Rating: 
Summary: Diane "Betty Sue" Carey Strikes again...
Review: Mark Twain once described Richard Wagner's music as being "better than it sounds." This sentiment sums up my feelings of Diane Carey's Trek novels.
When one picks up a Star Trek novel by Diane Carey, one may be assured of two comforting elements: 1) Captain Kirk (and, by association, the rest of the TOS crew) will be treated by other characters as the bravest, strongest, noblest, handsomest, simply the ginchiest anyone has ever seen; and 2) Ms. Carey's knowledge and experience of nautical and naval traditions will be lathered over the story at every opportunity in a manner almost of reminiscent of Irving Wallace, who would do extensive research of his subject and then have a character simply mouth paragraph after paragraph of expository paraphrasing, almost completely divorced from the context of the plot. Ms. Carey's last two efforts evince these traits exceptionally well. In "Ship Of The Line," she has Captain Morgan Bateson speak in nineteenth-century sailing lingo, while in "Red Sector," her protagonist has a case of hero-worship on Spock that borders on the homoerotic.
Ms. Carey's latest effort, "Wagon Train To The Stars," is classic Carey. Both the above elements are present in full force. A supporting character -- the captain of a privateer vessel in the aforementioned "wagon train," early on rebels against taking orders from Kirk, saying "there's only one man in a hundred thousand worth following" (or words to that effect). Then, after several amazingly heroic, courageous and daring feats, the privateer places himself fully at Kirk's disposal, repeating his earlier statement.
... She has to show the reader just how heroic, how wonderful the TOS characters are. I can't imagine her Kirk with the humor shown in "The Trouble With Tribbles" or "How Much For Just The Planet?", the self-doubt of "Balance Of Terror" and "Obsession," or the fallability of "Operation -- Annihiliate!" and "Errand Of Mercy." I'll continue to read the New Earth books. Once again, Carey (this time with John Ordover) have concocted a brilliant plot, and so far it's a pretty good story. It's just that her actual words never quite live up to the story's promise.
Rating: 
Summary: ST #89 Wagon Train to the Stars - Poor balance and pacing!
Review: Star Trek #89 "Wagon Train to the Stars" is the first book in the New Earth series. The concept behind this six book series is Captain Kirk, who, after the events depicted in "Star Trek The Motion Picture" has given up his Admiral's rank to Captain the Enterprise as she leads an "armada" of over sixty thousand would be colonists who are on their way to Belle Terre to begin a new life. At the core of this concept is a very solid and interesting premise. To see the stalwart hero of Star Trek leading an enormous group of civilians who don't exactly have to bide by the rules of Starfleet on an extraordinarily long trek (pun intended) through space, out of Federation space, into the unknown to settle a tame but raw M (Munshara) class planet and begin a new life. The colonists and their governor, Evan Pardonnet is seeking to not only start a new colony, but they also wish to be almost entirely independent from the Federation. With that very basic concept laid out, concept creator and author Diane Carey leads off this series of books with "A Wagon Train to the Stars." From the beginning I found this concept to have been an interesting one and was looking forward to getting to these books, despite the generally lackluster reviews and ratings for the majority of the books in this series; wishing to judge for myself upon reading them. If time devoted to reading a particular book is any indicator of how well a book was written, this novel doesn't score too well because I found that I just couldn't relate to it very well based on its pacing. I've been reading Star Trek fiction for years now and I'm not normally one to critique Star Trek novels too harshly based on continuity and pacing problems generally because the majority of the novels are just entertaining and quick reads that equivocate to a good Star Trek "fix," if you will. I found "A Wagon Train to the Stars" to be a contradiction to many of Diane Carey's past stories in that at times, it seemed to be disjointed or more or less she would just skip over certain parts that needed to be there, assuming that the reader was still with her. I don't know if this was spawned from her original manuscript or poor editing on the part of the publisher. I've found that many Star Trek fiction readers have complained of Diane Carey's adding her extensive knowledge of naval terminology into the twenty third and twenty fourth century terminology of Starfleet to be distracting. I don't particularly agree with this point of view; while such terminology is not canon to the series, it just gives her novels a distinct flavor all her own and I've found it to be interesting. The cover art for this first book in the New Earth series can be counted among the best in the Star Trek fiction genre. It is certainly very rare indeed that this much effort is put into one of these covers. The