Rating: Summary: To think It all started with a computer game Review: A game called "Klingon". Which they also made into a Deep Space Nine series episode, tied in with a novelization. It was there we met the intriguing General Martok, the Klingon warrior hero who fought alongside Benjamin Sisko and his new ops officer Worf in Star Trek's first major war--the Dominion War. If anybody had told me decades before when I saw the Original Series episode "Errand Of Mercy" that a Klingon general would be an ally without abandoning the Klingon people, I would have laughed. But here was Martok, the quasi-adoptive older brother to gruff and growly but standup guy Worf. So now we knew that a Klingon could be a good sort without having been raised by Earth human foster parents. It was through these two men we learned that. They had never known each other before "Klingon", but it was as if they'd been raised together. Their paths have crossed since then and they've been a Klingon Dynamic Duo every time. Martok eventually adopted Worf into his newly-established House. And the House of Martok wages a battle of honor in this story that's as epic as something from Tolkien. We get to meet Sirella--"Mrs. Martok"--plus a woman from a dysfunctional relationship before he met Miss Right, a woman with a score to settle. We meet a Klingon Hitler who wants to restore the Empire to its former warlike "greatness". I guess it took the man who played Martok on TV to help write this book. Current events seem to have had an effect on this story, though. There's a Klingon home defense force with a name that sounds suspiciously like our own Homeland Security Department. There's a passage in here, though, that makes me wonder if there will still be Disney theme parks in the 24th Century. At one point Martok is traveling incognito and gives the name "Gorsh" to a voiceprint locking mechanism. Could it be the Klingon Norman Schwartzkopf came to Earth as a kid and met Goofy?
Rating: Summary: This book truly has the spirit of Kahless within it!! Review: Besides being part of the DS9 relaunch / 10th anniversary series, this book is also a must-read for anyone interested in Klingons. In fact, it's probably the most important Klingon story written to date. It had me singing songs of victory at the end (see TNG: Birthright or maybe DS9: Way of the Warrior)! I am truly sad to see it end, but hopefully there will be some more good books involving these characters on the way!
Rating: Summary: This book truly has the spirit of Kahless within it!! Review: Besides being part of the DS9 relaunch / 10th anniversary series, this book is also a must-read for anyone interested in Klingons. In fact, it's probably the most important Klingon story written to date. It had me singing songs of victory at the end (see TNG: Birthright or maybe DS9: Way of the Warrior)! I am truly sad to see it end, but hopefully there will be some more good books involving these characters on the way!
Rating: Summary: This should be the next movie. Review: I found the opening chapter of this book (a dream sequence) to be kind of slow. I put it down several times before I finally got through it. Once I did, I was glad I did, because the rest of the book was fantastic. I really enjoyed it. We've seen so much of the mythology of Bajor, it was kind of nice to see a more historical perspective on the Klingons. I enjoyed the Ferengi character, whose name escapes me at the moment, as well as a nice portrayal of Alexander. I had a hard time getting through the dream sequence at the opening of the book, but now that I've finished it, I can see that there was really no other way of setting up Martok's backstory. All in all, I thought it was in the top tier of relaunch books. One more thing, I like how this book played on themes that go back to Kahless and the Klingon civil war. It makes it seem like TNG and then DS9 have been building to this storyline. It would have made a great 2part episode.
Rating: Summary: J.Hertzler and Lang write the best Klingon book ever! Review: I have been looking forward to this book for over a year and it doesn't disappoint. I can't wait for part II to see the conclusion. It takes us into the mind of General Martok from Deep Space Nine. From his days as a lowly Klingon who scrubbed the decks to where he is today in the empire. As a reader and viewer of Deep Space Nine I have to say read this one. I hope there are many more Klingon books by Hertzler and Lang! The raw power and emotion comes off the page. The passion the Klingons have in their personality comes off the page. It's one of those stories you just can't put down! It makes me wonder why the producers of Star Trek don't bring back this series to television. There are hundreds of stories they could still get out of that cast of characters. With new people boarding and leaving the station that series should have lasted 10 seasons!
