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Science Fiction & Fantasy |
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The Genesis Wave, Book 3 (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
written by John Vornholt
Studio : Audioworks
by Audioworks
Publisher : Audioworks
Released : 2002-01-01
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 2
EAN : 9780743520379
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 17 reviews)
List Price : $18.00
Our Price : $1.91
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Book Description |
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Sweeping across the Alpha Quadrant at a terrifying speed, a wave of Genesis energy has wiped out whole populations of entire planets, rearranging matter on a molecular level to create bizarre new landscapes and life-forms. The U.S.S. Enterprise™, commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, managed to counter the threat, halting the wave in its tracks and stopping the alien race that had sent the wave crashing through the galaxy. In the process, the crew saved trillions of souls and hundreds of inhabited planets from the mutagenic wave. Earth itself, as well as the Romulan Empire, was saved from obliteration. Now nothing is left to do but clean up the mess the Genesis Wave left behind. Or so it seems. Unknown to Picard and his crew, the use of the Genesis Wave on a galactic scale had weakened the walls between our dimension and one right next door, one that harbors a deadly threat to not only the survival of civilization throughout the galaxy, but the survival of reality itself. The Genesis Wave, Book Three, is the final volume of an apocalyptic adventure that pits the desperate crew of the Starship Enterprise against a disaster of universal proportions. |
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A wave of Nausea |
The first two Genesis Wave Books really did justice to the premise of the Genesis Device and pointed out what Captain Kirk feared that this device could and would be used as not a life giving piece of Technology,but rather and assimulator of galaxie.When you read the first two books they slowly build up and explode with the intensity of a Neutron Bomb.In the secont book,you simply can't put the book down,you are compelled to read it until your eyeballs bleed THAT'S how good it is...
Sadly,instead of finishing the exciting and compelling storyline as they should have,they continued it with a collection of some of the most sorry cast of characters ever asembled,confusing as hell plots that literally take up 2/3 of the novel.And on top of all this has literally NOTHING to do with first two books.
The cast reminds me of the Lord Of The Rings RPG Video Game.A cut rate bunch of minor characters who by the end of the book you rather see them all die right in front of you than be subjected to this drool of a Novel again.I mean they are mentioned in the secont Genesis Book and actually was rather entertaining as a little side plot.But main charecters they aint.
The stupid dialogue reminds you of two 14 year old girls aurguing about who's Cell phone is better or something like that.It's just mind numbing and dumbed down.
To even aknollege anything positive about this Novel would be a great disservice to the previous two(which I couldn't recommend more highly).I wish I could say something ANYTHING positive about this Novel,but I just can't.If you want to get the best of the Genesis Wave saga I recommend you only get the first two books,because if you think this book can add anything positive or inovating to the saga or Star Trek PERIOD...then you are sadly mistaken and instead of a great Novel,you might as well get your money and a lighter and set your hard eared cash on fire.I have over 150 Star Trek Novels-some epic some down right terrible.But this is like a lingering odor you just can't get rid of.Judge it for yourself,but I warn you that after the time you took to read it through fruition,you wish you had a time machine to stop yourself from reading this god aweful abortion of a Star Trek novel from an otherwise flawless saga. |
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What happened?!!? |
I was also going to title this review "ARRGGGHHHH!!!!". After two solidly-plotted books, the Genesis Wave saga falls completely to pieces with this third book. A Bajoran Priest steals a Genesis device, believing it to be the Orb of Life. The Enterprise, teams up with Admiral Necheyev and a small band of mercenaries to retrieve it. It's a good premise, but character-wise the result is such an illogical mess.
Firstly, I can understand why Picard is having a romantic liason with the Romulan Commander (although I did think "Ewwwww..."). I can even understand Dr. Crusher being concerned, and even a bit jealous. The latter is perfectly in keeping with their relationship, which culminates in Michael Jan Friedman's novel Death In Winter.
My biggest problem is with the motivations of the other characters. Just exactly why is Raynr Sleven (the Androsian) so attracted to one of the main characters? The Florence Nightingale Syndrome subplot was developed far too quickly, and was completely unconvincing. And why does Treya forgive another character's transgression so quickly during the course of the book? An emotional arc like that needs more drama and conflict, so that the resolution at the very end of the book is richly earned. I didn't get that impression here.
The biggest oversight, continuity wise, is a humongous conflict between the history of Nurse Ogawa as told in the Star Trek: Titan novels, and what happens at the end of this book. I'm actually very glad that Marco Palmieri and co. chose to ignore this development in Book Three. It gives Ogawa more depth, and makes her a more interesting character.
In summary, Genesis Wave Book Three is a complete and total mess. Picard's behaviour is jarring but explainable. Crusher's attitude is also understandable. But the rushed resolutions to the other character arcs makes for an extremely frustrating read. |
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3.5 Stars? |
This is a fairly well-written book, interesting and quick-moving. It's something of a disappointment, however, because it is the third book of a three-book series which was quite adequately ended after two books; this is not really a continuation of the story from those books (although technically it is) but more of an afterthought tacked on, and it weakens the feeling of completion that the reader had after book two. It would actually work better as a stand-alone than as the completion of this series, although to work properly as a stand-alone, it would need a bit more introduction.
