Titan:
Rating:
  
Reviewed on: 3 April 2005
Reviewed by: Father Robert Lyons, SST
A Novel by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangles
April 2005 - $7.99 (US)
ISBN - 0-7434-9627-2
Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangles are two authors who have taken the world
of Star Trek to new heights in the past few years. They are a part of the new
breed of authors that have taken prominent places alongside the likes of Diane
Duane, Gene DeWeese, and Diane Carey (among others) on the bookshelves of faithful
Trek novel readers. While I found “Rogue” (my first Martin and Mangles
read) to be a good story, I felt somewhat less than impressed with certain elements.
Their recent writing, however, for Captain Sulu and the Excelsior crew in the
Lost Era series was superb. This time, their collaborative effort has produced
the first novel in the new Star Trek: Titan series, “Taking Wing” goes
to show exactly why this pair is the best writing duo in Star Trek books today.
“Taking Wing” is set after the events of Star Trek Nemesis, the
tenth feature film of the franchise, and gives us a glimpse of a Romulan Empire
teetering on the less-than-sure foundation of an opportunist Praetor and a
divided government. These factors, together with the emergence of the Remans
as a powerful force in the Empire, set a compelling backdrop upon which Martin
and Mangles superimpose the first mission of the starship Titan.
Having assembled his crew in preparation for an exploratory mission in the
Orion Arm of the galaxy, Fleet Admiral Leonard James Akkar boards the Titan
and throws the Captain and crew into full-bore preparations to travel to Romulus
to deliver aid supplies at the request of the fledgling regime of ex-senator,
now praetor, Tal’Aura.
Yet, as the Titan arrives in Romulan space, it is immediately clear that this
will be no simple aid and negotiate mission. Joining with Klingon escorts,
the Titan and Captain Riker approach Romulus and prepare to encounter strife,
deception, and murder – all offered up in the name of looking out for
the ‘best interests’ of the Empire, which – as always – are
usually the best interests of whoever you ask.
Riker and the crew meet up with some familiar faces along the way, and the
last sixty pages will go in a direction you couldn’t possibly expect.
This novel is more than solid, more than surprising; it is an utter treat
for fans of Will Riker and the Romulans. The dialogue is written crisply and,
especially towards the end, I could sit and hear the actors delivering the
lines as if I was watching an episode on television.
In the past I have criticized Martin and Mangles for what I perceived to be
the lack of depth in some of the relationships they had crafted, most specifically
surrounding Lieutenant Sean Hawk in their Next Generation era novel from the
Section 31 series, entitled “Rogue”. In my review of “Rogue” I
noted that I felt very lackluster and unconvinced about Hawk’s relationship
with Ranul Keru. While I still have reservations about how that Keru/Hawk relationship
was portrayed in that novel, the aftermath rings far more clear in “Taking
Wing” and has a distinct emotional bite. I am far more pleased with the
way that the relationships in “Taking Wing” are portrayed – they
remind me very much of the taut writing found in a previous Martin and Mangles
work, last year’s Lost Era tale, “The Sundered”.
For me, the absolute treat of the novel is Dr. Ree. The ship’s physician
certainly elicits some extremely strong feelings among members of the crew,
and Ree’s interactions are written so well that I could completely picture
him, targ tar tare and all, heading down the cooridor (to the horror of some
of the weaker-stomached of the Titan’s crew).
Many Star Trek fans have been looking forward to the Titan novel series since
it was announced over a year ago. I am most pleased to tell you that the story
is just beginning, and that if “Taking Wing” is any indication,
the best is yet to come.
“Taking Wing” is available in stores now. The second book in the
series, “The Red King”, will hit bookstores later this year.
Father Rob reviews Star Trek books for ST Universe and Stellarcross.org.
Reviews are © Stellarcross.org and are reprinted here with permission. |
