A Time for War, A Time for Peace

Star Trek: A Time to... #9

by Keith R.A. DeCandido

On the cusp of their epic battle with Shinzon, many of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's long-time crew were heading for new assignments and new challenges. Among the changes were William Riker's promotion to captain and his new command, Riker's marriage to Counselor Deanna Troi, and Dr. Beverly Crusher's new career at Starfleet Medical. But the story of what set them on a path away from the "Starship Enterprise™" has never been told.

UNTIL NOW.

Following the scandalous Tezwa affair, the Federation president's resignation forces an election, with the future of the United Federation of Planets to be determined by who emerges victorious from a hotly contested vote. But it is the fate of the entire galaxy that may actually be decided on Qo'noS, as the Federation embassy is seized by terrorists whose actions expose intrigue reaching the highest levels of Klingon government -- and it will take all of Ambassador Worf's skills to keep the fragile Federation-Klingon alliance from collapsing. And while this potential intergalactic chaos looms, Commander Riker finds his plans for command and marriage soured by a brutal, high-level inspection of the ship from which the crew may not escape unscathed....

The epic miniseries comes to a shocking conclusion -- one that will leave the "Star Trek" universe changed forever

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek The Next Generation, Fiction, Ebooks, Media Tie In, Novels

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an ending! Now, I need to get my hands on the Titan series!

[reherrma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das ist das Ende der "A Time to..."-Reihe und gleichzeitig der Übergang zum Star Trek-Relaunch des Lit-verse. Und da der Autor Keith R.A. DeCandito ist, ist auch nicht überraschend, dass er (dieser Roman) der direkte Vorgänger einer der besten Romane der Post-Nemesis-Ära des Star Trek Litverse ist, nämlich: . Hier begegnen uns wieder Nan Bacco, hier noch als Gouverneurin von Cestus III und Kanditatin für die Wahl des Förderationspräsidenten, nachdem die Sternenflotte und der Förderationsrat den amtierenden Präsidenten Min Zife zum Rücktritt gezwungen haben. Die Gründe für den erzwungenen Rücktritt wurde bereits in den letzten beiden Romanen der "Zeit des Wandels"-Reihe erzählt und ist auch in weiteren Romanen das Thema, wie in den Romanen um die "Sektion 31" oder im hervorragenden Roman "Die Gesetze der Föderation", vom gleichen Autor. Während "Krieg und Frieden" unter anderen den Wahlkampf von Nan Bacco und deren hinreizende Stabchefin Esperanza Piniero beschreibt, behandelt "Die Gesetze der Föderation" das erste Jahr der Präsidentschaft von Nan Bacco. Aber auch andere Schauplätze sind Inhalt einer sehr spannenden und emotionaler Handlung: Der Förderationsbotschafter auf Qo'NoS, Worf, sieht sich einer Botschaftsbesetzung von Klingonischen Scharfmachern gegenüber, die das Kithomer-Abkommen mit der Förderation kippen und Kanzler Martok und Worf beseitigen wollen. Auch der Konkurent von Bacco im Wahlkampf will das unpopuläre Kithomer-Abkommen aufkündigen, während Bacco den Frieden mit dem klingonischen Imperium unbedingt beibehalten will, in einer Zeit als die halbe Galaxis sich nach dem Dominion-Krieg im Wiederaufbau befindet.
Die ENTERPRISE-Besatzung sieht sich einer Inspektion der Sternenflotte gegenüber, das von Gegnern Picards in der Sternenflotte benützt werden soll, um dessen Popularität, das einigen Admirälen ein Dorn im Auge ist, zu beschädigen. Nur Admiral Ross schickt zum Ausgleich Montgomery Scott in die Inspektionscrew, in der ansonsten nur Gegner Picards sitzen. Gleichzeitig nimmt Will Riker und Deanna Troi Abschied von der ENTERPRISE, um ihr neues Kommando auf der TITAN anzutreten, sie wollen auch einige Besatzungsmitglieder mitnehmen, z.B. werden Geordi LaForge und Christine Vale angesprochen. Nach der Niederschlagung der Botschaftsbesetzung und nach der Wahl Baccos tritt Worf von seinem Botschafterposten zurück und soll Rikers 1. Offizier auf der TITAN werden, während sein Sohn Alexander seinem Posten als Botschafter nachfolgt. Die Geschehnisse in Star Trek: Nemesis sind dann der Endpunkt der "A Time to..."-Reihe, in dessen Folge Worf als IO auf die ENTERPRISE anheuert, besonders nach dem Tod von Data...
Ich fand es ein wunderbarer, emotionaler Roman in bester Star Trek-Relaunch-Manier, ich vermisse dieses Litverse sehr ...!

