"Q&A"
by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Continuing the story of Star Trek: The Next Generation beyond Nemesis, and previous books Death in Winter and Resistance, is Keith R.A. DeCandido's Q&A. The eponymous superbeing Q returns to the Enterprise, coinciding with its visit to Gorsach IX, an unusual planet which displays characteristics of having been artificially-constructed. 

After Resistance, which disappointingly introduced just one new regular (T'Lana - who finally comes across as three-dimensional in this novel), Q&A is the debut of second officer Miranda Kadohata and security chief Zelik Leybenzon. The latter, despite DeCandido's best efforts to create something fresh, feels slightly derivative and held little interest for me; the former, on the other hand, is endearing and engaging, arguably the strongest character in the entire novel.

The regulars, such as Picard and Crusher, are portrayed faithfully; but the after-effects of recent events don't seem particularly evident. Picard has undergone re-assimilation, but doesn't seem hugely bothered; the previous issues with T'Lana are now all-but-forgotten; there still hasn't been enough development of the Picard/Crusher relationship in order for me to buy into it properly. Only Geordi's lingering grief over Data's death holds any sort of resonance. DeCandido's depiction of the characters as isolated people is brilliant; the editorial work of weaving Q&A and its cast into the broader TNG tapestry seems to have failed.

Sela and the Romulans returned in Death in Winter, the Borg returned in Resistance and are due to make prominent appearances in subsequent books, and now Q is back too. First and foremost, his role in the book is original and clever, managing to tie together all of the character's previous appearances in a neat and unexpected way; and DeCandido's take on the character is accurate and amusing. However, there's a niggling feeling in the back of my mind that says this series of books should be a fresh start for Next Gen, when what we're actually getting are near-retreads of previous adventures.

This is by far the strongest of the three 'relaunch' books so far, but it does little to raise general hopes about the series. What we've been given so far is a succession of misfires, unsuccessfully "celebrating" Next Gen's past rather than moving it forward. The show itself is great, the characters (new and old) are fantastic, and the writers who have contributed are all talented - but these editorial direction these books are taking is disappointing.

Bottom line? Q&A is worth a read for the exemplary writing and top-notch character work, but this series is rapidly spiralling downhill.