For anyone not familiar with the Star Trek Movies, The Genesis Project was supposed to be a quick way of making inhabitable planets suitable for (human life), it was lead by Carol Marcus and her son David Marcus, fathered by one James T Kirk. A test of the device goes terribly wrong when a genetically bred superhuman Khan Noonien-Singh tried to hijack the Genesis Device to use it as a weapon. However it isn't essential that you have seen the movie before you read this book. The Federation have tried to keep it secret, to keep it safe for 90 years, but now someone has found out about the Genesis Project and kidnapped it's creator Dr Carol Marcus. 6 months later Leah Brahm's and her husband are conducting tests on an experimental environment suit when the planet suddenly starts to change and Leah watches helplessly as her husband and team die before her eyes. Beaming up to the space station in orbit and then in a shuttle she and the remaining member of her team, a Tellarite barely make it away in time. With their communications damaged they head for a Tellarite farming planet to try and warn the inhabitants. Unfortunately they are not willing to listen and again Leah and the Tellarite, Paldor, make a narrow escape. This time however they pick up the Drunken Klingon Consul for the planet Maltz, who has had some experience with the Genesis Device and a Romulan spy Bekra transmitting the raw data about the wave as they go. Fortunately for them the USS Enterprise has been ordered to that region of space by Admiral Nechayev after noticing that communications where down and are able to pick their shuttlecraft up and their story unfolds Nechayev at this point decides to hand over to Picard the Genesis Project report. The wave is now sweeping across the Alpha Quadrant rearranging matter and life energy into bizarre landscapes and life forms and it looks to be heading straight for Earth. Can the Federation work with the still mistrustful Romulans to stop it before it reaches Earth and can they find out who is behind it? There are other sub plots also going on in this book. Geordi is still infatuated with Leah but taking romantic advice from Data and trying to woo a Geologist, which provides some humour. The Romulan's, although trying to stop the wave, are eager to get their hands on the device. Then there is Maltz himself, the disgraced Klingon who is now eager to redeem himself. I loved this novel, it's fairly fast paced and very well written. The characterizations are extremely good, particularly Leah Brahms and the Klingon Maltz. I would definitely recommend this novel but as it ends on a cliff-hanger, be prepared to read Book Two as well.
Title: The Genesis Wave, Book 1 |
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