What do you think?
Rate this book
The mischievous creature who calls himself Q has subjected Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise™ to many of their strangest experiences. But little had been known of Q's curious existence or that of the advanced dimension from which he comes. But now Picard knows more than he ever dreamed about an ancient conflict whose consequences might spell the doom of the entire galaxy.The galactic barrier has fallen and Q's oldest enemy is free once more. Captain Picard and his crew find themselves in the middle of a cosmic war between vastly powerful entities. The future of the Federation may be at stake, but how can mere mortals turn the tide in such a superhuman battle? Picard has to find a way, or neither the Q Continuum nor the galaxy will survive.
269 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published September 1, 1998
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
January 10, 2022
A good conclusion to the trilogy featuring the enigmatic Q.
August 15, 2019
And so the trilogy ends - I must admit I have mixed feelings here. Now the challenge for me is to explain myself without breaking my own rule of no spoilers especially since the 3 books are so closely linked together the events of one starts almost immediately as the one before ends.
So here we go.
The trilogy really take place around one event however to truly explain the implications of that event you have to find out a lot more about Q - now this I really enjoyed even if at times there were are lot of rather deductible "twists". That said there were some wonderful references to other stories and adventures and how they all fit loosely together. I have seen a lot said about how Star Trek does not respect continuity well in these books there is a lot of respect for that.
So why the mixed feelings. Well it seemed that there was a lot going on - enough to fill 3 books however in hindsight it felt a little too long especially since the events flowed almost continually from book in to the next- almost as if the series had been padded to fit the 3 books when in actual fact you could have condensed it and still had the same impact.
Now maybe I am being too critical - after all I did enjoy it and feel that these books fit my opinion and experiences of the TV series but I did get to points where it was a case of ok enough of the justifications and explanations and get on with it.
That said the books I think do a great job of bringing Q alive - something that is no mean feat considering the power and the impossibility of the Q Continuum.
So here we go.
The trilogy really take place around one event however to truly explain the implications of that event you have to find out a lot more about Q - now this I really enjoyed even if at times there were are lot of rather deductible "twists". That said there were some wonderful references to other stories and adventures and how they all fit loosely together. I have seen a lot said about how Star Trek does not respect continuity well in these books there is a lot of respect for that.
So why the mixed feelings. Well it seemed that there was a lot going on - enough to fill 3 books however in hindsight it felt a little too long especially since the events flowed almost continually from book in to the next- almost as if the series had been padded to fit the 3 books when in actual fact you could have condensed it and still had the same impact.
Now maybe I am being too critical - after all I did enjoy it and feel that these books fit my opinion and experiences of the TV series but I did get to points where it was a case of ok enough of the justifications and explanations and get on with it.
That said the books I think do a great job of bringing Q alive - something that is no mean feat considering the power and the impossibility of the Q Continuum.
April 13, 2022
A rather boring end to a rather boring book and an unnecessarily bloated trilogy.
I admit, I like learning new stuff about Q. But this trilogy lacked psychological depth and ... everything. And while Picard is always a little ... biased when it comes to Q - to the point where I think he's actually downright wrong in his behaviour -, here he's also EXTREMELY annoying about it. And everytime you think they might finally reach an actual point in their meaningless exchanges, where Picard not only bemoans everything but actually starts to form a logical argument, the conversation just stops again. (Not to mention that Picard thinks he has the moral high ground and is allowed to judge everyone while humanity DOES THE SAME SHIT HE'S JUDGING AS IMMORAL HERE!) Plus, the fact that Picard judges Q from a human perspective as if Q were human, ... well, that is in character, but the weakest point in Picard's character in all of TNG and Star Trek: Picard so far.
And can we PLEASE stop using already stigmatised illnesses as a sign of evil? Nope, it's not fun to portray a villain as mad. It's not ingenious, it's lazy, because that means one doesn't have to come up with a plan for said villain and what kind of world is at the end of this plan.
Also, what's with all those side blows against Barclay? And why always mention Geordi's disability?
