Death of a Neutron Star

Star Trek: Voyager #17

by Eric Kotani

An alien scientist asks to join Captain Kathryn Janeway in the investigation of an unprecedented scientific find. Soon Voyager is embroiled in a battle of wills among several alien races -- each intent on decimating whole worlds in the process.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek Voyager, Fiction, Ebooks, Space

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1999

About the author

Pseudonym for the late Yoji Kondo.

Reviews

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Admittedly, I shouldn't expect the highest quality of literature from Star Trek paperbacks, but this was laughably bad. Forget for a moment the ridiculous quasi-science, the worst part about this book is the author's insistence on spending half the book describing coffee. Yes, Captain Janeway loves coffee. Yes, that's important to her character, but by focusing so much energy and so many words on the coffee experience, the author has made this a completely flat novel(la).

I put it at 2 stars because of the glaring problems, but that's a little unfair because I still read and enjoyed it, in a totally guilty pleasure kind of way.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF-ed at 50%. I. Just. Can't.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly gripping read, if not exactly groundbreaking. It's a high concept, plot-driven vehicle with some excellent actions set pieces, but aside from the guest cast, only Janeway receives centre-stage character work (in fact, the Doctor and Neelix only make token appearances). It remains full of the irritating continuity issues that plagued the first generation of "Voyager" novels: a season 3 story masquerading as season 5 and getting things wrong (Neelix knowing anything about the space they're in and the races that live in it, the inability to actually name the Delta Flyer, a Tom Paris straight out of season 1). But the novel does manage to paper over much of this and deliver an enjoyable adventure outing, and Janeway herself has one of her best literary outings as a strong, intelligent, occasionally snarky-in-the-right-way Captain. If saying that this novel feels like a competent "Voyager" episode is equal to damning with faint praise, so be it.

[Elizabeth Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this one the title says most of it, except the actual writer is Yoji Kondo which is an astrophysicist so I actually got to learn a lot about neutron stars which was pretty fun.

The good points: Hard science, character growth, a better sense of most of the characters jobs and the how difficult they can be, different points of view, fast paced, interesting aliens, interactions that felt believable, and over all it was hard to put this one down even when I really needed to get to other things.

The not so good points: Editing, the ending was on the weak side (still good just not as good as the rest of the book), and it did lack some humor.

Normally when I read a book and see a 1 star even if it was 5 stars to me I understand it, but not with this book. I think this author did an amazing job, and it was certainly fun and probably one of the best Voyager number books.

Overall I would recommend it to any and all Star Trek fans.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I agree with what other reviewers have said. Quasi science and flat characters. While I don't mind seeing some of the story from the 'outsider's' perspective I would much rather see what is going on inside the minds of the Voyager crew. That's a personal thing. I found myself getting bored.

I think there might have been a good story in there with a few more rewrites, clean up the science and if there had been more emphasis on the crew.

There was something not quite right about this story and I wasn't sure of what it was until I skimmed back through. Tom being a bit smitten with the beautiful alien when he first saw her and wanting to spend more time with her. Thankfully that was just a moment and that would have been true to the character in the earlier seasons but by the time Seven came on board Tom and B'elanna were an 'official' couple. I suppose this could have been squeezed in during the episodes The Gift and Day of Honor but even then Tom's behavior on the show indicated the only woman he was interested in was B'Elanna. Not a shipper but after I realized this it made the story seem a bit 'off' to me.

But there was little about it that makes me want to recommend it or even read it again. The majority of it is from the alien's point of view which some readers might enjoy. Its just not my particular preference.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I just slogged through three Diane Carey novels but this was a much needed breath of fresh air. Good use of the characters from Voyager and new characters. Kotani found just the right balance. There were running jokes throughout the book and creative moments aplenty. Everyone's characters fit in line with the show as this seems like it was written in the fourth or fifth season so they were well established at this point to provide a good base point. My only complaint was the tag line seemed to infer a big twist that never came, there was a little twist but I expected a bigger one but that's find. Solid book in my opinion and just what a I needed Star Trek-wise.

[Jimyanni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've certainly read many worse Star Trek books, but this one does share some of the characteristics of the worst of them. The plot is cheesy, the characterizations two-dimensional and rather juvenile, and the writing style, while far from the worst that I've seen, was pretty basic and elementary. I will give credit where it's due; the proofreading in this book seems to be much better than what is found in many otherwise-better Star Trek books. But while that avoids making the book worse than it already is, it's nowhere near enough to save it.

[Christina Farr-Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never to be read again

[Andrew Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shortly after rescuing a stolen yacht, Janeway and the crew discover one of the rarest things in the universe - a binary neutron star. Alongside the Voyager crew there are apparently three interested parties - although i'll be damned if i can remember their names. There was a sciencey race, a warlike race and a victim race. Lets say that, aye - Scientists, Warriors, Victims and Voyager, all surrounding a massive binary neutron star that is about to go nova. According to the victims, the warriors are trying to nudge the resultant supernova into destroying all the victims planets. Janeway, rightfully, decides this is a no no. She also discovers that if the supernova goes ahead without any interference at all, it would careen across the galaxy and wipe out the alpha quadrant. So the stakes could not be higher.

