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A new installment of the series that began with Vulcan's Forge and Vulcan's Heart finds Ambassador Spock and his allies struggling to penetrate the home base of a mysterious adversary, whose connections to the Vulcan race are gradually revealed through a series of flashbacks. 25,000 first printing.
324 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
22 people are currently reading
403 people want to read
About the author
Josepha Sherman
216 books70 followersJosepha Sherman was an American author, folklorist, and anthologist. In 1990 she won the Compton Crook Award for the novel The Shining Falcon.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 2, 2017
Book two in one of the series within a series that Star Trek is so fond of, this is split in two eras. In the "modern" time, a new power called the Wattraii has emerged, claiming they have a right to the Romulan homeworld. This plot gets more complicated as most of the powers in this sector- the Federation, the Klingons, the Romulans- are still recovering from the massive losses during the Dominion War. At the end of last book, Chekov, still around as an Admiral, was captured. Now Uhura, director of Star Fleet Intelligence, dispatches a secret mission to rescue him. The USS Alliance, captained by Spock's wife Saavik, is sent out, with a special away team: Scotty, after his transporter accident that brought him to the Next Generation Era, Ambassador Spock, Ruanek a former Romulan living as a Vulcan, and Data. They need to save Chekov and find an artifact of great importance to the Romulan people.
In the past, we learn the story of the Vulcans who left their home and will eventually, as far as I can tell, become the Romulans. The story is a lot about the perils of long term space travel without FTL as the people face disaster after disaster: disease, equipment failure, factionalism. It reads a bit like a post apocalypse novel in space, which honestly isn't what I read Star Trek for. We get hints how the two stories connect, but that isn't really revealed until the next book.
It's a decent, not great story. Recommended for Star Trek completists and those interested in Star Trek history. I didn't know Chekov and Uhura both had survived into the Next Gen era, and that seems a bit off, considering how old Bones was in the Next Gen 1st episode.
In the past, we learn the story of the Vulcans who left their home and will eventually, as far as I can tell, become the Romulans. The story is a lot about the perils of long term space travel without FTL as the people face disaster after disaster: disease, equipment failure, factionalism. It reads a bit like a post apocalypse novel in space, which honestly isn't what I read Star Trek for. We get hints how the two stories connect, but that isn't really revealed until the next book.
It's a decent, not great story. Recommended for Star Trek completists and those interested in Star Trek history. I didn't know Chekov and Uhura both had survived into the Next Gen era, and that seems a bit off, considering how old Bones was in the Next Gen 1st episode.
June 4, 2022
Knowing how much I enjoy a good backstory, the Vulcan’s Soul series in the Star Trek universe was recommended to me. Exiles is the second book in the series and picks up pretty much right after Vulcan’s Soul: Exodus.
It’s the end of the Dominion War and the Federation is still reeling and recovering from those events. Enter the Watraii, a mysterious race that claims the Romulan Homeworld was once theirs and intends to take back their rightful planet.
The Federation has secretly sent help in the form of a specialized task force led by Captain Saavik and her husband, Ambassador Spock along with other familiar faces from both the original Star Trek series and the Next Generation. Together with the Klingons and Romulans, they intend to try and negotiate terms with the Watraii.
The Watraii are having none of it, though. They have kidnapped Admiral Chekov, and the task force traces them to their base in an attempt to rescue him as well as make contact for negotiations. Also on the table is a mysterious relic, stolen from the Romulans, which they are desperate to have returned.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
It’s the end of the Dominion War and the Federation is still reeling and recovering from those events. Enter the Watraii, a mysterious race that claims the Romulan Homeworld was once theirs and intends to take back their rightful planet.
The Federation has secretly sent help in the form of a specialized task force led by Captain Saavik and her husband, Ambassador Spock along with other familiar faces from both the original Star Trek series and the Next Generation. Together with the Klingons and Romulans, they intend to try and negotiate terms with the Watraii.
The Watraii are having none of it, though. They have kidnapped Admiral Chekov, and the task force traces them to their base in an attempt to rescue him as well as make contact for negotiations. Also on the table is a mysterious relic, stolen from the Romulans, which they are desperate to have returned.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
March 11, 2019
The second book in this trilogy continues to pull together the two major threads of the story. The plot is tighter, the characters more fully developed and I find myself moving faster through the pages.
