Rating: 
Summary: Nice finale, Great beginning.
Review: I was getting a little down on the New Earth series. After a great beginning with "Wagon Trail to the Stars", the series became repetitive with "Oh NO, trouble, prepare to evacuate the planet, yet again". This book had none of that foolishness. Taking center stage was a new group of Not-Ready-For-Primetime heroes that gel and form the next great adventures. This is a diverse group that doesn't fit the typical Star Trek mold yet, a group that I soon began to care about and hopefully, will have further opportunities to learn more about. It is my hope that with the demise of Star Trek television that this new jumping on point would lend itself nicely to television. A new crew of fresh faces wouldcut production (salary) cost and make for great stories. I enjoyed this book, look forward to further adventures, and hope that enough of that famous Star Trek support get behind these characters and let Paramount know we need are Star Trek fix.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome, crew of the Challenger
Review: I, unlike many, enjoyed the New Earth series, for the most part. True, the plotlines did get repetitive after a while, but many of the characters throughout proved very interesting.If I had to make a negative comment at all about New Earth, I would say that it lacked what has really lured folks into these Summer six-parters...the crossovers. I've always enjoyed how the different crews all figure into a particular storyline. Anyway, not to dwell on the negative...this was a great book. I like the fact that we have yet another new crew to enjoy, with a wonderful cast of characters. I hope we see a lot more of them. In fact, this is what we need more of...new stories of the Challenger and Excalibur crews. We get far too little, and this is what REALLY keeps me coming back for more. As for creating TV series about either of these crews, I may be in the minority, but I absolutely HATE the idea. Let's not let our imaginations be watered down by a television producer's vision of what these characters "should" be. I can't wait to see Keller, Shucorion, Zoa, Zane and Savannah be further developed. Way to go Diane Carey.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome, crew of the Challenger
Review: I, unlike many, enjoyed the New Earth series, for the most part. True, the plotlines did get repetitive after a while, but many of the characters throughout proved very interesting. If I had to make a negative comment at all about New Earth, I would say that it lacked what has really lured folks into these Summer six-parters...the crossovers. I've always enjoyed how the different crews all figure into a particular storyline. Anyway, not to dwell on the negative...this was a great book. I like the fact that we have yet another new crew to enjoy, with a wonderful cast of characters. I hope we see a lot more of them. In fact, this is what we need more of...new stories of the Challenger and Excalibur crews. We get far too little, and this is what REALLY keeps me coming back for more. As for creating TV series about either of these crews, I may be in the minority, but I absolutely HATE the idea. Let's not let our imaginations be watered down by a television producer's vision of what these characters "should" be. I can't wait to see Keller, Shucorion, Zoa, Zane and Savannah be further developed. Way to go Diane Carey.
Rating: 
Summary: Like a relief pitcher in the top of the ninth...
Review: The "New Earth" series was bogging down over the course of six books, but this book brings just about everything so far to a head. Maybe this was just too long a series for the story idea involved--it was a big one, but maybe not this big. But in this book, Billy Maidenshore-a rogue who makes Harry Mudd pale by comparison (he's more like a composite of Angus Thermopyle and Nick Succorso from Stephen Donaldson's "Gap" series)-pushes the envelope a bit too far and discovers the hard way that Uhura is no one to be trifled with. There's the young first officer of a ship whose captain's instability gets the vessel destroyed, but team him with Scotty, plus an alien POW, and he reminds you of Kirk when he was that age. But Kirk never accomplished the scratch-building of a warship from salvaged parts, even with the redoubtable Scotsman. There's the conflict of the Blood and the Kauld, who have been at war so long that it's practically a secular religion to both cultures. The appearance through the course of the series of the Federation people, who don't seem to think it's important to wipe out other cultures as the only way to survive, has always puzzled the combatants-until both sides need the Feds to help them against a new enemy. Kin yew say "common cause"? I knew yew could. The Belle Terre colonists themselves transcend their xenophobia and their total absorption in their own problems to help the "captain because he needed to be" build his makeshift vessel. If this series could have been cut down to a trilogy, all three volumes could have been as strong as this one.
Rating:
Summary: Conclusion
Review: This is the sixth and last of the series. However, this one would not stand alone as well as the others as it ties a lot of unfinished lose ends together. We learn more about the Olivium and its thefts and again meet the big black energy absorbing cloud moving through space. This was a well written book and had more good interaction between the Start Trek crew. A definite read for all Star Trek fans.
Rating:
Summary: Conclusion
Review: This is the sixth and last of the series. However, this one would not stand alone as well as the others as it ties a lot of unfinished lose ends together. We learn more about the Olivium and its thefts and again meet the big black energy absorbing cloud moving through space. This was a well written book and had more good interaction between the Start Trek crew. A definite read for all Star Trek fans.
Rating:
Summary: Challenger, ushers in a new era
Review: This was perhaps the best book of the series aside form the first book, The detail and description was excelent, also the new crew of the Challenger would be a great new series of books, as the auther implied that it might happen, I felt a connection with the new crew and see it as some thing fresh, I can't get enough of the Original series( as long as the auther gets the charchters right), but this book does what a lot of other star trek books fail to do, It inspires the imagination, something I've been missing since childhood, it also gets me fired up, reading endlessly untill I absolutly have to set the book down, to then be driven to madness from waiting untill I can read again. Great book, well writen, a must read for all star trek fans.
Rating:
Summary: Changing of the Guard
Review: With Challenger, the New Earth saga comes to a very nice finish. All plot lines are tied up (some unfortunately so), a new ship and crew take over from the Enterprise, and all is well. All being well is the problem. I dont know if this was set up to be a story on it's own, or a launch of yet a new Star Trek series. As a finale it comes short of target, but works great if it is an introductory tale of the Challenger and her crew. This particular ship and crew I wouldnt mind seeing again, just like those of the Excalibur. These new faces are fun, a refreshing change from the same adventures of Kirk, Spock, and company. I hope a visit to the Sagitarius cluster comes again soon.
Rating:
Summary: Changing of the Guard
Review: With Challenger, the New Earth saga comes to a very nice finish. All plot lines are tied up (some unfortunately so), a new ship and crew take over from the Enterprise, and all is well. All being well is the problem. I dont know if this was set up to be a story on it's own, or a launch of yet a new Star Trek series. As a finale it comes short of target, but works great if it is an introductory tale of the Challenger and her crew. This particular ship and crew I wouldnt mind seeing again, just like those of the Excalibur. These new faces are fun, a refreshing change from the same adventures of Kirk, Spock, and company. I hope a visit to the Sagitarius cluster comes again soon.
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