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Star Trek: Myriad Universes: Infinity's Prism (Bk. 1)
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Average Rating:  out of 9 Reviews
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Price: $16.00
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Sale: $8.32
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Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster (Pocket Books)
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EAN (European Article Number): 9781416571803
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Christopher L. Bennett::William Leisner::James Swallow
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Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Pocket Books)
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Dewey Decimal Number: 813.087620806
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Publication Date: 2008-07-22
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Reading Level: 528
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Description: It's been said that for any event, there are an infinite number of possible outcomes. Our choices determine which outcome will follow, and therefore all possibilities that could happen do happen across countless alternate realities. In these divergent realms, known history is bent, like white light through a prism -- broken into a boundless spectrum of what-might-have-beens. But in those myriad universes, what might have been...is what actually happened. A Less Perfect Union: More than a hundred years after the Terra Prime movement achieved its dream of an isolationist Earth, humanity is once again at a fork in the river of history...and the path it follows may ultimately be determined by the voice of a single individual: the sole surviving crewmember of the first Starship Enterprise.™ Places of Exile: Midway through Voyager's journey across the galaxy, Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay must choose whether to brave a deadly war zone or abandon their quest for home. But an attack by Species 8472 cripples the ship, and the stranded crew must make new choices that will reshape their destinies...and that of the Delta Quadrant itself. Seeds of Dissent: Khan victorious! Almost four centuries after conquering their world, genetically enhanced humans dominate a ruthless interstellar empire. But the warship Defiance, under its augmented commander, Princeps Julian Bashir, makes a discovery that could shake the pillars of his proud civilization: an ancient sleeper ship from Earth named the Botany Bay.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: 2 out of 3 are either one worth the price! |
Date: 2008-10-18 |
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Details: Alternate universes and what-ifs are -- obviously -- the life-blood of science fiction. Two of the three stories in this volume live, one just sags.
"A Less Perfect Union" features Christopher Pike at the helm and James T. Kirk as his second in command. Characters from throughout the original canon appear, including the animated series. I rated it tops until I read "Seeds of Dissent" the DS9 version in the book.
Again, capturing elements from earlier mainstream stories, it ranks as one of the few stories I've ever read that I could not stop once I had started it, and that is in the Trek universe or any other work of fiction -- and I write from the perspective of a 61 year old Trekker (I was there when it started). When Kirk banished Khan to Ceti Alpha 5, Spock wondered what it would be like to see what crop sprang from the seed they had planted. James Swallow lets us see what happened when Khan won the Eugenics War. Outstanding!
"Places of Exile," the Voyager installment, reads like one of the early Next Generation TV shows -- tea and talk. If you don't have anything else to read, read it, but you won't miss much by skipping it.
But don't let that stop you from buying this book! |
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Review Summary: Schmaltz Sandwich |
Date: 2008-10-17 |
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Details: The wonder is not the "Myriad Universes" series itself but that it took this long for such a concept to emerge and be developed, at least beyond the assorted "Mirror Universe" tales. The very notion is pure "fan fic," and as a Trekker of forty years' standing, I say, "It's about time!"
Taking "Infinity's Prism"'s three novellas in order...:
1) "A LESS PERFECT UNION": What if Jonathan Frederick Paxton's verteron attack on Starfleet HQ in 2155 had been successful, and Earth had turned its back on the eventual Federation? William Leisner answers that question in a compelling and largely plausible tale that illustrates that while history can be detoured or postponed for a time, some trends really are inevitable.
HIGHLIGHTS: Realism. Earth doesn't turn "dark" or "evil". It's still a democracy and still advances culturally and technologically. But it's much more nationalist than internationalist. The Interstellar Coalition forms almost as a reaction to Paxton's attack, since their diplomats were all its targets. The two powers never become enemies, but they're far from friends. And the man that begins the process of rapproachment with Earth's local galactic neighbors isn't a starry-eyed dreamer, but a pragmatic businessman motivated by national economic self-interest. I just wish Leisner had used Harry Mudd for the role.
Characterizations. We see many TOS faces in subtley or dramatically different contexts. But the two centerpieces are an elderly, exiled T'Pol, embittered by how humans murdered her husband, Trip, and thwarted Jonathan Archer's Federation dream; and a young Jim Kirk who chose marriage and family over career and almost loses all three to his virulent anti-Vulcan bigotry (the scene where Dr. McCoy challenges Kirk's hatred of Vulcans is absolutely priceless). Yet despite Kirk's animus being exploited by yet another familiar face to try and sabotage Earth's IC membership, it isn't he who ends up doing the ultimate undermining.
