Customer Reviews

The Sundered (Star Trek: The Lost Era, 2298)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Star Trek: The Lost Era 2298 The Sundered written by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels is a character driven action-adventure novel. This is the third book written by this pair of authors and is the best yet in this genre.

As stated in the book, this story is set in the year 2298, five years after the presumed death of Captain James T. Kirk aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-B in Star Trek Generations, and sixty-six years before the launch of the Enterprise-D in "Encounter at Farpoint." Now, we get to see what happens after Kirk and prior to Picard as Captain Hikaru Sulu takes command of U.S.S. Excelsior in an action character driven book that keeps the readers interest piqued.

The book is divided into ten sections giving the reader background to the characters within the story and it further carries the reader through the whole of the book. Making for an easy transition. There are space battles as the Tholians weave a web of vengence against the Neyel that have been approacing Tholian space via an interspacial rift, a tear in the fabric of space that allows great distances to be traveled in relatively short periods of times. This is the same rift in space that has trapped the Defiant from ST: TOS and later recovered by the ST Corps of Engineers.

We read about some of our favorites from the older Trek novelizations including Chekov, Janice Rand, Christine Chapel, Tuvok and Akaar as they interact with the story. Interlaced within the pages of this book are flashbacks to scenes of past adventures spicing up the story and jogging the reader's memory. The Tholians and the Neyel are the featured aliens in this novel.

The Tholians are a mineral based life that use musical tones to communicate and the Neyel have a past that leads back to Earth and look completely different from their original stock. Both lifeforms think the other is nonsentient, a leap of faith that you'll have to get over, as they are both spacefaring cultures where communication is a must. This is the crux of the problem, communication, where neither side has adquate universal translation skills and only the Excelsior and her crew can make communication possible.

The book is a very fast read for its 384 pages as I found that I read 150 pages in one short sitting as the action mounts and the situations get resloved. The command of writting and style keeps the reader engrossed within the story and you'll finish the story in short order.

This book is a solid 4 stars and is the third book that I've read from this duo of authors and it is the best so far. Captivating the reader and wanting to know what comes next are used with very powerful outcome, making for a delightful read.

This series "The Lost Years" fills the trek reader in on what happens in the universe between Kirk and Picard. I only hope that the other 5 books in this 6 book series are as well-written as this opening foray.

The Sundered by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin is an incredible story in so many different ways. Whatever way you add it up it still comes out the same way-this is one great novel. The first of the much-touted Lost Era novels, this book does more than live up to its promise, it surpasses it.

The Sundered is an amazing and compelling book, one that should have great appeal, on a number of levels for a wide variety of readers. Utilizing both familiar and unique characters, the authors paint a picture with their prose of three distinct societies: the Federation of that era, the Tholian Assembly and the Neyel Hegemony. The authors take the time to introduce the characters. Instead of rushing the plot, they patiently allow the characters to become `real'.

Martin and Mangels depiction of the Excelsior crew is of a group of individuals who have developed deep and lasting relationships over a long period. There is a real comfort level in the way they interact. The Tholian society portrayed in The Sundered may not meet every reader's preconceived notions of that alien species, but I thought the author's depiction of the Tholians was incredible. Building on what little is known about the physical appearance of the non-humanoid Tholians, Martin and Mangels skillfully illuminate an intricate and fascinating species and provide our first real look at their unique civilization. The Tholian characters are as fully realized as any of the other characters in this story.

The plot makes use of the classic story within a story framework. As the scenes shift from the current events to the past, we are gradually able to understand how the Neyel became who they are. How all they had gone through shaped their beliefs and how those beliefs shaped their actions. They went from being creepy to sympathetic by the end and it would be wonderful to find out some day if their hopes and dreams come true.

One of the great things about The Sundered was how the story would often raise questions in your mind, you would begin to wonder about something and then within a chapter or two all was made clear. It was actually more satisfying than if it had all been laid out to begin with. Additionally, the way the authors were able to cleverly explain previous inconsistencies while at the same time adhering to established continuity was very impressive.

Whatever way you look at it, Star Trek novels don't get much better than The Sundered. It is a true science fiction tale that amply demonstrates that the Star Trek universe is still a wonderful place to explore the human condition.

The best Trek fiction these days isn't coming from within the established series themselves, but instead in novels set outside of the events we see on TV. One only has to witness the brilliance of Peter David's New Frontier series or the on-going continuation of the DS9 story to see this.

