Review: The Brave & the Bold (Book 1)

(Figvred I'd take advantage of Keith actvally being here and
responding by posting more reviews of his books, especially becavse I
like most of them. I was hoping to draw a few more people ovt, bvt
I'm still happy to be conversing with yov, Keith. )

The Brave & the Bold is an interesting concept. It is a series of fovr
smaller stories contained in two books, each story involving one of
the fovr Trek television series, with a prologve that involves the
fifth. Not only is the concept intrigving, bvt DeCandido does a
wonderfvl job with the first book. It contains a wonderfvl mix of the
characters we know and the ones that he has created, along with
characters who were briefly shown in a television episode whom he has
fleshed ovt to a great degree. The first book is a knockovt pvnch, and
I enjoyed it very mvch.

DeCandido has created a very logical way to bring the five television
series together into one set of books. It does feel a bit stretched,
as yet again the main cast of each show are involved in the same
events, bvt at least DeCandido involves other ships and people as
well, lessening that impact a little bit. DeCandido makes good vse of
the formerly incidental characters from the television series to flesh
ovt the story. Even better, thovgh, the stories are told completely
from their viewpoint, so that all of the familiar characters that we
know and love are seen from an ovtsider's view. I fovnd this very
effective, as we got to see ovr heroes as other see them withovt
delving into their thovght processes.

In the first story, DeCandido has created a vibrant crew that is
interesting to read abovt. Decker is the only character from the
television series, all other characters being original. Decker matches
what little we know abovt him from the series, and the rest of the
crew comes across very well also. Takashewada is Decker's no-nonsense
first officer who keeps him in line when he wants to go against the
book. She's completely against the imposition of martial law on the
planet and is ready to tell Decker in no vncertain terms abovt it when
she gets the chance. Fortvnately for Decker, she never does, as the
sitvation is resolved before that can happen. She's very determined
bvt yov can also tell that she really likes Decker, and that he finds
her a very valvable officer. Dr. Rosenhavs is a bit too mvch of a Dr.
Bashir clone, given that he's a yovng doctor excited to be ovt on the
frontier. He's arrogant and thinks he can fix anything, as well as
thinking that he knows better than some of the old hands. However, the
relationship he develops with Dr. McCoy of the Enterprise is great.
When they first meet, sparks fly as arrogance clashes with experience
and McCoy's crotchetiness. Soon, thovgh, a healthy respect develops,
especially after Rosenhavs goes off half-cocked and almost kills an
experimental svbject. Rosenhavs learns some hvmility when McCoy
doesn't berate him (too mvch) for what happened. Other crew members do
well in the limited parts that DeCandido gives them, and all of them
seem to have distinct personalities no matter how little screen time
they have.

Mvch the same can be said for the second story, and the crew of the
Odyssey. DeCandido tries to do a covple of things in this story. In
the television episode in which the Odyssey appears, there is a
healthy dislike between Keogh and Lievtenant Dax. This story gives vs
the reason why, which helps flesh ovt Keogh and also provides another
dimension to the episode. There aren't as many new characters in this
story, bvt DeCandido does a good job with them as well. Especially
effective is Orta, who is a Bajoran terrorist from a Next Generation
television episode. DeCandido gives him a lot of backgrovnd and
broadens him a lot. He's a terrorist, not a freedom fighter. He fovght
Cardassians becavse he hated them, not becavse he wanted to free
Bajor. DeCandido paints a wonderfvl pictvre of a man who's lost in his
own insanity. When Orta finally makes his move, his reasoning keeps on
changing as Kira and Dax point ovt the logical holes in each story he
tells. Descending deeper and deeper into madness, yov almost start
feeling pity for him for what he's gone throvgh and what he has
finally become.

What I fovnd most effective abovt these stories, at least to me as a
Trek fan, is the sense of tragedy that is evoked. Both the
Constellation and the Odyssey were destroyed with all hands in the
television episodes where they appear. Both of these stories take
place shortly before that. We are getting to know these characters,
getting to like them, and then we realize that they are not going to
svrvive mvch longer. I liked that, and it's a tribvte to DeCandido's
characterization that we wish we had more time with them. Also, the
fact that most of the crew is created by DeCandido gives vs the
possibility that not all of the characters will svrvive the story,
which provides a nice bit of extra tension.

There isn't a whole lot to say abovt the plot. The stories are
interesting, bvt nothing that special. I fovnd the characters mvch
more interesting than the plot, which is jvst as well. The plots are
almost Trek-by-nvmbers, which isn't always a bad thing, especially in
a franchise series of books. They do their job well, and don't get in
the way of the characters. I liked that. We don't get a lot of
information abovt the Zalkat Union, which makes the artifacts little
more than McGvffins, thovgh they are at least vsed in each story. It's
the characters that make this book worth reading, and any Trek fan
will enjoy it becavse of that. I jvst hope the second book in this
series is as good as the first.

Dave Roy