A Time to Hate

Rating:
Summary: Weak but OK
Review: "Hate" continues the weak story from "Love." It is an ok book and a good time killer. If you expect to be moved or thrilled this is not the book for it. We do get to see more of Kyle Riker and the purposal of marriage between Riker and Troi, but the book is lacking. The relationship between Seer and Riker is likely the most interesting part of the novel, but some of the other situations seem absurd. Why would Kyle Riker do some of the things he does? The "sense of guilt" angle gets old and lame quickly. If you are not a die hard Trek fan....skip it.

Rating:
Summary: Depicts the futility of war too well
Review: For some reason, this book never really caught my interest. The characterisations are very well done, particularly that of Kyle Riker. Even the most minor Starfleet officers are established as people instead of red shirts. That makes the many scenes of them dying have more impact. The book is very good at depicting the numbing futility of the Enterprise crew trying to keep the planet's people from destroying each other before the cure can be found. However, as fiction reading it is still a flaw. It is depressing to read, and it too much resembles the real daily news. Also, a very happy event happens for two of the Enterprise crew, but it is hard to empathise with them considering what else is going on. Finally, Dr. Crusher spends a lot of time considering her decision about Starfleet Medical. We already know what that decision is, so her continuing to agonise over it is also wearing, and it still does not seem appropriate to me for it to happen in the middle of a planetary emergency. So, all in all, the enjoyment factor is less than the quality of the writing deserves.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: I can't add much to what Jackie Bundy said in her review but I will make an attempt. This book, these books A Time to Hate and A Time to Love are my kind of Star Trek books. In these two books the problem to be solved or the story if you will is secondary to the interaction between the characters. The story story itself is engaging but its Riker's relationship with his father,with Deanna, Crusher's thinking about her offer to head starfleet medical and LaForges ingenuity in solving his problem and Picard's continuing difficulties that carries the story for me. I definately recommend them for you to read

Rating:
Summary: The series has been good but the book bogs down here.
Review: I've got to disagree with the other reviews -- the series has been fun to read up until now, but it stagnates with this book. The author has stretched a one book story over two books. This book consisted of the following sections:
1) Riker and his dad do not like each other
2) Dr Crusher is trying to solve the medical issue
3) Riots on the planet
4) Picard doing nothing

Repeat, repeat, repeat......my advice if you're reading the series but not a die-hard trekkie, skip the Love/Hate books and move on.

Rating:
Summary: ST: TNG A Time to Hate
Review: Star Trek: The Next Generation "A Time to Hate" written by Robert Greenberger is a continuation of the story from "A Time to Love" also written by Greenberger. The "A Time to..." books are a recap of the untold events that have happened to the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew between Star Trek: "Insurrection" and Star Trek: "Nemesis."

First off "A Time to Hate" is not a go getter action book. No Sir... The only action is hand to hand and there are two different storylines that the author is trying to keep the reader's interested in, and there is adequate interation between the characters as we read on in the book. I for one, found this book could have used a little more detail in its character development as they are searching for their career goals on the Enterprise and elsewhere in the Federation. It looks like Captain Picard's stellar bridge crew is in for some major changes.

"A Time to Hate" centers around two major themes within the book. First is the resolution of the conflict between the two major races that inhabit Delta Sigma IV. As the effects of the liscom gas has made the Bader and the Dorset, two highly aggressive races, work together in harmony, but has shortened their lifespans. The Federation has come to the rescue and found a cure, but at what price and to what extent has the cure been used? The book evolves with a few interesting twists in this storyline.

The Second storyline is that of the resolution of the estrangement between Kyle and Will Riker, father and son. This story is for all those who like to read about Will Riker in these Star Trek Books and he gets a lot of book time in this story. This storyline was rather straight forward and most of the action was found here with Kyle providing it.

"A Time to Hate" is a character story for the most part and if you like those types of stories you'll be happy to know that this is one of them. The action is minimal and is relegated to hand to hand with a few phaser blasts to spice it up.

All in all, I rated this a solid 3 stars as the author could have written a far more interesting story if he wanted to, but due to pressures and deadlines we get a dead book out of the Star Trek mill. I believe that even the author knows that he could do better. Sorry folks, "A Time to Love" and "A Time to Hate" are the weakest books so far in the "A Time to..." series.

Rating:
Summary: ST: TNG A Time to Hate
Review: Star Trek: The Next Generation "A Time to Hate" written by Robert Greenberger is a continuation of the story from "A Time to Love" also written by Greenberger. The "A Time to..." books are a recap of the untold events that have happened to the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew between Star Trek: "Insurrection" and Star Trek: "Nemesis."

First off "A Time to Hate" is not a go getter action book. No Sir... The only action is hand to hand and there are two different storylines that the author is trying to keep the reader's interested in, and there is adequate interation between the characters as we read on in the book. I for one, found this book could have used a little more detail in its character development as they are searching for their career goals on the Enterprise and elsewhere in the Federation. It looks like Captain Picard's stellar bridge crew is in for some major changes.

