Product Description: Investigating the disappearance of a secret Romulan fleet, the U.S.S. Titan, commanded by Captain William Riker, is unexpectedly propelled more than 200,000 light-years into the Small Magellanic Cloud. One of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies, the Cloud is also home to the Neyel, the long-sundered offshoots of Terran humanity, with whom the Federation has had no contact in over eighty years.
Nearby, Riker's uncertain ally, Commander Donatra of the Romulan Warbird Valdore, rescues a young Neyel, the survivor of a mysterious cosmic upheaval that seems at times to be both unraveling and reweaving the very fabric of space...the fulfillment of an apocalyptic vision that has already claimed millions of lives. Titan's science team soon finds evidence that the ravaging of Neyel space is the work of a vast and powerful intelligence: the stirrings of a dormant consciousness that is maintaining the existence of the Small Magellanic Cloud -- and all life within it -- from one moment to the next. And if it should awaken, the consequences are unimaginable.
As Riker considers his options, his new crew struggles with the scientific and philosophical implications of what they've discovered...while the young Neyel in their midst forges a bond with the captain, conjuring old ghosts Riker has yet to lay to rest.
Better than the First; Still not Outstanding Overall, I found The Red King more enjoyable than Taking Wing. The characters are more engaging in this book, and there was more of a sense of adventure, danger, and unknown. It had a much truer "Star Trek feel"--the characters needed to overcome obstacles internally and externally to solve the problems they faced, and they did so in intelligent and creative ways. The book also explains Tuvok & Akaar's backgrounds. Although far from a literary or even a sci-fi masterpiece, The Red King was a pleasing sequel to Taking Wing, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has read the first installment of the Star Trek: Titan series.
Decent Star Trek Fiction, But...... "Titan, Book Two: The Red King (Star Trek, the Next Generation)" has a most intriguing premise; the crew of the USS Titan, under the command of Captain William T. Riker, rescue altered humans, the Neyel, and other sapient species from one of the Magellanic Clouds, thanks to some timely, if reluctant, intervention by Romulan Commander Donatra and a fleet of Romulan warbirds. But is this great "Star Trek" literature of the kind I've come to expect from Diane Duane at her best? The short answer is unfortunately no, though this "Star Trek" novel has more fleshed-out characters than one I had read recently about the crew of Jonathan Archer's Enterprise, which was also written by these two authors. However, I suspect that diehard fans of "Star Trek" will find this a credible sequel to the film "Star Trek: Nemesis"; for this reason alone it deserves a marginal recommendation from me.
too many nongay characters Why do Troi and Riker have to be so obviously straight? I'm sick of having heterosexuality rammed down my throat. And those knowing looks they give each other.....
I really want to like this series. Riker, Troi and Tuvok on The Titan. I'm sold. I love the idea. Riker and Troi were always my favorite on The Next Generation. I always thought Riker would make and intense, cowboy-like captain. Throw in a little Voyager by adding Tuvok. I think it's great. Now, on to the title of this review... I really want to like this series. I wasn't that impressed with the debut novel, Taking Wing, but I figured given some time this could prove to be a good series. I think The Red King is a step in the right direction. My main problem with this series is the focus on the authors' original characters and the ridiculous amount of diversity within the crew. Now before I'm sued, let me just say that I'm all for diversity. This book just takes it to an almost comical level. To name a few examples, we have the dude who can seperate his body and make each segment act individually. The doctor recently escaped from Jurassic Park, and don't even get me started on the lady who can only breath water... I mean she wears a special water suit on the bridge! A water suit. It's too much. I'm fine with the Klingons, Ferengi, Cardassians, Bajorans, etc. I just think Dino Doctor, Water Lady and their wacky friends are a bit over the top. The vast majority of the people who read these books are doing it for Riker, Troi and Tuvok. Some of the original characters are very intersting, but most are very forgettable yet have equal page time with the heavy hitters. It's unbalanced and a little disappointing. All in all, I'd say this book is worth a read. Still, I am anxious to read book three; it is written by a different writer and I look forward to getting a new perspective on this promising series.
Improving Series Titan The Red King by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin is an improvement over the first book in the series, but it still has a ways to go. This book is the continuing story of Captain Riker's ship, the Titan. He spends a lot of time in this book, as in the last, trying to determine exactly what his role is as captain and how to mold his crew into a cohesive group. I find the Riker character as written to be very tentative and unsure of himself, which is a far cry from the Commander Riker from the television series who was always self assured and always knew exactly what he was doing. The authors still have not figured out what to do with Counselor Troi-- she is supposed to be the Diplomatic Officer, but Riker does most of the diplomatic stuff and Deanna's contribution continues, once again, to be her continued exclamations of "Pain! I feel pain!" shades of the first season of Next Generation! They also don't seem to know what to do with First Officer Christine Vale--she just seems to be there but does not seem to have a real reason for being.
There are so many directions for this series to go-- its premise of exploration brings back the original flavor of Classic Trek, and its multi-species crew is similar to the New Frontier series, although the authors continue to pat themselves on the back about it. Hey! We're diverse! We've got lots of different species and we all get along! The message is constantly thrown at us until it gets tiresome.
Still, there is potential here, and I hope that once this series gets over its self congratulatory newness, it will become a solid series in its own right. The characters and situation are there-- they just need to improve the execution-- and for goodness sake, figure out a use for both Commander Troi and First Officer Christine Vale.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
