Rating: 
Summary: Why sequel writers should read the series
Review: I'm only part way through the book but had to stop and share my frustration. In "Belle Terre", Kirk orders the Starfleet cutter Impeller of Captain Merkling to aid in the search for some lost children. Apparently, Kirk is senile because in "Wagon Train to the Stars," the Impeller, severly damaged by the Orions, was sent limping back to Federation space with a blinded Captain Merkling on board. The only possible explanations are that 1) Q made an early appearance and helped out, 2) transwarp was developed, used ot get the Impeller back to Belle Terre quickly, or 3) the author and the editor screwed up royally. Sorry, but I have to go with option 3 as my final answer. This bodes ill for the rest of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Nicely done
Review: My main concern going into this book was after "WagonTrain to the Stars" that the next four books would stall out withmajor developments until Diane Carey came in to wrap things up in August. The good news is that, for now, that hasn't happened. "Belle Terre", while considerably shorter than "Wagon Train to the Stars", packs no less of a punch. As was hinted in book one, things aren't going to be peaceful when the crew arrives at the planet--and they're not. An imminent disaster will happen in just eight days--the destruction of a moon that will destroy the lush world the colonists have come to settle. It's up to Kirk and company to pull another miracle out of their hats and save the day. The book works nicely because it allows the crew to fail and to work through it to come up with an answer. It also introduces some nice supporting characters and gives the ma bit of character depth as well. In addition, it's a nicely plotted and suspenseful book that really takes advantage of the crew working against the clock to save the day. I've got to admit I'm hooked now on New Earth. Having devoured the first two books, I find myself anxious for the next four. It certainly makes June seem a bit longer as I wait for parts three and four. My only major problem with the book is that it drops some of the interesting storylines from part one. No mention is made of the traitor's fate nor do we get any confirmation that the Orions are still a threat. Also, with the Enterprise and the colony in a disputed war-zone, there should have been some development there. I'm willing to overlook these sins of omission for now, simply because we've got four more books to go and develop these.
Rating:
Summary: Nicely done
Review: My main concern going into this book was after "WagonTrain to the Stars" that the next four books would stall out withmajor developments until Diane Carey came in to wrap things up in August. The good news is that, for now, that hasn't happened. "Belle Terre", while considerably shorter than "Wagon Train to the Stars", packs no less of a punch. As was hinted in book one, things aren't going to be peaceful when the crew arrives at the planet--and they're not. An imminent disaster will happen in just eight days--the destruction of a moon that will destroy the lush world the colonists have come to settle. It's up to Kirk and company to pull another miracle out of their hats and save the day. The book works nicely because it allows the crew to fail and to work through it to come up with an answer. It also introduces some nice supporting characters and gives the ma bit of character depth as well. In addition, it's a nicely plotted and suspenseful book that really takes advantage of the crew working against the clock to save the day. I've got to admit I'm hooked now on New Earth. Having devoured the first two books, I find myself anxious for the next four. It certainly makes June seem a bit longer as I wait for parts three and four. My only major problem with the book is that it drops some of the interesting storylines from part one. No mention is made of the traitor's fate nor do we get any confirmation that the Orions are still a threat. Also, with the Enterprise and the colony in a disputed war-zone, there should have been some development there. I'm willing to overlook these sins of omission for now, simply because we've got four more books to go and develop these.
Rating: 
Summary: It got bogged down
Review: Normally I really like series'. For instance, I thought Millenium, the Badlands, Day of Honor, Captain's Table, and the New Frontier series were all great. But I have to admit, this one got boring, confusing, and had a strange ending. Too much technobabble made it get bogged down as they try to move the moon. It wasn't very original, either. The character developement needed some help. I normally like Diane Carey, but wow, this one I could have done without.
