4.12 AVERAGE


A five book story arc to tell a story that might have been better in 3. We'll see.

Good enough for light reading but not an awesome book or story
adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

As I have been noticing from The Fall series within the Post-Nemesis era Star Trek novels...a peak into our own timeline...like all classic Star Trek stories. They are instructive to what we are going through in our current time (for me, March of 2025), and I see the same problems with a leader that has taken TOO much power unto himself.

In the story, and our heroes...they do what is right, versus what is easy. They stand up to the bullies in the room, and sacrifice themselves for the greater whole.

Julian Bahir, Admiral Riker, Vail...and so many more of the characters...stand up against illegal deportations, holding "political enemies" in black box sights...forever, if they were able to achieve this.

People on the BAD side, allowing minions to fall on the sword, to save the corrupt politicians. 

Doesn't this sound familiar? It does to me...especially after the latest security breach that has happened on the Signal app (with is NOT a secure software...where any Classified operation should EVER be discussed). Someone will take the fall, if they ever investigate this Eff-up. 

Really enjoyed seeing how this story pushed the ball down the field. Next up is...Peaceable Kingdoms by Dayton Ward...to finish The Fall series. 

I dunno. A lot of folks are raving about this series. But it just seems to be copying the "A Time To" books.

Having said that, it is a nice quick read. I was entertained.
scottlukaswilliams's profile picture

scottlukaswilliams's review

4.0

James Swallow does some interesting things here. For one, his plot contrived to put together some interesting combinations of characters that we haven’t seen before. My favourite is Tuvok and Nog. Now I want a whole series of “buddy cop” books featuring this unlikely duo.

I also like what’s happening with Bashir in this book. The direction he was taken in over the last several books didn’t feel quite right to me but I feel like he might be back on the correct path at the end of this story.

For fans of Riker and the USS Titan, this book has some exciting things in store for you. Enjoy!

Cloak and dagger up the wazoo!
starwarrior91's profile picture

starwarrior91's review

4.0

The Fall continues as Riker and the crew of the Starship Titan investigate the truth behind the death of the Federation President. I can't say I'm very familiar with the Titan and it's crew, but this novel was a great introduction. Riker was well written, and in particular I enjoyed the character of Christina Vale, his first officer. Cut from the same cloth as Riker for sure. Their adventures were definitely enjoyable, but not quite as good as the second novel which is still my favorite.

As the fourth of five stories in this series, The Poisoned Chalice built up nicely to a tipping point that the final book gets to explore. Looking forward to a satisfying conclusion.

This entry I was quite satisfied with. Familiar characters in known settings and weaving in a strong plot made for a compelling story. A page turner for sure and a strong lead in to the final book in the series.
cami5ado's profile picture

cami5ado's review

4.75
adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

kstep1805's review

4.0

A surprisingly entertaining read about political intrigue. It takes a page from House of Cards and does an excellent job reflecting the failures at the heart of our own government. It has all the classic cloak and dagger aspects, if somewhat predictable. It is especially poignant with the stuff going on in Ukraine.

WOW, didn't want to put it down. Fast moving twists and turns, Looking forward to reading last one in the mini-series.