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**This is an old review I am cataloging and may not reflect my Current thoughts on the matter**

THIS WAS A GOOD BOOK OKAY. It was the second TNG book I read and thus will be the second I review. So here we go, Into the Nebula by Gene DeWeese.

***SPOILER WARNING, THIS IS NOT A SPOILER FREE REVIEW***

This book was a ton of fun to read, and while it was far more plot-centric than character-centric unlike most TNG episodes, the plot was good enough and the characters in character enough that it really worked. It’s basically about this dying world that’s been infected by the Plague, a dust cloud of death floating around the planet and severely polluting the world’s atmosphere, for centuries. A hundred years ago they made a basic starship and sent away a bunch of their citizens to find a new homeworld. The Enterprise finds the dying planet and the old, decaying starship (which still has a lot of living people on it) and they try to find what is causing the Plague and if there is a way to save the planet.

This book does plot great, it keeps you second guessing what’s going on and what are motivating the OCs of the story (who I found to be interesting and enjoyable characters, by the way). Its pacing is perfect so that you neither get bored nor feel things are being solved too fast. There’s plenty of tension between the OC’s and the main characters for a variety of reasons, and it manages to be entertaining to read, especially since things keep evolving at a fast pace. There’s little to no filler/unnecessary scenes in this book which is very refreshing and I personally liked the to-the-point style of writing.

My only complaint was that there wasn’t as many character-centric scenes as I would have liked. There was one scene towards the end between Geordi and Data that felt like it could have actually been in the TV series, and it really stood out because of that, but it was pretty much the only one. The book was so focused on telling the plot and showing the OC’s thoughts and reactions to things that we didn’t get many emotional scenes or even narration between the main characters. Of course, the book did what it was aiming to do extremely well which is why I still love the book, I just wish it had been aiming to have more character-building scenes for the main cast.

I liked everything the plot did with the Plague, the resolution there I thought was interesting (it’s caused by the toxic waste from a parallel dimension, which was a fun plot point that led to a lot of action and Data being Data, so that was pretty awesome). The OC’s motivations felt realistic so that you actually do end up caring somewhat about what happens to them. And I liked how Data was written, he was more often than not the right combination of naive/child-like and ultra-intelligent/professional (often with fanfic, published or otherwise, he’s usually portrayed as too emotional or too emotionless, and I think this book did a good job mostly keeping him in character).

Basically, I think this was really really good book. If I reread it I could probably find some more minor flaws/instances to complain about, but aside from the lack of emotionally driven scenes involving the main characters, I had a lot of fun reading it for it’s well-written and intriguing plot, and would strongly recommend it to any TNG fan. Also, it had a lot of Data in it so…that wins it a lot of points. XD I’d give it an 8.5/10.
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**This is an old review I am cataloging and may not reflect my Current thoughts on the matter**

I finally got a hold of a few Next Generation books, so I’m going to start making review posts about each one I finish. I’ve read three so far, but the first one I read was Q-Space by Greg Cox, so that’s the one I’m going to rant about this time.

First off I’ll start with saying that this is the first book in a trilogy, and you can really tell. It spends a ton of time on build-up, answers none of the many questions it raises, and then ends on a cliff hanger. I haven’t read the next two books yet and therefore can’t say much about the story as a whole or how well this book leads into the next, so I’m going to be reviewing it purely on an individual basis and how well of a beginning to a story it is, since that clearly seems to be what it was written to be.

***~SPOILER WARNING FROM HERE ON OUT. THIS IS A DETAILED REVIEW AND WILL SPOIL THE WHOLE BOOK IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET.~***

So the story begins with the Enterprise going to see if they can finally make to the other side of the Galactic Barrier that has prevented any exploration outside of their galaxy with the help of a sickly scientist named Lem Faal who is obsessed with his work to the point that he completely neglects his two young children who are also on board the Enterprise with him. This guy really feels like a one-shot you might actually see in the show; he’s unlikable and arrogant but also somewhat sympathetic due to the fact he might die before seeing his life’s work complete.

At this point in the story, I was already having fun reading simply because the dialogue felt very in-character and more often then not I could actually imagine the actors of the show saying those lines. The book switches perspective often and between chapters will have short ‘Interludes’ that focus on characters and scenes that while not always pivotal to the plot do add an extra layer of depth and understanding to the characters and events that are happening. Actually, some of the Interludes are pivotal to the plot as they focus on this mysterious, insane entity that starts identifying itself metaphorically as a spider, that seems to live directly outside the Galactic Barrier. That part of the story I found very interesting, but it’s never really resolved because none of the characters come in contact with the Spider Entity during the entire book; I’m assuming the later books will explain that.

Anyways, now to the part that pretty much anyone who picked up the book was waiting for; STUFF WITH Q. Q SHOWS UP AGAIN. YAY. Okay, seriously speaking, it was a lot of fun to see Q again, he was well written and zany as ever. Basically he shows up to convince Picard that they definitely absolutely should totally not go past the Galactic Barrier. Because this is apparently a Very Bad Idea. That’s the only reason he gives, but it’s implied he knows the Spider Entity (or rather that the Spider Entity knows him and doesn’t like him). Also, Q apparently married another Q and had a baby called little q. This part I’m not entirely sure how I feel about. On one hand, it did lead to some funny scenes and conversations, but there’s something about that turn of events that just makes me feel uncomfortable. Maybe it’s just because I can’t imagine Q in any form of long-term relationship, let alone raising a baby Q, maybe it’s just because I’m used to thinking of him as a loner since he always appears without other Q’s in every episode he’s in. Either way, the whole thing feels weird and doesn’t seem to be serving the plot in any noticeable way, which, again, could change in the next two books, but right now, while I don’t exactly dislike the idea or Q’s new wife, it does feel a bit…off…like I can’t really imagine it happening in the show.

