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Title: Strange New Worlds, Vol. 2 (Star Trek) by Dean Wesley Smith ISBN: 0-671-02692-5 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (14 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Got some pretty good stories.
Comment: It's hard to rate an anthology. My approach is to rate each individual story. I came out with a ranking of 3.4705882352941176470588235294118. But I find humans have trouble with too much precision, so I'll round it to 3.
Some of the stories are less than equal, as you find in any anthology. I'm not quite sure why Ribbon for Rosie, the story of 7 of 9's trip to the past, won the grand prize. It doesn't seem as we well written, but perhaps because it suffers from now being outside of canon because of STV episodes after '99, when the book was written. Similarly, the DS9 episodes are both pretty thick and difficult to get into- which is a shame, since DS9 has a lot of promise, such as stories about the completely unexplored Gamma quadrant, that was never explored in the series. And while it was nice to see Dr. Taylor again from TVH, the TOS episodes start the book off a bit slow. And Calculated Risk reminds me why Dr. Pulaski left the series, and why there aren't more stories about her.
But on the very positive side, I Am Klingon finally provides a possible answer to that nagging question- where did those foreheads come from? Rand even does am amazing job of tying in all the various episodes that have skirted around this issue, in TOS, TNG, and DS9, as well as providing one answer to what actually happened between Deanna and Worf. One story finally gets to that nagging question- if Wesley was studying with the Traveler in a Native American colony under the Cardassians, doesn't he then become a technical member of the Dominion, and if so, why isn't he helping in the war against the Dominion? And two excellent time travel stories get to some of those questions of, if there is a Department of Temporal Investigations, fixing temporal incursions, how come there are still temporal incursions that have never been fixed? Though the book as a whole isn't as highly rated, I'd definitely recommend it for these hints at possible paradoxi with Star Trek.
And then there are the stories that touched me emotionally. I Am Become Death is a haunting look at Data's life, pre-STN- one with that added twist that can make you cry. I personally very appreciated two STV stories: Touched, for it's etic anthropological look from the perspective of the other, and The Healing Arts, for stressing the importance of empathy, and interpathy, in healing. Reciprocity is TNG story about *very* long wormholes, that is filled with poignancy and a feeling that, truly, All Good Things...
Rating: 5
Summary: Strange New Worlds II - Replete with great Trek stories!
Comment: Taken as a whole this anthology; second in the Strange New Worlds series stands out miles ahead of its predecessor of a year earlier. The majority of the stories by these non professional authors are extremely captivating and a few of them are quite compelling Star Trek short stories. If you had misgivings or second thoughts about reading these particular anthologies, I recommend you rethink that as each and every story is worth your time. The only downside to this and its predecessor in my opinion is that both contain only two Deep Space Nine stories. This is an oversight as DS9 is a very rich environment that could be explored more thoroughly!
Star Trek
Triptych [Second Prize] by Melissa Dickinson**** - This is an interesting tale about the many outcomes from the TOS episode "The City on the Edge of Forever," in which the question is asked, what if this happened or didn't happened.
The Quick and the Dead by Kathy Oltion ***** - This is a great tale about Kirk and crew taking a landing party down on a planet where everything on the planet is seemingly moving at light speed.
The First Law of Metaphysics by Michael S. Poteet **** - This is a surprisingly well written story about Spock and Saavik's first meeting several years after what happened on the Genesis planet.
The Hero of My Own Life by Peg Robinson ***** - This is an extremely well written tale about a meeting through scientific research of Gillian Taylor from Star Trek IV and Dr. Carol Marcus from Star Trek II.
Doctors Three by Charles Skaggs ***** - This is a beautiful and quite poignant story about Admiral Leonard McCoy circa the 24th century and his desire to meet with Dr. Zimmerman as he's in the process of creating and perfecting the Emergency Medical Hologram program of Star Trek Voyager fame.
Star Trek The Next Generation
I Am Klingon [Third Prize] by Ken Rand ***** - This particular fan fictionist knows his Klingons well and in this story he has written a very plausible explanation of the difference between Klingons of the TOS era and that of the TNG era.
Reciprocity by Brad Curry ***** - This by far is the best story of this particular anthology. The author fluidly takes us to a time some four billion years in the past and tells a short story about the firstborn ones.
Calculated Risk by Christina F. York **** - This is a somewhat interesting tale about the rarely used character of Dr. Pulaski of STNG second season fame.
Gods, Fate, and Fractals by William Liesner ***** - This is another of the better stories of this anthology. The author reintroduces us to agents Dulmer and Lucsley from Starfleet's Department of Temporal Investigations. Presented here is an extremely interesting story about the creation or lack of creation of the Maquis.
I Am Become Death by Franklin Thatcher ***** - This author created here an especially intriguing tale of Data in the far distant future and his altered perspective on how things should come about.
Deep Space Nine
Research by J. R. Rasmussen *** - This is extraordinarily short, short tale is intriguing at best, from the humor standpoint.
Change of Heart by Steven Scott Ripley ***** - This is another of the extraordinarily well written stories of this anthology. The author here has perfectly captured the perceived personality of a "Changeling" who's found her self in a particular situation she doesn't care to be in.
Star Trek Voyager
A Ribbon for Rosie [Grand Prize] by Ilsa J. Bick ***** - It is of wonder that this author won the Grand Prize based on this outstanding tale about Seven of Nine making an unheard of trip into the past.
Touched by Kim Shear **** - This is an interesting tale about two Voyager crew members forced to land on the planet of a non warp species and their chance meeting with one of its inhabitants.
Almost...But Not Quite by Dayton Ward ***** - This is another of the finest stories of this anthology. This author has a fluid and deft style of writing that is captivating and compelling. Capitalizing on Starfleet's Department of Temporal Investigations and agents Lucsley and Dulmer, the author deftly integrates them into the fold when Voyager ended up in orbit of Earth in the year 1996. It is no small wonder why this author has moved on to writing professionally!
The Healing Arts by E. Cristy Ruteshouser & Lynda Martinez Foley ***** - These two fine authors present here an exceptional story of a medical crisis and the Doctor's solution.
Seventh Heaven by Dustan Moon ***** - This is a beautiful story about Seven of Nine and a surprise visit by another well known Borg who had earlier regained his individuality. The author captured Seven of Nine's personality perfectly! {ssintrepid}
Rating: 5
Summary: Great Compilation of Fantastic Fanwork
Comment: First of all, the idea to collect fan fiction and put it in an annual compilation is brilliant. The best work is always done by those struggling to get noticed or simply doing it because they love it. Thus, with the pressure to produce off their shoulders, these fans have produced some wonderful stories. My personal favorites are the original Star Trek stories, but all of them were page-turners. I just can't tell you how neat it is to read new Trek stories by amateur writers, but this is one book that you should certainly check out. Worth your time and money, and it even gives instructions for entering your own story into the contest.
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Title: Strange New Worlds, Vol. 6 (Star Trek) by Dean Wesley Smith, John J. Ordover, Paula M. Block ISBN: 0743467531 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Wounded Sky (Star Trek, No 13) by Diane Duane ISBN: 067174352X Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 September, 1991 List Price(USD): $5.50 |
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Title: Enterprise Logs (Star Trek) by Carol Greenburg, Robert Greenberger ISBN: 0671035797 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: June, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Vulcan's Heart (Star Trek) by Susan Shwartz ISBN: 0671015451 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: Homecoming, Book 1 (Star Trek: Voyager) by Christie Golden ISBN: 074346754X Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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