The Disinherited (Star Trek, Book 59)

Description

The Disinherited

Gamma Xaridian--a peaceful Federation research colony that becomes the third Federation world to suffer a brutal attack athe handsof a mysterious alien fleet. With Lt. Uhura gone on an important mission of her own, Captain Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise™ are dispatched to investigate the attacks, only to find the planets completely devastated.

When another nearby colony is attacked, the U.S.S. Enterprise is ready and encounters a fleet of quick, small and deadly ships. Though Kirk and his crew manage to turn the raiders away, the U.S.S, Enterprise is severly damaged and the aliens escape.

As Kirk and his crew prepare for their next encounter with the raiders, Mr. Spock makes a startling discovery about the purpose behind the alien attacks -- a purpose that, if realized, could have deadly consequences for the Federation and the U.S.S Enterprise...

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Customer Reviews

Kirk & crew in best shape...
I am a big fan of Michael Jan Friedman and his long-time collaborator Robert Greenberger. Their collaboration with long-time Star Trek veteran Peter David is a great success. The plot goes like this: A number of colonies in a remote star system are seemingly randomly attacked by a vicious fleet of unknown origin. Kirk and crew arrive to investigate, while Uhura does a sabbatical serving on a different ship but working on the same mystery. During her stay away from the Enterprise, she realizes that the commodore of this new ship is very much interested in keeping her on a permanent basis, and struggles with the decision of leaving the Enterprise (It is funny to imagine what would have happened to the Star Trek cannon if she indeed had left...). The story also details the problems a very young Ensign Chekov encounters in adapting to Starship Enterprise to which he has recently been assigned. The characterizations are wonderfully detailed and extremely consistent with Star Trek cannon, and the day to day living of higher as well as lower rank officers are presented so vividly and in so much exciting detail that you feel like you are on the Starship Enterprise watching them going about their daily chores. The novel is definitely a big page-turner. But, when all is said and done, the best thing about this book is the relentless, breath-taking, never-ending action. Kirk is in top form, masterfully commanding his ship in one conflict/dogfight after another. This novel makes you realize why Kirk was awarded the rank of captain at the youngest age in Federation history! The mystery concerning the vicious alien fleet is very satisfactorily explained at the end, and even a moral message or two are squeezed in. I have read a lot of Star Trek novels in my life time, but this ranks up there in the top five! I will dig into the next collaboration of this author team (Doomsday World, along with Carmen Carter, starring the Next Generation) and can only hope it is as good as this one...

2010-04-26 (Baltimore) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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One of the best Star Trek novels I have read...
An excellent Star Trek novel. First and foremost a really good plot and storyline but what makes this novel special is its all encompassing sweep. Unfortunate but true, a lot of Star Trek novels tend to focus on a few characters with the remainder of the cast serving largely as "window dressing" for the duration of the tale. While this novel tends to focus on Chekov all of the remaining members of the cast (Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Scotty, and Uhura) as well as many other "irregular" members of the crew (Martine, Giotto, Kyle, Palmer) are well represented as well. Three great authors worked on this novel and it shows. It is literally steeped in Star Trek lore and references that had even a die-hard fan going back to "check the tape." The inclusion of Commodore Wesley & Co. and the Lexington was also a great addition. I would add that the humor and interplay between characters was some of the best I've ever encountered. My only complaint was the lingering unsolved mystery involving Security Chief Giotto's uncanny resemblance to Commodore Wesley...

2004-07-03 (Commonwealth of Virginia, USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Better than average.
I've read well over 100 Star Trek novels; this one is not a standout that I would recommend to someone if they wanted ten recommendations (or even twenty), but it is solid and enjoyable. Not surprisingly, given who the authors are, it is well-written, and (perhaps surprisingly,) the collaboration is pretty seamless; I thought that I would recognize each individual's writing style, and be able to tell who contributed what, but that was not the case other than a few places where I definitely recognized Peter David's sense of humor.

