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Feature Story

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TNG Novel ENGINES OF DESTINY Doesn't Quite Hit the Mark

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

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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your commanding officer and friend inexplicably die, then imagine being thrust into a time where you're seen as an outdated relic in everyone's way.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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Weak | Report this post to moderator
By: Sxottlan (Odo's file, contact) @ 14:21:41 on Mar 30, 2005

This was a weak effort. It was interesting at first, but increasingly felt like a sappy valentine to Kirk. Ironic considering this was about the worst portrayal of Kirk I've read in a book. It just didn't sound like him at all. On top of that was his condescending attitude towards Scotty in the book.

Just about all the characters felt off, with many doing things "uncharacteristically", allowing the author to do whatever he pleased with them. The alternate reality established never was fleshed out much. We never even find out where Alliance Prime is.

The book was full of questions and plot holes as well. Namely, as mentioned before, the Borg would have had no reason to travel back in time if Picard wasn't at the battle. The book also establishes the Borg sphere specifically as a "time sphere" despite us seeing its use as a long-range scout and "light" cruiser for the Collective on many other occasions.


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I Just Wish There Were More Borg Books | Report this post to moderator
By: EntFan! (Odo's file, contact) @ 17:38:55 on Mar 29, 2005

There have been many many many Star Trek books over the years. And out of that little collection of books only three have had the Borg Collective as any type of villain.

"The Return", "Vendetta", "Engines of Destiny".

(I would mention the Voyager relaunches, but in all technicality, that wasn't a true Borg Collective, just a mock up)

That's it. Even though this book is cheesy (it's not bad, just goofy in storyline), it's entertaining.

I just wish in the long run that the Borg would be used more often in novels, they are such an underused BOOK character.

I have plenty of shows to keep me busy with the Borg, but man, I want books too...

--------

"My old friend, this song's for you. Cause a few simple verses was the least that I could do to tell the world that you were here. Cause the love and the laughter, will live on long after all of the sadness and the tears. We'll meet again, my old friend"

Tim McGraw "My Old Friend"
Dedicated To My Home..New Orleans


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Bring Back Kirk Trailer | Report this post to moderator
By: GustavoLeao (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 14:48:29 on Mar 29, 2005

Hmmm...this novel reminds me of the BRING BACK KIRK trailer storyline. Thanks for the review, Bill.

Image

Gustavo

--------

TrekWeb.com Supervising Editor

gl2000@uol.com.br


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  • RE: Bring Back Kirk Trailer | Report this post to moderator
    By: BringBackKirk (Odo's file, contact) @ 17:56:30 on Mar 29, 2005

    Key differences between the book and the BBK Trailer--

    1. We don't kill Kirk again.

    2. We don't destroy the timeline. Kirk's return is in accordance with history and doesn't involve time travel, but rather a return to the nexus.

    For those that haven't done so yet, we actually have a novelization of the first part of the trailer, dealing with how Kirk returns.

    It was written by someone with professional Trek experience.

    Check it out. I think you will like it.

    http://www.bringbackkirk.com/echoesofdestiny1.html


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Pure bollocks | Report this post to moderator
By: Plaid Ninja (Odo's file, contact) @ 09:05:35 on Mar 29, 2005 | Edit History (1)

This book was CRAP. Utter crap. I posted my feelings on it a while ago, but would be more than interested in reposting a rant about this. I still mourn my $8+tax.

"DeWeese has fun here in this alternate universe, giving us glimpses into alternate versions of some of our favorite characters" meaning a slapped together episode filled with fanboyish references in an EXTREMELY contrived setting.

"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."

No, Scotty was portrayed as the biggest moron in the universe. Seriously, there's no way Scotty would have risked the timeline like that, without any real information to go on, for just one man. No way.

"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."

Actually he took a bad idea (Borg Queen, time travel to birth of federation) and made it 1000 times worse. I'd say how, but I'd be spoiling it for anyone who wants to lose money, though really, if you want to lose money you could donate it to me through my amazon account. I'd have no problem taking it, and you wouldn't lose the hours spent reading this.

No mention is made of the slap in the face to TNG fans of Picard, who towards the end of the novel, basically kisses Kirk's ass and says he was acting like a petty bitch through most of the novel because he was jealous of the loyalty Kirk's crew has for him. OMFG... yeah, it gets that bad.

Trust me, do not buy this book.


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I Briefly Discussed This Book | Report this post to moderator
By: Jean-Luc (Odo's file, contact) @ 08:56:56 on Mar 29, 2005

a while back with someone who was disappointed with it. I haven't read it. I understood that Scott rescues Kirk so he never goes into the Nexus. Therefore he's not there to assist Picard on Veridian and the Ent-D crew gets wiped out. I'm guessing Picard stays in the nexus? That means the Borg succeed at stopping first contact and Earth gets assimilated.

