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A Star Trek: The Next Generation: Time #9: A Time for War, A Time for Peace (Star Trek (Unnumbered Paperback))

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Having read and made reviews of all the "A Time to..." novels, it's rather surprising to think of where this series has come from since Feb. till now. The "A Time to..." series chose to explain what led to all the rather shocking change of events seen in the last motion picture, Star Trek Nemesis. One of the problems with the last movie was that there was a lot left unsaid, unseen, and unexplained. The mission is rather big; try to provide a back story that adds to the movie and builds up that emotional drive that carries the Next Generation crew out and into their new lives.

"War/Peace" is the finale to this series. Just to be fair, I felt it did have a few flaws. First, the Klingons. The previous duology, "A Time to Kill/Heal" dealt with an emotional event that shook the Enterprise crew to their very core and took the reader on a mission that certainly stands out in your memory. This novel picks up where those left off; the political situation isn't all that good, there's a Federation presidential election taking place and the characters all have decisions about their lives to make. The Klingon plot, I felt, should have been addressed more so in the past two novels than here. It seemed a bit distracting and out of place to have to deal with the Klingon's reactions to Tezwa. If you didn't read the past two novels, you won't truly understand the half of the complex situation.

What I also felt was a flaw in the novel was that the synopsis hypes up an inspection which does play a role in the book but not one of monumental porpotions. It's there, it happens, it helps pull the plot along. I was expecting Riker to be questioned and pushed more while he really has little to do with the Enterprise's inspection. The true plot is left unsaid. The Klingon's deal with the after math of the Tezwa affair. People within the empire challenge Martok, leaving Worf unfortunately in the middle. In the meantime, the Presidential elections captures the attention of many as two candidates, both rather different, offer different futures for the Federation. Both though have the knowledge and power to break the Federation's alliance with Klingons. Both could, if elected, lead the Federation into a war with the Klingons. Through all this, Worf is left to truly play the role of ambassador, mediating and making sure both sides are kept from going to war.

For the good; this book delivers. I did not know how DeCandido was going to choose to end this series. I feared it may end a little weak since the entire premise introduced in "Born/Die" left me rolling my eyes at how unrealistic (even for Trek) and almost fan-fic it was. DeCandido does a terrific job of pulling the series together. It's a little odd because the past two books almost read as if the entire Rashanar event never occured. Even with the few mentionings of it, as a reader, I got the impression that the Federation and Starfleet had gotten over Picard's issues and forgave the Enterprise for their so called "crimes" and failures in judgment. This book showed that those events still haunted Picard and the crew was still on edge a year after the events introduced in "A Time to the Born."

This book was a profusion of Next Generation history. The references chosen were done so with great expertise. I enjoyed reading about all the faces and people who have passed through the Enterprise D and E and see how each fits into this matrix that culminates in this finale. I was also glad that some of the characters introduced or who played a big part in the past 8 books were mentioned or even appeared; Admiral Upton (A Time to Love/Hate), Admiral Ross (Born/Die), Nakamura (Born/Die), Del Cid (Kill/Heal), Admiral Janeway (Love, Kill, Heal). An event also leads to a Next Generation reunion of sorts where the extended crew comes together; Guinan, Pulaski, Lwaxana Troi, Wesley, Worf, Alexander. There are moments and crossovers when you can't help but to smile and gasp, excited to see that an author has taken the opportunity to truly make a powerful TNG novel that could be seen as a lead-in to Nemesis.

What also made this a great novel was that it gave us what we wanted from Nemesis; Next Generation at it's best. The situation with Federation politics, the Presidential debates, the commentary on leaders and wars all is relevant to today. The entire situation ends in a manner that mimicks the series, bringing on a strong sense of nostalgia. I felt that as a fan, I was able to take something away. The author found ways to bring in all the different Trek shows, mentionings of big figures like Kirk and such, allusions to the future. What makes this novel rather affective in carrying out the premise is that by the end, the story does feel complete. You understand why Worf is back on the Enterprise, why the crew is splitting up and you even get a glimpse of the after-shock of Nemesis. The only thing that truly irked me was how the author decided to end the Crusher/Picard arc. Perhaps it was the best ending for these two characters but I felt like more could have been there.

