I liked the story overall, but I didn't like the way Troi and Riker's initial relationship was portrayed (which is arguably the whole point of this novel).


In the show, they seem to be chilled out and adult about their relationship. They seem like a couple that went out for a while, had some good times, didn't work out, became good friends, and re-found each other that way.

In the novel, it's portrayed as a deep and passionate love that neither of them really get into for stubborn reasons. It's also quick, less than a few months. The way they talk on the show makes it seem like they went out for much longer, enough time to have a full relationship at least.

Finally, I can't imagine Data acting the way he did at the end of the novel since it goes against all of his character development.
( )

I was shocked at how much I liked this book. I'm not really into Troi and Riker as a couple, but I more or less bought it here. The Deanna & Lwaxana relationship was also pretty good. I guess I accept this as headcanon!

Oh, gods. I gotta tell you. This book. I expected so much better of this book, after all the raving about it being the best Imzadi/Riker & Deanna story out there.

This book was horrid. For 2/3rds of the book, we basically had Deanna dead for the act of sleeping with another guy (which she totally does a lot on the show, without this dying inevitability happening), and it's changed to a neater sort of response at the end. That's convenient, by being way too much so, and having no reason for having happened the way it did in the current setup for that timeline of the book.

The only parts I really deeply loved were the early one flashbacks and for that I do give it two stars instead of one. That part is amazingly wonderful, and at least the first two or three scenes are exactly the kinds of meetings I loved best. ( )

Despite a few inconsistencies due to when this book was written, and a perhaps questionable treatment of how some characters would act, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very enjoyable to finally learn more of the backstory behind Riker and Deanna. And a time travel shenanigans and paradoxes? Why not. ( )

I know most Star Trek novels are considered sub-standard sci-fi fare, but if you're a fan of ST:TNG, this book is as good as it gets. Peter David is one of those writers who can take the source material and move it up a notch. Plus, I'm a sucker for time travel stories. ( )