This is a tie-in novel to the series and not out to win any Hugos or Nebulas so i wasn't expecting great things. Just a fond reminder of my favourite Star Trek and seeing those characters again. Unfortunately, the book is marred by so many strange narrative choices, a rather nebulaic plot that never really knows what its doing, and handbrake personalities that make no sense.

And Janeways coffee. Holy cow, that was jarring. We all know Janeway likes her coffee, but if an outsider was to read this they'd be inclined to think shes an absolute junkie that can't go five minutes without a fix. Nearly every scene involved a shoe-horned in 'comedy' moment as Chakotay makes sure to invite Neelix for his coffee (because thats all he's useful for) or 'stolen' moments as Janeway thinks if 10 a day is too much. It is, by the way. Your hearts going to suffer.

The new characters introduced spend far too much time talking, and their motives are never particularly clear. Seven of Nine gets shoved into the category of 'mildly annoyed' and 'always right' which, sure, might be how she initially seemed but the beauty of that character was her adaptation... none of which is on show here.

The one up side is the science, i guess. The author has obviously eaten a book about Neutron stars and regurgitated it here - its only a shame that the narrative doesn't support the information dumps and instead makes me yearn for the end.

And its put me off coffee for a few days.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again, it's possible that this is someone's favorite book, but it certainly wasn't mine.

This was a mediocre book, at best. Honestly, the thing that bothered me the most about this book was that the plot felt very bogged down by the "science" of the whole thing. I don't know enough about real science to say that it's all fake, etc., and that's not what bothered me. I simply felt like this book got very "boggy" when it came to the science of what was happening, and it reached a point where I didn't really care about the explanation anymore. I just wanted something to happen.

The book wasn't awful, and there are some who may love this one, but I certainly didn't think it was the best I've ever read.

[Madeline Laake · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can tell this was written in a rush with no real proofreading. The idea for the plot is compelling, but this story was developed very poorly. The Voyager crew feels flat here. It bugged me how Tuvok was just a parody of himself saying bland Vulcan-isms that don’t add much to anything. The author restates the same information multiple times in different dialogues just to fill up space I guess. Thankfully, it’s a short read. This is my first Trek novel and I’m hoping it’s all uphill from here.

[Amy Tudor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one I struggled with. I agree with other reviewers that the characters seemed a bit flat and I felt at times they seemed a little cartoonish and a bit at odds with the seriousness of the situation they were in.
A good sci-fi story with high stakes, but hard to invest when the characters aren't fleshed out.

[Artie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Multiple short bursts of warp extremely close to colliding stars? Probably not possible. My biggest issue with this book is the constant referral to Voyager as a “human” ship as opposed to a Federation ship. Worth the read especially in the limited Voyager series. However, the Doctor is only in one scene with maybe 3 lines! Missed opportunity there…

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't seem to put this one down. I have only one complaint and that was Janeway and Paris' interactions. They seemed irreverent and flippant for the most part. I remember they were at odds in the show but I don't remember interactions like that.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story was interesting and I liked the guest characters. Had to mark it way down, though, for the part when Janeway said she wouldn't fly Voyager into a star to save the population of a group of planets. Hello, do you even know the lady? Grab yourself a slice of Janeway Pi 110 and strap in!

[Paul Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Voyager spaceship and her crew have another adventure close to a neutron star. It is a readable storyline with the usual antagonists and protagonists being of different alien races in the Delta quadrant with some unexpected twists. The usual characters on Voyager appear and act as expected, although Janeway is strong and even humorous, particularly with Tom. What is with all the count downs and numerous cups of coffee though. At the same time, some interesting aspects of neutron stars are explained in this story. All in all, it's a pleasant read.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Isn't a "Voyager" book supposed to have "Voyager" characters in it?

[Fayd Eaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

the book is good but too many details. As always the main characters are not the same that you can see in the Tv Series. Chakotey useless as always.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty solid Voyager tale all around. It took a very realistic approach which was equal parts cool and dull. Also, the scope felt very narrow. Still I enjoyed the plot and got through it quickly.

[Jackson Whiting · Rating 2 out of 5]

this one was okay. I enjoy the star trek franchise for the characters and the adventures. Not so much the science and this book is pretty much all science. So if thats your thing. Go for it.

[Chris Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captures the feel and behavior of the characters very well. A fun and easy read that’s true to the series.

