"Q&A is a worthy successor to All Good Things... and shows there are plenty more Q stories to be told by the right author."
"DeCandido, as usual, has the regular characters down pat, and it's always a joy to revisit them when he's writing them. He writes with a wonderful, warm humor that still has an inherent seriousness when things get critical, and I love his prose. He captures Q perfectly, and I can almost hear John DeLancie speaking the dialogue that DeCandido gives him. And surprisingly enough, considering each various Q character ever featured in an episode shows up at least once, the reader can tell them apart even though DeCandido just calls them all 'Q.' ...
"DeCandido also introduces us to two new cast members: Second officer Miranda Kadohata and Security Chief Zelik Leybenzon. He manages to make them three-dimensional, especially Leybenzon, who was a non-commissioned officer during the Dominion War and who is still having trouble dealing with the fact that he's authority now. He's brash, strict, but he's also intelligent. Kadohata has been with the Enterprise since the first episode, but has been away recently, so she's familiar with everything and she fits like an old glove. In DeCandido's hands, these characters feel like regulars already."
"DeCandido successfully juggles all of Q's previous appearances and incorporates them into the novel, creating sort of a wonderful bookend to the character. John DeLancie playing the role rings throughout; the author truly nails the voice of Q. The new characters are intriguing and it will be interesting to see what transpires for them as the post-Nemesis novels continue."
"Central to Q & A is the mystery discovered on a planet which contains properties that should be impossible. Seeing the crew tackle this story, and the humorous reactions (or lack thereof) towards Q make for an entertaining read. While some may find the slow pace at the beginning to be irksome, most will probably welcome the time spent on getting to know the new crew members, each bring something refreshing to the series. Q’s sarcastic comment towards new second officer Kadohata regarding parenting perfectly underscored the complexity of the character. New security chief Leybenzon was less impressive, but only because he initially comes across as more one-dimensional next to Kadohata. He will undoubtedly grow as the series progresses.
"DeCandido’s writing moves the story along at a good clip; in fact, it only took one day to finish this novel. ... Q & A will appeal to fans of the television series, as well as followers of Trek literature (either casual or otherwise). And in the end, that’s what matters. There are enough in-jokes (such as the appearance by a certain first officer who wound up on the cutting room floor) and humor ("That’s all folks!" being my favorite line, given the context) to make everyone happy and not feel too indulgent. DeCandido delivers a fine novel, and is definitely recommended."
"Middle volumes in trilogies tend to get a bad rap — they neither start things nor resolve them. Luckily with these TNG novels, the trilogy seems more a quirk of publishing: they're three standalone novels with some linking themes. DeCandido's novel is the best of the stories by some distance, introducing the new command crew for the Enterprise, and interweaving all of Q's appearances together into a coherent whole. Yes, it's continuity heavy but you don't need to know the intimate details of each episode, since they're recapped as necessary. With a neat link into a seventh season episode, 'Q&A' is the must-buy novel of this selection."
"Initially you wonder why it takes so long for Q to arrive on board the Enterprise, but the scene setting is necessary to reacquaint the reader with the various events in the Q/Picard history. It’s also a good opportunity for DeCandido to flesh out the new arrivals on the Enterprise. It’s going to be a very different command crew to the one we’ve become (over)familiar with, and the changes in personnel are creating a new dynamic very quickly.
"Once Q arrives, it’s the cue for the end of the universe in a scene that’s oddly reminiscent of Gary Russell’s sixth Doctor novel Spiral Scratch, resolved in the most unlikely, yet logical manner. ...
"Although the Picard/Crusher 'romantic' scenes have yet to ring true with me, no matter the author, this is a well-characterised novel."
"Q is back too. First and foremost, his role in the book is original and clever, managing to tie together all of the character's previous appearances in a neat and unexpected way; and DeCandido's take on the character is accurate and amusing. ...
"This is by far the strongest of the three 'relaunch' books so far ... Q&A is worth a read for the exemplary writing and top-notch character work."
"Q&A is a worthy successor to All Good Things... and shows there are plenty more Q stories to be told by the right author."
"The spectacles, particularly the stand-off of alternate Enterprises from dozens of realities, are impressive, and the stitching together
of all but one of the Q episodes into a single narrative provides a great final joke."
