Rating: 
Summary: As bad as an episode of Voyager
Review: I found this book extremely difficult to get through and very much a disappointment following my delight at the first two books in this series. It drags on and in my opinion works too hard to put people where the need to be for the ending. Garrett was nothing like the character seen in Yesterday's Enterprise. Instead, she was more like Janeway. I was hoping for a stronger character like Kira (DS9).
Rating: 
Summary: worth the read
Review: I have to admit that after seeing some of the gripes about this book,I wasn't going to read it. Then a friend loaned me her copy, and I succumbed to temptation.
Wow. All I can say is WOW.
This book blew me away. I agree with people who have said that it's very dense, but this works in the book's favor. The author has done an amazing job of introducing us to a whole new crew and bringing them to life as fully-realized, flawed PEOPLE. I haven't seen the likes of this in Trek fiction for a long time (I have to say, probably never), and it makes for a tremendous read. I was so enthralled I plowed through all 400+ pages in three and a half days, was in tears by the end, and bummed that it was over! I can't add much to the praise that's already here. Bick writes with incredible delicacy and verve, and her action sequences are wonderful. I, too, have to say that I'm disappointed this isn't a series. But I would say to the people who don't have the patience to really let these characters get under their skin: you don't know what you're missing.
Bick credits her editor Marco Palmieri with giving her a shot, and Dean W. Smith and Keith DeCandido with mentoring her along. I have to thank all those people, too, for giving us this new Trek author. I've already tracked down some of her other stuff and am eager to see more.
Rating: 
Summary: What a downer for women in lead roles
Review: I would have thought that the rare opportunity to put a female in a leading, respectable role would be a treat. However, Captain Rachel Garrett comes accross as so incredibly immature, and so totally dependant on men (her pining for her ex, taking out her frustrations on her new XO) that it made me wonder how this woman would possibly be able to graduate from the academy - she would be a cartoonish caricature even in today's world. There is no way anyone of either gender would be able to look up to her, and to trust her judgement in tense situations. Snappy, childish, immature. Ugh! Overall, I thought the book opened really nicely, the prologue was great but then it was kind of dropped. A little more detail there would have been great. I have read the first 4 books in hte "lost era" series. This may be the one that prevents me from reading the last 2. It was that bad.
Rating: 
Summary: A good first novel
Review: Ilsa Bick's first novel, WELL OF SOULS, is a thick tome packed with lots of internal and external action going on. At first it starts off really slowly in the first 100+ pages of the book, with a heavy bent toward depressing situations and depressing characters. But by the mid-point of the novel, Bick begins pulling things together and creates a good story in the process. The ending is a positive, upbeat one, the complete opposite of the novel's beginning, and well worth it. Had this book been shaved of the first 100+ pages, it could have equally worked. A good first effort.
Rating:
Summary: Depth, theme, action, and characters I cared about.
Review: In the far past of an alien world, the line of the Night Kings ends with a prince too cowardly to take Uramtali - the goddess of the Well of Souls, the immortal dithparu - into his body. On present-day (2336) Farius Prime, a place not visited by decent or even prudent Federation citizens, Commander Samir al-Halad battles his ugly past in hope of saving the few people from that past who matter to him - and of keeping the person he loves most in his new life alive, too. Aboard the starship Enterprise, Captain Rachel Garrett grieves for a friend and first officer whose life she couldn't save; damns herself for letting that XO's replacement, Halad, go on "R & R" at a time when she desperately needs backup; and fences by subspace communications with a Betazoid xeno-archaeologist who is her still-beloved ex-husband. She's missed their son's twelfth birthday, and can't even manage a conversation with young Jason now without having her ship's needs interrupt it. I spent the first half of "Well of Souls" wondering how the author would bring together these and at least one other story line. Bick's characters captured me immediately as each appeared, and her graphically written action scenes proved wrenching because I cared about the people experiencing them. But what did Samir al-Halad's secrets, Rachel Garrett's ex-husband (on his way to a dig in Cardassian space that Ven Kaldarren knows isn't a much better place for young Jason than a starship, but what else can a father with full physical custody do except take the boy along?), Lieutenant Commander Darya Bat-Levi's efforts to fit in on her new assignment aboard Enterprise, and the Night Kings from long ago all have to do with each other? It comes together beautifully in the book's second half. What lifts this one above many other Trek novels for me is the way Bick (a psychiatrist who writes Starfleet counselors with resulting insight, and to her credit shows her "other profession" warts and all) infuses the whole work with depth and theme. Her characters, Garrett most emphatically included, aren't perfect. Instead they are living, breathing, growing people. I have one complaint, only. I wish this were the first in a series of Rachel Garrett novels to be authored by Ilsa J. Bick. If that were true, I'd be standing in line for every one!
