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Title: Gemworld Book One of Two (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 58) by John Vornholt ISBN: 0-671-04270-X Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.44 (18 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: STNG #58 Gemworld Book 1 - An interesting tale!
Comment: One thing is for certain every time you pick up a Star Trek novel written by John Vornholt, he generally comes up with extremely well detailed descriptions for aliens and their worlds as he has done once again here with Gemworld. Capitalizing on the Star Trek Deep Space Nine second season episode of "Melora," John Vornholt has come up with a believable back story for her and her home world. There are two theories about Gemworld, one is that it is artificial and the more believable of the two is that it is an ancient world that has gone through many phases and for a millennia its inhabitants have done everything they can to keep it intact. Here is where John Vornholt's talents shine, besides the odd nature of the planet there are also six indigenous, sentient species on Gemworld, to include the Elaysians in which Melora is a member of. What makes this one even more interesting and unusual is that Lieutenant Reginald Barclay is pretty much in the spotlight. It is sometimes refreshing where the main characters aren't always the lead in a novel.
The premise:
Lieutenant Melora Pazlar is on board the Enterprise temporarily as a mission specialist and the Enterprise is on its way to Primus IV which is a low gravity planet. As the Enterprise speeds its way towards Primus IV, Melora has a very real dream which she believes to have been induced by the Lipuls which are one of the six sentient species on her home world of Gemworld. After a chance meeting between her and Lieutenant Reginald Barclay and a "Lipul" dream being forced on Counselor Troi, Captain Picard is forced to change course for Gemworld to determine what the crisis may be and hopefully help. What follows is but the first of a two book series where this, the first one is another of John Vornholt's excellent Star Trek tales.
I highly recommend this and book two of this mini trek series as I'm greatly looking forward to reading the second one myself! {ssintrepid}
Rating: 3
Summary: Exellent premise, enjoyable story, bad writing
Comment: The two Gemworld novels must be the most visual Star Trek novels I've ever read.
Think of a planet that is so old it has to be artificially maintainned by growing magnificent chrystal formations to keep the hollow planet from deteriorating to extinction. Due to the low mass of the "planet", there is virtually no gravity, and the six very different species that inhabit it are constasntly "flying" through the chrystal formations.
Sounds like a fairy-tale?
Well, it is. But the childishness is an acceptable side-effect considering the ideal setting that produces it.
Unfortunately the story doesn't guite live up to the setting. We get the usual sabotage/murder mystery we have seen so many times we cannot remember. Unfortunately, the story is just as childish as the setting, and has nothing to back it off.
Fortunately the story is structured well, and the exellent use of Lt. Reginald Barclay and Commander Deanna Troi, who isn't usually portrayed in the way she deserves, not to mention the DS9 guest character Melora Pazlar, who, by the way, was originally created as the regular doctor of the series, and the exellent characterization of all of the three good characters makes this book, that takes place in the year 2376, one of the most entertaining ones in a long time. It's nice to see some more rarely used characters from time to time, instead the old and recycled TNG characters, that ,at this point, have absolutely nothing new to deliver.
But the writing.
The first few chapters of the book cause pain for the reader, because the writing of John Vornholt, who has proven himself to be quite a good writer, is absolutely unprofessional.
But in the end, I recommend this unique, and entertaining book, that offers the best mental wievs possible.
Rating: 5
Summary: ST-TNG: Gemworld Book #1
Comment: Star Trek-The Next Generation: Gemworld Book #1 written by John Vornholt is an action-adventure mystery with the main character being none other than Reginald Barclay helping a world experinecing a natural disaster.
Mostly, Lieutenants Reginald Barclay and Elaysian, Melora Pazlar help solve the problem of world destruction. Gemworld is a sparkling world to behold and is one of the wonders within the Federation: an artifical world comprized entirely of crystaline formations. While to atmosphere is held in place by a sophisticate network of force fields because of the low or no gravity within the three-dimestional snowflake, with mammoth spires of crystal, gemstone arcs and dazzling prisms, called Gemworld.
What I liked about this book is the portrayl of the Barclay/Pazlar characters. A real fleshing out is found when reading about the problems facing Gemworld. Six entirely different sentient races inhabit Gemworld making for a dazzling display as the writer explains each with the Alpusta and Frills being some of the most beautifully portrayed within the book.
Barclay is the brilliant/socially inept character that we know and love and is spot on in this story. While the description of Gemworld is vivid and very colorful. This story takes place after Star Trek: Insurrection and that makes Riker/Troi still Imzadi. The descriptions made within this book puts the reader right in the the middle of the story as endless fractal staircases float by as the characters move about in low or no gravity by floating.
Lieutenant Melora Pazlar who was introduced in the series DS-9 is telepathic and while on the Starship Enterprise alerts the crew of the impending danger that exists on her home planet Gemworld. Captain Jean-Luc Picard plans a rescue mission and when the Enterprise and her crew arrive at Gemworld they find the planet in chaos and the Starship is also in danger.
The action-adventure with mystery and intrigue is nicely paced and has its suspenseful moments and you'll have to read both books the get the whole story as Book #1 sets-up Book #2.
All in all, you'll love the very descriptive writing which makes reading them both that much easier.
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Title: Tooth and Claw (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 60) by Doranna Durgin ISBN: 0671042114 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Q-Space (Star Trek The Next Generation, Book 47) by Greg Cox ISBN: 0671019155 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: Requiem (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 32) by Michael Jan Friedman, Kevin Ryan ISBN: 0671795678 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1994 List Price(USD): $5.50 |
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Title: A Time to Die (Star Trek The Next Generation) by John Vornholt ISBN: 0743467663 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: A Time to Be Born (Star Trek The Next Generation) by John Vornholt ISBN: 0743467655 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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