Reunion

Star Trek TNG: Reunion
© 1991 Michael Jan Friedman
343 pages
On the cover:  Unknown models as Idun Asmund, Picard's former human-raised-by-Klingons helm officer and Captain Morgen, who looks rather scary.  There's also a little quirk on the cover: the Stargazer is depicted with only two nacelles. This was before the four-nacelle model  became official, I suppose.

Many years ago, fresh young lieutant named Picard saved his ship from peril by assuming command following the death of his captain and first officer. In recognition of his services rendered, Starfleet named him captain of the Stargazer.  Now an officer of legend, Picard commands the Federation flagship -- the Enterprise-D -- and is hosting a Stargazer reunion. The arrival of several Stargazer officers brings back mixed memories for Picard: fond recollections of those days when he was young and brash, before his best friend Jack died under his command -- before Stargazer was lost. The memory of Jack is painful, though, and even moreso for Jack's widow, Beverly Crusher. She and Picard aren't the only persons haunted by the memories of what once was:  after the reunion is troubled by a series of nearly lethal accidents, Picard realizes someone among his former comrades is targeting the Stargazers on by one.  With the ship in peril, Picard and his friends both old and young must find the would-be murderer among their ranks and while striving to prevent a diplomatic catastrophe.

I don't think I've looked forward to any Star Trek book as much as Reunion, perhaps save S.D. Perry's DS9 capstone Unity. I began reading the Stargazer series years ago, and the first two books in it rank as some of my favorites in Trek literature as a whole -- but Reunion invented those characters.  Death in Winter spoiled the mystery for me by alluding to the killer, but even so I had fun trying to figure out why the character in question had 'snapped' -- and was able to use my previous Stargazer reading to keep ahead of Picard and the others.  There's considerable peril to be had outside the potential assassin: while on a diplomatic mission, Enterprise is trapped in a high-warp slipstream that threatens not only the mission, but the  ship itself by throwing it far beyond Federation borders. Characterization is accurate for both the TNG crew and the Stargazers, though Picard is more formal with his old XO than I would expect -- in the Stargazer books, they're 'buddies'.

I expected a great deal of Reunion and come away from it feeling quite satisfied. Like other Friedman novels, this is one I can see returning to again and again.

In a Sunburned Country

In a Sunburned Country
© 2001 Bill Bryson
352 pages

Bill Bryson takes on the largest island in the world in In a Sunburned Country,  traveling its coasts and dashing into the heart of the outback to gaze upon some of the most wondrous natural scenery to be found on Earth in around three weeks. Though some of his other journey books take place on foot, Australia is far too vast to experience in such a way. Even by train and rental car, much of the trip is marked by hours of travel through the wilderness. Bryson spends most of his time in Australia's cities, though, most of which are clustered in the southern 'boomerang'.   Like A Walk in the Woods, Bryson begins his journey by reading about the terrifying perils that await him -- especially the wildlife -- and later uses this knowledge to entertain and terrify those who travel with him. Aside from the pleasure he takes in doing this, Bryson seems like an agreeable fellow to explore a new place with -- he pokes his nose into every facet of life he can, never ceases to ask questions or make witty observations, and prefers to end days on the road by exploring local communities, winding up at a pub wiling away the hours.

In addition to describing his travel experiences, Bryson also engages the reader with a history of Australia, its provinces and towns, and also provides the odd science lesson -- commenting on how Australia's isolation led to its incredible and varied abundance of animals and plants, many of which can be found no other place on earth. To Bryson, Australia is an immense paradise -- teeming with life, and yet bizarrely empty. That abundance of life is all the more striking considering the hostility of Australia's climate, marked by scorching heat and long periods of drought and floods.  Bryson's own travels were uneventful in this regard -- the only wildlife he records was a small echidna in a natural park, and only once did the threat of weather stop him. (He had to wait for a flood warning in Queensland to pass before continuing north, an odd experience for me to read given the sweeping floods in Queensland at the moment.)  Despite the lack of drama, there's no shortage of entertainment between Bryson's commentary and the regular misfortunes of travel: at one point Bryson drove three hundred miles into the desert to take in a particularly momentous site, only to realize there were no open hotel rooms in town -- meaning he had to drive three hundred more miles before finding any rest.

Recommended easily if you're interested in Australia or a good laugh.

This Week at the Library (29 December - 5 January)

I shifted to doing individual comments back in October 2008, but I still haven't figured out what to do with this weekly wrap-up.  I tend to share interesting quotations on Teaser Tuesday where a larger audience (I assume) will enjoy them, and that and the weekly preview were its main functions once I started updating several times a week. I also like them for indexing purposes: the shorter lists are easier to use than scanning archives for every single title.