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a Trek character admits she's Jewish...
Review: Others here have already dissected the plot for good and bad, so I'm going to focus on one particular area: The fact that Darya Bat-Levi discusses her Jewish background with her therapist, Tyvan. Some reviewers saw this section (pp. 30-33) as "strangely labored" and out of place, but I was DELIGHTED to see it. As my regular readers know, I've been doing an ongoing study of Jewish themes in Star Trek (soon to be a book, "Where No Rabbi Has Gone Before"). So any Jewish reference in Trekdom catches my eye immediately.
As far as I know, this is the first time a character in a novel has clearly said, "I'm Jewish." Oh, there have been hints before (see my Trekmania list) but not such a clear reference. We should note, to those who though this section was "too religious" for Trek, that there is such a thing as a secular or "cultural" Jew, which is how Bat-Levi describes herself. Jewishness is not just a religion, it's more like a belonging to a tribal people. Religion is part of it, but there are also atheist Jews who still identify with the culture and history of their people. (More on that? See the book "God-Optional Judaism" by Judith Seid, a Humanist Jew.)
As a cultural Jew, Bat-Levi gets some things right and misses on others. Her explanation of "an eye for an eye" as monetary compensation for the loss of the eye is esentially a correct interpretation of standard Jewish law. He explanation of Jewish afterlife teachings, however, is off-base. True, there is no eternal hellfire and brimstone in Judaism, but there is a judgement of the soul as a sort of "life review," where one is called to account for one's deeds. "Devout Jews" (Bat-Levi's words) do not believe that the soul is just a "piece of God" that loses its identity after death, as she explains it. This idea is more Buddhist or "new age" than classical Judaism.
Although it is a common misconception that Jews have no belief in life after death, the fact is, Judaism does teach that there is a soul which lives on in the Next World. There is even room for Jewish beliefs in reincarnation, as I have explained in my own books on that topic (available here on Amazon.com)
Now granted, this story is taking place in the 24th century, and Bat-Levi does say "I can't speak for every Jew." There's certainly room for individuals to believe as she does, it's just not what "the devout" believe. Still, I was very happy to see this acknowledgement of my culture in a Trek novel. We Jews have survived as a people for over 3500 years, so it makes sense that we will still be there 300 years from now.
Rating:
Summary: Cannot Recommend
Review: Overall, a meandering tome devoted to a crew and ship that most Star Trek fans will be hard pressed to care about. Lacking the dense history a writer enjoys when creating adventures for characters like Kirk, Spock, or Picard, Bick gets the somewhat unenviable position of staffing her ship with her unknown creations. Additionally, she doesn't seem quite up to the challenge.
However, I don't particularly want to beat up on Ilsa J. Bick. As a first time novelist, she was stuck with a task that was ultimately quite difficult. Having to build a new ship staff from scratch, Bick only has two characters from "Yesterday's Enterprise" to draw from in Garrett and Castillo. Of those two, only Garrett gets any serious exploration in "Well of Souls."
The rest (Bat-Levi, Gleemoor, Halak, Tyvan, Bulast, Kodell, and Stern) all have their particular angst or schtick but none are particularly memorable except as caricatures of Trek characters we have met before. Bat-Levi, a Jewish woman horribly scarred in an accident, probably fares better than most even if her cybernetic body stands in some small opposition to health care as depicted on the various Star Trek shows. I mention Bat-Levi's religion because Bick does so in a strangely labored section that seems at odds with both the rest of the book and Star Trek's traditionally depicted secularized society. I don't object to Star Trek exploring spirituality but if a novel is going to take the trouble to introduce this oft-avoided element, I only ask that it fit within a theme. Here it is mentioned and abandoned from further exploration.