The first book established a solid platform, and the second book clearly is bringing the two stories closer to their joining in a way that increases interest and suspense.
I truly cannot wait to plunge into the final part of these stories as the come together into a single saga.
The first book established a solid platform, and the second book clearly is bringing the two stories closer to their joining in a way that increases interest and suspense.
I truly cannot wait to plunge into the final part of these stories as the come together into a single saga.
February 28, 2021
“Exile” is the second volume in the “Vulcan’s Soul Trilogy” by Josepha Sherman and Susan Scwartz, which - together with the “Rihannsu: The Bloowing Voyages” by Diane Duane - is a pivotal work to understand the role of both Vulcan and Rihannsu, who Sherman & Shwartz broadly address by their given federation name, Romulans.
“Exiles” continues both, the historical account on the te-Vikram journey in search of a suitable new homeworld, and the 24th century conflict with the evasive Watraii. Spock, Saavik, Uhura and Chekov would each on their own play a paramount role in understanding and trying to resolve the situation. A visit to the Watraii homeworld will unearth the roots of the conflict and exposes some very disturbing facts on the founding and developing of Romulan society. After the Vulcan exiles reached the dual system know to the federation as Romulus & Remus, and settled in the most favorable of both planets (Romulus) despite its resources scarcity, they envisioned a program to sent waves of citizens to work and mine the rich in natural resources Remus, to build the brand new imperium. But what should have been a rightful and straightforward system encompassing the totality of the population, soon became a tool of oppression to exile critics to the regime as well as any unwanted individuals and their families.
Meanwhile Spock does his very best to find a solution to the consequences of the ancient schism that tore apart Vulcan society, envisioning the plan that would eventually lead to Unification.
The trilogy’s story arc over spans time and galaxies, from Ancient Vulcan, to post Dominion War, through the century long first exile travel, Romulus & Remus establishment, and the following betrayal and Watraii exile, across half the Alpha Quadrant. However, is easy to follow and offers an interesting insight on the intricate Vulcan/Romulan relations, and the events that would eventually lead to Spock’s Unification effort. As aforementioned, “Vulcan Soul” and “Rihannsu” are the two pivotal works on Vulcan/Romulan (to use the federation term) history. Both together create a concise and accurate myth-history of the most revered folk (because indeed at the roots they are just but one) in Star Trek verse.
And just in case, and for those, that haven’t taken the hint already, yes, I am consciously avoiding Kelvin timelines and Mary Sue’s egocentric trips through space and time. In fact, I am actively ignoring them!
“Exiles” continues both, the historical account on the te-Vikram journey in search of a suitable new homeworld, and the 24th century conflict with the evasive Watraii. Spock, Saavik, Uhura and Chekov would each on their own play a paramount role in understanding and trying to resolve the situation. A visit to the Watraii homeworld will unearth the roots of the conflict and exposes some very disturbing facts on the founding and developing of Romulan society. After the Vulcan exiles reached the dual system know to the federation as Romulus & Remus, and settled in the most favorable of both planets (Romulus) despite its resources scarcity, they envisioned a program to sent waves of citizens to work and mine the rich in natural resources Remus, to build the brand new imperium. But what should have been a rightful and straightforward system encompassing the totality of the population, soon became a tool of oppression to exile critics to the regime as well as any unwanted individuals and their families.
Meanwhile Spock does his very best to find a solution to the consequences of the ancient schism that tore apart Vulcan society, envisioning the plan that would eventually lead to Unification.
The trilogy’s story arc over spans time and galaxies, from Ancient Vulcan, to post Dominion War, through the century long first exile travel, Romulus & Remus establishment, and the following betrayal and Watraii exile, across half the Alpha Quadrant. However, is easy to follow and offers an interesting insight on the intricate Vulcan/Romulan relations, and the events that would eventually lead to Spock’s Unification effort. As aforementioned, “Vulcan Soul” and “Rihannsu” are the two pivotal works on Vulcan/Romulan (to use the federation term) history. Both together create a concise and accurate myth-history of the most revered folk (because indeed at the roots they are just but one) in Star Trek verse.
