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Star Trek: Voyager - Relaunch #14
To Lose the Earth
The long-awaited follow-up to Voyager: Architects of Infinity from the New York Times bestselling author and cocreator of Star Trek: Picard!
As the crew of the Full Circle fleet works to determine the fate of their lost ship, the Galen, a struggle for survival begins at the far edge of the galaxy. New revelations about Species 001, the race that built the biodomes that first drew the fleet to investigate planet DK-1116, force Admiral Kathryn Janeway to risk everything to learn the truth.
As the crew of the Full Circle fleet works to determine the fate of their lost ship, the Galen, a struggle for survival begins at the far edge of the galaxy. New revelations about Species 001, the race that built the biodomes that first drew the fleet to investigate planet DK-1116, force Admiral Kathryn Janeway to risk everything to learn the truth.
365 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 26, 2019
152 people are currently reading
472 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
October 15, 2020
A superb first contact story centered on an alien species, native to space, that is so utterly alien that for much of the story the crew desperately struggles to even just establish basic communications. That experience, however, is fraught with conflict, tension, desperation, rage and even periods of abject terror as the origins and intentions of the aliens remain shrouded in mystery, and their technology an enigma far outside the ken of Starfleet. Beyond first contact, the story takes on an epic scope that foreshadows Voyager's future mission, which parallels in some surprising ways with Voyager's original journey through the Delta quadrant. Though told from many POV's, Harry Kim is the real spotlight, and it's a pleasure to see how his character has grown and evolved and faces multiple crises, including a communications issue of a personal sort.
I admit to not having read Architects of Infinity, Beyer's previous Voyager book for which this is the sequel. The story picks up directly from events there, and though that put me at some disadvantage initially getting my bearings, Beyer does a good job providing context for those either in the same boat or needing refreshing.
My only rant is the sometimes excessive sentimentality of many of the characters, few of who make it through the story with dry eyes. Adding real emotional depth to the characters is a good thing, but it just feels a little weird when some of them tear up. They seem to carry over a little too much emotional baggage from previous Voyager books, the events of which Beyer references copiously in efforts to provide context to current events.
Lastly I'll note that Beyer does a fantastic job narrating the audiobook herself.
I admit to not having read Architects of Infinity, Beyer's previous Voyager book for which this is the sequel. The story picks up directly from events there, and though that put me at some disadvantage initially getting my bearings, Beyer does a good job providing context for those either in the same boat or needing refreshing.
My only rant is the sometimes excessive sentimentality of many of the characters, few of who make it through the story with dry eyes. Adding real emotional depth to the characters is a good thing, but it just feels a little weird when some of them tear up. They seem to carry over a little too much emotional baggage from previous Voyager books, the events of which Beyer references copiously in efforts to provide context to current events.
Lastly I'll note that Beyer does a fantastic job narrating the audiobook herself.
October 12, 2020
If this is the only proper goodbye we're going to get to the "Star Trek" post-Nemesis novel continuity of the last 10 years, then it was worth the two-year delay. Kirsten Beyer says goodbye to the novel line she has guided with such love and care by crafting a story that is epic in its implications for the future...and by crafting a set of intimate relationships that are so powerful they make the reader's soul ache. Just astonishing stuff...and it breaks my heart to know that we're never likely to see the next stage of this journey.
November 13, 2020
I didn’t like it that much. The ending does set up an interesting future but that gets shot down immediately in the author’s acknowledgments where she implies this is the end of the series.
Why didn’t I like it? It certainly is better than 99% of the Star Trek novels in the last few years. At least the author writes like an adult and treats the reader as one. However, I found the story somewhat complicated or confusing. That could be for several reasons. One is there is ( as usual) too much technobabble and pseudoscience. I just don’t have the patience for it anymore. Two, and this is probably the more significant reason: these novels have been piecing together a story for over a decade, with years between books. I literally cannot remember the backstory which is essential to this and previous books. I know I could reread the books ( I’m not that motivated and want to read nonTrek books as well) or look up the summary on the internet but should I have to? Maybe it is because I am getting older but this didn’t seem like it used to be a problem in the 2000s. I don’t know. I wanted to like it but it was just a sludge to get through.
Why didn’t I like it? It certainly is better than 99% of the Star Trek novels in the last few years. At least the author writes like an adult and treats the reader as one. However, I found the story somewhat complicated or confusing. That could be for several reasons. One is there is ( as usual) too much technobabble and pseudoscience. I just don’t have the patience for it anymore. Two, and this is probably the more significant reason: these novels have been piecing together a story for over a decade, with years between books. I literally cannot remember the backstory which is essential to this and previous books. I know I could reread the books ( I’m not that motivated and want to read nonTrek books as well) or look up the summary on the internet but should I have to? Maybe it is because I am getting older but this didn’t seem like it used to be a problem in the 2000s. I don’t know. I wanted to like it but it was just a sludge to get through.
October 17, 2020
My only major gripe about this book is that it's the last one. After so many novels, nothing could end the Voyager relaunch perfectly, but this certainly did it well.
January 7, 2021
I very much enjoyed it. Very good story.
My shipper heart is very happy.
My shipper heart is very happy.
October 14, 2020
The Full Circle crew under the command of Admiral Janeway is torn asunder when the 'U.S.S. Galen' is catapulted 43000 light years closer to the Galactic Barrier. Lt. Kim must set aside his personal problems to take command when a new life form threatens the ship and soon finds that the attack is prelude to a most unusual request.
Kirsten Beyer's long form series ends with 'To Lose the Earth', redefining the relationships of the 'Voyager' crew, but leaving the door truly wide open for new adventures.
The plotting of this story is excellent and the characterisations are very close to that shown on screen.
Kirsten Beyer's long form series ends with 'To Lose the Earth', redefining the relationships of the 'Voyager' crew, but leaving the door truly wide open for new adventures.
The plotting of this story is excellent and the characterisations are very close to that shown on screen.
October 14, 2020
I was curious to see how the story of "Architects of Infinity" was continued.
I have to say that I was a little disappointed about the details of the aliens known as the Edrehmaia. They seemed conceptually similar to the aliens in "Children of the Storm". Not exactly the same, but similar enough to make me think, hmm...I feel like I've read this before.
The end of the book (and Voyager's new mission) was interesting and I'm curious to see how that storyline unfolds.
Overall, it was an okay book and I'd recommend it.
I have to say that I was a little disappointed about the details of the aliens known as the Edrehmaia. They seemed conceptually similar to the aliens in "Children of the Storm". Not exactly the same, but similar enough to make me think, hmm...I feel like I've read this before.
The end of the book (and Voyager's new mission) was interesting and I'm curious to see how that storyline unfolds.
Overall, it was an okay book and I'd recommend it.
October 17, 2020
11 books just to marry two officers in a page and half ceremony.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2022
Swedish/English
En bra ljudbok uppläst av författaren själv och som är mycket lämpad för den uppgiften. Handlingen i den här boken tar vid 36 timmar efter handlingen i föregående bok "Architects of Infinity" och kontinuiteten i dessa två böcker är således mycket bra och en fröjd att ta del av. Författaren har ju erfarenhet av inte bara att skriva böcker som dessa, utan även manus till flertalet Star Trek-serier, bland annat avsnitt till serierna DIS och PIC, så det är kanske inte så lustigt att hon behärskar berättartekniken.
