Articles of the Federation

This is, hands down one of the best Star Trek related books that I have read. If you like the West Wing you will like this book. Second only to 'The Lives of Dax'

Political Trek, eh? Most Star Trek books deal with a Starfleet ship or station and the various crises that they encounter. Articles of the Federation is basically "The West Wing in Trek." Sounds like it might not be that interesting, right? However, this one is written by Keith R.A. DeCandido, the master Trek novel writer, so it was definitely worth a shot. And besides, politics can be interesting too, can't they? I'm happy to say that they can certainly be not only interesting, but fascinating. It helps that the author has a cool president character, the talent to write great characterization of myriad people, and the memory of an elephant for Trek continuity. In A Time for War, A Time for Peace, Nan Bacco was elected president of the Federation. Articles of the Federation is the story of her first year in office. And what a full plate she has. The Romulan situation, as left in Titan: Taking Wing, is starting to deteriorate, as a ship full of Reman refugees approaches an outlying starbase. A first contact diplomatic mission goes awry in a very public manner. The Federation Council makes things even more difficult for her to get legislation through, and a large number of people keep seeing her as a lowly planetary governor, too small for such an immense office. The final capper, though, is when what really happened on Tezwa, as instigated by her predecessor, comes home to roost. If that gets out, there will be nothing stopping yet another galactic war. Bacco is DeCandido's creation, and you can tell that he really loves writing her character. She is a fully-formed, three-dimensional creation who just springs off the page. She's also the unifying force in this book, as even when she's not "on screen," the events happening are going to have a great impact on what she does and who she is. She's pragmatic, willing to strong-arm two planets into negotiations by threatening to go to war with one of them (pretty much an empty threat, but she makes it believable). She loves the newly revived game of baseball, religiously following the teams in the league on her home planet, and even arranging a publicity tour in such a way that she's available to throw out the first pitch of the season. She's quick with a sarcastic remark, especially to her chief of staff, Esperanza Piniero, who gives it right back to her. Their relationship is also wonderful to read about, as their friendship that goes back decades really deepens both of their characters. While these two are the main characters, the book has so many other characters that you would think they'd all start looking the same after a while. That's not so in any DeCandido book. Even those who are only in the book for a short while still have a feeling of depth to them. There are many policy advisors and other governmental positions in the book, and those characters' names do start to run together after a while, but not their personalities. How DeCandido manages to keep them all strai

Picking up where the events of the "A Time to..." novels, "Star Trek: Nemesis", and "Titan: Taking Wing" leave off the Bacco Administration has inherited a whole host of problems, the ramifications of the now fractured Romulan Star Empire being just the most obvious. As the year unfolds the reader is taken inside the day to day workings of the administration staff where we get to experience their struggles with the Federation Council, their mistakes, and their successes. Who knew that politics could be so spellbinding? In actuality "Articles of the Federation" is more than a novel about the politics of the Federation. Rather it is a recounting of a series of crisis and potential crisis as viewed from the perspective of Federation politicians, bureaucrats and at times average citizens. "Articles of the Federation" tells the story of how this particular administration chooses to deal with the various calamities they face. Nan Bacco and her staff spring from DeCandido's extremely fertile mind and were first introduced in his novel "A Time for War, a Time for Peace" which was published last October. They are a very appealing group of characters who you very quickly feel sympathy for and want to see succeed and they elucidate the notion that a leader is only as good as those they choose to surround themselves with. Bacco herself is the most noteworthy; witty, intelligent and at the beginning of her term a bit naive. When it comes to interstellar politics however she proves to be a quick study and more than up to the task. The way DeCandido has chosen to structure the plot of "Articles of the Federation" is one of the reasons the novel works so well. It would be very easy to become overwhelmed by the numerous plot threads and large cast of characters but by breaking the overall story down into six distinct parts the reader is never inundated with too much at once. The action and events flow along quickly but the narrative is never rushed and the transitions are seamless. I could go on at length about the numerous reasons that "Articles of the Federation" is an outstanding novel, the many ways it is both original and exceedingly entertaining. Based on the authors previous writings by the time I had finished reading "Articles of the Federation" I became firmly convinced that DeCandido is incapable of writing an archetypal Star Trek novel. He has demonstrated time and again that he has too much talent and imagination to be predictable. With "Articles of the Federation" he has cemented that reputation.

Most individuals consider the realm of "Star Trek" to be a fancy, not worthy of significant note; this goes double for the books, which seem to be regarded as merely extensions of fan fiction. While those of us who read "Trek" novels on a regular basis know this not to be true, it is still an unfortunate label. If only these critics were to read "Articles of the Federation." Concerned not with any particular starship or crew, "Articles" touches on an oft-ignored aspect of the "Star Trek" universe, that of Federation politics, more specifically the Office of the President of the United Federation of Planets, Nan Bacco. Picking up where the events of the "A Time to..." series, "Nemesis," and "Titan" last left us, "Articles" deals with the first year in the life of Bacco's administration. And that lone year certainly has a significant amount of ground to cover. Yet DeCandido makes one year fly by quickly, his writing style flourishing, fast-moving, and very, very literary. The author has stated that this was an attempt at bringing "The West Wing" to the "Trek" universe, and "Articles" is all that and more. Full of political machinations--the Bacco administration does not find itself treading water, it must struggle to stay afload--potential conflicts between Klingons, Remans, Romulans, and the Federation, there is not a dull line in the entire novel. Simply put, this first year is a combination of Bacco finding her place and voice as leader of a vast interstellar organization and the struggle to lay to rest the demons of the previous president, one Min Zife. Indeed, this struggle culminates in the surprise (yes, I will admit to being fully floored by this next, even though I understand the reasoning for it) resignation of a decorated Starfleet officer and advisor. Visible in "Articles" is Praetor Tal'Aura's continuing efforts to solidify her power base (she should have taken lessons from Martok's tale in "The Left Hand of Destiny"), a reporter's quest to find the truth behind the Tezwa affair, one doctor's prejudice against the Tzenketh that could spark an interstellar war, and Bacco's first attempt at welcoming a new race into the Federation--the Trinni/ek. Packed to the gills with plenty of references to "Treks" past and future, "Articles" is a stunning novel that deserves to be considered not only one of the finest "Star Trek" novels written, but also a significant literary achievement for Keith R.A. DeCandido.