And this month, Pocket books attempts to expand the series of original Trek fiction even further--this time by answering the questions of what happened between the death of James T. Kirk in Generations and the first time we saw the Enterprise in Encounter at Farpoint. It's an intriguing idea, if not necessarily an original one (TOS did it with the underrated Lost Years saga) and its really the type of thing the Trek fiction should be doing.

The first entry is the Sundered, written by the phenomenal writing team of Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels. The story is one of Captain Sulu and his time aboard the Excelsoir, negotiated a peace treaty with the Tholians. But along comes a new race of aliens who hold a secret that just may unravel the delicate peace process and drag not only the Excelsoir but the entire Federation into war. Along the way there is a murder, some space battles and some guest appareances by Trek characters we've all heard of before.

Martin and Mangalis take a page from the DS9 re-launch and allow the story to be character driven as well as dependent on the plot to move forward. We get moments to enjoy gettting to know the crew of the Excelsoir--both old and new friends--and we also get some exploration of the societies of the Tholians and the new aliens. It's the character moments that make the story a real page turner and help it rise to the level of quality that has been achieved by the DS9 relaunch.

That said, the story does fall prey to some rather heavy-handed foreshadowing. There are flashbacks that take place within the story to certain events that will impact the plot later. Unfortunately, by doing this, I was able to guess the plot twist that was coming about fifty or so pages before if happened. Also, the authors suffer from something that a lot of modern Trek writers are falling prey to these days--novelizing scenes from classic Trek episodes. While it's not nearly as bad as the Michael Jan Friedman trilogy "My Brother's Keeper" it's still annoying enough to take you out of the novel for the few pages its include (also, thankfully they don't fall into Friedman's trap of novelizing the entire episode for us).

But the good points far out weight the nitpicky points in this novel. This is one of the more enjoyable Trek novels I've read in a while and it's got my interest up not only for the next book but the entire Lost Era series. It also makes me wonder if a series featuring Sulu and his Excelsoir crew wouldn't be welcome. I know there are already a lot of on-going Trek fiction series out there, but if the stories for Sulu and company are going to be this good, I think I could make a bit more space on the bookshelf for more such stories.

Dictionary.com defines 'Sundered' as... To break or wrench apart; sever. To break into parts. A division or separation. I think this is appropriate do to the fact that 'The Sundered' truly does separate, break into parts, and sever itself from the previous lot of Excelsior & Sulu centric Star Trek novels. For the first time, an Excelsior novel has been done right, and likewise for the first time the prospect of a full-blown Excelsior series is on the horizon -- something some fans even tried to have done for television! I have it on good authority that 'at least' one further Sulu/Excelsior novel is to be penned by Michael A.Martin and Andy Mangels, with the prospects bright for a full line of Excelsior novels.

Martin & Mangels have done it again. Though I've only read one other work by the duo - Deep Space 9: Mission Gamma, Book 3 - 'Cathedral' - I was equally impressed with that novel as I have been with 'The Sundered' by M&M's ability to create a truly science-fiction like atmosphere within Star Trek - something that has been lacking in many peoples opinions for quite some time. The non-humanoid Tholians where a brilliant choice to be the 'villian' of sorts in this story, as we for the first time got a truly decent look at the Tholian culture, race, species, government, and individuals. It's amazing to find a truly alien culture in science fiction anymore, when every 'new' race is simply a mock-up of another.

The interconnection between 'The Sundered' and the DS9 Relaunch novels was also brilliant. By having the Excelsior Chief of Security be a younger Lieutenant L.J. Akaar -- later Fleet Admiral during the relaunch -- the generations have truly begun to bridge for the first time. It also says something on behalf of the editors at Pocket Books, who have in recent years gone above and beyond the call of duty to make the literature aspect of the Trek franchise the best it can be. Creating original characters and using them in various times and periods, thus connecting everything like a delicate tapestry, is just something we've been missing in Trek.

I can't wait for the next M&M work, and the next M&M Excelsior novel. Here's hoping that the next novel cements the Excelsior chain of books, and M&M as their architects.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was thick - that was the first bonus. It has a great story - and a great story within a story. Yes, there is obvious foreshadowing in the book. But I'm not convinced that it isn't on purpose. I don't think this book was written as a mystery, where you are shocked when something is revealed to you. Instead, I think you get to see outside the auction, and see our heroes make it all come together.

