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Avg. Rating: 4.5
Voyager's Epic
If there's one good thing that stands out about the "String Theory" series it's that it definately carries the tone and weight of an epic. The first novel was fun and great, focusing a bit on the strained relationship between B'Elanna and Seven. This one continues from where "Cohesion" left off, and the focus is on the entire cast. There's a part in this novel for everyone. The crewmember in danger for this novel is Tuvok, while everyone else, even Neelix and Harry Kim, have their moment in the spotlight.
Captain Janeway's life is on the line in this epic tale as the Nacene (the Caretaker race) returns. There's also that classic Voyager plot going on in the background; Tom Paris and Kim may have found a way to return Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant thanks to some alien technology. The ship has encountered an alien space station that holds all the answers to their current situation. It may also lead to their untimely deaths.
I think the strength of the novel comes from it's focus on the entire cast instead of on parts of the crew. There were times when the explanation of the true conflict got a bit complex and lead to some confusion, on my part, but that's the only time that I really struggled to get through the novel. This is definately a great Voyager novel, better than most of the "relaunch" novels put out so far. It really does have a mini-series epic tone to it, up through the end and the final pages when you feel the final leg of the journey/adventure is coming around.
I'd definately recommend this novel to any Voyager or even a simple Star Trek fan. There's a lot of science-fiction at play, something that perhaps the series lacked for a while. Everyone played a hand in saving the day and yet the novel doesn't end on an awkward note. Things aren't all well by the end and the cliffhanger is subtle enough to make you want to read the final installment. This is a great series, one of the best mini-series for the Voyager line of books. Definately recommended and worth your money.
Great part two of three
I agree wholeheartedly with the other reviewers who say that this second installment of a Voyager trilogy, is very well written and an improvement over the first one, although I enjoyed the first one as well. Beyer keeps the action rolling and maintains interest by keeping multiple threads of the story going throughout. The story line is more complex and more creative than Book 1 and definitely leaves you wanting to read the third and final installment of the series. With only occasional exceptions ("liberties"), the characters are true to the TV series.
To an earlier comment that this book is fantasy and not science-fiction, last time I checked those terms were synonymous! This story doesn't seem to me to be any more fantastic than just about any Voyager episode. Again, I believe this story, like its predecessor, would make an excellent big screen movie.
Left me eager to read Book 3
The Monorhans' world is coming apart quite literally, as the anomalous region of space where their system is located rushes toward cosmic doom. In the second third of the tale begun in Jeffrey Lang's Cohesion, Captain Kathryn Janeway and her crew continue their efforts to discover what's causing the unraveling process - and halt it - before this intelligent humanoid species loses its home. Since no Monorhan ship can leave the star system, thanks to the same conditions that spell that sytem's doom, relocating them isn't an option.
The middle installment of any trilogy presents its author with problems. The plot needs to be complicated, but not to the point of confusing most readers. The characters need to learn from their experiences, yet remain consistent with the first book. The pace must keep the reader turning pages, but at the end there's got to be another book's worth of story left to tell. Kirsten Beyer has done remarkably well, I think, in writing the middle book of this particular trilogy as her first completed and published novel. She clearly knows the characters well, and loves them dearly - they act and speak just as they ought, throughout. I found some of her prose a bit awkward, but that was a minor matter. Overall, a fine outing for my favorite Trek crew! Beyer definitely left me eager to read Book 3.
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