Dyson Sphere (Star Trek: The Next Generation, No. 50)

Rating:
Summary: Why?
Review: "Why?" sums up this one quite nicely. You know, Trek novels in general are a fantastic way to get insights in characters that maybe got one ep devoted to them a season ... Characters like Geordi and Beverly for example, who rarely got to spout more than technobabble. So, after a drought of non-serialized TNG novels, imagine my disappointment after reading Dyson Sphere, which seemed to be more of a showcase for the authors' knowledge of the arcane rather than a showcase for any of the characters. I wasn't impressed. If I want a science-heavy novel, I'll pick up Diane Duane's collected works any day of the week. At least she remembers who she's writing about. I was expecting a little more considering half of the writing team here was behind A Fury Scorned, which, while not exactly a Trek tour de force, wasn't completely unreadable. Dyson Sphere, however, is just that. Sorry, fellas.

Rating:
Summary: Deserves Restoration
Review: As an archaeologist I come from a certain bias, meaning that I came to this book already as a fan of Pellegrino's works. Dyson Sphere is archaeology on a grand scale, wherein imagination can run utterly wild, and there are scenes in this book that absolutely stun, and turn the whole Star Trek premise on its head with the realization that humanity is really as nothing compared against the scope and the time frames of the universe. But as much as I loved this novel, I, like other reviewers, was jolted by the feeling that somehow huge pieces of the story had been bitten out by an editor - or perhaps even left out by the authors themselves in their haste to meet a deadline. Now, it seems, more than twenty percent of the text was removed by Pocket Books as Dyson went to press. Not even the authors were ever told why. The same thing happened to H.G. Wells' "Time Machine" as it went into its first edition - And still it shone... what was left of it. Perhaps some day the first edition of "Dyson Sphere" will be treasured just for its shiny parts, even after it is fully restored. It should be, for it really does, even at its most jagged edges, brim with every bit the same sense of wonder as the best parts of Wells' "Time Machine."

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book.
Review: Contrary to what some reviewers have said, I think this is an excellent addition to the catalogue of ST novels. The style and pace may be different from many other novels, but this just reflects the kind of characters the book is dealing with. In fact the leisurely pace of the book echoes well the slow physical movements of the Horta themselves. As to the charge that there's too much "science" in the book, well ST has always prided itself on having a credible scientific basis on which to build its dreams and at lwat one of the authors of this book is a scientist with a PhD! If you just want people zooming through space blasting each other with photon torpedoes, try some back issues of the comic books. If you want thought-provoking Trek (the best sort of Trek) this is one of the books you should read.

Rating:
Summary: Too bad "0 Stars" isn't a choice!
Review: Don't bother! What a disappointment! After waiting forever for a new TNG book, this is what we get? Somebody's been concentrating too much on those 3 & 4 part series to write one plain old-fashioned Star Trek adventure. Specifically, this book was filled with way too much scientific mumbo jumbo & boring endless descriptions. The TNG "friends" we love to read about and catch up with seem to have been inserted only to lend the appearance of belonging to the ST world. I don't care if the ending isn't neat and tidy, I would just like to be able to remember it 2 days later when I get a chance to comment on it.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing, Eagerly awaited and let down badly
Review: Dyson sphere promised so much in a title taken from one of the best star trek episodes in the season, However the book takes too much time to explore the relationships between the horta and Picard that it loses it's way, Research is one thing but we readers don't want chemical analyses and atomic structure explained like we dropped out of high school chemistry, we want action and suspense, I waited months to get hold of this copy and now it is filed in the "Read only when depressed" section of my library. Believe me read this and you can throw your idea of a good book down the drain along with what ever you spent to buy it. Avoid this and go straight to the Double Helix series, Its a good read.

Rating:
Summary: Bad character potrayal and too much science
Review: Having waited a long time to read this book since it to forever to appear at bookstores in Singapore, this book is, to say the least, a huge disappointment. The idea to re-visit the Dyson Sphere is well-conceived, but was wrecked in the hands of these two amateur writers. The book bombards you with long-winded and boring paragraphs of hard science, tiresome to read. The writers forget that the MAIN part of a novel is its characters. The characters behave unrealisticly, the dialouge is childish and the philosophy is weak. The resolution at the end is too convenient. The inclusion of the alien race Horta, of whom NO introduction is given, in the story does not appeal to me either.

Rating:
Summary: I believe, my friends, you are too harsh...
Review: I believe this was quite a well written book, and i was intrigued by the scientific ponderings of the Horta. I am not sure, though, the Horta are animals... refer to Star Trek Encyclopedia-- or rent the episode.. In any case, I believe this lacked one thing-- A conclusion. It simply didn't make sense. I, myself, am more shakespearan in style, preferring to have not a perfect ending, but this seemed more like an open pipe than one with a clamp, if you understand my meaning. I won't go into the details about then end, but i believe more questions could have been answered-- or a second book could be written elaborating such. In any case, it was a written book, and i enjoyed it. I recommended it to my father, and he seems to like it. Anyways, later my friends!

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time.
Review: I bought this book, thinking that it would be the Star Trek equivalent of "Ringworld" or "Rendezvous with Rama". However, this book does not capture the same sense of spellbinding wonder of the two aforementioned books, and the writing is quite dull. The characterization is quite bland, and the only reason why I cared about them at all is because they are the star trek crew. Unless you must have every Trek book, I would pass this one by.

Rating:
Summary: Just too short
Review: I didn't mind the science behind the story (although, I wouldn't want every Trek book to be this scientific, but it was eye-opening), but I thought an idea this big, literally, deserved more pages, more exploration, more answers. Things had only just begun, only to end just as suddendly. Almost all paperback Trek books seem to be around 300 pages, so I felt cheated that 30 or so pages were used as personal biographies of the authors. The story itself should have been expanded to at least 500 pages. It was nice to re-visit the sphere.

Rating:
Summary: A better book than it is credit for.
Review: I don't know what so many people seem to think is wrong with this book. I thought the Horta crew was interesting, since there never was much talk about the Horta since their main episode. Picard kept in character with his need to go into the sphere and be the archeology lover he is. Though some characters didn't say much, that does not take away from the story. There doesn't need to be a chapter per character to be a good novel. The science was very evident, the authors obviously did their research. The sphere itself was well-described, and the manakin people showed evidence of new life beginning, and unfortunately a quick ending. Using the sphere in a story was a good idea, and I enjoyed it. All in all, it was an excellent book, and don't be afraid to try it.