This book left me wanting...wanting to read more adventures of Capt Sulu, the Excelsior, and this crew. I hope we see a series of books centered around this cast. I would welcome it. I could hear all our favorites in our head: Sulu, Chekov, Tuvok, Chapel, Rand - they are there. It's nice to see them leading the charge.

I finished reading the Sundered a couple of days ago and wanted to say WOW!.
I truly enjoyed that book. It was like coming home again. The character interactions were phenomenal. It was revisiting the past. It sucked you right into the world of Star Trek. The characters are as you remember them, only all grown up. The authors write with a passion that shows they love the series as much as you do. Great job, Fun read. Cannot wait for the next one.

This book, which chronicles an adventure of Captain Sulu and the crew of the Excelsior, is excellent. Perhaps the most intriguing parts were those which took place in the past, showing what happened to the O'Neill colonies. Their storyline is intertwined with the Excelsior storyline and they eventually come together. The authors did a fantastic job of revealing bits and pieces of the mystery at a time, instead of spelling the whole thing out at once. The "bad guys" are the Tholians. It was interesting to see the Tholian culture explored a little. Character moments for Chekov, Tuvok, and L. J. Akaar were also appreciated. An excellent start to the Lost Era series!

Once again desparate to keep the franchise going Pocket Books have seen fit to engage on another multi-book series, and once again the results are at best mixed. Examining the missing periods of Star Trek history may seem like a good idea, but with the plethora of mediocre writers around today did they really think they could provide anything new or interesting? This is yet another example of a book that starts out well but soon loses its' way. Resplendant with a host of Star Trek cliches the average rabid fan will probably be satisfied, and there is enough whizz-bang action for the Playstation generation, but as usual there are a number of basic mistakes that are likely to leave purists cold. Also if you are expecting a good old-fashioned adventure with the characters of the original series that you love - forget it! Captain Sulu is about the only one who makes any valuable contribution to the story, the rest are just wallpaper dressing, and the new characters are excrutiatingly weak 'new age' space cadets full of emotional angst and problems (*the ghost of 'Voyager' still haunts Star Trek it seems!!!).
Having said that you may think I hate this book but I don't. It does have some potential and I liked the way the authors brought the Tholians to life. They were probably one of the most unusual aliens from the original series and yet with all the resources of modern Star Trek, and all the rehashed material floating around, few have seen fit to give them anything other than a passing mention. Though many fans will find the interpretation of the Tholians as a crystalline insect type species debatable, I enjoyed it and feel it is possible within the established Star Trek framework.
The real problem with this novel as I said is one of weak plot and poor characters. If you are looking for this kind of story I would be more likely to recommend "The Rift" by Peter David (Star Trek No. 57) published in November 1991, or at a pinch "The Galactic Whirlpool" by David Gerrold (*yes 'the tribble guy') published in 1980. You will find similar ideas in those novels but with a more focussed approach, and far less padding. What this novel really could have done with was some severe editing, as it is it really is too long and despite the action doesn't really fully deliver on what it promises.

I know this is going to be one of those '0 out of 11 found this review helpful' reviews, but I'm going to do it anyway.
The good:
--Well written, it's easy to get swept away
--Interesting origin story regarding the Neyel
--Interesting interplay between the Tholians and Starfleet
The bad:
--The solution to the core issue was ridiculous, laughably so
--The diplomat was a poorly-drawn character; it's like the authors couldn't decide whether she should be a good or bad character, so they chose neither
--The hyperevolution of the Neyel; they accomplished way too much in too short of a time (and speeding up generations doesn't change the fact that you still have a finite number of hours to work with)
--Yet ANOTHER sword-fight in a Star Trek book
--And, of course, it conveniently made sure that canon wouldn't be violated in the end
--The authors kept contradicting themselves regarding 'Aerth', the Ambassador's beliefs towards the Neyels' origin, and whether or not the crew of the Excelsior were from it...I don't know if this is because each author took turns writing, or they were just careless

All in all its a worthwhile book, and it shows a lot of promise for the entire Lost Era series. I know there are more negatives in my review than positives, but that's only because most of my positives have been mentioned by other reviewers. If you like Trek, I'd definitely recommend it.

This book is further proof that Captain Sulu is a viable property for book series. The characters have a good relationship and harkens back to the events in the TV show. It refers to Kirk without having to depend on his tactics. Sulu has a few tricks of his own to solve problems and his command style is much different than Kirk's. I hope to see more of this crew. For all intents and purposes Sulu should have had his own TV show. It would have brought back a lot of original series fans back home again.