Aria's Hollow

**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.