A Time to Love (Star Trek The Next Generation) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Robert Greenberger (Author) "THREE MORE?" William Riker, first officer of the Starship Enterprise, bolted out of his seat, his eyes wide..." (more)
Key Phrases: liscom gas, demon ship, protocol officer, Kyle Riker, Delta Sigma, Commander Riker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A century ago the long-running conflict between two alien civilizations ended when both of them colonised the same distant planet, becoming instead a shining example of inter-species cooperation and coexistence. Now an investigation headed by Kyle Riker -- estranged father of Commander William Riker -- has revealed how fragile their hard-won paradise is. Within a few generations, a virus indigenous to their colony planet of Delta Sigma IV will wipe out all its inhabitants. Faced with this threat the delicate shell of harmony starts to crumble...Jean-Luc Picard and his crew, still reeling from the events which have tarnished the career of one of Starfleet's most decorated captains, must come to the aid of a world which once knew only peace, but now faces violence and chaos. Riker, meantime, must face the fact that his own father may be responsible for the anarchy into which Delta Sigma IV is descending.

About the Author
Together with Pocket Books Star Trek editor John J. Ordover, Robert Greenberger created the overall Gateways concept which forms the basis of the seven-part crossover series.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (May 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743462858
• ISBN-13: 978-0743462853
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #581,738 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A decision point has come, February 19, 2005

By	David Roy (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

A Time to Love, by Robert Greenberger, is the fifth book in the Time to... series of Star Trek: The Next Generation novels, taking place immediately before the movie Star Trek: Nemesis. The first four books were up and down affairs, wallowing in Trek continuity and occasionally telling a good story. A Time to Love, however, is the first one that's been fully satisfying. It is rather lightweight, but for some reason it packs a punch. It begins the story of how William Riker, first officer of the Enterprise, finally finds himself with a command of his own after all these years under Captain Picard. While concentrating on this and his relationship with Deanna Troi, the book also tells a great story too.

A Time to Love is a short book (263 pages), but somehow Greenberger packs a lot into it. The first ten pages are a little slow as he summarizes what's happened so far in the series, but he does it in an interesting fashion: having Troi and Riker going through crew transfer applications, commenting on what's happened so far and how it's affecting morale. This scene is also important as it begins the realization, carried throughout this book and the next, that Riker has to finally make a decision about his life. He's 42 years old, he and Troi have rekindled their romance (in the movie Insurrection, but they haven't moved forward. Just what is he waiting for? Plus, he has turned down many command opportunities to stay with Enterprise, but is that still the right thing to do? I've never seen such an effective summary before, giving us new information even as it goes over old. Some of the later scenes, such as Geordi's, do slow down and tell us too much about the past without anything happening, but those scenes are not very long.

The characterization in this book is wonderful. Riker and Troi get the most, but everybody else is great too. Picard is getting fed up with the boring missions that he's been given, mainly to keep Enterprise out of the spotlight and allow time for the furor to die down. Picard feels put upon, and he wishes for a mission that he can sink his teeth into. The Delta Sigma IV mission turns out to be just what he asked for, but perhaps too much. His frustration when the ruling council on Delta Sigma IV is frozen with indecision is palpable, as his annoyance with himself when he realizes that he hasn't kept on top of the situation on the Enterprise very well during the mission. Crusher's indecision about the offer to head Starfleet Medical is hanging over her head, and she keeps coming to the realization that she and Picard will never have a romantic relationship and she must also look to her career. In the meantime, though, she is determined to do as much to help the people on the planet below as she is able.

Even better are the scenes with the various security officers as they try to quiet the situation down on the planet before it escalates into even more violence. We get scene after scene of these officers doing their job, many of which look like they're going to end with the typical "red shirt" ending, but they don't always. This makes the scenes that *do* contain something bad even more effective. Greenberger writes these scenes with tension, keeping the reader entranced to know what will happen next. These scenes also give wonderful characterization to Lt. Vale, the security chief who is responsible for all of these men and women. Greenberger perhaps has too many times where he says that Vale would give her life for Picard, over-emphasizing it a little bit, but overall her characterization is quite good.

Kyle Riker doesn't figure a lot in this book, except by his absence and the effect of the search for him on Will. These scenes are extremely effective, with Will contemplating what barriers that have been in the way of the reconciliation of him and his father, as well as taking stock of his life. Riker is taken on his search by one of the natives and they visit the man's home as well, emphasizing just what Riker has been missing all these years. While being full of action and conflict (emotional and violent), the book makes a very effective character study of Will, as well as the other regulars. I found it incredibly entertaining to read.

The only weak spot in the novel (and this may just be setting up something for the next few books) is the Geordi and Data story, where Geordi has to scrounge for parts by trading with various other starships in the area like some supply sergeant. Data suggests that Geordi become a true supply sergeant by getting everybody's inventory and seeing what they have and what they need, facilitating the delivery of these parts through a Ferengi trader. This subplot doesn't appear to have anything to do with anything except to give these two major characters something to do. I hope that changes, but in this book they felt forced into the story, and as short as it is, I think the other storylines could have been developed a bit more.