Det jag gillar med dessa två böcker är hur dom lyckas att omfatta (nästan) hela den ursprungliga besättningen ombord på VOY som vi lärde känna under tiden som serien sändes, men också inkludera nya karaktärer som är minst lika intressanta. Man är även bra på att sätta karaktärer i fokus som kanske primärt inte var det under seriens gång. Bland annat Harry Kim som jag alltid fann vara en intressant karaktär i serien men som liksom aldrig fick blomma ordentligt utan ofta stod i skymundan för dom mer ledande rollerna. Här får han skina och det gillar jag.
Handlingen är dock det som verkligen skiner i böckerna och det är mycket spännande. Som ett riktigt bra dubbelavsnitt av serien som brukade avsluta en säsong och så fick man vänta med upplösningen till nästa säsongsstart. Här slipper man väntan, vilket kanske är lika bra, men spänningen förtas inte utan är fortfarande massiv. Man vill liksom veta vad som händer härnäst och är en riktig bladvändare. Eller för min del, press-play-on-tape och sedan är det bara att förlora sig under promenadens gång.
Jag måste även säga att det är en smått härlig känsla att ha lyssnat på den här och föregående bok under tiden som jag håller på att se om tv-serien. Trots att böckerna tar vid efter att serien har slutat så är det så uppenbart hur bra dom passar tillsammans. Jag gillar att man inte bara har skrivit en bok för att antingen dra in stålar eller bara för att, utan för att uppenbarligen så finns det flera som tycker om VOY väldigt mycket och precis som mig, vill veta mer om vad som hände efter att det sista avsnittet av serien hade sänts.
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I like this a lot. The author is also a very good choice to read the audiobook. I hope she get's to narrate more of her own books in the feature.
I like that Harry Kim gets to shine in this and the previous book. He's always been an interesting character but almost always had to take a step back during the tv-series for more prominent characters.
This, as the previous book, features a great story with great continuity and excellent suspense. I read this (almost) back-to-back with the previous book "Architects of Infinity" and they, together, are just like a really good two part episode taken from the VOY series. But, instead of that dreadful to-be-continued sign at the end of the episode and then months upon months to wait for the conclusion you can just grab the next book and go. I'm happy I didn't wait a long time between the two books, because they were just so much fun to listen to. It really reminds me of how good the tv-series were and how much I love it.
En bra ljudbok uppläst av författaren själv och som är mycket lämpad för den uppgiften. Handlingen i den här boken tar vid 36 timmar efter handlingen i föregående bok "Architects of Infinity" och kontinuiteten i dessa två böcker är således mycket bra och en fröjd att ta del av. Författaren har ju erfarenhet av inte bara att skriva böcker som dessa, utan även manus till flertalet Star Trek-serier, bland annat avsnitt till serierna DIS och PIC, så det är kanske inte så lustigt att hon behärskar berättartekniken.
Det jag gillar med dessa två böcker är hur dom lyckas att omfatta (nästan) hela den ursprungliga besättningen ombord på VOY som vi lärde känna under tiden som serien sändes, men också inkludera nya karaktärer som är minst lika intressanta. Man är även bra på att sätta karaktärer i fokus som kanske primärt inte var det under seriens gång. Bland annat Harry Kim som jag alltid fann vara en intressant karaktär i serien men som liksom aldrig fick blomma ordentligt utan ofta stod i skymundan för dom mer ledande rollerna. Här får han skina och det gillar jag.
Handlingen är dock det som verkligen skiner i böckerna och det är mycket spännande. Som ett riktigt bra dubbelavsnitt av serien som brukade avsluta en säsong och så fick man vänta med upplösningen till nästa säsongsstart. Här slipper man väntan, vilket kanske är lika bra, men spänningen förtas inte utan är fortfarande massiv. Man vill liksom veta vad som händer härnäst och är en riktig bladvändare. Eller för min del, press-play-on-tape och sedan är det bara att förlora sig under promenadens gång.
Jag måste även säga att det är en smått härlig känsla att ha lyssnat på den här och föregående bok under tiden som jag håller på att se om tv-serien. Trots att böckerna tar vid efter att serien har slutat så är det så uppenbart hur bra dom passar tillsammans. Jag gillar att man inte bara har skrivit en bok för att antingen dra in stålar eller bara för att, utan för att uppenbarligen så finns det flera som tycker om VOY väldigt mycket och precis som mig, vill veta mer om vad som hände efter att det sista avsnittet av serien hade sänts.
-
I like this a lot. The author is also a very good choice to read the audiobook. I hope she get's to narrate more of her own books in the feature.
I like that Harry Kim gets to shine in this and the previous book. He's always been an interesting character but almost always had to take a step back during the tv-series for more prominent characters.
This, as the previous book, features a great story with great continuity and excellent suspense. I read this (almost) back-to-back with the previous book "Architects of Infinity" and they, together, are just like a really good two part episode taken from the VOY series. But, instead of that dreadful to-be-continued sign at the end of the episode and then months upon months to wait for the conclusion you can just grab the next book and go. I'm happy I didn't wait a long time between the two books, because they were just so much fun to listen to. It really reminds me of how good the tv-series were and how much I love it.
July 15, 2025
WOW.
I'm told this book marks the end of the Voyager novels in this particular timeline, as Star Trek Picard is taking over. If this is the last we see of the Voyager crew of this particular timeline, it was a fitting send-off.
At the end of Architects of Infinity, the Galen was seemingly destroyed with all hands, including Lieutenant Nancy Conlon (under the Doctor's care), Lieutenant Harry Kim (there to see Nancy) and their baby, currently a few weeks old embryo in an incubator. The culprit was a ship or entity of immense power, and Voyager, Vesta and Demeter were left wondering what to do next, and how to get revenge on something so powerful they can't even scan it to figure it out.
In an all too familiar circumstance to Lieutenant Kim, the Galen has been displaced so far they can actually see the galactic barrier off in the distance. The warp drive has been knocked out and most of the organic crew members were injured to varying measures, including the ship's captain, Commander Clarissa Glenn (head injury). Lieutenant Kim assumed command and got the crew organized with repairs, medical needs and figuring out what to do next. Ensign Drur figured out a way to communicate with the entities that dragged them off, and learned why. These beings have been trying to penetrate the galactic barrier and explore what lies beyond for a good two million years, and when they scanned the Full Circle crew, they learned that slipstream technology would enable them to finally achieve their goal. They took Galen because it was smallest and had the fewest life forms on board, lives they did their best to preserve even as they started altering the ship to serve their needs.
Voyager, Vesta and Demeter studied the footage of the Galen's alleged destruction relentlessly until Ensign Icheb noticed something that led them to the knowledge that the Galen wasn't destroyed, but transported. Like the Galen, they also worked on communicating with the entities to find out what they did and if they wouldn't mind bringing the Galen back.