2004-03-27 (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Slow in places but generally good
This is a decidedly unusually Original Series book in that it involves one of the crew working on another Federation starship. That section, Uhura's, is the rather slow section of the book. It is a combination of investigation and personal drama. The whole section is not very well written. The Kirk and Chekov stories on the Enterprise are much more interesting. The Chekov story is a drama, and is fairly well written and has a good characterisation of Chekov. The Kirk story, the main one for the Enterprise, is a combination of investigation and combat. The combat scenes are quite well done. For the rest of it, the depiction of the characters is reasonably good. The dialogue for this section is generally quite good, and there are several really good scenes. I seem to have made this book out as less satisfying than I actually find it. It is good entertainment, with the majority of the book more than making up for the slow pace of Uhura's section. It's just a little too obvious that different authors wrote different sections of the text.

2004-01-12 (Western Australia) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Would be better if interesting
The story told in this book is rather dull and boring. I had hoped for much better. It also failed one of my major criteria for a novel; it was never edited. At various points throughout the book Sulu is refered to as the navigator or helmsman. On particular scene has Uhura, seeing Chekov look at her, ponder about the navigator. The very next paragraph she is now ponder about the navigator (Sulu). Very annoying. In order to make this book more enjoyable I found myself visualizing very colorful "sign language" by various character. Sign language plays an important part in the story.

Overall, I was very disappointed in this book.

2002-12-05 (Troy, IL USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 2

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The Essential Superman Encyclopedia

Description

NO X-RAY VISION? NO PROBLEM! LOOK WITHIN THE GUIDE THAT REVEALS ALL ABOUT THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER HERO!
 
His incredible powers are legendary, his famous red-and-blue costume is unmistakable, and the S-shield emblazoned across his chest is iconic. Born Kal-El on the doomed planet Krypton, rocketed to Earth, and raised by the kindly Kents, he was destined to battle evil as Superman, the Man of Steel. Here’s your guide to absolutely everything about the high-flying hero who’s been thrilling comics fans for more than seventy years—an amazing A-to-Z compendium that spans the spectrum of all things Superman, including
 
• Superman’s debut in the now legendary Action Comics #1
• biographies of all the classic Superman characters: Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Jor-El and Lara, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and the supporting ladies in Superman/Clark Kent’s life—including Supergirl, Lana Lang, and Lori Lemaris; plus Superboy, Krypto the Super-Dog, and the Man of Steel’s many diabolical archenemies, from Brainiac and Doomsday to Darkseid, Bizarro, and the mischievous Mr. Mxyzptlk
• Superman’s membership in the Justice League of America alongside the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash; his early adventures as Superboy; his numerous incarnations across the multiverse of worlds; and the stunning “Death of Superman” storyline that rocked the comics world
 • classic black-and-white comic book artwork throughout, two sixteen-page full-color sections, and an original cover painting by DC fan favorite Ryan Sook
 
Co-written by Robert Greenberger, author of The Essential Batman Encyclopedia, and veteran Superman comics and TV scripter Martin Pasko, with an Introduction by award-winning Superman scribe Geoff Johns, this fact-packed vault of a volume will be the go-to guide to the celebrated Man of Tomorrow for ages to come.

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Doomsday World (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 12)

Description

The planet Kirlos -- an artificial world built by a mysterious long-dead race called the Ariantu. Kirlos is now home to many races from both the Federation and the K'vin Hegemony, who have enjoyed years of peaceful co-existence and profitable trade. The planet also hold a wealth of undiscovered archaeological treasures, which the Enterprise™ and its crew are dispatched to help uncover.

Sent to the surface to assist an archaeological team, Geordi, Data, and Worf soon find themselves cut off from the Enterprise -- and the prime suspects in a series of terrorist attacks. The three Enterprise crewmen are imprisoned, relations between the K'vin and the Federation begin to crumble, and Kirlos' ancient underground machinery awakens from a centuries long dormancy, primed to release the most powerful destructive force ever known.

