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Star Trek: The Next Generation
Q-Squared
In all of his travels Captain Jean-Luc Picard has never faced an opponent more powerful that Q, a being from another continuum that Picard encountered on his very first mission as Captain of the Starship Enterprise™. In the years since, Q has returned again and again to harass Picard and his crew. Sometimes dangerous, sometimes merely obnoxious, Q has always been mysterious and seemingly all-powerful.
But this time, when Q appears, he comes to Picard for help. Apparently another member of the Q continuum has tapped into an awesome power source that makes this being more powerful than the combined might of the entire Q continuum. This renegade Q is named Trelane -- also known as the Squire of Gothos, who Captain Kirk and his crew first encountered over one hundred years ago. Q explains that, armed with this incredible power, Trelane has become unspeakably dangerous.
Now Picard must get involved in an awesome struggle between super beings. And this time the stakes are not just Picard's ship, or the galaxy, or even the universe -- this time the stakes are all of creation...
But this time, when Q appears, he comes to Picard for help. Apparently another member of the Q continuum has tapped into an awesome power source that makes this being more powerful than the combined might of the entire Q continuum. This renegade Q is named Trelane -- also known as the Squire of Gothos, who Captain Kirk and his crew first encountered over one hundred years ago. Q explains that, armed with this incredible power, Trelane has become unspeakably dangerous.
Now Picard must get involved in an awesome struggle between super beings. And this time the stakes are not just Picard's ship, or the galaxy, or even the universe -- this time the stakes are all of creation...
434 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1995
About the author
Peter David
3,537 books1,317 followersaka David Peters
Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) is an American writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. David often jokingly describes his occupation as "Writer of Stuff". David is noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real world issues with humor and references to popular culture. He also uses metafiction frequently, usually to humorous effect, as in his work on the comic book Young Justice.
Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) is an American writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. David often jokingly describes his occupation as "Writer of Stuff". David is noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real world issues with humor and references to popular culture. He also uses metafiction frequently, usually to humorous effect, as in his work on the comic book Young Justice.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews
December 15, 2016
Third best Star Trek novel that I've read!
MERGING GENERATIONS
This is one of the best Star Trek novels that I ever read, actually, I considered the third best novel of Star Trek in my personal top list.
Peter David did again what he does best,...
...finding creative ways to link The Original Series with The Next Generation.
On "Imzadi", (see review here: Imzadi ) David combined the Guardian of Forever from the classic episode "The City at the Edge of Forever" with the romantic relationship of William Riker and Deanna Troi.
On "Vendetta", (see review here: Vendetta ), David merged The Doomsday Machine from the classic episode of the same name with the menace of The Borg.
Now, in this book, "Q-Squared", Peter David does it again fusioning the pompous Trelane from the classic episode "The Squire of Gothos" with the Q-Continuum.
In that way, Peter David is able to attract fans of the Original Series to books of The Next Generation showing the kind of stories that they can enjoy while they can met the great universe of TNG.
In my case, I am fan of both (in fact of all franchise) so, this is a dream come true.
DREAM READING
I always liked the episode of "The Squire of Gothos" and I suppose that since my contact with Star Trek was first with TNG and movies, and then I was able to watch the classic episodes, maybe this helped to see a striking resemblance of the way how Trelane behaves and his powers with the Q-Continuum.
I noticedit even before that this novel would be published, so when I found out about this book, I knew that I have to read it. (Back then, in 1998)
So, indeed, it was a dream come true!
And Peter David not only give us the delicious gift of seeing Trelane and Q together, oh no, my fellow reader friends,...
...this is merely the cherry of the ice cream!
Since he give us the most amazing and astonishing parallel worlds story making it...
...a three level ice cream!!!
PARALLEL DIMENSIONS... THE INFINITE FRONTIER
Peter David shows his mastery to create one of the parallel worlds with those little details and/or inconsistencies here and there that fans knew and commented and...
...bam!...
...you have it a whole parallel universe combining those details even implementing creative inside jokes choosing names of certain characters.
In "Track A" isn't merely an "evil" universe, it's just an unnerving combination of wrong taken roads where you know that something very bad can happen at some moment.
In "Track B" is the TNG normal universe as you are familiar with.
In "Track C" once again, Peter David shows his clever choices about picking episodes but here, of the TNG run, using the setting of "Yesterday's Enterprise".
At first, maybe you can feel a little disoriented BUT don't worry, keep on, since you will get the knack of each parallel existence real fast, and to avoid unnecesary confussions, David marks quite clearly wich "track" are you reading. (Using the letters that I mentioned above)
So, you have a masterpiece TNG story with parallel universes, references to TOS and...
...Q!
What else do you need?!?
MERGING GENERATIONS
This is one of the best Star Trek novels that I ever read, actually, I considered the third best novel of Star Trek in my personal top list.
Peter David did again what he does best,...
...finding creative ways to link The Original Series with The Next Generation.