Ensign Aytar Gwyn knew the Galen wasn't destroyed because of her unique physiology. As a half Kriosian, she has the recessive genes of an empathic metamorph. In Architects of Infinity, an attempt to use Gwyn's blood to help save Lieutenant Conlon from a mysterious degenerative condition that threatens her life brought those genes to the fore. As a result, Gwyn had to complete the fenis'ral and bond with someone for life or else she would die. She chose to bond with Kim and Conlon's baby, and as such, sensed her still living essence even from light years away. Between her sense of the baby's well being and Icheb's interpretation of the Galen's alleged destruction, they were pretty sure that the Galen was out there and needed a rescue.
In the absence of a cure, the Doctor and Lieutenant Barclay put Conlon's mind into a holographic body while they worked on healing her body. This enabled Conlon to use her engineering skills to help with repairs without worsening her condition, but made her feel as though she might not want to return to her body when the time came.
I absolutely love how they wrapped things up- both the Galen and the Full Circle crews made the entities understand that it was wrong to kidnap the Galen the way they did, and that if they needed help to pierce the galactic barrier, all they had to do was ask. Once the ships were all reunited and the Galen repaired, Voyager agreed to help the entities journey beyond the galactic barrier, with the proviso that after a few years of exploration, they would return Voyager to familiar space.
Captain Regina Farkas of the Vesta assumed Admiral Janeway's role as fleet commander for Vesta, Demeter and Galen (plus whatever support Starfleet promised to send them) to continue their exploration of the Delta Quadrant. Admiral Janeway extended the opportunity for anyone on the Voyager crew to opt out of the mission beyond the galactic barrier, and Tom Paris and B'lanna Torres took her up on it for the sake of their children. They decided to find postings on Earth to give their children a chance to live on a planet for a few years, with plans to rejoin Voyager upon its return to this galaxy.
The admiral also offered anyone who wanted in on the mission to transfer from their ship to Voyager. Commander Liam O'Donnell turned over command of the Demeter to Lieutenant Commander Atlee Fife and transferred to Voyager as a science specialist. He couldn't miss a chance to explore beyond the galactic barrier, and was pleased to have the opportunity to join them. Lieutenant Phinnegan Bryce jumped at the chance to take over Voyager's engine room for the mission, as it gave him a chance to both be part of a historic mission and develop his growing relationship with Ensign Icheb.
Lieutenant Kim remained undecided whether or not to go, as he intended to raise his and Nancy's daughter alone (she didn't want the responsibility). Ensign Gwyn made an appointment to speak with him at the first opportunity, to let him know of her bond with the baby. Considering that Kim was attracted to Gwyn when he first met her, I could see something happening between them since Conlon broke it off with him and also opted out of the mission.
Oh, and Admiral Janeway and Captain Chakotay got married the day before the mission beyond was set to fly :-). A great ending to a great series of novels!
I'm told this book marks the end of the Voyager novels in this particular timeline, as Star Trek Picard is taking over. If this is the last we see of the Voyager crew of this particular timeline, it was a fitting send-off.
At the end of Architects of Infinity, the Galen was seemingly destroyed with all hands, including Lieutenant Nancy Conlon (under the Doctor's care), Lieutenant Harry Kim (there to see Nancy) and their baby, currently a few weeks old embryo in an incubator. The culprit was a ship or entity of immense power, and Voyager, Vesta and Demeter were left wondering what to do next, and how to get revenge on something so powerful they can't even scan it to figure it out.
In an all too familiar circumstance to Lieutenant Kim, the Galen has been displaced so far they can actually see the galactic barrier off in the distance. The warp drive has been knocked out and most of the organic crew members were injured to varying measures, including the ship's captain, Commander Clarissa Glenn (head injury). Lieutenant Kim assumed command and got the crew organized with repairs, medical needs and figuring out what to do next. Ensign Drur figured out a way to communicate with the entities that dragged them off, and learned why. These beings have been trying to penetrate the galactic barrier and explore what lies beyond for a good two million years, and when they scanned the Full Circle crew, they learned that slipstream technology would enable them to finally achieve their goal. They took Galen because it was smallest and had the fewest life forms on board, lives they did their best to preserve even as they started altering the ship to serve their needs.
Voyager, Vesta and Demeter studied the footage of the Galen's alleged destruction relentlessly until Ensign Icheb noticed something that led them to the knowledge that the Galen wasn't destroyed, but transported. Like the Galen, they also worked on communicating with the entities to find out what they did and if they wouldn't mind bringing the Galen back.
Ensign Aytar Gwyn knew the Galen wasn't destroyed because of her unique physiology. As a half Kriosian, she has the recessive genes of an empathic metamorph. In Architects of Infinity, an attempt to use Gwyn's blood to help save Lieutenant Conlon from a mysterious degenerative condition that threatens her life brought those genes to the fore. As a result, Gwyn had to complete the fenis'ral and bond with someone for life or else she would die. She chose to bond with Kim and Conlon's baby, and as such, sensed her still living essence even from light years away. Between her sense of the baby's well being and Icheb's interpretation of the Galen's alleged destruction, they were pretty sure that the Galen was out there and needed a rescue.
In the absence of a cure, the Doctor and Lieutenant Barclay put Conlon's mind into a holographic body while they worked on healing her body. This enabled Conlon to use her engineering skills to help with repairs without worsening her condition, but made her feel as though she might not want to return to her body when the time came.
I absolutely love how they wrapped things up- both the Galen and the Full Circle crews made the entities understand that it was wrong to kidnap the Galen the way they did, and that if they needed help to pierce the galactic barrier, all they had to do was ask. Once the ships were all reunited and the Galen repaired, Voyager agreed to help the entities journey beyond the galactic barrier, with the proviso that after a few years of exploration, they would return Voyager to familiar space.
Captain Regina Farkas of the Vesta assumed Admiral Janeway's role as fleet commander for Vesta, Demeter and Galen (plus whatever support Starfleet promised to send them) to continue their exploration of the Delta Quadrant. Admiral Janeway extended the opportunity for anyone on the Voyager crew to opt out of the mission beyond the galactic barrier, and Tom Paris and B'lanna Torres took her up on it for the sake of their children. They decided to find postings on Earth to give their children a chance to live on a planet for a few years, with plans to rejoin Voyager upon its return to this galaxy.
The admiral also offered anyone who wanted in on the mission to transfer from their ship to Voyager. Commander Liam O'Donnell turned over command of the Demeter to Lieutenant Commander Atlee Fife and transferred to Voyager as a science specialist. He couldn't miss a chance to explore beyond the galactic barrier, and was pleased to have the opportunity to join them. Lieutenant Phinnegan Bryce jumped at the chance to take over Voyager's engine room for the mission, as it gave him a chance to both be part of a historic mission and develop his growing relationship with Ensign Icheb.
Lieutenant Kim remained undecided whether or not to go, as he intended to raise his and Nancy's daughter alone (she didn't want the responsibility). Ensign Gwyn made an appointment to speak with him at the first opportunity, to let him know of her bond with the baby. Considering that Kim was attracted to Gwyn when he first met her, I could see something happening between them since Conlon broke it off with him and also opted out of the mission.
