May 06

Vulcan’s Soul Trilogy Book Two: Exiles (v. 2)

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Vulcan’s Soul Trilogy Book Two: Exiles (v. 2) Not worth it! – Challenger Nuke – Santa Fe, NM
Thumbs down. Don’t buy this one. What I want to know is “Where are the editors on this? Weren’t they doing their jobs?” This collective work doesn’t hold a candle to that of A.C. Crispin or Diane Duane. Besides being dull and boring, here’s why I didn’t care for this:

* Whoever wrote the “Memory” chapters about the Vulcan sundering and the founding of the Romulan Star Empire has a terrible writing style. The sentence structure was complex and cumbersome and littered with too many adverbs. What the author was trying to say in instances was hard to fathom even after re-reading passages several times.
* The plot for the “present day” part was thin and predictable. The storyline was not helped by all the cameo appearances of various Star Trek characters; they were an annoyance. The details concerning “present day” characters on Romulus has me scratching my head; what is the relevance? Is there another sequel coming?
* After re-reading the first chapter of “Exodus” after completing the entire 3 volume work, I still can’t understand the intent or the necessity of this chapter. In addition, there were characters introduced here (this chapter) in detail who played no role in the rest of the novels. What a waste of my time to try and decode!
* The scene selection and the detail in which they were presented in the “Memory” chapters is questionable. There was material presented, although somewhat interesting, that added little value to the story line. The reason for Karatek’s (and his family’s) exile to Remus was more tell than show. Why wasn’t this developed more fully?
* Some of the books used regular dates; the middle book used star dates. Confusing.
* I think those who follow Star Trek understand that this is basically fantasy. However, there is still a certain amount of fundamental physics that you need to get right. When you have an explosion in deep space (i.e., vacuum), you can’t have a shock wave because a traditional shock wave can only be propagated with continuous media like an atmosphere or an ocean. But, you can have ejecta!

There are more faults that I could find with this work. Do yourself a favor and read something by Timothy Zahn or Tom Clancy.

I listened to the audio book. This was two stories. The modern story was kind of a waste of time. But I liked the ‘Memory’ time line. I thought it was a slow moving story while I was listening to it. I was a bit frustrated. But When it was over I thought about it a bit and I realized that this book moved me. I recognized at least one connection to the original Star Trek series and this book made me view that episode in a new more sinister light. There was another random planetary encounter that really upset me. By the end I was very angry at some of the characters and I realized that means it was a good story. I actually cared about what happened. Even though we know how it will end in a big picture sense, the details are a welcome bit of texture. I really enjoyed it which surprised this action fan. I can’t wait for the next book. : Tensions remain high as the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, and the Romulan Star Empire attempt to maintain their fragile post-Dominion War peace in the wake of the brutal attack by the mysterious Watraii that ended with the loss of Admiral Pavel Chekov. When Admiral Uhura receives intelligence regarding a Watraii base that may contain more than one surprise, she sends Ambassador Spock, Captain Saavik, Ruanek, Captain Montgomery Scott, and Lieutenant Commander Data on a covert mission to learn its secrets….

But the true secrets of the Watraii have their basis millennia in the past. In the time of Surak, Vulcans were at a crossroads, on the cusp of either embracing logic or succumbing to emotion and destroying themselves. With Surak’s blessing, a group of Vulcans left their turbulent homeworld to find their destiny among the stars — but the stars prove themselves even more unforgiving than the sands of Vulcan’s deserts, as Karatek, the reluctant leader of the exiles, must struggle to hold the community together.
Vulcan’s Soul Trilogy Book Two: Exiles (v. 2)

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