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Typhon Station is a very fastpaced PBeM RPG with skilled, experienced
players and a warm sense of bonding and community. We play at the
turn-of-the-century, 2400, and are located in the Typhon Expanses,
bordering the Neutral Zone, proximate to the Romulan Empire, and near
the Iconian Digs, and are on the first warning route of the original
Borg Incursion.
We have three stations to post from, SB 185, USS Odyssey, and USS
Wraith. They all have general and particular storylines and all
interact. This game is not for the faint of heart! The writing is
superb and comes hot and heavy. We have some open spots and also we
will consider character suggestions. So, longtime RPGers and novices,
check us out. See if you want to make Typhon Station your home away
from home.
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StarTrek Universe.com - STU is an updated resource for Star Trek news, reviews and previews, and we're constantly looking for new members. Join us!
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Trek47.com- Your guide to Star Trek has episode guides, cast and character information, pictures, and more from all the Star Trek series and movies
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Typhon Station is a very fastpaced PBeM RPG with skilled, experienced
players and a warm sense of bonding and community. We play at the
turn-of-the-century, 2400, and are located in the Typhon Expanses,
bordering the Neutral Zone, proximate to the Romulan Empire, and near
the Iconian Digs, and are on the first warning route of the original
Borg Incursion.
We have three stations to post from, SB 185, USS Odyssey, and USS
Wraith. They all have general and particular storylines and all
interact. This game is not for the faint of heart! The writing is
superb and comes hot and heavy. We have some open spots and also we
will consider character suggestions. So, longtime RPGers and novices,
check us out. See if you want to make Typhon Station your home away
from home.
(0 comments | Add)
Don't miss a scene! Pre-order the STAR TREK NEMESIS novelization to support TrekWeb!
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 Buy new STAR TREK toys to support TrekWeb!
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Posted:
12:21:32 on December 30 2002
By: Steve Krutzler
Dept: Reviews - Books | Divine Treasury forum
Star Trek: The Brave and the Bold
Books One and Two
By Keith R. A. DeCandido
Pocket Books / Paperback / $6.99
Buy now to support TrekWeb
Written by Bill Williams, edited by Steve Krutzler
TrekWeb's Rating:
Synopsis: The Malkus Artifacts: four deadly machines, wielded as weapons of absolute power by an interstellar tyrant thousands of years ago and scattered across the Alpha Quadrant when he was overthrown. After Captain Jonathan Archer of the starship Enterprise discovers their existence in 2151, all Starfleet vessels were warned to keep an eye out for these dangerous devices. Over the next two centuries, the captains and crews of eight starships come together against an enemy that could destroy them all…
Review: Part of the appeal of the multi-series Star Trek novel adventures is the opportunity to link all of the crews together to a single storyline that spans the decades. In years past, some of the best adventures, including “Double Helix”, “Captain’s Table”, and “Invasion,” have featured each individual crew exploring one aspect of the story within a single volume. The latest multi-series adventure, “The Brave and the Bold” by Keith R.A. DeCandido, is the first to utilize all five series together in a continuing storyline, but with a unique twist.
What DeCandido has done is use not only the main crew from each series but also supporting crews from individual episodes joining forces to explore the mystery of the Malkus Artifacts. In the Original Series segment in Book One, Captain Kirk works with Commodore Matthew Decker and the crew of the starship Constellation (from the classic episode “The Doomsday Machine”) to quell a planet on the verge of rioting and genocide from a mysterious disease. When the planet’s leaders die as a result of the disease, Kirk and Decker place the planet under martial law and race the clock to find a cure for the disease that affects the crews of the Enterprise and Constellation, while uncovering the effects of the Malkus Artifact on the planet.
The second segment, set in the “Deep Space Nine” timeframe, brings together Captain Sisko, Major Kira, and Lt. Dax with Captain Declan Keogh and the crew of the starship Odyssey (seen in the episode “The Jem’Hadar”). From Bajor to the territory of the Gamma Quadrant, both crews must work together to thwart a Bajoran farmer’s assault and attempted takeover of the Odyssey with a weapon of mass destruction derived from the Malkus Artifact of an ultimate weapon.
DeCandido goes to great lengths to fill in the backstory of how the Malkus Artifacts were created. In the first volume he connects the first and second novellas with a recurring subplot of an ageless Siren attempting to exert her influence over Captains Kirk and Keogh. Her backstory is believably linked with the origin of the Malkus Artifacts.
The main story of Emperor Malkus, however, is one that has been told before: a power-hungry ruler seeks control over everything in the world in a quest to obtain absolute control and eternal life. The twist here is that through the usage of the Malkus Artifacts, he is able to control the weather, overtake minds, control life and death, and defeat every enemy with the ultimate power. Sounds a little similar to Emperor Palpatine in “Star Wars” or several other of our own cultural artifacts.
The third segment, which begins Book Two, brings together Captain Janeway and crew of the Voyager with Captain Robert DeSoto and the crew of the starship Hood (from the episode “Tin Man”), in a novella set before the events of “Caretaker.” Weeks before Voyager’s disappearance in the Badlands, Tuvok infiltrates the Maquis to gain the trust of its leaders Chakotay and Cal Hudson before one of the group uses the third Malkus Artifact, a device which gives the user control over the weather, to seek revenge against the Cardassians.
The final segment is set in the “Next Generation” timeframe and after the events of “What You Leave Behind,” and brings together Captain Picard and Klingon Captain Klag (from the episode “A Matter of Honor”), as the final artifact is unearthed on Narendra III, leading to several mysterious disappearances throughout Federation and Klingon space, including Federation ambassadors Spock and Worf. The crews of the Enterprise-E and the I.K.S. Gorkon must work together to retrieve their respective ambassadors, but it may not be enough when the deadly secret of the final Malkus Artifact is revealed. The interaction between Spock and Worf is worth the price of the book alone.
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. Book Two, along with DeCandido’s previous effort “Diplomatic Implausibility,” serves as the launching pad for another all-new Pocket Books novel series titled, appropriately, “I.K.S. Gorkon”, set to launch in 2003.
The only segment of this series I didn’t like was the brief “Enterprise” segment. At only 17 pages in length, it serves an unsatisfactory beginning to the whole saga. As the newest kid in the “Star Trek” block, the prelude story with Captain Archer and the crew of the Enterprise NX-01 could have been given equal length and story considerations, though DeCandido does effectively capture the tone and feel of this newest series and crew.
Furthermore, each segment could have equally stood on its own as an individual novel, while forming the basis of a larger tapestry. Obviously, the key here is brevity, and as opposed to the previous “Double Helix”, “Captain’s Table,” and “Invasion” multi-book epics, this one is much shorter--less taxing for the reader and the pocket book.
Overall, a very good, interesting read, and a nice addition to the “Star Trek” expanded universe. (I’m looking forward to the “I.K.S. Gorkon” series now with interest!)