[rivka · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rating is for this book alone; the review is both for the book and the rest of the series.

As the wrap-up for the series, as well as lead-in for several others, this book is excellent. But it need a Note about when exactly it takes place, largely because the earlier books in the series were so inconsistent about their chronology. Relative to each other, and relative to other events in ST history, such as the recent war.

Unfortunately, while this one and the 2 preceding it (see this book's endnotes for why) show DeCandido's expertise at tying things together, the earlier 6 are sorely lacking in that department. Overall, the series barely gets 3 stars, partly because of those confusions, and partly because each of the pairs would have been better as a single novel, with the excess edited out. So instead of 4 quite good books, we got 8 mediocre ones. This, the single one not stretched out to 2, is the best in many ways. Tightness of narrative is one of them.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really an excellent Star Trek novel, kicking off post-Nemesis Trek. I'm venturing into unknown territory here, having read no Trek novels beyond this point. I'm so ready!

[Brent Knorr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid finish to the series. Certainly less action and more politics than the last two books, but there are some action sequences with Worf that are fun to read. A lot of the book revolves around politics, which is more interesting than it sounds. In some ways the novel is a collection of short stories, with the end goal of getting all the main characters where they needed to be for "Nemesis" and at the same time moving some characters out of the way, like Christine Vale, who is a main character in the novels but never appears on screen. Overall the author handles this fairly well, although the reason for Wesley Crusher showing up at Will and Deanna's wedding in uniform with the rank of Lieutenant is pretty weak. Mind you, I thought the movie "Nemesis" was really weak so I'll give the author props for even trying. :)

[Graff Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Trek: TNG: A Time to... 09 A Time for War, A Time for Peace by Keith R.A. DeCandido

4.5 Stars

challenging funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense

Medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus: Yes

Coming off the high of the penultimate book in this series, I was surprised at how well this story came together.

I knew certain outcomes, because of the nature of reading all the books in the Star Trek Lit-verse, and how there are SO many starting points, but also crossing over. This was my 127th book read in this flowchart/reading order.

I am so thankful for the person(s) who put this Lit-verse together, and it has been a joy to read, and reconnect with my favourite characters.

I was touched by my time with Ambassador Worf, then with Alexander...and where his next story goes.

Obviously, we all love Commander Riker and Counselor Troi, both in their individual characters, but also in their personal lives...now coming together (fixing a wrong...that should never have been done).

Governor Nan Bacco and Esperana would good to see...at their beginnings, and where this journey eventually goes. Love these two, for sure.

The constant tension that has always happened between Captain Jean Luc Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher. I am so happy that I know of Picard Season 3 and everything that Terry Matalas did in that season. Simply, incredible.

One of the things that this series has shown me, is that we know Picard from inside himself, though he doesn't always outwardly show who he is, but by the nature of being the captain we were going to follow in Star Trek: The Next Generation...to the conclusion of season seven of the series...and all the movies.

If we were not privy to what was shown on the bridge of the Enterprise D, then what the Federation saw outside, looking in...may have had the "incompetence", "wreckless", and "not-worthy" applied to his name. For at times, he was these things, but through his time on the Stargazer, and eventually on the Enterprise D...he became the hero that we all love, today (both viewers of the shows/movies, and all the books that he's in).

