By BWilliams / 00:34, 24 August 2005 / Reviews - Books

STAR TREK: S.C.E. - BREAKDOWNS
Contributor(s): Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, Scott Ciencin, Heather Jarman, Keith R.A. DeCandido

Pocket Books MMPB
314 pages

Price: $7.99
Pub Date: May 2005

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Synopsis: After the catastrophic events of WILDFIRE, the S.C.E. crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci is in disarray. Half of the ship's complement was killed at Galvan VI, and the survivors must put their lives back together. For some, the greatest battles are about to begin.

Review: It's really hard to find a good starting point to this review. David Mack's two-part S.C.E. tale WILDFIRE was such an excellent blend of hard-hitting action and deep character insight that it was emotionally devastating and forever shook up the entire S.C.E. series. With BREAKDOWNS, the seventh print compilation of the popular S.C.E. e-book series, everyone's feeling the after-effects of the lives lost at Galvan VI. It's a running theme throughout all four of the tales presented in this newest compilation, and as seen through the eyes of each crewmember (and writer) represented, the recovery process is completely uneasy and yet necessary to move forward.

Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore begin with HOME FIRES, as Domenica Corsi brings her crewmate Fabian Stevens home to meet her parents. Stevens senses an uneasy tension around Corsi's father, which ultimately stems from a dark chapter in his past that involved a young Starfleet officer named William Ross and the tragic events that follow.

AGE OF UNREASON, by Scott Ciencin, explores what happens with Carol Abramowitz during that time of soul-searching. On her way to a conference on Caliph IX, Abramowitz is called to the planet Vrinda where she, Bart Faulwell, and Solomon are drawn into a mystery involving a new and potentially dangerous technology in the hands of rival factions.

BALANCE OF NATURE, by Heather Jarmin, gives us a glimpse into the life and home world of P8 Blue, the da Vinci's structural systems specialist. On the Nasat home world, a combination of mysterious events threatens the Nasats' way of life, and P8 Blue, or Pattie, as she is known on the da Vinci, must determine the cause of her home planet's problems.

Keith R.A. DeCandido winds up the latest volume with the title story, BREAKDOWNS, as Captain David Gold and Commander Sonya Gomez go in different directions and deal with the scars of their losses. For David Gold, not only does it mean reconnecting with his family, but it also means connecting with the members of his extended family from the da Vinci, and DeCandido ably presents the tension within Gold's heart as he tries to absolve himself of the loss of his crew. For Sonya Gomez, it means coming to terms with inner turmoil directed both at the late Kieran Duffy and at Captain Gold, erupting in an inevitable conflict.

If there were any problems with this latest compilation, it was in the often confusing spiel of events in AGE OF UNREASON and in my own lack of familiarity with P8 Blue and the Nasat race in BALANCE OF NATURE. In attempting to show character interactions among a time of healing and renewal, Scott Ciencin fails to make the reader care about Abramowitz' emotional state, nor does he manage to elaborate further on the Varden and their motivations. And in probing a murder mystery, we sometimes don't follow each character's thoughts or motivations fluidly, as Abramowitz, Solomon, and Faulwell attempt to get to the heart of the mystery. Confusion added upon confusion gets nowhere fast, and this is where AGE OF UNREASON fails.

BALANCE OF NATURE is a much stronger follow-up entry, as Heather Jarman paints a brilliant picture of the Nasat planet. Her ability to portray this strange and fascinating new culture is coupled with her characterization of the relationship between Pattie and her Betazoid counselor and mentor, Zoe. Granted, I came into the S.C.E. series a bit late, so I'm not completely familiar with P8 Blue or the Nasats entirely, and that fault is my own. But I know a well-written tale when I read it, and Jarman has done this tale justice.

Of course, my immediate draws were to HOME FIRES and BREAKDOWNS, as Ward, Dilmore, and DeCandido, respectively, paint the greater conflict at hand, that of crewmen dealing with inner turmoil and anguish over the loss of their shipmates, friends and, in the case of Sonya Gomez and Kieran Duffy, lovers. Their ability to handle strong character relationships are hallmarks in their many novels and shorter tales, which makes HOME FIRES and BREAKDOWNS hands-down winners all around.

Had this latest print compilation of the S.C.E. e-books not been saddled with a weak link in AGE OF UNREASON, this would have been another completely enjoyable collection. But sometimes we have to take the good with the bad, and in the case of this latest collection, it's all we can do. But the bulk of BREAKDOWNS is filled with character growth for the da Vinci crew, and everyone's lives are changed for the sadder and the wiser from this point forward.

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