Yep, actually, this trilogy is all about ableism. Psychological illness = sign of evil. Neurodivergence in Barclay = he's annoying. Judging Q from a human perspective is once again coding something as neurotypicals judging everyone from their limited perspective without ever acknowledging that they're not the peak of creation, and when the former three points need a break, hey, let's rub everyone's nose in how the disabled character is limited and can easily be rendered helpless.
(Oh, somewhere there's also a plot. But that's only 'Young Q was bored and released a villainous and sadistic creature upon our galaxy. That creature tortured and killed billions, the Continuum intervened and created the galactic barrier to keep said creature outside while punishing Q in assigning him as guardian of Earth. Now the Federation wants to see what's on the other side of the barrier and oh no, the creature is free again.'
Oh, and everything that ever happened in any of Trek (and in the universe) has all been Q's doing. (I hate it when authors take away from former creator's lifeworks and make them their own.)
I admit, I like learning new stuff about Q. But this trilogy lacked psychological depth and ... everything. And while Picard is always a little ... biased when it comes to Q - to the point where I think he's actually downright wrong in his behaviour -, here he's also EXTREMELY annoying about it. And everytime you think they might finally reach an actual point in their meaningless exchanges, where Picard not only bemoans everything but actually starts to form a logical argument, the conversation just stops again. (Not to mention that Picard thinks he has the moral high ground and is allowed to judge everyone while humanity DOES THE SAME SHIT HE'S JUDGING AS IMMORAL HERE!) Plus, the fact that Picard judges Q from a human perspective as if Q were human, ... well, that is in character, but the weakest point in Picard's character in all of TNG and Star Trek: Picard so far.
And can we PLEASE stop using already stigmatised illnesses as a sign of evil? Nope, it's not fun to portray a villain as mad. It's not ingenious, it's lazy, because that means one doesn't have to come up with a plan for said villain and what kind of world is at the end of this plan.
Also, what's with all those side blows against Barclay? And why always mention Geordi's disability?
Yep, actually, this trilogy is all about ableism. Psychological illness = sign of evil. Neurodivergence in Barclay = he's annoying. Judging Q from a human perspective is once again coding something as neurotypicals judging everyone from their limited perspective without ever acknowledging that they're not the peak of creation, and when the former three points need a break, hey, let's rub everyone's nose in how the disabled character is limited and can easily be rendered helpless.
(Oh, somewhere there's also a plot. But that's only 'Young Q was bored and released a villainous and sadistic creature upon our galaxy. That creature tortured and killed billions, the Continuum intervened and created the galactic barrier to keep said creature outside while punishing Q in assigning him as guardian of Earth. Now the Federation wants to see what's on the other side of the barrier and oh no, the creature is free again.'
Oh, and everything that ever happened in any of Trek (and in the universe) has all been Q's doing. (I hate it when authors take away from former creator's lifeworks and make them their own.)
September 25, 2023
In the end it's a perfectly decent conclusion to the trilogy...but I'm not sure it needed three volumes, and the Enterprise side of the story was never as interesting as the trip Q & Picard took into the past. Great storytelling, but there's a bite missing to it.
February 14, 2021
The epic battle between superbeings and the outcome of it are staggering. Good ending to the trilogy.
August 14, 2017
I came away from this trilogy feeling that Greg Cox really gets what Trek is all about. His ability to weave disparate parts of continuity together into a cohesive whole really makes this story enjoyable to read.
If I had one complaint, it's that this trilogy should probably have been two books rather than three. I felt like each volume was a little too short to warrant having its own book. While there isn't much I would have considered cutting from the story, I still feel like the story could have been condensed into two volumes. Regardless, I found Q-Strike and the whole Q Continuum trilogy to be a very good read and a very worthy addition to any Star Trek reader's library.
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2015/12/T...
If I had one complaint, it's that this trilogy should probably have been two books rather than three. I felt like each volume was a little too short to warrant having its own book. While there isn't much I would have considered cutting from the story, I still feel like the story could have been condensed into two volumes. Regardless, I found Q-Strike and the whole Q Continuum trilogy to be a very good read and a very worthy addition to any Star Trek reader's library.
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2015/12/T...