No happy ending. After over a century of separation, hostility, and suspicion, one would not reasonably suppose that Earth could just join the I.C. overnight. It would take time to work out the details and build up the necessary trust. Leisner doesn't succumb to the Roddenberry to tack on a happy ending, but leaves matters believably unresolved - though if you're looking for the "hope of better days," the epilogue doesn't disappoint.
2) "PLACES OF EXILE": Not really an alternate timeline story at all, but far more of an "alternate present". Janeway never makes her "deal with the devil" (i.e. the Borg) from the "Voyager" episode "Scorpion," the Borg are not present to defend Janeway's ship from Species 8472 attack, and the fluidic space critters cripple Voyager, killing Paris and Tuvok in the process and rendering the Starfleet survivors refugees taken in by a species called the Vostigye, there to spend the rest of their lives in the Delta Quadrant.
Eh. The ensuing story wasn't a bad one, at least by "Voyager" standards. I did very much like Harry Kim's technobabble explanation of Species 8472's duplication predicament and how it fleshed them out into three-dimensional (and less rote villainous) characters. It was also interesting to see a Dominion ship hijacked to the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker and the wild card that introduced into Janeway's (eventual) attempt to build a surrogate Federation in the Delta Quadrant.
What I didn't like was...Janeway's (eventual) attempt to build a surrogate Federation in the Delta Quadrant. Even less that it succeeded. I didn't buy that she would eventually accept defeat on the core mission of getting her crew (what was left of them, anyway) home. And the comprehensively syrupy ending made me want to hurl.
3) "SEEDS OF DISSENT": Standard "What if Hitler had won?" tale, only with our old friend Khan Noonien Singh as the ruler of Earth and, by 2376 (and posthumously), much of the galaxy as well. It flip-flops the "Botany Bay" device by putting "basic" humans in the role of escapees from the Eugenics Wars who are found by a Khanate starship. Several of them we recognize - Shaun Christopher, the son of John Christopher from TOS's "Tomorrow Is Yesterday"; Rain Robinson, the astronomer chick from "Voyager"'s "Future's End"; and Shannon O'Donnel, Janeway's look-alike ancestor from "11:59".
But they and their "secret weapon" are just the pawns in a long-running sting/contest between a staggeringly different (in character terms) Ezri Dax, a Trill deep-cover agent who has spent three centuries trying to overthrow the galactic Khanate, and an Augment Julian Bashir, who commands the vessel that finds the Botany Bay and is the glib bad guy that really believes his side's propaganda and eventually has his eyes opened by the efforts of Dax, eponymous "Bajoran terrorist" Kira Nerys, and Captain Christopher's crew.
Pluses: The Dax characterization is excellent. She is masterful, resourceful, intelligent, tough, and beats Bashir at his own game, yet not unscarred by the multi-lifetime ordeal, but rather bitterly and supremely motivated by it. The Rain Robinson character is her sadder but wiser "everywoman" reflection. And like "A Less Perfect Union," I appreciated that there was no grand resolution at the end, but tantalizing loose ends and jumping off points for future sequels.
Minuses: I wasn't quite convinced that Khan could have conquered Earth so easily; I was thoroughly unconvinced that he could have conquered the entire Alpha Quadrant at a stroke. Genetic enhancement could only take the Augments so far.
Also, while I suppose it made the story more accessible to have DS9 characters in the prime rolls, really, neither Bashir nor Miles O'Brien or Jake Sisko (or Benjamin Sisko and Jean-Luc Picard, who are referred to in the dialogue) could exist in a timeline where "Basic" humans were exterminated centuries back. And I'm just not buying a Ducat-Kira romance under any circumstances; their relentless kissy-facedness gave me the giggles from the first depiction.
"A Less Perfect Union" makes "Infinity's Prism" worth the price all by itself. As to its two companion novellas, read at your own risk. |
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Review Summary: If Star Trek were Babylon 5 |
Date: 2008-08-24 |
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Details: You folks have read the publishers review so I am not going to repeat it. My opinions of the three stories are as follows: A Less Perfect Union is what Star Trek would look like if it were Babylon 5. The Enterprise crew is an amalgamation of both TOS pilot episode crews. It feels like Strangers From the Sky by Bonnano. If you liked that book, you will like this story. The second story was not so good. I just didn't buy the argument that the Voyager crew would be allowed such high access in the Coalition Military. Chapter 12 is brilliant, though. It gives a glimpse of fighting a war in several realities at once. That chapter made me think of Coming of the Quantum Cats by Pohl. I liked that the third story did not come off as brutal as the Mirror Universe stories. I like that only a few of the familiar characters are present. That shows the effect of temporal drift. I didn't buy the argument that most people could trace lineage to the original supermen. That smacks of inbreeding. The story also makes a reference to Strangers From the Sky and it also brings in the son of John Christopher. I can just imagine the war that would be fought if a permanent gate formed between Dark Mirror Universe and this universe.