Also, we see very little of the regular characters here; they have their parts to play, but are not the focus of the story. This in and of itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, and the non-regulars (Nechayev, Teska, Regimol, etc) are handled quite well. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the regulars; where they appear, they don't always ring true, particularly Captain Picard.
Tentatively recommended, but not if the reader has read the first two books of this series and felt satisfied with the conclusion of book two. In that case, it might be best to take a pass on this one and leave well enough alone. |
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The sequel that should never have been written |
What do you do when you have written a really great two-book series full of galactic destruction and adventure? If you're John Vornholt, you churn out a third book as a sequel to them (granted, it may very well have been the publisher's idea, but he could always have said no). Genesis Wave: Book 3 is everything that the first two books weren't: boring, plodding, with bad characterization and large stretches where nothing interesting happens. It is not only entirely forgettable, but it's also inconsequential.
The Genesis threat has been neutralized with the help of the Romulans and almost the entirety of Starfleet. However, the problems are not over. While the cleanup begins, the Enterprise discovers that the Genesis Wave has weakened the boundaries between our universe and another one, allowing horrifying creatures to bridge the gap. A massive rip in space does not bode well for the Federation's survival, especially because this isn't the only rift out there. Meanwhile, on a backwater mining planet, a Bajoran Prylar (similar to a lower-level priest or monk) is given what turns out to be a portable Genesis device. Believing it to be the Orb of Life, he is determined to use it for the good of his people, no matter what the true consequences will be. Aided by a Ferengi, a few Bajorans, and an enigmatic Vulcan, this Prylar could very well cause a lot more suffering than he thinks he will cure. But will the Romulans kill anybody they have to in order to get a hold of this final device?
It's almost hard to begin, there is so much wrong with this. First, the characterization is way off. Weird romance passages abound (Vornholt seems to have been bitten by the Christie Golden bug, as he describes many characters as "stunning") and even when the romance angles are a bit more understandable, they are stilted an obvious. One of Crusher's patients falls in love with her, but Crusher is acting like a jealous fishwife because of the way Picard is acting with the Romulan commander on the other ship. Picard's actions are made clear later in the book, but Crusher's are never really explained. In all their years of working together, they have been attracted to each other, but she's never acted this way. This book takes place between Insurrection and Nemesis, and there's no hint in either one of these movies that would allow for Crusher to act like she does in this book. Troi and Riker aren't nearly as bad, but some of their scenes together really grated on my nerves as well. There are times where they don't act like the professionals they are. Even Vornholt's characters are not immune to this. The Romulan commander has a hold on Picard's emotions (I won't say how, for fear of spoiling) but, for some reason, she has a scene where she tells the sleeping Picard that she really loves him. It's never referred to again.
The rest of the book introduces characters that I, for the most part, cared nothing about. The book seems to be a showcase for a new series that never actually started, of "Genesis Warriors," or at least warriors who banded together to fight the Genesis threat. There's the Vulcan priestess, the Romulan who has a secret, the defected Romulan who is a Starfleet admiral's agent, a Ferengi, and a shape-shifter (not a Founder). Sounds like a super-hero team, in a way, even down to them having a strong leader who gives them missions in Admiral Nechayev. My first understanding was that Genesis Force would be their first (and last) adventure, but I recently discovered that Genesis Force takes place concurrently with this three-book series, so that's not true. Even so, it does look like the "premiere issue," even going so far as to really ignore the Enterprise crew for long periods at a time.
Then there's the completely unnecessary references to Vornholt's Gemworld TNG series of books. The characters (especially Troi) keep wondering if the rift is something similar to what happened on Gemworld. It's never definitively answered (and if so, I was so bored I missed it) and even if it was answered, it really had no bearing on the plot. If there's anything I hate more than the overuse of continuity, it's the overuse of *useless* continuity. Vornholt at least doesn't take large portions of the book to explain what happened on Gemworld, but he comes close. Another use of continuity I had to laugh at is what ends up being the Romulan plan (and I shall say no more in fear of spoilage).
Other strangeness abounds as well. The entire Picard plot thread, though clear to the reader before this happens, is revealed to the characters in about two sentences as soon as Nechayev boards the Enterprise in a completely anti-climactic moment that allows them to plan a commando mission on to the Romulan ship.
The best thing I can say about the book is that the atmosphere is pretty well done. The excavation of the lab on Lomar, where all of the dead and dying bodies taken over by the moss creatures in the previous books reside, is quite chilling and oppressive at times, mirroring exactly how it would feel to work in that environment.
Other than a few odd moments here and there (like Lomar), I had to really struggle with this book. It reads very quickly, just like the first two books do, but yet it's also a struggle to get through as you the plot gets more and more outlandish. The worst thing is that this book was *completely* unnecessary! The first two books were so good, but this one almost cheapens them. I say almost, because thankfully this book is not necessary for the enjoyment of those two. It can be completely ignored, and probably should be.
David Roy |
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Don't Bother |
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Genesis Wave book 1 and 2 were excellent. I don't know what the author was thinking of when he wrote his 3rd book. He should have quit while he was on a roll. |
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