"A Time to Hate" centers around two major themes within the book. First is the resolution of the conflict between the two major races that inhabit Delta Sigma IV. As the effects of the liscom gas has made the Bader and the Dorset, two highly aggressive races, work together in harmony, but has shortened their lifespans. The Federation has come to the rescue and found a cure, but at what price and to what extent has the cure been used? The book evolves with a few interesting twists in this storyline.

The Second storyline is that of the resolution of the estrangement between Kyle and Will Riker, father and son. This story is for all those who like to read about Will Riker in these Star Trek Books and he gets a lot of book time in this story. This storyline was rather straight forward and most of the action was found here with Kyle providing it.

"A Time to Hate" is a character story for the most part and if you like those types of stories you'll be happy to know that this is one of them. The action is minimal and is relegated to hand to hand with a few phaser blasts to spice it up.

All in all, I rated this a solid 3 stars as the author could have written a far more interesting story if he wanted to, but due to pressures and deadlines we get a dead book out of the Star Trek mill. I believe that even the author knows that he could do better. Sorry folks, "A Time to Love" and "A Time to Hate" are the weakest books so far in the "A Time to..." series.

Rating:
Summary: Finally this series is going somewhere
Review: The A Time to... series of novels have been a bit underwhelming thus far but in "A Time to Love" and "A Time to Hate" the series begins to come into it's own with the strongest pair of novels yet. It doesn't require non-stop action and excitement to provide an absorbing tale, although both these novels have their share of tension and conflict. Robert Greenberger takes the simple and straightforward approach of letting the characters be the center of the story, which makes for an extremely rewarding read.

Jointly colonized a hundred years ago by two violent races previously hostile to each other, the Bader and the Dorset, the Federation member world Delta Sigma IV has always been a model of interspecies cooperation. When it was discovered that a naturally occurring gas is shortening the inhabitant's life spans it seemed as if Starfleet Medical had found a counter agent. But someone has seriously miscalculated and the Enterprise-E is assigned to investigate when mysterious outbreaks of violence seem to be linked to the treatment.

To complicate matters, Kyle Riker, William Riker's estranged father, the man who headed the Federation delegation working to study and resolve the medical issues of the Bader and Dorset, is missing and he aims to stay that way. The situation quickly dissolves from bad to calamitous as escalating violence begins to spread across the planet and the governing council proves to be incapable of making any decisions. Called upon to provide everything from medical aid and security to damage control and repair teams for an entire planet whose population is hostile to each other and to them, the crew of the Enterprise soon realize that they can't hold the planet together for long.

Knowing they are on their own, Beverly Crusher works franticly but when she does unravel the mystery behind what has been triggering the long-suppressed aggression of the Bader and Dorset, the answer just provokes more questions. Speed is of the essence and finding a solution must take priority, and when a solution is found it is far from ideal. To save the populace of Delta Sigma IV, Picard must also condemn them.

As "A Time to Love" opens Captain Picard, and by extension his crew, are still laboring under the shadow of their encounter with the "demon ship" ("A Time to be Born", "A Time to Die"). Now considered a liability by many at Starfleet Command this latest is just another in a string of what one Admiral called "lousy assignments" meant to try to nudge Picard toward retirement. Beverly Crusher is contemplating a return to Starfleet Medical and Riker and Troi have started to give serious consideration to their own futures.

Given everything that has gone on in the characters lives over the course of the first four novels of this series it is refreshing to have Greenberger focus on the characters and their relationships with each other. It gives the reader an opportunity to really get to know each character a bit more at this point in their lives; the years have brought changes to them all. The years have also meant new crew members, characters we don't know as well, and these two novels also provide an opportunity to get to know several characters like security chief Christine Vale a whole lot better.

There is a lot going on in "A Time to Love" and "A Time to Hate". Several sub plots weave themselves together into one cohesive whole. "A Time to Love" starts out a bit slowly as each of the numerous character arches are established but once that is accomplished the story begins to pick up momentum. One of the strongest sub plots is Will Rikers hunt for his father, that storyline supplies much of the mystery and intrigue but also builds on everything we already know about their relationship. Fans of the William Riker and Deanna Troi romance will no doubt be satisfied by the direction their lives take in these novels.

In case I've given you the impression that the story is all about the characters let me assure you that these two novels aren't without action sequences, although primarily it is hand-to-hand combat and the majority of the action takes place in "A Time to Hate". As you read you also begin to get an inkling that there is something more than meets the eye going on with regards to the Bader and Dorset's medical issues but the major plot twist in the final pages of "A Time to Hate" still comes as a complete and shocking surprise.

"A Time to Love" and "A Time to Hate" finally have this series heading in the right direction.

Rating:
Summary: great story
Review: the enterpise is at a planet that has had peace for over 100 years. all of a sudden the inhabitants are living shorter and shorter life spans and the federation comes up with a cure. problem is the cure also makes the inhabitants violent to the point where they will kill each other and cause mass genocide if another solution is not found.

the book looks at all the ethical questions, examines them from several points of views and does not come up with a quick fix. it is good writing on the author's part and the best so far of this series.

Rating:
Summary: Simply the best of the A Time to¿ series
Review: This has been the only novel in this series to catch me off guard, and I loved it.