This is one of now many Next Generation books worth reading of the series. I was unsure of it from the "Born/Die." I thought "Harvest/Sow" were okay but the crew beating themselves up over "failing" for the first time in their long careers got annoying. "Love/Hate" definately delivered an emotional punch that grew intense during "Kill/Heal." If you're wondering if this novel does justice to the overall premise, I'd have to say it does. Perhaps there are too many cameos (for you get the inspection team which just happens to consist of familiar faces from various TNG episodes) but it adds a more theatrical, epic tone that the series sort of lacked at the start.

It's almost breathtaking to think that Born through War/Peace is just one year for the crew. All of them went through some trials. I'm glad Troi's character was challenged and she became darker; I was glad to see Beverly Crusher say she wasn't getting anything from her CMO position and look for something more. La Forge taking on more duties and being offered numerous opportunities was appreciated. What I also liked was that Picard and Data's roles were rather scaled back but they contributed a great deal. It proves that the series, or movies, do not always have to ride on their two characters. This book focuses on the ensemble. Being able to see all of the crew, from season one through seven, together in one place gave a rather warm feeling by the end of the book. When Picard is the only one really left on the Enterprise (besides a few other familiar faces) at the end during the post-Nemesis scene, left me wanting to see this on the big screen. With that feeling, I'd say DeCandido definately delivered and wrote a great novel that brings all the series together. Not only that but he was able to write scenes and explain events that for whatever reasons were left out of the movie. It's a must read for any Trek fan. There's something here for everyone and worth your time and money.

The series as a whole has been entertaining. Some books were obviously better than others. Admittedly, this one was meant to wrap everything in a nice, neat package....and, it accomplished that. Unfortunately, to achieve that, the book never really went too indepth to any of the plots...perhaps, if this had been made into a 2 book storyline, that would have been achieved. Its ironic that my biggest complaints regarding several of the other storylines is that they should not have been drug across 2 books.

All in all, an enjoyable read, but not terrific.

The A Time To series reaches its surprisingly low-key climax in A Time for War, A Time for Peace. Most of the story threads from the past eight books come together for a sort of a "day in the life" of different elements of the Federation from its embassy on Qo'noS to a Starfleet vessel inspection to the election of a new Federation president. This makes for one of the more unique books in the series and while not the best (that honor still goes to A Time to Kill), it's still mildly entertaining, infuriating story turns and all...

I had to chuckle reading the backcover plot synopsis and how it describes Commander Riker's plans for a wedding and promotion "soured by a brutal, high-level inspection of the ship from which the crew may not escape unscathed." That was over-stating things just a tad bit as it really ended up being probably the least fleshed out story thread in the book and I never felt as if careers would be ruined over it. At least it was a chance for Scotty to come back onboard. The subplot at the end involving finding Kahless was interesting in reading his point of view, though I got the sense the book wanted to dump the character like the televised series liked to pretend that TNG episode never happened.

In general though, all of the different plots were amicable and enjoyable despite being noticably derivative of other films and shows like Die Hard and The West Wing. The former I didn't mind much, but I honestly have to say that I have never been a fan of Sorkin's show or his style and delivery of dialogue. It's always come across as very stagey and delivered by characters that I have never really found to be convincingly real. Unfortunately, some of that surfaces in the back-and-forth between candidate Nan Bacco and her manager and it can grow tiresome. Maybe it just sticks out more after all the talk of how the political show has influenced this and forthcoming Articles of the Federation. The inner workings of the Federation are briefly hinted at, including the election process. Part of me was saddened by how much of it was just today transplanted to the future and it makes me curious as to how the upcoming book will deal with the day-to-day running of the Federation.

