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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not your Father's Oldsmobile; atypical but great Trek novel, March 13, 2002
It would appear to me, after having read a handful of reviews, that readers either loved this book or hated it. Those who loved it, I happen to agree with and will not argue with. But those who hated it, I beg to differ with. The haters claim that these Star Trek characters were wildly out of character, one reader even going so far as to claim (paraphrasing) that anyone, even the most casual observer, could tell that the characters didn't ring true, even for someone who has watched only two episodes of the TV series. Er, excuse me, but is it logical to presume to know the characters so well, after only two 43 minute episodes (less commercials), so as to even recognize when they are out of character? Bologna. What this author did, aside from not taking himself too terribly seriously, was entertain me like no other Star Trek author has ever done, even causing me to laugh out loud, embarassing myself in public, while reading on a bus. The fact that Paramount and the Simon & Schuster people sanctioned this book and published it, clearly illustrates that it passes whatever mysterious criteria there might be for a ST:TNG novel. Rather than bore me endlessly by introducing an entirely new race of aliens, cultures and customs, as many Star Trek novels do, forcing you to only guess at how to pronounce weird, funky alien names, that never quite sound right in your head as you're reading -- instead, this author made the book about what we already know and love, and even love to hate -- I refer to the Ferengi, who in this novel are the "bad guys", although the author was clever in that not all Ferengi were bad, only these two renegades, and even includes the Grand Nagus as a sort of "good guy" who lends his assistance after the Federation gets itself, as Data puts it, "up the proverbial aquatic waterway without an oar", thanks to the criminal avarice of the outlaw Ferengi, Tunk and Munk (God bless this author for giving me names I can easily pronouce in my mind's ear!!) I could TOTALLY envision Wallace Shawn, who portrays the Grand Nagus in numerous Deep Space Nine episodes, whining, squeaking and spitting out his dialouge; the author gave depth and humor to these supporting characters, unlike any Star Trek novel I've read. It's inportant here to mention that one of the ideals conveyed in the novel, as realized by Wesley, is that not all Starfleet officers are the same, nor should they be, in that the uniqueness of each individual offers a fresh perspective to the rest, otherwise, why not dispense with Starfleet Academy entirely, and replicate 73 million Commander Datas, and be done with it? Likewise, this book doesn't necessarily squash itself into a preconceived mold, and its uniqueness offered me a fresh perspective that made me laugh, made me think, and above all, kept the pages turning. Here's a litmus test: Read the first paragraph, and if you fail to see the humor in the description of the unpronouncable Klingon scoutship, which, loosely translates into "Strange Legendary Klingon Fish That Hides in Rocks and Spies on Enemies of the Warrior Gods," then this book isn't for you. If, however, you find it amusing that the Ferengi, Tunk, unable to recall the name of The Enterprise, refers to it instead as "The Business Venture," as only a Ferengi could, this book is for you. So as to remain as impartial as possible for a positive review, I will make mention of one small detail, or oversight, and that is that the Ferengi home world is referred to repeatedly as Ferengi, when in the DS9's, it's referred to as Ferengenar. But hey, for as well executed as this novel was, I can live with that minor annoyance.
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by Simon Hawke
by Brad Ferguson
by J.M. Dillard
by Kij Johnson