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Customer Reviews

Needed to be cooked longer and stirred more...
I had great hopes for this book when I saw the list of authors who had worked on it. Unfortunately, it may be that too many chefs spoiled a stew that needed to be cooked longer and stirred more.

The authors reveal in the forward that the story was prepared piecemeal and then put together and edited - sort of an assembly line technique of writing. While promising in theory, in practice this process has its problems. The story doesn't blend and it can be confusing. It is possible to detect the very different writing styles of the authors from one section to the next and it creates a sense of disjointedness. Adding to this is the occassional awkward transition from one scene to the next - from one author to the next. For example, the Enterprise is in route to the planet and the next time it is mentioned it is already in orbit and fighting a battle. When did the Enterprise arrive?

While each one of these authors is a craftsman in their own right, together their different styles tend to clash (like listening to Pavarotti and Clapton at the same time). More editing may have produced a harmony but as it stands I think I prefer the individual craftsman's effort over mass-production.

On the upside, the plot is pretty good if somewhat predictable and it can be somewhat humorous at times. The concept of the "Doomsday World" apparatus and how it worked was inspired.

"Doomsday World" is a marked contrast to the the outstanding collaborative effort "The Disinherited" - an original series entry written by Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman and Robert Geenberger.

Maybe it was Carmen?

2004-08-19 (Commonwealth of Virginia, USA) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 3

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STNG #12 - Doomsday World - This one could've been better!
What do you get when you have a Star Trek The Next Generation novel written by the likes of Carmen Carter, Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman and Robert Greenberger? What I and everybody else who reads Star Trek novels were expecting was an outstanding novel that is exciting, enlightening, highly thought provoking and just plain fun to read. Unfortunately, while this novel is well worth reading, it doesn't quite live up to the expectations one might place on it given the caliber of the authors involved. After years of reading Star Trek novels, I believe I can definitely discern who wrote at least a couple of the parts. In "Doomsday World" we as Star Trek readers have the precursor to many of the outstanding duology's, trilogies and mini series that have been written since.

The premise:

A long dead race known as the Ariantu built an artificial world named Kirlos. That planet is now home to many different Federation and K'vin Hegemony races that have lived together peacefully for many years. Kirlos is also home to many different archaeological treasures and Captain Picard and the Enterprise have been sent to help uncover them. Once there, Captain Picard assigns Data, Worf and Geordi to the away team but upon arrival they soon find themselves cut off from the Enterprise and they're now the prime suspects in several terrorists' attacks. What follows from there is an interesting and intriguing plot that if it were written by any one of these fine authors independently, would've been an exceptional story, however, with the many "hands in the cooking pot," it comes off as somewhat disjointed.

Despite some of the problems with this particular novel, I would still definitely recommend it as good Star Trek reading for the casual or die hard fan alike. {ssintrepid}

2003-07-21 | ssintrepid (St. Louis, MO United States) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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Not as bad as I expected;
This book was written by Carmen Carter, Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, and Robert Greenberger in concert. I expected a book written by committee to be sincerely bad. The four authors in question are all good enough to rescue this book from that fate, but almost any book by any one of them is better than this one.

Frankly, I thought that the concept was weak; I've read and enjoyed other "shared world" books, notably the "Thieves' World" series and the "Wild Cards" series, but in this case, ALL writing in the Star Trek universe already has all the advantages of such a concept, and I think that, left to themselves, we'd probably have gotten a novel at least as good as this one from EACH of these writers in the time it took us to get this one from the four of them.

The one possible reason for writing a novel this way is that it is potentially more fun for the authors than writing solo. I can see no other reason for the concept. Hopefully, having gotten this out of their systems, they'll go back to doing what they do best: writing solo.

2002-09-16 (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 3

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The Whole is not Greater than the Sum of its Parts
Doomsday World is by no means a bad Trek novel. Ordinarily, it would be entitled to the standard three stars that decent Trek novels are awarded. Unfortunately, the promise of having some of Trek's greatest novelists (Carter, David, and Friedman) teaming together falls way short of the mark. With few exceptions, each of their individual Trek novels have been several cuts above the norm; that Doomsday World never rises above the average makes the result all the more disappointing.

