The Romulan War: Beneath the Raptor's Wing

Michael A Martin has created a wonderful new Enterprise universe. After rushing events to conclude the final season of Star Trek Enterprise, the studio created more story questions than were answered. Martin has regrouped those questions and spun a web of story telling that any 21st century reader can appreciate. Deeply detailed, each scene setting is clear and authentic. In addition, the "bad guys" are only "bad guys" from a certain perspective. It is classic Star Trek in every well chosen word. As our world establishes new borders seemingly every day, so does this work. Each species and government, friend and foe alike, are embroiled in political machinations caused by mistrust, poor communication, and sometimes plain old ignorance. There is no cheating the reader with 24th century gizmo's. Star Trek Enterprise; The Romulan War brings us to the frustrating realities of time, distance, and the unpredictable nature of other beings and their technologies. Roddenberry's "Wagon train to the Stars" is in good hands, and hopefully intent on providing us years of wonderful story telling.

As a fan who, even years later, remains disgruntled that ST: ENT was cancelled just as its writing reached the level where it should have been all along, I've been reading the ENT novels for some continued satisfaction. This latest installment was the most gripping by far, and covers some of the material that I still wish had been included in the TV series. I'll continue, doing my best to avoid spoilers... I'd like to first acknowledge that I don't believe it's possible to write a novel that will please every fan. That said, many of the criticisms I've seen of this book deal either with matters of purely personal preference, or with incomplete plot elements that are natural, given that the book clearly represents only a portion of the entire story. I have the distinct impression that what looks incomplete in this installation will be evolved in the next book. From my own perspective: A) It's not necessary for this or any novel to match EVERY single detail ever written anywhere else, as long as there is a sincere effort to maintain consistency most of the time (although I would love to turn folks who expect total consistency loose on J.J. Abrams). The sheer volume of the author's research and knowledge of the ST universe made this book impresive to me. B) I don't mind the author's rather large vocabulary, or even his somewhat wordy style. I suggest that those who prefer simpler material find something by J.J. Abrams' and his associates, who hold to a more teen-oriented style. There are definitely some details of this novel that I disagreed with, was shocked by, or found unsettling. But that said, everything (including what I didn't like) fits with what is established in the ST:ENT TV show with a smoothness that left me pining for just three more seasons. I found the dialog and vocabulary astonishingly in-character, vastly better than in previous books of the series, and so engrossing that I could almost hear the lines in their respective actor's voices. There are also touches of total brilliance - some incredible battle scenes; finally an attempt to include the "conventional" nuclear weapons that we long understood were part of the Romulan war; a continued contrast of Trip Tucker's direct, Southern style with Vulcan obfuscation; the seeds even of the Romulan mystique from ST:TNG. I finished this novel in just two days. And now I miss having a running ST TV show more than ever.

Nicely done continuation of STE story. Plots are sometimes given lots of details and sometimes looked upon more in retrospect. I like the balance in that because books where all plots are detailed are hard to follow and books where all are glanced over are hollow. This book has the right mix and the overall character portrayal is well done. I guess the plot of 'remote hijacking' is somewhat less believable, but it was inherited from the series and no tech details were given, which is probably good. Overall, character game is done nicely and technicals are ok. I recommend this book to any Enterprise (or ST) fan.

Overall, very well done: The pros: - Excellent job continuing to bridge the gap between Enterprise and TOS. Enterprise was in a tricky place as a prequel in a strongly established universe, and this book continues to work to bridge the gaps left behind after the early cancellation of the series. It is not perfectly in line with all trek ever written, but then with hundreds of books, that is an impossible task nowadays. - Good continuation of the Trip-T'Pol connection without making this a sappy love story where everything works out magically for the couple. I like the emphasis on the dynamic between Trip's sense of service and his love for T'Pol. - Good nod to those of us in the fan base who like what TOS was known for, subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, social commentary. It continues well with the Enterprise series' relation to modern times. - Good level of plot complexity. - Overall, good character development with an interesting plot; this is exactly what I want from trek. The cons: - More depth into the subplots would have improved this book. - The writer is toying a careful line between rushing the plot and keeping the story fast paced. This is the best book in the relaunch series thus far. This is a must for anyone who likes Enterprise. I can only hope that the next book in this series comes out quicker; I get impatient waiting for the next step in Enterprise.

Just finished reading ST:ENT: The Romulan War. This is an outstanding addition to the ongoing relaunch series begun several years ago, possibly the best of the group so far. The Romulan War covers the first year of the iconic Romulan War from the Start Trek universe. Epic in its scope, the book had almost a John Jakes or Herman Wouk-type feel, kind of a future history done as historical fiction. I strongly recommend this to anyone who would appreciate the possible future direction of the series, had it continued.