Dreadnought!

Frankly, I have read better stories in online fan-fiction archives. The plot is paper-thin and full of holes, with twists and turns that come completely out of left field and result in a cobbled-together mess. Writing in first person is difficult; it requires a good balance of inner-monologue with action, but instead we get pages of cringe-worthy indecision and self-hatred alternated with action scenes in which Carey thinks that telling us Piper's actions were brilliant is enough to make them so. Piper (who might as well have been christened Mary Sue) is the only character who shows any traces of character development, but even she remains firmly one-dimensional. All of the new characters feel like the familiar characters wearing false noses: in addition to the so-stubborn-she-never-gives-up Lt. Piper, we have Sarda, a Vulcan caught in a painful cultural struggle between his home planet and Starfleet, and Judd "Scanner" Sandage, a cheerful comic-relief character with a Southern drawl. I was waiting for the token racial minorities to pop out of the woodwork.

For all that, the thin plot is saved somewhat by the relentless pace, and Carey redeems herself a couple of times with a surprising knack for funny one-liners and other humorous moments. In the end I have to grudgingly admit that it's a fun read, as long as you read it quickly without much thought. Perhaps its telling that I liked this book a lot better when I originally read it, at the age of eleven or so, than I do now. ( )

Lame. Told from the point of view of a whiny, self-centered cadet with little interaction with the main crew. Not my favorite. ( )

Another fine book by the Dean of Star Trek authors, Diane Carey. This one introduces a fascinating couple of characters, Lt. Piper and her first officer, the Vulcan Sarda, as the new Federation battlecruiser dreadnought ship is hijacked by protesters asserting that Admiral Rittenhouse plans to use it to wipe out the Federation's enemies. The story itself is a good one, but the real pleasure comes from seeing Lt. Piper and her young crew learn the ropes, interact with each other, and the developing trust and affection between Piper and Sarda. ( )