The Genesis Wave, Book 2 (Star Trek: The Next Generation) [Hardcover]

Like the cover art for the first title, the cover art for this second title is absolutely perfect, greatly enhancing the story.

The premise:

In the first novel Starfleet and the Romulans found themselves dealing with the Genesis wave which was ravaging its way through the Federation, heading for Earth and then the Romulan Star Empire, prompting their help, albeit duplicitous. As the first novel closed, Geordi LaForge, Admiral Nechayev and other key characters were on the planet Mrymidon riding through the Genesis wave and praying that their plan to save as many lives as possible would work...

Now, author John Vornholt takes us through the process of finding a solution to the Genesis wave and finding those responsible for its re-creation and launching. What follows from there is nothing short of one of the most intriguing and gripping thrillers in the Star Trek genre. Even more unusual and intriguing are the "bad guys" in this particular trilogy which are rather odd and original, lending greatly to the mystery of this trilogy.

I highly recommend this trilogy to any and all fans of Star Trek fiction as I have found these first two tales to be among the best Star Trek novels to date. {ssintrepid}

The first book of the series had everybody discovering the Wave and then running from it for their very lives while trying to figure out a way to stop it, or at least survive it, at the same time. Book Two allows the now haggard Federation forces, and our cast of characters in particular, the chance to fight back and get a few choice jabs at their new enemy. While light on dramatic story, B2 does not skip on the action that fans crave from the series. In the long run a four star rating may seem generous, but I'm grading this strictly on the entertainment curve. Recommended to fans only.

This book does resolve the beings that are behind the release of the Genesis Wave and they encompass a variety of alien life-form characteristics together with what amounts to the most extreme form of biological warfare. If there have been beings as extremely genocidal as those portrayed in book #2, I do not remember them.

The resolutions presented for the various storylines vary in how clever they are, ranging from the predictable to the disappointing. Taken as a pair of books the story is worthwhile with the first of the two being much stronger. I have no idea how they will transition this to the third installment, and it may be awhile before I find out.