Taking Wing

This was the first Star Trek novel I've read, and I went into it with pretty high expectations give that a number of people have strongly recommended this series. I had been anxious to discover what happens in the world of Star Trek following the frustrating film that was Nemesis. Though the novels are not considered canon, in lieu of a new series set after the TNG movies, this really is the next best thing. Long-time TNG fans will appreciate the respect and attention to detail given to Riker and Troi, as well as other returning faces. They are faithfully represented and read on the page as you know them on screen, but have also matured as characters. The new crewmembers are extremely diverse by design but very distinct and identifiable. I didn't expect to enjoy the time spent away from the main characters nearly as much as I did. Action in the story reads fast and entertaining, but the novel isn't all flash and no substance. Some parts are genuinely moving. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. If I had one complaint its that a disproportionate amount of the story plays out in characters' inner-monologues. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but it interrupts scenes of dialogue quite often with a paragraph of italicized musings. Happy to say that in the second book, Red King, which I'm reading now this seems to be much less frequent. I'm sure it was necessitated by introducing such a large number of new characters. In summary, this series is definitely worth being folded into Star Trek's illustrious canon. It would make a great miniseries.

The first in the Star Trek Titan Series, Taking Wing has an interesting story-line that is a quick followup to the last of the "old" Star Trek movies, Star Trek: Nemesis. This book focuses on the USS Titan, which is Captained by the newly appointed Captain Riker, and is the first ship to be staffed by an immensely diverse crew of aliens. One of my chief complaints about Star Trek, is if the Federation is truly a multi-alien based civilization, then why is it that humans or extremely humanoid looking aliens run everything from the presidency, to the starships, engine rooms, star bases, etc.. and this book STARTS the discussion about it. The books main focus is on how the Romulan empire has been impacted after the actions of Shinzon, and what they mean for the future of not only the Romulan empire, but the Federation and Klingons as well. I finished the book rather quickly, which means that it kept my interest the entire time.. however I was disappointed that the book seemed to mention past books so much, especially since this is a "first book" in the series... but it didn't hurt the overall story and I have already finished the second book. A great read for anyone who likes Star Trek!

Throughout the STNG series, the main characters developed their roles to the extent that more than one story and more than one take on the current situation had evolved. As the series progressed, it was more than a story of one man and his quest for exploration and discovery. Cmdr. William T. Riker had to discover for himself the kind of officer he was going to be; be it a shadow of the infamous Capt. Picard, or use the new Riker-style which I call it, and was hoping very much to see. The title of this book by Michael Martin could not have been named more appropriately. Taking place shortly after the Dominion War, Starfleet Command had to rebuild not only new ships but also new crews. Michael Martin went above and beyond any other Star Trek author with the crew of the U.S.S. Titan and could not have picked a better Captain in Will Riker. To quote a phrase from Guinan in the STNG episode of "The Best of Both Worlds", "...if Picard wrote the book on this ship, then it is time to throw that book away." It took some time and "seasoning" but the now Capt. Riker not only is the commander of the most eclectic crew in Starfleet history, but his character is definitely "Taking Wing".

I liked this book, but only because I'm a Star Trek fan. I was there for the Next Generation. I finished Voyager. The original Series reruns and all the Movies were things I watched whenever I got hold of them. Because of all of this, I found this book to be readable. If I wasn't familiar with any of these things I have no doubt I would be completely lost, and that is not how one should feel in any reading experience. Granted this book is for the fans, but even as a fan I had to look up a bunch of names and species to get a "feel" for the book. The reason I wanted to read this book was because I believed that this would be an all-new crew doing things that you could only get away with in books. Sadly this wasn't the case. The crew was a mishmash of crew members and side characters form various incarnations of Trek. Admittedly, this book did get away with a huge group of aliens onboard a starship, something that would be way too expensive in a tv show, but by the end it became nothing more than a political drama with strangely named characters. Star Trek is known for it's dialogue heavy stories, so I can get onboard with that. What bothered me is we never got to feel what it's like to visit an alien world, something the best Star Trek stories do. We didn't even get a good philosophical scifi-ish idea/debate or thought provoking notion, something the best Star Trek stories also do. What this book is, is an average episode in a tv show season where all the characters have already been established. It's a Star Trek book. It's average. If you like Trek you will appreciate this book. If you don't like Trek, this book will probably not turn you into a fan. Conclusion: S' O.K. P.S. Make sure you have an internet connection while reading this book. If you're like me and want to know what you're "looking at", you'll probably be doing a lot of searching.

