Marooned (Star Trek Voyager, No 14)

Rating:
Summary: I'm actually giving a Voyager novel five stars!
Review: I really enjoy the show (despite its faults, which I will admit to), and I also really enjoy reading the novels--but I usually give them three or four stars, other than the magnificent "Mosaic," which stands alone. While Janeway and Kes are of course the most prominent characters of "Marooned" (making one wonder why it's Paris and Torres who get featured on the cover), each one of "Voyager's" main characters has an important part to play that only he can. The only one who could possibly be short-changed is Tuvok, but even still he was an important part of the story, just a smaller part. I got the feeling while reading this one that the author really *knows* these characters, and that they are people, not plot pawns. Not only that, the aliens Hrrrl and Aren Yashar are given depth and believable personalities/problems. I even liked Neelix's "Furball" (the Kakkik), and I found myself chuckling, "That sounds like Neelix, all right." But perhaps the best part of this novel lies in the ideas it presents--its "food for thought." The issues of a people that are slowly dying out and the despair that they feel, of another race that has been driven to "becoming takers-of-lives" to survive, of a young girl-woman who, by our standards, will never experience a full life and of a man who to us would seem immortal--and what would happen when they meet--all these are dealt with thoughtfully and sensitively, leaving just enough "gray" areas that we can't soon forget what we've read. To sum up, this is a real winner with substance; it tops "Seven of Nine" by far.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful! Read this!
Review: I'm a big Voyager fan, and I can honestly say that this is possiblt the best Voyager book that I have ever read. It's exciting, nicely written, interesting... you should have this book if you're a Voyager fan or even just a star trek fan!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful! Read this!
Review: I'm a big Voyager fan, and I can honestly say that this is possibly the best Voyager book that I have ever read. It's exciting, nicely written, interesting... you should have this book if you're a Voyager fan or even just a Star Trek fan!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: I'm quite new to Voyager, but honestly out of the 7 Voyager books I've read, this is one of the best. I'd read one of Golden's books before, but this was FAR better. Star Trek at it's best tends to combine the action with big healthy doses of humor-Christie Golden mixes the two adroitly into a great book. I did wish that Janeway and Hrrrl's finding Kes had been documented, rather than just showing up, but Chakotay's maneuvers were extremely clever. The description of Paris's leg is not for the squeamish. Above average!

Rating:
Summary: Better than the rest, but...
Review: I've found most of the Voyager books to be rather wanting in style, action, or characterization. Christie Golden incorporates all of this into the book, but I still felt like I had room for dessert. Plus points: she gives Kes her strongest role since "Warlord" and plays off the other characters' interactions rather well. This novel gives me hope for other Voyager novels, and makes me want to read Ms. Golden's new book "Seven of Nine."

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites...
Review: I've read lots of Star Trek novels from all five book series, but "Marooned" is one of my favorites. Voyager has some strong characters that often go unnoticed as the show is the least popular Trek series, but Christie Golden does them justice in this book. Kes was often represented as frail and obedient, but once in a while her stubborn hard-core self emerged, as it did here. If you want to buy this book because Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres are on the cover, don't. They are not the main characters here by far. The story is about Kes's abduction by a man entranced by her race. Janeway, Neelix, and, yes, Tom and B'Elanna, are sent to rescue her, but meanwhile Kes is finding out that her captor is not as evil as he seems. Though Kes is the main character, others have their moments as well. Golden does a good job with her characterization in this book. The villain isn't just another "bumpy-headed" alien appearance that is sometimes seen in Trek, but is a deeper and more complex character. Kes and the Doctor are my favorite characters in Voyager so I was happy, as the latter got some funny and emotional lines worked in. Other memorable scenes came from Neelix and Janeway as they work to recover Kes safely. I really enjoyed this book; I've read it five times and have not tired of it. There is the main "action" plot of Kes's abduction and the secondary plot of the villain's backround and the characters' emotions. I think there really is something everyone can enjoy in this Trek novel.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites...
Review: I've read lots of Star Trek novels from all five book series, but "Marooned" is one of my favorites. Voyager has some strong characters that often go unnoticed as the show is the least popular Trek series, but Christie Golden does them justice in this book. Kes was often represented as frail and obedient, but once in a while her stubborn hard-core self emerged, as it did here. If you want to buy this book because Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres are on the cover, don't. They are not the main characters here by far. The story is about Kes's abduction by a man entranced by her race. Janeway, Neelix, and, yes, Tom and B'Elanna, are sent to rescue her, but meanwhile Kes is finding out that her captor is not as evil as he seems. Though Kes is the main character, others have their moments as well. Golden does a good job with her characterization in this book. The villain isn't just another "bumpy-headed" alien appearance that is sometimes seen in Trek, but is a deeper and more complex character. Kes and the Doctor are my favorite characters in Voyager so I was happy, as the latter got some funny and emotional lines worked in. Other memorable scenes came from Neelix and Janeway as they work to recover Kes safely. I really enjoyed this book; I've read it five times and have not tired of it. There is the main "action" plot of Kes's abduction and the secondary plot of the villain's backround and the characters' emotions. I think there really is something everyone can enjoy in this Trek novel.

Rating:
Summary: Christie Golden does it again
Review: If the Voyager novels line can sometimes seem like the poor cousins of their TOS and TNG cousins, Christie Golden's books show us how they should be done. It's obvious that she's very fond of the characters, while not hesitating to play with them. Marooned is in part a pastiche/parody of bodice-ripper romance novels, albeit subtly done; and the focus on Kes and Neelix (not two of my faves) is well justified by the plot and by some expert characterisation. More, Ms Golden, please. (Her non Trek novels aren't bad either.)

Rating:
Summary: Split story, split results.
Review: Many of the better Star Trek novels/episodes have a dual storyline. I am not convinced that this is one of those stories.

See if you can find the error on page 251

Rating:
Summary: a good read
Review: Marooned is a recommendable good read. Christie Golden is much better here then she was with Murdered Sun. The book gives room to all the characters to play a part. And for some that is part is somewhat out of character. So you get to know them in better. The aliens have interesting features and backgrounds.