Customer Reviews

Star Trek: The Next Generation: I.K.S. Gorkon: Honor Bound: Honor Bound Bk. 2 (Star Trek: I.K.S. Gorkon)

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In this sequel to A Good Day to Die, with General Talak on his way to betray Captain Klag's word of honor and enslave the San-Tarah, Klag calls on the members of the Order of the Bat'leth to rally to him and protect the very honor of the Klingon Empire. But, how many will rally to his cause, and can he even trust his own crew in a battle against the Klingon fleet? This will be a battle royal, with no quarter asked or given, pitting ships against ships, and battle-scared warriors against warriors. It is indeed a good day to die!

Wow! I must admit that years ago I drifted away from reading Star Trek books, but these two books (Honor Bound and its prequel) make me regret that decision. The author does an excellent job of bringing the Klingons to life, with all of the honor and love of battle that you would expect. This is a great book, every bit as good as the first book, and perhaps even better. I really enjoyed this book, and think that you will too. Get this book!

Let me just say.....WOW!!! This has got to be the best Star Trek themed book I have read in at least 2 years probably more. Here for the first time in a long while we get to see a novel designed for Klingons and about Klingons facilitated by the use of previously introduced characters from TNG and DS9 episodes. The author has succeeded in creating a universe all his own wonderful story I can't wait to read others in this series

"Honor Bound" is the second book of the Klingon series by a terrific pro-novelist and fanfic author, Keith R. A. DeCandido. This story concludes the adventure begun in Book One, "A Good Day to Die". The crew of IKS Gorkon and the fierce lupine San-Tarah have reached a mutual, honorable truce. But Captain Klag's old nemesis, Admiral Talak, refuses to abide by it and declares war! Now Klag must summon his comrades of the Order of the Bat'leth to join him in defending the honor of the Empire. DeCandido continues the venerable fanfic tradition of evolving minor characters from the TV series. Joining Klag, Kurak, Toq, and Kornan are Vekma, Rodek, and K'Vada. Each of these had made one-time debuts on TNG and DS9, just enough to whet the fandom's appetite; and DeCandido has done a fine job developing them. Unavoidably, there are brief appearances by Worf and Martok. But these "stars" are overshadowed by the author's original creations, which are actually much more intriguing. For one thing, the women have worthier roles in these books than in The Franchise. KRAD knows the Klingon heart, and realizes Trek's archetypal appeal to fans of both genders. Whereas most of the TV series' alien societies are male-dominant (often to the virtual exclusion of women), these Klingons and San-Tarah are represented by strong male and female warriors. The fighting scenes are graphic and realistic enough to draw the reader right into the carnage. DeCandido pays homage to John M. Ford's "The Final Reflection", which he credits as the definitive novel about the Klingons. To his own credit, KRAD's writing comes closer than any other pro-novelist's to the spirit of that masterpiece and to the passion of its derivative fanfic. If you appreciate "KomereXXX", "Klinfires", and the "Agonizer", you'll roar a resounding Qapla'! for "IKS Gorkon".

The last book left Klag of the IKS Gorkon giving his word to defend the Children of San-Tarah against the honorless Klingon General Talak. To have any real chance to do so Klag calls on the members of the Order of the Batleth to respond to defend Klingon honor. The story that ensues in is an action packed book that pits Klingon against Klingon while continuing to develop the characters of the Gorkon. Those who enjoy reading about Klingons will not be disappointed by this book. It is a page burner that just cant be put down. I highly recommend it for a pleasant afternoon or evening of reading.

This book follows "A Good Day to Die", and is another excellent novel about the Klingon ship IKS Gorkon. Captain Klag & his crew must defend their honor and the San Tarah homeworld against a larger invasion force commanded by his honorless superior, General Talak.

The battle takes place both in space and on the planet, and includes some surprises, especially at the end. Will Klag and the Children of San Tarah be victorius, or will Talak kill Klag, enslave the natives, and ruin the pristine planet simply to mine it's ores?

