By BWilliams / 12:35, 2 June 2004 / Reviews - Books

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Writers Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore have returned to the STAR TREK fold with their two-part saga, A TIME TO SOW and A TIME TO HARVEST, part of the nine-book NEXT GENERATION series that chronicles the events leading up to NEMESIS. With this two-part tale, they touch upon current social events within their framework and craft a well-written story in the process.

A TIME TO SOW begins in 2151, just after the events of the ENTERPRISE episode “Breaking the Ice”. Ripples in the strenuous relationship between Starfleet and the Vulcans continue to be felt on both sides. But a passing Vulcan science vessel picks up a signal from a passing Dokaalan spacecraft, interpreting their distress signal as a cry for help. Starfleet is chomping at the bit to render assistance, regardless of what the Vulcans think. Ward and Dilmore further explore the strained relationship between Admiral Forrest and Ambassador Sovak, which nicely dovetail into the events of the series.

Flash forward over 200 years later to the 24th century. Several weeks after the events of A TIME TO BE BORN and A TIME TO DIE, Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-E are sent to investigate the mystery behind the destruction of the Dokaalan home world and the final fate of its people. What begins as a routine milk run soon turns into a mystery of its own: the Dokaalan race is not, in fact, obliterated, but struggling to survive in an asteroid colony near their home world.

Ward and Dilmore, who wrote the excellent FOUNDATIONS, have their fingers on the pulse of the NEXT GENERATION cast, addressing each of the main character’s dilemmas that lead them to their ultimate destinies. No detail is left out, and everyone has a turn in the spotlight. This also includes Lieutenant Kell Perim, the Trill helm officer from INSURRECTION; Lieutenant Taurik, from the episode “Lower Decks”, and Lieutenant Christine Vale, the ship’s new security chief. Each of these supporting characters is fleshed out in several well-written moments that help define their personalities beyond the written page. Even lesser crewmembers are given their turn in the spotlight and are fleshed out as relatable, sympathetic characters. The end result is right out of all of the well-written character moments from NEXT GENERATION.

There’s a lot of obvious recapping and introspection from A TIME TO BE BORN and A TIME TO DIE within the first 150-plus pages of A TIME TO SOW, and this tends to slow down the action in the first half of the novel. But Ward and Dilmore compensate for the recapping with not only the ease through the first ten chapters but also a balanced juxtaposition between present and past events. We read the words of Dokaal’s survivors, recounting their planet’s untimely disaster and their desire to survive, and see a glimpse of the sadness brought out in the words. It’s a slow build-up to be sure, but the story begins to pick up two-thirds of the way through, as Ward and Dilmore reveal the Dokaalans’ true motives.

A TIME TO HARVEST picks up hip-deep in the middle of the action, with the Enterprise-E navigating its way through a treacherous asteroid field, Geordi missing in action, Data out of commission, and the Dokaalan colony under attack from an unseen enemy. While the penchant for recapping continues in this volume, Ward and Dilmore also invest their time wisely in getting down to the action at hand. Add to this a heart-wrenching dilemma Picard must deal with, along with a dash of vengeance from an old enemy, and you’ve got the ingredients to an action-packed second half, all of which Ward and Dilmore build upon exponentially.

Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore continue to explore and move the NEXT GENERATION cast forward in a well-written tale that ends on a high note. It’s stories like these that make me long for NEXT GENERATION all over again.

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