Rating: Summary: I'll take a chance on anything by Duane Review: Judging from the praise and invective in this thread, people seem to love or hate Duane's version of the Trekworld. Count me among the former. She creates a universe I'd like to poke around in, and her writing (derided by some in here as 'wordy') verges on the lyrical in its economy ... yes, economy. She can suggest whole universes in a turn of phrase, a skill not to be dismissed lightly in this age of thousand-page potboilers containing less actual story than the nutrition information panel on a can of Coke. My only complaint ... her Enterprise characters, with the singular exception of the good people of ICC-1701D, are all just too darn noble. In a complement of 1,000, or even 430, you've gotta have some people who just plain don't get along. But Duane's non-human creatures (particularly the Hamalki, less so the dolphin) are a wonder of inventiveness, far more so than the humans-in-bad-makeup that of necessity populate the canonical Trekverse. To the person who refuses to touch "Spock's World" ... ahh, c'mon. Take a chance. But I understand.
Rating: Summary: One of the best Star Trek's yet! Review: I really liked this book. I found it fascinating how one universe could look so much ours, and be so totally different. Things did get a bit out of hand with the talking dolphin but other than that this was a really good book. I am a big fan of Ms. Duane and I think this is one of her best books. I thought she tied in Kirk's encounter with the alternate universe in "Mirror, Mirror" very nicely. I also thought it was cute how she had the alternate universe solve Picard problem with pulling down his shirt when he stood up.
Rating: Summary: Why would someone every want to publish this book? Review: This was the WORST!!! What's up with the talking Dolphin? I found thid book to be dull, drawn out, and just horrible. This could have been a great story, but it wasn't. Talk about STUPID!!
Rating: Summary: Along with William Shatner's Spectre, a must-read. Review: M.Gelfund(6-1-98) stated that Diane Duane went against the principle of the "Mirror, Mirror" episode by having Spock fail. And DS9's "Crossover" didn't go against this principle by portraying Spock's reforms as leading to the Empire being conquered with its people forced into slavery? The hardcover and audiocassette versions of Dark Mirror came out before "Crossover" was aired, and this allowed the paperback to come out afterward. I found Dark Mirror to be infinitely superior to "Crossover," although the mirror episodes aired after the paperback came out were an improvement. William Shatner's Spectre follows up on events after DS9's "Shattered Mirror," and explores the anguish mirror-Spock would have felt seeing his reforms backfire the way they were portrayed as doing on DS9. Both mirror novels are a must-read for any fan of the classic episode.-Robert Treat.
Rating: Summary: Could have been a fun TV episode, instead is a mediocre book Review: Since there are plenty of Star Trek stories on TV, I expect bigger stories from the novels. Unfortunately this isn't it. (Read "Federation" as a great example of a "big" Star Trek story.) This novel would have made a great episode for the TV series and it would have been easy to do. (Except for the filming of a dolphin character.) The story takes place entirely on one of two Enterprises. The one that we know of, and the one from an alternate universe where the Federation is run more like an Empire and all our characters are evil. Remember "evil" because that pretty much sums up all the characters. There is no reasoning of why they are this way, and no layers are peeled back. Oops, yes there is one character with two layers, counselor Troi, she's evil and sadistic! The best parts of the story to me were where there was an attempt to show more of this alternate universe's history. We are shown it by Captain Picard reading slightly different versions of classical written works and computer logs of that universe's history. At one point the author almost has the Captain check out the bible but at the last moment doesn't. While it may have offended some, it would have been a good risk to take. I keep thinking that there must be an alternate universe where this story was done right. A rollicking adventure of the Enterprise attempting to cross this "Empire" and SEEING and EXPERIENCING this evil place.
Rating: Summary: absolutely gripping Review: the plot and character exploration, make this novel one of the best ST:TNG books i have ever read. This is definitely going to be one of the ones that i read until it falls apart, and then just keep reading......
Rating: Summary: Huh? Review: I once attempted to read this book. I got about fifty pages into the book before the talking dolphin got me so confused that I could not finish it.
Rating: Summary: This awsome book has ties to the episode "Mirror, Mirror". Review: This book had many interesting ideas. Two of my personal favorites were Dolphin Commander Hwiii, and the I.S.S. Enterprise's slightly different design. Several of the mirror universe's "props", for lack of a better word, were very similar to the ones in the Next Generation episode, "Yesterday's Enterprise". It was interesting for the book to have Worf, not Yar, as the tactical officer. In "Yesterday's Enterprise", The Federation was at war with the Klingons, so Worf could have never gone to Starfleet Academy. In "Dark Mirror", the Empire was at war with just about everybody, until they destroyed all of their opponents. Since the Empire obliterated the Klingon Government, Worf was probably just kept as a slave. Since the I.S.S. Enterprise was a war cruiser, why would Troi be called "counselor"? She certainly doesn't counsel anyone in the book. Finally, when Picard looks around his mirror qua! rters, he finds the painting he was painting earlier in the book. If the other Picard is a very violent person, why would he paint a picture of his home?
Rating: Summary: This book was printed at a bad time. Review: Diane Duane had a decent idea, but the biggest problem with this book is that it was written before Crossover on DS9, but it was published afterward. What this did was to competely destroy the plasability of this book. I wouldn't read this book unless you are willing to overlook the fact that there is very little here that has to do with the Star Trek universe.
Rating: Summary: Not one of my favorites Review: I guess it kind of hurt to read this book after seeing the DS9 episode Crossover, which completely contradicts it. Duane clearly went against the principle of the "Mirror, Mirror" episode by having Spock fail. An empire based on evil was illogical so it seemed right for Spock to bring it down. In addition, I really wasn't captivated by the "alternate" crew on the Enterprise the way I was with the episodes dealing with the alternate universe. Finally, I just couldn't follow the Dolphin's dialogue and the scientific theory concerning what was going on. I don't recommend this book.
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