February 10, 2013
This whole trilogy has promise, but it's never realized. Cox goes on too long too often, giving us glimpses of Q's origin with his pseudo mentor 0. Ultimately, the books suffered from poor editing and relied too much on nods to other occurrences in the ST universe. It's fine to give the reader comfortable touch points to other ST books and series, but most references were pedestrian and it seemed like the author was simply trying to show he knew a lot about the ST canon.
It's fluffy reading and it's nice to visit with the characters, but ultimately it's unsatisfying. I'd give it 2.5 stars if possible. Time to read some more ST to try and have a rewarding experience.
It's fluffy reading and it's nice to visit with the characters, but ultimately it's unsatisfying. I'd give it 2.5 stars if possible. Time to read some more ST to try and have a rewarding experience.
July 22, 2021
There's a good story buried in these three books, but it wasn't really developed well, and so much poor writing and characters... I salute the idea, but hope to never read another book by this author.
March 15, 2020
Like fan fiction... With a lot of typos... Pretty disappointing.
August 2, 2021
I've just finished this trilogy. I would say that there are pacing issues throughout the trilogy; the first book is too slow and doesn't really have any natural conclusion. It just felt like a teaser, introducing the main antagonist but not much else other than foreshadowing. The drama aboard the Enterprise is somewhat annoying and the main event that we've come to read is held off until book 2.
The second book, while less focused, really shines with the Picard/Q storyline and the jaunt through Q's personal history. That said, the sky diving elements, while fun to picture, were not really essential to the plot and they take up a lot of page real estate. All it did was show how bored/cultured Q was. The part about the Tkon empire also dragged on too long, then abruptly ends when it appears the author was hitting his page count. There was a little too much about the Tkon empire's events and about the Empress, too little on the actual 'solution' to their supernova problem.
It's not clear why Q is hanging out with these vagrants causing the issues in the Tkon empire; Female Q and Picard audibly wonder the same thing. The three secondary antagonists are totally unnecessary, other than as a shout-out to TOS "The Children shall Lead" and the fifth TOS movie's main antagonist. I can't even remember off-hand which episode Gorgon was from, all three were a waste of page space. It's never explained how 0 ended up in the other dimension locked away, or how he knew the other 3 secondary antagonists, or why young Q helped them other than boredom? It just wasn't making a lot of sense.
The third book just has too much superhero vs supervillain vibes. The reader doesn't even know the limits of the powers, how four Q's defeated them the first time even though 0 couldn't travel faster than light, how the Galactic Barrier somehow gave 0 and the scientist Q-like powers, why Female Q couldn't deal with the scientist without Milo's (his son's) help. There was a lot of build-up about how special little q was, but he ended up just being a damsel in distress rather than a difference maker. Female Q saves the boy, then doesn't pop in to help her husband? It was up to the gas cloud people?
Also, lots of references to Q on Voyager, but no one says 'hey, Captain Janeway is still alive?!' No one bats an eye that there was a Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant? Everyone thought the ship was destroyed, not vanquished to the other side of the galaxy! Q mentions a civil war, but doesn't mention Janeway's role in it? It was just a bit beyond belief plot-wise that Picard wouldn't inquire about a fellow Starfleet captain marooned in the Delta Quadrant.
Also of mention, 0 can't travel faster than light, how would he be constantly looking for cracks in the barrier. That thing would take millions of years to traverse, yet, in isolation, he grew stronger due to his madness? The heck? The power balance is not explained, so there is no feeling of real stakes here. Sure, there is poetic justice in the climax, but it didn't make sense.
The second book, while less focused, really shines with the Picard/Q storyline and the jaunt through Q's personal history. That said, the sky diving elements, while fun to picture, were not really essential to the plot and they take up a lot of page real estate. All it did was show how bored/cultured Q was. The part about the Tkon empire also dragged on too long, then abruptly ends when it appears the author was hitting his page count. There was a little too much about the Tkon empire's events and about the Empress, too little on the actual 'solution' to their supernova problem.
It's not clear why Q is hanging out with these vagrants causing the issues in the Tkon empire; Female Q and Picard audibly wonder the same thing. The three secondary antagonists are totally unnecessary, other than as a shout-out to TOS "The Children shall Lead" and the fifth TOS movie's main antagonist. I can't even remember off-hand which episode Gorgon was from, all three were a waste of page space. It's never explained how 0 ended up in the other dimension locked away, or how he knew the other 3 secondary antagonists, or why young Q helped them other than boredom? It just wasn't making a lot of sense.
