What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Trek: Typhon Pact #4
Paths of Disharmony
On a diplomatic mission to the planet Andor, Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-E bear witness to the rank devastation resulting from the Borg invasion. With the reproductive issues that have long plagued the Andorian people reaching crisis level, avenues of research that at first held great promise have proven largely unhelpful, and may well indeed be worsening the problem.
Despite the Federation's seeming inability to provide assistance and growing doubt over its commitment to a staunch, longtime ally, Andorian scientists now offer renewed hope for a solution. However, many segments of Andorian society are protesting this controversial new approach, and more radical sects are beginning to make their displeasure known by any means available. In response, President Nanietta Bacco has sent the Enterprise crew and a team of diplomats and scientists to Andor to convene a summit, in the hope of demonstrating that the Federation's pledge to helping Andor is sincere.
But the Typhon Pact is watching, and their interests may very well lead the Andorian people down an even more treacherous path. . .
Despite the Federation's seeming inability to provide assistance and growing doubt over its commitment to a staunch, longtime ally, Andorian scientists now offer renewed hope for a solution. However, many segments of Andorian society are protesting this controversial new approach, and more radical sects are beginning to make their displeasure known by any means available. In response, President Nanietta Bacco has sent the Enterprise crew and a team of diplomats and scientists to Andor to convene a summit, in the hope of demonstrating that the Federation's pledge to helping Andor is sincere.
But the Typhon Pact is watching, and their interests may very well lead the Andorian people down an even more treacherous path. . .
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2011
54 people are currently reading
688 people want to read
About the author
Dayton Ward
110 books316 followersDayton is a software developer, having become a slave to Corporate America after spending eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. When asked, he’ll tell you that he left home and joined the military soon after high school because he’d grown tired of people telling him what to do all the time.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
September 14, 2023
This was yet another disappointment from the Typhon Pact series.
October 22, 2022
Star Trek: Paths of Disharmony is the fourth book in the Typhon Pact line of novels from Pocket Books at Simon and Schuster. It was written by Dayton Ward and was released in February 2011.
The Typhon pact has had some hits and misses. “Zero Sum Game” was a mediocre novel, while “Seize the Fire” was very disappointing and “Rough Beasts of Empire” was partially amazing and partially poorly executed. I have also read some mixed books by Dayton Ward, so I wasn’t particularly excited about this one. However, one of my friends rated this very high on his list, and he and I have had similar thoughts on the Typhon pack novels thus far. So I was intrigued to see what this book was like.
And I’m so glad I did, because not only is it the best Typhon Pact novel, it’s also one of Dayton Ward’s best novels.
One of the strongest points of this novel is its Political storyline. The Typhon Pact line of novels promised political intrigue and major events. The government of Andor coming undone really was fascinating to read about. It really reminded me of the current situation in Britain for the last several years. Dayton Ward isn’t always the go-to political writer, but his skills here were wonderful.
I also enjoyed the action in this novel. The action felt like it was properly built to the scale of the story. There is one action sequence with the Enterprise that I particularly enjoyed.
This book explores themes about genetics that are really complex. The Andorian reproductive crisis naturally frustrates me because of the way they designed the Andorian species. Nonetheless, the decision of whether to use Starfleet’s help or not was really compelling. The Andorian response towards the “Shedai Metagenome” was also very interesting, and tied in well to the “Vanguard” series.
If you read this book and enjoy it, then you will also like David Mack’s entry into “The Fall” titled A Ceremony of Losses. That novel follows the events of this novel and really shows how Star Trek writers can hand books off to one another.
Dayton Ward also writes romance fine, although he and many other Trek authors tend to write the bare minimum for it to be considered a “plot thread”. But there were some humorous scenes regarding the romantic partners in this book.
I most enjoyed the scenes with Shar, who provided an Andorian perspective who has worked in Starfleet. The attacks he goes through from his own people is brutal and he is such a strong character to keep going no matter what.
Unfortunately, what keeps this book from the top most echelons of Star Trek novels is the way the themes hit. It is very thematically dense, but the themes don’t hit the readers in the perfect way. They need to really make the audience rethink things without coming across preachy. This book just doesn’t hit enough.
That being said, I really don’t have many negatives with this book. I think it is certainly one of Dayton Ward’s best, up there with his top novel From History’s Shadow (which I give a slight edge for how impressive it was). This book gets a 9.1 out of 10 for me. Well done Dayton Ward!
