Rating: 
Summary: Easily the best novel of Diane Carey's that I've read yet.
Review: Granted, she still tries to be too cute with the language, and generally fails miserably when she does, (for example, describing the ship "swaggering" under enemy phasers, rather than the more normal (and accurate) "staggering". Had anybody else written that, I'd have assumed that it was a typo, but given Diane Carey's history, I'm forced to assume that she meant to write that.) This is the only reason that I've rated this book at four rather than five stars; if you don't object to sloppy, incorrect use of the language on occasion, consider this a five-star rating. But she does so far less frequently in this book than in almost any of her other books, and on balance, less egregiously, too. Further, the plot and characterization are even better than she usually manages, and that's always been her strong suit. And as an extra added bonus, she manages to refer back to numerous episodes, something that I always enjoy, and generally only see in Peter David's work. And she does it quite well, too, always plausibly and (where one can check on it) accurately. I understand that some people don't care for that sort of thing; if you don't, consider this a three-star rating instead of four. But I consider it a definite plus.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Trek novel, but by no means one of the best
Review: I enjoyed the bringing together of so many Trek characters, including Picard, Kirk, Scotty, Morgan Bateson, and the entire Next Generation crew. I also thought that the Madred subplot was interesting and one well worth revisiting. However, I was disappointed by both major conflicts of the novel being solved so abruptly at the end of the book. I was very interested in what was happening, but when I looked at the end of the book and saw that there were only about 20 pages left, I knew both storylines couldn't be ended adequately. I also was disappointed in the author's mistake of mentioning that Picard's Borg experience came after Madred's torture, when in fact it came before. Overall, it was a good book that could have been better.
Rating:
Summary: A good read and almost a great one
Review: I looked forward to reading this book for a long time, I just had to wait until I could afford the paperback to come out. The wait was worth it, but I may have been expecting too much from the book as a result. The book had a lot going on, but at the same time, I didn't feel all these elements were followed through as well as they could have been. I guess because I felt that a lot of characters were introduced, namely the Klingon crew, the Bozeman Crew, and the Federation prisoners at a Cardassian penal/training institution, but, with the exception of Morgan Bateson, not fully explored. The set-up for each set of these characters was good, but I felt their outcomes were rushed and left somewhat undefined. I don't want to get into details because it would give the plot away, but I didn't have the feeling of fulfillment after finishing the story. The main characters were well written. I like the inner-struggle Picard was going through and foreshadowing of his character in First Contact. I guess Diane couldn't resist bringing back her beloved hero, Kirk, one more time to help this process along. Yet that worked nicely and I found myself envious of Picard for having that ability to question Kirk like he did. Although he only had a couple of lines in his TNG appearance, the Morgan Bateson of this novel was definetly written with Kelsy Grammar in mind. Verbose, boisterous with a mixture of arrogance, but a sincere concern for those around him. Who else could that be? Excellent job there. Therefore, I'd say the book was great for characterization, especially character setups, but the plot and outcomes were not quite fulfilled.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining Star Trek Novel
Review: I must give this book five stars because it's probably one of the best Star Trek novels I've ever read, and I've read quite a few. It was interesting and entertaining throughout. Carey does an excellent job of tying together the plot of the TNG episode entitled "Cause and Effect" and the plot of "First Contact." Very nicely-done. There were some annoying punctuation mistakes, and it's also annoying how the crew of the Original Series is treated like gods in this book (can't we just let Kirk die with Generations?), and the excessive use of techno-babble acronyms and the phrase "ship of the line" gets old, but overall, this book is simply quality TNG reading! Good amount of action, too. I would recommend it to other TNG fans.
Rating:
Summary: This book is GREAT
Review: I read this book in one week because I couldn't put it down. After having seen the episodes of the TNG TV show that this book is based on I was extremely enraptured with the exactness of this book. This story spans from befor the time of The Wrath of Kahn and ends up with the beginning of First Contact! Carey quoted the movie and the episodes exactly... I checked. As a big ST fan I had to make sure of the authenticity of this story. It fits perfectly with the others (like it would be publised if it din't)! I recommend this book to any one who likes either Star Trek the next Generation or The Star Trek Movies.
Rating: 
Summary: Mrs. Carey needs to do some research...
