The Romulan Way

The Romulan Way is widely considered one of the best classic Trek novels for good reason. Written before Star Trek: The Next Generation began to form a more solid canon interpretation of the Romulans, the novel gives an insight into the culture and history of a race millennia old, similar to Duane's treatment of the Vulcans in Spock's World. The Romulans are rendered in careful detail as a powerful, passionate, honorable, and highly independent people who are at the same time highly distrustful of outsiders and deeply isolationist. In order to prevent a civil war on Vulcan between the followers of Surak, who prized logic and restraint, and the followers of the Romulan founder S'task, who valued passion and power, the Romulans left to show more find a new home, and invented their own language and religion along the way.

Interwoven with this account of Romulan history is a framing story involving Dr. McCoy's capture and imprisonment for war crimes by the Romulans -- an incident planned by Starfleet in order to send McCoy to investigate a deep-cover Federation spy on ch'Rihan (Romulus) whom they fear has "gone native." We see the current state of the Star Empire -- in a politically fractious place after the events of the preceding novel, My Enemy, My Ally, in which a high-ranking Romulan officer betrays her own people to prevent government-sponsored atrocities -- through the eyes of both McCoy and the spy, Arrhae, who is masquerading as a servant in a Romulan noble house. Arrhae -- born Terise Haleakala-LoBrutto -- still recalls her loyalty to the Federation, but has grown to love the Romulan people and worlds as well, and the tension between these serves to drive much of her story.

As usual, Diane Duane is a master of her craft; she writes both humans and aliens with believability and fluidity, in a distinctive, lyrical language. The characters always feel like real people, rather than cardboard cutouts. Her cowriter (and husband) Peter Morwood is as skilled an author; to this day I can't tell who wrote what, which I suppose must be a good thing.
Most of all, both of these authors love Star Trek, and it shows. show less

I like this - I've liked it for years. Not quite as much as the first book, My Enemy, My Ally - partly because the main character here is a new one, not Star Trek canon. McCoy shows up half-way through, but he's more catalyst and trigger than character (there are a few - very few - scenes from his point of view). Arrhae/Terise - a Federation deep-cover agent on Romulus (ch'Rihan) - is the major character, both in POV and in action. And I find her mildly interesting but not as captivating as Duane's take on the canon characters. Interspersing the story with chapters from...Terise's monograph on Romulans and their history? Something like that - makes it interesting, but somewhat hard to read. Every time I'd get caught up in the story, the show more history chapter would knock me out - and every time I got interested in the history, we'd jump back to the story, with too much tension and momentum leached out of it. It's an enjoyable book, mostly because it expands my knowledge of the Star Trek universe (unfortunately, Paramount didn't make this stuff canon...I think it's a lot better than what they chose). As a story, it's only moderately good. Still, I've reread it over and over in the years since it was first released. A moderately good Duane (or in this case, Duane/Morwood) is still better than a lot of other books. show less

The closest look at the Romulans we’ll probably ever get. Of course this isn’t canon and was written before Next Gen even started so much has been contradicted. Still a great look at what could have been, and maybe should have been.

This book details the Romulan’s leaving Vulcan all the way to the TOS era. Really great anthropological sci fi stuff.

The main plot sees Bones being captured by the Romulans. Honestly, that part was mostly lame except for the ending when some familiar faces make an appearance.

Like it’s predecessor “My Enemy, My Ally” this is a must read for fans of classic Trek

I found this book very interesting and I enjoyed it. However it is not for everyone. And not every "Star Trek" fan either. Taking place back during the time of the original Enterprise (in the original universe) with Doctor McCoy, it is a deep dive into the history and culture of the Romulans.

It starts off in the "present" and draws the reader in and keeps them guessing for a while wondering what is going on. Then it alternates between the present and "history" chapters. While necessary, the history sections do feel like a history lesson than a experience. But as I said, without them the reader would be wondering about the choices the characters make. There are some surprise characters, and how McCoy gets away is very unique. It also show more gives more details with regard to the first contact the Federation has with the Romulans. And this seems to be different than most other accounts.

One comes away with a different feel of the Romulans after reading this book (like any culture they have their good and bad points). But as I said, it is not for everyone. show less

This book is the final Duane/Morwood colaboration I have read starring a member of the TOS command crew - in this case the indomintable Dr McCoy, though he doesn't take the lead role. That honour goes to the Federation agent Terise LoBrutto who had been in place for eight years trying to get the social background of the mysterious race known as the Romulans to the Federation and the Rihansu to themselves and the Elements.

Like the later 'Spock's World', this tells in separate chapters the history of the Rihansu as they escape from a Vulcan that had grown too tame for them under Surak and the story of Terise and Dr McCoy's imprisonment in the household where she is head of the servants.

Although some aspects of the novel are rather show more improbable, the shear joi de vivre of most of the storyline carries you past that slight problem. show less

This is actually a reread from decades ago. Back in the day, this was my favorite of the two because I loved the Romulan history chapters so much. This time I slogged painfully through those same chapters. I’m not sure what changed. (Me, obviously.) Three stars because I still liked it even though I slogged in places.

McCoy is captured and brought behind Romulan lines in this decent Star Trek novel, where a sleeper Federation agent must make the decision whether to risk her cover and help McCoy escape. An interesting look at McCoy and the Romulans from a rare perspective.