The Typhon pact has had some hits and misses. “Zero Sum Game” was a mediocre novel, while “Seize the Fire” was very disappointing and “Rough Beasts of Empire” was partially amazing and partially poorly executed. I have also read some mixed books by Dayton Ward, so I wasn’t particularly excited about this one. However, one of my friends rated this very high on his list, and he and I have had similar thoughts on the Typhon pack novels thus far. So I was intrigued to see what this book was like.
And I’m so glad I did, because not only is it the best Typhon Pact novel, it’s also one of Dayton Ward’s best novels.
One of the strongest points of this novel is its Political storyline. The Typhon Pact line of novels promised political intrigue and major events. The government of Andor coming undone really was fascinating to read about. It really reminded me of the current situation in Britain for the last several years. Dayton Ward isn’t always the go-to political writer, but his skills here were wonderful.
I also enjoyed the action in this novel. The action felt like it was properly built to the scale of the story. There is one action sequence with the Enterprise that I particularly enjoyed.
This book explores themes about genetics that are really complex. The Andorian reproductive crisis naturally frustrates me because of the way they designed the Andorian species. Nonetheless, the decision of whether to use Starfleet’s help or not was really compelling. The Andorian response towards the “Shedai Metagenome” was also very interesting, and tied in well to the “Vanguard” series.
If you read this book and enjoy it, then you will also like David Mack’s entry into “The Fall” titled A Ceremony of Losses. That novel follows the events of this novel and really shows how Star Trek writers can hand books off to one another.
Dayton Ward also writes romance fine, although he and many other Trek authors tend to write the bare minimum for it to be considered a “plot thread”. But there were some humorous scenes regarding the romantic partners in this book.
I most enjoyed the scenes with Shar, who provided an Andorian perspective who has worked in Starfleet. The attacks he goes through from his own people is brutal and he is such a strong character to keep going no matter what.
Unfortunately, what keeps this book from the top most echelons of Star Trek novels is the way the themes hit. It is very thematically dense, but the themes don’t hit the readers in the perfect way. They need to really make the audience rethink things without coming across preachy. This book just doesn’t hit enough.
That being said, I really don’t have many negatives with this book. I think it is certainly one of Dayton Ward’s best, up there with his top novel From History’s Shadow (which I give a slight edge for how impressive it was). This book gets a 9.1 out of 10 for me. Well done Dayton Ward!
June 6, 2017
It seems that it's been some time since I visited the current timeline for Star Trek Next Generation stories. So many things have changed. Picard and Dr. Crusher are married and have a child, Worf is the Number One on the Enterprise, Data is dead, etc. Now, even with all these changes I still found the world to be familiar. So why didn't I like this one?
There is a really good story lurking in this book. It is unfortunately hindered by far too much "interpersonal relationship bonding". Look I get it, it's important to humanize and explain more about these famous characters. I also don't care. The endless, and utterly clumsy and awkward way in which romance is dealt with, the constant "self reflection", it's not for me. Others may enjoy it. I don't. It seems to give this a YA romance feel that I didn't care for.
Now there is a pretty good story in here- The Andorians are in the midst of recovering from the Borg invasion. Starfleet is working hand in hand to help. But, in order to help with the stilted Andorian reproduction system, an artificial process is being explored. But this is a very controversial issue and not all the Andorians agree with it. On top of this, the Romulans and other Federation haters have banded into something called the Typhon Pact. Are they behind the mysterious problems being caused by the terrorist group the Treishya?
These are the main questions explored by this book. Sadly, instead of giving this topic more time-a lot of this is spent in "aw look Worf is dating an Indian chick" or "aw the Vulcan asked out this other chick" or "Aw Picard is feeding soup to his baby" moments...and that is a shame. Since there are some serious things going on. This is the story of what caused the Andorians to secede from the Federation, so if you want to know the how and why of it-this is the book I would recommend you read. Sadly you'll have to deal with a great deal of Star Trek "romance" which at best is awkward YA fluff. That is why this story only gets a 2 star rating from me. I see others have liked this story far more than I- you may be among them. I just felt the book needs to stick to sci-fi, big picture and action/politcs for Star trek. I just don't care about pages and pages of YA mooning around like 14 years olds in High School.
There is a really good story lurking in this book. It is unfortunately hindered by far too much "interpersonal relationship bonding". Look I get it, it's important to humanize and explain more about these famous characters. I also don't care. The endless, and utterly clumsy and awkward way in which romance is dealt with, the constant "self reflection", it's not for me. Others may enjoy it. I don't. It seems to give this a YA romance feel that I didn't care for.
Now there is a pretty good story in here- The Andorians are in the midst of recovering from the Borg invasion. Starfleet is working hand in hand to help. But, in order to help with the stilted Andorian reproduction system, an artificial process is being explored. But this is a very controversial issue and not all the Andorians agree with it. On top of this, the Romulans and other Federation haters have banded into something called the Typhon Pact. Are they behind the mysterious problems being caused by the terrorist group the Treishya?
These are the main questions explored by this book. Sadly, instead of giving this topic more time-a lot of this is spent in "aw look Worf is dating an Indian chick" or "aw the Vulcan asked out this other chick" or "Aw Picard is feeding soup to his baby" moments...and that is a shame. Since there are some serious things going on. This is the story of what caused the Andorians to secede from the Federation, so if you want to know the how and why of it-this is the book I would recommend you read. Sadly you'll have to deal with a great deal of Star Trek "romance" which at best is awkward YA fluff. That is why this story only gets a 2 star rating from me. I see others have liked this story far more than I- you may be among them. I just felt the book needs to stick to sci-fi, big picture and action/politcs for Star trek. I just don't care about pages and pages of YA mooning around like 14 years olds in High School.
June 15, 2025
Another fine look at the Star Trek Universe now that the Typhon Pact is here. This book in my opinion did the best job of juxtaposing the crisis du jour with the personal lives of the Enterprise's senior staff. From Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher exploring marriage and parenthood to Commander Worf and Lieutenant Choudhury exploring their relationship to Commander LaForge finding new love with Dr. Tamala Harstad and Lieutenant T'ryssa Chen finding herself drawn to Lieutenant Commander Taurik, we got a good look at how off duty hours can go on board a starship.
And then we have the Andorians.
I hadn't seen their reproductive problems addressed since Worlds Of Deep Space Nine: Cardassia and Andor. At that time, Ensigns Thirishar Ch'thane and Prynn Tenmei visited Shar's home planet for the funeral of one of his three bondmates, Thriss. At that time, Shar found a promising solution to their issues, and welcomed a new zhen into his bondgroup.
Now we find Lieutenant Ch'thane assigned to his homeworld and assisting in the ongoing medical research to save his people from eventual extinction. His bondmates and the child they conceived were all killed during the Borg attack, leaving Shar alone and focused on the problem at hand.
The Enterprise is assigned to bring medical experts and researchers and dignitaries to Andor to quell the internal unrest the planet feels over their medical woes. Some welcome all the outside help they can get while others don't want any non-Andorian influence to help resolve their issues. Captain Picard and his crew find themselves pitted against the Treishya, a terrorist cell determined to rid Andor of all alien influences. Andor finds itself divided and there are some who don't even want their planet to remain affiliated with the Federation. And it was interesting to see the Tholians' role in exacerbating the existing tensions in an attempt to woo Andor into leaving the Federation and joining the Typhon Pact.
This was an enjoyable read, and as with the other books, it leaves me wanting more. Can't wait to see what the Typhon Pact does next!
And then we have the Andorians.
I hadn't seen their reproductive problems addressed since Worlds Of Deep Space Nine: Cardassia and Andor. At that time, Ensigns Thirishar Ch'thane and Prynn Tenmei visited Shar's home planet for the funeral of one of his three bondmates, Thriss. At that time, Shar found a promising solution to their issues, and welcomed a new zhen into his bondgroup.
Now we find Lieutenant Ch'thane assigned to his homeworld and assisting in the ongoing medical research to save his people from eventual extinction. His bondmates and the child they conceived were all killed during the Borg attack, leaving Shar alone and focused on the problem at hand.
The Enterprise is assigned to bring medical experts and researchers and dignitaries to Andor to quell the internal unrest the planet feels over their medical woes. Some welcome all the outside help they can get while others don't want any non-Andorian influence to help resolve their issues. Captain Picard and his crew find themselves pitted against the Treishya, a terrorist cell determined to rid Andor of all alien influences. Andor finds itself divided and there are some who don't even want their planet to remain affiliated with the Federation. And it was interesting to see the Tholians' role in exacerbating the existing tensions in an attempt to woo Andor into leaving the Federation and joining the Typhon Pact.
This was an enjoyable read, and as with the other books, it leaves me wanting more. Can't wait to see what the Typhon Pact does next!
September 24, 2024
Star Trek: TNG Post-Nemesis era: Typhon Pact series 04 Paths of Disharmony by Dayton Ward
adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25 Stars
I really enjoyed this story. I love the Andorian people. If you see, most of my social media...has an avatar of an Andorian version of me.