Also, the Calamarain, those glowy aliens from Deja-Q that hate Q are back and also seem to be stopping the Enterprise from reaching the Galactic Barrier. So the Enterprise is stuck in a giant glow-cloud of death. And then Q loses his patience and kidnaps Picard. Because Q. Q starts showing Picard his past, in which we learn that Q was always alone and getting into trouble with the Continuum and released this old alien dude from another dimension, which was a bad thing, but it hasn’t been explained yet as to why (I’m guessing the old dude is Spider Entity, but I actually have no idea). So the book ends roughly with Riker trying to figure out how to get the ship out of the Calamarain alive, and Picard is fed up with Q but also learning stuff (both of which are great fun to read).

Honestly, I had a lot of fun reading this book. It was well written and entertaining and mostly in character. I still don’t know what’s up with Mrs. Q and little q, but I am intrigued by the story. I can’t say how well the pacing is yet since it really feels like the first part of a story rather its own individual story, but I thought it moved along quite nicely. It was both humorous and exciting, as any story involving Q should be, and it did make me want to read the next book. So while it wasn’t a perfect book and I won’t have a full opinion on the story until I read the other two, I did enjoy and would rate it at least 7.5 out of 10.
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**This is an old review I am cataloging and may not reflect my Current thoughts on the matter**

I did it. I DID IT. I finally finished watching all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. And I loved it. I’ve always liked Star Trek, and would often see episodes of The Original Series, Next Generation, and Voyager here and there, enough to be basically familiar with the characters and structure of the shows, so a while back I actually started watching Next Generation in consecutive order (after watching nearly all of The Original Series). And having now seen all of it, I can officially say it is an amazing awesome wonderful series that everyone should try. Since this is the first series I’ve reviewed that doesn’t have an over arching plot, I’m going to go with a more free-style review in contrast to my previous, well-organized reviews.

First off, I might as well talk a little bit about the overall structure of the show before I start rambling incoherently about how fabulous everything about it is. It is an extremely character driven show, more focused on exploring philosophical questions, human morality/psychology, and the personal development of the main cast rather than telling one big multi-season story. Some people may be put off by the show’s episodic nature, but I personally found it very enjoyable; even though nearly every episode could be watched by itself without any prior knowledge of what had happened before it, the show has enough fluid continuity and subtle character development that watching it in order adds a special meaning and understanding of just how the characters think and react to different situations, and episodes do often reference previous episodes and events, so even if there technically isn’t an over arching story, it manages to feel almost as if is there is one through recurring themes, episode continuity, and character development.

The show does a good job at keeping the one-shots interesting (some more than others, but that’s inevitable in series that long), and brings up interesting and challenging ideas/questions for the cast to face each episode. The episodes range from being absolutely hilarious, to emotionally engaging/heartbreaking/FULL OF FEELS, to downright weird, but regardless of what type of episode it is, you can always count on there being at least a few good scenes or ideas, and more often than not they’re extremely interesting.

Season 1 was, admittedly, a very rocky season; the writers were clearly still trying to figure out the rules of their universe and the subtler workings of all the characters and generally only sort of seemed to know what they were doing. Even so, there are a lot of great scenes in that season and I still found it pretty enjoyable, and it definitely serves as a good foundation season for the show’s character development and introducing various recurring plot points and themes.

But that’s enough about structure. Now to talk about what really makes the show stand out as endlessly fabulous, spectacular, and extremely re-watchable: the characters. The entire main cast is ridiculously endearing and entertaining, each one decidedly unique, interesting, and fun to watch on screen. So many of the characters, when I first saw them in Season 1, I felt uncertain about, yet intrigued; and then each one evolved and become monumentally important and lovable and endured so many varying trials that developed their characters over time AND I JUST REALLY HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR EVERY SINGE ONE OF THEM OKAY. I liked Geordi and Data instantly (they’re still my faves), they both have such wonderful personalities and their friendship IS THE ACTUAL BEST THING to watch on screen and gives me immense joy. Dr. Crusher and Deanna Troi are also superbly fabulous characters who are ridiculously admirable and entertaining. And the three characters I was most uncertain about when I first started watching the show, Captain Picard, Riker, and Worf, all developed into supremely awesome and respectable characters that I love intensely. Not to mention all the side/recurring characters are great too, to the point where you seriously wish at times they had more screen time. Just… they all grow so much over the series and feel so multi-faceted and realistic that it’s practically impossible not to love admire all of them.

Also, the last two episodes manage to tie in SO WELL to the first two episodes, which is something that almost never happens with a series this long. I seriously enjoyed that ending A TON, only now I have to go watch the movies and hunt down as many of the published books as possible because IT STILL WASN’T ENOUGH. GIVE ME ALL THE STAR TREK TNG. ALL OF IT. Actually, I’m about to finally go and start Deep Space Nine, so really just give me all the Star Trek in general.

To summarize, this show was awesome, and I strongly recommend it to everyone. No, it isn’t a perfect show, it has a rocky entire first season, some episodes aren’t as good as others, and there are moments/scenes/turn of events I have some issues with, but the overall greatness of the show and in particular the endearing quality of its characters make the not-good moments/episodes worthwhile in my opinion.

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