Rating: 
Summary: An epic tale about nothing
Review: "Federation" is an ambitious book that combines different areas of the Star Trek universe.It has an amazingly wide scope, as it unites different eras of the Federation's history, combining them all together, and creating a story of epic proportions. The problem with this one is the way all this is done. The book has three different stories combined in it, with all of them merging in the end. One tells us about the aftermath of World War III, with Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of Human warp propulsion, as the hero. The segment misses it's potential and is left predictable and messy. A second story takes place shortly after the TOS episode "Journey to Babel", and deals with the aftermath of Kirk's encounter with Cochrane in the second season episode "Metamorphosis". The third story is set right after the TNG episode "Sarek", and at first doesn't seem to have anything in common with the first two stories. The book isn't that beliavable in it's way of bringing all these seemingly separate stories together. The scope of the story is epic, but the actual plot is far from it, as it deals with a surprisingly simple blood feud between Cochrane and his Arch enemy. On top of that, Cochrane's character isn't being portrayed in a particulary interesting way, and is left flat and overly perfect, even though the book describes the bigger part of his whole life. The TOS-era segment is the most interesting, as it provides good plotting and insightfull characterization. The TNG-era segment is more boring, even if it contains some surprises. The problems with this particular segment lies in the insufficcient and hollow characterization. The characters seem to resemble the ones from "Encounter at Farpoint", instead of the more deeper characters of the third season. As a whole, the book is predictable an uneven, as it creates an epic crossover story out of thin air and leaves it's credibility under question. The story is well stuctured, though, and the Reeves-Stevens have managed to make the story alive against all odds and provide a rare look into the history of the Federation, even if the story doesn't do justice to the premise. Be ware, though, that "Federation" was written before "Generations", "First Contact" and the first episode of Enterprise, wich leads to some continuityu problems between it and the "death" of Kirk in "Generations" and the appearances of Cochrane and the invention of the warp drive in "First Contact" and "Broken Bow". "Federation" is an ambitious story, with lots to offer, but insufficcient plotting and beliavability problems make it less than what it might have been.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent novel, a fantastic read, a wonderous voayge.
Review: Of all the Trek I've read (a bit of TOS, a ton of TNG, some DS9, and a touch of VOY), this novel stands proudly among the best. Although the character of Cochrane and the story of the first warp ship isn't consisent with that of First Contact, I believe the book gives a better story. As mentioned in other reviews, the villian is fantastic, a truly unique creation among all of Trek. The way the story spans time and space, with the elements all weaving together in the end, I find myself in utter awe at the creativity of the authors. As I said, this book stands proudly among the best - the only other two Trek books that I can think of to compare are Q Squared by Peter David and DS9's Millennium Trilogy (also by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens). This is one of the few books I have ever read, then decided that there was no way I could live without purchasing the hardcover version for future readings. And I guarantee you, you'll want to read it again. Then, give it a few years, and you'll find yourself turning to it again.
Rating:
Summary: Judith Reeves-Stevens really did her homework
Review: This book is great to wrap your head around and you'll have to do just that. The different timelines are expertly interwoven with Trek episodes (minus Zephram, though still a powerful character) and the character development is nothing short of fantastic. And read near the end a few times, because the future looks really bright.
Rating:
Summary: Deserving of the title "Federation"
Review: Whew...what can I say? This is another great book, like Vulcan's Heart. It really is deserving of the name "Federation". It ties up so many loose ends and it's totally enthralling. I was expecting something slightly different (I'm not giving anything away) but the way the story is told is better. The interweaving timelines are so cool. I was glad to see more of Cochrane and the Companion. It's been said that the Cochrane in the book is not like the movie Cochrane and more like the TOS Cochrane. Well, I've read the book and seen the movie and really, they all seem like pretty much the same guy. In the movie Cochrane's a lot more irreverent, and in the book he's more calm and patient like he is in the TOS episode. But why couldn't he change after all he'd done for humanity? I can believe he would. The villain was chilling and easily despise-able and the ending was totally great. All in all, a great look at many important things happening in the Federation across hundreds of years.
Rating:
Summary: Where No Trek Novel Has Gone Before...
Review: I read this novel over the course of a weekend. It is a seamless overview of Federation history, using The Guardian to bridge the gap of time, space and multiverses. Would strongly suggest having a firm knowledge of Star Trek lore in Kirk and Picard's universe. This is the BEST trek novel of them all and Gene Roddenberry would have cried just as I did when it ended.
Rating:
Summary: Read the other reviews? Then read this one.
Review: Its exciting, has drama, and has to be one of those all-time classic trek books. You may find it difficult to follow in parts if you're unfamilliar with either Picard or Kirk. However, if you're thinking of buying it then you most likely sare familar with them. Remember the episode with Zef Cochrane? No, how about First Contact then? He appears in this book too, but following the Cochrane we know and love from the original series rather than the film. It's up to you which you prefer, but isn't an original always best? The bad guy worth Borg status - now that's something! Kirk's ship in Picard's fate, Picard's ship in Kirk's. What more could you ask for? Enjoyable book from a great writing team. A book Gene Roddenberry could have been proud of. Buy it or miss out! Well worth adding to the collection.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: Federation is a good book but I prefere the movie version of Zefram Cochrane from first contact as an imperfect human being who changes for the better rather than a perfect man.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Read for Technical Trekkies
Review: It helps to be familiar with the Classic Trek episode featuring Zefram Cochrane, but it's not essential to enjoy the story. You will learn all about warp impellers, impulse drive and the warp theory! The baddie in the story is almost as hideous as the Borg. Although it may seem that Kirk and Picard will be brought together in this story, their contact is limited and really secondary to what's going on with Cochrane. It puzzles me that the Zefram Cochrane in the movie First Contact in no way resembles the Cochrane of either the TV show or this novel, but no matter. I've got Federation on audiobook too, and Mark Lenard does an exceptional reading of it. You can't go wrong either way.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story, but it's outdated thanks to the movies
Review: This book tells a great story of Cochrane and his encounter with the Companion as seen in the episode "Metamorphosis". However, it also outdates and tells a different story of the man we see in "First Contact". World War III occurs somewhere in the 2040's or 2050's, yet this book says it happens much later on, somewhere between 2078 and 2117. 2030 is the year it says Cochrane was born, yet in "First Contact", when Picard and crew go back in time to stop the Borg, it is 2063, making Cochrane only thirty-three years old. He looks much older, unless time hasn't been a great "companion". Sorry about the pun. This was a great story when it came out in 1994, but it is now a different story. Doesn't Paramount look at these books and the stories in them before making a movie telling a different story? The same discrepancies occur in "Strangers From The Sky" and "Dark Mirror". Read those if you don't know what I'm talking about.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book
Review: First Contact? Bah! Federations details the story of Zefram Cochrane far better than the movie. It gives more detail and expands upon more than just first contact. While interaction between the two crews is very limited, the story plays out from the perspective of both, with two different plots that merge as one. This book should be canon instead of the movie.
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