I love seeing LaForge dealing with whether to stay in Engineering or to move over to the Command track. A decision that was fun to see him squirm around in.

I also want to say how much I love Vale, and what she brings to the series (even though she's not in the D crowd). She's a powerful character with so much room to grow (which I know, since I've read half of the Titan series...by the time I've read this series).

I wasn't a fan of this series at the beginning. First, hating these covers. Ugh. Still do not like them at all. Secondly, I felt the stories were okay/good, but not exceptional.

There have been glimpses of genius, but there have been "meh" stories, too. These last two novels have been "top notch" in my opinion, and in fact...redeeming the entire series.

I am now switching gears, again...and going to the 20th/21st Century...to fill-in, the knowledge that I lack. So, the next book in the Star Trek series I'll be reading is TOS: Assignment: Eternity by Greg Cox. It will be good, overall, to be reading that book, which will open me up the the Khan series of books, and then the completion, which I will end up with listening to the new Khan podcast series (which, spoiler alert, I've already listened to the first podcast).

Until next time. LLAP 🖖🏻

[Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am fully aware that I'm way behind (20 years!) in my Star Trek reading, such that the following statement seems a little backwards, but I'm writing it anyway. I got the same feeling reading this book from 2004 that I did watching season 3 of Star Trek Picard. Both are amazing!

Things I loved about the book:

1) New characters, beloved The Next Generation characters, all mixed together to form a 9-novel story that leads up to (and has a one chapter epilogue after) Star Trek: Nemesis that concludes with, this novel.

2) KRAD (as the author call himself) is a masterful reference maker. I'm sure somewhere out there, there is a reference guide to reading this book--I think I've seen him do similar reference guides for other books. I really loved all the callbacks to tv shows, movies, other novels, even comic books. The reason I wanted to (finally) read this series was that it not only fills a gap prior to and sets up Star Trek: Nemesis but it is a good spring board for many other novels (c.f. https://www.thetrekcollective.com/p/t..., a site I've had bookmarked for many years!) Another awesome reference: the portable holo-emitter from the future (from Star Trek Voyager)!

3) This is not a full phasers and torpedoes non-stop space battle book. But it has enough action, mystery and tension to drive the plot from finish to end, and is actually nice that the series ends with a novel that isn't non-stop full phasers and torpedoes. We get to see some of the more political and diplomatic side of Star Trek.

4) Alexander, son of Worf, son of Mogh!

5) Humor! In a scene immediately prior to the wedding scene in Nemesis we see Wesley Crusher's Traveler-style arrival. He thinks he's showing up for a Betazoid wedding and is... dressed... appropriately. Classic Wesley!

6) The final scene (not much of a spoiler given it is 20 years after its publication AND certain things can't really change given Nemesis hot on its heels) with (most of) the "D" (USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D) crew having a final moment together before going their separate ways, with Riker's speech to the assembled, was not only touching, but again, gave me that Star Trek Picard season 3 happy good feeling. And, some of the tension between Crusher and Picard (although really one way) does set up nicely Star Trek Picard season 3, although of course DeCandido had no way of knowing this at the time!

7) Plot-back-filling at its finest! How did Worf return to Starfleet after his ambassador gig following Deep Space Nine? Why was Wesley wearing a Lieutenant's uniform in Star Trek: Nemesis? Etc.!

The only question I am left pondering without an answer are the scattered references to Sisko, as if he's.... alive. I must not have read enough of the "season 8" of Star Trek Deep Space Nine novels yet! Alas, I'm working my way through them, slowly but surely, but really slowly being the key word here.

All-in-all, a solid 5 out of 5. DeCandido, if you're still out there reading reviews for your novels, I hope you see this one so I can convey my thanks. If my TBR pile outlives me (yikes) I will have at least finished this wonderful series with its masterful final installment. Bravo and thank you for writing this book 20 years ago!

