Star Trek: The Next Generation: Q&A

After the not especially memorable start to the new post-Nemesis TNG era in Death in Winter and Resistance Q & A gives the series the kick it needs and finally shows us what a great TNG novel can be. Q & A, a Q story, or indeed The Q story, as the book tries, and very much succeeds, in tying every Q story together. The Qish elements of this book are perfect, Q feels very much like Q, and the way all Q's appearances are tied together is brilliant. DeCandido does a great job making the Enterprise feel inhabited and introduces two new big characters; Second officer Miranda Kadohata and chief of security Zelik Leybenzon. These two were about the only parts of the novel I didn't enjoy, I found both quite annoying. While T'Lana was a pest to the Enterprise crew in Resistance, there was something endearing about her, and that continues to be in Q & A. Kadohata and Leybenzon on the other hand, despite all the best efforts to flesh out their characters and establish them as unique and interesting people just didn't have anything that made them stand out and say "look at me, I'm interesting". DeCandido also manages to make the Trekverse feel much bigger (something really lacking in Resistance) with some brief appearances from characters from all over the galaxy. These short bits of story added a lot of interest and make use of DeCandido's (and others') previously established characters and settings without them seeming out of place or in need of more explanation. All in all Q & A is a very clever, witty and thoroughly enjoyable book.

Wow they defiantly answered a lot of q questions in this book especially liked the reasoning behind q going after picard so much.

This was an interesting, creative story, with a very imaginative and unique view of Q. The characterization of Q was layered and complex, and the plot was suspenseful and fun. This is one of the best Trek novels to come along in quite some time.

I have read Resistance, that was really bad. Then The Sky is the Limit and that was worse. I read Before Dishonor (a must read) and I couldn't put it down. So, I decided to pick up Q & A. I was not disapointed. Very well written. Q is one of my favorite characters. Keith A. DeCandido is an excellent author and has never let me down. The story line is a bit familiar, but the author put a little twist to it. The characters are very well written. So, if you want to get into the relaunch of TNG, skip Resistance and The sky is the Limit, go straight to Q & A and Before Dishonor.

As should be expected by readers of Keith's work we have another winner here. Not only is the story interesting but the familiar characters are spot on from Worf to Q. But whats really interesting in this novel for me was the development of the new characters and their interactions with the regulars. For a TNG fan this is a must read book. WELL DONE