However, the militaristic bent of Bacco's rival Special Emissary Fel Pagro struck me as rather odd in that it would seem to be so popular with the masses before the debates. Especially after even Min Zife on Federation-wide television had said that was not what was needed so long after the war. I have been an advocate of the Federation and Empire coming to terms over the fact that the Empire still conquers worlds and subjegates other species, but I felt that was done a disservice by having it brought up by one of the book's antagonists. Can this conflict of interest ever be tackled without the assumption that war will be the result? I'm not certain.

All of the characterization was pretty strong for everyone involved, although the twisting and contorting to get those characters into place for their appearance at the wedding of Riker and Troi didn't sit well with me. The nature of Wesley's appearance was groan-inducing and just plain bad. This being who can appear as anyone suddenly can't create a suit? I've always been dreading what would happen with Worf at the end of this book as I have never been a big fan of what Nemesis did to him by turning him back into a console jockey. So there ends up being a lot of quick development in the final chapters as Worf goes from ambassador to Lt. Commander to XO of the Titan within the span of about three pages. I have thought that if Worf had to return to Starfleet, him taking the XO position on Riker's ship (given his history with Riker and especially Troi) would be making the best of a bad situation and could make for some great storylines. I was quite frustrated that it's then thrown up in the air as to what will happen at the book's end. I've never been a big fan of Vale, who still registers as not having any real personality to me, so I hope she doesn't end up on the Titan.

In the end, all the threads of A Time for War, A Time for Peace are satisfying enough to make it recommendable. There is more of a sense of closure with this book than with Nemesis (jumping to the end of the movie in the book helps) as I register a bit more sense of loss with Data; namely in how he'll never be XO now and the opportunity wasted it represents.

The finale to not only a book series, but a finale for the entire TNG crew. A much better and fitting finale than was given to the fans in the shaky Nemesis feature.

Writer Keith R. A. Decandido is one of the best Trek authors currently writing for pocket books and this book doesn't disappoint.

Genuine character development from the TNG crew was a rarity even on the TV show, and the 'A Time To...' series gave us growth and development from characters that have been positively stagnant in the TNG movie era.

The last book in the series of "A time to" Novels, explaining what happened to the Enterprise and her crew between the last two Star trek TNG films, and immediately after the fight with Shinzon in Star trek Nemesis.
The Enterprise must under go an inspection, with three of the inspectors having reason to let their own feelings adversely effect results, and only Captain Montgomery Scott of the Star fleet corps of Engineers likely to score them fairly.
Will Ryker will soon take command of the Titan and will be looking for senior officers, the Federation is looking for a new President, oh and, Lwaxnana Troi's little girl is to get married. And guess who wants to plan the wedding!
If you read the other books in this series, you MUST read this one. If you did not read the others,,,,DO!

A hostile takeover of a Federation embassy? An insane presidential candidate? Will and Deanna getting married? Will gets his own ship? It's all in a day's work for Starfleet. In this spectacular book there are four different plots and many subplots. There are so many twists and turns that you won't want to put the book down. Romance, adventure, action, and drama are all combined in the astounding book that will lead Star Trek fans into a whole new universe of adventure! I highly recommend this book!

After the stimulation and excitement of the other books in this series, A Time for War, A Time for Peace by Keith R.A. DeCandidio was somewhat disappointing-- instead of going out with a bang, the series went out with a whimper. However, there are some stellar moments, particularly for Worf and his son Alexander. The book's underlying menace of the high-level inspection of the ship never really manages to be anything more than a tickle of a menace. In fact, this book is more of an extended epilogue for the first books in the series. However, it is nice to have time to see everything wrapped up and see how the various Star Trek characters went to their new places in the universe. Even the presence of Wesley is not as annoying as it usually is as the Star Trek Universe has finally figured out what to do with him. It's like visiting with old friends after many years and catching up on what all has happened with them. And, as always, it makes me want to go and watch all of the Next Generation Episodes (or at least the ones from the last 4 years!) and movies on DVD so I can see those old friends again and again.

