of you that aren't "Trekkers" like me, you can still enjoy it, but some stuff may evade your understanding. I recommend anyone to get "Q-Squared" and, while your at it, you can pick up Peter David's other great books "Imzadi II", "Q-In-Law", and, my favorite, "Imzadi". Happy reading!

Trelane, erstwhile Squire of Gothos (of the TOS episode of that name), returns. Here we learn that Trelane is nothing less than a juvenile Q. Q, mentoring Trelane, brings him to the Enterprise for educating. Things begin to unravel when one Trelane embraces the unlimited power of chaos, and decides to take revenge. First Trelane annihilates Q (!), and then begins to unravel the barriers that separate parallel universes, bringing on a war of all against all. How can Picard overcome the demons of what might have been (and are in other realities), and defeat the most powerful being in the whole multiverse at the same time?

This book is an absolute masterpiece! The author masterfully runs first two and then three storylines (three parallel universes), examining the same people in very different situations. As the story reaches its crescendo, and the characters begin to cross between universes, it becomes positively gripping. I can't recommend this book enough.

Greetings and felectations! It's wonderful to see Trelane back again. The paralles between the Q and Trelane are uncanny. David has done a wonedrful job of bringing together two Trek generations.

This review refers to the audio book version, 3+ hours, two cassettes. John De Lancie does a really great job in reading this book. My one wish is that he had changed his voice so that the various characters would have been easy to pick out. Peter David's story is one of his best, and I really liked how he portrayed the first generation's Trelane, very true to character. Picard, and Q were also very well rendered. The story line bounces around a bit, but is not too distracting (or confusing). Sound effects and music are well done. The audio is quite legible when listening in a car. All-in-all a great audio book. I highly recommend it!

I couldn't put this book down, I just had to keep reading it to find out where it went next. This tells a story of a great battle of good and evil held within the charachters. A must for anyone wanting to know Q better. Q is the archtype of the trixter who may play anoying pranks, even to the point of being dangerous, but when it comes down to the line, he's on the right side.

As with any story involving time, the temporal anomolies become quite interresting, but this book handles it all without becoming bogged down in techno-babble or losing the story in the midst of the confusion. Peter David is truly a master of weaving the world of Star Trek.

This is by far the best STAR TREK novel I've ever read (and I've read plenty!), but it also tops my list of Best All-Around Novels. David effortlessly weaves together an incredibly complex tapestry of timelines and characters from ST:TOS and ST:TNG. I laughed out loud. I came close to crying. It's just a brilliant executed book that deserves 25 stars, not 5. I just bought my first Peter David non-Trek novel, SIR APROPOS OF NOTHING, and can't wait to read it. Other excellent Trek novels by Mr. David are IMZADI, Q-IN-LAW, and VENDETTA.

Peter David has outdone himself again! This story may appear confusing for some because of all the time changes and alternate universes changes, but if you can keep up with all that is going on, then this is the book for you. Even if you're not necessarily a Trekkie, but just like a good sci-fi novel, this book is a must.