In choosing to use species for alien crewmembers that were well covered in the TNG-era, many of Bick's creations begin to feel like lazy retreads. For example, El-Aurian Tyvan was yet another refugee from the Borg but has the good sense to keep all the thoughts about the Borg in his head so as to not mess up established Star Trek continuity. However, those thoughts beg the question never really answered adequately by any of Trek's incarnations: Why do the El-Aurians not tell humanity about the Borg? I know they're a race of listeners but c'mon...help a Federation out. Tip them on the Big Bad that may be heading their way someday.
Bick's effort never really rises above the level of ambitious fan-fiction. That is to say, it meanders along in parallel though seemingly unrelated stories that are sprinkled liberally with shaky science and references to other episodes of the Star Trek franchise. There are few missteps in using these elements (only one - the referencing to an officer pinning pips to a collar a good 20 or so years before the TNG first season uniform would have been in fashion - really ground my gears) but once you come upon the tenth cute callback to this or that element from the TNG-era, the technique starts to wear thin.
The novel culminates clumsily; bringing together these separate stories in a fashion that strains all credibility. There is no denying that a good story will allow a reader to ignore the implausible but even "Don Quixote" would have failed to survive this contrivance. I'm loath to say anymore without issuing some kind of spoiler warning so I'll only say this: Space is apparently very, very small in Bick's version of the Star Trek universe.
Technically, Bick is a fair to middling writer. All the commas and periods seem to be in the right places and she does manage to create several moments of tension in between the cute callbacks. The dialogue swings wildly between mediocre and cliché, never really crackling. The main plot could have worked if only Bick could have been talked out of doing a disservice to it by seeking to tie up all her subplots in a not-so-neat bow. However, to be fair, this idea could have come from her publisher. They have a long history of underestimating the intelligence of the average Star Trek fan. Well of Souls is no exception.
I have all the Lost Era novels but "Well of Souls" has me in no rush to read them. Bick shows some degree of promise but she's not yet at the top of her game. Save this one to read years from now when you're already a Bick fan and willing to forgive the missteps of a newbie.
Rating:
Summary: ST - The Lost Era: Well of Souls 2336
Review: Star Trek - The Lost Era "Well of Souls" 2336 written by Ilsa J. Bick is a wonderfully written introspective of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C and a few other very interesting characters. The year is 2336, forty-three years after the presumed death of Captain James T. Kirk aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-B in Star Trek "Generations," and twenty-eight years before the launch of the Enterprise-D in "Encounter at Farpoint." The stories of "The Lost Era" are from snipits of information that have come out in the movies and episodic television. In this case from Star Trek - The Next Generation episode we get introduced to Captain Rachel Garrett of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C in "Yesterday's Enterprise."
"Well of Souls" is a difficult book to get into but it is worderfully written. It took me much longer to read this book than what is normal for me, not from it's length (465 pages), but from the wealth of information that the author gives the reader about each character. I've divided this book into thirds as I describe it to you. The first third of the book is the setting of the plot and getting introducted to the cast of characters and the crew. This is a slow process and therefore, a slow introduction, but not void of a thorough introspection of each character as we find out that they are human an suffer from second guessing of their actions like everyone else.
The second third of the book we get to read more complex scenes and get into character interaction. This is where we see the author play the characters out into different plots Commander Samir al-Halak the XO of Captain Garrett's Enterprise. Ven Kaldaaren, Captain Rachel Garrett's ex-husband and xeno-archaeologist and we get a plot with Rachel Garrett's son Jason along with his pal Pahl.
The last third of the book the author pulls the storyline together and the characters that we are introducted to eariler really come to life and depth. The overall tenor of the book is darker than the other "The Lost Era" books, but it doesn't mean that it is less of a book, not in the least. I did enjoy the book but it was a difficult read.