I hope that sales are good enough to warrant publishing a lot more of these anthologies. This one is a fun read. |
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Review Summary: A Review of "Infinity's Prism" |
Date: 2008-07-29 |
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Details: Star Trek: Myriad Universes - 'Infinity's Prism' is an ambitious project that's been in the works for years. This is the 'what if' series of novellas exploring all the avenues and paths not taken in the various Star Trek series and movies. The question is, does "Myriad Universes" please the audiences or does it fall victim to being over-the-top, glorified fan fiction? For me, was by far one of the stronger anthologies and mini series put out in the past few years. Usually, there is one story included that feels far weaker and unworthy of print and makes me regret purchasing the book. That wasn't the case with "Myriad Universes: Infinity's Prism". It has some minor flaws that keep it from being perfect but in all, it's a wonderful work of fiction that definitely makes you wish the shows had been willing to take these bold chances and directions with plots and characters.
You'll enjoy how each story tends to capture the spirit of the original series. Each story, to me, comes with a lesson or moral that the writer is putting out for the audience to pick-up on. I was beside myself with the greatness of 'A Less Than Perfect Union'. This story is a blend of Star Trek: Enterprise and the Original Series. This was your classic original series episode with a twist; what would have happened if Starfleet and the Star Trek universe had not been as open minded and in turn was xenophobic? An elderly T'Pol (seen on the cover) is the last surviving member of Archer's Enterprise and through her, we see the alternate history of Enterprise and Pike/Kirk dealing with an Earth that isn't so great. The last novel, 'Seeds of Dissent' takes on a similar theme of exploring the question of 'who writes the history?' as Khan manages to reign over Earth and a rather interesting group of people threaten Khan's legacy and force a genetically enhanced Bashir to re-evaluate the past. Both of these stories, for me, were on the epic scale and a fun read with an actual lesson.
What you may not like is the quick-pace of many of the stories. While it worked for "A Less Than Perfect Union" and "Seeds of Dissent", it didn't work as well for "Places of Exile". The Voyager story came off as the most fan-fiction of the novellas. This was more like a different take or spoof of "Year of Hell" as there are few lessons to be learned and this was just pure entertainment. It wasn't bad but by the end, the story felt rather forced and cheesey. I also felt that even with this being a 'different view' of Star Trek: Voyager, the characters felt very off and unbelievable. This problem also arises in 'Seeds in Dissent' as Kira and Dukat, as well as Bashir, aren't really given any foundation and read as if they are rather plain and stiff, if not over-the-top.
In all, a good read. Yes, there is a fan-fic lining to some of the stories but that's to be expected. What made 'Infinity's Prism' such a good read was that it accomplished the goal of exploring some interesting 'what if' situations in Trek and as you're reading it, your mind begins to run wild with your own ideas of other stories that could be told. I liked that some stories, such as "A Less Than Perfect Union" weren't just entertaining - it was thought provoking and a great allegory to modern times. I enjoyed the 'dark' theme seen in 'Deep Space Nine' running throughout "Seeds of Dissent" which features a host of DS9 characters. Definitely worth your time and money. |
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Review Summary: Not bad at all |
Date: 2008-07-26 |
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Details: All three stories in this collection were enjoyable, and I read it in a day and a half. Of the three, my favorite was the Voyager story, "Places of Exile." The characterizations are spot-on, and in my opinion, the developments that take place for each of the characters (the ones who make it, anyway) are more interesting and fulfilling than what actually happened on the show.
The other two stories are equally good, but are much more reference-heavy (especially "Seeds of Dissent"; make sure you've read Greg Cox's Khan books and seen "Tomorrow is Yesterday" (TOS), "11:59" (VOY), and "Future's End" (VOY)) and the casual fan may not get it. Still, great stories.
I like the whole Myriad Universe idea, especially now that the Mirror Universe stuff is about at mined-out as it can be. Good read, can't wait for the sequel next month. |
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