"The Brave and the Bold is really four novellas that together almost seamlessly tell one grand and epic story. Book one is particulary poignant to read because as you are getting to know some of the crew members of the Odyssey and Constellation you know in the back of your mind that ultimately they will meet a tragic end. The assurance and ease with the characters that the author demonstrates leaps off the pages of both books in a way that allows the reader to just relax and enjoy the ride. So place yourself in the hands of a skilled storyteller and settle in for a delightful and enlightening jaunt through the Star Trek universe."
---Jacqueline Bundy, "The Book Padd," TrekToday
"DeCandido's stated reason for these stories is to bring back characters we've met in passing on the television series and explore how they interact with, and regard, the regular characters. By telling the stories from the 'guest' characters' points of view, DeCandido is able to offer fresh perspectives -- and fill in backstory relevant to the regular characters. DeCandido is acutely conscious of what he's doing; he takes the mutual dislike of Captain Keogh and Jadzia Dax in the DS9 episode 'The Jem'Hadar' and spins it into a hilarious bit of lore involving a young Declan Keogh and an insatiably womanizing Curzon Dax. And though one might quibble with DeCandido's choice to present Decker as a less acute version of the unshaven wreck he appeared to be in the Original Series episode 'The Doomsday Machine,' there's no doubting the effectiveness of having Decker look at Kirk as a fresh-faced kid who should know better than to subject a terrorized colony to martial law, only to come to respect him through the course of events. (Although one has to wonder how much of an impact 9/11 -- which happened even as DeCandido was writing Book One -- influenced his authorial decisions here. Martial law may be one thing when there's a heroic presence like Captain Kirk behind it -- but it's hard to imagine such measures in contemporary America would have been embraced with much enthusiasm even in the weeks immediately following the terrorist attack.)"
---Killian Melloy, wigglefish.com, 4 December 2002
"When planning this review, I wanted to be a little cautious; I'm generally inclined to like DeCandido's work, as he's consistently gotten characters written right in every franchise I've read, from Star Trek to Marvel Comics to Farscape, so I figured I'd need to fight that instinct. After reading The Brave and The Bold, I gave up; I can't really help that I like his writing! ... Also of note is the fact that DeCandido is making use of info that's been sprinkled throughout the DS9 relaunch books, primarily info concerning Andorians, although one of the DS9 relaunch characters also has a very brief cameo.
"I found these books to be fun reads; the first one primarily because of the chance to see famous crews seen through the eyes of others; the second one primarily because of plot situations (Tuvok and Captain Klag's crew). The thread binding the four stories together works for me, given all the things we've seen in Trek lore, and the length of time taken between the findings of the artifacts makes sense given the size of the quadrant, and the fact that it gets smaller every year. So go ahead and pick up The Brave and The Bold. It's like reading extra episodes of Star Trek in all its incarnations."
---Gregory J. Dolnack, The Storyteller's Archive
"The Brave and the Bold Book 1 once again trots out the threat of near-omnipotent artifacts that are far too destructive for anyone, even the Federation, to be allowed to wield. But don’t despair, author Keith R A DeCandido, as Will Smith would say, 'makes this look good.' ... It’s so fun, and so dramatic, that the book seems to turn the pages all by itself.
"But, beyond even that, DeCandido writes these characters exactly as they appear on the screen. DeCandido’s Archer IS Scott Bakula’s Archer. DeCandido’s Spock IS Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, etc…
"If the second book in this two book series holds up to the first, we may have one of the best executed Trek novel storylines of all time on our hands."
---Chris Wyatt, Cinescape Online, 13 December 2002
"DeCandido’s style is comfortable, like putting on an old sweater (or a nice new one you got for Christmas). He has a solid grasp of the Star Trek lore and established continuity while presenting a twist on a familiar theme. In this two-book series, he combines everything together to good effect. The most interesting aspect of this series is DeCandido’s usage of other captains and crews of other starships briefly seen throughout the Star Trek saga. He fleshes their stories out beyond their brief appearances on-screen and breathes life to the characters, giving them equal footing and time with the main crews of each series. This is one of those opportunities for Star Trek writers to have the chance to explore other crews, other starships, and other stories within the framework of the respective series.