[Joshua Palmatier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another entry in the book series that could have been an episode of the TV series. The basic premise is that Voyager runs into a shuttle in distress and helps them out before realizing that the inhabitants were being chased by another race, the Qavok, for stealing the craft. The two members on board the shuttle--a scientist and a guard--claim that they were kidnapped from their homeworld and that they had escaped and were trying to get back home so they could warn their people of the Qavok's intent to attack their planet. Voyager easily overpowers the Qavok and then turns its attention to the death of a neutron star, an unprecedented chance to witness and stellar phenomena in person. The scientist in the shuttle is also eager to witness the event. But there are more people interested in the circling binary stars, including the Qavok, and they don't all have scientific curiosity in mind.

The scientific premise for the story is interesting and engaging, and how it is used is effective. There are far reaching consequences to this death of a neutron star, and the results could even affect Earth and the Alpha Quadrant. The stakes are high. That aspect of the story is good. However, I found there were some problems with the initial set-up of the conflict between the two races and how Voyager gets involved. The initial run-in with the shuttle and how Janeway handled the situation didn't feel exactly true to the Prime Directive, and there was no compelling reason for Janeway to violate the Prime Directive in this instance. So I had some problems with the situation in the first place. But if you ignore that and simply go along with it, the story is fine. The writing was passable--not stellar, but readable. And the final twists and turns in the plot were interesting. Overall a good book, but not high up on my list of Voyager novels.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death of a Neutron Star appears to take place during the fourth to seventh seasons of the show, and Seven of Nine is a member of the crew. First, I must say that the Captain Janeway is a little more gung ho in the book than she is in the television series. I found her to be more like Captain Kirk in this story than Captain Janeway. And the fact that she was destroying the combative lizard-like aliens reminded me even more of Captain Kirk.

The author, Eric Kotani, has created an intriguing story about a neutron star that can be used as a weapon to destroy and entire solar system, and potentially even reach the Alpha Quadrant. The characters are right on, except for Janeway being a little more ruthless than I ever saw her in the seven-year run of the television show.

The story is quick and packs quite a wallop. I quite enjoyed reading about Janeway being more of a cowboy and shooting first before asking questions.

Death of a Neutron Star is an excellent addition to the Star Trek: Voyager series of book and should not be missed by any Star Trek fan.

I rated this book an 8 out of 10.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is really heavy on the science, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the and inner details were lacking consistency with the canon from the show, and even within the book itself (characters referred to shields as shields and screens, a term never used in the show, and the same character would use both terms). The characters seem to border of caricature (Janeway is obsessed with coffee having 5 cups in a day, Tom Paris is an uneducated pilot). It's as if the author watched a couple of episodes from the first couple of seasons and decided it was sufficient research to write a book.

I have no doubt the author is well versed in the world of science, but clearly lacked the knowledge of the show itself to really do justice to a novel based on the characters.

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes to a place the TV show didn't — it gives an outsider's perspective on Starfleet technology and philosophy.

As is a typical plot of a Star Trek episode, Captain Janeway and the crew of Voyager must unravel the competing interests of three alien races and do it before the local star goes supernova.

Kotani deserves a photon torpedo spread of praise for evoking the spirit of the TV. The characterizations of the regulars are spot on. The alien, Tyla, ranks as one of the most interesting guest characters in a Star Trek novel.

It's s fun, easy read that will satisfy the die-hard Voyager fans like myself and those who are looking for something light from the Star Trek universe.

[Nabil Hussain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Run of the mill sci fi tale.

This Voyager book is passable science fiction fayre but is barely a satisfactory science fiction novel. The premise was original, of an exploding neutron binary star causing danger to the Lekk homeworld and possibly to the Alpha quadrant. The descriptions were virtually non-existent with much of the action relayed by conversations of the characters involved. The book was not a masterpiece and character relationships were pretty minimal. The book had a bare scientific concept which was just adequately covered but not supported by any great deal of lietary prose. This book is worth only 3 stars in my opinion.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voyager find out about a binary neutron star that is about to explode and potentially eventually destroy the Alpha quadrant. The science and plot are very good. Characterisations, well, lets say there is no way Janeway is that obsessed with coffee, she thinks of it all the time in this book. The other characters have no apparent depth either. A good read.

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scientifically interesting, but the storytelling doesn't quite use all of its potential.

[Mozette]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11418042

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's true what the other reviewers have said about the science in the book. It is wrong, and even preposterous at times. And it's true that the premise revolves around this faulty science. Furthermore, the author seems to have no sense of scale. The galaxy is absolutely huge, and the vast majority of it is completely empty. I'm sure many readers rolled their eyes to the proposed solution to the problem, that seems to be the same solution to every problem in Star Trek, let alone the believability of the problem itself, and I can't say I didn't do the same.

On the plus side, the characters felt right, the alien characters were done properly, the pacing was nice and fast, and there were frequent chapter breaks, which made me want to read for longer periods of time compared to other Trek lit.

The most important thing is book was enjoyable to read, which I think is far more important than getting the science right. So, if you suspend your disbelief regarding the lack of research, or even a basic understanding of scale, I think you would enjoy the book as much as I did, or as much as some of the less believable episodes of the series (and boy did Voyager have a few of those).