Rating: 
Summary: Finally...
Review: One of my favorite things about the Star Trek universe is the characters that many of us Trekkers grow to know and love. This book is one of the first of its kind: a sort of biography of them, and I hope many others like it will be made. Jeri Taylor does a wonderful job in clearing up some of the misunderstandings in Voyager's crew. "Pathways" is a collection of short stories about most of Voyager's main crew. I say most because Seven of Nine has her book "Seven of Nine" and "Mosaic" belongs to Captain Janeway. (Now is my turn to gripe a bit: the Doctor, who is one of my favorites, is barely mentioned here. His story would be one of the most interesting in my opinion. I think he should have a book to himself, like an autobiography written in his perspective. Perhaps a take on his holonovel in the episode "Author. Author." I digress.) Besides the three mentioned above, the main characters have their own life stories here. My opinion on them is: Chakotay's and Harry's were rather dull, B'Elanna's started out pretty cool but dropped of when Tom saved her, Tom's is average, Tuvok's is a B+, and Neelix's and Kes's were the best (by the way, Kes is included via a dream of Neelix. I think she should get her own book too). Now my ideas may not coincide with everyone else's, but I have freedom of speech. The main plot is pretty boring, with Voyager's crew being held in a concentration camp minus Janeway. To amuse themselves, they tell each other their life stories which are collected in the book. I began to read the book normally but couldn't keep myself from falling asleep, so I just read the biographies, skipping the bits in between. Somehow I doubt I missed much. I liked the book pretty well. The three best stories are Kes's, Neelix's, and Tuvok's in that order. Now, instead of reading the entire book again, I just read those three. If you're a Voyager fan, do yourself a favor and get this book. While you're at it, you might as well pick up "Mosaics" and "Seven of Nine" to complete the series. Give yourself a weekend to read them and you'll be a whole lot smarter. Happy reading!
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Good!
Review: I'm a person who has just started reading star trek novels, and I heard that "Pathways" was a good place to start. This book is INCREDIBLY good and an amazing read. The complex vignettes on each crew member were meaningful, descriptive, and moving. Especially good are Chakotay,Neelix, and Tuvok's stories, though every single story is the same in that they help you understand the characters completely. The plot line of the crew being trapped in a prison camp provides a devastating and dramatic "outline" for the stories they tell to keep themselves alive. Another thing I just have to mention: the wonderful Janeway/Chakotay dynamic that is shown throughout the book. The affection and romance between these characters shines through. So, if you are a real trek fan (and even if you're not) you will LOVE this book.
Rating:
Summary: Where's the Doctor in this amazing book?!
Review: If you're a true Voyager fan, then you must read this. I hate to single out people, but if you have never watched Voyager and never really gotten into it, then you shouldn't get this, simple as that. This is something that only Voyager fans would appreciate, much less bother to read through. I know that most readers of Star Trek read for the story, and sometimes get annoyed when there are long sections, or *gasp!* chapters dedicated to characters' life stories, where they come from, why they think the way they do, and what motivates their actions. If you want an actual story, go find something else, because this is not for you. Consider the "story" of the crew sans Janeway being captured in a prisoner camp an excuse for everyone to sit down around the proverbial campfire and share their stories. Needless to say the ending is pretty obvious (do they get out or don't they? Hmm, what do you think?). But the richness and texture of the book lie in the deeply detailed stories of each of the main characters' lives. It begins with Chakotay's story, and eventually weaves its way through everyone's life, excepting of course Captain Janeway (as has been mentioned that she has her own book, "Mosaic" by the same author, something which you should also check out if you liked this) AND ALSO something else which everyone seems to forget, the Doctor! How could they forget to bring the Doctor along?! I know of course he does not have a back story, but maybe his unique perceptions and perspectives on the crew and their relationships could have been formed into an incredible chapter which would have filled out the book quite nicely (especially with his tart humor). Overall, the exclusion of the Doctor was my only major gripe, but then again it doesn't seem realistically possible to bring him in. The book deserves five stars, but this omission is simply something I can't forgive. A wondorous book, Ms. Taylor, but the Doctor needed his 15 minutes as well. :) Still, very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An intriguing and interesting read!
