Daedalus

Enterprise: Daedalus, and Daedalus Children, by Dave Stern. Pocket Books
2003.
ISBN 0-7434-7118-0 and 0-7434-7646-8
Reviewed by Edward McArdle.

Im going to have to change my tune.
I have always thought that a Star Trek novel should just start, and not
describe all the events leading up to a story. This one does, but my
problem is that I havent yet seen the series, so telling me it occurs
³just prior to Captain Archer being taken prisoner by the Tellarite
bounty hunter Skalaar² leaves me none the wiser. This is not basic to
the plot, but Trip and Hoshi are on a captured Suliban runabout from
centuries ahead, and this is fairly germane to the plot.
The two books are one continuous story, of 712 pages, and I cannot
complain at the number because I cant read small print any longer.
Trip was involved in his younger days with a failed mission on a ship
called the Daedalus, which blew up atomising all on board. As the name
of this book is Daedalus, it is a fair bet that that incident will
somehow be important. Book one is entirely about Trip. He and Hoshi are
left aboard the Suliban ship when Enterprise is attacked, and they are
picked up by one side in a war. But Hoshi just lies around sick for
much of the book.
The second book involves Trip and Hoshi and the main crew. They are all
involved in a war, in which they feel some responsibility.
What makes this book different from most Star Trek books is that it is
actual Science Fiction. After an encounter with an anomaly the ship is
attacked by warp-capable ships where none should be. When they become
involved with the local worlds they start to sicken. There are problems
with stereoisomers. TPol discovers that the Hubble Constant is slightly
off....
The writing level of the book is just the usual bland Young Adult level,
but it is a good plot.

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