Gauntlet

This is the first book of the Stargazer series, but the series actually got a start by M. J. Friedman in ST:TNG Valiant. That was the first one I read. Afterwards I started on this series and found each one was just as good and on par with one another, my favorites being Valiant and Gauntlet. Gauntlet in particular does start off slow, but after the events of Valiant has some serious groundwork to lay. This crew is very young and still trying to find itself. They deal with many new crewman as well as newfound promotions in the best way that they can, and eventually reach a certain cohesivness by the end of Progenitor. I suggest this series to anyone looking to stray from the mainstream of trekdom and indulge in the enigmatic story of the unproven but able crew of the U.S.S Stargazer.

In May 2002, Pocket Books published Michael Jan Friedman's Gauntlet and Progenitor, two novels set in the first year of Jean-Luc Picard's command of the USS Stargazer. It is over 30 years before his adventures as captain of the Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation and thus we have a Picard who is still urbane and cultured, but still a relatively unseasoned starship commander.We meet again Picard's weapons officer, Lieutenant Vigo (introduced in the ST:TNG episode "The Battle"). As well, we are reintroduced to Picard's command staff who served with him for 20 years and more (shades of Kirk and his command staff): Gilaad Ben Zoma, his impulsive first officer; chief medical officer Carter Greyhorse, who is better at dealing with lab equipment than with people; earnest security chief Peter "Pug" Joseph; Idun and Gerda Asmund, twin sisters (humans raised by Klingons) who are the primary helm and navigation officers, respectively; and Phigus Simenon, the curmudgeonly chief engineer and member of the Gnalish species (think Jack Klugman crossed with a velociraptor). These characters were all first introduced 11 years ago in Friedman's novel Reunion and have also appeared in The First Virtue (Friedman's contribution to the "Double Helix" series, co-written with Christie Golden), Requiem and last year's The Valiant.In Gauntlet, Picard is tasked with stopping the pirate known as the White Wolf. An ambitious admiral has given Picard this choice assignment on the assumption that he will fail and his new captaincy made a lauging stock. The White Wolf turns out to be something totally other than what Picard has expected. In Progenitor, chief engineer Simenon returns to the Gnalish homeworld - accompanied by several Stargazer officers -- to undergo a time-honored ritual that will determine the continuation of his bloodline. A comparison between this plot and the TOS episode "Amok Time" is inevitable, but it's an intriguing take on an old plot.Among the new characters introduced in these novels are Juanita Valderrama, a middle-aged chief science officer whose complacency in her career leads her to an unwise choice; Joe Caber, scion of a Starfleet family, whose kindness towards some of his fellow officers doesn't offset some nasty personality traits; Martin Paxton, the Stargazer's chief of communications; Elizabeth Wu, a by-the-book second officer who is reminiscent of Commander Shelby from TNG "The Best of Both Worlds"; Jiterica, a young ensign of the low-density humanoid Nizhrak species who wears a containment suit while aboard Stargazer; Obal, a comical-looking Binderian engineer (he resembles a plucked bird and I visualized Daffy Duck on Prozac) who becomes the target of another officer's bigotry; and Dikembe Ulelo, a newly-transferred communications officer with a hidden agenda. Also appearing are relatives of Star Trek: Voyager characters (I won't spoil it for you by telling you who).I enjoyed both novels. The 70-year "interregnum" between the ev

When I first came across the Stargazer series, my first impression is that "Oh no, not another series to follow!". I am also following the new Enterprise series and Capt Calhoun. I am a fan since STTOS, I had initially did not pay much attention to STTNG but after following the series, I feel it is the best of all the ST series so far. Because of this, my impression of Picard and his crew has always been on Enterprise D. Enterprise E did not form much of an impression.Stargazer to me is a step on a ladder for Picard and did not warrant much attention. After reading this book and the previous one, I am more inclined to follow it a bit more closely.This story again shows the ingenuity of Picard and his ability to triumph where others have failed. His crew is by far the most interesting (not the most colourful) when compared to Capt Calhoun's and Capt Archer's, at least in my opinion.Picard was sent to hunt an outlaw. He was sent on a mission where he is expected to fail and take the consequences. A pawn in politics meant to bring down Picard's mentor. How well I can empthatise with his situation!He triumphed despite uncertainties due to his inexperience. He grows more confindent with each encounter and there are leadership lessons within the story.The story is fast paced and I went on reading till I complete the story. I am looking forward to the third one.

Michael Jan Friedman's new Star Trek Stargazer series promises a lot of potential with this first book. Jean-Luc Picard has only recently received a battlefield promotion to captain. Admiral McAteer, newly assigned to the Star Fleet sector, is out to make a name for himself, and he's also dead-set against accepting Picard as a captain. As an effort to scuttle the young captain's career, McAteer assigns Picard to apprehend the elusive White Wolf, a pirate that seems to be more ghost that flesh and blood. In a further effort to sabotoge Picard's command, McAteer places new crewmembers aboard Stargazer: people that are young and untried, people that have obvious problems that will interfere with the command and performance of the starship and the mission.A Star Trek author of considerable talent, skill, and experience, Friedman's newest series came from two earlier entries in the adventures of the young Jean-Luc Picard: Star Trek Nex Generation: VALIANT and Double Helix: THE FIRST VIRTUE. The author has also contributed to Star Trek Starfleet Year One, Star Trek the Original Series, Star Trek The Next Generation, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Voyager, as well as several mini-series within the franchise. He also wrote the only Star Trek Next Generation/X-Men crossover. Other novels spawned from comic book properties include a Fantastic Four adventure: THE REDEMPTION OF THE SILVER SURFER, Superman novels, and X-Men novels. There are at least two Justice League novels for young readers coming up, based on the hit cartoon series. He's also a contributor to the Wishbone adventures, displaying a versatility and wide interest.In GAUNTLET, Friedman really hits his stride. The book reads like a television episode, fast-paced with quick scenes that make the pages seem to turn themselves. Besides the overall problem of dealing with what is admittedly the most wily and elusive pirate plaguing Starfleet at the time, Friedman presents a host of character-based problems. The characters deal with these problems both internally and externally, in true Star Trek tradition. The author is clearly at home dealing with character stretches as he is at detailing battle scenes. This was a exemplary exhibition of an introduction to a great new series, with lots of promise to come.Although the identity of the White Wolf had to be kept secret, there should have been a little more information on him. Otherwise, the White Wolf and his coterie should have been kept off the stage completely. The ultimate secret of why the White Wolf was in place there seemed to come out of left fied. Also, the resolution of some of the characters, although coming in Book Two from the looks of things, made the read feel like some things were left undone. Still, this is going to be an epic story, so they will probably still get tied up. However, at least a cursory confrontation between Picard and McAteer would have been nice to see.This book is definitely for the Star Tr

Prolific Star Trek author Michael Jan Friedman has a definate hit on his hands with Gauntlet. We have a book that is somewhat different from Mike Friedman's usual fare. We have a book whose story is character driven. There are no galaxy saving adventures, just people learning to know each other and trying to do the best that they can. Some succeed whereas others fail just as in real life. The story revolves around Picard being assigned to track down and capture a pirate. In the course of doing this we are introduced to some engaging new characters. Some remain at the end of the book while others are sent packing. The book is quick paced and never gets boring and is almost impossible to put down once you begin reading it. I highly recommend this book.