premise: I've already covered the "basic" premise to this first novel in the series. Along with that, Captain Kirk finds himself, leading this armada of colony ships to Belle Terre, but along the way he finds that he must deal with a criminal named Billy Maidenshore who he'd personally arrested not too long before this mission began. Somehow, Maidenshore worked the legal system and didn't stay behind bars very long and has worked his way into to this colony and has sworn to cause as many problems for Captain Kirk and company as he can. Combining that aspect and the general problems that Captain Kirk finds himself dealing with as the "imposed" leader of this expedition and the sixty thousand plus colonists makes for some interesting but not well executed plot between himself and several different leading characters. He soon finds that he must find a way to earn the trust and confidence of these colonists in order to more efficiently lead this colony on its trip or they will most certainly fail and perish. The one saving grace for this novel is the extremely well executed conclusion to it, where Diane Carey pulled some of her better writing abilities out of the proverbial hat and put it on the page, so to speak! In conclusion, being a devout Star Trek fiction reader, I'd recommend this novel as it is the first in the series and gives the basics for the rest of the books, I would have to say that this is not the best novel Diane Carey has put on the shelves, but it is most certainly not the worst in the world of Star Trek fiction. If this is or was the first Diane Carey Star Trek novel you've read or are reading, I implore you not to take the position that this is what all of her novels are like. The good majority of her novels can be categorized as among the best in Star Trek fiction that are completely enjoyable reads. {ssintrepid}
Rating:
Summary: ST #89 Wagon Train to the Stars - Poor balance and pacing!
Review: Star Trek #89 "Wagon Train to the Stars" is the first book in the New Earth series. The concept behind this six book series is Captain Kirk, who, after the events depicted in "Star Trek The Motion Picture" has given up his Admiral's rank to Captain the Enterprise as she leads an "armada" of over sixty thousand would be colonists who are on their way to Belle Terre to begin a new life. At the core of this concept is a very solid and interesting premise. To see the stalwart hero of Star Trek leading an enormous group of civilians who don't exactly have to bide by the rules of Starfleet on an extraordinarily long trek (pun intended) through space, out of Federation space, into the unknown to settle a tame but raw M (Munshara) class planet and begin a new life. The colonists and their governor, Evan Pardonnet is seeking to not only start a new colony, but they also wish to be almost entirely independent from the Federation. With that very basic concept laid out, concept creator and author Diane Carey leads off this series of books with "A Wagon Train to the Stars." From the beginning I found this concept to have been an interesting one and was looking forward to getting to these books, despite the generally lackluster reviews and ratings for the majority of the books in this series; wishing to judge for myself upon reading them. If time devoted to reading a particular book is any indicator of how well a book was written, this novel doesn't score too well because I found that I just couldn't relate to it very well based on its pacing. I've been reading Star Trek fiction for years now and I'm not normally one to critique Star Trek novels too harshly based on continuity and pacing problems generally because the majority of the novels are just entertaining and quick reads that equivocate to a good Star Trek "fix," if you will. I found "A Wagon Train to the Stars" to be a contradiction to many of Diane Carey's past stories in that at times, it seemed to be disjointed or more or less she would just skip over certain parts that needed to be there, assuming that the reader was still with her. I don't know if this was spawned from her original manuscript or poor editing on the part of the publisher. I've found that many Star Trek fiction readers have complained of Diane Carey's adding her extensive knowledge of naval terminology into the twenty third and twenty fourth century terminology of Starfleet to be distracting. I don't particularly agree with this point of view; while such terminology is not canon to the series, it just gives her novels a distinct flavor all her own and I've found it to be interesting. The cover art for this first book in the New Earth series can be counted among the best in the Star Trek fiction genre. It is certainly very rare indeed that this much effort is put into one of these covers. The premise: I've already covered the "basic" premise to this first novel in the series. Along with that, Captain Kirk finds himself, leading this armada of colony ships to Belle Terre, but along the way he finds that he must deal with a criminal named Billy Maidenshore who he'd personally arrested not too long before this mission began. Somehow, Maidenshore worked the legal