[David Palazzolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a bit of action in the beginning, detailing the assault on the Federation embassy on Qo’nos by terrorists that lets Ambassador Worf exercise some two-fisted diplomacy then the rest of the book politics and personal stories. These plots include the wedding plans of Riker and Troi (with special guest star Lwaxana), the sudden disappearance of the clone of Kahless and the Klingon Council’s actions to keep that fact from spreading all over the Empire, a top to down inspection of the Enterprise and the special election necessitated by the sudden resignation of Federation President Min Zife in the last novel.

The two main contenders of the election are Fel Pagro, former Special Emissary to Ktar and Nan Bacco, former Governor of Cestus III. Pagro is very hawkish on Klingon concerns which naturally gets on the Empire’s nerves and Bacco is perceived to be not as experienced as her opponent because Cestus is considered to be a bit of a backwater world. However, Bacco turns out to be a more competent politician than expected and makes Pagro take her seriously. Won’t say who wins here 😉

In the meantime, Worf is unexpectedly reunited with his son Alexander who gets caught up in the Embassy takeover at the beginning and stays on through the Kahless mystery. I really like the way Keith DeCandido writes the character, imbuing him with a kind of simple home-spun charm that could easily turn cartoony, but doesn’t. I hope that that we see him again at some point.

There’s not much to say about the other plots that won’t give too much away—Riker and Troi‘s trials with Lwaxana pretty much write themselves and tend to intrude on all facets of their lives; the truth about Kahless is completely unexpected and I think we all know how the inspection will turn out.

A nearly perfect Star Trek novel except for maybe one thing. The name of the terrorist organization in the beginning was named ‘Klahb’ which read to me frequently as “club” and distracted me with that every time I read it…

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read and excellent final novel in the "A Time to..." series set weeks before the film Star Trek: Nemesis.

The Enterprise is under review, as are many of Starfleet's ships, to determine if it is now a vessel for peace after the Dominion War. Conducting the review are three officers with grudges against various members of the crew. Thankfully, Scotty is there to oversee the review of Engineering and keep the other reviews professional. Riker and Troi battle long distance with Troi's mother as to where and how their nuptials will be held. The Klingon Emperor Kahless is revealed to be a hologram, so the Enterprise-E is tasked with finding him. And--in the best moments of the book--the Federation Embassy on the Klingon home world is taken hostage with only Worf to stop the revolutionists.

Nobody in all of Star Trek's enormous pantheon of writers can write Klingons like DeCandido. The man is perfection for these often enemies of the Federation. Every time the novel focuses on Qo'noS it's stellar. Heck, the takeover of the embassy is over in the first third of the novel, then focuses on how Martok is dealing with the many issues facing his people. This book is worth reading just for these chapters.

But wait! There's a lot of politicking in this book and I absolutely dread reading about such things in books, both read or fictional, but darned if DeCandido doesn't make them just as interesting, engaging, and entertaining as Worf clearing the embassy of intruders. It is the mark of an outstanding writer, regardless of genres, to make a "talking heads" scene riveting. There are several chapters with characters just talking with each other in different rooms and I couldn't put the book down.

I especially liked the Epilogue that took place just after the events of Nemesis. I was absolutely terrified that something would occur to a new character and...you'll just have to read the book for yourself.

This book was a strong reminder of why DeCandido wrote so many Trek novels. He's just so damn good at writing. Highest possible recommendation.

[Oleg X · Rating 4 out of 5]

От концовки цикла обычно ожидается драматическая кульминация, но нужно признать, что драматичнее предыдущей дилогии сложно сделать, и после этой книги герои улетают в Nemesis, так что, может, они и я заслужили передышку. Немного быстрого и компетентного решения проблем. Кто откажется почитать, как Ворф делает «Крепкий орешек» в посольстве Федерации?