On "Imzadi", (see review here: Imzadi ) David combined the Guardian of Forever from the classic episode "The City at the Edge of Forever" with the romantic relationship of William Riker and Deanna Troi.
On "Vendetta", (see review here: Vendetta ), David merged The Doomsday Machine from the classic episode of the same name with the menace of The Borg.
Now, in this book, "Q-Squared", Peter David does it again fusioning the pompous Trelane from the classic episode "The Squire of Gothos" with the Q-Continuum.
In that way, Peter David is able to attract fans of the Original Series to books of The Next Generation showing the kind of stories that they can enjoy while they can met the great universe of TNG.
In my case, I am fan of both (in fact of all franchise) so, this is a dream come true.
DREAM READING
I always liked the episode of "The Squire of Gothos" and I suppose that since my contact with Star Trek was first with TNG and movies, and then I was able to watch the classic episodes, maybe this helped to see a striking resemblance of the way how Trelane behaves and his powers with the Q-Continuum.
I noticedit even before that this novel would be published, so when I found out about this book, I knew that I have to read it. (Back then, in 1998)
So, indeed, it was a dream come true!
And Peter David not only give us the delicious gift of seeing Trelane and Q together, oh no, my fellow reader friends,...
...this is merely the cherry of the ice cream!
Since he give us the most amazing and astonishing parallel worlds story making it...
...a three level ice cream!!!
PARALLEL DIMENSIONS... THE INFINITE FRONTIER
Peter David shows his mastery to create one of the parallel worlds with those little details and/or inconsistencies here and there that fans knew and commented and...
...bam!...
...you have it a whole parallel universe combining those details even implementing creative inside jokes choosing names of certain characters.
In "Track A" isn't merely an "evil" universe, it's just an unnerving combination of wrong taken roads where you know that something very bad can happen at some moment.
In "Track B" is the TNG normal universe as you are familiar with.
In "Track C" once again, Peter David shows his clever choices about picking episodes but here, of the TNG run, using the setting of "Yesterday's Enterprise".
At first, maybe you can feel a little disoriented BUT don't worry, keep on, since you will get the knack of each parallel existence real fast, and to avoid unnecesary confussions, David marks quite clearly wich "track" are you reading. (Using the letters that I mentioned above)
So, you have a masterpiece TNG story with parallel universes, references to TOS and...
...Q!
What else do you need?!?
February 19, 2022
Q-Squared is not going to win any literary awards. It's also not a book that surpasses its niche to become a sci-fi must-read. This was my first Peter David book, not to mention my first TNG book, and I didn't love it as much as most people.
Not only are there a lot of five star reviews for this one, there are a lot of claims of this being one of the best of the best Star Trek books. I sure hope not, as I've got a lot more sitting on my bookshelf, unread. I've only read a few, but I've read better. Maybe I'm being too harsh toward it. I didn't hate it. Not at all. I liked the premise and Peter David perfectly portrayed the voices of all the characters. What else could you ask for in a Trek novel?
Peter David has a few annoying writing habits that kept drawing my eye. (Blond vs. blonde, excessive punctuation!?) In his introduction he says that he's been accused of writing books that read like fan fiction--to which he agrees. He's a big fan, so he likes to write what he'd like to watch. But was that criticism really just about bringing characters from TOS into TNG, or was it a little something else, too?
Speaking entirely as a Star Trek fan, it was great to see David thread together a forgotten TOS character (whose voice he nailed) with an active one in the TNG era (also nailed Q's voice). And there are fun little possible explanations for plot holes from years past. The story could have worked well as an episode of TNG, albeit on acid. So, don't let me deter you from this if you are a big fan. But I won't be re-reading this one.
Not only are there a lot of five star reviews for this one, there are a lot of claims of this being one of the best of the best Star Trek books. I sure hope not, as I've got a lot more sitting on my bookshelf, unread. I've only read a few, but I've read better. Maybe I'm being too harsh toward it. I didn't hate it. Not at all. I liked the premise and Peter David perfectly portrayed the voices of all the characters. What else could you ask for in a Trek novel?
Peter David has a few annoying writing habits that kept drawing my eye. (Blond vs. blonde, excessive punctuation!?) In his introduction he says that he's been accused of writing books that read like fan fiction--to which he agrees. He's a big fan, so he likes to write what he'd like to watch. But was that criticism really just about bringing characters from TOS into TNG, or was it a little something else, too?
Speaking entirely as a Star Trek fan, it was great to see David thread together a forgotten TOS character (whose voice he nailed) with an active one in the TNG era (also nailed Q's voice). And there are fun little possible explanations for plot holes from years past. The story could have worked well as an episode of TNG, albeit on acid. So, don't let me deter you from this if you are a big fan. But I won't be re-reading this one.
December 4, 2016
This is by far the best STAR TREK novel I've ever read (and I've read plenty!), but it also tops my list of Best All-Around Novels. David effortlessly weaves together an incredibly complex tapestry of timelines and characters from ST:TOS and ST:TNG. I laughed out loud. I came close to crying. It's just a brilliant executed book that deserves 25 stars, not 5. I just bought my first Peter David non-Trek novel, SIR APROPOS OF NOTHING, and can't wait to read it. Other excellent Trek novels by Mr. David are IMZADI, Q-IN-LAW, and VENDETTA. He's like the Charles Dickens of STAR TREK.
