Reviews

Death in Winter by Michael Jan Friedman

bookworm_enni's review against another edition

3.0

Every once in a while my inner geek requires some Star Trek reading and this time this is what it got fed with. The story is good but not quite what I hoped for. Romulans aren't exactly one of my favorite species to read about and while I enjoyed to get some background on Beverly I would have liked more character development on all sides. I would have liked to know more about the rebels too.

art_cart_ron's review

2.0

I won't say it wasn't worth reading... but it was awfully drawn out, and the most obnoxious part was the fact that they worked "clip show" framework into the story. Yes, you heard me right - clip shows, those cringe worthy blights on serialized TV shows produced in shameless moments of budgetary shortage... in a novel. Granted - it was thematic in nature, and a little deliberately corny (characters wondering "I wonder what made me think of that at a time like this?"), but at the end of the day the story wasn't strong enough to carry a novel. Would have been a suitable short story, or 2 or 3 chapters in a novel with a broader plot.

lizlogan's review

3.0

The ending was good, but the book overall was confusing and driven by too many characters that were neither known before this book or entirely that interesting

ehsjaysaunders's review

adventurous dark hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 An interesting case of being thoroughly engrossed in an A plot, while the B plot just felt like a waste of time and a missed opportunity, all for a pointless cameo.

4/5 We ever gonna let Geordi grieve his supposed bestie? 

judenoseinabook's review

3.0

Aar at last! Don't want to spoil the plot - enjoyed it but not my favourirt

acreech's review

4.0

"Without some knowledge of Star Trek canon, this book might be difficult to follow. I regularly feel like I m missing some subtext with the books set after the Dominion War. I missed that part of Deep Space Nine and nearly all of the Voyager seasons due to being in college and not having time to watch, and then being out of college and too poor to buy a TV or pay for cable. Luckily for me, those events aren t nearly as important in the book as events that took place during The Next Generation years. The book begins by laying down the back story that both provides the motivation for later events, as well as the characters involved. The events that occur in the present are set shortly after events seen in the movie Star Trek: Nemesis in which the Enterprise E is nearly wrecked by trying to prevent the mentally disturbed Romulan Praetor Shinzon from destroying humanity and the Federation. Picard is overseeing repairs of his ship while also dealing with the changes in her crew. Of those who served with him in the early and later missions, only Worf and La Forge remain on the ship, but the one he misses most is Beverly Crusher. Crusher has taken up her old post as head of Starfleet Medical, but soon she embarks on a covert mission that takes her into Romulan territory. When Starfleet loses communication with her, Picard and a small team are sent in to complete her mission and rescue her if possible. Meanwhile, turmoil and intrigue plague the Romulan Empire, which has been weakened by Shinzon and his successor. The usual suspects (Tomalak and Sela) show up, do their thing, and it s all settled in typical Romulan fashion by the end of the book. What I appreciated most about this was how Friedman wrote the minds-eye perspective of all of the main Romulan characters in such a way that I found myself rooting for all of them at some point, even when they were at odds with each other. The book ends on a high note, and should please many fans. That s all I am going to say about it, although it wouldn t be much of a spoiler if I did."

birdmanseven's review

4.0

This book takes place during a tumultuous time in Picard's life. There's some nice movement between him and Beverly, and all-around solid character work. I also like that it picks up some threads from the Stargazer series.

We discussed this book and more in a special Trek themed episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-230-picard-and-the-next-generation

bdplume's review

3.0

meh.

infosifter's review

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

prekrasan's review

5.0

My previous experience with books based on T.V. has not been positive, but that was a needless concern with this book - I enjoyed Death in Winter just as thoroughly as I would've enjoyed the T.V. episode.

Captain Picard's character really shone through in this novel, and Doctor Crusher's bravery. There was a lot of action in this story, so it was never dull. I do kind of wish that the book hadn't focused so much on the love Captain Picard had for Doctor Crusher, but it does fit decently into the story, so I can't complain too much.

If you love Star Trek and love to read, pick up this book. It is a very enjoyable read.