"Across the run, the A Time to... sereis has been a mixed bag, but this page-turning finale brings it all into sharp focus,
and if you've been in for the long haul, you'll find it most worthwhile."
"DeCandido weaves a fantastic set of stories that will bring the Federation and Starfleet into a new era--one of the two mentioned on the cover, though I’ll let you discern which. Martok, Kahless, and Scotty make cameos, as do a few old nemeses of certain Enterprise officers. Ultimately, this is a setup not only to 'Nemesis,' but also to the varied futures of the Enterprise crewpersons; a springboard of sorts.
"DeCandido writes, as always, an intelligent and satisfying novel that will appeal to fans across the board, from casual reader to devout Trekkie. Clearly, DeCandido loves his Klingons, for they are always artfully handled in his novels, but he treats the other characters in A Time for War, A Time for Peace with equanimity; he proves, once again, that he is a masterful modern-day storyteller. Balancing the precariousness of the special election with the feelings of various Enterprise crewpersons is a great literary touch, the sort of metaphor that works on many levels. With political parallels between the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and Starfleet, this is a great novel that is the perfect end to a saga and the beginning of a new one."
"Like most of DeCandido's many Trek works, it goes above and beyond all expectations. From start to end, War/Peace is a fascinating and thrilling look at the Federation, the Enterprise, and the family that fans have followed for so many years. Any ST:TNG fan worth their credit chips will know the fates of the characters here, so it's great news that DeCandido's book is an essential one for the journey, too: the preparation for the long-awaited Riker/Troi wedding that didn't receive nearly enough screentime in Nemesis is great fun in particular, bringing favorite characters back and explaining the absences and changes in others. The fantastic Christine Vale is given some amazing stuff in War/Peace, and her plot is one that's particularly engaging right up until the final cliffhanger. Certainly one to read again, and a novel that will be a perfect starter for the upcoming post-Nemesis TNG and Titan series. More valuable even than latinum! Rating: 10.0 [out of 10]."
"If the Trek franchise has a future, it lies with people like Keith DeCandido; writers who can balance continuity and innovation, capturing our imagination with something new while remaining firmly rooted in the shared mythology we've grown up with.
"As Trek novels go, A Time For War, A Time For Peace is a paradox; it's low-key but gripping; it's character-driven but most of the cast are strangers. There's no space battles, very little tech, but by making an imaginary future real enough to believe in for a while, it's genuine SF. All three storylines -- the election of a new Federation president, Picard facing a biased review board and Worf forced to choose between a warrior's honour and a politician's capacity to do genuine good by treachery and deception -- feed a complex and thoughtful analysis of the politics of utopia.
"This is a very ambitious book, and it succeeds. The blend is the key; a new perspective on the whole idea of the Federation, as a flawed but functional political entity, combined with a genuine feel for the established characters and the unique ambience that sets Trek apart from more ephemeral brands of space opera."
"Keith R.A. DeCandido dexterously references each of the previous novels in the series and wraps everything up as neatly as you could possibly hope for. Lighter in tone than the previous novels A Time for War, A Time for Peace sets a quick pace seamlessly moving from subplot to subplot as DeCandido masterfully draws together all the story threads. Despite knowing the ultimate ending DeCandido still manages to throw in quite a few surprises.
"DeCandido's characterization of the Next Generation characters is dead on and he utilizes them extremely well. As you turn the pages and the story unfolds you can't help but feel gratified by the sense of appropriateness that continues to build, the characters are at all times treated with respect and affection. By the end you can't imagine things unfolding in any other way. ...
"A Time for War, A Time for Peace is as impressive as it is satisfying in every respect."
"It's really difficult to begin expressing my thoughts about this final volume, in part because of all of the ups and downs Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise has faced over the last several months. After everything they've endured and all the death and destruction that has occurred, not to mention all of the heavy political battles they have faced on numerous alien worlds and at the very heart of the Federation, they're in dire need of a break. And after reading this final book, I'm as emotionally exhausted as the Enterprise crew is. ...
"Character byplay is top on DeCandido's list, and he reveals some nice new aspects to Christine Vale's character I'd never thought of before, making her as vicious a poker player as Will Riker with a biting sense of humor to call her own. And he even makes a convincing return for Wesley Crusher, giving the fans a wink and a nod to all of the rampant theories about Wesley's return in the film. There's even a sly little Superman reference in the novel, if you're able to catch it. The final denouement and excerpt from the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter III, is a fitting and appropriate way to end this series, reminding us of the importance of what life is about. And while everyone may be heading off in different directions now, with new lives and careers, Riker himself best sums it up at story's end: they'll never be together again like this.
"A Time for War, a Time for Peace is the jewel in Keith DeCandido's crown, superbly capping off the Next Generation saga in high fashion."
"It's refreshingly different, and a strong conclusion to a saga that's just hit its stride. The expected, easy answers to the inevitable pre-Nemesis crew shuffles (Whither Wesley? Why is Worf back aboard the Enterprise? What happened to his successor/predecessor, Christine Vale?) are avoided, in favor of more interesting approaches."