"As always Keith R.A. DeCandido delivers a good, well written story. This story's highlight is Picard's characterisation,
among other things it shows how scarred this man really is. Often his past “bad times” are limited to losing the Stargazer and
even more often to his time as Locutus, but his time with Madred is often forgotten. This story vividly brings back to mind how
influential this time must have to been on Picard's life afterwards. ... Certainly one of the best stories of the anthology."
"Author DeCandido has that talent to capture the 'feel' of any media tie-in book he pens, whether it be
STAR TREK to BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. He does it so well in NEVERMORE that it comes off as one of the better 'episodes' of the two
seasons of the TV show. SUPERNATURAL: NEVERMORE does not disappoint."
"DeCandido did a very good job of capturing Sam and Dean. Their dialog was so typical of their characters and made them very vivid in my mind.
One of the most important requirements for a book based on a television show is translating the people we enjoy watching into an accurate
depiction in writing. That was definitely accomplished. ...
"I appreciated the interesting details about Edgar Allen Poe’s life and literature that were sprinkled throughout.
I didn’t realize that Poe’s cottage was still standing as a museum in The Bronx and I found myself with a renewed enthusiasm for the
gothic writer.
"The music references were fantastic and well thought out, bringing more authentic detail to Manfred and his aspect of the story,
not to mention Dean’s obsession with classic rock.
"Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to more Supernatural fiction."
"The adventure that follows is a great blend of the same qualities that make the show great – dark and spooky mystery that delves into
the supernatural and occult without crossing the line into horror, witty dialogue exchange between two vastly different brothers
bonded forever in their demon-hunting pursuit to find their parents demonic killer, and the well placed, but hilarious pop-culture references."
"House Arrest by Keith R. A. DeCandido takes the traditional brownie story and turns it on its head.
What happens, after all, when a house fairy doesn’t get his milk? This story had, for me, a surprising ending and I thought this to be a
clever little story."
Appearances |
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Imaginings: An Anthology of Long Short Fiction |
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Star Trek fiction |
Stories and story & novel excerpts |
Urban Nightmares |
Young Hercules fiction
About "Four Lights" in Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Sky's the Limit:
"On the whole, the ones that work best are the standalone tales ... The exception to this rule is Four Lights,
a sequel to Chain of Command, which uses the first person narration by Picard to great effect."
"Keith DeCandido's revisiting of Chain of Command resonates long after reading."
About Supernatural: Nevermore:
"We're introduced to some odd, memorable characters, there's plenty of humorous dialogue between the two brothers and the author manages
to throw in some background information that isn't related in the show, such as how they can have cell phones service without bank accounts
or valid credit cards, as well as why their father only told them some of the information he knew about the supernatural.
The book also establishes a character I'm sure will be revisited in future books, another cop who is sympathetic to the hunters' cause.About Resident Evil: Extinction:
"This book read especially quick given the writing style and the hardcover print size. The action scenes are well done and are laced
from one end of the novel to the other, always keeping me alert and into the book.
I was also impressed with DeCandido’s effort in writing a novel more akin to other zombie fiction currently available.
He managed to make zombies and a setting that would do Romero himself proud."
About "Life from Lifelessness" in Doctor Who: Short Trips: Destination Prague:
"There are three alternate versions of the Golem [in the book] -- in the superior Life fromLifelessness, intriguing Gold and
Black Ooze and so-so Men of the Earth."
About "House Arrest" in Badass Faeries:
"'House Arrest' by Keith R.A. DeCandido is a wonderful detective noir tale in the tradition of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe.
The homeowner’s son is dead, murdered! And it is up to Lieutenant Torin of the local constabulary to sweat the truth out of the prime suspect,
the owner’s house elf. He had the opportunity, but what motive did he have? The answer is pure, hard-boiled fiction."
About The Mirror-Scaled Serpent in Star Trek: Mirror Universe: Obsidian Alliances:
"As usual Keith R.A. DeCandido delivers a well-written, well thought-through piece. And as usual his Voyager story doesn't take
place in the Delta Quadrant - after the Voyager entry in The Brave and the Bold and his short story in Distant Shores
this is his third Voyager adventure taking place far away from Voyager's usual playground. Some things were a bit predictable,
for example I knew that Janeway would turn against Chakotay once it was known they were lovers, but that takes nothing away from the fact
that this story features very strong character work and has a nice flow that keeps you in the story.
A very good opener for the second volume."
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