The depth of this book was greater than the other books of this series and this book was more character-driven making for more internal action rather than external action. The main characters in this book are as follows Captain Rachel Garrett, Ven Kaldarren, Jason, Commander Samir al-Halak, Bat-Levi XO in Charge, Jo Stern CMO and Naxeran tactical officer G'Dok Ghemour, Kodell, and Batra. There is a power struggle between the Orion Syndicate and a priveteer Qatala and Starfleet Intelligence.
There is an ancient race called the Dithparu and their main character called Uramtali. These are mind spirits and must inhabit a living soul in order to keep the planet they are found upon alive. There are some space battles and there is a lot of twists and turns in this book to keep you on your toes.
I gave this book a solid 4 stars for its complexity and its a difficult book to finish, Not that I didn't enjoy it, I did. Ilsa J. Bick wrote a brilliant and delicately conceived story, but I found it hard to stay with and finish.
Rating:
Summary: ST - The Lost Era: Well of Souls 2336
Review: Star Trek - The Lost Era "Well of Souls" 2336 written by Ilsa J. Bick is a wonderfully written introspective of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C and a few other very interesting characters. The year is 2336, forty-three years after the presumed death of Captain James T. Kirk aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-B in Star Trek "Generations," and twenty-eight years before the launch of the Enterprise-D in "Encounter at Farpoint." The stories of "The Lost Era" are from snipits of infromation that have come out in the movies and episodic television. In this case from Star Trek - The Next Generation episode we get introduced to Captain Rachel Gareett of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C in "Yesterday's Enterprise." "Well of Souls" is a difficult book to get into but it is worderfully written. It took me much longer to read this book than what is normal for me, not from it's length (465 pages), but from the wealth of information that the author gives the reader about each character. I've divided this book into thirds as I describe it to you. The first third of the book is the setting of the plot and getting introducted to the cast of characters and the crew. This is a slow process and therefore a slow introduction, but not void of a thorough introspection of each character as we find out that they are human an suffer from second guessing of their actions. The second third of the book we get to read more complex scenes and get into character interaction. This is where we see the author play the characters out into different plots Commander Samir al-Halak the EXO of Captain Garrett's Enterprise. Ven Kaldaaren, Captain Rachel Garrett's ex-husband and xeno-arhaelogist and we get a plot with Rachel Garrett's son Jason along with his pal Pahl. The last third of the book the author pulls the storyline together and the characters that we are introducted to eariler really come to life and depth. The overall tenor of the book is darker than the other "The Lost Era" books, but it doesn't mean that it is less of a book, not in the least. I did enjoy the book but it was a difficult read. The depth of this book was greater than the other books of this series and this book was more character-driven making for more internal action rather than external action. The main characters in this book are as follows Captain Rachel Garrett, Ven Kaldarren, Jason, Commander Samir al-Halak, Bat-Levi EXO in Charge, Jo Stern CMO and Naxeran tactical officer G'Dok Ghemour, Kodell, and Batra. There is a power struggle between the Orion Syndicate and a priveteer Qatala and Starfleet Intelligence. There is an ancient race called the Dithparu and their main character called Uramtali. These are mind spirits and must inhabit a living soul in order to keep the planet they are found upon alive. There are some space battles and there is a lot of twists and turns in this book to keep you on your toes. I gave this book a solid 4 stars for its complexity and its a difficult book to finish, Not that I didn't enjoy it, I did. Ilsa J. Bick wrote a brilliant and delicately conceived story, but I found it hard to stay with and finish.
Rating:
Summary: Another long-winded Lost Era book
Review: The best way to begin this may be with a guide. This book has 465 pages. Around page 100, there is a good scene. At 200 there is another. Close to 300 the action begins. After that, the book is quite solid, well written and entertaining. However, most of the first three hundred pages consist of long, boring internal monologues by just about every named character in the entire book about how and why their severe mental problems make them anti-social. It's boring, it's irritating, it's pointless - and it just keeps going, one character after another. In the "about the author" section it says this is her first novel. Unless she improves drastically, she would obviously be better off sticking to short stories. Those in Strange New Worlds were brilliant, so this was a real disappointment.
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