Swordhunt

It is clear that most of us are unhappy with the way Pocket split these books up. Swordhunt is nothing without Honor Blade, and even that is continued with no publish date known to us readers. Packaging a group of books as a series is one thing, even though it doesn't thrill me, but not providing the completion at the same time is an insult to our intelligence. It greatly detracts from reading a story when you have a year's intervention where your memory of details fades. Having said that, the story is outstanding. I detract a star from the rating because of the way it's split up.

Diane's Trek is definitive. No one, with the possible exception of Nick Meyer, understands Trek better. And, clearly, no one crafts Trek of higher quality, intelligence and integrity than Diane. This is not to mention her commitment to Trek as hard SF, and the ability to deliver on same. I agree with other reviewers that it would be unwise to attempt the new novel (split into two so Pocket Books can make more money on it--after all, there is no precedent for a 600 page Trek novel) without having read those that come before: MY ENEMY, MY ALLY is the first. Then, THE ROMULAN WAY (quite simply a masterpiece--but if you're looking for Kirk and Spock, don't: they never appear). Pocket Books seems to have omitted Diane's finest Trek to date from its "Rihannsu" series, although I can't fathom why, since the story of SPOCK'S WORLD is inextricably intertwined with the story of the Romulans. Best option for those tackling Diane's Trek for the first time, in my opinion, is to omit MY ENEMY and start with SPOCK'S WORLD. You'll miss the "adventure" that brought Kirk, et al, together with Commander t'Rallilieu in the first place -- but, to be honest, it's lackluster by comparison with SPOCK'S WORLD. And, with the notable exception Ael t'Rallilieu, you'll meet *all* Diane's extended cast, including the gonzo physicist/crystal spider K's't'lk, in SW. You'll also get the necessary primer for Diane's version of the Romulans, their history and culture, which--of course--blows away anything TNG ever attempted in that regard. As for the new novel, it's an exceptional first part of an epic new story that has the effect of pulling various threads Diane's been exploring in her novels taut. The increase in scope is very welcome -- there are strategy sessions at the highest levels of all the superpowers -- while Duane's refusal to lose the working-class point of view that marked ROMULAN WAY (or its exceptional heroine, Arrhae, who is well-represented here), or the unique character *her* crew of the Enterprise (Naraht, Burke, Tanzer, et al) has taken on over the past fifteen or twenty years, is refreshing. This is Star Trek without the billion-dollar-franchise burden. You're not likely to see another example of same from anyone *other* than Diane (the only good writer left in the Trekbook stable). Better grab it while it's available--The Romulan Way was so good that Gene Roddenberry once tried to pull it off the shelves!

I strongly recommend that you read the first two books (The Romulan Way, and My Enemy, My Ally). This book deals with the characters introduced in these books and refers to the events depicted in them on a regular basis. There is also a caution--- The Romulan Way and My Enemy, My Ally were written BEFORE the airing of The Next Generation. Many of the speculations about Romulan culture that these books make have since been contradicted on The Next Generation.

Hard to believe it's been sixteen years since Duane started this series! The first two books were so good, and the wait for the sequels has been so long, that I guess a little letdown is inevitable.Anyway, we're back with Ael the Romulan commander, and many of Duane's other unique ST characters (Arrhae, Naraht the horta, Harb Tanzer and K's't'lk the spider physicist). I won't spoil the plot, although there aren't many surprises to speak of. The best news is that there'll be more, and based on the ending of HONOR BLADE I can only hope fore a bit more excitement as things pick up.Duane fans won't be sorry they bought these. Just make sure you read MY ENEMY, MY ALLY and ROMULAN WAY first (also THE WOUNDED SKY if you can find a copy).