And just in case, and for those, that haven’t taken the hint already, yes, I am consciously avoiding Kelvin timelines and Mary Sue’s egocentric trips through space and time. In fact, I am actively ignoring them!
April 19, 2024
Published nearly 2 years after the 1st installment in this series, the 2nd book in the Vulcan's Soul trilogy, "Exiles", picks up where the 1st one left off and is at times more tied into the dual plots of this series which in this novel fill in more blanks. In the present, we add Captain Montgomery Scott as well as Lieutenant Commander Data to the search for the artifact and also Chekov. It's a story that takes it's time going through things along w/ this continued rogue task force of ships and the continued use of a character named Ruanek who was banished from Romulus but has been helping on Vulcan. In the past, we see more of the issues Karatek and the ships face as their exile into the void continues with no real end in sight. When that end does arrive, Sherman & Shwartz throw yet another stunning plot twist into things as the reality of how modern Vulcan as well as Romulus & Remus came to be.
June 4, 2017
No rest for the damned... could be a good summary of this book. Heroic deeds go unrewarded but as a people the exiled Vulcans (later to become the Romulans) travel through the galaxy to find a new home. Beautiful saga with action and excitement but lacking in humour, as the Vulcans themselves. The more you read from this trilogy the more difficult it gets to lay the book away. But definitely not a feelgood story. It gets easier to follow the jumps in time and place that the author makes in his storyline. Slowly, step-by-step many unanswered questioins become clear - even if you didn't know the questions existed or you had them.
June 22, 2018
/eyebrow raised/ Fascinating.
Some failed attempts to kind of ... bring everybody from every crew together in the present, but the "Memory" sections are really building to something interesting. I was pretty baffled by both endings, but that might be just my attention wandering. I'll be very interested to see where this goes ...
Some failed attempts to kind of ... bring everybody from every crew together in the present, but the "Memory" sections are really building to something interesting. I was pretty baffled by both endings, but that might be just my attention wandering. I'll be very interested to see where this goes ...
June 9, 2019
I liked the end in this book better or rather I guess I was better prepared knowing that there was one more book, This history got a little confusing going back and forth in history, but the subject of where do Romulans come from made for a compelling story, This was a Good Read
May 24, 2022
A combination of two storylines: one of them only grabbed me a little, the other didn't really get me at all.
February 8, 2023
About as tedious as the first book.
July 13, 2023
Now we know who the original Romulans were.
November 8, 2021
This a great second installment to this story. You will still have the moving from past to present with each chapter. In the present Saavik recruits Scotty and Lieutenant Commander Data to help retrieve an artifact that is important to the Romulans and the Watraii and they are also going to rescue Admiral Chekov. There is a lot going on in this story and it is fast paced. I really enjoyed these books and wish there were more by these authors.
October 21, 2012
After the perfectly titillating and intellectually stimulating “Exodus” the “Vulcan Soul” trilogy drags just a little bit with “Exiles”. The two storyline approach continues as many of our favorite Trek legends research the dramatic attack on the Romulan Star Empire, detailed in the beginning of “Exodus”. This storyline is perhaps too dramatically overshadowed by the continuation of the story depicting ancient Vulcan history, which by “Exiles” has turned into ancient Romulan history.
The bulk of the novel examines the decades long journey that Vulcan tribes made before finding a new home, the Romulan star system. This storyline borrows some good things from the 2003 version of Battlestar Galactica with its sense of urgent survival struggle fueling Machiavellian political plots and twists. Overall this is all interesting stuff, but the setup is a bit too static to carry the narrative through the book. Many substantial themes are addressed, many fascinating characters and cultural phenomena created, but it all fails to keep the reader 100 per cent engaged. The prose in the historical section is also a bit flat, the sentences a tad too heavy.
Still, “Exiles” is a joy to read, isn’t afraid to raise the intellectual above the entertaining and serve some unique treats for fans of anthropological sci-fi in general and trekkers interested in Vulcan/Romulan culture in particular. Even with its minor flaws this middle volume makes you hungry for the conclusion of a so-far excellent trilogy.
