Rihannsu #01: My Enemy My Ally [Import] [Unbound]

Diane Duane (Author)

Product Details

• Unbound
• Publisher: Pocket Books (October 2000)
• ISBN-10: 0743419863
• ISBN-13: 978-0743419864
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Diane Duane was born in New York City -- a descendant of New York's first mayor -- and worked there as a psychiatric nurse before leaving the profession for the only one she loved better, the business of writing. Since the publication of her first novel in 1981, she's written fifty more, not to mention numerous short stories, comics, computer games and screenplays for TV and film, and has picked up the occasional award here and there. (She has also worked with Star Trek in more media than anyone else alive.)

Right now she's probably best known for her "Young Wizards" series of young adult fantasy novels, featuring the New York-based wizards Kit Rodriguez and Nita Callahan -- in business for twenty-five years now, their most recent adventure being described in the ninth YW novel, "A Wizard of Mars" (just released in paperback).

DD shares a two hundred-year-old cottage in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland with her husband, the Belfast-born novelist and screenwriter Peter Morwood, a laid-back white cat named Goodman, and various overworked computers... an odd but congenial environment for the staging of epic battles between good and evil and the leisurely pursuit of total galactic domination. (And a lot of ethnic cooking: her own favorite foods come from the cuisines of central Europe and the Mediterranean.) In her spare time she gardens (weeding, mostly), studies German and Italian, listens to shortwave and satellite radio, and dabbles in astronomy, computer graphics, iaido, amateur cartography, and desktop publishing ... while also trying to figure out how to make more spare time.

Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is a weird kind of Swiss scrambled-potato dish called maluns, she was born in a Year of the Dragon, and her sign is "Runway 24 Left, Hold For Clearance."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Adventure Continues, December 7, 2001

By 

Christopher H. Jansmann (Green Valley, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Enemy, My Ally (Star Trek, No 18/Rihannsu Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the second Star Trek novel that Ms. Duane wrote, with "The Wounded Sky" being the first. While there are some carryover themes from her first work to this terrific story, this book stands on its own as a complete adventure in its own right.

Once again, we are treated to the inner workings of the Starship Enterprise, and are priviliged to see how the main characters interact with each other when they are away from the Bridge. Each of the characters are treated as real people, with real backgrounds, interests and personalities -- something that the original TV seried was unable to demonstrate. It makes the book highly enjoyable, and interesting to both die hard Star Trek fans and those who may have never seen the original show.

Originally published back in the early eighties, this book established a completely different Romulan-Federation relationship than would ultimately unfold through Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, I find Ms. Duane's portrayal of the "Rihannsu" as she calls them to be every bit as dramatic, if not far more interesting and complicated. (Someone else must agree with me on that: recently, Ms. Duane has written two more novels that roughly serve as sequels to the action in this novel. If you want to read those, you'll really need to have this one first in order to follow the action!)

Looking for a real page turner, filled with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until almost the very end? This will fit your needs quite nicely.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Look at the Romulans, August 7, 2000

By 

D. Bell "Imzadi" (Olney, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Enemy, My Ally (Star Trek, No 18/Rihannsu Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I did not read this book the first time it came out, but after learning that two new Rihannsu books were coming out, meeting the Romulan commander (so memorably portrayed by Joanne Linville) again in Vulcan's Heart, & buying & rewatching The Enterprise Incident again, I knew I had to read it. I was a bit disappointed that Ael was not the Romulan Commander of TEI, but she was an unforgettable character (and the aunt of the original Romulan commander, which does figure into the plot). The book offers great insights into the Romulan character and their views of honor which appear to be similar to those of the Federation & the Klingons. I don't really care for battle scenes, which is the only reason I deducted a star. But it was a great read, & I could not put it down. I'd love to hear more about Ael and some of her crew members that I came to know & admire. The Horta ensign is a nicely done character, as well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A timeless Star Trek Novel!, July 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Enemy, My Ally (Star Trek, No 18/Rihannsu Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have reread this novel several times over the last few years and I am impressed with every read. Diane Duane manages to bring forth a witty and entertaining star trek adventure while lending further depth and understanding to the Romulan culture only hinted at in the TV Series. For those of you who enjoyed learning about Vulcan history, you will surely find this book "fascinating". The character development and dialogue of this book was not disappointing. Diane continues painting Romulan history in the novel that follows this first.."The Romulan Way". I highly recommend this novel for Star Trek fans!