Captain Picard, Dr. Crusher and René:
This current version of Captain Picard is one we haven't seen. He's (for the most part), kept people at arm's length. He'd allow someone in, but it took time and he had to feel comfortable in their presence.
Now, he's married and they have a newborn child (René) and I'm loving this version of him. He's still the dutiful officer, but there seems to be a humanity that is peaking out (for the better)...and I'm here for it.
Commander Worf and Lt. Choudhury (Security Chief) and their relationship seems a good fit, too. It is good to have someone that can go "toe to toe" with him, but also find the confident/good man underneath the bravado...that is sometimes front and center with Worf.
Good to be back with Lt. Chen. She's not "normal", but the "awkward" nerd person on the ship. She says things out loud, that most people keep to themselves...and because of that, she's a great character to be around. Never boring. Oh, did you not know that she's part Vulcan. Obviously, not the dominant racial characteristics, but hilarious to experience. She's also VERY good at her job, which makes her contribution so good for the story.
Okay, now the rest I will tell you about the story...is dealing with the Andorians, and their struggles to conceiv, and bring children to term, and birth. Something is happening (has been happening for years), and the entire race is on the brink of extinction (without the Borg invasion....and what happened with what they did to the universe...and to Andor [and it colonies]).
With these types of extinction level issues, the weirdos come out, and drive wedges between reality and conspiracy. We have this happen in our own time, and the wild and ridiculous things that people believe about others, and even sometimes...themselves.
Reading this book/story, I was reminded that SOME people just don't get it (and sadly, never will). We, sometimes have to DO things for them, even if they don't want anything to do with it...for their own betterment (obviously, ONLY as a last resort).
This story can be seen as very controversial, and I'm saddened by what eventually happens (espcially since I love the Andorians), but...yeah, it felt VERY real...and I'm all for it.
This was a really good story, and I cannot wait to read the next book on the docket.
adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25 Stars
I really enjoyed this story. I love the Andorian people. If you see, most of my social media...has an avatar of an Andorian version of me.
Captain Picard, Dr. Crusher and René:
This current version of Captain Picard is one we haven't seen. He's (for the most part), kept people at arm's length. He'd allow someone in, but it took time and he had to feel comfortable in their presence.
Now, he's married and they have a newborn child (René) and I'm loving this version of him. He's still the dutiful officer, but there seems to be a humanity that is peaking out (for the better)...and I'm here for it.
Commander Worf and Lt. Choudhury (Security Chief) and their relationship seems a good fit, too. It is good to have someone that can go "toe to toe" with him, but also find the confident/good man underneath the bravado...that is sometimes front and center with Worf.
Good to be back with Lt. Chen. She's not "normal", but the "awkward" nerd person on the ship. She says things out loud, that most people keep to themselves...and because of that, she's a great character to be around. Never boring. Oh, did you not know that she's part Vulcan. Obviously, not the dominant racial characteristics, but hilarious to experience. She's also VERY good at her job, which makes her contribution so good for the story.
Okay, now the rest I will tell you about the story...is dealing with the Andorians, and their struggles to conceiv, and bring children to term, and birth. Something is happening (has been happening for years), and the entire race is on the brink of extinction (without the Borg invasion....and what happened with what they did to the universe...and to Andor [and it colonies]).
With these types of extinction level issues, the weirdos come out, and drive wedges between reality and conspiracy. We have this happen in our own time, and the wild and ridiculous things that people believe about others, and even sometimes...themselves.
Reading this book/story, I was reminded that SOME people just don't get it (and sadly, never will). We, sometimes have to DO things for them, even if they don't want anything to do with it...for their own betterment (obviously, ONLY as a last resort).
This story can be seen as very controversial, and I'm saddened by what eventually happens (espcially since I love the Andorians), but...yeah, it felt VERY real...and I'm all for it.
This was a really good story, and I cannot wait to read the next book on the docket.
October 4, 2019
PATHS OF DISHARMONY by Dayton Ward is a book that has become more relevant with age. When it was written in 2011, the Brexit referendum was not years to come and most people thought Britain leaving Europe wasn't going to happen. Coincidentally, Paths of Disharmony is the story about how reactionary forces are attempting to make one of the founding planets of the United Federation of Planets (Andoria) leave.
This include demographics (racism), isolationism (racism), refugees (racism), and a few other other issues that might genuinely have merit by comparison. An explosive scandal engineered by foreign powers (The Tholians in this case) results in their political process being interfered with as well. What passes is a binding document that only goes through by a hair and potentially dooms Andoria to a dark future.
