What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Trek: The Original Series #31
Battlestations!
Back on Earth enjoying a well-deserved shore leave, Captain Kirk is rudely accosted by a trio of Starfleet Security guards. It seems he is wanted for questioning in connection with the theft of transwarp—the Federation's newest, most advanced propulsion system. Could Captain Kirk, Starfleet's most decorated hero, be guilty of stealing top-secret technology? With the aid of Mr. Spock, Lt. Cmdr. Piper begins a desperate search for the scientists who developed transwarp—a search that leads her to an isolated planet, where she discovers the real—and very dangerous—traitor!
275 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1986
About the author
Diane Carey
76 books111 followersDiane Carey also wrote the Distress Call 911 young adult series under the name D.L. Carey.
Diane Carey is primarily a science fiction author best known for her work in the Star Trek franchise. She has been the lead-off writer for two Star Trek spin-off book series: Star Trek The Next Generation with Star Trek: Ghost Ship, and the novelization of the Star Trek: Enterprise pilot, Broken Bow.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Carey
Diane Carey is primarily a science fiction author best known for her work in the Star Trek franchise. She has been the lead-off writer for two Star Trek spin-off book series: Star Trek The Next Generation with Star Trek: Ghost Ship, and the novelization of the Star Trek: Enterprise pilot, Broken Bow.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Carey
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
July 25, 2020
I found this book to be a great follow up to the first book Dreadnought! by Diane Carey. I love Piper despite her flaws. Sarda and Perren added an interesting look into the lives of the Vulcans who do not choose the purely vulcan way. More books with all manners of Vulcans are needed!
January 6, 2023
Like a lot of other novels from this series, this one was good...but not great.
June 3, 2023
I will never understand how these novels were published into the broader Star Trek world – unless, of course, the 80s were like a total free-for-all, and whomever could write one could get it published.
This is the second in the Piper series. She’s a definite author-insert character, who is just as smart as Spock, just as daring as Kirk, and just as technical as Scotty (or she has a retinue of people who are). It’s also a continuation of the story from “Dreadnought,” with the super-libertarian, “property rights equals freedom,” Federation. This time, however, those bad guys who survived are now trying to sell the transwarp drive to the highest bidder instead of using it to cause a galaxy-wide anti-property-rights-revolution.
Piper, of course, is the only one who can save the day after Kirk is arrested, even though it was all part of a plot by Kirk, but Piper gets her own personal ship (a small, converted warp-capable tug) and a secret mission to sabotage the transwarp drive, with Kirk riding to her rescue at the end.
The cover led me to believe that this was going to be some type of sailing adventure, but the only bit of sailing is in the beginning when Kirk invites Piper aboard his own personal sailing vessel, the Edith Keeler, to participate in a sailing race in the Caribbean. And then, some of the characters using sailing lingo throughout the rest of the novel, like they’re cosplaying a bunch of pirates or something…or got kicked out of the renaissance faire.
It was also written in first person…ack!!!!!
Yah, no, don’t read this one.
This is the second in the Piper series. She’s a definite author-insert character, who is just as smart as Spock, just as daring as Kirk, and just as technical as Scotty (or she has a retinue of people who are). It’s also a continuation of the story from “Dreadnought,” with the super-libertarian, “property rights equals freedom,” Federation. This time, however, those bad guys who survived are now trying to sell the transwarp drive to the highest bidder instead of using it to cause a galaxy-wide anti-property-rights-revolution.
Piper, of course, is the only one who can save the day after Kirk is arrested, even though it was all part of a plot by Kirk, but Piper gets her own personal ship (a small, converted warp-capable tug) and a secret mission to sabotage the transwarp drive, with Kirk riding to her rescue at the end.
The cover led me to believe that this was going to be some type of sailing adventure, but the only bit of sailing is in the beginning when Kirk invites Piper aboard his own personal sailing vessel, the Edith Keeler, to participate in a sailing race in the Caribbean. And then, some of the characters using sailing lingo throughout the rest of the novel, like they’re cosplaying a bunch of pirates or something…or got kicked out of the renaissance faire.
It was also written in first person…ack!!!!!
Yah, no, don’t read this one.
July 21, 2023
I went straight from Dreadnought! to this, still using Kindle credits (I am so not kidding about this, Paramount, stop making such blatant cash grabs on your ancient properties). I recall liking this second book in what they're now calling the duology Fortunes of War better than Dreadnought!, and that held true this time. I enjoy the friendship between Piper and her "crew," and I still think Carey's depiction of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy as seen through Piper's eyes makes for great added characterization.
