Saturn's Child [Hardcover]

Nichelle Nichols (Author), Margaret Wander Bonanno (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 1995

Tetrock, an ambitious young leader of the alien Tetrok, falls in love with Nyota, the human commanding officer of the starship Dragon's Egg, but their feelings for each other could be threatened by the mission they must accomplish.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Given the authors' backgrounds--Nichols was, of course, Lieutenant Uhura and Bonanno has written several Star Trek novels--it is hardly surprising that this engaging tale has a distinctly Trekkish flavor. Moreover, it is the relatively harmonious future presented in the original Star Trek TV series that we find here. The plot centers on Saturna, daughter of a human mother (who has a good deal in common with Lieutenant Uhura, though promoted to exalted heights) and a nonhuman father, thanks to DNA manipulation. Such conception goes against the wishes and laws of both races, and it throws Saturna into a key role in the succession crisis of the nonhuman Fazis. Nichols and Bonanno try to cram three full-size plots into a standard-size volume, and they include a few scientific details that may raise eyebrows. Their yarn is, however, full of good scenes and entertaining bits of world building, and if parts of the story seem to be missing, what is here definitely keeps you turning pages (and anyway, this is almost certainly the first book in a series). Count on demand from Trekkers and probably from other sf fans, too. Roland Green

Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (October 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399141138
• ISBN-13: 978-0399141133
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,664,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still No Sequel?, June 23, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saturn's Child (Paperback)

I fell in love with Saturn's Child when I first read it three years ago. And I'm still dying to find out what happens to Saturna. The first time I read it I couldn't put it down. Now all I want to do is pick up the sequel. So if you want an excellent read and you have the patience to wait, Saturn's Child is the book for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, July 8, 2006

By 

Titanium Raven (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saturn's Child (Paperback)

This is a character-driven story -- the essence of the narrative is really about the characters, their histories, and how they interact and relate to one another. The space exploration and politcial plots are a framework upon which the characetrs can act and interact. As such, there is a lot of detail, especially about the characters, but a significant effort was made in the world-bulding, and it never feels as if the characters are on a cardboard stage. I enjoyed this book for those very reasons.

That said, what I would fault the story for is the following: It has a fairly slow pace and the flashbacks are occasionally disconcerting -- I would start to get into the story and sometimes found myself wrenched off into a character's past. Nooo! We were justing getting to a good part.... I found the end a little too neat and tidy, given all the convolutions that led up to it. There are some issues with some of the science, but these probably won't be noticed except by readers with a strong science background. This is not a hard sci-fi novel, but the detail is much better than in some soft sci-fi novels, and I appreciated the fact that science and scientists were presented in a positive way. And I do think the setting was more than a little idealistic, with the humans and Fazisians (and their governments) getting along extraordinarily well.

In summary: If you like character-driven sci-fi, this book is worth a read. If you are looking for space battles or accurate technological detail, best to look elsewhere.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read....Love, Hate, Tragedy, Triumph...but WHERE'S 2, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Saturn's Child (Paperback)

I don't know if its the author or the publisher, but after getting very involved in the story of Saturna, her parents and her 2 cultures, you're left wanting more, a lot more. The story is good with a slight Star Trek overtone. Ace-Putnam needs to get on the stick and get Lt. Uhura to do some communicating.