By BWilliams / 07:35, 29 March 2005 / Reviews - Books

Imagine the worst horror you could imagine occurring to you. Imagine watching your commanding officer and friend inexplicably die, then imagine being thrust into a time where you're seen as an outdated relic in everyone's way. That's exactly what happened with Montgomery Scott, as he continues to deal with the loss of James T. Kirk toward the end of the 23rd century and his own reappearance nearly a century later in the events of the NEXT GENERATION episode "Relics". But in the new novel ENGINES OF DESTINY, writer Gene DeWeese, author of CHAIN OF ATTACK and THE FINAL NEXUS, puts Scotty at the front and center of a most ambitious mission, one fans have wanted to see for the past decade: the rescue of Captain Kirk from the jaws of death.

DeWeese has a great premise in hand, as Scotty, Jean-Luc Picard, and the Enterprise-D crew are thrust back 75 years in time prior to Kirk's death aboard the Enterprise-B, as Scotty makes a daring rescue attempt in saving Kirk's life. But what they find is a galaxy in turmoil and under attack from its most fearsome enemy ever: the Borg, who have assimilated all of the worlds of the Federation. Nothing is recognizable in this alternate universe, and only a handful of races are united together in an alliance against the Borg's assault on the Alpha Quadrant. There is no Federation, no Enterprise-B, no Earth to return home to, only the unstoppable threat of the Borg. DeWeese has fun here in this alternate universe, giving us glimpses into alternate versions of some of our favorite characters, especially Sarek, who in this universe is the Supreme Arbiter of the Alliance. His flashes of what could be another life affects his judgment and his leadership of the Alliance. Even the alternate univere's version of Guinan is, well, Guinan. And in this universe, everyone is certain that this is the one, true universe that exists.

DeWeese also portrays Scotty as a driven, tortured man obsessed with a singular goal, the rescue of his long-time captain and friend, at the cost of the entire universe. But as STAR TREK has been wont to portray over the years, is the life of one man worth risking the entire universe for? DeWeese shows us that it's not, and with horrific results. Much like the Original Series episode "The City on the Edge of Forever", DeWeese reveals that the opposite must be true in order for everything to be as it should be. It's a heavy price to pay, to be sure, but it's a redemptive decision only Scotty can make, and in this aspect ENGINES OF DESTINY succeeds.

However, as has been the case with his past novels, DeWeese's reliance upon description over dialogue to drive the action forward is heavily evident. We want to know what the characters think, say, and feel, but at times the lack of dialogue robs ENGINES OF DESTINY of that little something extra to push it forward. There has to be a balance between description and dialogue in any novel, to be sure, but it's not as evident in DeWeese's works as it is in other novels, both STAR TREK and in general. And when the last line of dialogue appears ten pages before the end of the novel, you know it's a sure sign that it needs to be punched up a bit.

Another problem I had with ENGINES OF DESTINY is the case of dangling plot threads. DeWeese never fully expands upon the thought of when the problem with the Borg's infiltration of the Alpha Quadrant actually began. While he manages to get close to the subject, he never seems to address it in the overall context. However, he does manage to tie the novel in to future hints of what we saw occur in FIRST CONTACT, so perhaps his thread is a precursor to what eventually happens in the feature film. Still, though, it would have been nice if he had brought the thread to closure.

When I first read CHAIN OF ATTACK and THE FINAL NEXUS, I found them to be extremely dry and devoid of much dialog, making them often boring and static. Of course, my own reading tastes have changed over the past 18 years, and while I enjoyed ENGINES OF DESTINY, I found myself wishing once again that Gene DeWeese had given the dialog that little added punch to have made this book a complete winner hands-down. It's a fairly good story, otherwise, with an entertaining premise, one that could have benefited with a little more clarification and dialogue overall.

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