August 6, 2012
As a sequel to "Dreadnought", I can't say I found this engaging. It's a direct sequel without any adequate set up for newcomers (or those who need a refresher on the characters), and yet it also feels very clunky in execution. It wasn't until the halfway mark that it began to pick up the pace, but aside from some exciting space battles, I found the novel's antagonists composed of cardboard motivation. Stick to the superior "Dreadnought" -- you won't miss anything by skipping over the sequel.
March 30, 2020
This is a reread of a very old paperback. Kinda fun, but oh, Mary Sue!
July 22, 2021
Fast read and fun but focused on the author's characters and not the core crew. And the main character is the definition of "Mary Sue" but it was still fun and not the worse Trek novel I ever read.
December 5, 2020
Lots of potential, some might love it, but disappointing to me.
I just finished reading Dreadnought! and its sequel Battleships! which were both written by Diane Carey. Dreadnought! opens with Lieutenant Piper coming closer to succeeding (without cheating) in the no-win Kobayashi Maru Star Fleet training exercise than anyone ever has before. Early on we find that Piper simultaneously almost worships Captain James Kirk and also want to be as much like him as possible. Along that line early in the book she acquires her own wise doctor friend, engineer friend, and Vulcan associate Of course she is assigned to the Enterprise which is ordered to deal with the theft of a prototype super-ship (the “Dreadnought in the tittle). Piper ends up becoming the key person to deal with the danger the Dreadnought represents.
Set only a few weeks later, Battleships! has Piper now a Lieutenant Commander, apparently only a few months at most after graduating Star Fleet Academy. She has become a mentee of Captain Kirk, who she still idolizes and constantly wants to please and become like. They are separated and Piper, along with her friends, ends up in the midst of an interstellar scramble to acquire stollen “trans warp” technology. Piper is again the linchpin in the story that allows this threat to be effectively dealt with.
I purchased these books because the story descriptions seemed exciting and at least a bit novel. The idea of having a couple of books written from a “lower decks” perspective was intriguing, and the need to deal with rogue use of technology in the Star Trek TOS context seemed like it had a lot of potential. However, I found these books frustrating and profoundly disappointing.
Both stories are told exclusively from a first-person point of view, something difficult, but not impossible to do well in these types of novels. However, rather than allow us to get the perspectives of other characters by their words or actions we are generally given then by way of Piper’s rambling inner monologues in which she seems to feel she knows all the innermost thoughts of those around her. Besides Piper imaging the thoughts of others she spends and enormous amount of time thinking about and commenting on her own emotions, fears, hopes, and relationship issues.
Piper constantly manages to save the day, but generally in ways that seem to rely on luck, or being the only one to think of doing something that other more experienced officers would have certainly thought of, such as asking a computer for help. As part of this the science of Star Trek, never something that bears close scrutiny, is bolstered by technobabble that manages to make even less sense than what was portrayed in the TV series.
I really wanted to like these books, but the incessant internal, often angst filled monologues constantly distracted me from the story line until half way through the second book I finally started skimming through them so that I could just finish the book. I have a smart and capable wife and several daughters I am proud of, and partly because of this am happy to read a book in which the central character is a smart and capable woman. However, Piper seems to succeed mostly by luck, the efforts of others she has no part in enabling, or by slavishly imitating what she thinks Captain Kirk would do in any given situation.
I looked up Diane Carey’s other writings and found that prior to writing these two books her only published novels were in the romance genre. One of my daughters pointed out that in the romance genre telling the story in the first person using a single POV character is common and that it is the internal monologues that often carry the plot. I suspect that is why these books were written as they were, and perhaps someone who loves reading romance novels might find they books easier and more pleasant to read than I did.
I just finished reading Dreadnought! and its sequel Battleships! which were both written by Diane Carey. Dreadnought! opens with Lieutenant Piper coming closer to succeeding (without cheating) in the no-win Kobayashi Maru Star Fleet training exercise than anyone ever has before. Early on we find that Piper simultaneously almost worships Captain James Kirk and also want to be as much like him as possible. Along that line early in the book she acquires her own wise doctor friend, engineer friend, and Vulcan associate Of course she is assigned to the Enterprise which is ordered to deal with the theft of a prototype super-ship (the “Dreadnought in the tittle). Piper ends up becoming the key person to deal with the danger the Dreadnought represents.
