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Star Trek
Gateways: What Lay Beyond
Part 7 of 7
By Diane Carey, Peter David, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Christie Golden, Robert
Greenberger, Susan Wright
Description
Created by the incalculably ancient Iconians, whose
transcendent technology is quantum levels beyond that of
the Federation and its allies, the Gateways offer
instantaneous transport across unimaginable distances.
Throughout the known galaxy, from Deep Space Nine™ to
the New Frontier, from the Delta Quadrant to the bridge
of the Starship Enterprise™, the sudden
reactivation of the Gateways has destabilized
interstellar relations between planets and cultures
previously separated by countless light-years.
Starfleet's finest have coped with the crisis as best
they can, but circumstances have forced several valiant
commanders to leap through separate Gateways into the
unknown.
Captain James T. Kirk of the original
Starship Enterprise
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next
Generation®
Colonel Kira Nerys of Deep Space Nine
Captain Kathryn Janeway of the U.S.S. Voyager™
Captains Calhoun and Shelby of Star Trek : New
Frontier
Commander Nick Keller of the U.S.S. Challenger
All of these heroes, for their own reasons, have
taken the ultimate gamble: hurling themselves personally
through a Gateway without any knowledge or forewarning
of what lay beyond. Each must face their own unique
challenge, struggling to find a way back to the ships
and homes they left behind.
And waiting behind at least one of the Gateways are
the ageless Iconians themselves, the primordial
architects of the mysterious portals causing chaos
throughout the Milky Way galaxy.
Where did they disappear to, many long eons ago, and
what do they want now? The answer lies on the other
side....
What Lay Beyond brings the Gateways saga to a
spectacular finish, in an all-star collaboration by six
popular, bestselling Star Trek authors.
Among them, Diane Carey, Peter David, Keith R.A.
DeCandido, Christie Golden, Robert Greenberger, and
Susan Wright have written dozens of Star Trek
novels. This is their first mega-collaboration.
Product Details
Star Trek, June 2002
eBook, 390 pages
ISBN-10: 0-7434-3113-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-3113-2
Review by James Farmer (*****Spoilers Herein*****)
Well, here it is, the final chapter of the Gateways series, and I must
truthfully say I've been extremely disappointed with how it was all tied-up!
I'll do them as for each series:
TOS: One Giant Leap -- While sticking to the them of the first book in
the series, this one seemed like such a let down. Here I was, expecting all the
stories to be tied together, with everyone meeting everyone else, and that
didn't happen. The events do take place the moment after James T. Kirk steps
through the gateway, and while the "adventure beyond the gateway" is fun to
read, it wasn't at all what I expected. The story is wrapped up here as well,
but it's too fast and not enough is said in the story that will leave the reader
satisfied with that ending.
Challenger: Exodus -- Again, the New Earth series has some potential,
much like the New Frontier series does, if it's done by one author and really
given some great plots to work with. Here, again the story takes place only
moments after stepping through the gateway, but once again, the story moves so
fast that it has to be read twice to enjoy it, and then the readers feels like
things are again missing. Diane Carey is one of the best Star Trek writers out
there, but there was just too much happening to be adequately covered in only
forty plus pages! If the story had been better spaced, I think the reader would
be able to enjoy it a lot more. Too much is left hanging on the other side of
the gateway, and too many questions left unanswered for this reader and
reviewer.
DS9: Horn and Ivory -- This is the first really good finish to the
original story. Kira is shot into Bajor's past and relives some of the early
history of her planet. This seems to be the first "ending" that stands alone and
told in such a way that it's complete and the reader is lacking in nothing, as
it's been told completely. This was definitely one of the best in this volume.
Voyager: In the Queue -- Again, another of the best finishes to a
story in this volume. Although a little disappointing in how Christie Golden
finished it, and though somewhat predictable after certain facts are revealed,
the story line is otherwise one of the best in this volume. What I especially
liked in this was the ending. It surprised me a tad, but nonetheless, I enjoyed
it.
New Frontier: Death After Life -- With Calhoun and Shelby, you never
know what to expect in this series, and with Peter David doing all the writing
chores for the New Frontier series, you're practically guaranteed one of the
best Star Trek stories in any of the series. In this one, the two are
transported to the last spot Calhoun ever though he'd see and the interaction
from the tale itself, yet it manages to keep the theme of the Gateways story
line intact, and I liked that.
The Next Generation: The Other Side -- Now this story is the absolute
best of the series, and one hell of a way to end the Gateway story line. Picard
stepped through the gateway at the end of the TNG book and from here he finally
gets to meet the Iconians in person, and he finally learns the secret of the
gateways. In his quest to shut down the gateways, he meets several characters
and "teaches" them lessons that will help them in their later lives, or at
least, he hopes so. At least, this story sticks to the premise of the series
(and this final volume) by actually tying in all the stories, in a round-a-bout
way, and putting the story to rest in the best possible way. Robert Greenberger
has done his best with this story and should be proud of the outcome here.
With the exception of three stories in this series, the rest was only
mediocre at best. All these stories, including the best of the best, could've
easily been concluded in the first books of the series. Forty plus pages
wouldn't have made a difference either way. In this reviewer's opinion, Pocket
Books used this conclusion to just bring in more money for themselves. What had
great promise as a series-ending event turned out to be a collection of minor
disappointments with only a few bright spots in the entire volume.
If I were to truly grade this final Gateways volume, I'd have to do it the
following way:
TOS: One Giant Leap -- 4
Challenger: Exodus -- 5
DS9: Horn and Ivory -- 8
Voyager: In the Queue -- 8
New Frontier: Death after Life -- 7
TNG: The Other Side -- 10
Overall the series generates an 8, but it could've been a lot higher than
that.
For an extra bonus to readers, there is a timeline at the back of the book
that puts all the Star Trek novels in some sort of order, as a timeline for the
entire Star Trek universe, including short stories, audio books, e-books and any
other type of book that features the Star Trek universe.
Star Trek: Gateways: What Lay Beyond is published by Pocket Books, a
division of Simon & Schuster, and retails for $24.00 in the U.S. and for $36.50
in Canada.
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