Greg Cox, more often than not, introduces interesting ideas, only to come up short on the execution. I have no doubt that he has a great deal of enthusiasm, but beyond his excellent Khan novels, the books don’t seen to measure up. I’ve found this to be true with novels by the same author in several tie-in franchises. That said, I’m always willing to see how well an author can grow.
Coming on the heels of an excellent story about Spock’s Foundation-esque plan for the fall and rise of the Terran Empire, this novella suffers tremendously. The difference in scope is dramatic, and unlike the previous story, this reads and feels like high-grade fan fiction. While a number of characters get the typical “mirror universe twist”, the Borg themselves are remarkably similar to the versions in the Trek universe proper.
While there are some justifications for that story decision (namely, the independence of the Borg from the usual suspects up to that point), the very nature of the mirror universe would seem to preclude that interpretation. In fact, it might have been interesting to see a version of the Borg that was, in fact, positive in its integration of biological and technological. Imagine a Borg that was corrupted by introduction to humanity, rather than the horrifying Borg that we already know.
In the end, however, the story packs very little punch. There are some neat twists along the way, particularly in how the Borg fall to one man’s clever planning, but it’s not enough to overcome its brevity and isolated nature.
Rating: 5/10
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