Review: I think if you're going to write a book based on an established series, then it should be common sense to do a little research on the subject... with HEAVY emphasis on the timeline. I'm only on page 122 out of 320, and already its so far off course, it might as well be in the Delta Quadrant with Voyager. I'll give you a breakdown: The Bozeman came through the temporal anomaly into the causality loop (TNG Season 5, Ep. 218 "Cause and Effect") where it encounters the Enterprise-D. Expanding that story seems like a good book... but the timeline for "Ship of the Line" is totally incorrect. Mrs. Carey says the Enterprise-E was built 3 years later. Wrong. The events of Generations didn't even occur until 3 years after the Bozeman came into the year 2368. Secondly, the Bozeman was recommissioned shortly after its arrival into the 24th century and was active during the events of Generations and First Contact... not stripped down and set up as a monument at Starbase 12. "In 2371," (during the events in Generations) " the Bozeman was forced to make a course correction due to gravitational changes caused by the destruction of the Amargosa star. This minor fact helped Picard realize that Dr. Soren's reason for destroying that star was to alter the trajectory of the nexus energy ribbon." (www.startrek.com) Also... "In 2373, the Bozeman returned to the Typhon sector to join the Starfleet armada mobilizing against the invading Borg cube heading toward Earth. At one point, the Bozeman and the U.S.S. Defiant were ordered to fall back to 'mobile position one.'" (www.startrek.com) That would be the same Borg cube the Enterprise-E engaged in First Contact. And some facts about the Enterprise-E: "New Sovereign-class starship, registry NCC-1701-E, commanded by Jean-Luc Picard since its launch (NOT by Morgan Bateson on some maiden voyage before Picard took command) on stardate 49827.5 (Sun. Oct 29, 2372 8:45:36PM UTC... NOT in "late 2371" as stated in the book) from the San Francisco Yards (NOT Starbase 12) over Earth. With 24 decks, it was equipped with the latest in equipment and defenses, including quantum torpedoes. It did not go into full service immediately, even for shakedowns. By stardate 50893.5 (Fri. Nov 23, 2373 3:03:36AM UTC) the ship had only been in space and fully crewed for nearly a year." (www.startrek.com) So, the story is ruined by incorrect time placement before you flip to page 1. And to make matters worse, NONE of the characters are portrayed correctly... Geordi acts like a giddy schoolgirl, Riker like a wimpy butler to Picard, Data as a brainless robot and is referred to as "Lieutenant Data" when he first appears in the book, which should be either "Commander Data" (which she used after the introduction of the android) or "Lieutenant Commander Data", because both are used frequently in the series and the TNG movies... just a few errors out of many that poison the 320 pages of this "book". There's no familiar feel to ANY of the TNG crew in this book, as is strongly present in other ST:TNG books, such as "Star Trek: The Next Generation #64: Immortal Coil" by Jeffery Lang, "Star Trek: The Next Generation #45: Intellivore" by Diane Duane, and "Star Trek: The Next Generation #39: Rogue Saucer" by John Vornholt. (All 3 highly recommended over this one by leaps and bounds.) Being an avid ST:TNG fan, I can't believe this book even made it to the printing press. Take my advice and skip this one... (NOTE: Stardate Converter provided by http://steve.pugh.net/fleet/stardate.html ... normally, UTC times are displayed by the 24-hour clock, but I prefer the 12-hour AM/PM. All background information on the USS Bozeman, USS Enterprise NCC 1701-E, and the TNG Episode "Cause and Effect", that should have been a priority for Mrs. Carey, was found on www.startrek.com .)
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: I thought this was a very good book, but too short. Madred also added a good touch to this book. Carey's little mishap with reversing Madred and the Borg was too bad, but it didn't take away from the quality of this book. I also think that Kozara caved a little too early.
Rating:
Summary: A good plot and interesting twists, but the pace was rushed
Review: I waited on this book and was eager to read it. The story was good and filled in a lot of the backstory to not only the new Enterprise but the Bohzman crew also. After the story shifts to the 24th century things get rushed though. There was a lot going on and a lot of hard work by the characters, but the situations were resolved too quickly. There were too many coincidences and anticlimatic saves. Characters seem to come out of left field, are used, then discarded. I really liked the plot and enjoyed reading the book but felt as if there were at least 50 pages of the story that were cut somewhere from Carey's desk to the bookshelf. I do recommend the book though as long as you read it expecting a good story that could have been executed a little better.
Rating:
Summary: a must-read book
Review: I'm a fan of Diane Carey books. I enjoyed reading Diane Carey novelizations of DS9 novels and Star Trek CD ROM. This is one of the most entertaining novels i read. the interaction between Bateson and Kozara especially as enemies is quite interesting. The story is well-written.
Rating:
Summary: Not Your Usual Star Trek Adventure
Review: If you only yearn for lots of Kirk or Picard and their crews, avoid this book because it only has a smidgeon of Picard and the Next Generation crew. If you do avoid the book, I think you will, however, be making a mistake. The Star Trek novels are often a retelling of the same story line, with only some variation in the details to help you fight off total boredom. Ship of the Line makes a bold attempt to go where the other novels have not gone before. Here are some of the differences. The story focuses on the building of the Enterprise 1701-E1, the replacement for the D1 which was destroyed. The characters are from the 23rd century, Morgan Bateson and his Klingon arch enemy. When Picard does appear, he has to call on help from his former Cardassian torturer. The theme of the book is clearly that stalled thinking is harmful to us and those around us. A good example is that if we decide someone is an enemy, we may miss the opportunity to form an alliance with that enemy that would be to our mutual advantages. In fact, it may be easier than we think to do so. In this book, Diane Carey is clearly pointing out the real lessons of conflict. Enemies who meet each other often find they like and respect one another. Destruction also requires rebuilding, and care lest we make the same mistakes all over again triggering another round of destruction. Whip of the Line is a nice, balanced story with lots of food for thought. What more can we ask of our Star Trek novels?
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