The Broken Places

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda #2

by Daniel Morris, Ethlie Ann Vare

A special event: a novel of the Kevin Sorbo-starring series, by a high-visibility writer who helped shape the first two years of its run.

The crew of the Andromeda Ascendant returns in this suspenseful second novel based on Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda . Beka Valentine's brother is worthless, no good scum, and she doesn't want anything to do with him. That is, until the day he shows up to tell her that he has found their long-lost mother. If he'd arrived at any other time, Beka's captain Dylan Hunt would have been all for letting her search for her past. Unfortunately for Beka, her brother's announcement comes at a time when the Andromeda Ascendant is deeply tangled in delicate negotiations between a group of Nietzcheans and the Human Interplanetary Alliance. The problem is that the HIA seems on the verge of allying with a group of religious fanatics obsessed with genetic purity.

Things get rapidly worse for Dylan when Beka sneaks off to try to find her mother. As if that wasn't enough, the rest of his crew soon starts taking sides in the negotiations. Before he knows it, he's facing an explosive situation that could turn into a bloodbath.

To complicate matters further, Beka's quest parallels one taken by her mother years ago, and if Dylan doesn't stop her, she just might unwittingly unleash a technology that could end all life in the universe.

Genres: Science Fiction

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ezra Estephan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Season 1½ of Andromeda. After the events in the episode “Ouroboros” unfolded, I feel the series all but jumped the shark and turned into a pile of ****. Well, I’m happy to say I quite enjoyed this novel. For fans of the show who pay close attention to the show’s continuity, it’s clear this novel takes place post-“Ouroboros”, but ignores the stupid changes that episode brought forward, essentially placing this novel in an alternate universe where my two favourite characters weren’t neutered. Even all that aside, the story is great on its own, providing good character development en par with what was delivered in the series at its creative peak. With a little plot restructuring, this novel would’ve made an excellent two-parter for the series proper.

[Viridian5 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't generally expect much of media tie-in books, especially recent ones, but Ethlie Ann Varre wrote some of my favorite episodes of the show, Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, so I had some hope.

As in the episodes, there's a main plot and a subplot. The main plot is that Beka and her brother locate their missing mother, who's chasing the same artifact that they've been after for most of their lives. (I'm told that the show itself will talk about Beka's mother soon, so this novel will probably be turned into an AU.) The subplot involves a rebellion on one of the Dragan slave worlds--thank you that somebody remembered that bit--and Dylan's feeble attempt to negotiate a peaceable settlement.

This story manages to show the most obnoxious traits of Tyr, Trance, Rev, and Harper. How is that possible? And given the time frame, why is Rev there anyway? Despite the presence of plot material that should bring out Harper's serious and/or dark side, he's portrayed as nothing more than a lecherous dork. Beka's mother doesn't get our sympathy or dislike or anything because she's just there.

There are a few nice moments--such as the revelation that after the Fall many people kept dates in a different way, substituting the hundreds of years AFC, starting years at the Fall, for the thousands of years CY--and the quotes that start out each chapter are a kick, but otherwise The Broken Places is a big letdown.

"The Divine loves equally the Vedran who cossets her young, and the Nightsider who eats hers. This is a problem with the Divine."
-- Keeper of the Way
Vision of Faith VII, CY 9874

"Diplomacy is the art of telling someone to go to hell so elegantly that he packs for the trip. War is the simpler matter of bringing hell to him."
-- High Guard Admiral Constanza Stark
CY 9779

[Anki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book based on the Andromeda television series (but in an alternate timeline, near as I can tell). I enjoyed reading it, but it showed me that the ability to craft a tight, moving script does not necessarily translate to an ability to write smooth, polished prose. There were some technical/stylistic issues surrounding tense shifts that kept throwing me out of the story, and I'm fairly certain they were due to the inherent differences between scriptwriting and normal prose.

[George · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story based on the Andromeda TV series.