There are some good moments, including Worf saving the day with a barrage of phaser fire (then griping that if he'd been allowed to blast away when he'd wanted to they could have avoided a host of problems) and an amusing, if out of place, Monty Python reference ("What's the average air speed of an unladen swallow?" Geordi asks a bartender).

If you are going to read this one, do it because it's a Trek novel, not because of who the authors are . . . .

2002-04-03 (Maryland, USA) | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 2

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And then they were four
Other reviews have focused on the fact that it took four writer to write this book. So what? It's no giant novel, but it's still a goo story with interesting bit players. The planet's many secrets have fun conclusions, and the characters are well written. I would expect this one would have made a better episode than novel, so try to imagine the visuals. I, for one, would like to see the dueling ambassadors again.

2000-04-13 | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 4

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Cool Careers Without College for People Who Love to Organize, Manage, and Plan: Robert Greenberger

Description

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Iron Man: Femmes Fatales (Iron Man (Del Rey))

Description

MORE DEADLY THAN THE MALE

Millionaire industrialist Tony Stark has rejected the lucrative munitions trade that put his company on the map. But he can’t just turn away when the antiterror organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. asks him for help in its battle against the sinister forces of HYDRA. As the next step in its quest for global domination, the international terrorist cabal is plotting to use cutting-edge technology in a devastating attack on New York City.

The source of their advanced weaponry: Stark Industries.

Against such fearsome firepower, the city’s only hope lies with the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and with the ultimate human weapon: the golden avenger known as Iron Man. But when the man behind the metal mask falls prey to the schemes of two tantalizing temptresses, both as stunning and seductive as they are lethal, a fatal chink in his armor is revealed–a flaw that could lead to his downfall and the city’s doom.

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Customer Reviews

still did not read product
lf l did not read , how could l know .

2010-06-20 (toronto, ontario Canada) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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An Iron Man novel for the Harlequin Romance enthusiast
A short, but sweet review:

I might have been expecting too much, but this Iron Man novel did NOT have:

1. Strong characterization, only pedestrian ones
2. Much mention of Tony Stark's super technology
3. Fights with Super-Villains, only several fights with Hydra lackeys
4. An awesome climax; it was ho-hum and dangling....

I was expecting a little more.

There was way too much redundant focus on the 2 female villains.

I was rooting hard for this one, especially with Robert Greenberger's comics background....but perhaps next time.

2010-04-18 (CA United States) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 1

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A nice read but nothing spectacular
Greenberger gives us a nice story from the fledgeling days of SHIELD's formation. Iron Man is known by the public at large to be Tony Stark. Thus, the setting of this book is somewhat nebulous, as the technology and idiomatic references place it as relatively modern, while the comics had the formation of SHIELD decades earlier. (This is explained for the most part on a page at the end of the book.)

The villains of the book are the two Madames, Madame HYDRA and Madame Masque. Madame Masque is trying to rob Stark Industries blind using disguise and her feminine wiles, while Madame HYDRA seeks to destroy the newborn SHIELD using attacks on them and various military suppliers (including Stark) and trying to undermine Stark by seducing him.

The action is nicely written, with enough fight scenes to placate those whose interest is only combat. As the story progresses, the HYDRA agents begin to deploy more and better weapons against Iron Man, showing their tactical acumen and ability to learn from prior losses. Often, though, Iron Man is forced to ignore the real threats to save innocents at risk thanks to diversionary tactics of HYDRA.

