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That Which Divides (2012)

by Dayton Ward(Favorite Author)

3.66 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

145165068X (ISBN13: 9781451650686)

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

Star Trek

review 1: Usually I enjoy my Star Trek books, (surprise!) but this one I really took a liking to. The main story sees the USS Enterprise investigating the circumstances surrounding the tragic loss of the USS Huang Zhong on the Dolysian colony of Gralafi. Apparently the craft ran afoul of an ancient defense system set in place by an extinct civilization centuries before the Dolysian colonization. Eventually we do find out who placed the defense system, a race mentioned in a Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) broadcast episode but I will not mention their name here. Adding another wrinkle to the situation it turns out Gralafi and its mother world Dolysia are close to the Romulan Neutral Zone, and as one might expect the Romulans are not about to let the Federation set up shop o... moren their front doorstep without close scrutiny. Upon the discovery of the defense system, a race ensues between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire for control of that ancient technology. Dayton Ward's Romulans, led by Cmdr Vathrael of the scout ship Nevathu are not the cardboard mustache-twirling villains one might expect. In fact, there are no "villains" in this piece, merely people acting upon the dictates of duty to their governments. Vathrael and her subordinates are remarkably well fleshed out and I'd like to see more of them. Ward also puts Lt Uhura in the spotlight, makes great use of recurring TOS character Lt John Kyle, and brings back Lt Samuel Boma who was only seen once in the TV episode "The Gallileo 7." I even like the ending of the novel, which has been a sticking point with me on some of the last Trek books I've been reading. Highly recommended.
review 2: Dayton Ward's "That Which Divides" is a very slight variation in the episode "That Which Survives". In this version, the Enterprise is called in to assist in the rescue of the U.S.S Huang Zhong which has crash landed on a planet in the Kondaii System. The planet itself is unique since it is located inside of an interstellar rift that only opens every 3 years. Ward does a rather remarkable with the plot as he keeps us guessing as to the mystery of the rift & the people who inhabit the system. The Romulan scenes are done well as well since they aren't entirely overblown & the scenes on the bridge after things get split is nice too. What also helps this story is that Ward doesn't do a lot of rehashing of old characters nor does he bring back elements of things best left forgotten which has been the case with books in the Kirk era as of late. Overall a well written & well timed story for the Original Series as this year looks a lot better in the Trek fiction world than a year ago. less

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