The third book just has too much superhero vs supervillain vibes. The reader doesn't even know the limits of the powers, how four Q's defeated them the first time even though 0 couldn't travel faster than light, how the Galactic Barrier somehow gave 0 and the scientist Q-like powers, why Female Q couldn't deal with the scientist without Milo's (his son's) help. There was a lot of build-up about how special little q was, but he ended up just being a damsel in distress rather than a difference maker. Female Q saves the boy, then doesn't pop in to help her husband? It was up to the gas cloud people?
Also, lots of references to Q on Voyager, but no one says 'hey, Captain Janeway is still alive?!' No one bats an eye that there was a Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant? Everyone thought the ship was destroyed, not vanquished to the other side of the galaxy! Q mentions a civil war, but doesn't mention Janeway's role in it? It was just a bit beyond belief plot-wise that Picard wouldn't inquire about a fellow Starfleet captain marooned in the Delta Quadrant.
Also of mention, 0 can't travel faster than light, how would he be constantly looking for cracks in the barrier. That thing would take millions of years to traverse, yet, in isolation, he grew stronger due to his madness? The heck? The power balance is not explained, so there is no feeling of real stakes here. Sure, there is poetic justice in the climax, but it didn't make sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2021
This is a smashing conclusion to the trilogy of Q's error filled youth as he unknowingly unleashes the being known as 0 upon the universe, resulting in the deaths of billions.
Grown up (not really the correct phrasing is it?) Q shows Picard what resulted after 0 and his cronies destroyed the Tkon civilization. I thought that this would be close to end of this novel, but writer Greg Cox makes this practically the opening of the book and then takes it several several glorious directions. The plot keeps the Enterprise in danger from the Calamarain, who want to destroy the vessel and her crew, for attempting to (unknowingly) release 0 from the galactic prison of the Great Barrier. Also causing trouble is Professor Faal, who has been touched by 0 and now has white eyes, and faster than you say Gary Mitchell, he's exhibiting some ominous abilities.
There are several outstanding moments in this book I won't spoil, as well as several references to other Trek shows and films--all of which are presented so smoothly, one would think that Cox was there at the writing of the episodes and held these "hidden truths" for years. That's a sign of a good writer: being able to create new characters and situations that blend into previous stories seemingly without effort.
And one quick fact: the picture that accompanies this review is NOT the cover of my novel, which features only Q in the center. Obviously Q has zapped Picard to accompany him here on Goodreads.
I'm so glad I reread this series, having only read it when it was first published in 1998. This series should be on even Trek fan's "Must Read" list.
Grown up (not really the correct phrasing is it?) Q shows Picard what resulted after 0 and his cronies destroyed the Tkon civilization. I thought that this would be close to end of this novel, but writer Greg Cox makes this practically the opening of the book and then takes it several several glorious directions. The plot keeps the Enterprise in danger from the Calamarain, who want to destroy the vessel and her crew, for attempting to (unknowingly) release 0 from the galactic prison of the Great Barrier. Also causing trouble is Professor Faal, who has been touched by 0 and now has white eyes, and faster than you say Gary Mitchell, he's exhibiting some ominous abilities.
There are several outstanding moments in this book I won't spoil, as well as several references to other Trek shows and films--all of which are presented so smoothly, one would think that Cox was there at the writing of the episodes and held these "hidden truths" for years. That's a sign of a good writer: being able to create new characters and situations that blend into previous stories seemingly without effort.
And one quick fact: the picture that accompanies this review is NOT the cover of my novel, which features only Q in the center. Obviously Q has zapped Picard to accompany him here on Goodreads.
I'm so glad I reread this series, having only read it when it was first published in 1998. This series should be on even Trek fan's "Must Read" list.
September 24, 2021
Speaking for the whole trilogy...
If you want to sum this series up in three little words - gratuitous fan service. Not like the stylish callbacks of Avengers: Endgame; this story is practically a checklist of characters and events from every Star Trek series and movie that existed at the time. Just the number of times the Horta is referenced borders on obnoxious.