Set only a few weeks later, Battleships! has Piper now a Lieutenant Commander, apparently only a few months at most after graduating Star Fleet Academy. She has become a mentee of Captain Kirk, who she still idolizes and constantly wants to please and become like. They are separated and Piper, along with her friends, ends up in the midst of an interstellar scramble to acquire stollen “trans warp” technology. Piper is again the linchpin in the story that allows this threat to be effectively dealt with.
I purchased these books because the story descriptions seemed exciting and at least a bit novel. The idea of having a couple of books written from a “lower decks” perspective was intriguing, and the need to deal with rogue use of technology in the Star Trek TOS context seemed like it had a lot of potential. However, I found these books frustrating and profoundly disappointing.
Both stories are told exclusively from a first-person point of view, something difficult, but not impossible to do well in these types of novels. However, rather than allow us to get the perspectives of other characters by their words or actions we are generally given then by way of Piper’s rambling inner monologues in which she seems to feel she knows all the innermost thoughts of those around her. Besides Piper imaging the thoughts of others she spends and enormous amount of time thinking about and commenting on her own emotions, fears, hopes, and relationship issues.
Piper constantly manages to save the day, but generally in ways that seem to rely on luck, or being the only one to think of doing something that other more experienced officers would have certainly thought of, such as asking a computer for help. As part of this the science of Star Trek, never something that bears close scrutiny, is bolstered by technobabble that manages to make even less sense than what was portrayed in the TV series.
I really wanted to like these books, but the incessant internal, often angst filled monologues constantly distracted me from the story line until half way through the second book I finally started skimming through them so that I could just finish the book. I have a smart and capable wife and several daughters I am proud of, and partly because of this am happy to read a book in which the central character is a smart and capable woman. However, Piper seems to succeed mostly by luck, the efforts of others she has no part in enabling, or by slavishly imitating what she thinks Captain Kirk would do in any given situation.
I looked up Diane Carey’s other writings and found that prior to writing these two books her only published novels were in the romance genre. One of my daughters pointed out that in the romance genre telling the story in the first person using a single POV character is common and that it is the internal monologues that often carry the plot. I suspect that is why these books were written as they were, and perhaps someone who loves reading romance novels might find they books easier and more pleasant to read than I did.
July 26, 2023
At long last, I can say I read both of Diane Carey's novels featuring the mononym-bearing Piper. I'm sure she wasn't the first Mary Sue in the Star Trek fandom, but she's got to be one of the earliest in an official novel. Carey's work is, politely, idiosyncratic; she wears her tics and her biases on her sleeve, which I usually appreciate, and in fact like in her other book featuring Piper, Dreadnought. I guess it started to feel like a little much after two books. In particular, Piper's utter obsession with both Kirk and her Vulcan friend Sarda started to wear thin after 500 or so pages; it really seems like Piper is telepathic, based on how seriously the book takes her gut feelings about where Kirk and Sarda are and what they're thinking. Honestly, now that I say it, Piper almost reads like a Betazoid character; she's intensely empathic and the emotional aura of another person can have a tangible effect on her, which I think is just how Carey likes to write about relationships, but is so consistent and dramatic it's almost like she's establishing Piper's superpower.
Carey is deeply fascinated with Vulcans and makes up a good amount of her own material about them, but she can't decide if she loves them or absolutely despises them. Her Vulcans are much more alien in the show, but also strangely childlike, their logical brains so intense that Piper effectively deals with them like that robot from a TOS episode that Kirk kills by saying "this statement is false." Watching Piper outthink Vulcans, realizing that she can cause them intense psychic distress by pointing out obvious facts, never feels very true to the show or especially interesting.
Generally I have to hand it to Carey, she knows how to keep a plot moving, and effective pacing kept me reading through most of Battlestations!. The end of this one dragged a bit, though; after so many twists, the last forty pages were a slog as, with all the villains defeated and the key questions answered, Piper and Kirk guide the Enterprise through a too-long, too-elaborate space battle.
Carey is deeply fascinated with Vulcans and makes up a good amount of her own material about them, but she can't decide if she loves them or absolutely despises them. Her Vulcans are much more alien in the show, but also strangely childlike, their logical brains so intense that Piper effectively deals with them like that robot from a TOS episode that Kirk kills by saying "this statement is false." Watching Piper outthink Vulcans, realizing that she can cause them intense psychic distress by pointing out obvious facts, never feels very true to the show or especially interesting.
