The Ashes of Eden
MSRP* – $4.99 or less
Published by Pocket Books
Review by Gordon Freeman
| Character Development: 8 |
| Overall Plot: 9 |
| Continuity: 8 |
| Time Factor: 9 |
| Overall Score: 8.5 |
To Boldly Go…
Star Trek may be dead on TV and in the Movies, but it lives long and prospers in the form of novels. There are novels for every TV series as well as some newly created characters we have never heard of before (Starfleet Corps of Engineers, New Frontier). Usually these novels are fun time-killers in between meatier fiction. However, once in a while a truly great series comes about. Case in point is The Ashes of Eden. It is the first of many books written by William Shatner (and ghost-written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, who happened to write for a few of the TV series as well). The trio of writers really makes the book come alive in to a scenario that could never be done justice on the big screen.
Familiar, and yet…
It could be argued that the characters are what made the original Star Trek series so great. I mean, come on, you had the manly Captain who bedded more aliens than all the other Captains combined. You also had great supporting characters with rich histories and cultural differences all working together. What’s great about this book is they take those characters we know and love and continue to build on our understanding of them. I won’t delve in to spoilers here, but suffice it to say Captain Kirk isn’t the only focus here.
And now for something completely different…
The plot is one that would have made a great movie but would have never lived up to the book. It is grand and sweeping, taking place over many months and going from Earth all the way in to the Klingon-Romulan borders. There are good guys, there are bad guys, and there are ones we aren’t quite sure about. I like it when there is wiggle room as far as a characters character (redundant, I know). Black and white gets so boring after a while it’s nice to have a little grey area.
Familiar, yet different
The continuity in Star Trek has been wildly debated online for years. I am happy to report there are only a few instances in this book where they didn’t quite get it right. It is important, I think, to maintain a high level of continuity to make sure you are being faithful to the source material. The writers do a great job of just that.
Tick tock…
I read through this book relatively quickly. I usually take a long time to get though novels (I blame it on ADD and World of Warcraft) but I read through this novel in about two weeks. Pretty good for me. It is compelling and I found myself staying up later than normal to see what happened next.
And the journey continues…
What’s great about The Ashes of Eden is that once it’s over, it’s not really over. The next book in the series takes off exactly where this one leaves you hanging. I am starting it soon and hope to have a review of The Return nline in a few weeks. Check out www.half.com and you can pick up The Ashes of Eden really cheap in either hardbound or trade paperback. I highly recommend this book.
*MSRP may change without notice. All views expressed in this review are that of the reviewer, not that of HeroSpy©.
Very Nice…what do you want for lunch?