Oh, and Admiral Janeway and Captain Chakotay got married the day before the mission beyond was set to fly :-). A great ending to a great series of novels!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2025
Workmanlike completion of the story begun in Architects of Infinity
February 2, 2021
*sigh* Okay. Let me preface this review by saying that I am a BIG fan of the Beyer-verse; I have waxed poetic countless times on endless occasions about how much I love this author and how her writing has breathed so much life back into this franchise, this series, and these characters. She has also validated J/C - Something for which I will always be eternally grateful. But this book, upon completion, (having anticipated its release since finishing Architects of Infinity) seemed...underwhelming? Mildly disappointing? I can't imagine I'm the only one who feels that it just didn't hit the mark; With all the hype and excitement surrounding its release, it was difficult to feel content or fulfilled with its ending, particularly as a reader who has devoured all the previous novels in this relaunch series.
There were some really great narrative plot points and character development in this story (Galen disaster, Edrehmaia first contact, getting to know Gwyn and Patel more, etc), but the Edrehmaia plot line / discovery was just SO broad, SO much information. There were so many times where (imo) the scope of it all just got TOO big. It got confusing and difficult to follow. Which is why the ending was incredibly disappointing. Every loose end (perhaps except for Gwyn and her connection to the baby. Maybe the DTI thread too) got tied up in the last 50 pages, but without the fulfillment and satisfaction of having that emotional journey of seeing those endings through? As a reader, I feel like we were just told things. There was a lot of explaining at the end with no opportunities for the reader to figure things out/connect on their own. And no emotional journeys with these characters. I don't mind that Beyer chose to have Nancy and Harry split - But it was the WAY in which it was done. Also, Hologram Nancy has some come to Jesus moment of with Cambridge about how she never loved Harry and they split up and that's all we get?! Very frustrating. (Also - The entire fleet medical staff finally figuring out what was wrong with Nancy was also just ... too easy?! Was anyone else disappointed by this?) Which leads me to the damn wedding - Which as a J/C shipper, I will 100% take and accept but - I wanted more dialogue with them/about it. I wanted more feeling. I wanted...more. I wanted a deeper conversation with Janeway and Chakotay at the end about it all. As a fan/reader, I feel like I was robbed that?! Just ... *sighs*
Here's the deal. This book was so all over the place, but then got so neatly tied up in a bow at the end, that the "ride"/journey/adventure of reading this book was not fulfilling, not satisfying. The structure was...unbalanced. Beyer does mention at the end how this novel took awhile to complete since she's involved which so many other Trek projects (which I all love and am a fan of, btw) but it seemed evident that this book was not a priority, was put on the backburner, and could have honestly used some more edits before publishing (imo). Structurally, I think Beyer was possibly putting this ending to the novel in a place where her (or possibly/potentially someone else), could pick back up on in the future (since she also said in her ending acknowledgments that this was the last book for awhile - or something along those lines...).
Bottom line - If you are a fan of this series (and this book series in particular, like me), by all means, please read this book. Don't NOT read it. Please read it. There are great moments (writing, dialogue, science-fiction, character development) But know that it just won't hit as hard as say, The Eternal Tide (which to me is the *chef's kiss* Beyer-verse magnum opus).
There were some really great narrative plot points and character development in this story (Galen disaster, Edrehmaia first contact, getting to know Gwyn and Patel more, etc), but the Edrehmaia plot line / discovery was just SO broad, SO much information. There were so many times where (imo) the scope of it all just got TOO big. It got confusing and difficult to follow. Which is why the ending was incredibly disappointing. Every loose end (perhaps except for Gwyn and her connection to the baby. Maybe the DTI thread too) got tied up in the last 50 pages, but without the fulfillment and satisfaction of having that emotional journey of seeing those endings through? As a reader, I feel like we were just told things. There was a lot of explaining at the end with no opportunities for the reader to figure things out/connect on their own. And no emotional journeys with these characters. I don't mind that Beyer chose to have Nancy and Harry split - But it was the WAY in which it was done. Also, Hologram Nancy has some come to Jesus moment of with Cambridge about how she never loved Harry and they split up and that's all we get?! Very frustrating. (Also - The entire fleet medical staff finally figuring out what was wrong with Nancy was also just ... too easy?! Was anyone else disappointed by this?) Which leads me to the damn wedding - Which as a J/C shipper, I will 100% take and accept but - I wanted more dialogue with them/about it. I wanted more feeling. I wanted...more. I wanted a deeper conversation with Janeway and Chakotay at the end about it all. As a fan/reader, I feel like I was robbed that?! Just ... *sighs*
Here's the deal. This book was so all over the place, but then got so neatly tied up in a bow at the end, that the "ride"/journey/adventure of reading this book was not fulfilling, not satisfying. The structure was...unbalanced. Beyer does mention at the end how this novel took awhile to complete since she's involved which so many other Trek projects (which I all love and am a fan of, btw) but it seemed evident that this book was not a priority, was put on the backburner, and could have honestly used some more edits before publishing (imo). Structurally, I think Beyer was possibly putting this ending to the novel in a place where her (or possibly/potentially someone else), could pick back up on in the future (since she also said in her ending acknowledgments that this was the last book for awhile - or something along those lines...).
Bottom line - If you are a fan of this series (and this book series in particular, like me), by all means, please read this book. Don't NOT read it. Please read it. There are great moments (writing, dialogue, science-fiction, character development) But know that it just won't hit as hard as say, The Eternal Tide (which to me is the *chef's kiss* Beyer-verse magnum opus).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2020
did not hold my attention
and was very disappointed to learn 2 things at the end of this book
which was kirsten beyer is very busy with picard and other tv shows , so she will not be writing another book for a while
BUT WHAT MADE IT MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH WORSE FOR ME.
was that she decided to have a MUCH BELOVED character LEAVE VOYAGER while every one else from voyager went on with the mission.
I HATE HATE putting a book down and being sad that there will be no more books
but what made it 10x worse was the beloved character leaving, voyager and staying on earth.
and was very disappointed to learn 2 things at the end of this book
which was kirsten beyer is very busy with picard and other tv shows , so she will not be writing another book for a while
BUT WHAT MADE IT MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH WORSE FOR ME.
was that she decided to have a MUCH BELOVED character LEAVE VOYAGER while every one else from voyager went on with the mission.
I HATE HATE putting a book down and being sad that there will be no more books
but what made it 10x worse was the beloved character leaving, voyager and staying on earth.
January 11, 2021
It's odd when you can point to the exact sentence in a book where it all goes wrong. The first 90% of this novel is great, it's detailed, it's engrossing.
Then it goes rather deus ex machina, everything is resolved in five seconds, and the remaining bit of the novel seems more like poorly-rendered slash fanfiction, almost entirely in second-hand accounts of events. It's like suddenly the deadline was the next day and there wasn't time to finish writing it properly. This is a very disappointing way for Beyer's Full Circle series to end, as the other novels have been enthralling and detailed.
Then it goes rather deus ex machina, everything is resolved in five seconds, and the remaining bit of the novel seems more like poorly-rendered slash fanfiction, almost entirely in second-hand accounts of events. It's like suddenly the deadline was the next day and there wasn't time to finish writing it properly. This is a very disappointing way for Beyer's Full Circle series to end, as the other novels have been enthralling and detailed.
March 1, 2025
A bit too easy to get lost in the complicated storyline (especially since it's been so long between books) - it wasn't until the last 1/3 of the book that it really started to pick up.
December 19, 2020
Idk if it's the long wait between books or what, but I kinda don't care about the FCF anymore. Not the characters, not the plots. It started out fun & just fizzled out.
Read
August 2, 2021Unrated because I hated it.
🔴🔴🔴 SPOILERS AHEAD 🔴🔴🔴
I didn’t think there would be a worse instalment than ‘Architects of Infinity’ but this book just joined it.
I initially refused to read this book because I had hated the previous book so much. I didn’t want to hate my favourite show or my favourite characters. I really didn’t even care that Harry ‘died’ at the end of the last book. However, a random need for something Voyager related had me looking this up on the Apple store library. ‘Maybe it’s minutely better than ‘Architects’,’ I lied to myself. Against my better judgement, I got it.
Voyager is my favourite Star Trek series and so I know these characters inside and out and I have been reading this novel series for years. I had greatly enjoyed all of the post-Endgame books, from Homecoming to A Pocket Full of Lies. I devoured them all. I have loved these characters for years and I have watched the series countless times and when I say that these characters were acting out-of-character, I mean it. I have never heard Janeway utter the words, ‘ridiculously busy’ in the 20 years that she has been my favourite character. Was it character evolution? No. Not at all. She has never said that. Also, Kathryn Janeway would never have forgotten about a baby or discounted a baby on a crew manifest no matter how little time she knew about said child. She would’ve remembered and would not have needed Chakotay to remind her. Janeway is fiercely loyal to her people.
Even Beyer’s representation of Chakotay in this book was unbelievable. B’Elanna (for all that she appeared in this book) was also poorly written. “…the stupid Malon” stands out as something she would never have said yet Beyer had her say it in this book. I could go on. I feel that a lot of character assassination was happening throughout this book and the previous one. I believe I have a lengthy rant about it on Goodreads too.
Story wise, I was bored. Nothing about this story enthralled me. I even looked up the whole plot on Memory-Beta just to see if I liked the sound of anything. I did not. The only thing that kept me reading was a certain thing at the end and even then, it all happened in a matter of paragraphs. I felt ROBBED of something that I have been waiting for for 20 years. Nothing about it was interesting or even in keeping with the whole story arc of ‘Full Circle’. It felt disjointed and unnecessarily convoluted. I felt that a lot of the narrative was unnecessary and would’ve resulted in a far shorter book and made for a much more painless read. Even if this had’ve been a storyline in the show or a feature movie, I would’ve worked out of the screening. No amount of waiting for Janeway and Chakotay to finally kiss would have made me sit through this.
I’m actually glad that this is the last book in this series. The last book that I enjoyed was ‘A Pocket Full of Lies’ and even then, I had a few issues but I enjoyed it nevertheless. For Janeway and Chakotay shippers, like me, this book was an insult. I’ve marked this review as having spoilers so I’m going to go full out here;
▪️ First of all, in chapter 8 had Janeway and Chakotay doing research which I presume was while they were on duty because Janeway rose from her ‘workstation.’ During this, Chakotay caresses her cheek and she kisses him before saying, “Back to work.” This says to me that they were on duty. They would never have been intimate whilst on duty. They would’ve kept their private life private and off the clock. She’s the Admiral on her shift and he’s the Captain.
▪️ Secondly, we didn’t even get a proper proposal! We got a freaked out Janeway in the previous book at the idea of Chakotay proposing and yet she’s the one that ends up ‘proposing’ by saying, “I have one condition.” WHAT?!?! Twenty-five years of waiting, one deleted kiss from ‘Resolutions,’ a ‘Just how close do we get?’, a ‘We’re more than that,’ and that’s what we get?!?!
▪️ And don’t get me STARTED on that shambles of a wedding that Beyer gave us. 6-ish paragraphs? Tom and B’Elanna got a better wedding in ‘Course:Oblivion’.
No. I am not a happy camper after reading that. The ending was ridiculously rushed and for a last-in-series-book, an epilogue would’ve been nice. Maybe if Beyer had watched Voyager again before writing this, I would’ve been reading my favourite characters and not those from Discovery. The crew of Voyager deserved more than this effort if this is how the book series is to end. If Voyager is to explore outside of the Milky Way, I pray that Beyer isn’t at that helm. I don’t understand why Beyer dropped the ball so spectacularly with these last two books, I just know that I hated them.
🔴🔴🔴 SPOILERS AHEAD 🔴🔴🔴
I didn’t think there would be a worse instalment than ‘Architects of Infinity’ but this book just joined it.
I initially refused to read this book because I had hated the previous book so much. I didn’t want to hate my favourite show or my favourite characters. I really didn’t even care that Harry ‘died’ at the end of the last book. However, a random need for something Voyager related had me looking this up on the Apple store library. ‘Maybe it’s minutely better than ‘Architects’,’ I lied to myself. Against my better judgement, I got it.
Voyager is my favourite Star Trek series and so I know these characters inside and out and I have been reading this novel series for years. I had greatly enjoyed all of the post-Endgame books, from Homecoming to A Pocket Full of Lies. I devoured them all. I have loved these characters for years and I have watched the series countless times and when I say that these characters were acting out-of-character, I mean it. I have never heard Janeway utter the words, ‘ridiculously busy’ in the 20 years that she has been my favourite character. Was it character evolution? No. Not at all. She has never said that. Also, Kathryn Janeway would never have forgotten about a baby or discounted a baby on a crew manifest no matter how little time she knew about said child. She would’ve remembered and would not have needed Chakotay to remind her. Janeway is fiercely loyal to her people.
Even Beyer’s representation of Chakotay in this book was unbelievable. B’Elanna (for all that she appeared in this book) was also poorly written. “…the stupid Malon” stands out as something she would never have said yet Beyer had her say it in this book. I could go on. I feel that a lot of character assassination was happening throughout this book and the previous one. I believe I have a lengthy rant about it on Goodreads too.
Story wise, I was bored. Nothing about this story enthralled me. I even looked up the whole plot on Memory-Beta just to see if I liked the sound of anything. I did not. The only thing that kept me reading was a certain thing at the end and even then, it all happened in a matter of paragraphs. I felt ROBBED of something that I have been waiting for for 20 years. Nothing about it was interesting or even in keeping with the whole story arc of ‘Full Circle’. It felt disjointed and unnecessarily convoluted. I felt that a lot of the narrative was unnecessary and would’ve resulted in a far shorter book and made for a much more painless read. Even if this had’ve been a storyline in the show or a feature movie, I would’ve worked out of the screening. No amount of waiting for Janeway and Chakotay to finally kiss would have made me sit through this.
I’m actually glad that this is the last book in this series. The last book that I enjoyed was ‘A Pocket Full of Lies’ and even then, I had a few issues but I enjoyed it nevertheless. For Janeway and Chakotay shippers, like me, this book was an insult. I’ve marked this review as having spoilers so I’m going to go full out here;
▪️ First of all, in chapter 8 had Janeway and Chakotay doing research which I presume was while they were on duty because Janeway rose from her ‘workstation.’ During this, Chakotay caresses her cheek and she kisses him before saying, “Back to work.” This says to me that they were on duty. They would never have been intimate whilst on duty. They would’ve kept their private life private and off the clock. She’s the Admiral on her shift and he’s the Captain.
▪️ Secondly, we didn’t even get a proper proposal! We got a freaked out Janeway in the previous book at the idea of Chakotay proposing and yet she’s the one that ends up ‘proposing’ by saying, “I have one condition.” WHAT?!?! Twenty-five years of waiting, one deleted kiss from ‘Resolutions,’ a ‘Just how close do we get?’, a ‘We’re more than that,’ and that’s what we get?!?!
▪️ And don’t get me STARTED on that shambles of a wedding that Beyer gave us. 6-ish paragraphs? Tom and B’Elanna got a better wedding in ‘Course:Oblivion’.
No. I am not a happy camper after reading that. The ending was ridiculously rushed and for a last-in-series-book, an epilogue would’ve been nice. Maybe if Beyer had watched Voyager again before writing this, I would’ve been reading my favourite characters and not those from Discovery. The crew of Voyager deserved more than this effort if this is how the book series is to end. If Voyager is to explore outside of the Milky Way, I pray that Beyer isn’t at that helm. I don’t understand why Beyer dropped the ball so spectacularly with these last two books, I just know that I hated them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2021
With "To Lose the Earth", Kirsten Beyer closes out her final chapter in the Star Trek Voyager saga. And Kirsten's decisions in this book are...polarizing.
Kirsten without a doubt has earned her place in the Pantheon of Star Trek writers. Her Voyager books alone are impressive enough, but her jump from tie-in writer to television writer will be one of the best developments for the genre in history. Unfortunately, because of her work in the many television series, she has to give up writing Star Trek novels.
"To Lose the Earth" follows up "Architects of Infinity" and shows the crew of the Full Circle fleet come to grips with the disappearance of the "Galen". This book spent it's chapters flipping back and forth from the main fleet in the main Delta Quadrant and the crew of the Galen. As the book went along, I found myself really drawn into the story of the Galen and not very much interested in the Voyager plot. It's not to say that Voyager's scenes were written badly, but they weren't particularly interesting to me and I tend to latch onto storylines I like.
I thought making Harry Kim the main character of this book was a bold choice. I knew going into the book how certain characters stories would end, but I actually was surprised by Kim's. Harry is just the nicest character and does not deserve the bad treatment he's gotten the last several books. While he's made some bad mistakes in the past, I do not like where Nancy Conlon and him decided to end up in the book. I thought it was inconsiderate of Conlon to make the choice she made, and I'm hoping that any author who comes in later will fix it. There's still a bit of possibility for it to be fixed through Ensign Gwyn, so I'm hopeful that Harry Kim will have a better story in the future, because between his 7 seasons on Voyager, and the books by Christie Golden and Kirsten Beyer, he's been through a lot.
The characters I particularly love, Janeway, Seven of Nine, and the Parises didn't have much to do in this book. That was frustrating, but this book really feels like a handing of the baton off to different characters. I'm now eager to see where they go in the future.
Overall, the main plot of the Galen reminded me a lot of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", to the point that I thought that Kirsten was directly referencing it. TMP is one of my least favorite movies, yet Beyer still made it work in this book.
This book doesn't have the epic scope of "Full Circle" or the "Prey Trilogy", nor does it have the epic climax of "The Eternal Tide" or the "Destiny Trilogy". This book simply wraps up a lot of storylines and sets up future authors with potential for the future.
Overall, this was a solid book, but it's not my favorite, and Beyer made choices I didn't like, which has been happening more and more as I read her books. I am just hopeful that a new Star Trek author will come in after her and helm the series well. "To Lose the Earth" gets a 7.5 out of 10 from me.
Side note: Now is your opportunity to have a huge time jump to catch Voyager up to the main series and have an epic crossover WITH Voyager. Please don't throw that opportunity away Gallery books.
Kirsten without a doubt has earned her place in the Pantheon of Star Trek writers. Her Voyager books alone are impressive enough, but her jump from tie-in writer to television writer will be one of the best developments for the genre in history. Unfortunately, because of her work in the many television series, she has to give up writing Star Trek novels.
"To Lose the Earth" follows up "Architects of Infinity" and shows the crew of the Full Circle fleet come to grips with the disappearance of the "Galen". This book spent it's chapters flipping back and forth from the main fleet in the main Delta Quadrant and the crew of the Galen. As the book went along, I found myself really drawn into the story of the Galen and not very much interested in the Voyager plot. It's not to say that Voyager's scenes were written badly, but they weren't particularly interesting to me and I tend to latch onto storylines I like.
I thought making Harry Kim the main character of this book was a bold choice. I knew going into the book how certain characters stories would end, but I actually was surprised by Kim's. Harry is just the nicest character and does not deserve the bad treatment he's gotten the last several books. While he's made some bad mistakes in the past, I do not like where Nancy Conlon and him decided to end up in the book. I thought it was inconsiderate of Conlon to make the choice she made, and I'm hoping that any author who comes in later will fix it. There's still a bit of possibility for it to be fixed through Ensign Gwyn, so I'm hopeful that Harry Kim will have a better story in the future, because between his 7 seasons on Voyager, and the books by Christie Golden and Kirsten Beyer, he's been through a lot.
The characters I particularly love, Janeway, Seven of Nine, and the Parises didn't have much to do in this book. That was frustrating, but this book really feels like a handing of the baton off to different characters. I'm now eager to see where they go in the future.
Overall, the main plot of the Galen reminded me a lot of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", to the point that I thought that Kirsten was directly referencing it. TMP is one of my least favorite movies, yet Beyer still made it work in this book.
This book doesn't have the epic scope of "Full Circle" or the "Prey Trilogy", nor does it have the epic climax of "The Eternal Tide" or the "Destiny Trilogy". This book simply wraps up a lot of storylines and sets up future authors with potential for the future.
Overall, this was a solid book, but it's not my favorite, and Beyer made choices I didn't like, which has been happening more and more as I read her books. I am just hopeful that a new Star Trek author will come in after her and helm the series well. "To Lose the Earth" gets a 7.5 out of 10 from me.
Side note: Now is your opportunity to have a huge time jump to catch Voyager up to the main series and have an epic crossover WITH Voyager. Please don't throw that opportunity away Gallery books.
January 7, 2021
This is a *really* good Trek novel.
The story itself is complex, well-paced, intriguing, and juuuuust plausible enough to be taken seriously while also being just fanciful and exotic enough to be unpredictable. It's an excellent balance.
The author reads the audiobook version, and I love how she does it. I noticed a subtle difference between her reading and the usual people who read these things. Normally, these stories are performed by a professional actor. In this case, the story is told by a professional storyteller. I can't put my finger on what quality of her reading is different, but I *immediately* fell in love with the way she shared this story with her listeners.
