Reviews

Violations by Susan Wright

glitterkitter's review against another edition

3.0

reread 2020: Trying to do more interesting things plot-wise and character-wise than the previous two novels and it pays off by being much more interesting. But it's still clearly working from a show bible that didn't fully make it into the canon of the show (e.g. the doctor having a name, Paris's motivations for being a disaster feel off.) There's some much better character dynamics happening, though I do feel like it leans far too much into all their flaws just to get everyone antagonistic.

And the "twist" at the very end is strange for a tie-in that's not actually canon, since it's something with future implications (that would be really interesting if it could have actually been explored) and the nature of these novels is that they have to maintain a status quo.

alexbe2ab4's review

tense slow-paced

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

4.0

anovelstart's review against another edition

4.0

I liked this book because of the adventure. Even when they think that all might be lost, as they so often do in Voyager, they always find a way to squeeze by.
Meeting yet another new species, or several in fast, who seem to want to do anything to be annoying and even to hinder progress. Not even knowing what is real when they are in the presence of these aliens. However, I think Tom Paris finally got some credit, as did Harry Kim.

amyz001's review against another edition

4.0

Solid characterisation, with a great Trek story. I thought this was the best one so far. All the main bridge crew were involved in the story, there was a good amount of action and adventure.

I agree with other reviewers that the characters personalities were a little too intense in places but I thought it worked well in the story and fit in with the way they were written in the early seasons.

Ending was a little abrupt and the repercussions of torture again don't seem to be a problem for Paris as he's able to pilot the ship through complicated manoeuvres immediately after being rescued. And I was hoping he'd also be able to reconcile with Neelix after abandoning him.

madisonreadsbooks's review

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.25

This was a really interesting story, but there are still several things that don't quite match up with the show. 

frakalot's review against another edition

4.0

Pleasantly surprised! On reading the description you'll see that the main plot point was later borrowed for an episode, but you might be as pleased as I was when you discover that the book doesn't follow the same progression of events that were in that episode.

I thought the characters were very well written, and if you can get past The Doctor's name you'll find him behaving much like we know him. I recommend this one.

birdmanseven's review against another edition

2.0

This book felt just like an early episode of the Voyager TV show... and I don't mean that in a good way. It was interesting enough, but dragged a bit towards the end. Many of the characters felt underdeveloped. Not great.

bethlovescake's review

4.0

Once the foundations of the story had been established I started to really enjoy this book.

There were a lot of details included in the new environment like the hub, the cartel, the antagonistic characters and the political aspects, which are essential to the storyline.

There are a couple of sub-plots in the book, refreshing the narrative, that all come together in the end. I enjoyed the mixture of scenes as we follow the main characters through their individual ordeals.

I would fully recommend to an avid Star Trek Voyager fan.

dreamwanderer's review

4.0

One good thing about reading the early Star Trek Voyager books is that you can get a sense of the tension between the various cast members that was not explored in the TV series. Here the crew is still in the 'getting to know you' stage and there are still some obvious conflicts that still need to be worked out.

The bad thing about the early books is that they are just that. Early. The show had barely started and the characters had not yet come into their own. There are some inconsistencies with the TV canon. Janeway refers to Chakotay as "Number One' and the Doctor is called "Zimmerman.'

However the basic plot was good. The computer core was stolen by a conglomerate centered in a place called "The Hub'. In a twist the computer was not to be used by smugglers for their own gain but rather to be used to help coordinate a revolution.

Without the main computer the other systems are on the fritz including the Doctor. Janeway and B'elanna try to get the computer back through official channels while Tom Paris does what early Tom Paris did which was to go against orders and lurk about in the back alleys and seedier parts of the Hub using his charm and street smarts to gather information. Janeway and B'elanna are trapped and Tom gets captured. I did like the Janeway and B'elanna interaction and once again the friendship of Tom and Harry shines through.

I did have a few problems with it. There is a lot of techno talk as Kim and Kess struggle to get the systems and the Doctor online. The regulations of the Hub are tiring to read and Kes glides through this barely making any mistakes or showing any flaws and Neelix is annoying cloying around her.

Despite this it is overall a fairly good adventure and there was nothing in the writing itself that distracted from the story.