Will Riker has finally accepted the role of captaincy within Starfleet. One minor gripe is that we don't get to read about a final and potentially moving farewell between Pickard and Riker. That could have added so much to the beginning of the story but I soon got over this disappointment. This series is all about Riker and as the saying goes, "All good things..." The beautiful new USS Titan is launched and all crew members aboard are eager to boldly go where no-one has gone before. But there is one small (?) problem and with Admiral Ackaar along for the ride, he is not letting any secrets out. His presence alone places even more pressure on our brand new captain, but its fortunate for both our Will and the reader that the lovely Deanna Troi is on board as ship's chief counsellor as well as chief diplomatic officer. Internal strife on Romulus needs to be sorted out to avoid a civil war that could lead to millions of deaths as well as armaments falling into the wrong hands right across the galaxy. In one of the most exciting finishes to a book I have ever read, the glory that is Star trek shines through like a sun going nova. No further comments from me apart from the fact this book is a truly great read and of course comes highly recommended. Bring on RED KING!!!!!

A little slow to get started but really enthralling read one of got going, couldn't put it down, can't wait to read the next i

It was the first Star Trek tie-in novel I had given any thought to read, and I really liked it! It's rather long winded when it comes to the underlying moral messages, which are incredibly unsubtle. The set up is rather stretched, introducing so many new characters is hard in any novel, never mind when the whole Star Trek franchise has always been an ensemble cast. The author is imaginative, and seems to stick to the lore as far as I know. I love star Trek but wouldnt class myself as a die hard fan. I can't pick out silly little nuances that refer to 30 year old references, that's for someone far more involved. The characters are fleshed out, for the most part, i felt myself caring for some, while others I could take or leave. The main cast, especially those from Star Trek series of yesteryear are well represented for the most part. The story, while needlessly long in some areas, still has enough action and character development to keep me interested. If you like sci fi reads that aren't too taxing, or you are a fan of Star Trek and need your fix, give this book a try. You could do worse.

Eigentlich hatte ich mich auf diese neue Titan Reihe gefreut. Doch leider wurde ich vom ersten Band sehr enttäuscht. Die Geschichte an sich versprach viel, wurde von den Autoren aber überhaupt nicht ausgereizt. Die USS Titan, ein Schiff der Luna-Klasse soll mit Ihrem neun Captain Riker zum ursprünglichen Forschungsauftrag der Sternenflotte zurückkehren, da die kriegerischen Auseinandersetzungen der letzten Jahre (z.B. mit den Borg, dem Dominion) nun überstanden sind. Nachdem in Star Trek X der romulanische Senat bei einem Putsch ausgelöscht wurde, entstand nach dem Fall Shinzons ein Machtvakuum. Nun ringen verschiedene Fraktionen auf Romulus um eben diese Macht. Dies wiederum droht den Frieden im Alpha-/Betaquadranten zu gefährden und so entsendet die Sternenflotte und das klingonische Imperium einen Hilfskonvoi, der von der Titan angeführt wird nach Romulus. Die Crew der Titan versteht sich als diplomatischer Beobachter und versucht zwischen allen Fraktionen, die um die Macht auf Romulus kämpfen, einen friedlichen Kompromiss zu vermitteln. Leider jedoch, verkommt der politische Konflikt auf Romulus zu einer B-Story. Denn im Hauptteil des Buches, werden die vielen verschiedenen Besatzungsmitglieder der Titan nach und nach vorgestellt und entwickelt. Die Autoren beweisen dabei viel Phantasie und trauen sich auch das Thema der gleichgeschlechtlichen Liebe ins Spiel zu bringen, obwohl Sie diesen Gedankengang nicht weiter ausführen. Auch ignorieren die Autoren, dass in einer der herausgeschnittenen Szenen von "Star Trek Nemesis" Wesley Crusher angibt zur Titan Crew zu gehören. Zudem wird an verschiedenen Stellen Bezug zu der "A time to ..."-Reihe genommen, was einem ebenfalls ein wenig den Spaß an der Geschichte nimmt, falls man diese Reihe nicht gelesen hat. Letztendlich muss man sagen, dass es bei diesem Buch so ist wie bei den meisten anderen Pilotfilme der Star Trek Serien auch: Man sollte sie einmal gesehen haben, aber ein zweites Mal lohnen sie sich kaum. Da bringt es auch nichts, wenn man Mr.Spock einige kleine Gastauftritte im Roman ermöglicht. Dennoch verspricht das offene Ende eine interessante Fortsetzung. Außerdem möchte ich hier auf William Shatner (alias Captain Kirk) verweisen, der sich erfolgreicher und bereits vor Martin et al. in "Sternennacht" (engl."Captain's Blood") den Ereignissen auf Romulus nach Star Trek X gewidmet hat.

What a stunning start. Couldn't put the thing down. Would certainly make for a good TV series if Paramount ever decide to bring back Star Trek. The only problem I has with it, is that because such a huge number of the characters are new it is difficult to get a mental image of them with characters that we already recognise. The same could be said for the amount of new species, unfamiliar to even the most seasoned Star Trek watcher. However, Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin do a stunning job of describing them in the text, especially the Dinosaur-like doctor. The storyline itself is fascinating, and goes in the direction that most fans are wanting, that of the political developments, throwing in Federation, Romulan, and Klingon interests into the melting pot. A stunning piece of work, that ST: Fan-Fiction writers should also take care to read.