Actually, I think Dayton Ward is a lot brighter about Andoria's future than will happen even if it's portrayed as a mistake. As we have seen with the real life events that mirror this book, removing oneself from a much larger institution even voluntarily is a lot harder than it seems and can be devastating if both parties aren't cordial.
I really enjoyed this book because of its accidental political relevance and the fact I can read it as Star Trek commenting (however inadvertently) on events that are affecting friends of mine is a big boon. No matter how the RL Brexit affects things, the one in the book is handled quite well. Plus there's the usual Star Trek action and some ties to the events of Star Trek: Vanguard.
9/10
This include demographics (racism), isolationism (racism), refugees (racism), and a few other other issues that might genuinely have merit by comparison. An explosive scandal engineered by foreign powers (The Tholians in this case) results in their political process being interfered with as well. What passes is a binding document that only goes through by a hair and potentially dooms Andoria to a dark future.
Actually, I think Dayton Ward is a lot brighter about Andoria's future than will happen even if it's portrayed as a mistake. As we have seen with the real life events that mirror this book, removing oneself from a much larger institution even voluntarily is a lot harder than it seems and can be devastating if both parties aren't cordial.
I really enjoyed this book because of its accidental political relevance and the fact I can read it as Star Trek commenting (however inadvertently) on events that are affecting friends of mine is a big boon. No matter how the RL Brexit affects things, the one in the book is handled quite well. Plus there's the usual Star Trek action and some ties to the events of Star Trek: Vanguard.
9/10
February 21, 2018
Not my favorite. was king of long and drawn out. However I did like the andorian stuff a lot. They leave the federation and join the typhon pact at the end.
August 15, 2023
the ending brought this book up a star because I think it was very cool to end with Andoria leaving the Federation.
I do have some issues with this book though.
1 - a bit boring
2 - I wasn't super invested in the plotline of starfleet trying to shut down a protest of a medical conference
3 - they brought up this awesome aenar archaelogical site and then never mentioned it again
4 - didnt use Shar nearly enough
5 - picard put his 14 andorian officers front and centre on their trip to the planet as a sort of display that 'starfleet loves andoria' but tell me why we literally have had ONE main character andorian in all starfleet property so far. it felt like bringing out the token andorians for diversity's sake and something about that made me feel very frustrated and annoyed.
6 - this is the big issue. the andorian people OUTVOTED the genetic mutation going on (the genetic mutation that resulted in mostly miscarraiges and birth defects). they OUTVOTED it. but for some reason starfleet thinks its their responsibility to make sure that the outvoted party stays in power. just because they think the genetic modification is a good idea. that just seems like classic federation pushing their morals onto others. if they were outvoted, that means that Andoria had chosen their path. so let them be. they were TOTALLY justified in leaving the federation. justice for andoria.
I do have some issues with this book though.
1 - a bit boring
2 - I wasn't super invested in the plotline of starfleet trying to shut down a protest of a medical conference
3 - they brought up this awesome aenar archaelogical site and then never mentioned it again
4 - didnt use Shar nearly enough
5 - picard put his 14 andorian officers front and centre on their trip to the planet as a sort of display that 'starfleet loves andoria' but tell me why we literally have had ONE main character andorian in all starfleet property so far. it felt like bringing out the token andorians for diversity's sake and something about that made me feel very frustrated and annoyed.
6 - this is the big issue. the andorian people OUTVOTED the genetic mutation going on (the genetic mutation that resulted in mostly miscarraiges and birth defects). they OUTVOTED it. but for some reason starfleet thinks its their responsibility to make sure that the outvoted party stays in power. just because they think the genetic modification is a good idea. that just seems like classic federation pushing their morals onto others. if they were outvoted, that means that Andoria had chosen their path. so let them be. they were TOTALLY justified in leaving the federation. justice for andoria.
May 30, 2025
The Enterprise heads to Andoria to support an important conference but with growing conservatism and anti-Federation sentiment, Picard and crew are in for more than they bargained for. The Andorians are facing a fertility crisis and the federation is helping genetic researchers solve the crisis. However, some think this will be the end of Amdor as they know it.
This book is an interesting look at what would happen if a planet in the federation started moving towards nationalism and away from the Federation as a whole. Meanwhile the Enterprise crew doesn’t have a whole lot to do.
Like most of the series so far, this book is mostly build up. Still I think it shakes up the status quo by the end.
This book is an interesting look at what would happen if a planet in the federation started moving towards nationalism and away from the Federation as a whole. Meanwhile the Enterprise crew doesn’t have a whole lot to do.
