Catching Up

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown - Finished Fall, 2004 - score 6
I think this was Dan Brown's first major novel on his run up to The DaVinci Code. Set at the NSA, it deals with a code-breaking supercomputer and the globe-trotting intrigue that entails. Dan Brown seems to have a formula (every-man scholar rises above himself to hero status, and at the same time quasi-gets the girl) which he sticks to. Not exactly a predictable book, but not bad either. A good before-bedtime read.

Chindi by Jack McDevitt - Finished January, 2005 - score 6.5
Having read several war/naval/secret ops books, I felt like getting back to a good sci-fi book. I found Dan McDevitt and picked up a couple of his books. This one I liked, a lot. In his future universe, mankind is basically alone in the universe, save for a few very old relics of long gone, very alien civilizations. Space travel has become very laze-faire and almost boring. Until a certain discovery bring some excitement back, that is. Nothing ground-breaking, but solid story telling and good science.

Infinity Beach by Jack McDevitt - Finished February, 2005 - score 4
Written prior to Chindi, and set in the same general universe, this is more of an old fashioned mystery set in a futuristic setting. Solid writing, but it just didn't grab my attention. I was thinking my opinion was shaded by the fact that I just wasn't in the mood for a mystery, but the reviewer I've linked seems to agree with me, so.... reader beware.

Star Trek: Federation by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens - score 9
Even though I am a Star Trek fan, I don't read all the Star Trek books, because most of them are crappy, churned out in a hurry to publish the book and make a buck. The Reeves-Stevens', however, have a reputation for taking their time and writing a good book, and they do a great job here. "Federation" traces a 3-pronged story, with timelines running through the life of Zefram Cochran (inventor of the warp drive), Kirk and his crew, and Picard and his crew, which all become intertwined in a somewhat fantastic, yet fun, climax. It's clear the Reeves-Stevens' love Star Trek, and love the characters that have become larger than life, and this is a grand, heroic adventure worthy of "legends". Beware, this was written before the movie "First Contact" laid down Star Trek canon for how Zefram Cochran invented the warp drive and made first contact, and this story is very different from accepted Star Trek history. The authors acknowledge in their forward that this is their offering of a possible Star Trek history, not the official Paramount version. Anyway... if you like Star Trek, this is a great, fun read.