After nine books, it finally comes to an end. Keith DeCandido's A Time for War, A Time for Peace finishes off this long series that leads up to the movie Star Trek: Nemesis. In fact, the book even has an epilogue that takes place after the movie, leading into the new Riker book series, where he's captain of the U.S.S. Titan (as mentioned in the movie). The series has shown the Enterprise going through trials and tribulations that would break a softer crew. Old friends are moving on and nothing will be the same again. Thus, the book has a lot on its plate. It's amazing how little action there is in the book, considering everything that happens. In fact, this cluttered feeling is one of its problems.

This is almost a hodgepodge of a novel, with some politics thrown in, some grudges, backstabbing, hard memories and a little bit of intrigue. The characterizations, as in most DeCandido Trek novels, is flawless. Everybody from Picard to Chancellor Martok to Scotty is perfectly in character and interesting to read about. The plotting is also quite intricate, with multiple storylines coexisting almost flawlessly. DeCandido bounces from one to the other with great skill, bringing them together when the need arises. It was a hard book to put down (in fact, I didn't, really, finishing it in one night). He also resolves all the dangling storylines, such as Picard being in Starfleet's doghouse for the events at the beginning of the series, or Crusher's final decision on whether or not to take the job as head of Starfleet Medical. Riker and Troi are planning their wedding, with much interference from Troi's mother. Worf has to return to the fold somehow, since he's now an ambassador and he clearly wasn't in the movie. He even includes a reason why Wesley Crusher was in a Starfleet uniform at the Riker/Troi wedding reception in the movie. Finally, DeCandido has to ship off a few of the characters who don't show up in Nemesis, such as the wonderful security chief, Christine Vale. Thankfully, it appears that she will be back, either in the Titan series with Riker, or in the continuation of The Next Generation.

That's a lot of balls to juggle, along with the election, Klingon intrigue and the inspection. So it's not surprising that occasionally the balls get dropped. The book was captivating while I read it, but my neck also hurt because of the bouncing of my head from story to story. The book feels very packed and some of the stories feel tacked on. The Kahless story, while influencing the Worf storyline, is brought up and solved in a perfunctory fashion that didn't quite fit in with the rest of the book. The inspectors created a lot of anxiety for the crew, especially given their background and their past dealings with the crew of the Enterprise. However, we don't see a lot of them. There's a classic scene between Crusher and her inspector, who she has harshly criticized for years after what happened in the television episode "Ethics." However, other than that scene, we never see her until the end where we get the results of the inspection. The commander of the inspection, Captain Go, is fleshed out a little more, but not by much. The only inspector we see a lot of is Scotty, but that's for obvious reasons, not to mention because he is a sounding board for Geordi.

Given those weaknesses, though, the book is still a great read. One criticism of DeCandido I've had in the past is the tendency to include a lot of continuity references and then taking paragraphs to explain them. He really lessens that tendency in A Time for War, a Time for Peace. There are plenty of references, but the explanations are fluid and generally don't detract from the story. The epilogue, with Vale and Riker talking about the Titan, was very moving and showcased Vale's character wonderfully. In fact, Vale's part of the book is probably my favourite, from her joining the poker game with "The D Guys," (those crewmembers who served on the Enterprise D before it was destroyed) to her sorrow at what happened to Data in Nemesis, she is perfectly done, and I'm glad we're going to be seeing her again.

A Time for War, a Time for Peace is a fitting conclusion to the whole A Time to... series. It wraps up everything, leaving things perfectly placed for the movie, but it also tells an interesting tale. Even though you may recognize faults in the book, you will probably have a hard time putting it down if you're any sort of Trek fiction fan. It wraps you up in a lot of familiar characters, both from the television show as well as those introduced for the novels, and gives you a warm feeling inside. It also leaves things nicely laced for post-Nemesis books, making the wait very hard for the next book to come out. That's the mark of a standout book.

David Roy

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