Deny Thy Father (Star Trek: The Lost Era 2355-2357) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jeff Mariotte (Author) "He put one foot in front of the other..." (more)
Key Phrases: Estresor Fil, Admiral Paris, Kyle Riker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Years Are 2355-2357

Two men. Both defined by the personal tragedy that drove them apart. Both driven by their desire to serve, and their devotion to duty. Both haunted by the past, and uncertain of the future....And both unable to reach across the chasm that separates father and son.

In the wake of the Tholian attack that nearly cost him his life, civilian strategic consultant Kyle Riker becomes the target of an apparent conspiracy within Starfleet Command, forcing him off Earth and beyond Federation territory to evade the attempts on his life. But danger is never far off, even on a backwater world where Kyle's very name brings the promise of death.

At the same time, the Starfleet career of Kyle's estranged son William Riker is under way in earnest, from his turbulent formative years at the Academy to his first perilous missions as an ensign aboard the Starship Pegasus. And even as Kyle searches for the truth behind the events that have made him a fugitive, Will is pursued as well -- by a family legacy he fears he will never escape.

About the Author
Jeff Mariotte is Senior Editor at D.C. Comics and creator of the cult comics Desperadoes and Countdown as well as an author for both the Buffy and Angel series. Before he became a writer he was a partner in a speciality bookstore, Mysterious Galaxies, which his wife still runs.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743464095
• ISBN-13: 978-0743464093
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #832,294 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed the book, December 28, 2003

By	Sissalou "sissalou" (SAINT CLAIR, MI USA) - See all my reviews

My purpose is not to reiterate the plot which is already provided by the publisher and several reveiwers. My purpose is to express whether or not, in my opinion, the book is worth trading my hard-earned money for the price on its cover. I thought that "Deny Thy Father" was one of the better Star Trek books published lately.

I agree, to some degree, with each previous reviewer. But I gave the book its full five stars because I haven't particularly enjoyed Star Trek books lately, and I enjoyed this one for its entertainment value--not necessarily for its value to the Star Trek storyline. There is a separation of values here. I read the book as a reader looking for something to read solely for its science fiction entertainment merit, and this story entertained me.

The Star Trek books aren't exactly literary epic novels and I thought this book was very well done for its subject matter. No, we don't really get into the Ryker heads, but we see some action. While I admit growing extremely board with Ryker Sr's life on the run, overall, the story was entertaining.

Would I read a second Star Trek book by Jeff Mariotte? Yes. Did I think the cover price of the book was a fair exchange for its entertainment value? Yes.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but disappointing, January 22, 2004

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

I was very disappointed with this novel. It was not a terrible novel and I recommend that Star Trek fans-Riker fans in particular-take the time to get through this book.

Why I was disappointed was that I knew the end. Most of the novel is split between Will Riker and his struggle from the Academy and his father running from his problems with Starfleet and his past. I waited the whole novel to see if they would come together and see them clash. They never did.

One of the other problems was that Jeff Mariotte seemed to work too hard to get cameos from other characters. It seemed contrived that all these people seem to constantly cross paths even in these minimal ways. I do not object to reading and seeing how great characters like Sisko and Janeway grew to who they were but adding them in just to say you used them is a little tactless.

This was a terribly tough review to write. I did not want to sound too critical but still be accurate and honest.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly entertaining., January 12, 2004

By	R. Spottiswood (Western Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My expectations for this book, after reading the reviews here and with the Lost Era series being 2 for 4, were not high. I found this to be good reading, though not spectacular. Obviously the book follows two stories, Kyle's and Will's. Will's story is a personal drama, without the dramatic Academy tests or conspiracies that Original Series books set there have. Still, I found it to be a well written, interesting, and entertaining depiction of Will Riker at that time. I don't really like Will Riker all that much as a TNG character, so making him interesting for me was a good achievement on the author's part. The cadets are rather clichéd, but apart from the eternally patient girlfriend I've known people just like them, and they work well as part of Will's story. Kyle's story has much more action in its beginning and end. The descriptions there and overall are very well done. This author understands how to make long descriptive passages interesting. The middle of Kyle's story was essentially filler, as Kyle himself puts it, to prepare him for the end of the story. It was entertaining and well done, but it had almost nothing to do with the central plot of Kyle's story. I would have preferred more time on the conspiracy. I did quite enjoy the resolution of that. It's refreshing, after "Serpents Among the Ruins", to see a murderous conspiracy be viewed by Starfleet Command as something to stop. All in all, I found this to be an enjoyable read. Nothing was spectacularly good, but lately just enjoyable has been too much for some Trek authors.