June 2, 2024
I wholeheartedly give this Star Trek novel, published in 1995, a rating of 4 stars. As a Star Trek fan since I began watching Star Trek in its first season ( and that's Star Trek The Original Series! ) and who followed all the succeeding series- and the movies, I also enjoyed the ST novels that began coming out in the Seventies. For quite awhile, I kept up on them, but, quite honestly, my interest waned in the Eighties. I still read them once in awhile, as they are easy to find in used bookstores. I picked up this one because Q was one of my favorite characters in STTNG and this story looked like a tie-in of Trelane from TOS with Q and TNG. It helps that Peter David is considered one of the best of the ST authors--some would argue he is the best!
Anyway, this one turned out to be one of the more interesting of all the Star Trek books that I've read. Trelane, as it turns out, is from the Q continuum and Q is supposed to be his mentor. Needless to say things go haywire, as Q loses control over Trelane. The story becomes more complex than expected, as it runs along three "tracks" for three alternate dimensions. One is the "mainstream" one we know in the series, with Picard the captain. But another stream has Picard as second-in-command under a Captain Crusher, who did not die in this reality--but his son Wesley did ( OH NO--a universe without Wesley!!!). The third dimension is based on the STTNG episode, "Yesterday's Enterprise," one of the best episodes of that series, in which the Federation is fighting--and losing--a war against the Klingons, including Worf. Trelane causes utter chaos by bringing the three realities together as one...
A worthwhile addition to Trek canon and worthwhile to read as a Peter David novel! So I guess I will keep reading Star Trek novels...and books by Peter David!
Anyway, this one turned out to be one of the more interesting of all the Star Trek books that I've read. Trelane, as it turns out, is from the Q continuum and Q is supposed to be his mentor. Needless to say things go haywire, as Q loses control over Trelane. The story becomes more complex than expected, as it runs along three "tracks" for three alternate dimensions. One is the "mainstream" one we know in the series, with Picard the captain. But another stream has Picard as second-in-command under a Captain Crusher, who did not die in this reality--but his son Wesley did ( OH NO--a universe without Wesley!!!). The third dimension is based on the STTNG episode, "Yesterday's Enterprise," one of the best episodes of that series, in which the Federation is fighting--and losing--a war against the Klingons, including Worf. Trelane causes utter chaos by bringing the three realities together as one...
A worthwhile addition to Trek canon and worthwhile to read as a Peter David novel! So I guess I will keep reading Star Trek novels...and books by Peter David!
September 6, 2019
Multiverse mayhem! This is a wild ride through a fractured and chaotic multiverse with the omnipotent and mischievous Q, of Star Trek TNG fame, and Q's maniacal, juvenile and equally omnipotent charge Trelane, of Star Trek TOS fame. This is hands down the best Trek book I've yet found, with a raucous plot full of surprises, plus masterful audio narration by John de Lancie, who played Q in the TNG series. Highly recommended to Trek fans!
January 15, 2022
I had started out very hooked on this story but towards the end I had started to lose interest in it. I am not too sure why. I think the way of how Trelane was torturing crew members had started to really bother me? He was being extra cruel in my opinion and had done some horrible things, especially to the lady scientist who was visiting their ship. And then what Troi had tricked him into doing while in the Ten Forward lounge was even worst! I mean a person's body is broken and then you do that?? It's utterly horrible!! I do believe that was the turning point in my interest in this tale.
I also did not like what Jack Crusher did at the end either. It was too disturbing.
The story itself seemed to drag on and on?
And all the many multiverses in here was kind of strange (but I quickly got used to it too - I mean this IS Star Trek who is famous for "Mirror Mirror"). In a weird way I guess these parallel universes was the thing that had interested me the most? I actually found myself contemplating it on Wednesday morning on the way back from the horse ranch...thinking what some other me might be doing in some parallel universe. Which is something I had never thought about before. And the only reason I had that thought was because of reading this.
I probably should add I grew up watching reruns of classic Star Trek as a kid and then started watching The Next Generation when it was airing on TV when I was a kid/young teen. Basically I am the same age as Wesley Crusher. So I am very familial with all of these characters and their backgrounds. It's been a long time since I've read a Star Trek book though...
I must say the ending, the bit with the Riker who had been abused by the romulans, I find that a bit hard to swallow? To believe? One does not snap out of that kind of trauma like that. So I find that bit unbelievable. How can you go from being terrified of a haircut to being ready to serve as First Officer of a starship? That's PTSD. It doesn't go away like that. You don't magically get better. Not from mental abuse. I don't care if you are trained to serve in Starfleet...that is not going to go away in a blink of an eye.
And I must say while I was reading this I had no idea how they would defeat Trelane. At all. It had seemed so hopeless! But the author did create an answer. Very creative! And very unexpected.