The story attempts to weave virtually the whole Star Trek universe into a Q-tapestry, making for some almost laughable moments. I tried to imagine this story playing out as a TNG episode or movie, which was a bad idea.
Having said all that...
I bought the first book for a dollar at a bargain book warehouse. I paid significantly more to have books 2 and 3 shipped to me. Clearly, in spite of its hilarious implausibility and lack of resemblance to any TNG story I've experienced, the story held me through some 600 pages. It's like the author knew just when to drop in a new detail or plot twist to keep me thinking "Oh fine, a few more pages then".
Clearly it had something going for it.
If you want to sum this series up in three little words - gratuitous fan service. Not like the stylish callbacks of Avengers: Endgame; this story is practically a checklist of characters and events from every Star Trek series and movie that existed at the time. Just the number of times the Horta is referenced borders on obnoxious.
The story attempts to weave virtually the whole Star Trek universe into a Q-tapestry, making for some almost laughable moments. I tried to imagine this story playing out as a TNG episode or movie, which was a bad idea.
Having said all that...
I bought the first book for a dollar at a bargain book warehouse. I paid significantly more to have books 2 and 3 shipped to me. Clearly, in spite of its hilarious implausibility and lack of resemblance to any TNG story I've experienced, the story held me through some 600 pages. It's like the author knew just when to drop in a new detail or plot twist to keep me thinking "Oh fine, a few more pages then".
Clearly it had something going for it.
October 28, 2017
All done! A decent end to the trilogy. Very much like a Star Trek episode in book form. Tons of references to the Trek universe in general which is great for geeking out to but it did sometimes feel a little overdone (as it made for strange dialogue at times)
Enjoyed the Q story line very much though the entirety of the second book (and much of the first) was dedicated to setting up the bad guy, in parts I just wanted it to get on with it!
These things didn't get in the way of what was an entertaining read
Enjoyed the Q story line very much though the entirety of the second book (and much of the first) was dedicated to setting up the bad guy, in parts I just wanted it to get on with it!
These things didn't get in the way of what was an entertaining read
May 1, 2021
It goes without saying that the events of the previous two books lead to this and it's nice to be back into the swing of things after the thoughtful examination and reflection in parts within book Two. A little predictable and rushed towards the end leaving the readers with questions that never get answered, it's enjoyable none the less. A shame there wasnt a plot like this for one of the NG films, however, a great series to read especially for Q's potential return in the upcoming series two of 'Picard'.
September 10, 2017
The third book in the Q Continuum saga, this volume completes the story of the Enterprise being caught in the middle of a eons old dispute between two Omnipotent forces in the Q Continuum of 0.
The conclusion to this story actually came around a little quickly for my liking, although I enjoyed all of the books immensely.
If you're a fan of Star Trek, parallel dimensions, omnipotent entities or time travel shenanigans, this trilogy is for you. Very enjoyable!
The conclusion to this story actually came around a little quickly for my liking, although I enjoyed all of the books immensely.
If you're a fan of Star Trek, parallel dimensions, omnipotent entities or time travel shenanigans, this trilogy is for you. Very enjoyable!
November 6, 2021
A conundrum of epic proportions to beguile and entrance
A joy to enter this continuation of Picture's universe. Here are both familiar and challenging new constructs to involve the imagination, well crafted in a very readable form (even if the Kindle format had many errors ...): thoroughly enjoyed, now seeking the next installment..........
A joy to enter this continuation of Picture's universe. Here are both familiar and challenging new constructs to involve the imagination, well crafted in a very readable form (even if the Kindle format had many errors ...): thoroughly enjoyed, now seeking the next installment..........
January 23, 2023
This last entry in the trilogy has the TNG crew along with Q battling another omnipotent being called 0(zero) creating more havoc than even the vaunted Q has more than a little trouble dealing with. The final confrontation almost has disastrous results until an unhoped for alliance occurs. Definitely recommended
February 23, 2017
The final book of the trilogy and probably the most stretched one. The plot has a big potential but it is stretched too thin, slowing down the dynamics of the story and shamefully throwing away all the previous parts have developed. Huge disappointment!