Rating:
Summary: It got bogged down
Review: Normally I really like series'. For instance, I thought Millenium, the Badlands, Day of Honor, Captain's Table, and the New Frontier series were all great. But I have to admit, this one got boring, confusing, and had a strange ending. Too much technobabble made it get bogged down as they try to move the moon. It wasn't very original, either. The character developement needed some help. I normally like Diane Carey, but wow, this one I could have done without.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Trek adventure without the usual clichés
Review: Pocket's Star Trek publishing program seems to have shifted in focus over the past several months: rather than publishing stand-alone novels, we've seen a number of multi-book series ranging from the excellent ("Millennium" for Deep Space Nine) to the, mmm, not-quite so-excellent (not mentioning any names!). I'll frequently pick up a Trek book based on the author ("Millennium" was written by the always-entertaining Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens), but in the case of "Belle Terre" I bought it mainly because of the intriguing concept of this multi-book series: Kirk and company are assigned to escort a group of colonists to a deep-space planet for colonization. I haven't had a chance yet to pick up the first book in the series "Wagon Train to the Stars" (I will, because it's written by another of my fave Trek authors, Diane Carey), but #2, "Belle Terre", is a fun read and intriguing enough to make me look at the rest in the series as well. When the idyllic world the colonists land on threatens to be destroyed, Kirk and the Enterprise crew must race against time and exceptionally long odds to save the planet. Characterization is dead-on, always a plus when dealing with characters based on real actors (the grumpy, argumentative, but humanist McCoy is so authentic you can hear the late De Kelley in your head as you read). I've also got to commend Smith and Carey for the character of the colony's governor...it's a long-running Trek cliché that colony governors are thick-skulled, selfish diplomats, butting heads with Kirk and endangering themselves and others. This character rises above that cliché with a much more interesting personality--he's an individual with different ideas and goals than Starfleet, but he's willing to do everything to help Kirk and Spock's dangerous plan to stop the planet's moon from exploding. The conclusion is no happy-ending cop-out...the planet is saved (did you doubt it?), but at incredible cost...and, as befits a decent book series, a cliffhanger subplot featuring a scout ship investigating a nearby dead planet obviously leads into book three without taking the attention away from the plot at hand. In short, a decent Trek novel, nothing exceptional, but very good suspense, characterization, and an intriguing plot that's different enough from the usual Trek storylines to make me check out "Star Trek: New Earth #3: Rough Trails" next month.
Rating:
Summary: Flat and Predictable
Review: This novel picks up after the wagon train has arrived at Belle Terre, the new home planet of the colonists. Kirk and the colonists are faced with the possibility of the planet now being destroyed due to an exploding moon within the system. Kirk and the crew must race against time to find a way to keep the moon from exploding or find a way to evacuate the colonists. Additionally, Kirk must deal with the fact that the moon contains a rare and valuable element which will "change the face of the galaxy." With four more books in the series, the ending was predictable. Besides the end being predictable, I was disappointed in the fact that many of the characters introduced in the first book were missing in this story, especially the two warring alien factions of the Blood and the Kauld. It was as if many of the colonists introduced in the first book never existed. Also, many of the characters seemed flat. Definitely not as good as the first. Hopefully the third in the series will make up for it.
Rating:
Summary: Flat and Predictable
Review: This novel picks up after the wagon train has arrived at Belle Terre, the new home planet of the colonists. Kirk and the colonists are faced with the possibility of the planet now being destroyed due to an exploding moon within the system. Kirk and the crew must race against time to find a way to keep the moon from exploding or find a way to evacuate the colonists. Additionally, Kirk must deal with the fact that the moon contains a rare and valuable element which will "change the face of the galaxy." With four more books in the series, the ending was predictable. Besides the end being predictable, I was disappointed in the fact that many of the characters introduced in the first book were missing in this story, especially the two warring alien factions of the Blood and the Kauld. It was as if many of the colonists introduced in the first book never existed. Also, many of the characters seemed flat. Definitely not as good as the first. Hopefully the third in the series will make up for it.
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