system and didn't stay behind bars very long and has worked his way into to this colony and has sworn to cause as many problems for Captain Kirk and company as he can. Combining that aspect and the general problems that Captain Kirk finds himself dealing with as the "imposed" leader of this expedition and the sixty thousand plus colonists makes for some interesting but not well executed plot between himself and several different leading characters. He soon finds that he must find a way to earn the trust and confidence of these colonists in order to more efficiently lead this colony on its trip or they will most certainly fail and perish. The one saving grace for this novel is the extremely well executed conclusion to it, where Diane Carey pulled some of her better writing abilities out of the proverbial hat and put it on the page, so to speak! In conclusion, being a devout Star Trek fiction reader, I'd recommend this novel as it is the first in the series and gives the basics for the rest of the books, I would have to say that this is not the best novel Diane Carey has put on the shelves, but it is most certainly not the worst in the world of Star Trek fiction. If this is or was the first Diane Carey Star Trek novel you've read or are reading, I implore you not to take the position that this is what all of her novels are like. The good majority of her novels can be categorized as among the best in Star Trek fiction that are completely enjoyable reads. {ssintrepid}
Rating:
Summary: ST #89 Wagon Train to the Stars - Poor balance and pacing!
Review: Star Trek #89 "Wagon Train to the Stars" is the first book in the New Earth series. The concept behind this six book series is Captain Kirk, who, after the events depicted in "Star Trek The Motion Picture" has given up his Admiral's rank to Captain the Enterprise as she leads an "armada" of over sixty thousand would be colonists who are on their way to Belle Terre to begin a new life. At the core of this concept is a very solid and interesting premise. To see the stalwart hero of Star Trek leading an enormous group of civilians who don't exactly have to bide by the rules of Starfleet on an extraordinarily long trek (pun intended) through space, out of Federation space, into the unknown to settle a tame but raw M (Munshara) class planet and begin a new life. The colonists and their governor, Evan Pardonnet is seeking to not only start a new colony, but they also wish to be almost entirely independent from the Federation. With that very basic concept laid out, concept creator and author Diane Carey leads off this series of books with "A Wagon Train to the Stars." From the beginning I found this concept to have been an interesting one and was looking forward to getting to these books, despite the generally lackluster reviews and ratings for the majority of the books in this series; wishing to judge for myself upon reading them. If time devoted to reading a particular book is any indicator of how well a book was written, this novel doesn't score too well because I found that I just couldn't relate to it very well based on its pacing. I've been reading Star Trek fiction for years now and I'm not normally one to critique Star Trek novels too harshly based on continuity and pacing problems generally because the majority of the novels are just entertaining and quick reads that equivocate to a good Star Trek "fix," if you will. I found "A Wagon Train to the Stars" to be a contradiction to many of Diane Carey's past stories in that at times, it seemed to be disjointed or more or less she would just skip over certain parts that needed to be there, assuming that the reader was still with her. I don't know if this was spawned from her original manuscript or poor editing on the part of the publisher. I've found that many Star Trek fiction readers have complained of Diane Carey's adding her extensive knowledge of naval terminology into the twenty third and twenty fourth century terminology of Starfleet to be distracting. I don't particularly agree with this point of view; while such terminology is not canon to the series, it just gives her novels a distinct flavor all her own and I've found it to be interesting. The cover art for this first book in the New Earth series can be counted among the best in the Star Trek fiction genre. It is certainly very rare indeed that this much effort is put into one of these covers. The premise: I've already covered the "basic" premise to this first novel in the series. Along with that, Captain Kirk finds himself, leading this armada of colony ships to Belle Terre, but along the way he finds that he must deal with a criminal named Billy Maidenshore who he'd personally arrested not too long before this mission began. Somehow, Maidenshore worked the legal system and didn't stay behind bars very long and has worked his way into to this colony and has sworn to cause as many problems for Captain Kirk and company as he can. Combining that aspect and the general problems that Captain Kirk finds himself dealing with as the "imposed" leader of this expedition and the sixty thousand plus colonists makes for some interesting but not