Review: This book is really, really interesting. It is the life stories of every character of Voyager's main crew except Capt. Janeway (she's got her own book). The stories were really interesting. It taught me a lot about the characters and why they are the way they are. Kes's story was my favorite. It seemed so real and alive. Tuvok's was good, though rather long, and B'Elanna's was interesting, too. The writing style flowed well and you could see the story playing out in your head. The subplot with the prison camp was interesting - much better than the annoying subplots in some books and episodes. I got so involved in this book that I felt I was there in the story, and not really in the real world at all. If I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to it. This is an excellent book and I highly recommend buying it.
Rating:
Summary: Pathway to Success
Review: I seem to always remeber this book because it was my 100th Star Trek book I read. I had only read one Voyager book and was deeply dissapointed as I am with the series after the first season however this book offers good storytelling and kept me sitting and reading because it wasn't technically based on the goofyness that is Voyager stuck in non-normal space. I recommend this book as a fun piece of reading.
Rating:
Summary: Pathways
Review: This book is very creative, giving the reader insights into the pre-Voyager lives of the entire crew. Except, of course Captain Janeway, who got her own book. I actually like Pathways better than Mosaic. I thought that the best part about it was the fact that it explained the relationships between the people that had met before winding up on Voyager. If you want to know more about any of the command crew, you will probably enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read again
Review: While not as good as it's predecessor "Mosaic", wich was the the life story of Kathryn Janeway on print, this book does a good job in telling the stories of the rest of the senior staff on Voyager with each character granted about 60 pages. I admit that each of them would have deserved a whole novel, like any other trek character, but this will have to do for now, at least. Perhaps a short story or novella collection might have done the job better, but at least we got an extra plot set near the end of seson four. All stories are interesting in one way or the other, but Kim is again cruelly left with the worst one. But at least that story made a point in telling about Jeri Taylor's open minded opinions, wich I think are a sign of trully understanding what star trek was originally about (besides a TV series to make clean money...). I just hope we could get similar novels of each of the characters of trek. I'll keep waiting.
Rating:
Summary: Jeri Taylor is brilliant once again.
Review: Jeri Taylor has done it again with Pathways. This book is incredible. It takes the reader on an engadging ride through the mind of the show's co-creator and gives you a front seat view of the characters that this author loves so dearly. Her affection for each crew member is evident in her writing, and I found myself reveling in each vignette. She captures each character as no one else can. I've heard a few comments about nit-picking and continuity concerning this novel, and I feel I must point out that not every Voyager novel is deemed canon in the Star Trek Universe. Just because you read it in one of the novels, doesn't make it a Trek fact. However, Jeri Taylor's work has been acknowledged as canon. They are, after all, largely her creation. I liked the plot about the war camp. It was dire and desolate. I can easily imagine the crew attempting to comfort each other through the cold and hunger by sharing their stories. This book is a must have for any Voyager fan. And definitely a must have for every J/Cer. Jeri Taylor always captures the affection these two have for one another in the way that made me a J/Cer to begin with. Beautifully. This novel touched my heart and made me think. That's what good writing and good Trek are all about.
Rating:
Summary: Pathways
Review: Overall, I thought that it was a good book. Okay, so the fact that they were "dying in a P.O.W. camp with no hope of escape, yet somehow they do" was a little overused, but I like the work that Jeri Taylor has done with the pre-Voyager lives of these characters. I enjoyed the stories that she has them tell very much. I especially liked the slight twists that I didn't expect in soome of them. However, this isn't a book for those who are more action oriented.
Rating: 
Summary: If You Adore Voyager...
Review: Okay, if you love Voyager - the characters, not just the dumb special effects - then you will immediately by-pass the ludicrous plot device (here, a bunch of people - many of whom have been burned by life and have trouble sharing their realizations and emotions, let alone their innermost ones - will now share their entire lifestory in all its intimate glory with anyone in earshot) and ADORE the chance to see inside the head of Jeri Taylor and how she pictured each of these characters. For people who love the characters, love to get inside them, love to see them grow and know how great Jeri Taylor is at doing that within (and despite) the Star Trek universe, this is sooo fun. (The only reason I gave it a lousy three-star rating is because of the ridiculous plot device and boring plot story. Why in the world didn't she just put them all in some stasis while captured by aliens who have the power to learn this about them and who only captured them because they like to inspect this sort of thing or until Janeway rescues them or something? Or why not just present it as little vingettes about the characters? Good grief, doesn't she know we'd have bought it anyway?) Check it out - worth it.
|
