Rating: 
Summary: apparently the copy editor was sick that day...
Review: "Doors into chaos" is right, but I don't think I'm thinking what they were thinking.It gets three stars for being an OK story, but the grammar was so messy, so often, that I kept getting lost. I know about myself that I am a little picky about this sort of thing, so I try to forgive the first few typos and other similar errors I see in any given book, but this was a mess. There were run-on sentences I wouldn't have gotten away with in the sixth grade, sentence fragments that didn't even make sense, and commas run amok. Yow. It was so irritating I even stopped reading the story in the middle to email the publisher to complain, and it's not all that often I willingly put down a book midway. So. If you are willing to tolerate these errors (or wait til they get around to fixing them in another printing, perhaps?), it's a decent story, and it does start to make sense of the set of books, between which I had previously not seen the relationship, and it does have the advantage of being a Star Trek book. Your call.
Rating: 
Summary: This man knows Trek.
Review: Anyone who's pooh-poohing the "Gateways" series just ain't paying attention! This is the best so far, and I'm not quick to give out the kudos for series. In fact, for the most part, I hate 'em - but Gateways grabbed me, and Robert's TNG installment is simply a fabulous cog on a great big wonderful wheel. I'll admit I was lost at first as to what the heck was going on, but once I understood that different races had already been approached by the, uh, Iconians, about purchasing the gateways tech, I immediately understood the reason why Picard and his mighty ship was summoned to the task of organizing everyone into a united front to meet with the Iconians. What follows is not quite united but certainly surprising, and full of enough references to just about everything TNG Trek that's gone before to cause me to rush to my tapes! Robert Greenberger is just plain amazing in this capacity, and I'm betting he had it all in his own little head. Add to that Troi's successful stint as captain and loads of Riker/Troi not-so-subtext, and you've got what amounts to - not to put too fine a point on it - a GREAT read. And yup, this one ends with a go-through-the-gateway cliffhanger set to finish in Book Seven of the series, "What Lay Beyond." And who else goes through but our great Iconian master, Jean-Luc Picard. Much, much too much fun.
Rating:
Summary: This man knows Trek.
Review: Anyone who's pooh-poohing the "Gateways" series just ain't paying attention! This is the best so far, and I'm not quick to give out the kudos for series. In fact, for the most part, I hate 'em - but Gateways grabbed me, and Robert's TNG installment is simply a fabulous cog on a great big wonderful wheel. I'll admit I was lost at first as to what the heck was going on, but once I understood that different races had already been approached by the, uh, Iconians, about purchasing the gateways tech, I immediately understood the reason why Picard and his mighty ship was summoned to the task of organizing everyone into a united front to meet with the Iconians. What follows is not quite united but certainly surprising, and full of enough references to just about everything TNG Trek that's gone before to cause me to rush to my tapes! Robert Greenberger is just plain amazing in this capacity, and I'm betting he had it all in his own little head. Add to that Troi's successful stint as captain and loads of Riker/Troi not-so-subtext, and you've got what amounts to - not to put too fine a point on it - a GREAT read. And yup, this one ends with a go-through-the-gateway cliffhanger set to finish in Book Seven of the series, "What Lay Beyond." And who else goes through but our great Iconian master, Jean-Luc Picard. Much, much too much fun.
Rating:
Summary: Best in the series so far
Review: As my review title suggest this one for me was the best so far. But book 4 is turning out to be just as good and maybe even better. I have to finish to be sure. Book one and especially two were major disappointments. Two was confusing!!! I know most people haven't rated this book well but the story was to me a lot easier to follow compared to book 2 and the characters much more realistic to the Star Trek universe.
There are many references to past episodes even to other Trek books that blend in wonderfully. The story helps advance major story lines that belong to other series too. I also enjoyed the many species that are involved and for me well written. It was great to read this book and reminded me why I like TNG so much.
Rating: 
Summary: A series again?
Review: I have to agree that this trend toward series of books going through all the "Treks" is annoying. I have tended to not buy them even though I have a huge Star Trek book collection. I am a ST:TNG fan and do not enjoy reading the other series books as much. It seems like the publisher is trying to force me to read them in order to make sense of any single title.
I understand the marketing strategies here but I wish there were more stand alone titles in any single Trek series. Making me wait 6-8 months for a new title leaves me looking for other types of reading material and not Trek.
This book is okay but is a little to confusing for most of us. I recommend skipping it and waiting for a book you can sink your teeth into without 6 other for backround material.
Rating: 
Summary: There's Something about TNG
Review: I've read the TNG, DS9, New Frontier, and Voyager Gateways books as well as the corresponding portions of the 7th book. And of those the TNG book is easily the best of the series. Yes it does start out a tad slow, but to me this building of the story is what makes it so great. The author goes out of his way to make sure you completely understand the seriousness of the gateway situation. I also enjoyed the fact that this one had several different things happening all at once with the crew basically split up to accomplish the goal. In addition I liked the nod to Voyager with the Nyrians that were lost in the Alpha Quadrant. The purpose for my title "There's Something About TNG" is that when it comes to book series that span them all TNG seems to get the best stories. I also enjoyed TNG's Section 31 book the best of the Section 31 series.
Rating:
Summary: There's Something about TNG
Review: I've read the TNG, DS9, New Frontier, and Voyager Gateways books as well as the corresponding portions of the 7th book. And of those the TNG book is easily the best of the series. Yes it does start out a tad slow, but to me this building of the story is what makes it so great. The author goes out of his way to make sure you completely understand the seriousness of the gateway situation. I also enjoyed the fact that this one had several different things happening all at once with the crew basically split up to accomplish the goal. In addition I liked the nod to Voyager with the Nyrians that were lost in the Alpha Quadrant. The purpose for my title "There's Something About TNG" is that when it comes to book series that span them all TNG seems to get the best stories. I also enjoyed TNG's Section 31 book the best of the Section 31 series.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not sure I like Star Trek's "miniseries" kick
Review: If you narrow it down to just the two mass market paperbacks each month in the Trek series, what percentage of them are one book/ one story? Not many, I'm afraid--this seven-book cycle will turn out to be more than 1/4 of the annual GSTP (Gross Star Trek Product), and that's not counting other multi-book series within the Trek universe this year. It's a tendency towards grandiosity that's a step away from the old fashioned "space opera" format that made Trek the 35-year phenomenon which transcended the vast wasteland of TV where it has its roots--where boredom operates at tachyon speed. Okay, this book has a lot of the aspects that made TNG a success. Like Picard doing his usual thing of gaining the respect of cultures who think the Ferderation is otherwise populated by wusses. This trait in Picard makes him (don't you dare call me disloyal to Kirk!) the best skipper any Enterprise has ever had. We get to see Troi successfully command a ship in battle--being that I'm an admirer of hers, I like to see this strong but delightfully feminine woman get to prove she's more than just a shrink. And I get a kick out of watching her daddy's girl/ doting papa relationship with Picard. Worf shines here as a Federation statesman worthy of a Kissinger or Lodge--I like seeing him as more than just a skillful pair of hands with the bat'leth. But this whole idea of (blaring trumpet fanfare) "major sagas" is not what Star Trek is all about--why not leave that to descendants of Frank Herbert? Followers of Herbert and other "highbrow" SF have always sneered at Trek as being lightweight. Fine--I think of them as elitists and pseudo-intellectuals, got that? I've been a member of the Trek fanbase for all 35 years it's been around--why don't the people back in the real-life Trek Aitch-Cue listen to us like they used to. No more huge sagas! No more huge sagas! No more huge sagas! Or at least fewer of them, okay?
Rating:
Summary: Slow Start and Only Average Finish
Review: Of the five I've read (excluding Challenger), this was the most disappointing Gateways book. I am a huge TNG fan, but this book was very slow.
I enjoyed Troi as Captain, but that was about it. And the crew of her ship had some personality.
This book and the Deep Space 9 version, were the most integrated of the Gateways series. Between the two, most of the Gateways story is told, prior to the conclusion in book 7 and you will definitely want to read the conclusion. If you like a series, read these two for sure. You may not need to read Voyager, or New Frontier. If you don't like a series, these are the two to avoid. See my review on the others.
Rating:
Summary: Doors into Chaos
Review: The Iconians have returned, offering to sell their technology to the Federation & proving their sincerity by reactivating long-abandoned Gateways...and Captain Picard must contend with the ensuing chaos even as their sinister motivations are revealed.
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