Like most of the series so far, this book is mostly build up. Still I think it shakes up the status quo by the end.
October 6, 2016
Thirishar ch'Thane (aka Shar) was always one of my favorite new characters from the DS9 relaunch cast. I loved his entire story line, as well as the characters populating it. During the Borg attack the narrative followed his mother Charivretha to her death, so we knew about that one. As good as it was to see Shar again, I was very sad to see that EVERY SINGLE character from his ongoing arc in the DS9 books is now dead (with the exception of Prynn Tenmei, who we have yet to re-visit after the death of her father).
But Shar is a tiny little portion of this book. The politics surrounding the effort to fix the Andorian breeding crisis is front and center here, and it's some good stuff. They certainly don't shy away from big consequences in these books. One of the benefits of being technically "non-canon," I suppose.
I liked how this book is a part of the "Typhon Pact" series, but they have very little direct involvement in the plot. They are very obviously pulling puppet strings from the shadows, and I think it's very effective here.
Lots of hinting at Picard and Crusher leaving the Enterprise for a more peaceful life with which to raise their son Rene. I know I'm a few years behind as far as publishing dates go, but I haven't heard of Picard giving up command so I'll be curious to see that play out.
But Shar is a tiny little portion of this book. The politics surrounding the effort to fix the Andorian breeding crisis is front and center here, and it's some good stuff. They certainly don't shy away from big consequences in these books. One of the benefits of being technically "non-canon," I suppose.
I liked how this book is a part of the "Typhon Pact" series, but they have very little direct involvement in the plot. They are very obviously pulling puppet strings from the shadows, and I think it's very effective here.
Lots of hinting at Picard and Crusher leaving the Enterprise for a more peaceful life with which to raise their son Rene. I know I'm a few years behind as far as publishing dates go, but I haven't heard of Picard giving up command so I'll be curious to see that play out.
August 4, 2020
I couldn't finish this. I was really looking forward to this book too, but after struggling through 57% of it I just couldn't go on. The characters were fine, but the story was dragged out so badly that it barely held my interest. There were whole chapters dedicated to a few lines of dialogue. Everything in between the dialogue was filler ... The characters thinking about what they were saying and who they were talking to, about what they are that morning .... I would forget what they had said by the time the next person spoke. I believe I counted 6 whole pages dedicated to Worf thinking about how he was bored.
I love star trek novels ... And I'm not that picky. Honestly I'm not. But this was unreadable. I'm disappointed.
I love star trek novels ... And I'm not that picky. Honestly I'm not. But this was unreadable. I'm disappointed.
October 15, 2015
Excellent book with some far reaching consequences!
April 23, 2019
Can't believe it took me a month to read this sucker, but I've not had much time for reading. Here I am several years behind in the post-Nemesis litverse and a new Picard show being produced that may very well overturn the entire beta canon, so I've really got to get a move on before it doesn't matter anymore.
Anyway, this story is pretty good. That's really all to say about it. It's more of a political story- the Andorians, one of the Federation's founding races, are facing a dire genetic problem that makes reproduction difficult. Solutions are being found, but they are not well-received by several Andorian political factions, who think that the changes to Andorian DNA are too "alien." This story is about the divisions in Andorian politics, civil unrest that comes about as a result, and behind-the-scenes intrigue in the highest levels of Federation government. It's a pretty handily-crafted story. I didn't think it was really a page-turner, since nothing much happens, but I enjoyed it well enough, and the payoff was pretty good.
To summarize: didn't blow me away, but didn't really disappoint me either. Just a good story that I probably would have liked better had I had more time to sit down and read it.
Anyway, this story is pretty good. That's really all to say about it. It's more of a political story- the Andorians, one of the Federation's founding races, are facing a dire genetic problem that makes reproduction difficult. Solutions are being found, but they are not well-received by several Andorian political factions, who think that the changes to Andorian DNA are too "alien." This story is about the divisions in Andorian politics, civil unrest that comes about as a result, and behind-the-scenes intrigue in the highest levels of Federation government. It's a pretty handily-crafted story. I didn't think it was really a page-turner, since nothing much happens, but I enjoyed it well enough, and the payoff was pretty good.
To summarize: didn't blow me away, but didn't really disappoint me either. Just a good story that I probably would have liked better had I had more time to sit down and read it.
September 3, 2023
This one hit close to home: it's about how a group of extremists seemingly deliberately fabricate a belief from something that is demonstrably and obviously not true. With a frightening rejection of logic, reason and sense, they pursue a political agenda around this fiction that they have created, with disastrous end results. All in the name of a staunchly arrogant and pointless racism.