Generally I have to hand it to Carey, she knows how to keep a plot moving, and effective pacing kept me reading through most of Battlestations!. The end of this one dragged a bit, though; after so many twists, the last forty pages were a slog as, with all the villains defeated and the key questions answered, Piper and Kirk guide the Enterprise through a too-long, too-elaborate space battle.
September 19, 2021
This one is better than the first of the series, Dreadnought!, but only by a small margin.
The first 1/3 of this book is painful to read (unless you're a huge sailing nut), the second 1/3 of this book is quite the snooze-fest, but then the final 1/3 of this book was really enjoyable. I'd settle it in around 2.75 stars.
The main character, Piper, is commonly said to be a Mary Sue, but I honestly think she's a pretty good character. Inventive, deeply flawed, scared out of her wits, and hero worshipping the heck out of Kirk as any Lieutenant of her time naturally would. I'd just call her an interesting character, not a Mary Sue.
Another of the characters, nicknamed Scanner, reminds me of Trip Tucker (though, to be fair, I should say that Trip Tucker reminds me of Scanner, since Trip didn't come around until 15 years after the publication of this novel!).
The other characters don't get to do much or be much, other than Vulcans who can't seem to stick to their "logical" decisions, a one-dimensional villain mastermind, and a background character who is deeply underappreciated and seems to be regularly forgotten to exist by the author (who then blames the main character for forgetting, which seems a bit lazy).
Much like the first novel, time seems to be totally relative in these stories, as for some unknowable reason, every event is written to be piled upon the next without giving any time for people to actually make decisions, travel anywhere, or be able to believably make progress on complicated tasks. I don't understand why it's written that way, as there would be no negative to separating events out a bit more to make the story and the actions of the characters more believable. Strange choice.
I can't really recommend this one, or the first Piper adventure, but there are certainly worse Star Trek books, and far worse Mary Sues.
The first 1/3 of this book is painful to read (unless you're a huge sailing nut), the second 1/3 of this book is quite the snooze-fest, but then the final 1/3 of this book was really enjoyable. I'd settle it in around 2.75 stars.
The main character, Piper, is commonly said to be a Mary Sue, but I honestly think she's a pretty good character. Inventive, deeply flawed, scared out of her wits, and hero worshipping the heck out of Kirk as any Lieutenant of her time naturally would. I'd just call her an interesting character, not a Mary Sue.
Another of the characters, nicknamed Scanner, reminds me of Trip Tucker (though, to be fair, I should say that Trip Tucker reminds me of Scanner, since Trip didn't come around until 15 years after the publication of this novel!).
The other characters don't get to do much or be much, other than Vulcans who can't seem to stick to their "logical" decisions, a one-dimensional villain mastermind, and a background character who is deeply underappreciated and seems to be regularly forgotten to exist by the author (who then blames the main character for forgetting, which seems a bit lazy).
Much like the first novel, time seems to be totally relative in these stories, as for some unknowable reason, every event is written to be piled upon the next without giving any time for people to actually make decisions, travel anywhere, or be able to believably make progress on complicated tasks. I don't understand why it's written that way, as there would be no negative to separating events out a bit more to make the story and the actions of the characters more believable. Strange choice.
I can't really recommend this one, or the first Piper adventure, but there are certainly worse Star Trek books, and far worse Mary Sues.
January 29, 2024
Battlestations! by Diane Carey
Challenging, dark, emotional, funny, hopeful,
inspiring, reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0 Stars
I am so glad that Diane Carey wrote this story...expanding on the story she started in Dreadnought!
Lt. Commander Piper is a fun character...and I hope that in future novels, the author continues her story (along with Sarda, Scanner and Merete.
I like how she made Captain Kirk the hero of Lt. Commander Piper. I could see this happening, for SO many young cadets and junior officers. He always seems to land on his feet and is able to pull rabbits out of the hat...on cue.
I also enjoyed the relationship that she has with the Vulcan, Sarda. It mirrors Kirk and Spock, but theirs is unique, to each other.
The idea of the "transwarp drive" and the idea of it being sold to the highest bidder...and how that would bring out ALL the crazies for a bidding and maybe an actual war to get this new (experimental) technology for those outside of the Federation.