С другой стороны — очень заметно, что тут были запланированы две книги (и от другого автора). Каждая линия требует больше места и некоторые заслуживают целой книги. Особенно никак заканчивается инспекция «Энтерпрайза» командой, специально подобранной ненавидеть главных героев (плюс Скотти для баланса). Предвыборная кампания нового президента Федерация идет очень бодро, а потом превращается в ручеек из пары сцен(1). Решение Ворфа завязать с дипломатией… происходит.

Хотя это все слегка неудовлетворительно, многое я заметил только сейчас. Читается книга хорошо, душевно и справляется с задачей передышки между кризисами. И планирования свадьбы 😉

(1)Но что есть, написано достаточно хорошо, что мне очень продало бы Articles of The Federation от того же автора, если бы мой интерес не был уже на максимуме.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wraps up the series in a satisfying but perfunctory manner. It's quite fascinating to realise just how little happens in it. It ends up being a series of loosely connected scenes that all seem to be there to just finally shuffle the characters around enough to set up the start of the Star Trek: Nemesis movie. Did we really need 9 novels to get to this point? It's probably the strangest entry in the series, but also one of the more readable. I guess I'm just confused as to the very empty nature of it.

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My full review will be up soon on Roqoo Depot. Despite it's many flaws, this series finished out strong. Keith DeCandido is a master political writer, and I can't wait to read more Star Trek books from him. 4.5 out of 5! Excellent job DeCandido!

[Rosemary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the final book in the series that covers the gap between the films Insurrection and Nemesis.

I was, overall, disappointed in the book. While it effectively ties up all the loose ends from the six previous books, it is a bit too pat, and the story line itself is not very engaging. The one "action" plot line, which involved lots of Klingons, I might add, was...dull. (How, I wonder, can scenes that involve Klingons using weapons be dull? Yet, here it has been achieved. Impressive.) The Federation presidential election line was...politics as usual. And the Starfleet suspense line (with the gratuitous presence of Adm. Montgomery Scott) was...*yawn.* Even the Klingon politics, and the appearances by Martok, failed to engage. I can almost hear my mental warp engine gearing up to power, and then winding down pathetically.

Oh, well. Perhaps my problem is that it is too much character and talking, and not enough phasers and bat'leths.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The result of all of these stories running in tandem is a novel with a perfect balance between action, story, and character. Keith DeCandido has such a strong feel for these characters that the voices of the actors can easily be heard while reading A Time for War, A Time for Peace. Even a character such as Alexander Rozhenko gets some great moments as he subtly manipulates the Klingons holding the Federation embassy staff hostage. This novel is a collection of truly terrific character moments held together by a plot that was a lot of fun, and topped off with a fascinating exploration of the politics of the Federation. It's as though Keith DeCandido sat down and asked himself, "what sort of novel would Dan Gunther *really* enjoy?"

Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2019/03/ATfWA...

[Crystal Bensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great wrap up before Nemesis! Also nice prequel to Articles of the Federation.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final chapter of the "A Time To" series is perhaps the smoothest of them all and, refreshingly, least dependent on an overly burdensome quotient of high-octane action.

While the author plunges us into an unexpected hostage situation at the Federation Embassy on Qo'noS, this only serves to frame the larger endgame in the novel: the election of a new Federation President. Worf gets to let out of some of his "aggressive tendencies" once again as he must single-handedly take back the Embassy from Klahb, a resistance group who oppose the alliance with the Federation and claim that Emperor Kahless has been replaced by a holographic replica. The embassy siege scenes are a great deal of fun to read, and seeing Worf take on a John McClane/Jack Bauer role as he picked off the rebels one-by-one was enormously entertaining. We're also introduced to a mature Alexander Rozhenko, who skillfully manipulates the rebels into turning against each other. This is the beginning of a rather satisfying arc for a character who was often mishandled in the TV series.

