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Description: When the U.S.S. Voyager is dispatched on an urgent mission to the planet Kerovi, Captain Chakotay and his first officer, Commander Thomas Paris, must choose between following their orders and saving the lives of two of those dearest to them. B’Elanna Torres and her daughter, Miral, are both missing in the wake of a brutal attack on the Klingon world of Boreth. With the aid of their former captain, Admiral Kathryn Janeway — as well as many old friends and new allies — Voyager’s crew must unravel an ancient mystery, placing themselves between two warrior sects battling for the soul of the Klingon people…while the life of Miral hangs in the balance.
But these events and their repercussions are merely the prelude to even darker days to come. As Voyager is drawn into a desperate struggle to prevent the annihilation of the Federation, lives are shattered, and the bonds that were forged in the Delta Quadrant are challenged in ways that none could have imagined. For though destiny has dealt them crushing blows, Voyager’s crew must rise to face their future…and begin a perilous journey in which the wheel of fate comes full circle.
This review is based on a copy I bought myself.
Marron’s Review:
Voyager has had a rocky few years as far as novels go. The very first novel to take place after Voyager’s return from the Delta Quadrant, Homecoming, was written like bad fanfiction. The three books that came after that were less than spectacular, only slightly better than Homecoming — but just barely. The Star Trek novelists and publishers seemed to get the hint and shelved Voyager novels, thankfully giving us a reprieve from the tepid writing that had plagued the relaunch of the series from television into novel format.
Of course, as the Trek world moved on, the Voyager crew slowly crept back into view, namely Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine. As the events leading up to David Mack’s epic Destiny trilogy unfolded, we as readers and fans were left with questions and loose ends from previous Voyager novels. What was desperately needed was a novel that dealt with the tragedy the Voyager crew faced in the novel Before Dishonor; what was needed was a novel that tied up the loose ends that were created in Homecoming. Kirsten Beyer’s novel Full Circle does both of these things, and more.
A book that goes back and forth between the “present” of the Trek universe and the past–to different points right after Voyager made its return three years ago in cannon time — Full Circle wraps things up quite nicely. At a stunning 560 pages, Full Circle explores every major character from Voyager in depth — with the exceptions of Admiral Janeway (who is still mentioned) and Tuvok (who is now a part of the Titan crew, but makes a cameo appearance). Full Circle shows how the crew of Voyager drifts apart, and how they find themselves back together again, even if the circumstances are less than ideal. There are new faces and old faces, and — as the title suggests — the crew finds themselves coming full circle as they embark on a new mission as the novel closes.
This book is not light-hearted. It is a painful journey for all of those involved as they struggle with their lives and coming to terms with where those lives have taken them — and with the death of one of their most beloved friends. The ending is bittersweet but the epilogue leaves us with a bit of wondering hope — and curiosity.
Overall, this was an excellent book. Voyager was not my favorite series, but I did enjoy it, and this novel finally did justice to the good parts of the series. It is important to have read the TNG novel Before Dishonor before reading Full Circle, and helpful to read David Mack’s Destiny trilogy as well. Otherwise, you may be in for a few big and unsettling surprises. The novel is good, but a little hard to follow at certain points because it skips around in time (not to mention that this could have, likely, been split into two books), but the story is good enough that this is forgivable. I’ve done my best to stay away from Voyager novels after Homecoming, but Full Circle has brought me back, so to speak, to remind me of the things that I loved about Voyager; and that alone definitely makes it worth the read.
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Marron Marvel
Marron Marvel, sometimes known as Tiarra, is a comic book and sci-fi geek girl who enjoys reading, playing video games, listening to The Beatles, and comparing everything to “that one episode of TNG where…” Although she claims to be a Lt. Commander in Starfleet and the Chief Engineer of the U.S.S. Cyberdyne, she is actually a professional graphic designer, and a published journalistic writer, living in Las Vegas, where she enjoys avoiding casinos and spoiling her adorable, cuddly kittens named Panda Face and Ser Pounce-a-lot. She can be contacted at tiarra @ geek-life.com and followed on Twitter @MarronMarvel
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