This book was published in 2010. 'Prescient' doesn't do it justice.
A rip-roaring, gung-ho romp this most certainly isn't. There's plenty of intrigue and some perfectly-tuned action - the computer stuff was particularly interesting. My contemporary impression (2023) is simply the way my brain reacted to it.
I've become somewhat less interested in the inherently episodic nature of the 'strange new worlds' (concept, not series) kind of Trek. This book is about the universe that has been created. It's about politics (alien, future, made up politics, I assure you) and it's about the logistics required of a federation of planets. The post-Borg stuff provided an opportunity for this, and the serialisation is what keeps me reading Star Trek novels at all. When I get to the end, I might stop entirely. We'll see.
This book was published in 2010. 'Prescient' doesn't do it justice.
A rip-roaring, gung-ho romp this most certainly isn't. There's plenty of intrigue and some perfectly-tuned action - the computer stuff was particularly interesting. My contemporary impression (2023) is simply the way my brain reacted to it.
I've become somewhat less interested in the inherently episodic nature of the 'strange new worlds' (concept, not series) kind of Trek. This book is about the universe that has been created. It's about politics (alien, future, made up politics, I assure you) and it's about the logistics required of a federation of planets. The post-Borg stuff provided an opportunity for this, and the serialisation is what keeps me reading Star Trek novels at all. When I get to the end, I might stop entirely. We'll see.
August 20, 2017
I feel slightly overwhelmed in my efforts to catch up with the post-Nemesis Star Trek novels. I'm still six years behind and, at the rate they publish new books, I'm not sure I can catch up unless I devote all of my reading time to Trek!
I was very excited by the idea of the Typhon Pact series but the execution has so far not lived up to my expectations. This book had a lot of action which is not generally my favourite part of Star Trek novels. I prefer the deep dives into character that the novels allow.
Some staggeringly big and important events happen at the very end of this novel but I have to admit the journey to get to the end was not especially enjoyable to me.
I sometimes stumble over alien names in these books. Logically, I understand that aliens would have names constructed vastly different from our own but practically, one needs something simple enough to read that it doesn't take the reader out of the book. All the Andorian names in this novel did pull me out a bit.
I was very excited by the idea of the Typhon Pact series but the execution has so far not lived up to my expectations. This book had a lot of action which is not generally my favourite part of Star Trek novels. I prefer the deep dives into character that the novels allow.
Some staggeringly big and important events happen at the very end of this novel but I have to admit the journey to get to the end was not especially enjoyable to me.
I sometimes stumble over alien names in these books. Logically, I understand that aliens would have names constructed vastly different from our own but practically, one needs something simple enough to read that it doesn't take the reader out of the book. All the Andorian names in this novel did pull me out a bit.
May 2, 2024
Brexit in space! Although the book was written a few years before the Brexit wrangling began and the author's an American who probably wouldn't be interested anyway, an awful lot in this story feels familiar as events unfold that lead to the planet Andor leaving the Federation. I even kept comparing the Andorian traditionalists with UKIP, fortunately for us UKIP didn't possess the military power and strategic brilliance that the Treishya have in the book.
With the Andorian parliament divided between progressives and traditionalists, and the Andorian people facing a major reproductive crisis that threatens the survival of the species, the Enterprise is sent to keep order at an important but controversial conference. It doesn't end well.
I've only given three stars because the book goes into an awful lot of detail about security measures surrounding the conference, and I would have liked more detail about life on Andor instead, but that's just my taste. The book is set quite late in the career of Jean Luc Picard, but there are still some familiar names serving on the Enterprise.
With the Andorian parliament divided between progressives and traditionalists, and the Andorian people facing a major reproductive crisis that threatens the survival of the species, the Enterprise is sent to keep order at an important but controversial conference. It doesn't end well.
I've only given three stars because the book goes into an awful lot of detail about security measures surrounding the conference, and I would have liked more detail about life on Andor instead, but that's just my taste. The book is set quite late in the career of Jean Luc Picard, but there are still some familiar names serving on the Enterprise.
February 23, 2024
The plot ideas for this novel were incredibly interesting, but unfortunately poorly executed. I think there was great potential for this type of story, but unfortunately the author seemed to get carried away in telling, not showing, and overall just over-explaining EVERYTHING. It was an exhausting and repetitive read. The Exposition to Action ratio was way off (and much of that expos was rather pointless, over-simplified technical, point-by-point drivel). I also thought the execution of the last act was a disappointing deus ex machina of sorts. This wasn't a fun read for the reader, and has been my least favorite installment of the Typhon Pact series thus far.
