Mosaic

As a Kathryn Janeway fan, this is one of my favorite Star Trek books. I own it in hardcover and in digital format. It's a great look at the life of Kathryn Janeway!

How wonderful to listen to the voice of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) as she guides the listener through the events that created the enigma that is Janeway. The story begins somewhere in season two of Voyagers quest to return home from the delta quadrant and then leaps backward in time to provide insight and great back story into Janeways life. For Voyager fans, this is a must hear / read experience, it explains why Janeway acts and reacts the way she does, her isolation, her loneliness and her almost maniacal desire to save her crew, begin to make sense. Jeri Taylor wrote it with recommendations from Kate Mulgrew so its authority is beyond reproach. This book delivers a completely believable and moving story which, when read by Kate, at times had me misty eyed. Great stuff.

I am an all out Kathryn Janeway fan, and was disappointed when she did not share her story in Pathways, but this almost makes up for it. Jeri Taylor is an amazing author, and I have nothing but praise for her Voyager books. She had a very little ammount of info to work with, and she created a masterpiece with it. But, I said almost because there were somethings that I would have liked to have seen in Mosaic that weren't there. I think that if she had done a complete work on Kathryn's childhood it would have been wonderful; but also about 1,000 pages long. It is a must for every Voyager and Janeway fan.

Oh my God! I am a faithful Voyager fan and LUV Kathryn Janeway. There is just something about her character that intrigues me. My friend has this book (it's her only Voyager book) and she's been reading it since December. I also own this book, and I can find only one complaint. That Ms. Taylor didn't go into more detail about her life. Oh well. What she did go into was like peeking into a Christmas present before Christmas. You don't know what's in there but whatever it is is sure to be wonderful. This book shows the sides of Janeway that we've already seen in other characters. It shows her as a daughter, sister, lover, captain and student. I admit that I cry easily, so I was an emotional rollocoster with MOSAIC. * there are no Voyager fans where I live so if you're a fan and want someone to talk to please e-mail me!*

Yes, I love Janeway. But that tends to make me more critical than blindly accepting when it comes to VOY novels, because I don't hesitate to pick them apart and I hate it when I find inconsistencies in her character. Well, this novel was absolutely magnificent. It includes so many important events in her life, from the time she is four years old till she is standing before a Starfleet review board after her first mission as a captain (and meets Tuvok). (One thing: didn't Tom's accident happen *after* the Academy, not while he was a cadet? Oh well, never mind.) The "present" storyline is definitely inferior to the "past," and I almost wish the "present" could have been completely deleted. True, the book would read like a patchwork quilt--but any loyal Trekker would be more than willing to overlook that. (To be honest, it sorta reads like patchwork anyway, but I really don't mind a bit.) If you've ever wondered how Janeway became the woman she is "now", read this book. Anybody who complains that "Janeway just gets these obsessions with saving *everybody*" and "Why would she feel guilty?"--you have obviously not read Mosaic. When I finished this novel, I was left with a singular feeling of "Wow." Nobody can read this and hate Kathryn Janeway.

Just gotta gush! Jeri Taylor is my absolute favorite, and I know her writing style will be missed on the new season of Voyager. I hope she continues to pen the novels, because her stories are magnificent. We are given a clear view of Janeway in this book. The story may make a few leaps, but the path is still direct from child to captain - to television, in fact, because some of the "facts" in the book have been related on screen. I shall re-read often.