I had read this so very long ago, probably back when this has first came out, but I hadn't remembered anything at all. I mean how much could one recall from reading it way back in 1994? Of course I am different now than I was then. I think the most surprising thing is the fact that elements in this story actually had disturbed me, which I had not expected at all. I mean it's Star Trek. How can Star Trek be disturbing?
I also did not like what Jack Crusher did at the end either. It was too disturbing.
The story itself seemed to drag on and on?
And all the many multiverses in here was kind of strange (but I quickly got used to it too - I mean this IS Star Trek who is famous for "Mirror Mirror"). In a weird way I guess these parallel universes was the thing that had interested me the most? I actually found myself contemplating it on Wednesday morning on the way back from the horse ranch...thinking what some other me might be doing in some parallel universe. Which is something I had never thought about before. And the only reason I had that thought was because of reading this.
I probably should add I grew up watching reruns of classic Star Trek as a kid and then started watching The Next Generation when it was airing on TV when I was a kid/young teen. Basically I am the same age as Wesley Crusher. So I am very familial with all of these characters and their backgrounds. It's been a long time since I've read a Star Trek book though...
I must say the ending, the bit with the Riker who had been abused by the romulans, I find that a bit hard to swallow? To believe? One does not snap out of that kind of trauma like that. So I find that bit unbelievable. How can you go from being terrified of a haircut to being ready to serve as First Officer of a starship? That's PTSD. It doesn't go away like that. You don't magically get better. Not from mental abuse. I don't care if you are trained to serve in Starfleet...that is not going to go away in a blink of an eye.
And I must say while I was reading this I had no idea how they would defeat Trelane. At all. It had seemed so hopeless! But the author did create an answer. Very creative! And very unexpected.
I had read this so very long ago, probably back when this has first came out, but I hadn't remembered anything at all. I mean how much could one recall from reading it way back in 1994? Of course I am different now than I was then. I think the most surprising thing is the fact that elements in this story actually had disturbed me, which I had not expected at all. I mean it's Star Trek. How can Star Trek be disturbing?
December 16, 2010
This is arguably the great Star Trek Novel ever written. It takes place on a grand scale, covering several interesting timelines, then smashing them together.
The real test for novels like these are if the characters sounds like they should...quite often tie in novels will have characters saying things that they never would on the show, which can really pull me out of the book. Thankfully that isn't a problem here. Peter David has an excellent grasp of what makes each of these characters tick. The many references to past Star Trek adventures just serve to sweeten the deal for Star Trek fans.
The Kindle edition is pretty good. I only noticed about a dozen typos, but none were so bad that I couldn't figure out what the actual intended word was. I don't have the paper version to compare it to, so this issue might just be the way the book is written, but within chapters, it can be difficult to spot the perspective changes. Rather than leaving an extra space between paragraphs to denote a chance in perspective/location, the next section just starts immediately after the previous sentence. Sometimes that seems intentional (a joke carries over between sections, characters seem to react to something someone else in another area said, etc.), but other times it just makes it confusing.
Overall I love this book. It was one of the first books I picked up for my kindle, because I wanted to re-read it (I had originally read it many years ago). The only real problem is that this is as good as it gets. It piques the appetite for more books like this, but no other Star Trek novel matches it. Peter David's other Star Trek novels are great (Vendetta, Imzadi, etc.), but this is his best.
The real test for novels like these are if the characters sounds like they should...quite often tie in novels will have characters saying things that they never would on the show, which can really pull me out of the book. Thankfully that isn't a problem here. Peter David has an excellent grasp of what makes each of these characters tick. The many references to past Star Trek adventures just serve to sweeten the deal for Star Trek fans.
The Kindle edition is pretty good. I only noticed about a dozen typos, but none were so bad that I couldn't figure out what the actual intended word was. I don't have the paper version to compare it to, so this issue might just be the way the book is written, but within chapters, it can be difficult to spot the perspective changes. Rather than leaving an extra space between paragraphs to denote a chance in perspective/location, the next section just starts immediately after the previous sentence. Sometimes that seems intentional (a joke carries over between sections, characters seem to react to something someone else in another area said, etc.), but other times it just makes it confusing.
Overall I love this book. It was one of the first books I picked up for my kindle, because I wanted to re-read it (I had originally read it many years ago). The only real problem is that this is as good as it gets. It piques the appetite for more books like this, but no other Star Trek novel matches it. Peter David's other Star Trek novels are great (Vendetta, Imzadi, etc.), but this is his best.
June 25, 2010
3.5 stars. Nobody does Star Trek better than Peter David. This is another good installment featuring Q.
December 12, 2016
Holy cow! And I thought Peter David's "Vendetta" was the final word on epic Trek adventure...and then "Q-Squared" comes along to play FUBAR mind games with time, the Q Continuum, the fabric of reality, and "Star Trek" history. This is where fanwank crawls into a hole and is crushed into a singularity...and never has oblivion been darker, more violent, more mind blowing...and more entertaining. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a TNG masterpiece, and one of Peter David's finest works in the literary Trek universe.