Rating: Summary: P.C. not Klingon Review: I like the Klingons and I was hoping this one by Martok himself would be slammin. But what spioled it for me was the P.C. stuff to sooth hacked off female klin about the status of Klingon women on the show. They're a Warrior race, so get over it! Most of the charactures seemed right on especially Martok. But the characture of Martok's wife Shrilla was off. In the show, the klingon wife is not a warrior. Remember the ep "House of Quark", she gets kicked out or killed when her husband dies, unless she marries his killer. So I for one did not think this was true to the show. Also the villian and her son, I guess Klingon Warriors are just wipt by their women? (NOT!) Klingon Warriors are a mix between Bikers and Vikings, not hen-pecked wimps! So all in all I would not say it's a real KLINGON story. "Kayless" was better. I am not interested in the second parter.
Rating: Summary: P.C. not Klingon Review: Is it the Klingons themselves who are boring? Or just novels about them? Though I enjoyed watching Hertzler's interpretation of Martok in the TV series DS9, I found his book tedious and never continued into the second book.Let's face it, although TV and novel scripters try to make Worf and Martok a bit different, Klingons are flat, comic-book Hulks who, in real life, probably would have killed each other off in the Stone Age and certainly wouldn't have achieved interstellar space flight (Romulans or no). Tales of Klingons involve one battle after another, each one as utterly boring as the battle at the end of STAR WARS 1977 that put me to sleep. Their social manners should be kept cooped up inside an insane asylum. They're not quite so boring as the faceless Borg or Jem'Hadar, but pretty close. Give me a complex Trill, Bajoran, or even a post-1991 Ferengi any day!
Rating: Summary: Are Klingons just plain boring? Review: Is it the Klingons themselves who are boring? Or just novels about them? Though I enjoyed watching Hertzler's interpretation of Martok in the TV series DS9, I found his book tedious and never continued into the second book. Let's face it, although TV and novel scripters try to make Worf and Martok a bit different, Klingons are flat, comic-book Hulks who, in real life, probably would have killed each other off in the Stone Age and certainly wouldn't have achieved interstellar space flight (Romulans or no). Tales of Klingons involve one battle after another, each one as utterly boring as the battle at the end of STAR WARS 1977 that put me to sleep. Their social manners should be kept cooped up inside an insane asylum. They're not quite so boring as the faceless Borg or Jem'Hadar, but pretty close. Give me a complex Trill, Bajoran, or even a post-1991 Ferengi any day!
Rating: Summary: Magnificent! Review: It is not often that a book or movie lives up to its hype, but the two-part epic, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine-The Left Hand of Destiny certainly does. J.G. Hertzler and Jeffrey Lang have produced a magnificent and mesmerizing heroic sage that immerses the reader in a timeless tale of revenge and obsession Klingon style. Mystic visions, destruction, mayhem, sacrifice, loyalty, honor and, of course, battles. Valiant but bloody battles filled with daring deeds and heart pounding action. Star Trek novels don't get much more satisfying or true to type than The Left Hand of Destiny--these are most definitely Klingons. Just days after the events of Deep Space Nine's final episode "What You Leave Behind", General Martok, now Chancellor, has returned to the Klingon homeworld to assume the leadership of the Klingon council, with Worf, newly appointed Federation ambassador, at his side. Uncomfortable with his new role, Martok is unsure of his welcome among the old established families that have long ruled the Empire. But no stretch of the imagination could prepare Martok, or the reader, for the events that unfold upon his arrival. Book one sets events in motion in spectacular fashion when, with one stroke, the mighty Klingon Empire is brought to its knees by Morjod, Martok's bastard son. But Morjod and his army of Hur'q (yep the Hur'q) are simply pawns in a dangerous game being played by Martok's former lover, the deranged and deadly Gothmara. The saying 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' is a bit of an understatement when applied to a Klingon. Pursued by Morjod and his followers, Martok and all those loyal to him are mercilessly hunted as the desperately seek answers to