Rating: 
Summary: Another Winner
Review: David George's Serpents Among the Ruins is everything a novel should be. It has a great plot, excellent characters and an attention to detail that is missing in many otherwise fine books. The story holds ones attention from the beginning to end. We see a greatly matured John Harriman who isnt afraid to make hard decisions when necessary. In this novel we see the events of the Tomed Incident. There is little I can say that can add to Jackie Bundy's excellent review which is right on the money. This novel is a must read.
Rating: 
Summary: A history lesson
Review: David R George III takes a Star Trek novel and pushes it into the real world. I enjoyed this book because it reminds me of many plots in Deep Space 9. It shows a Federation that is not perfect. A Starfleet willing to deceive. A captain willing to take big risks.This novel and I fought from the first page. The first 120 pages were slow and a struggle to read. I even put the book down twice to pick up another one. Finally pushing through the initial introduction, I spent the next two nights hunting for time to finish the adventure. This is a novel readers are going to hate or are going to love. Its plot pushes the world of Star Trek into questionable actions and develops characters that stretch beyond the pages of the book. The part of me that trust the "goodness" of the Federation struggled with this book but the part of me understands the world is full of grays and not just black and white enjoyed the it. This was a novel about characters. The good and the bad of the characters. The moral and duty of the characters. The internal turmoil of the characters. Even in the end, the resolution felt almost contrived but absolutely honest to the characters themselves.
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't have Kirk? And it's good?
Review: David R. George III hasn't been the most prolific Star Trek writer, but he has been one of the most effective recently. With two wonderful Deep Space Nine books to his credit (Mission Gamma: Twilight and co-authorship with Armin Shimmerman of The 34th Rule), he has rapidly become somebody who I *must* check out when I see his name on a Trek book. In Serpents Among the Ruins, part of the Lost Era series of Trek books, George does yet another great job, this time rehabilitating the character of Captain John Harriman, captain of the Enterprise B (seen in the movie Star Trek: Generations). In the movie, he's kind of an inexperienced dweeb, lessened in order to make Captain Kirk seem that much greater. George obviously wanted to do something about that, and he's created a book with wonderful characters and a tense atmosphere.
This story pretty much has everything a Trek fan could want: Klingons & Romulans, interesting Federation characters (including Demora Sulu, our favourite Sulu's daughter), tension, a little bit of humour, and a huge action sequence. It also provides us with an early look at Elias Vaughn, who later (in the Deep Space Nine relaunch series) becomes first officer of the station. Having become very familiar with Vaughn from the Deep Space Nine series, it was interesting to see how he started out. How much has he changed? This is his first field mission for Starfleet Intelligence, so we do get a lot of nervousness and a little bit of angst when something happens that he's never done before. While I did find the angst a little annoying at times (while realistic, I thought the book dwelled on it just a bit much), Vaughn is an interesting character who we want to learn a lot more about.
The most impressive thing about the book, however, is Harriman. As I said, the only exposure to Harriman that most of us have received is in Generations, and it's not a good one. There is also Peter David's The Captain's Daughter, but I read that so long ago that I have no idea how he was characterized in it. It's now eighteen years later, and Harriman has become a very skilled commander, well-loved by his crew and respected by Starfleet admirals (except his father, which really becomes an issue in the book). He's also extremely interesting to read about. At times, his introspection goes on a bit too long, but most of the time it's very enjoyable to get inside his thought processes.
The rest of the characterization is done extremely well too. Sulu is Harriman's first officer (she was just a new helmsman in the movie, but she became first officer about ten years ago) and we get a lot of insight on her, as well as some on her relationship with her father (in hindsight, though, as Sulu does not appear in the book). When she has to take over the ship, she shows that she's ready for a command as well. The Romulans are distinct and very intriguing, and the Klingon political intrigue is extremely well-done, though sometimes the Klingon politics doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the book. This may lead into the next Lost Era book, which deals with the Klingons and Cardassians a few years in the future, so it's not a major point. Even the rest of the bridge crew for Enterprise have enough character hooks to make them interesting, even if they aren't truly three-dimensional. All the way around, characterization is one of George's strong points.
The other strength is the way the book is written. The chapters are a countdown to the incident itself, adding to the tension and making the reader want to keep going. The prose is extremely good for a Trek novel, bringing the reader deeper into the story with every page (and you have to keep turning that page). George handles both the quiet moments and the inevitable action sequences with equal aplomb. The last hundred pages are pulse-pounding, as Harriman's plan comes to fruition but obstacle after obstacle seems to keep getting in the way. I had to stop for breath when I finally reached the end of this section, it had me that riveted. Finally, I have to give him credit for painting a bullseye on the forehead of a character and then *not* killing him/her off! In fact, George does the exact opposite. Bravo!
The only problem with this book is that there is some repetition of little plot details that isn't really necessary. I know this happened a few times, but the most prominent is the condition that befalls Ensign Fenn. George has Sulu tell us about it in her thoughts at least twice, both times in great detail. There are other times where George does the same thing with information, compelling me to say to myself "we already know this, can we move on?" While this could be seen to emphasize how important something is, Fenn's condition doesn't really affect the plot much (which also indicates that the subplot could have been cut). It became a bit annoying at times, but I was quickly engulfed in the story once again and forgot about it.
Serpents Among the Ruins makes use of a lot of Trek history, which could be a good thing considering there are none of our "favourite" characters in it. Thankfully, George doesn't hit us over the head with continuity explanations. Instead, he gives us a solid tale that you will want to race through to see what happens next, but at the same time you'll want to read it slowly so you can savour it. Personally, I raced. I can't help it. It was that good.