April 22, 2019
This is canon.
I have declared it.
This novel reads and plays out exactly like an actual Star Trek episode, and I'm only sad that it *isn't* an episode. It would have been incredibly epic.
And it actually cleverly wove the Original Star Trek canon into its narrative in a way that wasn't pandering or contrived - but was entertaining and thought provoking and made so much sense! It explains a lot of things that were left ambiguous in TOS, but in explaining them it doesn't diminish them, but expanded them deeper within the Star Trek lore.
Well done, sir. Well done.
I have declared it.
This novel reads and plays out exactly like an actual Star Trek episode, and I'm only sad that it *isn't* an episode. It would have been incredibly epic.
And it actually cleverly wove the Original Star Trek canon into its narrative in a way that wasn't pandering or contrived - but was entertaining and thought provoking and made so much sense! It explains a lot of things that were left ambiguous in TOS, but in explaining them it doesn't diminish them, but expanded them deeper within the Star Trek lore.
Well done, sir. Well done.
November 27, 2018
Told across three timelines, Q-squared tells the story of what would happen if Q was tutor to the Squire of Gothos (Trelane). a being that the Enterprise encountered when Kirk was captain. As Trelane tries to unravel the very fabric of the universe, it is up to the Enterprise in all its forms to try and save the world...and Q could be of some use as well.
Firstly, I am a huge star trek fan, and Squire of Gothos is one of my favourite episodes from the original series. When I found out that this book combined him alongside Q (easily one of the best villians from the TNG era) against Picard I knew I was going to enjoy this. So, this is a round about way of saying that I went into this completely biased.
The plotline was everything I wanted it to be, with the different threads relatively easy to follow and reveals taking place throughout the book. The pace was well done (even though there was about 4 pages which I didn't enjoy reading because of how they were written) and I was engaged throughout. The little references to other stories throughout were wonderfully done and I got a great deal of enjoyment spotting them. I was confused when Crusher turned up at the start of the story, and as a result you are thrown straight into the story with no pre-amble. I loved the slow drip-feed of information throughout so that the reader was able to work out what was going on.
The characters were well done, and were easily recognisable from the TV series. I really enjoyed Q and Trelane's sections, with Crusher and Picard coming in a close second. It was so easy to read all the perspectives and, at the end, it was apparent that each character had their own infividual voice. Minor spoiler alert - when the final battle is taking place on the Enterprise, it was really interesting to see not only how each character acted differently when confronted with the other universe version of themselves, but how easy it was to follow which version of each character you were reading about. The final fight between Picard and Trelane was brilliant as well, thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was a fun read and one that I really enjoyed. I sort of wish that there was more Q throughout the novel, with the focus being on Trelane rather than Q. But that is a minor criticism since the author did a fantastic job of personifying Trelane throughout. I will be looking for more in this series by the same author.
Firstly, I am a huge star trek fan, and Squire of Gothos is one of my favourite episodes from the original series. When I found out that this book combined him alongside Q (easily one of the best villians from the TNG era) against Picard I knew I was going to enjoy this. So, this is a round about way of saying that I went into this completely biased.
The plotline was everything I wanted it to be, with the different threads relatively easy to follow and reveals taking place throughout the book. The pace was well done (even though there was about 4 pages which I didn't enjoy reading because of how they were written) and I was engaged throughout. The little references to other stories throughout were wonderfully done and I got a great deal of enjoyment spotting them. I was confused when Crusher turned up at the start of the story, and as a result you are thrown straight into the story with no pre-amble. I loved the slow drip-feed of information throughout so that the reader was able to work out what was going on.
The characters were well done, and were easily recognisable from the TV series. I really enjoyed Q and Trelane's sections, with Crusher and Picard coming in a close second. It was so easy to read all the perspectives and, at the end, it was apparent that each character had their own infividual voice. Minor spoiler alert - when the final battle is taking place on the Enterprise, it was really interesting to see not only how each character acted differently when confronted with the other universe version of themselves, but how easy it was to follow which version of each character you were reading about. The final fight between Picard and Trelane was brilliant as well, thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was a fun read and one that I really enjoyed. I sort of wish that there was more Q throughout the novel, with the focus being on Trelane rather than Q. But that is a minor criticism since the author did a fantastic job of personifying Trelane throughout. I will be looking for more in this series by the same author.
November 17, 2022
Wow, so don't read this when you are tired or otherwise incapacitated, you're going to need all your faculties to get through this. As per my usual, I didn't have any idea what this book was about. To be honest I live in direct opposition to the age old adage, "don't judge a book by its cover," cause that's exactly what I do. That being said, I felt in Next Generation Q's character was often verging on annoying but I liked the idea of him so I thought this book might be fun to explore that more. However, I found this book to be crazy confusing. Especially at the beginning when you have absolutely no idea what's happening. It's all parallel universes and realities stacked on top each other to create something akin to The Three Stooges on the enterprise. This was a good idea in theory but translated poorly into a book format. Towards the end I was so lost I just wanted it to be over. I don't hate it but I'm not likely to recommend it either.