their numerous unanswered questions. Attempting to use Martok's own loyalties against him, Morjod's forces imprison Sirella, using her as bait to lure Martok to his own doom. The climactic rescue of Martok and Sirella from their own execution is, in itself, a deed worth of song. One of the best attributes of The Left Hand of Destiny is the large and diverse cast of characters. Both the heroes and villains are skillfully and superbly portrayed. Surprisingly one of the most interesting characters isn't even Klingon, but rather a Ferengi named Pharh, a refuse excavator who is drawn, at first reluctantly, into the fray. You can't help but admire this plucky little guy. Drawing on the Klingon mythos established in the various series and novels J.G. Hertzler and Jeffrey Lang masterfully manage to combine humor and action as they submerge the reader in Klingon culture. The tension filled plot builds continuously, the raw power and emotion of the prose literally leaps off the page. From the First City, to the Ketha lowlands, to the frozen wastes of Boreth, the attention to the small details that can make or break a story are obvious. Some of the images employed are clearly drawn from classic sources but they are used so perfectly in the story that it is easy to overlook and forgive. There are many moments in this tale that will linger in your mind long after you finish reading it. Even those who are not particularly Klingon fans should be able to appreciate the vividness of the writing style. Those that are strong Klingon fans will think they have died and gone to Sto-Vo-Kor. Qapla'!
Rating: Summary: Klinfans will like it! Review: It was with great anticipation but subdued expectations that I opened this book. From "Kahless" to the "Day of Honor" series, Pocket's occasional Klingon-themed novels have been largely disappointing. But "The Left Hand of Destiny" pleasantly surprised me! Not since "The Final Reflection" has there been such an impressive, truly KLINGON story, in which the reader actually feels immersed in that alien world. The authors were apparently permitted freer rein to develop the established Trek Klingon culture and characters for this dual-book series, even to the point of killing off one of them! Supporting characters from the TV series, such as Martok, the Kahless clone, and Alexander Rozhenko, get a chance to grow and shine. Federation favorites Worf and Ezri Dax get supporting roles, but also develop beyond their characterizations in canon. In my opinion the most favorably changed character is that of Martok's Mistress, Sirella. In her single DS9 appearance, Sirella was a petulant shrew who amused herself by inflicting passive-aggressive torment on her mate, whether by denying him her bed or "accidentally" allowing his favorite targh to escape. With little authority in Martok's House except over subordinate female members, she nagged her husband like a fishwife and bullied Jadzia Dax like a petty tinplated tyrant. She was seemingly lacking in Klingon honor (in attempting to impress Dax with her falsified "royal" pedigree), fighting-skill (in assaulting Dax with a knife and quickly finding herself disarmed and decked by the staggering-drunk Trill), or respect (in whining that Dax had attacked *her*)! But here, in "The Left Hand of Destiny", Sirella is transformed into a strong, even admirable character. In fact, the authors have taken extra care to imbue her with worthy traits. At first I found this departure from canonic continuity jarring, but I soon found myself appreciating this improved Sirella! Abducted from her guilded cage within the Chancellor's House, the Mistress emerges as a warrior in her own right. My gratitude to the authors for elevating the abysmal position of the Klingon Housewife! As Martok and his allies strike forth to rescue Sirella and avenge their fallen House, they swiftly realize they are embroiled in a heinous plot to conquer the entire Empire. And an epic saga unfolds which will take the heroes and the reader from the Imperial City to the Borath Monastery to the Cold of Space. Martok's challenge is as much an internal struggle with his own leadership capability as with his formidable foe. To prevail, he will need to trust in his sword arm, the power of Legend, and the aid of an ancient undefeated Goddess. I recommend purchasing this novel, together with its sequel, "The Left Hand of Destiny" Book Two. You won't want to wait overlong for the riveting conclusion.
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