Between this book and its prequel, the author handles seriously thorny topics, and she does so with dignity and balance. There's talk of abortion, same-sex partnerships, divorce, and even hints of palliative-care decisions. In other words, lots of heavy material that Trek novels often omit because they're interested in being unoffensive, quick, predictable, plot-driven reads. But in this case, the author tackles the issues head-on and without fear. She confronts the issues, helps readers see the situations from a number of angles, and she resolves each of them in dignified, non-controversial ways. I can't tell you how impressed I am with how she handled each of those topics. That alone makes the series worth reading, honestly.
I do have one rather minor complaint. Honestly, when it happened, I got a bit frustrated with the author for rushing and her editor for not catching the trouble, but then I laughed because after all, this is Voyager. While it aired, I stopped watching that show because the writers would have everything wrap up during the final commercial break. When we came back after the break, everything had cleaned up, reset, gone back to normal, and we just got to see everyone sing kum ba yah. We never got to watch the process—the effects of the episode's climax—play out. It pissed me off. Here in this book, we get a little bit of that. The crisis reaches peak intensity, people solve problems, and we're ready to watch everyone respond. Right then, the author switches from show to tell, and we get a solid chunk of exposition. Fortunately, it only lasts a little while, and she gets right back into character-driven activity, and her storytelling skills shine again. But for a few minutes, I rolled my eyes.
That few minutes, though, is nothing compared to the quality of the rest of the book. I enjoyed every aspect of this story far more than I expected, even after the prequel—and my expectations were already pretty high.
The story itself is complex, well-paced, intriguing, and juuuuust plausible enough to be taken seriously while also being just fanciful and exotic enough to be unpredictable. It's an excellent balance.
The author reads the audiobook version, and I love how she does it. I noticed a subtle difference between her reading and the usual people who read these things. Normally, these stories are performed by a professional actor. In this case, the story is told by a professional storyteller. I can't put my finger on what quality of her reading is different, but I *immediately* fell in love with the way she shared this story with her listeners.
Between this book and its prequel, the author handles seriously thorny topics, and she does so with dignity and balance. There's talk of abortion, same-sex partnerships, divorce, and even hints of palliative-care decisions. In other words, lots of heavy material that Trek novels often omit because they're interested in being unoffensive, quick, predictable, plot-driven reads. But in this case, the author tackles the issues head-on and without fear. She confronts the issues, helps readers see the situations from a number of angles, and she resolves each of them in dignified, non-controversial ways. I can't tell you how impressed I am with how she handled each of those topics. That alone makes the series worth reading, honestly.
I do have one rather minor complaint. Honestly, when it happened, I got a bit frustrated with the author for rushing and her editor for not catching the trouble, but then I laughed because after all, this is Voyager. While it aired, I stopped watching that show because the writers would have everything wrap up during the final commercial break. When we came back after the break, everything had cleaned up, reset, gone back to normal, and we just got to see everyone sing kum ba yah. We never got to watch the process—the effects of the episode's climax—play out. It pissed me off. Here in this book, we get a little bit of that. The crisis reaches peak intensity, people solve problems, and we're ready to watch everyone respond. Right then, the author switches from show to tell, and we get a solid chunk of exposition. Fortunately, it only lasts a little while, and she gets right back into character-driven activity, and her storytelling skills shine again. But for a few minutes, I rolled my eyes.
That few minutes, though, is nothing compared to the quality of the rest of the book. I enjoyed every aspect of this story far more than I expected, even after the prequel—and my expectations were already pretty high.
August 24, 2025
Very mixed feelings, unfortunately! Overall I thought this series varied between good to great, but I think this is the worst book of the lot and that stings all the more because it's very likely the last one.
The previous book, Architects of Infinity, was one I also had mixed feelings about. The first half didn't interest me all that much, and I was kind of offended that However, the book gained momentum in the second half and carried it through to the ending, so I felt quite hopeful about To Lose The Earth.
This book almost immediately places you right back in the action . But once the immediate issues have been resolved, the tension sags and never recovers. Faced with the dilemma of how to , the plot spreads out into a convoluted mess, bouncing between numerous threads without bringing most of them into sufficient focus to work alone or make a cohesive whole. And save for Harry Kim, Beyer's original characters dominate the story at the expense of the original core cast. I actually quite like most of these newer characters, but when it's the final book in the series? The payoff for fans of the TV series is poor.
It's a particular issue with Nancy Conlon, whose plotline (in my opinion) has been dragging the series down ever since her ordeal three books ago in Atonement. Much as I had hated Nancy abruptly in the previous book, the resolution to her story here was similarly abrupt and retroactively made her storyline feel like a massive waste of time.
Meanwhile almost everything else is also wrapped up in a sudden and unsatisfying manner in the last ~5% of the book, with moments that should have been majorly cathartic skimmed over after a timeskip. Although there's a hook for future books, I don't think it made all that much sense. But then the afterword sort of makes it sound like this book was just pushed out to get the series over with so Beyer could focus on other Trek projects - a sad end for a series I was really enjoying in the middle!
The previous book, Architects of Infinity, was one I also had mixed feelings about. The first half didn't interest me all that much, and I was kind of offended that However, the book gained momentum in the second half and carried it through to the ending, so I felt quite hopeful about To Lose The Earth.
This book almost immediately places you right back in the action . But once the immediate issues have been resolved, the tension sags and never recovers. Faced with the dilemma of how to , the plot spreads out into a convoluted mess, bouncing between numerous threads without bringing most of them into sufficient focus to work alone or make a cohesive whole. And save for Harry Kim, Beyer's original characters dominate the story at the expense of the original core cast. I actually quite like most of these newer characters, but when it's the final book in the series? The payoff for fans of the TV series is poor.
It's a particular issue with Nancy Conlon, whose plotline (in my opinion) has been dragging the series down ever since her ordeal three books ago in Atonement. Much as I had hated Nancy abruptly in the previous book, the resolution to her story here was similarly abrupt and retroactively made her storyline feel like a massive waste of time.
Meanwhile almost everything else is also wrapped up in a sudden and unsatisfying manner in the last ~5% of the book, with moments that should have been majorly cathartic skimmed over after a timeskip. Although there's a hook for future books, I don't think it made all that much sense. But then the afterword sort of makes it sound like this book was just pushed out to get the series over with so Beyer could focus on other Trek projects - a sad end for a series I was really enjoying in the middle!
January 31, 2021
Since 2009's "Full Circle", the universe of "Star Trek: Voyager" and the relaunch has belonged exclusively to Kirsten Beyer. Her 11th and final novel in that series (counting the one in String Theory), "To Lose the Earth" is a beyond worthy send-off to an author who has taken this series places it hasn't been and ends with one of the best books she's ever written. The book is a two-fold plot, one with the remainder of the Full Circle fleet still around the planet DK-1116 as they explore it's mysteries and try to figure out what caused their sister ship the USS Galen to apparently be destroyed with all hands lost. The other actually is the story of the Galen who is transported to the far edges of the Delta Quadrant in a fight for survival of their own along w/ the mystery of the race that sent them there.
Beyer does a magnificent job of keeping these various facets of the plot moving along as well as sub-plots within the various crews and crew mates especially w/ regards to Ensigns Gwyn & Patel as well as the love story of Lt Kim & Nancy Conlon along w/ their still preemie infant. This book will make you laugh, cry and at times take your breath away with a revelation or two that will change this part of the story forever along w/ this relaunch. The ending wraps the majority of this up and sets up whomever resumes this series w/ a bit of a clean slate of they choose to pick it up where we are now or jump into the future. Overall a fantastic finale for now to the face of the Voyager universe to whom we the reader will always owe a great debt.