With "Honor Bound", Keith DeCandido hits another home run out of the park and shows us what honor is truly all about. One of the must-read books of the year! :)

"Honor Bound' follows up immediately on the events of I.K.S. Gorkon, Book One "A Good Day to Die" when Captain Klag of the I.K.S. Gorkon, defeated in honorable combat, agreed to leave the world of San-Tarah in peace. Ordered to go back on his word by General Talak, Klag instead chooses to make a stand to preserve the integrity of the Empire and he calls on his fellow members of the Order of the Bat'leth to rally to his call. It is Klingon against Klingon in an epic battle that pits honor against an apparently superior foe.

The first 100 pages of "Honor Bound" are almost a prelude as step-by-step DeCandido methodically builds up the tension before the story explodes into action as Talak's fleet and those who have answered Klag's call engage in fierce battle. Then all hell breaks loose. The action shifts back and forth between the brutal and extremely graphic scenes of the engagements on the surface of San-Tarah, and the clash of the ships battling it out in the skies above. Honor Bound is most definitely a tale of warfare. Good old-fashioned action-adventure-Klingon style.

Despite the attention the author has given to the details of describing all the hand-to-hand combat and the deadly dance being performed by the massive ships above, "Honor Bound" still manages to be a story about the characters that are doing all the fighting. DeCandido is able to expand and advance the reader's knowledge of his familiar characters without overshadowing the other characters that inhabit this particular story. There may not be a human in the bunch but each character has his or her own unique voice, and a point of view you can understand, even if you cannot agree with it.

The entire novel is carefully and skillfully plotted, building to highlight after highlight, with more than one surprise along the way, before finally culminating in a climax that might just have you cheering along with the characters. But even if you are not inclined to cheer, "Honor Bound" is definitely one invigorating and extremely fun read.

As I mentioned in my review for Book 1, this book has repeat value. I can read it a second time and find a level of enjoyment that I can find in very few books.

The higher story line is quite straight forward. We could all probably make a good guess at it. But I can bet very few (or none) of us would have been able to write a novel which will grip the reader as much, even though we know or think we know how the story will move.

Because of Diplomatic Implausibility and the IKS Gorkon books, Keith R.A. DeCandido is now one of my favourite authors.

With all of the proper introductions taken care of in "A Good Day To Die," Keith R.A. DeCandido's second I.K.S. Gorkon book, "Honor Bound," wastes little time on catching up the reader and dives right into the battle between Captain Klag and his allies in the Order of the Bat'leth and the honorless General Talak and his legion. With so much fighting going on (superbly illustrated in DeCandido's written word), you'd think that there would be little room left for character development. However, the reader gets to learn even more about Klag, Dorrek, Kurak, Leskit, Toq, B'Oraq, Goran, and even a few of the Children of San-Tarah as the battle on land and in the stars gets more violent and savage.

DeCandido cleverly intertwines combat sequences with flashbacks (especially in the mind of Kurak) and keeps the action at a quick pace. The bulk of the story is the actual battle, but DeCandido ties up everything nicely in the end and leaves the reader hungry for more in the third installment of the Gorkon trilogy, "Enemy Territory."

For anyone interested in "Star Trek" and especially those who love the Klingons, I highly recommend the I.K.S. Gorkon book series. Be sure to read "A Good Day To Die" in order to get a solid basis for the entire trilogy.

Brad R.A. DeCandido should write every novel focusing on Klingons from here on out. He not only incorporates characters from the televised Star Trek Series (TNG and DS9), but creates his own characters that are thoroughly Klingon and very intriging. I believe KRAD has a better feel for Klingons than any other Star Trek novelist.

Captain Klag has just lost San Tarah though honorable combat after judging the Children of San Tarah as honorable foes in the previous novel "A Good Day to Die." However, the PetaQ General Talak has ordered Klag and his crew to violate their word and surrender their honor as Klingons. Klag decides to call on the Order of the Bat'leth, the age old association that Chancellor Martok has once again commissioned to be the champions of honor within the empire. The resulting battle is one that Klingons will sing operas of for at least a generation.

The writing in this work is of high calibre. The battle scenes are described so vividly, you can picture the ships and subspace eddies in your mind. The San Tarah are developed as a fascinating species who not only have a strong warrior ethic and are highly effective fighters of their own, but as the denoument of this story will show, they also place a very high premium on honor and integrity.

This was a great read and I can't wait to get to installment three "Enemy Territory."