I avoid quantitative ratings in my comments/reviews in favor of gut reactions, but rating books on Shelfari has lessened my resistance somewhat. I still don't like trying to stick numbers on art, but just for the sake of mixing things up a bit, I'm going to try including a rating scale on these weekly reviews. I'll use a ten point system with decimal points to narrow things down.  Don't take it too seriously, though. I just type numbers in until it feels right.

1 is Dismal, 10 Outstanding and 11 is Star Trek Destiny.

Last week:

• Seize the Fire, Michael A. Martin.  6.8
• Rough Beasts of Empire, David R. George III 8.2
• The Burning Land, Bernard Cornwell. 9.5
• Over the Hills,  7.7
• In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson. 9.0 . I haven't done full comments on this yet, though I finished it Monday night. I wanted to delay it until well after the annual review was up.

This next week's potentials...

• The Evolution of God, Robert Wright. I am halfway through and generally enjoying it with the occasional caveat. 
• The Age of Absurdity, Michael Foley
• Star Trek TNG: Reunion, Michael Jan Friedman -- probably. This is the original Stargazer novel, which sees Picard reunited with his old comrades. Friedman later wrote a series of books set during Picard's first years commanding it.
• Redcoat, Bernard Cornwell. I could not find the Arthurian stories series -- not a single book in it, even though they were all logged in.  I got this instead.
• The Mind of Egypt, Jan Assmann

The Best of 2010: Annual Year in Review

Fifty-two 'weeks at the library' have come and gone once more, and like every year I'm taking some time to look back at the year's reading and reflect, mentioning those books whose memory has not faded with time. My return to Trek literature and the discovery of some great authors like Bernard Cornwell, Christopher Moore, Alison Weir, and others marked this year, and with an interesting result:  For the first time ever, I read more fiction than nonfiction: usually, my historical, scientific, and philosophical reading surpasses novels by a good 20%.   This year it's in fiction's favor, though by a scant 3%.   This concerns me a bit, but as I stand back and think, 2010 was just a really good year for fiction.  Usually my fictional reads are isolated things, unless I'm reading a series -- and I plowed through several series this year. I maintained a list of finished books, and with it made this chart, courtesy of ChartGo.com.

In general fiction, the following books in particular stand out:

• Lamb, by Christopher Moore, a fictional biograpy of Jesus from the viewpoint of his pal Levi, also called Biff. While this is as laugh-out-loud funny as they come, it's also notable for being the most realistic and sympathetic of Jesus I've seen in novels.
• The Iron Heel by Jack London was one of the first dystopian novels, though now it reads like alternate history and social commentary. London uses his Earnest Everhard character to explain 'the problems inherent in the system' and advocate for change, addressing multiple audiences within the book.  It would recommend to someone curious about Marxist social criticism. 
• I began reading more of Max Shulman and hold his Barefoot Boy with Cheek in high esteem: though I read four or so Shulman books this year, Barefoot was the closest to recapturing the Shulman magic which so delights me when reading The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. 
• Stephen King's Christine marked the year's creepiest hit. I read it around Halloween while dutifully listening to the 1950s music Christine enjoyed playing before she rode into the darkness to terrorize anyone who got on her bad side. 
•  The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles continues Iles' habit of emotionally turbulent  southern-gothic thrillers. 
• I also enjoyed Isaac Asimov's surreal Murder at the ABA. 

Historical fiction made a strong showing this year thanks to the series I encountered, particularly the Horatio Hornblower Novels, Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories, and Alison Weir's biographic novels. Most notable:

• Captain Horatio Hornblower, C.S. Forester
• Lord Hornblower, C.S. Forester
• The Last Kingdom, Bernard Cornwell
• Lords of the North, Bernard Cornwell
• The Lady Elizabeth, Alison Weir

Earlier in the year I started pursuing my goal of getting back into Trek literature, something I've not followed since 2005. Though I began with the familar, as I continued in the various series I discovered some astounding new authors. Highlights:

• David Mack, of the Destiny Trilogy.  I've heard this series hyped for years and dreaded reading it, but it bowled me over. Incredible.
• Christopher L. Bennett, for Greater than the Sum, chiefly. Orion's Hounds and The Buried Age were also excellent.
• Kirsten Beyer, who revived the Voyager series with the stunning Full Circle.
• William Leisner, whose Losing the Peace followed well in Mack's footsteps. 

Even outside of Star Trek, this wasn't a bad year for science fiction. I read some classics, creating a 'vintage SF' tag for them. H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds and  Michael Crichton's  more modern Jurassic Park were particularly enjoyable. Matthew Stover's novelization of The Revenge of the Sith surprised me, doing a great service by the movie in strengthening its characters and making the drama more purpouseful.