I was mad at the Vulcan, Perren...but it also shows the type of person he actually was...by the end.
This wasn't as tight of a story...as the first one, but it did allow us to spend more time with these secondary characters. It also made it clear that they are amazing characters, but still NOT up to the dynamic crew of the Enterprise...at least at this juncture of their career...though they DO belong in/on its crew.
A really good read, indeed.
Challenging, dark, emotional, funny, hopeful,
inspiring, reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0 Stars
I am so glad that Diane Carey wrote this story...expanding on the story she started in Dreadnought!
Lt. Commander Piper is a fun character...and I hope that in future novels, the author continues her story (along with Sarda, Scanner and Merete.
I like how she made Captain Kirk the hero of Lt. Commander Piper. I could see this happening, for SO many young cadets and junior officers. He always seems to land on his feet and is able to pull rabbits out of the hat...on cue.
I also enjoyed the relationship that she has with the Vulcan, Sarda. It mirrors Kirk and Spock, but theirs is unique, to each other.
The idea of the "transwarp drive" and the idea of it being sold to the highest bidder...and how that would bring out ALL the crazies for a bidding and maybe an actual war to get this new (experimental) technology for those outside of the Federation.
I was mad at the Vulcan, Perren...but it also shows the type of person he actually was...by the end.
This wasn't as tight of a story...as the first one, but it did allow us to spend more time with these secondary characters. It also made it clear that they are amazing characters, but still NOT up to the dynamic crew of the Enterprise...at least at this juncture of their career...though they DO belong in/on its crew.
A really good read, indeed.
September 16, 2017
This story picks up several weeks after DREADNOUGHT ends. Lieutenant Piper, James Kirk, Scotty and McCoy are sailing on the ocean, James Kirk's passion when he has leave, in a schnoor name Edith Keeler. All is well with the world and the Galaxy. Until Federation security shows up and arrests Kirk and Scotty in connection to the theft of transwarp. It is now up to Lieutenant Piper and her merry crew to find out what has happened to the transwarp drive and to prove that her friend Sarda didn't willingly steal the device.
This is another story that I raced through. There is so much going on and it is fun to see Piper work through each problem and find her own unique solutions to those problems. I think that this group of friends, Sarda, Scanner, and Merete. I would like to see other stories about these three. I think they would have made a great trio on a starship. I have read a number of reviews that complain that Piper is a mary sue character, I had to look up that term. I don't think that is altogether the case. The one time I would question is when she is promoted to lieutenant commander. I am not sure that saving the Federation with the help of others is a reasonable reason for that kind of promotion. Especially a Lieutenant fresh out of the Academy. The rest I think is that Kirk sees himself in Piper and wants to help her along on her way to command. However as a friend would say "What do I know I am just an ignorant hick".
This is another story that I raced through. There is so much going on and it is fun to see Piper work through each problem and find her own unique solutions to those problems. I think that this group of friends, Sarda, Scanner, and Merete. I would like to see other stories about these three. I think they would have made a great trio on a starship. I have read a number of reviews that complain that Piper is a mary sue character, I had to look up that term. I don't think that is altogether the case. The one time I would question is when she is promoted to lieutenant commander. I am not sure that saving the Federation with the help of others is a reasonable reason for that kind of promotion. Especially a Lieutenant fresh out of the Academy. The rest I think is that Kirk sees himself in Piper and wants to help her along on her way to command. However as a friend would say "What do I know I am just an ignorant hick".
April 11, 2020
A decent sequel to Dreadnought! featuring the same cast of new characters that are, again, swept up into adventure that has them assisting and being assisted by the classic Enterprise crew.
The opening of the novel has Kirk involved in one suggest past time before he and Scotty are taken away by Star Fleet Security Division officers beam down to transport the three for "questions" at headquarters. The officers are also looking for Piper, but she avoids capture and escapes, along with McCoy, to go to a surprising location on Earth where she finds the first she will command. On their way to their destination in space they pick up a familiar face and arrive at their destination. It's here that the action begins, starting with a raucous encounter with Klingons and ending with the fate of the galaxy in jeopardy.
There's plenty of action to be had, a few fun moments, but not much tension, as these characters, old and new, already went through this situation two books previously. The final battle at the end made sense plot wise, but extended the story too much for me. I was happier with the conclusion at the end of Chapter Ten. Beyond that seemed overkill.
I'm still enjoying the new characters, but they deserve a break.
