Rating:  Summary: Well-written, excellent plot Review: Like many of the early TOS novels, this one really has some substance to it. Diane Duane has done an excellent job of developing the back history of the Romulan culture, explaining how and why they split off from the Vulcans at the time of Surak, etc. Her detailed description of the long generation-ship journey to the planet which would become known as Romulus is especially well done. During this journey, the Rihannsu (which is what the Romulans call themselves) consciously changed their language and social structure to reject the logical way of Surak and become an old-new version of the warrior society that once existed on Vulcan. (I found myself wondering if Duane had patterned this history on certain aspects of modern Israeli culture, which has consciously rejected the pacifist philosophy of European Jewry to go back to the biblical warrior mode -- but that's a whole other story.) The plot itself takes place in the 23rd century, long after the Romulan-Vulcan split. The Federation has lost contact with an undercover operative on Romulus, and now fears for her life. Dr. McCoy is taken prisoner by the Romulans and ends up incarcerated at the same place where the Federation agent has infiltrated Romulan society and is passing for a household servant. Now she must be very careful about acknowledging McCoy, lest she blow her cover and get them both killed. Nahraht the Horta (a silicon-based lifeform who eats rock, and who also appears in several other Duane novels) plays an important, if at times humorous, role in the rescue of Dr. McCoy. To tell you more would be a spoiler, so let me just say that this book is one of the best reads in the TOS series. It also sets the scene for a number of characters and events in future books by Diane Duane.
Rating:  Summary: Well-written, excellent plot Review: Like many of the early TOS novels, this one really has some substance to it. Diane Duane has done an excellent job of developing the back history of the Romulan culture, explaining how and why they split off from the Vulcans at the time of Surak, etc. Her detailed description of the long generation-ship journey to the planet which would become known as Romulus is especially well done. During this journey, the Rihannsu (which is what the Romulans call themselves) consciously changed their language and social structure to reject the logical way of Surak and become an old-new version of the warrior society that once existed on Vulcan. (I found myself wondering if Duane had patterned this history on certain aspects of modern Israeli culture, which has consciously rejected the pacifist philosophy of European Jewry to go back to the biblical warrior mode -- but that's a whole other story.) The plot itself takes place in the 23rd century, long after the Romulan-Vulcan split. The Federation has lost contact with an undercover operative on Romulus, and now fears for her life. Dr. McCoy is taken prisoner by the Romulans and ends up incarcerated at the same place where the Federation agent has infiltrated Romulan society and is passing for a household servant. Now she must be very careful about acknowledging McCoy, lest she blow her cover and get them both killed. Nahraht the Horta (a silicon-based lifeform who eats rock, and who also appears in several other Duane novels) plays an important, if at times humorous, role in the rescue of Dr. McCoy. To tell you more would be a spoiler, so let me just say that this book is one of the best reads in the TOS series. It also sets the scene for a number of characters and events in future books by Diane Duane.
Rating:  Summary: My Enemy My Spy Review: McCoy wants to take a vacation, he of course loves to see the sites of the universe. When he is on his trip a little detour takes place. He really sees the sites of the Romulan Empire and a few other places. Though how is McCoy really going to get out of this one. Even Kirk cant save him. Time to find an old frind... but who.
Rating:  Summary: Kirk and Romulan renegade team up to free captive Vulcans Review: My Enemy, My ALLY Honor is every thing to romulans, when a respected Romulan commander learns of dishonorable actions by her superiors she moves to correct it. And the only person honorable enough to trust is Kirk. Vulcans are being kidnapped, and their mind techniques are being distilled for transplantation. Multiple Starship chase/battles, betrayal and a horta are other highlights.
Rating:  Summary: Very well done Review: One of the better Star Trek books, this one has strong, well-developed characters, and an intense plot. Ael and her people were became very real to me throughout the course of the story, and I found myself missing them when it was over. The book also contains an excellent description of a Vulcan mind-meld (between Spock and Ael), as well as a good history of the Romulan movement. I would recommend this to any Vulcan or Romulan fans.
Rating:  Summary: Half a classic Review: The alternating stories are a bit distracting. The 'A' about McCoy is a standard level ST adventure. The 'B' story recounting the Vulcan dissipation and the founding of the Romulan homeworld is tremendous, deep, thoughtful, and serious. Since a cover with McCoy probably more readily identifies the book as formal ST and markets the product better we get only half a book length of a tremendous epic. Also unfortunately, since this is not canon (as it is only in print, not shown on TV) and ST:Nemesis pretty much invalidates the single race concept of the twin planets, it is a wasted opportunity to give some much needed background on why the Romulans became such bad people. Oh, well. Diane Duane is, for my money, the best ST author working. Wonderful.
Rating:  Summary: An excellent book. Review: There are a few minor quibbles, mostly about consistency of character and plausibility of plot device, but to go into detail about them, I'd have to reveal too much of the plot, and that would be a shame because this book is too suspenseful to spoil. The plot moves extremely well, the characters are delightful, the concept is good, and in general it is just a fine piece of writing. Unless you just really hate Star Trek (in which case, why are you reading this?) this book is highly recommended.
Rating:  Summary: BEST STAR TREK NOVEL EVER!!!! Review: This book is so much better than My Enemy, My Ally. The Romulan Way shows us the rich history of the Romulan people. The story is so poignant. My only complaint is that the 23rd Century portion of the novel seems to drag on too long. If you liked Spock's World or enjoy the Romulans then I highly recommend this book.
Rating:  Summary: Very Good Book Review: This book is so much better than My Enemy, My Ally. The Romulan Way shows us the rich history of the Romulan people. The story is so poignant. My only complaint is that the 23rd Century portion of the novel seems to drag on too long. If you liked Spock's World or enjoy the Romulans then I highly recommend this book.
Rating:  Summary: Review of "The Romulan Way". Review: This book is the second of a (thus far) four book "series" by the same author involving related plotlines and characters. The first is "Star Trek #18: My Enemy, My Ally", the third is "Star Trek #95: Swordhunt", and the last is "Star Trek #96, Honor Blade". This is a very well-written book, with a reasonably plausible plot, excellent characterizations, and a very interesting back-history of the Romulans told alongside the current story. The only real flaw is that, since this book was written, the "canonical" back-history of the Romulans has been created, and it isn't this one. Worse, the back-history of the first Federation-Romulan war she writes here involves contact between the Federation and the Romulans BEFORE contact was made between the Federation and the Vulcans, and that's CLEARLY wrong. But it isn't really fair to hold this author responsible for that; she wrote her history first, it simply wasn't accepted by the canonical writers. The only other thing that needs to be mentioned is that some Star Trek readers will doubtless be unhappy with the fact that the ONLY Enterprise regular that we see in this book is McCoy. Some will doubtless consider this a failing; I found it kind of refreshing. Not that I don't enjoy the other characters, but there's no reason why ALL Star Trek stories have to include Kirk and Spock. They've had their share of books in which they get the lion's share of the action, and McCoy appears little or not at all. No reason not to feature him for a change.
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