Boring

Page after page of diplomatic negotiations, with more-than-occasional forays into the psychological states of the negotiators. That's what this book felt like, a C-SPAN transcript if C-SPAN covered the Romulan senate. Ok, Troi blows up at one point, but her dialogue was so awkward you have to wonder where the editor was during this section.

Actually, I was wondering where the editor was for most of the book. The writing is just ok. There were a lot of cliches and clumsy sentences that could have easily been cleaned up. This is of course not just a problem with "Titan" in particular, but most of the Star Trek books out there (at least the ones I've read): wooden dialogue, weak characterizations that depend most upon the quirks and histories of a character established during the TV series, clunky sentences and phrases, and cliche after cliche.

Why criticize a science fiction book that is read more for plot and more out of devotion to the Star Trek universe than for great literary prowess? For one thing, great writing endures. To allow mediocre writing in the Trek series is a disservice to a narrative we all hope will go on forever. And when Peter David has shown us that Star Trek in print can be compelling, funny, deeply moving, and that its characters can be literary characters in their own right, why should we want to settle for anything less?

Nemesis 2: Taking Wing

Star Trek books have an up and down history to them, much like the Star Wars novels. I have mostly gavce up on both series, as I saw the drama of stories went pfft when you realize that none of the main characters are ever going to die. So the drama of the big bad threatening the lives of Riker, Picard or Princess Leia is tedious and boring (this is the same thing wrong with the Doctor Who novels). So its up to the writer to create a better story that may include this empty threat, but because the story is strong, you can forget it. Taking Wing suffers from only a few problems, one being a sort of continuation of Star Trek: Nemesis. The dues ex machina of this, once again, is Starfleet always sends the wrong ship. Titan is still in drydock when their first mission is to clean up the mess left by Shinzon from the movie. Enterprise maybe the flagship of the Federation, but there's got to be a second ship that is close to it. Do you send a new captain and its untried crew into a hostile situation so quickly? I understand Riker and Troi going, in some way, but the logic dictates -like in the movie First Contact -to send both of them there would be disruptive element. Anyway, the book tries hard to press how diverce the crew is and has added two gay characters. While, as a gay man, I'm happy to see Trek adressing the issue (just wish they attempt on a TV series or movies), it is mishandled and a bit creepy. And like another reviwer said, it would be creepy even if it was a heterosexual realtionship. But the book moves swiftly and leaves much to reader to figure out. But Martin is a capable writer and knows his Trek history. I just wish he didn't end it like Voyager.

Spectacular!

"Taking Wing" is full of surprises. Thoroughly engaging from beginning to end the story satisfies on every level. Martin and Mangels were handed a difficult task when asked to write this novel. The authors must not only tell a well plotted and exciting story that leaves you wanting more but they must also introduce and start to develop the major characters as well as establish the ship itself, the U.S.S. Titan. They handle everything with great skill and with style.

The character line up in "Taking Wing" reads like a who's who of Star Trek alien species. Several familiar characters firmly anchor the character roster including Alyssa Ogawa, Melora Pazlar, Christine Vale, and Ranul Keru and of course, Riker's wife Deanna Troi. But it is the characters we are introduced to in the story that help make the potential for this series so apparent. There are characters from species we are already very familiar with but who are seen in Taking Wing from a whole new perspective, like the female Ferengi Bralik or the young Cardassian cadet Dakal, and species that come entirely from the fertile imaginations of the authors such as the raptor-like Dr. Ree Titan's CMO.

All those fascinating characters and many more are introduced in a story full of twists and turns as the Titan travels across the neutral zone with an escort of Klingons to take on their maiden assignment and it's a big one. Help restore order and peace to a fragmented Empire who has long considered you an enemy despite your recent alliance during the Dominion War, a daunting task indeed.

As the plot unfolds you begin to doubt that the authors have thought of a plausible way to conclude the story as things go from bad to worse and you realize you're almost at the end of the book when they astonish you once again with a very clever resolution. The ending will definitely leave you wanting more and anticipating what might be to come.

It is always very rewarding when a book you've been anticipating lives up to expectations. It's even better when the book exceeds them. "Star Trek Titan: Taking Wing" is a superb debut for an original new series.