"DeCandido’s use of Captain Klag and the I.K.S. Gorkon is a hands-down winner, as they are presented as the freshest and most solid original literary crew to come together since Peter David’s New Frontier series."
---Bill Williams, TrekWeb, 30 December 2002
"In the second of his two-book opus The Brave and the Bold, Keith R. A. DeCandido outdoes himself for pure storytelling gusto and ticklesome Trekular twists. ...
"What really works a treat about the story [of Part 3] is Tuvok's mission — and Captain DeSoto's concerns that Tuvok may not be just acting a part. After all, Tuvok served with Captain Sulu many years ago, before he and Starfleet went their separate ways for a period of several decades: what if Captain Janeway's Vulcan officer has decided once again to resign his commission, this time to join the Maquis for real?
"Janeway herself makes only a token appearance in the story — DeSoto and the crew of the Hood are the prevalent Starfleet presence, up against not only Cal Hudson and his Maquis cell but also Chakotay and his soldiers. That's well and good, though, because DeCandido takes the time and creative energy to endow DeSoto, Chakotay, and their respective crews with enough attributes and background to make them serve as more than puppets — they become well-defined characters in their own rights. ...
"[Part 4, the] final act in the complex story arc is by far the best: fast, funny, wonderfully populated with a daring mix of Trek characters from across the generations.
"The results of a Spock/Worf mind meld are worth the cover price alone; the furious Klingon-centered action is a huge plus, remaining faithful to the warrior race but also managing to make for a more coherent story than one might have expected. After all, with all the snarling, dueling, and continual groaning about honor, the idea of a Trek novel taking place on a Klingon ship seems a sketchy one.
"DeCandido plainly has other ideas, however, and he's made a finely nuanced portrait of Klingon ship life while also driving his plot forward con brio. ... Altogether, DeCandido's The Brave and the Bold duology makes for top-flight Trek reading."
---Killian Melloy, wigglefish.com, 2 January 2003
"The second book of Star Trek: The Brave and the Bold has a lot to live up to, but it delivers superbly. ... The Voyager segment is probably the most successful because of how skillfully the author is able to expand upon the TV characters without stretching them beyond believability. ... Overall, the second book is actually better than the first and can be recommend highly to Trek fans ... these two books remain relative high water mark for Trek fiction.
"There was a time when Trek novels were lifeless...then Peter David came along and brought them to a new level. In recent years the novels have been up and down, with some decent entries, but also some major crap getting into the system. DeCandido is like the second coming of Peter David. He knows the characters so well, and expands them so perfectly that it will be a shame if he never writes for on-screen Trek. Maybe if John 'Let’s kill Data' Logan isn’t doing the 11th film, Berman could give DeCandido a call...but, that probably won’t happen, because what are the odds that Berman reads the novels?"
---Chris Wyatt, Cinescape Online, 3 January 2003
"The encounter between Spock and Worf in the final part of Book 2 is also well-crafted and the Klingon/Vulcan mind-meld is as inspired as the best TV episode. ... Keith DeCandido is steeped in the lore of Star Trek and the populace of that universe sits comfortably in the narrative. The plot inventively draws many of the well-loved characters from the individual TV series into a story where they can interact with each other. ... The interactions, never possible in the TV series, are interesting and thought-provoking.
"The encounter between Worf and Spock is a highlight and the recreation of Dr McCoy's crotchety character is an inspiration. ... It's an enjoyable undemanding page-turner. ... Mr DeCandido writes with enjoyment and authority."
---Sue Davies, SFCrowsnest.com, March 2003
"What makes this collection particularly engaging is that the stories
are told from the viewpoints of the crews of other ships which have
appeared in the course of the various shows, which allows the guest
characters to have their moment in the spotlight. This works very
well, giving a fresh spin to what could otherwise have been a
conventional enough narrative, and underpinning the fact that it's a
big universe out there and other ships are having just as many
adventures as the ones we're familiar with. The opportunities for
in-jokes and continuity references are manifold, and DeCandido throws
them in with the gleeful enthusiasm of a writer who ... still can't quite believe he's being paid to have this much fun. ...
In his afterword, in which he talks about the genesis of the project,
DeCandido mentions that he's spinning off one of the guest ships,
crewed by Klingons, into a series of its own; I, for one, am looking
forward to reading it."
---3SF #4, April 2003