April 1, 2018
Well, the whole series was a very excellent, and captivating read. I found this tale of Q, as well as some of the entities that had been encountered in the Star Trek universe very interesting. In fact, seeing Q in need of help from Picard and the crew was very nice.
May 31, 2021
Mycket bra avslutning på trilogin, även om just denna bok hade en något skakig början. Jag hade önskat få veta ännu mer om Q-kontinuet, men vi får definitivt veta en mängd information om karaktären Q och det är ju definitivt inte fy skam! Boken var mycket bra och spännande.
Read
September 24, 2023One has to be a fan of Q to get through these. I mean, that's not surprising but the degree to which nothing else makes sense seems extreme to me.
If pressed, two stars for the unnecessary middle book, three for the trilogy, for my personal taste. But not recommended.
If pressed, two stars for the unnecessary middle book, three for the trilogy, for my personal taste. But not recommended.
January 16, 2024
It's an ok conclusion to the series, which would have benefitted from being 2 books not 3. Lots of parts I felt were padded out top much and felt a bit laborious to wade through. I'd not recommend the series.
July 5, 2020
Q is for quitter, whose questionable quibbles and querulous qualms quashed my quintessential quest and quickened my quiddity to queer and quiescent quarantine.
January 29, 2021
Nice end to the series if a little rushed at the end.
July 27, 2021
Its an OK trilogy, the ending got a little drawn out.
May 9, 2023
This ending story gives a lot of missing information on Q and his activities affecting the Star Trek universe.
September 1, 2024
Excellent read and great story
Anytime the Q is involved it can make for a great story. This is the case of this trilogy . I highly recommend it.
Anytime the Q is involved it can make for a great story. This is the case of this trilogy . I highly recommend it.
November 19, 2017
The final part of the Q Continuum trilogy is sufficient evidence that this series of books would have been better served condensed into two.
0's reappearance in our galaxy creates mayhem, as Picard and Q must team up with the Calamarain to put a stop to his plans for galaxy-wide armageddon.
Once 0 was freed from the galactic barrier, the plot becomes altogether rather routine. The reintroduction of the Calamarain was no surprised, although I did enjoy Picard's efforts at diplomacy with the rather unusual species.
There's some confusion here which the author never quite clarifies: is 0's influence simply on a galactic scale or across universes? It's never quite made clear, and some lines of dialogue are straight out contradictory.
Greg Cox's love for canon verges slightly into fanboy territory at some stages... especially with the repercussions of the 0 vs Q battle causing Exo III's ice age (flashback to Ruk et al), Sargon's civil war (flashback to Sargon, Henoch et al).
Using the Enterprise as a vehicle for the final showdown between 0 and Q felt somewhat contrite, and the hide-and-seek scenes spread across the ship quickly became tiresome.
Lem Faal's eventual final descent into madness due to his possession by 0 was well written, especially with the addition of his son, Milo, to complicate his efforts. The story of father and son here is tragic, but actually held more interest for me than the superbeing showdown that was meant to take center stage. At this point, I had to question Lem's motives for experimenting on a baby Q: how much of this was Lem and how much was 0? I suppose we'll never know.
Back to that showdown - set amidst the icy prison planet on which we first encountered 0 in the first book of the trilogy. A "unstoppable force and immovable object" ethos comes to mind which, sadly, didn't make for too much interesting reading. The unlikely absence of interference from any other Q was convenient at best, but I found it even harder to believe that the "pitifully weak" Calamarain could have possibly affected the outcome as they did.
A rather predictable ending to the trilogy, but nonetheless entertaining (especially for the scenes in sickbay with the Betazoids). Three stars.
0's reappearance in our galaxy creates mayhem, as Picard and Q must team up with the Calamarain to put a stop to his plans for galaxy-wide armageddon.
Once 0 was freed from the galactic barrier, the plot becomes altogether rather routine. The reintroduction of the Calamarain was no surprised, although I did enjoy Picard's efforts at diplomacy with the rather unusual species.