January 7, 2020
I’m giving this four stars because I liked the throwback to the Encounter at Farpoint era. It was described in a way that showed you that something was "off" without coming out and saying it. And it was good to see a Trelane story.
But all the storylines were too much. David says in his intro that this would be best read in one sitting, and maybe if I could have done that it would have flowed better for me. And I didn't care for all the story parts - Tommy, for example. I think the Datas part could have been explained better.
3.5 stars I think.
Episodes you might want to watch before reading this - "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (TOS), "The Squire of Gothos" (TOS), "Encounter at Farpoint" (TNG), "Yesterday's Enterprise" (TNG), "Parallels" (TNG), "Tapestry" (TNG), "Attached" (TNG).
But all the storylines were too much. David says in his intro that this would be best read in one sitting, and maybe if I could have done that it would have flowed better for me. And I didn't care for all the story parts - Tommy, for example. I think the Datas part could have been explained better.
3.5 stars I think.
Episodes you might want to watch before reading this - "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (TOS), "The Squire of Gothos" (TOS), "Encounter at Farpoint" (TNG), "Yesterday's Enterprise" (TNG), "Parallels" (TNG), "Tapestry" (TNG), "Attached" (TNG).
April 8, 2024
Very entertaining indeed, drawing on so many episodes to make a dramatic, humorous and satisfying story across several dimensions. Great stuff!
However, I've had to deduct one star because [SPOILER] Q and Picard do not get it on.
However, I've had to deduct one star because [SPOILER] Q and Picard do not get it on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2016
On Stardate 2124.5, Captain Kirk and the Enterprise had a memorable experience with an impish creature named Trelane, a being of extraordinary power but the maturity of a child. Now Trelane is back, this time to play with Captain Picard and a different Enterprise....and right behind him is his godfather Q, begging him to behave. Trelane, as it turns out, is a member of the Q Continuum, and Q has the task of grooming him to be a responsible adult. Naturally, the universe is doomed. After a tongue-lashing from the good captain, Trelane runs away and returns having discovered how to harness the power of universal chaos to give everyone on the Enterprise a really bad day....by collapsing three parallel universes into one another. Such is how Peter David starts off another fantastic Q novel.
In "Q-in-Law", the fun came from bouncing lively characters like Q and Lwaxana Troi off of one another. Here, David explores various what-if scenarios: what if Worf was rising star in the Klingon empire, and not a disgraced orphan? What if William Riker hadn't been rescued by Nervala IV, but captured by Romulans? What if Jack Crusher hadn't died? And what if Picard and Beverly Crusher had acted on their attraction...? When Trelane begins forcing the universes together, chaos ensues, and a thrilling story unfolds as the characters navigate their way though an increasingly insane and ever-changing reality.
Although a novel that touches base with metaphysical notions like multiverses can confusing, especially when temporal shenanigans are thrown in, Q Squared manages to grow busy with action without ever losing the reader, and it's wonderfully funny despite how serious things get. The action is frantic, and as Picard and the others lose control, astonished laughter is sometimes the only response to what they're enduring.
Q Squared is an excellent bit of Trek literature, supremely entertaining on its own merits and doubly so for knitting together various temporal elements of TOS and TNG together. I understand David did the same with his pre-Destiny TNG Relaunch novel, Q&A. If so, I might have to read it....even if it DOES have the Borg destroying Pluto.
In "Q-in-Law", the fun came from bouncing lively characters like Q and Lwaxana Troi off of one another. Here, David explores various what-if scenarios: what if Worf was rising star in the Klingon empire, and not a disgraced orphan? What if William Riker hadn't been rescued by Nervala IV, but captured by Romulans? What if Jack Crusher hadn't died? And what if Picard and Beverly Crusher had acted on their attraction...? When Trelane begins forcing the universes together, chaos ensues, and a thrilling story unfolds as the characters navigate their way though an increasingly insane and ever-changing reality.
Although a novel that touches base with metaphysical notions like multiverses can confusing, especially when temporal shenanigans are thrown in, Q Squared manages to grow busy with action without ever losing the reader, and it's wonderfully funny despite how serious things get. The action is frantic, and as Picard and the others lose control, astonished laughter is sometimes the only response to what they're enduring.
Q Squared is an excellent bit of Trek literature, supremely entertaining on its own merits and doubly so for knitting together various temporal elements of TOS and TNG together. I understand David did the same with his pre-Destiny TNG Relaunch novel, Q&A. If so, I might have to read it....even if it DOES have the Borg destroying Pluto.
July 24, 2014
Trelane (of the TOS episode "Squire of Gothos"), who turns out to be a young member of the Q-Continuum, taps into the ultimate energy source and uses it-or is used by it-to tamper with the nature of reality and the flow of time. Q and the crews of the starship Enterprise from three parallel universes find themselves right in the thick of the action.