Meanwhile, Picard and his senior staff are forced to endure a full starship inspection on the Enterprise, as hinted at in previous novels in the series. Disturbed that the inspection team consists of personalities none too fond of the Enterprise, Scotty pulls a few strings to be included on the detail so he can balance the books and reunite with his old friends who rescued him from the Jenolen. In reality, Scotty is written into the novel solely to serve as counsel to Geordi who must decide whether or not he's going to accept the position of First Officer under Riker on the Titan. The scenes between the two engineers are well pitched, and true to both characters' distinct personalities. That being said, his addiction comes off as slightly superfluous and somewhat contrived. I feel that a well crafted conversation between Data and Geordi would have been more effective for this particular plot point.

The inspection itself was somewhat standard fare, although I enjoyed seeing the return of Sabin Genestra - the Betazoid former aide to Admiral Satie (TNG: "The Drumhead") - and how he managed to ruffle his fair share of feathers yet again. Toby Russell's role as medical inspector was a nice cameo, continuing the animosity between her and Crusher first seen in "Ethics". Rather than risk a clichéd copy of Admiral Satie heading up the inspection, the author's addition of new character Captain Go was quite refreshing: Despite Picard's fears of biased negativity toward him and the crew, the outcome is both pleasant and courteous.

I could perhaps have done without the extended storyline of Kahless and his holographic replacement. It all felt rather silly ("Today's a good day to paint"?!) and didn't gel with the otherwise superb pacing of the novel. Plus, we're left with the obvious questions regarding the origin of the copied 29th century holoemitter... just where did Kahless' "discreet friends" obtain the device from?

Yet all of these plot points merely serve as decoration to the main party piece: the Federation Presidency elections. The contenders couldn't be more different; Nan Bacco is the current governor of Cestus III and responsible for opening relationships with both the Gorn and the Metrons, while Fel Pagro is a Federation Special Emissary to the Ktarians. The latter has few redeeming qualities, and we're led to gaining a pretty immediate dislike for the character on account of his hawkish stance towards the Klingon Empire. Bacco, on the other hand, is just so much fun to read. She has the homespun country charm of Dr. McCoy mixed in with a sardonic dry wit and a self-deprecating streak which all combines to produce some wonderful dialogue. The campaign and subsequent inauguration are threaded throughout the book and despite a few missteps (I wasn't overly fond of Admiral Upton revealing the Tezwan intelligence on account of his libido), provided a consistent source of momentum for the book and a much-needed break from the endless violence and death that has plagued the series up to this point.

DeCandido excels at character work throughout this opus, leaving me with no doubts that the crew are absolutely believable and convincing in their dialogue and actions. The warmth and sense of family that came to define the TNG crew oozes off the page, especially toward the end of the novel as events move to coincide with the Nemesis wedding. Speaking of which, Riker's "making history" speech in Alaska was beautiful, and all the more poignant given our knowledge of what transpires later in the movie. I could have done without Wesley's appearance and the groan-inducing scenes as Picard orders his lieutenant's dress uniform. Still, this is a minor quibble in an otherwise flawless act. Perhaps most notable is the repositioning of Worf's character, as he comes full circle in a meaningful and noble way; this was no easy task, but DeCandido pulls it off with flair and it's very satisfying to read.

The author provides sufficient nods to previous installments in the series to tie all 9 books nicely together, although coherence and continuity between the volumes was never a primary objective. Sadly, I'm left with the same conclusions as many after struggling through this collection - the first 6 books can easily be skipped in favor of the last 3. Indeed, the high quality of Mack and DeCandido's offerings quite effortlessly outshines the volumes that preceded them.

Some final points:
* The reappearance of Councillor Kopek was great. I'm glad we got to see the impact of the events of the previous two books on Worf's relationship with Kopek - in fact, I'd rather have seen his role made even bigger in favor of the Kahless story strand.
* The political maneuvering between Abrik and Esperanza was so delicious to read, and a welcome callback to the types of backstage dealings we saw orchestrated by Kai Winn in so much of DS9.
* Damn, I really want to like Amanda Vale. I do. But there's still something missing for me. Perhaps she's just a bit too eager to please, a bit too one-dimensionally heroic? Time will tell. But despite a lot of focus (especially in this and the past 2 books), I remain unconvinced.