This book is the second part of a developing story on a young Federation world where the native population has been drugged by a natural element to the planet. This gas also shaved years off of each generation. In an attempt to solve this problem, Starfleet Medical releases an outbreak of violence threatening to tear the planet apart.

In the truest Star Trek fashion, the grand medical tea of the Enterprise comes to the rescue with a cure. But in a way only The Next Generation can do, they argue the morality of this cure and force the Picard into deciding the fate of this world.

In the second plot line, the Rikers-Will and Kyle-struggle to bring an end to the violence in their own way. They find the initial victim of Starfleet's error and try to return him to the medics to help bring about a cure. I will not spoil the story for you but this is the plot line that is most like a red herring. I was shocked at the resolution. I loved every word but felt my emotions yanked perpendicular to where I was headed.

This story is does include the proposal of marriage and the offer of the Titan to Riker. There was no surprise with either of these two. But this is not the final section of this book and this little footnote to the story, the finale, bring about more questions.

Rating:
Summary: The Best (So Far) of the "A Time To..." Series
Review: This was truly the book that made the "A Time to..." series seem validated. Before, I was a little let down because of what happened in the previous books. If you are unfamiliar with the "A Time to..." series, it's meant to explain all the changes the audience was forced to work with during the last Next Generation movie, Star Trek: Nemesis. "Born" tells the story of the Enterprise's reputation being tarnished and Picard and crew being put through the ringer for political and personal reasons by Starfleet and the Federation. "Die" is your basic TNG story, Riker and crew remain loyal to Picard and put their careers on the line to prove his actions in "Born" were justified. "Sow" has the crew rebounding somewhat and dealing with a race of people who suffered a disaster stemming back fromt he days of Captain Archer and the crew of the NX-Enterprise. "Harvest" has the crew once more putting a lot on the line to do right and save a planet's people. "Love" is the book that sets up the events in this installment, dealing with the relationship between Cmdr. William T. Riker and his estranged father, Kyle Riker.

Perhaps one weak point of the book is that it references other books that the reader may not have read. Peter David's "Imzadi" is the basis of much of the Deanna/William Riker story line. There's a part where Deanna retells parts of "Imzadi" to Vale, trying to get her to understand the relationship she has with William Riker. Much of the material for the Kyle/Will relationship comes from the book, "Deny Thy Father," part of last year's Lost Era series. This book, if you have read those, does well in putting new spins on these older works, bringing the aged perspective on them both.

This book does have a lot of action. It's one of the few books where the Enterprise really isn't used. The personell though is deployed into a dangerous situation on Delta Sigma and the author chooses to up the action and really drive home that this isn't the normal mission. People die, Picard's diplomatic skills really don't get them to where they would in most TNG episodes, Vale really finds her place alongside the usual characters and as a security chief. There are action scenes spread throughout the book so don't think it's a snooze fest filled with conversations and such.

What I liked about the book is that finally, just as in "Love," we're getting the substance that makes Nemesis perhaps a more comprehensible movie. Crusher, as in most of the "A Time to" series, really is given a task here. Not only does she have to find a cure to save those on Delta Sigma but each action she takes makes her wonder if she's needed elsewhere, such as back at Starfleet Medical. We get glimpses and ideas of what life she lived when she headed SM back during the second season and why she left. We also are given a lot of moments where her relationship with Picard is actually given some attention. No hitting around the bush as in many books but we get the idea that there's this forbidden love between them.

This is the book that also describes how Deanna and Riker came to decide it was time for them to move on to the next step in their relationship. I felt that after all William T. Riker went through in this book, he's a changed man, perhaps he finally comes to terms with the actions of his father and understand him better and also in turn understands himself and his life a little better. This is a Riker book and it breathes new life into Riker, setting up up for his command of the Titan and his own series. There are many hints of what's to come in the "Titan" series to debut in 2005. Janeway's appearance at the end alludes to "Mosaic" but it fit. I really like the candid manner Janeway seems to take with everyone in her position as admiral. The author does a great job of finding a way to do justice to everyone.

The highpoint of this book comes with the conclusion. It's darker than most TNG episodes or novels and I actually think that's great. This isn't a win-win situation. Picard has a hard choice to make and either way, it's going to have a great impact on those on Delta Sigma and those serving under him. It's rather sad to see how things are turning out because Picard seems to realize things are going to change and he can't do anything about it. Crusher's choice to leave for Starfleet Medical is given a lot of attention and seems to spread to other's on the command staff, making each wonder if they're going to move on or be forced to seperate from one another. Even Troi contemplates her career, a move the author did that made Deanna seem a tad bit more lively because she's not satisfied with just being a counselor anymore it seems.

This book delivers on the setup of the entire "A Time to..." concept and I would say it stands among the top Next Generation novels. It alludes to other books and series, has the characters really thinking about where they belong and having to make tough decisions about their lives. In my opinion, the best book so far in the "A Time to..." series. Don't miss the opportunity to read this one if you've been underwhelmed by the other books. Believe me, this book alludes to the fact that it's going to get a lot better and even more thrilling.