David Roy
Rating:
Summary: The Best in "The Lost Era" Star Trek series
Review: David R. George III is unquestionably, along with Diane Duane and Peter David, among the best writers working in the "Star Trek" universe today. "Serpents Among The Ruins" is a spellbinding account of the events which led to the infamous "Tomed Incident" between the Romulans and the United Federation of Planets. Not surprisingly caught in the middle of escalating tensions between both powers is the Federation flagship USS Enterprise, NCC 1701-B, commanded by Captain John J. Harriman, Jr. with Hikaru Sulu's daughter Demora, as his Exec. Harriman goes on a desperate undercover mission which will involve Starfleet Intelligence officer Lieutenant Elias Vaughn, seeking to stop an insane Romulan admiral. We are also witness to the signing of the Treaty of Algernon, which reaffirms the existence of the Neutral Zones between the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation and Klingon Empires. There is ample political intrigue on Romulus and the Klingon homeworld which will satisfy diehard fans familiar with the politics of both interstellar empires. Without question, this was an enjoyable read and a worthy addition to "Star Trek" fiction.
Rating:
Summary: The Best in "The Lost Era" Star Trek series
Review: David R. George III is unquestionably, along with Diane Duane and Peter David, among the best writers working in the "Star Trek" universe today. "Serpents Among The Ruins" is a spellbinding account of the events which led to the infamous "Tomed Incident" between the Romulans and the United Federation of Planets. Not surprisingly caught in the middle of escalating tensions between both powers is the Federation flagship USS Enterprise, NCC 1701-B, commanded by Captain John J. Harriman, Jr. with Hikaru Sulu's daughter Demora, as his Exec. Harriman goes on a desperate undercover mission which will involve Starfleet Intelligence officer Lieutenant Elias Vaughn, seeking to stop an insane Romulan admiral. We are also witness to the signing of the Treaty of Algernon, which reaffirms the existence of the Neutral Zones between the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation and Klingon Empires. There is ample political intrigue on Romulus and the Klingon homeworld which will satisfy diehard fans familiar with the politics of both interstellar empires. Without question, this was an enjoyable read and a worthy addition to "Star Trek" fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Another spectacular work from DRG3
Review: David R. George III proves once again that he is one of the finest, if not THE finest, of the Star Trek novelists. In "Serpents Among the Ruins," he crafts a story that is surprising, clever, and delivers the unexpected. The characters populating the Enterprise-B, from Captain Harriman, to Demora Sulu, to the rest of this new crew, are interesting and well written. I'd love to see another novel set aboard the ship (either before or after this story). In addition, the Klingon and Romulan characters are also fascinating, each one different from the next. Combine that with a tale that raises moral questions, provides powerful action, and makes full use of the Trek universe, and you've got what this is: hands down, the best Trek novel of the year.
Rating:
Summary: Another spectacular work from DRG3
Review: David R. George III proves once again that he is one of the finest, if not THE finest, of the Star Trek novelists. In "Serpents Among the Ruins," he crafts a story that is surprising, clever, and delivers the unexpected. The characters populating the Enterprise-B, from Captain Harriman, to Demora Sulu, to the rest of this new crew, are interesting and well written. I'd love to see another novel set aboard the ship (either before or after this story). In addition, the Klingon and Romulan characters are also fascinating, each one different from the next. Combine that with a tale that raises moral questions, provides powerful action, and makes full use of the Trek universe, and you've got what this is: hands down, the best Trek novel of the year.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Trek novels I've read!
Review: George has crafted a great neo-Cold War thriller in this book, and has additionally truly created the characters of Demora Sulu and John Harriman after their bit parts in "Generations." He even salvages their one-dimensional treatment from the dreadful "Captain's Daughter" and incorporates the events of that novel into this denser, more mature work. This is a dark ride--fittingly so as it portrays the Federation at a crucial juncture in its history. Not yet having solidified an alliance with the Klingons, and still existing in an uneasy peace with the Romulans, the book is shot through with a palpable feeling of dread, which is compounded by the fact that, without any of the regular Trek cast members, these characters might not necessarily live to end the of the novel. George isn't the most polished writer, but he is thorough and sophisticated in his handling of characters, events, and circumstances. He doesn't hand us another space opera comic-book adventure, but a genuinely tense, pulse-pounding story with real characters agonizing over tough choices with grave consequences for the galaxy. This is a great read!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Trek novels I've read!
Review: George has crafted a great neo-Cold War thriller in this book, and has additionally truly created the characters of Demora Sulu and John Harriman after their bit parts in "Generations." He even salvages their one-dimensional treatment from the dreadful "Captain's Daughter" and incorporates the events of that novel into this denser, more mature work. This is a dark ride--fittingly so as it portrays the Federation at a crucial juncture in its history. Not yet having solidified an alliance with the Klingons, and still existing in an uneasy peace with the Romulans, the book is shot through with a palpable feeling of dread, which is compounded by the fact that, without any of the regular Trek cast members, these characters might not necessarily live to end the of the novel. George isn't the most polished writer, but he is thorough and sophisticated in his handling of characters, events, and circumstances. He doesn't hand us another space opera comic-book adventure, but a genuinely tense, pulse-pounding story with real characters agonizing over tough choices with grave consequences for the galaxy. This is a great read!
Rating:
Summary: Must Read
Review: Good story line with interesting characters. A fast moving easy reading book for anyone who enjoys a strong, quick paced tale. Well worth reading and well worth reading a second time to feast on the actual writing. This is a book that keeps you reading and turning the page. No boring interludes just face paced action. An interesting story with unexpected twists.
|