Still, that is the only true fault. A Time to Love flows very nicely, flying by as you read it. The prose isn't wonderful, but it's greatly functional, serving its purpose and getting out of the way. These are the characters I know and love, and Greenberger manages to tone the angst down considerably. No mean feat in this series so far. This is the first true winner in the series.

David Roy

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The title says it all., July 7, 2004

By	B. Everett "branicxerosea" (Pacifc Northwest) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Riker and Troi. The cover art for these two novels even feature them. The love story needs to be told and it has been.

This story starts with the Enterprise being sent a troubled planet where there is no real way to solve the problem. The population is turning violent and the crew is stretched thin trying to put out the fires, both literally and figuratively.

This is a wonderful character study of not just the regular cast but as well as new character including the security chief. In addition we get to explore Riker search for his father and struggle with the ailing relationship.

I was disappointed in the clichés used in the end of the first part of the story. Riker finding his father at gunpoint and Crusher informing Picard that the cure for this planet is also the cause of the disaster it is facing. It gave me a false sense of expectations for the second part.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Finally this series is going somewhere, June 29, 2004

By	Jacqueline Bundy (Calabasas, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The A Time to... series of novels have been a bit underwhelming thus far but in "A Time to Love" and "A Time to Hate" the series begins to come into it's own with the strongest pair of novels yet. It doesn't require non-stop action and excitement to provide an absorbing tale, although both these novels have their share of tension and conflict. Robert Greenberger takes the simple and straightforward approach of letting the characters be the center of the story, which makes for an extremely rewarding read.

Jointly colonized a hundred years ago by two violent races previously hostile to each other, the Bader and the Dorset, the Federation member world Delta Sigma IV has always been a model of interspecies cooperation. When it was discovered that a naturally occurring gas is shortening the inhabitant's life spans it seemed as if Starfleet Medical had found a counter agent. But someone has seriously miscalculated and the Enterprise-E is assigned to investigate when mysterious outbreaks of violence seem to be linked to the treatment.

To complicate matters, Kyle Riker, William Riker's estranged father, the man who headed the Federation delegation working to study and resolve the medical issues of the Bader and Dorset, is missing and he aims to stay that way. The situation quickly dissolves from bad to calamitous as escalating violence begins to spread across the planet and the governing council proves to be incapable of making any decisions. Called upon to provide everything from medical aid and security to damage control and repair teams for an entire planet whose population is hostile to each other and to them, the crew of the Enterprise soon realize that they can't hold the planet together for long.

Knowing they are on their own, Beverly Crusher works franticly but when she does unravel the mystery behind what has been triggering the long-suppressed aggression of the Bader and Dorset, the answer just provokes more questions. Speed is of the essence and finding a solution must take priority, and when a solution is found it is far from ideal. To save the populace of Delta Sigma IV, Picard must also condemn them.

As "A Time to Love" opens Captain Picard, and by extension his crew, are still laboring under the shadow of their encounter with the "demon ship" ("A Time to be Born", "A Time to Die"). Now considered a liability by many at Starfleet Command this latest is just another in a string of what one Admiral called "lousy assignments" meant to try to nudge Picard toward retirement. Beverly Crusher is contemplating a return to Starfleet Medical and Riker and Troi have started to give serious consideration to their own futures.

Given everything that has gone on in the characters lives over the course of the first four novels of this series it is refreshing to have Greenberger focus on the characters and their relationships with each other. It gives the reader an opportunity to really get to know each character a bit more at this point in their lives; the years have brought changes to them all. The years have also meant new crew members, characters we don't know as well, and these two novels also provide an opportunity to get to know several characters like security chief Christine Vale a whole lot better.

There is a lot going on in "A Time to Love" and "A Time to Hate". Several sub plots weave themselves together into one cohesive whole. "A Time to Love" starts out a bit slowly as each of the numerous character arches are established but once that is accomplished the story begins to pick up momentum. One of the strongest sub plots is Will Rikers hunt for his father, that storyline supplies much of the mystery and intrigue but also builds on everything we already know about their relationship. Fans of the William Riker and Deanna Troi romance will no doubt be satisfied by the direction their lives take in these novels.

In case I've given you the impression that the story is all about the characters let me assure you that these two novels aren't without action sequences, although primarily it is hand-to-hand combat and the majority of the action takes place in "A Time to Hate". As you read you also begin to get an inkling that there is something more than meets the eye going on with regards to the Bader and Dorset's medical issues but the major plot twist in the final pages of "A Time to Hate" still comes as a complete and shocking surprise.

"A Time to Love" and "A Time to Hate" finally have this series heading in the right direction.