I'd originally rated this 3 stars, but the delightful characterization of the crew and welcome introduction of Nan Bacco edges this up to 4. A great read - and recommended without reservation.

[Olivier Damien Escotíez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Time for War, A Time for Peace, is a masterful entry in the A Time To… series, and perhaps one of the most emotionally resonant Star Trek novels I have read. As the penultimate book in this sweeping narrative, it carries the weight of everything that has come before while setting the stage for the finale — and it does so with elegance and heart.

The prose is beautifully crafted, capturing the essence of the characters we have known for decades while pushing them into new depths of humanity. There is joy here — moments of camaraderie, hope, and the quiet satisfaction of healing wounds both physical and emotional. There is sadness, too — loss, regret, and the heavy price of choices made in the chaos of crisis.

What makes A Time for War, A Time for Peace, so powerful is the balance it strikes: it is not merely about mending what is broken, but about accepting what cannot be restored, and finding meaning in the journey forward. The pacing is deliberate but never slow, allowing the reader to fully immerse themselves in each character’s struggle.

It is a joyful, sad, and ultimately uplifting chapter in the lives of the Enterprise crew, one that reminds us why Star Trek endures — because at its core, it is about people, connection, and the belief that even in the darkest moments, there is a path to light.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was... enjoyable, but not especially exciting or thrilling. I think Keith DeCandido's strength (which I gauge from having read this and "Q&A") are his in-depth character rendering: He does a great job of really fleshing out what it 'feels' like to be Worf, or Data, or Geordi, or even the chief of staff to a presidential candidate, as they move about with their world and perceive and interact others. There is a lot of subtle emotional texture and nuance. I suppose that what I'm trying to say is, KRAD's strength is also his shortcoming (at least in these two books) is that his stories are almost entirely character driven and not particularly plot driven.

This book has three different plots: a hostage situation, a starfleet political situation and a Federation political situation, but it's never totally clear what the book's "A-plot," "B-plot," or "C-plot" are, and I believe that each plot suffered as a result. No one of them was able to be done justice and the pacing felt off (particularly with the hostage situation). As such, all three plots felt short shrifted.

To be sure, my opinion here may be colored by my knowing what the outcome would be to at least two of these three plots, so there was less excitement to begin with.

I'd say it was a solid book, but not amazing for me.

[Vic Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

um did I go into this book expecting to cry at the end?

NO but I was very happy with that outcome

It's a beautiful ending to the story of the family of the Enterprise D. And it contains a presidential race which gives me ALL the West Wing vibes that i DIE for.

this was SUCH an amazing, thoughtful novel and has made all the middling star trek novels i've read over the last few months worth it. it's slow moving in that there are only a few moments of action - most of the book is taken up in a staff review, and the aforementioned presidential race. really both of those things link to the same theme - of deciding where to go from here. as the federation, and personally.

where are all our characters going to go from here? they won't be together anymore, as riker says in a beautiful little speech (the one that made me cry real tears). we know where they will be stationed - but what will happen to them, i guess time will tell.

[Hanne G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read the others in the series (yet) so I can’t comment on the series, just this book.

A Time for War, A Time for Peace is a tightly written ST novel that ties things together leading up to Nemesis, with more politics than action per se, but this is more engaging than you might think. Some nice action with Worf, and nice reflections of the D crew on their journeys, it’s ultimately somewhat bittersweet but hopeful. We even get a grumpy dad who doesn’t want the cat. Maybe I’m also relating to the theme of having worked to please others for long enough, its time to be a bit selfish. Today is a good day *to paint*.

DeCandido does a good job of tying things together and setting things up. A weak point was Wesleys uniform, but given the material to work with, kudos for trying. I will say though, having worked for government I know very well dumb stuff like that really does happen. We’d just prefer to think in the ST world things work better :-)

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good filler type book. Not too much happened. There was an attack on the Federation Embassy, a new president was elected, and the crew was under investigation. But it doesn't dwell that much on the action, it kind of introduces it and then says two weeks later this was the outcome. But it did a great job of developing the characters and explaining what happens next to old characters. There were SO many references to TV episodes, movies, older star trek books, previous A Time To books and even comics. I liked the Acknowledgments section because he lists all the previous works he referenced. It also helped explain the continuity discrepancies from Nemesis. It was well told. I just wish there was a little more focus on the action. The first two books are still my favorite of the series.

[Elliot Weeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Keith R. A. DeCandido wrapped up the “A Time To...” series in wonderful fashion. There were a great deal of loose threads leading into Nemesis that he was able to explain and set up perfectly. I also really enjoyed reading the introduction of candidate-then-President Bacco, one of my favorite characters in the litverse and one I always enjoyed revisiting. To put Worf back in a starfleet uniform, explain why Wesley was in one, explain why Riker and Troi had two ceremonies, AND to tie up a nine book series was such a tall order, but Mr. DeCandido knocked it out of the park!

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein guter Abschluss für die Reihe. Eigentlich hätte sie auch schon mit Buch 8 enden können, aber so ist alles nochmal abgerundet, auch wenn mir der Fokus aller etwas zu sehr auf der anstehenden Hochzeit lag. Was mir nicht so gut gefallen hat, war der Epilog, der dann nach "Nemesis" spielt und super schnell die Geschehnisse zusammenfasst und sich die Stories so zurechtbiegt, dass alles mit den Büchern und dem Film passt. Das war meiner Meinung nach unnötig, da hätte man die Geschichte des Buchs auch einfach direkt auf den Film anpassen können.
Trotzdem hatte ich viel Freude an der Reihe.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing about this series. I just bought this book from Keith at our local comic con. I enjoyed it anyway - there was plenty of context to figure things out. Really good portrayal of dirty politics in paradise (the Federation may be basically a utopia but people are still people) and the perpetually strained alliance with the Klingons. I've read the Destiny trilogy and it was enjoyed getting Bacco's backstory.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the last book in the series where there was a lot of tying up of loose ends and closing the gap just before the movie but honestly it was probably my fave of all of them. other than the beginning of the novel with the takeover of the embassy there were no high stakes, no angst (bar the epilogue I guess); just hanging out with the crew. that’s basically all I wanted all along from this book series and I finally got it lol.

[Josh Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick Thoughts - Quite good for a ST book!
Warf is the Action Ambassador,
Everyone votes for president,
People ponder whether to tell the truth,
A wedding gets planned and replanned,
The ENTIRE "D-Crew" (minus O'Brian) gather together one last time,
The darkness of the "A Time To..." series finally lifts,
And we get this gem of a Klingon-Quote: "It's a good day to paint."

[Isabell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was macht man, wenn eine Story, die sich über die eigene Kindheit gezogen hat, plötzlich ein Ende bekommt?
Ohne Spaß, keine Ahnung.
Neben dem Fakt, dass ich nicht darauf klarkomme, dass eine meiner Kindheits-Lieblingsserien ein trauriges aber gutes Ende genommen hat, ist das Buch wirklich wirklich gut geschrieben und ein guter Abschluss für die Bücherreihe.
Ich kann diese Bücher nur jedem empfehlen der TNG gesehen hat und gerne mehr davon hätte.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent end to the series, if a little anti-climactic. A lot of the dramatic moments were solved off-screen. I don't know if this is a Star Trek book thing in general, but oh. My. God. The amount of needless recapping of previous books/episodes/movies was so irritating. Either the reader has already seen/read it and doesn't need the recap, or they've now had those plots spoiled.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great conclusion to the story arc

A great conclusion to the 9-Book “A Time...” series. Fills the space between Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis in the timeline. Sets the ground for the Titan books and future TNG novels.

[Darnoc Leadburger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good end to the series and definetely the best A Time To... Book that's also one of my favorite Trek books. There are great connections to not only the previous A Time To... books but the movie Nemeis. I can't really complain here. Nicely done.