The Lost Era: Deny Thy Father (Spoiler)

S P O I L E R

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

My favourite TNG character is Riker. Therefore I chose to read this book
next. I noticed that all the other Lost Era books received lots of
comments but that "Deny Thy Father" seems to be mostly forgotten. I
regret that. Yes, it doesn`t have a "big" topic or deals with politics
and dangers on a galactic range. It also doesn`t offer a colourful set
of guest characters that also might draw attention. I don`t think this
has to be the case all the time in order to create an enjoyable book.
"Deny Thy Father" is not among my top favourites of the year but I think
it is a well written, solid character story that also offers some
surprises at the end.

What also makes this book interesting is that it could very well be seen
as the re-introduction of Kyle Riker into the Star Trek universe. From
what I could read from the "Time to..." teasers, this book could provide
some of the background for Riker`s part in that mini series. Not being a
fan of "Nemesis" at all, I had serious misgivings about the idea of the
"Time to..." series at the beginning but the more I learn about it, the
more I am looking forward to it. That Riker plays an important part in
it is certainly the main reason why.

I read a lot of comments in which people complained that the book is in
essence two books in one and that these stories have very little to do
with each other. At first glance, that is correct. But I also want to
add, why should it be necessary that the Kyle Riker thread and the
William Riker thread are closely linked? Many books have several threads
and people rarely complain about that.

One thread is dealing with Kyle Riker who is haunted by his past when he
nearly died in a Tholian attack and now by a mysterious assassin. The
book is building on what had been mentioned in TNG but also because it
had been a very long time since I watched the episodes in question, I
welcomed the detailed look at Kyle`s history and I am certain, a lot of
these details are new. I found the details of this horrific attack and
the effect it still had on Kyle very touching. It is certainly a good
example showing us readers that Star Trek medicine is extremely
effective at healing physical injuries but healing the mind is much more
difficult. There have been other recent looks at mental and
psychological illnesses in book form, something I welcome.

With this background, Jeff Mariotte gives us a good insight into who
William Riker`s father is, how he thinks and feels. From what I saw and
read earlier, I agree with his assessment, that he was a lousy father
but I also believe him that he loves his son. He just wasn`t good at
letting him know this. What he thought about the Riker men sounds very
much like the text book cliché of the male who is unable to express his
feelings, to whom career comes first. But on the other hand, it is also
a cliché because it is often true.

Kyle Riker is certainly a man with flaws but I don`t find him
unlikeable. In this book he is trying to change, to grow. It happens
relatively late in his life, but better late than never. I found it
admirable how he fought against his mental problems and how he managed
at the end to emerge not only healed but stronger in many ways. Part of
it certainly had to do with his experiences with Michelle. Her death
very much looks like the beginning of an awakening in him, like as if
two traumas cancelled each other out. It also allowed him to finally
face the threat against his life and renewed his desire to become part
of his son`s life after he left him so many years ago.

Part of the book dealing with Kyle Riker can be seen as a detective
story. Like Kyle I wondered why the Tholian attack took place and who
the person is who wants him dead and why. The assassin, who was no less
a victim of this enemy than Kyle, made a last attempt on his life at the
end of the book. It was chilling and showed the horrible consequences of
these illegal experiments very well. Even more than Kyle`s mental
problems, the dreadful fate of that man also showed the limits Star Trek
medicine has in dealing with such invisible injuries. I couldn`t help to
wonder if the results of these experiments still exist, perhaps among
Section 31 agents. The revelations at the end certainly contained a lot
I wouldn`t have guessed but all the clues were there and everything made
perfect sense. By the way, I liked the part Owen Paris played in that
story but I couldn`t help to wonder, was it really necessary to add
Ensign Kathryn Janeway as well and on top of that present her as a kind
of super ensign? That was the only part of the book I wasn`t fond of.

The second thread tells the story of William Riker. We get a few lightly
connected short stories dealing with his history at Starfleet Academy
and towards the end of the book, his first assignment on a starship.
Especially that part, dealing with his first mission under Captain
Pressman on the Pegasus, was very interesting, keeping in mind what we
learned in TNG. By looking at how the young Riker thinks and feels, it
is obvious that also he was a "Riker man". The parallels with his father
are very visible and therefore I said earlier that it is only true at a
first glance that both threads are not connected. I think William was
lucky that he met Deanna later (not in this book). With her empathic
powers and her training as a counsellor she could sense what Riker was
feeling and teach him to open up, especially towards a woman. I am
confident that William Riker will be able to also be a father to his
children, should he ever decide to become one.

As I said, I am looking forward to read more about father and son Riker
in coming books.

Baerbel Haddrell