There's some confusion here which the author never quite clarifies: is 0's influence simply on a galactic scale or across universes? It's never quite made clear, and some lines of dialogue are straight out contradictory.
Greg Cox's love for canon verges slightly into fanboy territory at some stages... especially with the repercussions of the 0 vs Q battle causing Exo III's ice age (flashback to Ruk et al), Sargon's civil war (flashback to Sargon, Henoch et al).
Using the Enterprise as a vehicle for the final showdown between 0 and Q felt somewhat contrite, and the hide-and-seek scenes spread across the ship quickly became tiresome.
Lem Faal's eventual final descent into madness due to his possession by 0 was well written, especially with the addition of his son, Milo, to complicate his efforts. The story of father and son here is tragic, but actually held more interest for me than the superbeing showdown that was meant to take center stage. At this point, I had to question Lem's motives for experimenting on a baby Q: how much of this was Lem and how much was 0? I suppose we'll never know.
Back to that showdown - set amidst the icy prison planet on which we first encountered 0 in the first book of the trilogy. A "unstoppable force and immovable object" ethos comes to mind which, sadly, didn't make for too much interesting reading. The unlikely absence of interference from any other Q was convenient at best, but I found it even harder to believe that the "pitifully weak" Calamarain could have possibly affected the outcome as they did.
A rather predictable ending to the trilogy, but nonetheless entertaining (especially for the scenes in sickbay with the Betazoids). Three stars.
November 14, 2015
Q-Strike resides on a new Enterprise-E, and takes place a couple of months after the movie, First Contact, since that is when the new ship is introduced. The story focuses on multiple storylines: 1) Q showing Picard bits and pieces of Q's own past with 0, 2) Lem Faal and his new powers, 3) 0's pursuit of Q, and 4) Picard and the Calamarains.
The third and final book in this trilogy moves along quite quickly and I found it a pleasure to read. In fact, I found it quite hard to put down. Finally, the great galactic barrier is explained and the purpose of Q's history lesson is also revealed. Now the disjointed puzzle pieces fit together and it all made sense to me. I was quite relieved.
I really enjoyed Q-Strike and found it to be a perfect ending for "The Q Continuum" trilogy. Greg Cox created a perfectly evil character in 0 (pronounced "Nil"). He is quite the match for Q. And I really enjoyed the fact that Q is married and has a two-year old son, q. Overall, even though the trilogy started slow, it ended with a bang.
A lot of mysteries about the Q and the Star Trek universe are answered in the trilogy, and especially this book. That alone makes Q-Strike worth reading for any Star Trek fan.
I rated this book an 8½ out of 10.
The third and final book in this trilogy moves along quite quickly and I found it a pleasure to read. In fact, I found it quite hard to put down. Finally, the great galactic barrier is explained and the purpose of Q's history lesson is also revealed. Now the disjointed puzzle pieces fit together and it all made sense to me. I was quite relieved.
I really enjoyed Q-Strike and found it to be a perfect ending for "The Q Continuum" trilogy. Greg Cox created a perfectly evil character in 0 (pronounced "Nil"). He is quite the match for Q. And I really enjoyed the fact that Q is married and has a two-year old son, q. Overall, even though the trilogy started slow, it ended with a bang.
A lot of mysteries about the Q and the Star Trek universe are answered in the trilogy, and especially this book. That alone makes Q-Strike worth reading for any Star Trek fan.
I rated this book an 8½ out of 10.
August 30, 2013
The stunning conclusion!
I'm not sure if I mentioned it in the review of the first one, so I'll just take the opportunity to say it here: Barclay is in this! Barclay is one of my faves, next to Ensign Ro, Lwaxana Troi, and of course Q himself.
This trilogy was a fun read; we got to see a different side of Q and it ended with Picard relating to/understanding Q a bit better. Now if only I can find a book about Guinan's backstory....
I'm not sure if I mentioned it in the review of the first one, so I'll just take the opportunity to say it here: Barclay is in this! Barclay is one of my faves, next to Ensign Ro, Lwaxana Troi, and of course Q himself.
This trilogy was a fun read; we got to see a different side of Q and it ended with Picard relating to/understanding Q a bit better. Now if only I can find a book about Guinan's backstory....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews