Shockwave (Star Trek Enterprise) (Hardcover)

by Paul Ruditis (Author)
Key Phrases: command council, plasma ducts, wall hatch, Paul Ruditis, Captain Archer, Admiral Forrest (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides..."
-- William Shakespeare

"The Vulcan Science Directorate has concluded that time travel is impossible."
-- T'Pol

The Starship Enterprise™ NX-01 has carried its crew farther into the reaches of space than any human has ever travelled. Commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer, they have charted new stars, explored planets, and made first contact with races previously unknown to even the Vulcans. And while it's true that they have made mistakes along the way, the crew of Enterprise have tried to live up to Starfleet's creed -- to boldly go.

The Paraagan deep-space colony was just another first contact, unusual only in two aspects: it was a matriarchal society, and the planet's upper atmosphere was filled with a highly volatile gas. But the officers of Enterprise knew how to handle their shuttlepod, and they understood the Paraagan landing protocols. As the shuttlepod descended into the planet's atmosphere, they closed the plasma vents, certain that nothing could escape and ignite the gas.

Thirty-six hundred colonists were vaporized in the blast. Every building, every living thing, everything on the surface was destroyed in the fireball. But how could it have happened? Every reading shows that the pod's vents were shut. Nevertheless, it could only have been the Enterprise crew who caused the destruction.

Recalled to Earth, Archer knows that the Vulcan High Command has convinced Starfleet of what they have long insisted. Humans are not ready for deep-space exploration. True, it was an accident. But considering the catastrophic loss of life, Starfleet must agree that deep-space exploration must wait just a little longer, perhaps another twenty years...or longer.

But these were not the events as history recorded them. No one died. Enterprise was never recalled. This is the startling information offered by the mysterious Crewman Daniels -- who claims to be from the thirty-first century and a foot solider in the temporal cold war. With a renewed sense of determination, Archer sets out to prove Enterprise's innocence, armed with the knowledge that if he succeeds, his ship will be safe, his future secure. But time is a swiftly moving river in whose deadly rapids Enterprise and her captain are now caught. Is there anything one very small starship can do against these forces?

About the Author
Paul Ruditis is an avid television viewer who has written and contributed to several books based on his favorite shows, including Buffy, The Vampire Slayer; Roswell; Sabrina, The Teenage Witch;® The West Wing; Star Trek: Voyager;® and Enterprise. He lives in Burbank, California.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743464559
• ISBN-13: 978-0743464550
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,422,894 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Novel!, June 11, 2003

By	Kevin Spoering (Buffalo, Missouri United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Early in this novel an away team from the Enterprise enters the atmosphere of an alien planet in a shuttlecraft, and from there events seem to spin out of control, as the Enterprise crew is accused of possible negligence in the loss of thousands of lives. Most of this book involves the Enterprise crew trying to find out the details of what happened and vindicate themselves. The Vulcans still largely believe that Terrans should not be exploring interstellar space as they view earth as not ready for the challenges it presents. The plot has it's complications as beings able to travel from the future to the past provide many twists. I can say here that I did enjoy this novel, although it was not one of my favorite Star Trek adventures. This work by Paul Ruditis is the novelization of the final episode for season one and the first episode of season two for Star Trek: Enterprise, overall well worth reading for any Star Trek fan, and others who like science fiction.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you missed Season 1 of the show this will catch you up..., October 31, 2002

By A Customer

Enterprise's first cliff hanger came at the end of Season 1 in the form of 'Shockwave', then was resolved in Season 2's premier of 'Shockwave Part II'. Both episodes are captured in book form by author Paul Ruditis.

Ruditis goes a step further by getting the reader caught up on the major happenings of Season 1. During the narrative of the 2 Shockwave episodes, Ruditis flashes us back to the events of the 'Temporal Cold War' and previous Suliban encounters. Again this is well written and helps you catch up on the key events of Season 1. Its a quick easy read and provides more detail than is possible on television.

If you are just now jumping into 'Enterprise' with Season 2, this novel and the novel of the series premier episode "Broken Bow" will be just about all you need to catch up.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story, rather sloppily told., February 24, 2005

By	James Yanni (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Shockwave (Star Trek : Enterprise) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a wonderful story, one of the best of the "Enterprise" series to date. Unfortunately, the novelization was given to someone who is a rather sloppy writer, and the editing failed to catch his numerous atrocities committed on the English language. This isn't Diane Carey, trying to be clever; her assaults on the language are more egregious, but at least have the excuse of being an attempt at creativity. This is simply someone who will write "...before the yelling got so out of hand that they ending the gathering in disgust." or who will use "pouring" rather than "poring" when talking about reading books, or "annunciating" each word (rather than "enunciating") or "Archer watched as the collection of...parts began beginning to take shape..." or "hundred of years ago" rather than "hundreds" or "heading in the opposite direction as Reed" rather than "from Reed" or "as Reed had". This is just scratching the surface; there are errors like this on about every fifth page on average.

If you're someone who doesn't notice stuff like this, and thinks I'm being overly picky to dwell on it, then you'll find much to enjoy in this book; the plot is enjoyable, and the pacing and such are excellent. But if, like me, you cringe when reading something by an allegedly professional writer that would have numerous red marks if it were handed in as a seventh grade project, steer clear of it.