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Honor Blade (Star Trek, No 96/Rihannsu Book 4)

Honor Blade (Star Trek, No 96/Rihannsu Book 4)

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Tired of seperated novels
Review: After having read reviews of several books that could have been a dynamite single novel and instead were seperated into multiple books for possible money making reasons by the publisher/author I have decided not to purchase any more Star Trek novels that end with "To Be Continued...." Anyone with similar thoughts please write to the publishing companies. Let them know we feel abuse, robbed and are tired of getting short stories when we pay for full length novels.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Love the story, but where's the rest of it?
Review: After re-reading MY ENEMY, MY ALLY and THE ROMULAN WAY (thus reminding myself once again why I consider Diane Duane the best writer of quality Trek fiction), I tore through SWORDHUNT and HONOR BLADE, only to be outraged (as so many of my fellow reviewers have been) by a "to be continued" at the end. Since the first two books were complete stories unto themselves, I had no reason to expect such a nasty shock. If I'd had any inkling that the story wasn't yet finished, I'd have waited before reading #3 and #4.

Where is the last third of this one, giant novel that's been so cynically sold in separate pieces, and when may we expect to see it in print?

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: So What's the Story?
Review: First of all, let me say that I whole-heartedly agree with the reviewers who say it's tacky what this publisher has done. To divide what is so obviously a single novel into two books like this is a blatant attempt to milk the reading public for all its worth. For shame! Diane Duane writes of how some Romulans have lost their sense of honor. It appears that some Terrans are guilty of the same thing.

I am now about three quarters of the way through "Honor Blade" --- having previously finished its surgically-separated siamese twin, "Swordhunt." Having gotten through 395 of a total of 449 pages of this "one-for-the-price-of-two" book, I find myself asking: So what's the story?!"

I enjoyed Duane's previous "Rihannsu" novels --- both of which could stand on their own, if you know what I mean. "My Enemy, My Ally" was great; and "The Romulan Way" was perhaps one of the best "Star Trek" novels I've read in years. So perhaps I was anticipating too much from the next novel in the series.

But come on! For 395 pages I have read about this monumental meeting between the Feds and the Romulans, expecting some grand event, wondering how it will all turn out ... and so far nothing has happened! Finally around page 350 --- I am, of course, numbering the pages as if this were one novel, as it should have been --- the two sides opened their first meeting session. Big deal! I'm still waiting for some real action. What is the point of this book?!

This is not the worst "Trek" novel I have ever read. I think Duane's writing and characters are keeping my attention. Give her a star for that. But as for plot ... it seems to have been enveloped in a cloaking device!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent series
Review: Honor Blade and Sword Hunt are really one story, and at that, the story isn't yet concluded. But it is an excellent story, perhaps the best Trek I have read in a while. The story, like others by Duane, is really about several people, not just Enterprise crew. The Romulan characters are examined just as closely as the humans. Character development is a key part of the enjoyment, but there is plenty of action too. While reading books #1 and #2 would be somewhat helpful, you can start with Sword Hunt and be able to follow it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: argh
Review: I really liked this book. I really wanted to like this book, and I did. It's got lots of great new characters, cameos by people we haven't seen in a while like Sam Cogley and Herb Tanzer, and the tension is slowly but surely ratcheting up. I want to see what happens next.

But.

But I am *outraged* that nowhere on the packaging is it indicated that this story is not finished. It's as if someone took a 600-page novel and simply separated it into several sections of equal length. "Swordhunt" ends in a completely random place, and "Honor Blade" has no sense of closure either. If you are writing an ongoing story, you at least have the responsibility to tell the reader so.

At $6.99 per volume (cover price), that's a lot of money to pay for a story without having the entire thing available. If Pocket decided to publish it in sections because they'd make more money by selling several smaller books than one big one, well, the joke's on them. I'm not buying the next one: I'll wait until it makes it to the library.

I hope to god Ms. Duane didn't have anything to do with this marketing decision because it's cheap, and I think she's a fine writer who knows better than to do this to her audience.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nice trip back
Review: I was really surprised and excited when I first read that Diane Duane was going back to writing about her version of Star Trek's Romulans. I was concerned that these latest 2 books would not be able to live up to the originals, and I was somewhat right. Both this book and the Rihannsu Book #3 that came out at the same time lack the same intensity and excitement of My Enemy, My Ally and The Romulan Way, a consequence I think of the even more rigorously serialized and formulaic design of Star Trek books in recent years. Nevertheless, this book is well written and interesting, and it is fun to find out what happens next. Most of the unique characters Duane created in her early Star Trek books return which makes the reading experience kind of like visiting with old friends. My biggest disappointment is that I still don't know how everything ends; apparently one or more books are still to come with the continuation of the story.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Warning To Readers
Review: I was very excited when I found out that Diane Duane wrote more of Ael's story. My Enemy, My Ally and The Romulan Way are two of my favorite Star Trek stories.

I was not thrilled that at the end of Honorblade it says To Be Continued. The story is unfinished with no promise by the publisher that there will be another book or when it will come out.

So for all those readers who hate an indefinite cliffhanger (and I am one of those people) wait until the next Rhiannsu book is published before you buy this one. You will save yourself alot of aggravation!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: GREAT BOOK! BUT WHERE'S THE ENDING?????
Review: If not for the "To be Continued" ending, this book would have been rated 5 stars! I loved this story as well as the other 3 on this same subject. But I can't believe that this was to be continued! Where is the rest of the story now? If I'd known that this last book was a continuation (without the follow up book even in the works yet!), I would never have purchased it!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: GREAT BOOK! BUT WHERE'S THE ENDING?????
Review: If not for the "To be Continued" ending, this book would have been rated 5 stars! I loved this story as well as the other 3 on this same subject. But I can't believe that this was to be continued! Where is the rest of the story now? If I'd known that this last book was a continuation (without the follow up book even in the works yet!), I would never have purchased it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A page-turner
Review: The first thought I had after completing this book was that it was a shame that TNG didn't follow this path for the Romulans instead of what we got that eventually became canon. This book (along with the rest of the Rhinannsu books) have created an interesting, complex and entertaining society that would have been far more entertaining that what we got in the series.

The second part of a longer story keeps the pieces of the puzzle going. The galaxy is at the brink of war and only a peace conference between the Romulans and the Federation might stop it. But there are plots within plots from all sides of the border and it looks as though war is inevitable. Duane makes the journey a fascinating one by giving us both sides of the potential conflict. And we also see a bit of interesting perspective on Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise (that Starfleet considers anytime they do something spectacular to pull the fat out of the fire as an ordinary day at the office is a nice touch). The events make the pages fly by and, honestly, make this book end just a bit too soon. I am beginning to hate the words "To Be Continued" at the end of a Pocket series of Trek books. First Peter David's superb New Frontier books keep me hanging and now Ms. Duane has done it again. Unfortunately, there is no timetable on which the next segment of this series will appear. I can only cross my fingers and hope that it's soon.


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