"Across the run, the A Time to... sereis has been a mixed bag, but this page-turning finale brings it all into sharp focus,
and if you've been in for the long haul, you'll find it most worthwhile."
"Dragon Precinct offers up your standard mix of stereotypical fantasy trappings; seedy port city, dwarves, elves, halflings, and other assorted fantasy races, barbarians, magic-users, wizard's guild, etc.
... Dragon Precinct rises above its origins through the strong development of its characters and setting.
Researching DeCandido's bio, I read that he was an avid player of Dungeons & Dragons. It turns out that Torin ban Wyvald and Danthres Tresyllione, the two main characters in his book, were the same characters he played in his role playing days. This probably explains his obviously intimate understanding of the them and how good a job he did writing about them. The same goes for Cliff's End, which happens to be the same city he had many of his RPG adventures in. Yes, it's your stereotypical fantasy port city, but DeCandido's knowledge of it lifts it well above its cookie-cutter status and turns it into a real and interesting place.
"Dragon Precinct doesn't offer anything even remotely new. I can recall two similar fantasy-setting/whodunit novels by Joel Rosenberg: D'Shai (1991) and Hour of the Octopus (1994).
Even though those two had a more original setting, it still wasn't as 'real' as Cliff's End. What Dragon Precinct does offer is a pleasant way to spend a few hours with characters that come to life in a world you can easily lose yourself in. Tolkein it ain't, but it was quite fun, and except for some slight profanity (a few F- and S- words) suitable for teen-aged fantasy fans."
"A hard-boiled detective mystery... set in a medieval, fantastical world where the Brotherhood of Wizards tightly controls magic and spells, and the Lord and Lady have a police force that would feel at home in any modern American city. I don't read a lot of fantasy, but I was jarred when I started reading about what I assumed would be a mythic world modeled on medieval Earth. Instead, though the weapon of choice is a sword, and officers walk around in armor, and magic is a means used to kill actual heroes famed far and wide for their old quest to kill the evil wizard, the sensibilities are modern, the language today, and the sensibilities ours. It works. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, how the victims had been killed, and why the Chamberlain was protecting the best suspects. And DeCandido delivered; answering my questions and neatly wrapping up the stories."
"Dragon Precinct is the first original novel from Keith R.A. DeCandido, better known for his media tie-in novels
(Buffy, Andromeda, Spider-Man, Resident Evil, Star Trek...) and hopefully it won't be his last, as he clearly has a good solid start here.
... Dragon Precinct is a strong fantasy story with a few telling flaws, but a solid base to work from.
I really hope DeCandido will continue to explore the setting and the characters, and develop Cliff's End more.
Right now, this is Hawk and Fisher-lite, but it has the potential to be just as good, maybe even better, than that series.
And that's saying something in my opinion. Go ahead and check this one out."
"Dragon Precinct is The Sword of Shannara by way of JAG--and it works beautifully. ...
DeCandido is a very good storyteller. His take on the back alleys (so to speak) of epic fantasy is light but not comic, and his characters are energetic and engaging.
With luck, we'll see more of the Dragon Precinct."
"DeCandido's put together a pretty good setting ... There aren't a lot of books in fantasy that deal with general crime in a city.
The only ones that come to mind immediately are the Discworld City Watch books, which tend to be somewhat less than serious in tone;
a pair of Joel Rosenberg books which wasn't so much city crimes being solved;
and I think one of Saberhagen's Lost Swords books had a detective tone in it.
None of them quite hit the right flavor for a police drama in a fantasy setting, though--and that's what Dragon Precinct has accomplished.
It's got a good core of characters, a diverse city setting, and plenty of room to write more stories--not to mention a potential loose end that's a little beyond a city guard to handle
(it'd be a neat thing to follow up in passing in future stories though).
I believe I'd enjoy reading more stories set in Cliff's End."
"[A] likeable pair of heroes and a grittily realistic setting filled with magic and mayhem. A good choice for most libraries."
"Dungeons and Dragnet... A warrior, an elf, a dwarf, a barbarian, a priest, and two halflings stop for the night at a seedy inn in the city of Cliff's End. Typical quest, or set-up for an elaborate Tolkien-geek joke? ...
As a take-off of the standard crime drama, Dragon Precinct succeeds nicely.
Dressed in sword-and-sorcery trappings, the cliches of the genre are given a fresh twist.
The two detectives work to solve the mysterious murders with grim seriousness--but
since their case involves rounding up the usual elves for questioning, an encounter with a hobgoblin, and one of the prime suspects a
wizard who doesn't seem to stay dead, it's difficult for the reader take the matter as seriously.
The story is often very funny, skirting the edge of parody without crossing over into the completely ridiculous.
The solution to the mystery is interesting, and not something I anticipated, having been effectively distracted by two separate red herrings.
... I would like to see more stories in this same setting."
"High fantasy novels are always about magnificent quests, larger than life heroes, earth-shattering sorcery, and the epic struggle of good vs. evil. Dragon Precinct is a book about everyone else. ...
