`Trek' fiction makes poor read, better paperweight
Judging by two new books, Station Rage by Diane Carey and Incident at Arbuk by John Greggory Betancourt, it's a sad, sad world where people actually continue to buy and read these things.
In Station Rage , the "Deep Space Nine" crew faces a legend from Cardassia's past as well as some really nauseating dialogue. Carey really should write soap operas. Her love for overly dramatic character descriptions and use of the word "critical" is just wasted outside the mid-afternoon lineup.
The plot has promise. Commander O'Brien discovers what is thought to be a Cardassian tomb on the station but turns out to be a resting place for 12 Cardassians. After 80 years, the men come back to life, still obsessed with fighting for the Cardassian Empire which no longer exists.
Carey gives us everything from near-death experiences to deception and suspense. In fact, if a real author had written the book, it might even hold a few surprises.
Incident at Arbuk , based on the "Voyager" series, has less sickening dialogue and a weaker plot than Station Rage . Here, the crew responds to a distress signal from an alien ship. Once they arrive at the scene, Janeway and her crew find a destroyed space city and an awesome weapon. Soon the crew find themselves negotiating with an incredibly combative alien species in an attempt to save their ship and continue their voyage home.
Don't look for character depth or development here because you won't find either. Cardboard would be a good word. Tuvok, the Vulcan, even undergoes the harshness of a mind-meld with a strange and unconscious alien without producing any character insight. Between the lack of personality and complete predictability, Betancourt manages to put us in a trance as the pages turn.
They do turn, though. Perhaps out of morbid curiosity to see if it could get any worse, I kept reading. The endings of these books don't provide any feeling of just- ification for the waste of time, but at least it's a break from the usual excitement of humanities or political science reading.
As they stand, both Station Rage and Incident at Arbuk are probably best used as either paperweights or doorstops. If you get really desperate, you can pick one up as a study break without the fear of not being able to put it down. I got a good laugh out of them both, though I somehow doubt that's the response either writer had in mind.
If you have a couple of bucks and a few hours to waste, and it occurs to you to pick up a Trek book, I suggest renting a movie instead.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the November 17, 1995 issue.
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