Wesley Crusher is at it again with one of his experiments. This time, however, he is in search to find out if he'll make a good commanding officer someday. Unsatisfied with the training programs that Guinan suggested on the holodeck and the advice from Commander William Riker, Wesley is determined to make up a new race to face up against. Luckily for him, there is a first contact specialist onboard named Lieutenant Shubunkin that suggests a scale on which to get started. With the help of Lt. Commanders Data and Geordi LaForge, the Boogeymen are born from Wesley's childhood nightmares. While Wesley is doing all this, the Enterprise comes in contact with a tear-shaped ship. The ship disappears before anything can really take place and they later rendezvous to pick up the Federation's premier exologist that also happens to be envy and old friend of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's named Eric Baldwin. He has two weeks at warp five to debrief all he learned of the tear-shaped ship with Shubunkin and Commander Mont, who Counselor Deanna Troi warns Picard is hiding something. Commander Mont makes an attempt on Baldwin's life and Baldwin ends up pleading with Picard to help make him disappear from all the fame that has gotten him more enemies than fans. Picard isn't so sure and joins Data and Wesley on the holodeck to try out Wes' "Boogeymen". A malfunction leaves them fighting to escape the holodeck and then just come out to find that the Enterprise has been infected with a virus. Suddenly, the ship is falling apart around them and people are losing consciousness. Picard can't help but wonder if all the mayhem on his ship all leads back to the tear-shaped ship. For all you non-fans of Wesley, I will tell you right now that he does not save the ship in any way. In fact, Gilden gives that right to someone you wouldn't suspect! The book is full of twists and turns. Just when you think it is ending; here comes another round! At times it drags on, even though it is a short book compared to a lot of the books in the TNG series, and that's why I give it four pips. Other than that, it was true to the canon characters and there is plenty of dry humor that leave you laughing out loud to make people think you're crazy for your sudden outburst. I enjoyed this book, but felt like I could have skipped a few pages to move it on a little.
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Title: Boogeymen
Author: Mel Gilden
Review by: CL5 Amanda Sielu Paris
2-16-05
