Josepha Sherman, Susan Shwartz, Susan Schwartz
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By: Simon & Schuster Audio
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Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Authors, A-Z -> ( S ) -> Sherman, Josepha
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Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> General
Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10
Average rating: 3.5 of 5
good idea / poor and clumsy style 2 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
The idea behind this book is quite interesting and could be catchy for many readers. With it's style of 'one chapter in present times, one chapter in the past etc.' it resembles a little "Spock's World", which is a really good book.
BUT...
The authors's style itself is rather clumsy and seems forced.
Some examples:
1) Admiral Chekov? Admiral Uhura?
Using those ST:Classic characters who might still be available, however old they may be, to nourish a story about Vulcans and Romulans is dull at best.
Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz are most likely satisfying their own sentimentalities in unnecessarily "reviving" these characters for their book...or is it just a desperate attempt to attract more ST:Classic fans?!
2) Vulcanoids have green blood - common knowledge among Star Trek fans.
Nonetheless we are being informed about this fact almost every other page. Something/one has always a blood-green tone, shines in the brightest blood-green, resembles the green of healthy blood, has a streak of green blood upon his face etc...
After about 50 pages it made me wanna scream: "YES, I GOT IT! PLEASE STOP, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!"
I highly doubt, that Vulcanoids are running around constantly judging the tone of everything green and reminding themselves, and thus also the reader, that THIS is the color of their blood, not red. Fascinating, that these Vulcanoids almost never see any other color worth mentioning in this book, just green.
Did Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz try to underline the exoticism/alienism of Vulcanoids this way? If so, it's a primitive and seriously unnerving attempt.
3) Vulcans are a very intelligent, precise species and know how to calculate without a computer. Nothing new!
Nonetheless Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz feel the need to remind the reader of this fact almost every other page (again!). Their Vulcans make comments about the PRECISE chances for whatever situation (however ridiculously uncalculable it may be) all the time.
Here just ONE example out of SO MANY: "Wouldn't it be wonderful, if the moment could last?" Saavik asked. "If we could all stay so amazingly unified. Of course," she added, "that is logically not possible." There was less than a .00035563 chance of such an intense feeling of unity lasting any longer...(Spock's thinking)
Where did he get all the necessary data to calculate such an amazingly precise number...for something as variable as humanoid behaviour? And why does he do it every other page, whether it's necessary/useful or not? Is it logical to constantly waste part of your concentration on something absolutely useless (and impossible)? Does that properly support the image of an intelligent and logical man/race?
4) Surprise, surprise - did you know, that Vulcans follow a philosophy that revolves around logic? If not, this book makes sure you will notice and never ever forget it!!!
Perhaps Vulcans (or just the authors?) don't have such good a memory and don't exactly know what logic actually is, cause it seems they have to remind themselves and others of the logic in this and that every now and then. If the situation, action, case has something to do with logic or not is rather irrelevant.
If you're just looking for a story and further background information about Vulcans and Romulans, this book will be quite interesting for you. Should you be the kind who likes good writing too, your money would be wasted.
PS: Please forgive my grammar and spelling, but english is not my mother tongue.
Editorial Review:
Following their bestsellers Vulcan's Forge and Vulcan's Heart, Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz embark on a new trilogy chronicling the latter-day adventures of one of Star Trek's most beloved characters, shedding new light on his world's shocking history.
One year after the end of the Dominion War, the Romulan Star Empire comes under attack by a mysterious and alarmingly powerful enemy calling itself the Watraii, a species with a long-standing vendetta against the Romulans. Yet though they remain tenuously allied, the Federation, the Romulans and the Klingons are unready to become embroiled in another sustained conflict, forcing Ambassador Spock, Admiral Uhura, Admiral Chekov, Captain Saavik, and some unexpected allies to defy their governments in order to meet the new threat head-on. But the first blood drawn may prove to be among the dearest of all.