History has always been a staple of my reading diet, and 2010 was no exception. I began reading the Story of Civilization series by Will Durant, but the most impressive books were by other authors.

• 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus was far and away the most impressive book in this category, and I'd go so far as to call it the read of the year. It completly changed my perception of how native cultures used the land, transforming it. 
• Citizens by Simon Schama took a fresh look at the French revolution. 
• La Belle France by Alistair Horne remains one of the more entertaining light historical narratives I've ever read  -- I described it as a 'romping ride through French history'.
• Coal: A Human History ended the year on a high point.  

Science reading tended toward the anemic this year, though at the outset I enjoyed David Attenborough's The Life of series.  African Exodus remains the most notable science read: its coverage of human evolution and expansion, particular the chapters on human-Neanderthal cohabitation, fascinated me. I also introduced myself to Oliver Sack's interesting neurological work in The Mind's Eye, and enjoyed a series of humor books grounded in science by Mary Roach.

In philosophy, two books have been on my mind all year: a collection of anarchist and political activist Emma Goldman's writings in Red Emma Speaks, and A Guide to the Good Life: the Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine, which introduces contemporary minds to Stoicism and demonstrates its relevance to the modern world.  The Emperor's Handbook, a modern-English version of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, is also worth mentioning.

I read little social criticism this year, but even in a crowd, Weapons of Satire, a collection of Mark Twain's writings against American imperialism in the Phillipines, would have stood out. James Howard Kunstler's The Geography of Nowhere mourns the loss of communities and condemns suburban sprawl and proved provoking.

Blogwise, at some point in late January I made including book covers part of the standard comment-review format, and early in the autumn I began a Shelfari account for the blog.

Thoughts for next year:

• Trek fiction jumped to the 11th most-used label in half a year, and I predict it will unseat Religion by the early spring and forever claim a place in the top ten. I don't think it will dominate the way it has recently once I stop playing catch-up, though. I am particularly interested in finishing the Titan series and obtaining the Terok Nor trilogy. I understand it features Kira Nerys as a main character, so I cannot possibly resist. 
• My science reading flagged more this year than last year, so now I'm hunting for books I can buy via Amazon to maintain basic scientific literacy and continue exploring the natural world. 
• Bernard Cornwell's medieval fiction thrills me to no end: I intend on exhausting my library's supply of his books. 
• I also want to finish Asimov's Empire series: I've only read Pebble in the Sky. It might also be a good time to read The Gods Themselves  and The End of Eternity, though I'm cautious about reading those, least I run out of Asimov fiction. 

Top Ten Books Books I Resolve to Read in 2011

This week the Broke and the Bookish expect us to commit to at least ten books, particularly those which have sat meekly in the 'pile of books to read' for a while.

1. Marcus Aurelius: A Life, Frank McLynn

I've had this book for nearly ear now. Probably should get around to reading it, right?

2. A People's History of the World, Chris Harman

I bought this back in the spring intending to read it during the summer.

3. The Age of Absurdity, Michael Foley

Hey, it isn't my fault I haven't read this yet. I ordered it before Thanksgiving, but it vanished somewhere over the Atlantic: I bought it from a firm in England. Either the Royal Mail or the USPS lost it, so they (WorldBooksUSA) sent me another copy. It arrived just recently. 

4. The Age of Faith, Will Durant

Reading about the decline and fall of the Roman empire followed by centuries of religious war sounds depressing, but I want to continue in this series.

5. The Confessions, Augustine of Hippo

I did begin reading this earnestly the first two weeks I had it, but then Vikings distracted me. I can't blame Bernard Cornwell completely, though.

6. Paths of Disharmony, Dayton Ward.

Okay, I don't need to make a Most Solemn Oath to read this book.  I expect on getting it in some way for my birthday.  I don't think I've ever read Dayton Ward, and since this is a TNG book I'm looking forward to it.

7. The Essential Epicurus: Letters, Principal Doctrines, Vatican Sayings, and Fragments. 

Same story as Aurelius and People's history, really.

8. The Complete Stories (Volume 2), Isaac Asimov

I bought this in the fall of 2009 for $12 or $15. The remaining copies on Amazon sell anywhere from $60 to $140. I read the first volume in the set this year. The series isn't actually complete-- Asimov kept writing stories, which makes producing a complete collection difficult, and I like to think the publishers threw their hands up in frustration that Asimov had simply written too many stories for them to corner. 