"Beneath the swords and sorcery is a well-constructed set of hardboiled mysteries; Dragnet in a Dungeons and Dragons setting. Keith DeCandido's first original novel (he has written several tie-ins) is a well-paced, entertaining read. The mysteries are tight, logical (within the realm of magic), and enough clues are seeded through the story to give the readers a fighting chance to do their own detecting. ...
"Dragon Precinct would be a good addition to the collection of anyone who likes high fantasy or who owns a pair of 20-sided dice."
"It’s hard for me to pick a single winner here among the twelve tales in this anthology; every tale is that good. Like all wars, Tales of the Dominion War reveals what happens when war brings out the worst -- and the best -- in all of us, from the highest-ranking admirals to the lowly grunts and ensigns in their battle for survival."
"In this anthology ... we get to see far more of the horrors, and heroism, of the war. In print, writers are able to pull in characters, settings, and ideas from all the Star Trek series,
and they do just that. We get to see how the war affects McCoy and Scotty from the original series, what Picard and Troi were doing after The Next Generation,
and more. We get to see what happened in between the episodes we saw on television. ... The wonderful 'Blood Sacrifice,' with Spock on Romulus, ... teaches us a lot more about the workings of Romulan political life. And 'Twilight's Wrath,' in which we meet Shinzon, and finally learn just how he'll rise to power in Star Trek: Nemesis.
"Overall, a good collection."
"Individually, these stories represent some of the best Star Trek writing ever: frightening, profound, dazzling, funny, and well written without exception. As an ensemble, they give us slices of a huge saga in a way that seems panoramic and well integrated, broadening not only the story of the Federation's struggle against implacable enemy invaders, but the reader's view of the Federation, and beyond. There are few enough Trek titles that qualify as absolute must-reads, but this is one of them."
"Reading an anthology is a totally different kind of reading experience than reading a novel. In many ways it can be more satisfying -- and reading an anthology doesn't get much more satisfying than the new collection Tales of the Dominion War. ... It is not often that I read a story anthology and can honestly say that I enjoyed every one. I can say that about Tales of the Dominion War. Each and every story has something singular to offer. Don't be surprised if when you finish this volume you find yourself compelled to start all over again."
"Trek short story compilations can be hit-and-miss affairs, but Tales of the Dominion War has a pleasingly high gem-to-cowplop ratio, not to mention the smartest design ever to grace a Trek cover.
... Keith DeCandido pulls off a minor tour de force as Lwaxana Troi lives through the invasion of Betazed ...
Tales of the Dominion War is a pleasant reminder that Trek doesn't have to be epic, and that short is often sweet. 8 [of 10]"
"This sizzling collection of short stories offers a terrific insight into the Dominion War beyond what we saw on Deep Space Nine, and also features a plethora of familiar faces ... A great volume of Star Trek stories that packs in plenty of invention and characterisation."
"It's a good solid collection of stories about the Dominion War, which took up most of the second half of DS9's run; the stories are all by profic writers, so the quality is quite good overall. (To see the listed authors, jump to the end of this review. Impressive!) As with most Trek books these days, there's a mix of series canon and profic stuff, but if you haven't read any profic, don’t worry, you won't get lost. The original characters are interesting and lively, and there's even a good dose of humor."
"This is a really well structured book too; as it has a nice introduction by Keith R.A. DeCandido and also before each story there is some background information of either those characters or events that are detailed in the story.
Also, if you loved a story in this anthology, there is also some background information about the authors.
There is also a nice Dominion War timeline that details every source of media involved with the Dominion War so if you really want to go hardcore trek fan you can watch or read everything in order.
Good stuff I say. ...
"But to sum it all up, a great collection of stories about a piece of Star Trek history that definitely needs more material about it."
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Bleacher Creature Feature |
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Dead Kitchen Radio and The Bronx Bongo |
Doctor Who fiction |
Dragon Precinct |
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Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda fiction |
Gloat page |
Imaginings: An Anthology of Long Short Fiction |
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Pictures |
Star Trek fiction |
Stories and story & novel excerpts |
Urban Nightmares |
Young Hercules fiction
About Dragon Precinct:
"All in all, this is a fascinating excursion in genre-bending; worth a try even for readers who usually take either their procedurals or their fantasies unadulterated."
"The author has taken the famliiar mystery formula and transposed it onto a fantasy world filled with magic, elves, and so forth.
That's a very difficult blend to carry off well, and only Randall Garrett, Glen Cook, and a couple of others have done so successfully.
Add Keith DeCandido to the list though, because this one is a lightly written but thoroughly intriguing story of multiple murders,
hidden evidence, red herrings, and earnest but puzzled detectives who finally solve the problem. Considerable fun."
About Star Trek: Tales of the Dominion War:
"DeCandido's skilled writing truly made me feel sorry for the stuck-up Betazoid, and is an emotional look at the effects of war. ...
There's no reason for any self-respecting Trek fan not to buy Tales. There's something to please every fan of every series,
and this is a collection of high-quality adventures that always needed to be told. Definitely not to be missed."
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