The opening of the novel has Kirk involved in one suggest past time before he and Scotty are taken away by Star Fleet Security Division officers beam down to transport the three for "questions" at headquarters. The officers are also looking for Piper, but she avoids capture and escapes, along with McCoy, to go to a surprising location on Earth where she finds the first she will command. On their way to their destination in space they pick up a familiar face and arrive at their destination. It's here that the action begins, starting with a raucous encounter with Klingons and ending with the fate of the galaxy in jeopardy.
There's plenty of action to be had, a few fun moments, but not much tension, as these characters, old and new, already went through this situation two books previously. The final battle at the end made sense plot wise, but extended the story too much for me. I was happier with the conclusion at the end of Chapter Ten. Beyond that seemed overkill.
I'm still enjoying the new characters, but they deserve a break.
June 21, 2020
Wow!
What i didn't like so much was the way Kirk is depicted as a semi-god and how he is superhuman without any failure. This includes the sometimes disturbing way the heroine tries to imitate her god and wastes precious time reasoning about it. She really needs a psychiater. The hints to a psychic link between a human and a Vulcan could be worked out better, either it exists and the author could do more with it or it is a figment of imagination and that should be made clear.
For the rest nothing but superlatives for plot, action, excitement, environments, characters. This is one of the best star trek novels i have read so far (500+). I realise now i am reading these books in the wrong order and should have read the predecessor before this one. Although i do not feel hampered by my lack of knowledge about what happened before, having read this novel first may spoil reading the other book since i already know the outcome.
It gets quite technical at times so better keep your mind at it or jump all the jargon completely and read only the action bits...
What i didn't like so much was the way Kirk is depicted as a semi-god and how he is superhuman without any failure. This includes the sometimes disturbing way the heroine tries to imitate her god and wastes precious time reasoning about it. She really needs a psychiater. The hints to a psychic link between a human and a Vulcan could be worked out better, either it exists and the author could do more with it or it is a figment of imagination and that should be made clear.
For the rest nothing but superlatives for plot, action, excitement, environments, characters. This is one of the best star trek novels i have read so far (500+). I realise now i am reading these books in the wrong order and should have read the predecessor before this one. Although i do not feel hampered by my lack of knowledge about what happened before, having read this novel first may spoil reading the other book since i already know the outcome.
It gets quite technical at times so better keep your mind at it or jump all the jargon completely and read only the action bits...
November 21, 2018
I was tempted to give this book two stars because there was almost a decent story out of this... and then I read the last 30 pages and I decided that I hated Piper just too much to actually consider this book "okay." This two-parter was awful. This was borderline fan-fiction Mary Sue garbage. This is again one of my least favourite books where the author creates a character to supersede everyone else. Why even write a Star Trek book if all you are going to do is relegate the main characters to the sidelines and make them incompetent and stupid while making your annoying character be the only one who can solve all the problems even though she's a worthless pile of crap. Carey's writing style is awful, she can't avoid throwing in a stupid joke or a general observation of how much she is in love with Captain Kirk. Avoid, avoid, avoid... I'm done.
June 1, 2018
This is one of the odder Classic Trek books, or at least it was when it was first published--it's in first person, and the main characters aren't canon. Piper is a Command candidate who finds herself scrambling to deal with dangerous situations, only some of which are her own fault, accompanied by her own nascent team of officers. It's good fun, mostly lighthearted, and while I would say it sometimes veers too close to the edge of silly, I still enjoy the story and the banter.
Also, Kirk's response to the damage to the Enterprise is still one of the funniest things I've ever read in Trek.
Also, Kirk's response to the damage to the Enterprise is still one of the funniest things I've ever read in Trek.
February 16, 2022
This book was very good. I liked Piper's character, and I enjoyed seeing her working things out. Honestly, the only thing that somewhat detracted from my enjoyment of the book was that the author attempted to write Scanner's dialect (from Tennessee), and some of it was truly terribly written. It was so jarring that, sometimes, it really pulled me out of the story. I liked Scanner's character, but I found myself almost hating for him to say anything at all. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the story.
Read
January 15, 2024Meh. Although I always enjoy a Trek novel (even the frankly bad ones), this book and its immediate predecessor, are the only books I can ever recall reading that qualify as a "Mary Sue" story. This, coupled with the long-established tropes of Star Trek itself, which are often as enjoyable as they are eyerolley, made the read a bit of a slog. There are some fine moments, some interesting concepts, and some fun action, but overall not a great Trek book. As you were...nothing to see here citizens.
