By BWilliams / 11:34, 19 July 2004 / Reviews - Books

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Former DC Comics writer/editor Robert Greenberger returns to the STAR TREK fold with A TIME TO LOVE, the first of a two-part NEXT GENERATION tale (along with A TIME TO HATE) that further explores the events leading up to STAR TREK: NEMESIS. As opposed to the four previous entries in the A TIME TO... series, much of which relied on well-written back stories that tended to slow down the action, Greenberger brings the action forward from the first page and never lets up.

The planet Delta Sigma IV, a planet jointly colonized by members of two different species, the Bader and the Dorset, has enjoyed peace and prosperity for over a hundred years as a member of the Federation. Now, on the 100th anniversary of its founding, there’s been a murder that has caused a violent uprising on Delta Sigma IV, and it’s up to Starfleet Command to determine the who, the what, and the why. Furthermore, they have information that Delta Sigma’s inhabitants are dying as a result of a chemical agent initially believed to prolong their life span. It’s a messy situation, one further complicated by the fact that Starfleet Ambassador Kyle Riker -- Will Riker’s father -- was part of the team responsible for the introduction of the chemical agent into the planet’s atmosphere, and that Kyle Riker has disappeared on Delta Sigma IV in the midst of the murder investigation, making him one of the prime suspects. To that end, Starfleet sends its most dispensable starship -- the Enterprise-E -- to clean up this messy situation, no matter how bad it looks.

It’s bad enough that the Enterprise-E has a tarnished reputation on its hands, with many of its junior crewmembers requesting personnel transfers and jumping ship. No one wants to be associated with the Enterprise or with Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and who can blame them? It’s only the most loyal personnel who are sticking it out and doing what is called of them. Of course, this upsets Starfleet Command, who wants nothing more than to oust Will Riker from the first officer’s seat into a captaincy of his own.

Greenberger exponentially builds upon the increasing tension to the story with the threat of insurgence among the Bader and Dorset colonies, and the possibility of a forced Federation martial law and interventional government taken right out of today’s headlines. He also turns up the heat with the rapidly increasing murder rate between both species, with Beverly Crusher left to uncover the reasons behind it. After the slow build-up of action in the four previous novels in this series, it’s refreshing to see Greenberger launch into action right at the beginning of the tale.

One of Greenberger’s strengths, as he has previously evidenced in earlier TNG novels and the DC Comics STAR TREK comic, is his penchant for developing and furthering the relationships among the main and supporting characters. The passages with Will Riker and Seer’s family are priceless, as they further suggest elements that will come into play in the future. He further explores the growing relationship between Will Riker and Deanna Troi, as well as the continued lack of a relationship between Will Riker and his father Kyle, and the continued lack of a relationship between Picard and Crusher. It’s these story threads that, continuing in A TIME TO HATE, will push the TNG cast to the limit.

Of course, no Bob Greenberger tale would be complete without his trademark inside humor. If you look carefully in the pages of A TIME TO LOVE (as well as in A TIME TO HATE), you’ll find references to certain members of the AMERICAN IDOL finalists, the New York Mets’ 25-man lineup, and the E Street Band as part of the security and engineering crews. The first mention of Crewmen Aiken and Studdard had me smiling, as did the “little” (or should it be “Little”?) crewman named Van Zandt and his associate, Crewman Clemons, while at the same time it had me dreading the possibility of a Crewman William Hung lurking on the ship warbling “She Bangs” -- that would have everyone jumping ship! (Let us hope this does not become so in a future novel.) He also gives a nice tip of the hat by naming the Bader race in memory of former TNG writer Hilary J. Bader, who passed away in 2003.

My only caveat with this novel is that it seems much shorter in length than it actually appears. By the time of the book’s conclusion, we’re left with a cliffhanger that easily could have appeared at the end of a commercial break between acts in a TNG episode. But the ending leaves an interesting question that everyone had asked since the beginning of the novel, leaving the follow-up A TIME TO HATE to clarify the situation.

Bob Greenberger returns to the pages of STAR TREK with a great story, wonderful characterization, and page-turning action that leaves you wanting more.

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