Three things seem apparent about this novel. First, author Peter David had fun writing it. It's clever, if a bit too convoluted at times, and has fun making unexpected connections and arcane references to Trek history. He has a firm grip of the characters and writes their dialogue and interactions well. Second, he wrote it fast, much too fast. The prose is very sloppy, becoming at times unreadable. Third, this book is much too long. Most, if not all, of the sequences written from the perspectives of Q and Trelane should have been cut out. That would have improved the novel a great deal, because those scenes are truly awful.
Here's the problem: how can anyone, much less a guy dashing off a Star Trek novel, convincingly inhabit the perspective of an omnipotent, omniscient being? A masterful novelist might pull it off with great thought and effort, but Peter David isn't up to the task. That's not a knock against him, since almost nobody is up to that task, but he should have realized his limitations. He gives us beings who, rather than existing on a plane beyond our understanding, have mothers and fathers just like we do, act from very human motivations, and even derive their names from Latin root words! The TV series managed (just barely at times) to present the character successfully because it was always made clear that the version of Q and his universe that we saw was dumbed down to make human comprehension possible. David mistakes the dumbed down version for the real, unvarnished thing.
Three things seem apparent about this novel. First, author Peter David had fun writing it. It's clever, if a bit too convoluted at times, and has fun making unexpected connections and arcane references to Trek history. He has a firm grip of the characters and writes their dialogue and interactions well. Second, he wrote it fast, much too fast. The prose is very sloppy, becoming at times unreadable. Third, this book is much too long. Most, if not all, of the sequences written from the perspectives of Q and Trelane should have been cut out. That would have improved the novel a great deal, because those scenes are truly awful.
Here's the problem: how can anyone, much less a guy dashing off a Star Trek novel, convincingly inhabit the perspective of an omnipotent, omniscient being? A masterful novelist might pull it off with great thought and effort, but Peter David isn't up to the task. That's not a knock against him, since almost nobody is up to that task, but he should have realized his limitations. He gives us beings who, rather than existing on a plane beyond our understanding, have mothers and fathers just like we do, act from very human motivations, and even derive their names from Latin root words! The TV series managed (just barely at times) to present the character successfully because it was always made clear that the version of Q and his universe that we saw was dumbed down to make human comprehension possible. David mistakes the dumbed down version for the real, unvarnished thing.
June 7, 2018
Q-Squared, in addition to being simply a damn good book, is incredibly funny as well, which should come as no surprise given who the author is. There are numerous character moments that are laugh-out-loud funny, while at the same time remaining a poignant and fascinating exploration of Q, Trelane, our TNG heroes, as well as numerous alternate universes. I remember as a young man being fascinated with all of the various universes (labelled as "tracks" in the novel) coming together and intermingling in this novel. A fun exploration of TNG and an interesting pairing of Q and Trelane make this one an absolute favorite that I will likely continue to return to for years to come.
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2018/06/Q...
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2018/06/Q...
December 7, 2015
This book started out with an interesting premise, as books or episodes involving Q are wont to do. It took me quite some time to work out where this book was going, but once I worked that out, it became much easier to hold the state of the book in my head. The action progressed nicely, with some interesting plot twists, until everything comes together. Literally. The climax was drawn out and drew me in, but the resolution was over a little quickly. But that is also expected when Q is involved.
Read
July 19, 2022Short answer: this is an incredibly fun book to read and you should do it. If you’re a fan of TNG mind bleepery, you’re apt to love this. Imagine taking Yesterday’s Enterprise, blend it with Parallels. Add Q and drizzle it with different characters from across the Star Trek universe and that’s about what you get here.
My disclaimer or my advisory warning would be that if you’re thinking about giving this a try - buckle up. Peter David says as much in his introduction that this is not a book that you should try and breeze through. There is a lot going on here and a ton of different elements from the shows that are brought into the fold so you really need to be paying attention. For sure this is a book that you will need to read at least twice to really wrap your head around it. I was impressed with how many plot points from both Next Gen and the original series were brought to bear on this story.
As the book opened I did find myself on uncertain footing as we see the characters we expect but it quickly becomes apparent that they actually aren’t those characters. It takes a while to catch on to what’s going on but considering the nature of the story I think this benefited and informed the overall experience of the book. And for as much as the continuum has been explored in the Berman era of Trek, this story still manages to present a unique perspective on the Q.
If I had any issue, I kind of wished that we had gotten some more scenes with just Q and Trelane. Obviously with Q you never really know how much you can take of what he says at face value and I didn’t feel like I had a full picture of what Trelane was up to either. It almost got to a point where I felt like the two of them were starting to distract from the story a little and I thought that their roles could have been worked out a little more extensively.
This is a minor quibble, though. As someone who pretends at times to be a writer myself, I have to pay a great deal of respect to the staggering level of craft that was required to construct this story. Forget the notion of outlining a plot. This is so all over the place I can’t even begin to understand how you even go about laying out the structure and plot of this It’s like sculpting with spaghetti noodles and having to keep track of every single one of them.