November 14, 2018
This time Jean Luc Picard and the Enterprise are the main focus for the story. They are trying to help rebuild Andor after recent events. Only problem is, many Andorians think that the Federation is either trying to wipe them out or change the purity of their race.
This is a really good story, and has many themes. The characterisation is spot on, and you really care what happens to the characters. It's nice to see characters from other Star Trek series here too. A very good read.
This is a really good story, and has many themes. The characterisation is spot on, and you really care what happens to the characters. It's nice to see characters from other Star Trek series here too. A very good read.
February 17, 2023
This book had me going through a lot of twists and turns. Learning that the Andorians are dealing with a fertility crisis that had its birthrates at almost zero, now they must deal with the utter devastation left by the Borg invasion of the Alpha Quadrant.
It also had me dealing with how the multiple crises on Andor would lead people to openly take up arms against their own government, and how that correlated to the political violence happening in our own country.
It also had me dealing with how the multiple crises on Andor would lead people to openly take up arms against their own government, and how that correlated to the political violence happening in our own country.
March 13, 2019
I remember a friend telling me when this book first came out that he didn't buy the premise at all. Here we are about a decade later, post Trump, post Brexit world and it is seems as if this book might be one of the most prophetic Star Trek books ever written.
And it more than meets my one requirement for a licensed book.. would it make a took episode/series of episodes/movie.
And it more than meets my one requirement for a licensed book.. would it make a took episode/series of episodes/movie.
July 22, 2022
The Typhon Pact saga continues! Published in 2011, Paths of Disharmony explores the complex political machinations of Andor, a founding member of The Federation.
Love science fiction book reviews? See the full review here: https://scifibooks.club/reviews/star-...
Love science fiction book reviews? See the full review here: https://scifibooks.club/reviews/star-...
December 28, 2023
I felt checked out for a good chunk of this book and not very invested. Some might get more out of this from reading the Vanguard series, apparently. I did like the very human conversation at the end, in which Picard ponders retirement in light of his new family life. So potential setup that could pay off perhaps.
November 10, 2018
The fourth in the Typhon Pact series. It focuses on Andor and the fertility issue of the Andorian civilization. This was a really good Trek story, made the reader think and had themes that relevant today.
April 1, 2021
Paths of disharmony
Continuing the story of TNG and the Typhon Pact. Enjoyed it being on he Enerprise and Andoria. A list of characters with backgrounds would be good, and an audio book.
Continuing the story of TNG and the Typhon Pact. Enjoyed it being on he Enerprise and Andoria. A list of characters with backgrounds would be good, and an audio book.
July 9, 2021
A nice escape from real life in 2021.
Star Trek does Brexit and the Capitol Riot, years before the events themselves. Otherwise, another reasonable romp in a cosily familiar world with leaders that never fail to do the right thing by putting their needs behind the greater good.
Star Trek does Brexit and the Capitol Riot, years before the events themselves. Otherwise, another reasonable romp in a cosily familiar world with leaders that never fail to do the right thing by putting their needs behind the greater good.
July 10, 2022
Great book!
A really great continuation of the star trek expanded universe! This book was a bit slower then previous ones, but still really good and its laying the foundation for an epic showdown!
Definitely worth a read.
A really great continuation of the star trek expanded universe! This book was a bit slower then previous ones, but still really good and its laying the foundation for an epic showdown!
Definitely worth a read.
May 1, 2024
Getting better
I haven’t been just blown way by the Typhon pact series so far but I enjoyed this book the most. The climatic events were truly engaging and Ward did a good job of making you care about the situation. Fingers crossed for the rest of the series.
I haven’t been just blown way by the Typhon pact series so far but I enjoyed this book the most. The climatic events were truly engaging and Ward did a good job of making you care about the situation. Fingers crossed for the rest of the series.
June 17, 2017
Good But Slow at times.
The book is slow to start and really wonder where it is going from time to time. It does pick up and ends well. Overall a good read.
The book is slow to start and really wonder where it is going from time to time. It does pick up and ends well. Overall a good read.
August 18, 2017
Decent but a little slow
It was a decent book but slow to start the end of the book is much better. The Typhon Pact series has not been my favorite.
It was a decent book but slow to start the end of the book is much better. The Typhon Pact series has not been my favorite.
July 16, 2019
For a book written nearly ten years ago now it seems remarkably prescient drawing parallels between Andorra’s departure from the Federation and the current Brexit debacle in the UK.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews