Customer Reviews

The Rising (The Flight Engineer Volume 1)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Good SF from an actor is not what I expected. I picked up the book in an airport just for old times' sake, and was more than pleasantly surprised. The technology is believable, the situations and conflicts well-described, the flow from scene to scene is smooth, scene changes don't leave you teetering and feeling dissatisfied, and the character development is quite good. While Shatner's Tek novels clearly show the influence of his mentor (Ron Goulart), Doohan has outdone him in establishing a unique 'voice.' Stirling's expertise at depicting elements of conflict meshes indistinguishably. If you're an SF reader, and/or a Trekkie, this book is outstanding and well worth it. It stands well alone, so you needn't get the next in the series to achieve a sense of closure.

"The Rising" has a good story line, and contains the humor which is one aspect of the draw of the original "Star Trek" line. This is not one of those non-technical "science-fantasies" but will rivet the book to the hands of the most technically oriented. Also like the original series it has a people side to it and it has lessons on leadership. And as a special bonus, it's morally clean! No sex scenes and only 4 or 5 "cuss" words, and all of them quite appropriate for the situation. I can recommend this to my children as well as adults with a clear conscience. Yet the book is quite enjoyable - why can't other authors do this??!

First of all something to congratulate the author with is it has nicely escaped the Star Trek genre. It is not just another romp through the galaxy USS Enterprise story, not that there is anything wrong with those.
This book drops the reader into the life of ex-pilot turned Flight Engineer Peter Raeder as he leaves his flying days behind him and ventures onto the deck of a spick and span state of the art spaceship. However all is not well, a lot happens in this story with several plot lines and sub plots. From intergalactic wars right down to the quirkiness of Raeders subordinates it feels like a real, plausible environment.
Of course no SF story is complete without science, luckily this book does not drown us in techno babble. The science is believable and doesn't distract the reader from the story.
Another thing that I enjoyed about this book is it is not a perfect place. Even on the "good guys" side not everything is well. Space Command has its fair share of incompetence and blundering bureaucracy, which gives rough edges to the futuristic world. It is good to see some things never change.
The camaraderie and relationships, and especially Raeders own thoughts about the people he knows give an interesting insight in his world. A well-rounded novel, however one complaint that the demise of Larkin at the end of the novel is somewhat of an anti-climax, but it is hardly a major spoiler.

Rising is the first novel in the Flight Engineer series. Commander Peter Raeder was an ace fighter pilot, but lost his right hand in a Mollie ambush. Now he is a young flight engineer assigned to the Fast Carrier Invincible.

The Mission of Life Lived in Ecclesia sect -- the Mollies -- have rebelled against the Commonwealth. Since this religious group is rather abrasive and intolerant, none would deny them autonomy if antihydrogen was available anywhere else. If the Mollies become independent, however, the Commonwealth will suffer a tremendous economic setback. Moreover, the Mollies have allied with the Fibians, alien sentients, which has generated xenophobic fears in the Commonwealth population. War soon followed.

In this novel, Raeder has been released from therapy and received his orders. After a shuttle ride to Lunabase, he boards the freighter Africa for transport to Ontario Base. Enroute, Africa's convoy is attacked by raiders and Raeder thwarts the assault by crossing over to a raider ship in his spacesuit and breaking its sensors with a hammer. In his spare time, he wins most of the crew's available money playing Dynamics.

On the Invincible, Raeder is responsible for keeping 36 Speed fighters and seven stealth fighters operating. He controls everything on the hanger deck except operations. His second-in-command is Lieutenant Cynthia Robbins, an excellent technician but short on people skills. As he learns during his interview with the Captain, Raeder also has the unofficial responsibility for discovering the saboteur who killed his predecessor.

Raeder is an innovative, experienced and pragmatic officer. His methods are often outside the box, but produce good results. In other words, he is the kind of engineer, and officer, that combat commanders love to have in their units, but that desk jockeys despise and fear.

This novel draws upon Doohan's experience as a engineer, artillery commander, and flying officer in the Canadian Army during World War II. It may even have been influenced by his years playing Scotty, chief engineer on the Enterprise under Captain Kirk.

Recommended for Stirling and "Scotty" fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of mavericks thumbing their noses at authority while getting the job done.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Being an adult sci fi reader I've had my fill of reading about central characters who are young guys or gals. This one is about a guy in at least his fifties as the hero of the story. That is what appealed to me so much here. The story is told from the viewpoint about a guy who isn't super human. That makes it all the more interesting.

Good story, good series... wish there could be more (and that saids it all), but of course not very likely.

Not a Trek story at all, if that is stopping you from reading it now you don't have that excuse. Good enjoyable space story with too few of it's kind now-a-days.

The Rising has a fairly well executed plot, with twists and turns that keep you guessing how things will work out. The protagonist, Peter Raeder is a likable sort, as are his shipmates (if not likeable, believeable). However, if you've never read S.M. Stirling's work before, don't judge him by this novel. Read his Island in the Sea of Time or Domination of the Draka, to get a handle on what he can do with a story.

There were several things about the book that I found to be amateurish. The story is set on a military space ship, but the dialog and references show a lack of knowledge of military jargon, particularly the way people address each other. Since Stirling has written accurately about military situations in his other books, I have to say the book wasn't well edited. James Doohan should also have some understanding of military conduct from his role on the original Star Trek. There were also a few places were it was difficult to follow the characters.

However, on the whole the story is a good one. The motivations of the characters are natural and well thought out, and the plot has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. However, the book could have used a bit more editing before it was published.

James Doohan breaks onto the literary side of sci-fi with this explosive and engaging novel. With a plot brimming with subversion, suspicion, action and edge-of-your-seat suspense, this book will keep you reading rabidly. Doohan shows great understanding of the human psyche as he weaves a tale of betrayl and war in deep space with humans fighting with a faction of fanatically religious humans and their alien allies. A far cry from the unified and relatively peaceful Star Trek universe, the flight engineer series throws humanity into a war which they are on the wrong side of and makes the reader realise just how tenuous humanity's control on the universe could be. Anyone who enjoyed playing the Wing Commander series of video games will slip right into this series. Anyone who enjoyed the original Star Trek will also be able to easily immerse themselves in "Scotty's" debut on the literary scene. Be warned, once you pick this book up you will not want to put it down and you will be salivating for the next installment in this series.

This book is very good, it is what I expected from the Chief Engineer of the Enterprise. "Computer... show me the Enterprise, no A, no B, no C, and no bloody D!", and the great S.M. Sterling, whose Forgotten Realms books were great. I liked this book so much that I read it Twice, it is not somthing I usually do, but I could not wait for the next one to come out so I read it again. I felt for the characters, and was suprised at who the Mollie spy was. Can you tell me when the next one will be out? Tom

I loved this book but must admit that I got lost in the techno babble. The characters are well thought out -- people we would like to meet. I hated to read the end because I felt like friends had moved away. I also agree that the end was a bit sudden and a little too pat. All the same, I can hardly wait for book 2.