The bulk of the novel examines the decades long journey that Vulcan tribes made before finding a new home, the Romulan star system. This storyline borrows some good things from the 2003 version of Battlestar Galactica with its sense of urgent survival struggle fueling Machiavellian political plots and twists. Overall this is all interesting stuff, but the setup is a bit too static to carry the narrative through the book. Many substantial themes are addressed, many fascinating characters and cultural phenomena created, but it all fails to keep the reader 100 per cent engaged. The prose in the historical section is also a bit flat, the sentences a tad too heavy.
Still, “Exiles” is a joy to read, isn’t afraid to raise the intellectual above the entertaining and serve some unique treats for fans of anthropological sci-fi in general and trekkers interested in Vulcan/Romulan culture in particular. Even with its minor flaws this middle volume makes you hungry for the conclusion of a so-far excellent trilogy.
July 16, 2012
This has been the best Star Trek book I have read in quite some time. Contrary to some other reviewers, I found the Memory portions to be superior to the Now portions as the assembling of the pantheon of Star Trek heroes for the mission to the Watraii homeworld was simply too contrived. Still it did lead to some comic moments.
I particularly loved how the novel showed us the manner in which Remus was first settled and what happened to the followers of Surak during the Sundering. And while I was less enchanted by the Now portions of the book, we did learn a tiny bit of valuable information about the Watraii culture that I am hoping will carry over into Book 3.
Now if only Ruanek and Data had not been extricated in the way they were!
I particularly loved how the novel showed us the manner in which Remus was first settled and what happened to the followers of Surak during the Sundering. And while I was less enchanted by the Now portions of the book, we did learn a tiny bit of valuable information about the Watraii culture that I am hoping will carry over into Book 3.
Now if only Ruanek and Data had not been extricated in the way they were!
October 5, 2010
This is the second book in the Star Trek Vulcan’s Soul trilogy. It’s a strong middle that does what it sets out to do: continue building the story and developing the characters without giving away too much about how the trilogy will resolve. It’s probably a decent stand-alone book, but I’m pretty much incapable of reading a series out of order or in parts, so I’m not a good judge there. Can’t wait to start the final book tonight.
May 29, 2015
3.5 stars. This book struck me more easily than the first book of the series, and I really did enjoy them pulling more well-known characters out as a supporting cast, even if others were only mentioned and not seen. The action picked up a few months after the events of the first book, but built on it, and built up to a climax, which was sadly predictable. I have an idea of where they're taking this series, and I want to finish it to see if I'm correct.
January 28, 2017
three short stories of people exiled in one way or another. first story is about a man whose mother dies and who gets involved with a couple whose son he resembles. second takes place on an island in the south Pacific (near Australia) and follows the islanders and some Europeans who live there. third story takes place during the Vietnam war and follows a group of soldiers searching for a tiger that ate one of their platoon.
December 14, 2015
This was a real hit-and-miss for me. I really enjoyed the "Now" portions with Spock, Saavik, etc. but just couldn't get in to the "Memory" sections. I felt like the story came to a screaching halt everytime they popped up. I also find it a little questionable that Chekov & Uhura would still be still alive and kicking so late into the TNG era. Anyway, I'm interested to read the conclusion.
October 29, 2011
The continuing saga of how the Vulcans and Romulans are related. The storyline is holding my interest as a Star Trek fan. However, I felt the authors spent too much time on the "Memory" part of the story and not enough on the present.
Hope the final installment is worth spreading the story over three books.
Hope the final installment is worth spreading the story over three books.
January 6, 2014
This is a really good book for any causal star trek fan because it drew me in with a very interesting tale about what really happened in Vulcan's past. Or in this case some may not want the truth to come out. A famous member of star-fleet who appeared have died was captured and took Spock by surprise when he found him in a prison. Has a very very wild ending that was shocking.
October 13, 2015
Sherman continues his exploration of the Vulcan and Romulan cultures, concentrating on the period when the Vulcan exiles wandered the galaxy in search of a new home. The "present day" story moves right along, but the rescue mission gets a little far-fetched. Still, a fun read.
June 25, 2008
This gets back into the Star Trek feeling. Has the drama and action to keep me interested.
June 21, 2017
Such a fascinating look at the Vulcans, Romulans, Remans, et al.
June 8, 2016
This one is very entertaining, a lot of tension and going out with a bang. More of this please!
July 8, 2014
Good read
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews