Star Trek: Preserver

Rating:
Summary: Good Conclusion To Mirror Universe Trilogy
Review: "Preserver" completes the "Mirror Universe Trilogy", picking up right where the last book ("Dark Victory") left off. The year is 2375 and the story continues as Kirk and Picard (and various others) race against time to prevent not only the destruction of the Federation but the destruction of the universe.

If you have read the other two books in the series and they held your interest then this one is pretty much required reading. I was less than thrilled with the second part of the series but this book did not have many of the flaws that I felt existed in the second book. The action is still fast-paced and there is not always a great deal of characterization; the emphasis is much more on the general idea of bringing together many Star Trek concepts and weaving them into a tale of conspiracies. And that latter concept is really what this "Mirror Universe" saga really is for me: a sort of history-as-conspiracy concept. From the conspiracy of the mirror universe counterparts to invade their "neighbors" to a vast conspiracy that exists within Starfleet, including a sort of secret society or group, all the way to the ever-so-enigmatic Preservers, who have made everyone rethink their place in the universe. That is what you are essentially dealing with here: a conspiracy story and that probably, to a large extent, explains why people like this series. Conspiracy sells. Generally, people like a good conspiracy story; how everything we see and think we know is not quite what we really see and what we really know. What the authors have done is take these concepts and wrap them up in a Star Trek story. Overall, they succeed, I think, but as I have said in the reviews of the other two books in this series, the plot is really what you have to focus on. The characters and their motivations or their reactions to the events around them see to me to be simple cardboard that provides a static backdrop to one revelation after another for our heroes.

This book had some genuinely "cool" moments, like the chase/battle of the ships inside an asteroid but mixed with some decidedly "corny" moments, like the battle of the Kirks in deep space or the references to "Agents Dulmer and Lucsly" of the "Federation Department of Temporal Investigations. (That is "Mulder and Scully", anagrammed. This gives nothing away about the story at all, but it is such a perfect example for me of the kind of "play" that I find a bit disingenuous in a book steeped in the Star Trek mythos as this one is.) The usage of "psychohistory" (a decidedly Asimovian idea, as the authors recognize) was also a bit on the "stretching it" side for me. And this book continues in the traditions of the others, bringing up large and weighty topics (like contrafactual histories or predictive patterns in societal behavior or the notion of ancestral races and how that would affect beliefs and thoughts of various societies or the role of chance in history) and then essentially disregarding those topics. I realize those topics are not the point of this series, necessarily, but my issue is that the series throws so many things at you and then just leaves all those concepts dangling; there is no one set focus for the books except the general "bring as much Star Trek history together" plot that propels the action along. The focus of the action, of course, is on James Kirk and if you stop and think for a minute when reading the books, you start to ask yourself, somewhat cynically: "Okay, how much *more* could possibly happen to James Kirk?" In this case, that sort of questioning is bad because, at least for me, it shows that you stop caring about Kirk as a character and just keep reading to find out how he gets out of another situation or how he deals with his latest setback.

With all this said, I do feel "Preserver" is a satisfying conclusion to the series (with the exception, perhaps, of the fate of Tiberius) and the wrap-up at the end was, in my opinion, quite well done. I gave this book three stars, however, because in order to get the most of this book you have to read the previous two in the series and those I had given three stars, but I think this book shines above the others in a lot of respects.

Rating:
Summary: Ties lots of Trek Together in an Ingenious Plot
Review:

I find two very positive and striking features of this audio cassette:

1) I am left in awe as to how the plot ties together many important pieces of the Trek universe in a neat and ingenious story line.

2) The production is extremely well done. No effort was spared in bringing the best presentation, sound effects, vocal acting, musical accompanyment and smooth transititions.

In the condensed audio cassette format, I found myself having to frequently rewind. The story progression came at me so quickly, I had to go back to catch the links that I missed. But that is not an issue because the pace keeps the listening interesting and allows for fitting the most story into this format.

Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Review: I have to say that I may be a little biased. I enjoy reading about the original series characters the most. This is an incredible cap to the trilogy. Shatner knows his character and we see more of the man than just the captain. Very well written and a joy to read. Pick this one up, if you love the original series characters you won't be dissapointed.

Rating:
Summary: *Give Us More of This Book!*
Review: If you are thinking about reading or buying this book, you will not be disappointed. This is a terrific work by Shatner and his writing partners. As expected, the book maintains Star Trek continuity and integrity. What surprises and thoroughly entertains the reader are the unexpected directions this novel takes you in.

"Preserver" continues the story from the authors' work "Dark Victory" and is the third work in the Mirror Universe trilogy. However, where "Dark Victory" occasionally lapses into egotistical ramblings revolving around Kirk/(Shatner), this story line really moves along strongly and comes to dramatic conclusions.

Not wanting to reveal too much, let me just say that the authors have found an intriguing way to weave just about every race from the Star Trek universe into this work. The same applies about so many characters we have come to know and love (or hate) and many interesting pieces of original Federation history. Also, the use of Isaac Asimov's Harry Seldon and the science of psychohistory blew me away. As with so many science fiction devotees, this idea has practically become a reality in my mind already. Shatner uses this idea so wisely, so matter-of-factly, and so effectively, that the book is worth reading simply for this single plot device.

The first time I read this book prior to finding and reading the previous two works in the trilogy ("Spectre" and "Dark Victory"). It reads well without that background, but when I read the books in order and re-read "Preserver", the suspense became so exciting that I could hardly put it down even though I read it before. I most accurately rate this novel at 4.75 out of 5.00 stars, rounded up to 5.00 and strongly recommend it (and the entire trilogy) to all fans of the franchise and SF fans in general.

Rating:
Summary: Shatner did it again!
Review: It doesn't happen often that a famous actor becomes a writer. Far from everybody who tries makes it over to the other shore. The majority drowns somewhere on its way. One of those few who made it is the actor William Shatner who was playing one of the most famous captains in history of humankind, James T. Kirk of Starship Enterprise. After his alter ego's death in the motion picture "Generations", Shatner simply rivived Kirk and created a bestselling novel series around the captain of the Enterprise. His first Kirk novel wasn't a hit, but "The Return", his second, is one of my favorite Trek novels so far. His first trilogy ended with an equally good story "Avenger". "Spectre" was the beginning of Shatner's second spactacular trilogy in which Kirk must face a threat from the mirror universe. "Preserver" is the last chapter in this trilogy.

The beginning of the book is quite dramatic: Teilani, Kirk's wife, is dying, and only Tiberius, the protagonist's evil counterpart from the mirror universe, can save her. In return for Tiberius' support, Kirk is ready to provide his worst enemy with data that would help him become almost invincible. After a few space-battles and fist-fights, Tiberius' plans are ruined by an almighty species called Preservers. Kirk, torn between a second family tragedy (something went wrong with his and Teilani's child) and his duty for the Federation, joins forces with Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-E (although the TNG crew doesn't behave the way it did during its TV and movie times, I was quite satisfied with its presence in the book; for once Picard & Co. weren't completely helpless and didn't depend on Kirk and his former crewmates as they did in other books by this author) to discover the reasons for the presence of the aliens and their role in the development of the Federation. And, last but not least, they must prevent the end of the universe, which a group of scientists has predicted.

I don't want to spoil the rest of the story, but I assure that it will be plenty of dramatic developments you'll be shocked of. Unfortunately we don't see enough of the Preservers who made the impossible possible during the history of the Federation (Kirk got his command of the original Enterprise through the influence of those mysterious aliens). Apart from the missing Preservers, the story has minor logical flaws, which is ironical because Shatner obviously respects the Vulcans and tries to stay as logical as possible. For once, I was fully satisfied with characterizations which rise above the usual level of Star Trek novels.

One of the best aspects of this book is the profound irony which Shatner uses to describe settings. He takes the universe of Star Trek seriously, but he notices its flaws as well and is courageos enough to criticize them in a funny way. Another advantage of "Preserver" is the atmosphere typical for Sci-Fi, which we don't get in most Trek novels. There are many stages to make the plot larger in scale and a lot of action you can get tired of from time to time. And this novel gives us some ideas to think about, a surprisingly rare phenomenon in Star Trek books.

Anyway, "Preserver" is a very good novel with a nice plot, interesting characters, humour, a portion of Vulcan logic and much more. There are some weak points, all rights, but they are only minor and don't really disturb while you are reading. And you should do it if you are a true Sci-Fi fan!

PS: If you haven't read the previous 2 books of the mirror universe trilogy, I would recommend to do it because otherwise you will have problems understanding the beginning of "Preserver".

Rating:
Summary: James T. Kirk and friends Vs Emperor Tiberius
Review: James T. Kirk and friends Vs Emperor Tiberius. This the 6th ST book done by William Shatner and friends (and book 3 of the mirror mirror trilogy) and it is a bit below the standards set by the first 5. I must say though that I haven't read the book, only the abridged audio CD. The chase part of the book was hard to follow.

If you read the other five, you have to read this one. Shatner and friends are the best story tellers in the ST universe. I hope they plan to keep the books coming, and include characters from all the series.

What about a trilogy called: DATA THE RETURN. Kirk and Picard go back to the time of Capt Archer and set out to steal a Borg Devise that could revive Data. ST has little continuity anyway, so what's the harm.

Rating:
Summary: 3.5 stars for the story i heard on Audio CD.
Review: James T. Kirk and friends Vs Emperor Tiberius. This the 6th ST book done by William Shatner and friends (and book 3 of the mirror mirror trilogy) and it is a bit below the standards set by the first 5. I must say though that I haven't read the book, only the abridged audio CD. The chase part of the book was hard to follow. Shatner does a great job on all his audio CD.

If you read the other five, you have to read this one. Shatner and friends are the best story tellers in the ST universe. I hope they plan to keep the books coming, and include characters from all the series.

What about a trilogy called: DATA THE RETURN. Kirk and Picard go back to the time of Capt Archer and set out to steal a Borg Devise that could revive Data. ST has little continuity anyway, so what's the harm.

This review is more the Abridged Audio CD version.

Rating:
Summary: Shatner/Kirk fans, this one's for you
Review: My title for this review pretty much sums up my thoughts on the book, it was good, but not fantastic.
It continues the story from 'Dark Victory' nicely, tying up the story of Tiberius nicely.
It also shows Kirk in yet another battle with a mortal foe, and, again, having personel problems.
Again, the book were technically astute, probably the most technically correct Star Trek books I've ever read.
But the writing in itself poses a problem. After reading the numerous and excellent Judith and Garfield Reeves Stevens novels, I wonder how much of the books Shatner himself actually writes. It's obvious they do a great deal of the more detailed work, more than the book gives them credit for really.
The story, while a great continuation of 'Dark Victory', seemed to go too far in violating the Trek legend. The authors seem to say that the incidents that put our heroes in the places they are today (First Contact, Kirk taking command of the Enterprise, Janeway commanding Voyager) were all influenced by this magical Preserver race, which is actually the First Federation encountered by Kirk in 2264.
I always grew up thinking that the characters in Star Trek had EARNED their positions, and that Starfleet was the sort of organisation that recognised people of their abilities and put them in positions that bested sutied them to utilise those abilities to the full. To no suddenly be told the Preservers did all of it is simply folly, and I cannot believe it.
Again, Starfleet is portrayed as being some sort of bumbling beauracracy, with inept admirals and competent but overworked field officers. I refuse to accept that.
But in total, I began to feel sorry for Kirk. He has been through so much, done so much, and now hast lost it all again. I began to think that I preferred the 'canon' Kirk story, that is, he died on the mountain top on Veridian III, forever among the stars he first saw as a farmboy in Iowa.
The book has some good points and bad, but is so far from Trek 'canon' that it cannot even be considered for 'canon' designation.
But it is still a great story, and if you've read the entire rebirth series so far, you would be well advised to finish it.

Rating:
Summary: The Ending and Most Exciting
Review: The whole universe is comming apart. Tiberius has a fair amount of his original power back. The book makes this trilogy better than the Star Wars Trilogy (for trekkies of course). Kirk is in so much trouble from his mirror counterpart Tiberious that he has vowed vengnce and death for Tiberious. Aside from the fact that you must know certian things from original series episodes to fully understand the history of the First Federation and the Preserver artifacts you will still be captivated. More bad things happen to Kirk and he is forced to make many hard choices that can put many people in jeopardy. Will he make the right choices?

Rating:
Summary: Since when has Shatner actually been COOL?
Review: William Shatner, of course, has been mocked time and time again for his performance (or lack thereof) as Capt. Kirk. He has redeemed himself through his Star Trek novels.

I picked up the first "Return of Kirk" book fully expecting to hate it, but just wanting to kill a bit of time. By the end of "Spectre," I was utterly hooked and quite impressed with Shatner's writing ability. And immediately after the climax of "Preserver," well, call me a geek, but I was almost in tears. (Of course, Shatner had help from Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, authors of such masterpieces as "Prime Directive," "Federation," and the DS9 "Millennium" trilogy. That probably had something to do with it.)

"Preserver" is, if not the best Trek novel I've read, somewhere in the top 5. But don't start with this one: start with "Spectre" at least, "The Return" if you want to see how they bring Kirk back, and "Ashes of Eden" if you want to know about Chal and Teilani (though he/they does/do a good job on background).

In short, quite fine. Looking forward to the next.

LS