The review says the crew of the Ent-D goes back in time with Scotty, but no one knew Kirk still lived until GEN ended, so I assume they don't go back with any incarnation of an Enterprise. What I can't fathom is how Scotty could ever convince Picard to mess with the timeline so much. Even if no temporal prime directive exists, most starship captains wouldn't try to mess with a timeline that hadn't already been messed with. Is this addressed in the book?

--------

"Outer Space: The Last Frontier.
These are the trips of the Star Trek Enterprise. Its five year plan calls for us to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly fly where no man has gone in space. Live long, and be happy."

Patrick Stewart--SNL, Stardate 9402.05


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  • RE: I Briefly Discussed This Book | Report this post to moderator
    By: Maverick128 (Odo's file, contact) @ 12:12:18 on Mar 29, 2005

    The problem with the whole "Enterprise crew not being there to follow the Borg back in time and save 21st century Earth" is that the Borg probably wouldn't have had to go into the past. Picard wasn't there to know the cube's weak point and therefore the cube probably wouldn't have been destroyed. Instead of going into the past they would just assimilate Earth then and there. Therefore this Borg filled past wouldn't have happened.


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  • RE: I Briefly Discussed This Book | Report this post to moderator
    By: Terry212 (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 10:16:10 on Mar 29, 2005

    WARNING: BOOK SPOILERS!!

    I thought the book was decent light reading. Very astute! Scotty does not convince Picard to help him....Scotty keeps his plan secret, and Picard tries to stop him when he figures out what's going on.

    The book is decent light reading. The reviewer is correct, I guess, that the author doesn't EXACTLY state what causes the timeline shift. Shortly after the TNG-era episode "Relics," Scotty encounters a TOS-era Klingon warbird. He thinks back to Kirk dying in the Nexus, and feels guilty about letting it happen. He recalls taking a warbird back in time during ST4. He decides to take this warbird back to the time of Kirk dying. He uses a transporter to take Kirk off the Enterpirse B JUST prior to the bolt from the Nexus "killing" Kirk. That changes the timeline to a Borg-dominated one. Now, there are some references to Kirk's destiny in the Nexus and a few hints about First Contact. What I assume is this: Kirk didn't go to the Nexus. Kirk wasn't there to help Picard against Soran in Generations. Whether Picard leaves the Nexus is unknown, but recall that the ENT-D crew was killed in Generations before Kirk helped rectify that past. SO we can assume that Picard and crew never make it to Earth to follow the Borg into the past during the events of FIRST CONTACT. So...the Borg assimilate 21st Century Earth. Kind of interesting.

    There are fun bits for fans. I didn't approve of all of it. For one thing, it makes the point that there are several Borg queens and that they can all operate independently. In my view, there is ONE Borg, organized through the Queen. One Queen. One hive mind.

    Also, the writer establishes that Guinan was an UNUSUAL El_Aurian....that her pseudo-psychic abilites are peculiar to her rather than her whole species. I never assumed that. I always thought Guinan's sixth sense was a product of her species, not some weird mutation. This didn't come from canon, just from assumption. I just prefer my view to the author's, that's all. Also, I don't think Kirk was written very well. His dialogue didn't sound like something I could hear Kirk/Shatner saying. Everyone else was written well enough.

    One other thing...everyone had visions from their alternate future and alternate past. Why??? I guess because the timeline was unstable...but that's never happened in any timetravel story before. I guess the Nexus being involved makes things different but I think it's weird.

    --------

    Click here to check out my band, ego tree , and the Ego Tree site at myspace. Listen to/buy the CD for $9.99! ALSO AVAILABLE ON iTUNES!!


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    • RE: I Briefly Discussed This Book | Report this post to moderator
      By: StillKirok (Odo's file, contact) @ 12:44:49 on Mar 29, 2005

      If the Borg assimilate Earth in the 21st century, then the Probe blows Earth up when there are no whales.

      The Enterprise B would never rescue the El Aurians from the nexus. Soran therefore never would have set forth the events that would have led to the destruction of the E-D.

      There never would have been an E-D.

      There also never would have been a Scotty to change the timeline which means that Picard would have stopped the Borg from assimilating the 21st century.


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      • Thanks For All Your Input | Report this post to moderator
        By: Jean-Luc (Odo's file, contact) @ 16:21:20 on Mar 29, 2005

        I think Voyager Six was launched before the 21st century, so the Borg would've had V'ger to deal with first...unless it was created by them. But due to the vastness of V'Ger I would tend to doubt it.

        --------

        "Outer Space: The Last Frontier.
        These are the trips of the Star Trek Enterprise. Its five year plan calls for us to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly fly where no man has gone in space. Live long, and be happy."

        Patrick Stewart--SNL, Stardate 9402.05


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