well executed plot between himself and several different leading characters. He soon finds that he must find a way to earn the trust and confidence of these colonists in order to more efficiently lead this colony on its trip or they will most certainly fail and perish. The one saving grace for this novel is the extremely well executed conclusion to it, where Diane Carey pulled some of her better writing abilities out of the proverbial hat and put it on the page, so to speak! In conclusion, being a devout Star Trek fiction reader, I'd recommend this novel as it is the first in the series and gives the basics for the rest of the books, I would have to say that this is not the best novel Diane Carey has put on the shelves, but it is most certainly not the worst in the world of Star Trek fiction. If this is or was the first Diane Carey Star Trek novel you've read or are reading, I implore you not to take the position that this is what all of her novels are like. The good majority of her novels can be categorized as among the best in Star Trek fiction that are completely enjoyable reads. {ssintrepid}
Rating: 
Summary: Good concept, nice plot, well woven
Review: This book is a solid start to a series with a promising premise. The early going uses a standard plotline: unknown characters in unexplained situations performing waht is natural to them, and it is only through the course of the book that the meanings of those acts become understood. Meanwhile, those unknown characers eventually interact with Kirk & Co., only this time the "Co." numbers in the thousands. Why it took until not to take Gene Roddenberry's "Wagon Train to the Stars" concept literally is beyond be, but the opening bolley in this series carries it out quite well, and sets up plenty of future story lines. The plot twists are well thought out without being telegraphed, the characters are not out of character, and the results give the reader the satisfaction of hearing a story well told.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic!! Jim Kirk's past guides his future!
Review: This book was an excellent escape from the usual Star Trek formula, giving us a look at young Jim Kirk. Though the entire novel is not set in the Captain's youth, it does add spice to the story as the setting jumps back and forth through time and sets up the ending perfectly. I loved this one, and recommend it to anyone who loves the original series. (This review is for BEST DESTINY, not the book listed above. I don't know how my review ended up in this book's page, but I've never read it.)
Rating:
Summary: loved every chapter
Review: this is a brilliant book,they just keep coming up with good enterprise stories and prove again that there is nothing this crew cannot acomplish,the other side of the coin comes from all the other characters who do not always agree with kirks decision,plenty of room for conflict and action
Rating:
Summary: A Promising Start For The Series
Review: This is a rather good book, taking into account it's the first of a series of six. It introduces all the characters that will play important parts in the following books and builds up the background in which the series will be set. I agree with some other reviewers that some TOS characters are not well used, but that will change as the series develops. Start with this one and keep on reading, exciting things are waiting for you!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Slightly Below Average for a Star Trek Book
Review: This is the first book of a series, featuring a premise that has a lot of promise. Capt. James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise are assigned to lead a group of colonists on a long, perilous journey to another world. The major flaws of the book is characterization. The charactors from the original series all seem a little "off." The book seems to focus on Capt. Kirk, while paying little attention to most of the rest of the crew. Nothing really stands out with the new characters introduced in the book - you don't really feel particularily motivated to care about most of them. They also took the wagon train to the stars concept a wee bit too far. Having a class of shipes called "conestoga" with "mule engines" just seemed a little jarring. Overall, I would consider the start of this "New Earth" series to be disappointing. The recent DS9 Millenium Series was far, far better - and even the next generation Double Helix series started out better then this one. We can only hope they get better with the next book (and I am usually a fan of Diane Carey's work).
Rating:
Summary: An ok book
Review: this was an ok book but I felt that it focused a lot on just Kirk and what he has to deal with in his career. there were good plots though the character of Billy Madenshore seems to be a bit uncharacteristic for this book and seems to be unreal towards the reader. Though the book was lengthy and did go into details to strat off theseries. Though I am dissapointred that this is the series event for the summer regarding the star trek series and it in only going to focus on the original series.
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