A Time For War, A Time For Peace
Star Trek (Book IX)

By Keith R A DeCandido

     This is the final part of the nine book series that details (in considerable detail) the events leading up to the film Nemesis. In this film the characters from “The Next Generation” were all going their separate ways, and the series tells the story of how their winning team started to unravel. After the devastating events on Tezwa, elections are being held for a new president of the Federation, and those in the know are wondering how long they can keep the lid on the true reason for the old president’s mid-term resignation. On the Klingon homeworld a terrorist organisation is demanding that the link between them and the Federation is severed, and it looks as though they also believe that Emperor Kahless is a hologram! Surely this cannot be so - or can it? After the Dominion War, and so many earth shattering events, adjusting to peace is going to be as hard as going to war, particularly as those at the helm might not have the right skills.

     This book put the cherry on the cake, and contains a number of plot strands as well as some essential tidying up after such an epic series, and before such a final-feeling film. There is much introspection in here and not a lot of action; the fighting is over and it is time to pick up the pieces and adjust to peacetime. This is all rather essential as this book is sandwiched in between so much battle, and it is very much a character-driven tale and quintessential Star Trek. Surely hardly any other TV series portrays such in-depth characters that viewers can get to know over many years, and perhaps no other SF saga boasts such well-realized worlds and this is, for me, the main part of its magic. DeCandido has got under their skin, and reading this is like reading about old friends, with some folk who don’t appear outside the books slotted seamlessly in. Exciting? No, but again that is this series’ strength as with characters like these it doesn’t have to be. It is essential to the plot of the series though, and reminds me far more than the earlier drawn-out pairs of books in this set why I love this show.