Beyer does a magnificent job of keeping these various facets of the plot moving along as well as sub-plots within the various crews and crew mates especially w/ regards to Ensigns Gwyn & Patel as well as the love story of Lt Kim & Nancy Conlon along w/ their still preemie infant. This book will make you laugh, cry and at times take your breath away with a revelation or two that will change this part of the story forever along w/ this relaunch. The ending wraps the majority of this up and sets up whomever resumes this series w/ a bit of a clean slate of they choose to pick it up where we are now or jump into the future. Overall a fantastic finale for now to the face of the Voyager universe to whom we the reader will always owe a great debt.
November 11, 2020
I genuinely loved this novel and it was a fantastic way for Kirsten Beyer to wrap up the VOY relaunch (or at the very least her portion of it). The story involving the Galen crew was one of my favorite Trek lit stories in recent memory. The mystery, the aliens shifting from potentially malicious to potentially misunderstood several times, to the ending and solution really felt like the Star Trek story I love best.
Harry and Nancy had a satisfying ending (I never felt too comfortable with their relationship so I’m glad it turned out this way) and it was a nice touch to give Janeway and Chakotay their moment at the very end.
The way Beyer was able to wrap up the story while still giving us hints at what lies ahead for the characters was masterful. This novel is basically a blueprint on how to end a long running book series. Beyer took my least favorite Trek series (which still puts it in my top 10 tv series of all time haha) and created a wonderful, captivating, and deeply emotional relaunch book series. We are all better for it and I’m so thrilled to know she is working on Discovery and Picard. I’ll miss her books but can’t wait to watch her episodes!
Harry and Nancy had a satisfying ending (I never felt too comfortable with their relationship so I’m glad it turned out this way) and it was a nice touch to give Janeway and Chakotay their moment at the very end.
The way Beyer was able to wrap up the story while still giving us hints at what lies ahead for the characters was masterful. This novel is basically a blueprint on how to end a long running book series. Beyer took my least favorite Trek series (which still puts it in my top 10 tv series of all time haha) and created a wonderful, captivating, and deeply emotional relaunch book series. We are all better for it and I’m so thrilled to know she is working on Discovery and Picard. I’ll miss her books but can’t wait to watch her episodes!
Read
February 17, 2021I generally really like Beyer’s ideas for character development; however, I have the same complaint with this story as I have with most of the Full Circle stories – there is too much of a focus on the secondary, newer characters. While they are important to the story, and we have gotten to know them over these nine books, I wanted to know more about the people I’ve known for 25 years. I love that Janeway and Chakotay finally got married, but I would have liked to have more than just a page description of the wedding. Is Barkley going to join Voyager, stay with the fleet, go back to Earth? What is title referring to anyway – is Voyager never coming back? Since Beyer is also writing for Star Trek: Picard, is this supposed to be setting up for that series? For Star Trek: Prodigy? While obviously trying to tie things up, I feel like I’m just left with more questions and am very unsure of when we’ll be getting any answers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2022
While not my favorite entry in the series, & I still don't 100% understand the title, knowing that it is being treated as an Ending to the current run of novels makes sense & in that regard it was well written! It leaves the crews at points of new beginnings & down the road they could easily be picked up again anywhere from a few months later to several years down the road & it wouldn't feel out of place. Plus it would allow several characters chances to continue on in other series with roles/positions outside of Voyager or even the Full Circle fleet.
Overall though, the Voyager Relaunch Series has been fantastic!
While having a bumpy start under Christie Golden, once Kristen Beyer took over she really took the series to another level & this was an excellent way to cap it off, for now. :)
Overall though, the Voyager Relaunch Series has been fantastic!
While having a bumpy start under Christie Golden, once Kristen Beyer took over she really took the series to another level & this was an excellent way to cap it off, for now. :)
June 9, 2022
I enjoyed this. Not sure the characters were true to the show 🤷🏻♀️ But- I have only read the last 2 books so I guess there could be reasons why the characters didn’t feel right. I mean Janeway was pretty dull. I didn’t feel any chemistry between her and chakotay.
Aliens were pretty cool. I enjoyed them figuring out how to communicate.
Mixed on the narration. I got used to her and liked the side character voices but not Voyager crew. Voices were difficult to differentiate for the most part
It felt rushed though. Like lots of build up and then nothing about the reunion of the FCF. Nancy told her doc how she felt (or didn’t) about Harry but didn’t have the conversation with him. Gwyn and Harry decided to talk later but we didn’t get to hear that. Just feel like could’ve gone deeper. And I don’t get the title 🤔
Aliens were pretty cool. I enjoyed them figuring out how to communicate.
Mixed on the narration. I got used to her and liked the side character voices but not Voyager crew. Voices were difficult to differentiate for the most part
It felt rushed though. Like lots of build up and then nothing about the reunion of the FCF. Nancy told her doc how she felt (or didn’t) about Harry but didn’t have the conversation with him. Gwyn and Harry decided to talk later but we didn’t get to hear that. Just feel like could’ve gone deeper. And I don’t get the title 🤔
December 20, 2023
This feels somewhat uneven for what it’s supposed to be. It continues the thread for Harry Kim that I’m still not sure was the best choice for him, though I do like the sentimental messages he records. But this is also supposed to be the finale of the Voyager novels in this “Pocket Universe.” And I feel like there was not enough focus on the other Voyager mainstays. There’s the Janeway and Chakotay situation, but not for as much as you would think. Theirs is an interesting contrast to Harry’s situation, but there’s not really any comparing that I can remember. Overall, this was competently written, but it just…I don’t know. I was hoping for something better, given that this is the end.
November 24, 2020
2.5 stars. To say I'm disappointed would be a massive understatement. While I recalled enough of the series to remember much of what had befallen this fleet during its exploration, the start of this book grabbed me and didn't let go. The action picked up, and kept me hooked until the climax, which then just disappointed me. The resolution then just blithely twisted the knife making me feel even worse about what was occurring. I'm not certain I will read another book in this sub-series of Voyager if one is written.
May 20, 2021
I found it boring. There was always the specter of something happening, but nothing much really happens except a bit of fixing this and that and looking here and there. It seems like just a lot of setup with the author never pulling the trigger to deliver any really satisfying payoffs. There’s a lot of description and discussion of this relationship and that relationship…yawn. Also, wtf is up with the name of this book? Seriously, I thought there would be some kind of “earth” angle in it. Nope! I felt totally duped by it.
October 26, 2021
Everything about this book bored me. Harry Kim's whiney-piney obsession with Nancy and with Being Loved? Boring. Janeway and Chakotay's bland-as-cardboard relationship? Boring. The plot? What plot. The aliens? Look, I'm just glad the author implied at the end that the relaunch series is complete, because it went downhill so, SO hard after Christie Golden was replaced and I honestly don't know why I kept trying except as some sort of completionist habit. I like almost none of Beyer's original characters and I only respect the way she handles the original cast less than half the time anyway.
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