By BWilliams / 12:35, 26 July 2004 / Reviews - Books

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With A TIME TO HATE, the sixth book in the nine-book NEXT GENERATION series leading up to NEMESIS, writer Robert Greenberger picks up the story threads and keeps running smoothly to the finish line with a tale that is both moving and life-changing for the main characters of the series.

Greenberger doesn’t waste any time in re-establishing the main thrust of the novel: the Bader and Dorset races, once mortal enemies, have settled upon the planet Delta Sigma IV and established a peaceful co-existence among each other, eventually becoming a member of the Federation. A series of murders, however, puts the two races at odds against each other, and it’s up to Starfleet to clean up the mess. And who better to clean up the mess than the Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise? According to Starfleet Command, it’s not how well the job gets handled, it’s how badly the end results are going to look on paper. So much so, that in order to come up with solution to the planetary crisis, Beverly Crusher must suggest a cure that may prove as harmful as the violence they’re trying to stem.

Greenberger could not have had a novel with a more apt title. Both of the titles, A TIME TO LOVE and A TIME TO HATE, represent central themes that play out in the larger tapestry of the STAR TREK saga. In this latter volume, the feeling of hatred is on the forefront not only in the increasing violence between the Bader and Dorset races, but also in the growing hatred once again felt between Will Riker and his father Kyle. The lack of a strong father-son relationship between the Rikers sets them at odds once again, as Will Riker must do what he can to bring his father to justice for his crimes against the Bader and Dorset races. Throughout LOVE, Greenberger painted a beautiful, idyllic picture of the perfect family life with the protocol officer Seer and his family and children, placing Will Riker in the midst of such serenity. He juxtaposes the idealism of Seer’s family with Will’s own desire for such a family with Deanna and the repeated lack of such a family with his own absentee father Kyle. But Greenberger also throws an interesting twist in the latter quarter of HATE that not only resolves Will and Kyle’s relationship, but also spurs major progressions in Will’s growing relationship with Deanna and the events that will lead him to the captain’s chair in NEMESIS.

But A TIME TO HATE is not just about the Bader and Dorset races, and it’s not just about Riker’s relationships either. It’s also about family, community, and belonging. Greenberger also paints a series of wonderful portraits of the lower crewmen, all of whom are caught up in the main planetary conflict and all of whom come to the forefront as significant characters in their own right. We sympathize with engineering crewman Anh Hoang, who had lost her family in the Dominion War and, while working hard and proving herself on the Enterprise, wrestles with her own self-doubts and fears in coming out of her protective shell. We relate well with the “little” (or “Little”?) security officer Van Zandt, who would gladly lay down his life for his comrades. Christine Vale’s character continues to grow and flourish, as her character and background continues to be developed with wonderful strokes. Security crewman Studdard comes forth just like his AMERICAN IDOL namesake, big, protective, cheerful, and always smiling. Clearly, Greenberger has an excellent grasp of his characters and values them as important, whether telling larger scale action stories or smaller, intimate day-to-day tales.

Whereas LOVE tended to be a little shorter than it seemed, HATE comes off much stronger and doesn’t seem as rushed in the novel's 280-plus pages. Greenberger has his share of twists and turns to present in HATE, with one particularly dark twist at the very end of the novel that could indicate that this story may be in fact far from over. It’s these little twists that energize any STAR TREK story and get you thinking once again about the parallels to contemporary times.

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