Ship of the Line: The First Voyage of the Enterprise 17017-E1

Capitalizing on the Star Trek The Next Generations fifth season episode "Cause and Effect" and the sixth season's episodes of "Chain of Command" parts I and II, Diane Carey deftly weaves another great STNG tale involving Captain Morgan Bateson and Gul Madred respectively in "Ship of the Line." Captain Morgan Bateson, seen only briefly in "Cause and Effect," is skillfully brought to life in this tale along with his crew. Gul Madred, the much hated Cardassian interrogator who tormented Captain Picard in "Chain of Command" parts I and II is revisited by Captain Picard. Along with these characters, the author also brings Captain Kirk and Spock into the mix as well.Several Star Trek readers I've talked to in the past have complained of Diane Carey's injecting so much "naval" speak into her Star Trek novels, this is an opinion I do not share as I believe it gives her novels a distinctiveness all her own. I always have and continue to look forward to reading her novels as she is one of the top Star Trek authors.The premise:This outstanding STNG novel begins with the crew of the USS Bozeman in the year 2278 telling the events where Captain Morgan Bateson and his ship were engaged against a Klingon ship just prior to and leading up to the events in the STNG episode "Cause and Effect," where the USS Bozeman came through a temporal anomaly coming forward ninety years and "nearly" colliding with the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D. The novel is now set in the timeframe of approximately five months after the events depicted in "Star Trek Generations," where the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D is lost. Captain Picard and the majority of his senior staff are at Starbase 12 awaiting their next assignment which is hopefully the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, the beautiful Sovereign Class starship first seen in "Star Trek First Contact." Of course Worf at this time is on Deep Space Nine.From this point the author takes the reader through a superb story where on one end, Captain Morgan Bateson is in charge of the shakedown cruise of the Enterprise-E and dealing with the same Klingon that forced him into the temporal anomaly and on the other end, Captain Picard is headed into Cardassian territory to deal with Gul Madred, his tormentor from "Chain of Command."I highly recommend this Star Trek The Next Generation novel; it certainly deserved the hardback that it came in as it outclasses many of the Star Trek stories in print. {ssintrepid}

Diane Carey brings to life the Star Trek Universe not by expanding on the lives of the already, Oh so well known, crew of TNG, but by introducing us to new people. You dont get know these new people as well as the crew of the Enterprise but you will understand and feel for them and what motivates them in much the same way. Its refreshing to walk in the shoes of other Captains from the ST universe and Diane Carey walks you through it as if you were standing on deck next to them. Great book with a wonderful plot and easily explains why events happen as they unfold. Read it and enjoy the ride.

Normally I do not like books by Diane Carey. She has done novelizations in the past which I have read, and I have thought them too short with not enough detail. However, this one book would turn me into a Diane Carey fan.I loved this book. I know, from reading a lot of the reviews before mine, that there are a lot of people who hated it because there wasn't enough TNG crew involved, they didn't like the ending, etc. Well, "Cause and Effect" is one of my favorite STTNG episodes (I have it on tape) and I always wanted to know what had happened to Captain Batesman (played by Kelsey Grammer) and his crew. One gets a glimpse of him in the Peter David book "The Captain's Daughter," but we see none of him in any other book. He is an engaging character that I would love to see in more books. Simply put, I began reading this book a few minutes after I bought it, and I didn't put it down until I was finished with it (two hours later). I love it, I love the ending, I love his crew, and the biggest thing I love about this book is that it didn't have a bunch of characters that we already know in it. We got to meet a lot of new people with new stories. If you have a hankering for a ST book that doesn't have a lot of ST characters we already know in it, pick up this book. If you like quirky, smart characters, pick up this book. If you are looking for more Picard & Co. action, best leave it alone. But at least read it once.

I'm a fan of Diane Carey books. I enjoyed reading Diane Carey novelizations of DS9 novels and Star Trek CD ROM. This is one of the most entertaining novels i read. the interaction between Bateson and Kozara especially as enemies is quite interesting. The story is well-written.

This is the best book, Star Trek or otherwise, that i have read in a while. It tied all the little details from the series together and shed light on places that needed more defining. It answered questions the faithful Trekker has always asked about the series, and convincingly, too! Kudos to Carey!