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Offene Geheimnisse

(Star Trek: Vanguard #4)

Dayton Ward (Goodreads Author),

Christian Humberg (Übersetzer)

3.97 · Rating details · 596 ratings · 46 reviews

Auf Sternenbasis 47 übernimmt ein neuer Kommandant die Führung – während sich sein Vorgänger vor Gericht verantworten muss. Unterdessen kämpft die Geheimdienstoffizierin der Station um ihr Leben und ihren Verstand, während die Spannungen mit den Klingonen zu einem offenen Krieg eskalieren.

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Paperback, 400 pages

Published June 22nd 2009 by Cross Cult (first published May 2009)

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Start your review of Offene Geheimnisse (Star Trek: Vanguard, #4)

Apr 23, 2021 Kellie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The thing I enjoy most about this miniseries of Star Trek books is that they go beyond our favorite starship crews to explore life in the Trek universe from new viewpoints. 3.5 stars

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Oct 14, 2019 C.T. Phipps rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek, space-opera

4/5

VANGUARD: OPEN SECRETS is a decent enough follow up to the blockbuster events of REAP THE WHIRLWIND. My favorite protagonists Commodore Reyes and T'Prynn have both suffered tremendous personal setbacks due to the harsh nature of their pasts intersecting with their both their mission and moral duty. Reyes is now on trial for crimes against the Federation and T'Prynn has entered a coma that exists as nothing more than an extended battle against the ghost of her dead lover.

I enjoyed the book but 4/5

VANGUARD: OPEN SECRETS is a decent enough follow up to the blockbuster events of REAP THE WHIRLWIND. My favorite protagonists Commodore Reyes and T'Prynn have both suffered tremendous personal setbacks due to the harsh nature of their pasts intersecting with their both their mission and moral duty. Reyes is now on trial for crimes against the Federation and T'Prynn has entered a coma that exists as nothing more than an extended battle against the ghost of her dead lover.

I enjoyed the book but I do feel there are some missed opportunities here. Sten never rises above a abusive controlling boyfriend that has been trying to dominate T'Prynn for decades. I would have been interested in getting a bit more of his perspective and why he was obsessed with T'Prynn for so long and what made him unable to cope with her. Is he actually Sten or just T'Prynn's ideal of Sten.

I also felt that Commodore Reyes' trial was a bit impersonal for a trial about an intensely personal matter. The fact Commodore Reyes' ex-wife (whom he still loved) died directly because of his actions and that he promptly orbitally bombed a planet to nonthingness seemed as an irrelevancy to both sides of the case. I also feel like the Tellarite lawyer giving a false plea deal has to be break some laws in the Federation and he should have been disbarred.

The best part of the book for me was Reyes' relationship with Rana Desai. I found myself surprisingly invested in their relationship. I would have loved to have more talk about how they were probably going to break up (Rana can't wait 10 years for him even if Reyes would like it). I still wish that T'Prynn hadn't lost Anna and would have loved to have her talked about more but the shadow of that did hang over her condition.

There's a lot of good moments in this book like kicking the Orion Syndicate out of the area and dealing with Pennington's complicated relationship to T'Prynn. It's not my favorite of the Vanguard books, that's still REAP THE WHIRLWIND, but it's still pretty solid fiction all round. I can't wait to dive into the next book. ...more

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May 15, 2010 Terence rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction, star-trek

I've mentioned in my reviews of the Vanguard series how Mack is the visibly better writer than his collaborators. I've offered no examples to illustrate my contention, which is poor form. Partly, that's because this is my brain-candy reading and I'm not picking over it like a grad student studying Horace's use of adverbs.* But I've also recently finished volume five of the 13-volume Chekhov short-story collection, which featured some of his best stories so far (IMO), and it got me to wondering w ...more

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Sep 30, 2018 M.R. Bowers rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek

ugh

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May 15, 2022 Jonathan Koan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-challenge-2022

Each installment of the Vanguard series has either been mediocre or worse. "Harbinger" was an interesting start, but didn't have enough interesting characters for me to feel interested at the time. "Summon the Thunder" was, in my opinion, a very boring book. "Reap the Whirlwind" was certainly exciting at moments, yet I still was not hooked on the story. This book is definitely the best paced and has the best character development. And yet, it still suffers overall from a sense of being "mediocre Each installment of the Vanguard series has either been mediocre or worse. "Harbinger" was an interesting start, but didn't have enough interesting characters for me to feel interested at the time. "Summon the Thunder" was, in my opinion, a very boring book. "Reap the Whirlwind" was certainly exciting at moments, yet I still was not hooked on the story. This book is definitely the best paced and has the best character development. And yet, it still suffers overall from a sense of being "mediocre".

The strongest part of this book is the trial of Diego Reyes. This felt like a Diet version of a John Grisham legal thriller and while there weren't too many scenes, they were by far the most interesting in the story. For not being a lawyer or legal scholar, Dayton Ward is certainly a good legal writer.

The side characters from the ships attached to Vanguard, such as Ming Xiong and others, were at their most interesting here, although I will maintain that that's not saying much. I was interested to find out what would happen to them, but still have trouble telling the minor characters apart, even this far into the series.

The T'Prynn storyline was fine here, and brought in a new dynamic to the story, bringing in Vulcan and some of her family and backstory. I'm actually interested in her story going into the next book. Doctor M'Benga and Tim Pennington are attached to her story and actually have a good dynamic together.

The tensions among the various groups, the Klingons, Federation, Tholians, and others are finally at a boiling point here. This book serves as an excellent transition book preparing for the mayhem that is to come. I really liked the battle scenes with the Klingons and the Federation, which reminded me of some of the great action scenes from Star Trek II, III, and VI.

Overall, this is a decent book, and by far the best book of the series thus far. However, while I intend to finish the series to find out what happens, I feel let down, as the basis of this story is exactly where I think Trek books need to go, and yet the execution is fairly bland. Overall, this book gets a 6.8 out of 10!

...more

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Jul 27, 2014 Nicky2910 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre_sci-fi, star-trek, genre_drama, genre_mystery, series_vanguard, author_dayton-ward

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Following up after the excellent Reap the Whirlwind, Dayton Ward's plate was quite full - but he more than delivered.

This novel is neatly divided in different plotthreads, so I'm going to comment on those individually:

* Reyes' court-martial

First of all, I appreciated the fact that the trial wasn't about refuting the charges but for Reyes to explain his motivation. From a by the book point of view he's guilty, he willfully disseminated classified information and went against orders. But he's a ma ...more

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May 07, 2017 John Mosman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

The Vanguard adventures continues - Commodore Reyes is convicted, the Klingons are closing in, there is a diplomatic opening with Romulans and the Federation is closer to deciphering the alien technologies. Good stuff for Star Trek Fans with a series that does not concentrate on the TV series characters or stories.

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Sep 26, 2018 Aron rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: st-vanguard, st-original-series, asap

4.2 Stars. Another excellent installment of the Vanguard series. I'm only just starting book 5 of this 8 book (+ one novella) series, but I think this series might be the most interesting & entertaining story in the entire Star Trek universe,...top 3 for sure. Anyway, this book advances the story quite a bit, & stands very well on its own. I'm looking forward to book #5 with great enthusiasm! ...more

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Apr 24, 2018 John R. Goyer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The series continues well with this volume - lots of intrigue and adventures, some storylines closing, while other new surprises give us more to look forward to. All in all, a very satisfying book which makes me look forward to the next and further revelations.

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Jun 21, 2017 Adam rated it liked it · review of another edition

I thoroughly enjoy this series, but Ward simply isn't as engaging or compelling an author as David Mack. ...more

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May 17, 2018 Patrick rated it liked it · review of another edition

A transitional book in this series

I find Ward's prose style off putting, but the story introduced interesting elements. I will continue reading to find out what happens. ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 Tony Pope rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It's pretty much a given...if it's a Star Trek novel...I'll like it... ...more

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Sep 17, 2021 Bob Rivera rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Carol Marcus and Admiral Nagura make initial appearances in this book.

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Feb 24, 2022 Brennon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

An improvement

The series grinds on...but this installment was a little better than previous volumes. I will continue with the series, just for completing reasons.

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Apr 24, 2022 Mike Grady rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020s

Continuation of the Vanguard series. One definitely needs to have read the series in order or they would be very lost.

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Mar 10, 2013 David King rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“Open Secrets” by Dayton Ward is the 4th novel in the Star Trek Vanguard series which continues the various plotlines kicked off in the previous novels. A prime focus of the narrative in this book is the investigation and trial of the station’s commander, Commodore Reyes who was arrested at the end of the previous book for allowing classified information to be published by a reporter. In addition, the reader gets to the follow the further deterioration of relations with the Klingon and Tholian E “Open Secrets” by Dayton Ward is the 4th novel in the Star Trek Vanguard series which continues the various plotlines kicked off in the previous novels. A prime focus of the narrative in this book is the investigation and trial of the station’s commander, Commodore Reyes who was arrested at the end of the previous book for allowing classified information to be published by a reporter. In addition, the reader gets to the follow the further deterioration of relations with the Klingon and Tholian Empires, the ongoing search for information on the Shedai technology and the fallout of T’Prynn’s mental breakdown which results in her return to Vulcan.

This book is another enjoyable chapter in the Vanguard series although it didn’t wow me as much as its predecessor, “Reap The Whirlwind”. The storyline developments were interesting and the characters continue to entertain me but there were just no real surprises or twists involved. Everything pretty much progressed as you would expect and there were no elements there that really struck me as being gripping or memorable.

One of the real issues I had with the novel however is in regards to the pacing which at times reduced my reading progress to a slow slog. I think the basic problem was that the novel is overly wordy at times to the point of distraction. Ward is basically using 20 words when 10 would have sufficed and for some reason the editing process has failed to rectify this. It is a shame as some competent editing could have dealt rather easily with this issue to ensure the pacing was better.

A nice element to the story is in regards to Ward’s ability to link various events into the wider Star Trek universe. I enjoyed seeing both the tie in to the Original Series in regards to the peace between the Klingons and Federation that was imposed by the Organians and the inclusion of Carol Marcus’ involvement with Shedai technology that hints at the future Genesis project seen in Star Trek II. Sometimes I think these links to the wider universe can be rather brutally shoehorned into a novel but with “Open Secrets” it all felt rather natural and subtle which I did appreciate.

Overall, this is a novel which competently continues the plots started in the previous Vanguard novels but doesn’t really provide any genuinely memorable or exciting parts. For fans of the series there is more than enough here to provide some entertainment but when you hold it up against the previous novel it seems rather lacking.
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Jul 31, 2009 Wes O'Dell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ward's latest contribution to the Vanguard saga is both gripping and elegantly presented. Beginning with a flash-forward--the long-awaited Klingon fleet action against the station--the novel quickly backtracks to tell the story of Commodore Reyes's imprisonment and trial as well as continuing to unfold the story of the Shedai. All the while, escalating tensions with the Klingons dominate the background. The plot develops well and does a great deal to lend the Vanguard story the "epic-ness" for w ...more

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May 28, 2014 Joe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I just finished book 4 of the Star Trek Vanguard series, Open Secrets, and I was really pleased. The book is a jumping off point for the second part of the Vanguard story. At the end of the last book the Federation learned of the terrible threat posed by the alien Shedai after several members of Starfleet, and one down-on-his-luck reporter, witnessed the destruction of the Jinoteur system.

Most of the new plots in this book were introduced at the end of the previous volume, what I had described a ...more

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Jun 02, 2015 Sean Park rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The fourth book in the Vanguard series, Open Secrets is a wonderful edition to the original series universe. This book follows multiple characters throughout the Taurus Reach as the conflicts in the region begin to heat up. While more light has been shone on the Shedai, the ancient race that controlled the Taurus Reach before the federation, these aliens still remain somewhat of a mystery. Similarly, the goals of the Klingons, Tholians, and Romulans are not entirely known either. The book leaves ...more

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May 09, 2020 Jonne Steen Redeker rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The secret is out! and it was released by Commodore Diego Reyes himself! He will have to face a court-martial for possible treason.

As Reyes trial goes on,. everything changes on Starbase Vanguard. There's a new man in charge, the mystery of the Shadai while no longer as life threatening is only deepening, and the Intelligence officer is in coma she might newer recover from. War with the Klingons seems inevitable bar any semi omnipotent interventions.

Another great entry, the court drama was hand ...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Bryan Williams rated it liked it · review of another edition

Open Secrets takes an "off day" from the Vanguard series, but again, it is important to read this book to move the story arc along. I wish the publisher insisted that David Mack be the only author of this series. I don't see why they insisted on asking other authors to join the fray. Also, these Vanguard books are hard to find. They must have had one run at the publisher, because I have had to buy used copies, or very expensive trade paperback versions from Amazon - they aren't available to orde ...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Jimyanni rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek

This book was a good read, an interesting continuation of the over "Vanguard" story as told in the previous three books. If you've read them and enjoyed them, you'll certainly want to read this one, particularly if you intend to read the next offering in the series. If you haven't read the previous three, however, this book will not stand on its own; it has no real plot of its own, but is simply a continuation of the various subplots already established. Some of those subplots are quite interest ...more

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Nov 22, 2015 Adam rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek, star-trek-ebooks

While "Reap the Whirlwind" was always going to be a hard act to follow, Ward manages to advance Ming Xiong's storyline quite nicely with the welcome presence of a rogue Klingon commander and his scientist wife. The introduction of Nogura also works well, and there are some nice nods to continuity - especially the shout outs to the Gorn (TOS: "Arena") and Nimbus III (Star Trek V).

Unfortunately, this volume loses a lot of momentum being bogged down in the Reyes court-martial saga and T'Prynn's eve ...more

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Jul 27, 2011 John added it · review of another edition

A very good ST book. One complaint: it's been WELL over a year since the LAST book in this series was released. It was really hard for me to get back into it after that long. There was a cast list at the front of this book, but a more thorough synopsis of what has happened in the previous three books would have been much better. As it was, I found myself have to go back to the last book and read some sections of it to remember more details about what had come before.

Looking forward to the next b ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 C.D. Reimer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, star-trek

I read the previous book in this series several years ago. When I started reading this one, I jumped right back in as if it was only yesterday. (The glossary of major events and characters in the front helped a bit.) Although set in the ST:TOS universe, this series isn't about Captain Kirk and crew but all the people who are present in the background. The political intrigue of all the great empires (i.e., Federation, Klingon, Romulan, etc.) scouring a remote region of deep space for technology l ...more

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Jul 30, 2014 Victor rated it it was ok · review of another edition

More like 2.5 stars.

I don't envy the authors of these books. Swapping off writing duties while maintaining a unified voice can't be easy. Until now, the Vanguard series has played it pretty straight. Some twists here and there, usually pretty entertaining. Open Secrets ended with a twist that I cannot condone.

That being said, I will continue to read the series out of a sort of grim curiosity. David Mack is easily the better of the authors who've contributed work so far, so I'm eager to see what ...more

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Jan 04, 2017 Luke Sims-Jenkins rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek

Loved it! I didn't think Open Secrets could top Reap the Whirlwind, but it did. As I have mentioned before, if you haven't read the previous three novels then this will be very confusing, but if you had oh boy you are in for a treat! I cannot say too much, because I wouldn't like to spoil anything, but theres a trial in the great Trek tradition, action and intrigue and many twists and turns. Some very surprising cameos too which left a big smile on my face.

I'll say it right now..... Vanguard is ...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Benjamin Plume rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek, sci-fi

This was a transition novel in the Vanguard series. Everything is in flux. Like many such novels, this transitory state forced it to scale back a bit on the action to make room for character moments and exposition. Either despite this or because of this (I'm honestly not sure which) this was my favorite of the Vanguard novels so far. Now that I'm familiar with the characters, seeing them tested in new and somewhat surprising ways was enjoyable. ...more

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Aug 04, 2009 Evelyn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek

I feel like now Is a good time to say that this series is one of the best, or at least the most enjoyable that I've read as far as Star Trek is concerned. I'll be really sad when I've finished the last one as the entire universe that's been created in these books is amazing, and one that potentially would have been a more interesting television series than DS9 or Voyager. ...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Dan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, star-trek, vanguard

Although Open Secrets doesn't quite match the quality of the previous novel, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I give Open Secrets 8/10. It made me happy at times, sad at other times, and occasionally shocked and awed me. Just like a good Star Trek novel should.

Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2011/10/o... ...more

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About Dayton Ward

Dayton Ward

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Dayton is a software developer, having become a slave to Corporate America after spending eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. When asked, he’ll tell you that he left home and joined the military soon after high school because he’d grown tired of people telling him what to do all the time.

Ask him sometime how well that worked out.

In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co ...more