Lacking, though, is any real development of characters. They are not much changed, if at all, by the end of the book. Since the storyline here will not impact the comics or the movies, one wonders why nothing noteworthy happens to flesh out the characters for any subsequent books; at least make a good product on its own, right? Also, there are some inconsistencies and errors in the colloquialisms and details. For instance, at one point Iron Man s climbing into the back seat and thinks to be careful because the weight of the suit bottoms out the shocks, but Tony Stark, when carrying the exact same suit of armor (and thus the same weight) in his briefcase, takes no such precaution. Another mistake is when Tony Stark thinks that if someone were to presume upon him they would "have another think coming" when the phrase is "another thing coming". Tony Stark, as a supposed genius, would know the correct phrasing, would he not?

However, the book is an OK read, nothing difficult or insulting in it. Characterizations are pretty complete, based as they are on decades of comics, though as noted there are no round characters when one gets to the end. While in that respect it's much like a comic, a medium in which decades serve to develop characters, in a 300 page book readers may like a bit more.

2010-04-11 | 97jedi (Southwestern Missouri) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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Enjoyable
This book was interesting and a nice read. My favorite character was Madame Masque (who doesnt use sex as a weapon, unlike what a review said). She is very smart and intriguing.

2010-01-12 | susan3000 (Jersey Shore) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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No Surrender (Star Trek: S.C.E., Book Four)

Description

When your ship falls under the thrall of the ancient Landru super-computer, or when you discover an alien device planted on your world before life evolved, call in Captain David Gold and the miracle workers from the Starfleet Corps of Engineers team on the U.S.S. da Vinci.

Captain Gold and Dr. Elizabeth Lense must face their greatest trials yet. Gold must confront an old friend who has turned terrorist and threatens the lives of millions -- including the terrorist's own daughter. And Lense must put aside the horrors she faced in the Dominion War to find a cure for a plague on Sherman's Planet before that world's entire population -- and the crew of the da Vinci -- perish.

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Customer Reviews

An interesting collection.
Well written, well-thought out, interesting characters. I have no clear reason why I have NOT rated this book five stars; it just doesn't seem to have the spark, the "I can't put it down" drive that a book needs to qualify for a five star rating. But it's a VERY good four-star book. Unlike some of the books in this series, it's even capable of being read as a stand-alone; it has both beginning and ending in spite of being part of a continuing series.

2006-04-26 (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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ST-SCE Book #4 No Surrender
Star Trek - Starfleet Corps of Engineers Book #4 No Surrender is a collection of 4 short stories about the further adventures of Captain David Gold, Commander Sonya Gomez, and the intrepid crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci as they solve problems around the galaxy. These stories are part of the e-book series by the same name and are stories 13 thru 16. Which are "No Surrender" by Jeff Mariotte; "Caveat Emptor" by Ian Edington and Mike Collins; "Past Life" by Robert Greenberger; and "Oaths" by Glenn Hauman.

These are quick and to the point stories with action-adventure and are easily read prior to bedtime so you can get that quick fix of TREK.

"No Surrender" starts this series of four as is about a prison platform going out of control. An old space station is used to house a prison population that is not wanted on the planet's surface. One of the prisoners is an old friend of Captain Gold's who is now a political prisoner for speaking out against joining the UPF. When the SCE arrives and gets things back to order they find that Captain Gold's friend and his daughter and grandchild are missing along with an ambassador.

"Caveat Emptor" is the next story and just when you thought that Landru super-computer was gone... well it shows up on a Ferengi Mercantile ship and starts to take over trying to make the Ferengi honest. I found this story to be a very quick read with under tones of humor to it.

"Past Life" is the third story and it is about an ancient artifact that predates the existing inhabitants existance. They are rather xenophobic and the story goes on from there. This is a well-written story that will keep your interest.

"Oaths" is the final story and it involves the da Vinci's CMO Dr. Elizabeth Lense as she trys to figure out a cure for a plague on Sherman's Planet before the entire population is surmounted. As ehtics being debated, the doctor must find a cure, but at what cost.

These are all well-written and to the point stories. You'll find that they do NOT linger and you'll be through the story before you know it.

2003-07-19 | Khemprof (Cincinnati, Ohio) | Helpful Votes: 7 | Rating: 5

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