9. Over a Torrent Sea, Christopher L. Bennett

Though I've not read many Titan novels, Bennett's Orion's Hounds pleased me greatly. I've enjoyed every book I've read by the author, so this is something to look forward to when I finally buy it. 

10. The Outline of History, H.G. Wells

Well, why not? I've walked past it and stared with interest enough times. 

Teaser Tuesday (4 January)

Welcome to the first Teaser Tuesday of 2011, hosted by Should Be Reading.

"This is a country that loses a prime minister and that is so vast and so empty that a band of amateur enthusiasts could conceivably set off the world's first non-governmental atomic bomb on its mainland and almost four years would pass before anyone noticed. Clearly, this is a place worth getting to know."  

 ---------------------------------------

The taipan is the one to watch out for. It is the most poisonous snake on earth, with a lunge so swift and a venom so potent that your last mortal utterance is likely to be: 'I say, is that a sn---.'

Both from In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson's travelogue of Australia.

Rough Beasts of Empire

Rough Beasts of Empire
© 2010 David R. George III
304 pages
On the cover: Leonard Nimoy as Spock; Avery Brooks as Captain Sisko

Ever since the mass assassination of the Romulan senate in Nemesis, the Romulan Empire has existed in a state of disunity. Praetor Tal'Aura seized control of the government shortly after the events of Nemesis, but the Romulan fleet regards her as suspect -- and for good reason, for she carried out the assassination. In an apparent attempt to prevent the Empire from falling completely into the hands of a traitor,  Commander Donatra of the Valdore established her own rival state to arrest Tal'Aura's ambitions. Controlling most of the Empire's agricultural worlds and allied to the Federation, Donatra needed only sit and wait for Tal'Aura's power base to erode -- but the woman who conspired with Shinzon to destroy her entire government in the pursuit of power is not one to wait for her own death. Instead, Tal'Aura partially arranged the Typhon Pact, a six-member alliance of nations composed of some of the Federation's oldest enemies.  In Rough Beasts of Empire, two Federation citizens -- Ambassador Spock and Captain Bejanmin Sisko -- attempt to work out their fates in this dangerous new political environment.

Previous novels in the Typhon Pact series have focused on one story, but David R. George follows the lives of two men. On Romulus, Spock continues to lead the Reunification movement despite a narrow escape from an assassin, preaching peace and working toward the day when Vulcans and Romulans can look on one another as kindred spirits. Though Spock is the viewpoint character here,  he's used by George to observe the power struggle between Donatra and Tal'Aura: his story is more one of Romulan politics than his own philosophical labors. Meanwhile, Captain Sisko -- who rejoined Starfleet during the last great Borg War --  commands the USS Robinson, a Galaxy-class starship patrolling the Romulan borders, tormented by what he had to leave behind on Bajor and haunted by memories of the Tzenkethi war.  As difficult as it was for me to see Sisko put through an emotional meatgrinder here, it's rather refreshing.  In the early Relaunch books, Sisko was more a Legend than man: he vanished inside the Bajoran wormhole at the end of Deep Space Nine,  though no one on the station in the months that followed could escape his memory. His reappearance at a pivotal moment only boosted the legendary aura, and  shortly thereafter he read like a saint, above the cares of the world. George brings him back down to Earth again -- where he's back to being human, back to struggling with issues and making hard, wrenching decisions.  Thus Rough Beasts offers heaps of political and character drama, though I think Sisko's thread has the stronger ending.

Aside from this, Rough Beasts also reintroduces some characters who have not been seen recently --  Kira Nerys, and the master villain of TNG's 'Unification'  episode.  George also elaborates on the Tzenkethi, whose appearances was the source of great speculation when Pocket and CBS announced the Typhon Pact series.  They're interesting sorts, though I wouldn't care to see them again. Like Tal'Aura, I wished them defeat and disappearance every time they showed up in the book.

I've read George before, in Provenance of Shadows, and this was even more a page-turner. I probably would have finished it in one sitting had I not resisted reading it. I try not to read more than one Trek book per reading week (starting on Wednesdays) , but as you can see I failed. It's all George's fault -- the book was too interesting to stop reading for too long, and the pages flew by so quickly that I was done before I knew it.  Of the three Typhon Pact books I read, I've enjoyed this the most -- owing, in part, to my being a Sisko fan .

The next Typhon Pact read, Paths of Disharmony, is scheduled to be released anywhere from mid-January to early February. It is a TNG novel that is expected to focus on the Tholians ("The Tholian Web", "In a Mirror Darkly") and Andor.

Related:

• Taking Wing, Martin and Mangels
• A Singular Destiny, Keith R. A. DeCandido
• Typhon Pact on TvTropes
• David R. George III on Memory Alpha