This is one of those novel series within the “Star Trek” franchise that operates on an annual release basis. The three books have come out roughly 11 months apart, and for that reason alone, this is a difficult book to begin. Characters and situations have already been established, and with this story being the final book in a pseudo-trilogy, there’s a lot of material to cover to get the reader back on board.
The author does a great job of placing the events in an understandable context, which is a good thing, because it quickly becomes obvious that using the “Minipedia” in the back is a huge mistake. It’s a great idea, but I question the wisdom of bringing that section up to date with the current novel. Listings for a few characters mention that they die in this novel, so you can easily get spoiled while trying to refresh your memory on the previous installments. That’s an unfortunate use of a clever idea.
What I like about this series is the “Deep Space Nine” meets “The Original Series” vibe. The characters are all very complex, largely damaged in some fundamental psychological way, and they constantly run into the conflict between the “greater good” and personal needs. It’s almost what one would expect from a “Battlestar Galactica”-esque treatment of the original series, especially when it comes to the massive list of casualties.
The end of the novel spins the “Vanguard” saga in a new direction, and I’m curious to see if that works as well. Judging by how the existing elements were rearranged for future exploration, it should all tie together rather well. My concern is that the annual schedule will cause the readers to lose interest.
Rating: 8/10
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