Trust me. This is not a book that comes and goes. This is a book that you will have a continued and ongoing relationship with. Give it a go and I think you’ll be impressed.
My disclaimer or my advisory warning would be that if you’re thinking about giving this a try - buckle up. Peter David says as much in his introduction that this is not a book that you should try and breeze through. There is a lot going on here and a ton of different elements from the shows that are brought into the fold so you really need to be paying attention. For sure this is a book that you will need to read at least twice to really wrap your head around it. I was impressed with how many plot points from both Next Gen and the original series were brought to bear on this story.
As the book opened I did find myself on uncertain footing as we see the characters we expect but it quickly becomes apparent that they actually aren’t those characters. It takes a while to catch on to what’s going on but considering the nature of the story I think this benefited and informed the overall experience of the book. And for as much as the continuum has been explored in the Berman era of Trek, this story still manages to present a unique perspective on the Q.
If I had any issue, I kind of wished that we had gotten some more scenes with just Q and Trelane. Obviously with Q you never really know how much you can take of what he says at face value and I didn’t feel like I had a full picture of what Trelane was up to either. It almost got to a point where I felt like the two of them were starting to distract from the story a little and I thought that their roles could have been worked out a little more extensively.
This is a minor quibble, though. As someone who pretends at times to be a writer myself, I have to pay a great deal of respect to the staggering level of craft that was required to construct this story. Forget the notion of outlining a plot. This is so all over the place I can’t even begin to understand how you even go about laying out the structure and plot of this It’s like sculpting with spaghetti noodles and having to keep track of every single one of them.
Trust me. This is not a book that comes and goes. This is a book that you will have a continued and ongoing relationship with. Give it a go and I think you’ll be impressed.
December 17, 2023
Another Star trek book that i got as audiobook. John de Lancie performance was amazing.
I think this will be 4,5stars as it was a bit difficult at the beginning to grasp the thread of what was happening. I was also gladly surprised that this story was also way more dark that i was expecting, even though I am a huge fan of humor and cozy stories, and with Q i am always expecting this troll humor.
I think this is a nice treat for star trek fans and a must read for them.
I think this will be 4,5stars as it was a bit difficult at the beginning to grasp the thread of what was happening. I was also gladly surprised that this story was also way more dark that i was expecting, even though I am a huge fan of humor and cozy stories, and with Q i am always expecting this troll humor.
I think this is a nice treat for star trek fans and a must read for them.
December 11, 2022
Well I sure do wish I remembered Kirk & the Squire of Gothos. And the episode with Gary Mitchell.
But I'm traveling, so no access. Other than that, a wonderful read. 3.7 stars? Anyway, the other reviewers have better details in their praise.
But I'm traveling, so no access. Other than that, a wonderful read. 3.7 stars? Anyway, the other reviewers have better details in their praise.
Read
May 13, 2017זה ספר ממש טוב, במסגרת מסע בין כוכבים ובכלל בתור ספר בודד, בפני עצמו
October 27, 2020
I haven't read this story in 20 years. It's still an enjoyable exploration of Next Generation and crossover fiction that touches on the other Star Trek series.
March 1, 2021
It was fine. I mean... it's a Star Trek novel. Normally I don't like stories that flash back and forth between three separate story lines, though that is somewhat necessary in a multiverse story. Read was as satisfying as watching a Star Trek episode, and slightly more intellectual.
August 4, 2022
First foray into TNG novels and it was entertaining.
May 24, 2020
This book blew my mind. All the different parallel worlds, the Q, the past coming into play. All the different versions of the crew. I couldn't put this book down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2023
THIS WAS SO SAD!!!! GOOD BUT SAD!!! I think this one belongs on my list of "actually quite decent Trek novels that aren't pure fanfiction". Helped that I listened to this in audio form read by none other than THEEE de Lancie.
April 3, 2021
This book gets a second star because it was obviously well thought out and sort of clever in its construction--but in the end there was just too much chaos and crossed wires for much meaningful character development to happen. The premise got me interested, and I looked forward to seeing how the author would give some characters second and third chances, but many just met ignominious ends. The violence got to be a bit much, and the chaos annoying. Probably the most disappointing part of this book was the treatment of beloved characters who are women, who have disabilities, and who are people of color: having Tasha's last thought focus on her counterpart's haircut, seeing Guinan expelled from the ship (when in the series she's actually able to hold her own against Q), and having one Geordi violate the other's prosthetic all were a bridge too far for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2014
It was okay. I remember why I stopped reading Star Trek books 20 years ago... and why I gave up on STTNG even longer. Got tired of all the extra-dimensional, time travel where no one remembered what happened, thus it doesn't impact the characters or the series. It had plenty of fun, adventurous parts, but... somehow it left me hollow.
March 28, 2020
Absolutely one of my favorite Star Trek books. It is wonderfully written. Q was always one of my favorite characters, and he shines in this book. While the book deals with time issues, it isn't hard to follow at all. A really good book for ST:NG fans.
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