July 17, 2017
One of the better Star Trek TOS novels. It is the follow up to Dreadnaught! although I read this one first. It is told from the point of view of a new character who never appeared on the TV shows, who along with some other new characters are the center of the action. (Wonder if this started as fan-fiction or was attempting to create a spin-off?) I thought the "outsider observing Kirk and crew" worked well. The story itself moved along well and the ending was satisfactory.
May 6, 2021
Grew up watching the tv show. And this book reads exactly like one of those episodes.
Action, fairly fast paced. Drama, and winning against all odds.
My only gripe is the constant idolising of Kirk and Spock. At times I thought the main character was a fan at a sci-fi or comic convention.
And I kept getting romantic comedy vibes. Thinking she's gonna start kissing either Kirk or Sarda.
A good read though.
Action, fairly fast paced. Drama, and winning against all odds.
My only gripe is the constant idolising of Kirk and Spock. At times I thought the main character was a fan at a sci-fi or comic convention.
And I kept getting romantic comedy vibes. Thinking she's gonna start kissing either Kirk or Sarda.
A good read though.
August 23, 2023
Hmmmmm.....
Characters - great
Plot - great
World Building - already done
Writing - subpar
Pacing - subpar
Let's just average it out at three stars.
Technology has been stolen that could change the balance of power in the universe and all of our heroes are "on it". That includes Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty and Piper.
It's totally an ok book, glad I read it, it was fun to spend time with the crew but nothing special
Characters - great
Plot - great
World Building - already done
Writing - subpar
Pacing - subpar
Let's just average it out at three stars.
Technology has been stolen that could change the balance of power in the universe and all of our heroes are "on it". That includes Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty and Piper.
It's totally an ok book, glad I read it, it was fun to spend time with the crew but nothing special
January 18, 2019
Following Admiral Rittenhouse's failed coup, Kirk, McCoy and Piper enjoy shore leave on Earth. When Kirk is arrested for theft of classified technology, Piper travels to Argelius to track down her former colleague, Lt. Sarda, who has been coerced into working on the stolen device.
Carey has shown some interesting ideas, but the novel fails to integrate the main characters effectively.
Carey has shown some interesting ideas, but the novel fails to integrate the main characters effectively.
October 25, 2020
Piper and her friends become part of Kirk's plan to prevent three evil scientists from selling destructive technology to the highest bidder. Too long spent on irrelevant adventures that get Piper to the scientists' planet, and far too much admiration of Kirk from Piper. Needlessly puts Piper in a sexy courtesan costume.
May 23, 2021
Just good, clean, Star Trek fun. The story pertains to the birth of transwarp drive. As such, I wasn't sure about the title--I kept wondering if the author needed one, came up with that one, and just wound up using it for lack of anything better. We do, however, get a rather nice space battle at the end with the application of some unusual weaponry.
May 27, 2020
Great follow up to Dreadnought. This story is told through the eyes of Lt. Commander Piper. But this story has more dialogue from Kirk and Spock than Dreadnought did. Good story for any Trek TOS fan.
December 31, 2020
Fantastic. An excellent follow up to Dreadnought. I really like Piper and co. and would love to read more about them. Piper's less natural heroism gave these stories an expression of realism sometimes overlooked.
The writing is very good. Witty and sharp.
The writing is very good. Witty and sharp.
October 5, 2023
Carey’s second novel for the series is much better than her first: more even characterisation of her main character, better plotting and pacing, with raised stakes and good characterisation of our heroes as others see them. I just didn’t care much for the story, which is totally my problem.
October 11, 2023
It's refreshing to read a Star Trek novel where the viewpoint character is NOT a star in one of the TV series.
But now I have to read the FIRST book, "Dreadnought," to get the backgrounds of the characters.
But now I have to read the FIRST book, "Dreadnought," to get the backgrounds of the characters.
December 9, 2023
Shore leave on the Edith Keeler, but Kirk is taken in for questioning before he can explain to Lt. Piper about her first command and mission. But help is on the way as they arrive on the planet Argelius. The problem to solve is that the trAnswarp technology has been stolen.
An entertaining re-read
An entertaining re-read
December 4, 2018
Sequel to Dreadnought. Fun, but not as compelling as the previous novel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews