Star Trek: Titan #5: Over a Torrent Sea [Mass Market Paperback]

I enjoyed this Star Trek novel, but I have to admit that the mixed reviews are on target. This novel is hit and miss. I enjoyed the provocative science which underlies this book and it seems the author did his homework when it came to the water world Droplet. The aliens are fascinating and the planet's biology was believable. The miss part is where it comes to the crew of the Titan.

Tuvok's character development and behavior was treated spot on, but the whole subplot with Troi being kidnapped by the saurian doctor was stupid and implausible. Riker's helplessness and prudery was completely out of character. He's afraid to be seen naked? Really? And a crewmember has to wipe his butt for him? Really?

In the future, I hope the author sticks to what he does best-- which is the fascinating science he put forth in this novel-- and leave the soap opera to someone who is better suited to producing character driven Trek novels. Or at least step back a moment while plotting and ask himself, Is Will Riker really ashamed of his own nudity? Would Deanna Troi really be so out-of-touch with her own psyche she could subconsciously drive another crew mate to irrational behaviour with her empathic abilities?

This book would have been so much better if the characterizations had been researched as exhaustively as the science.

And why not let the drama of a human-alien birth lie in the difficulties of a hybrid birth? Why did the author feel like he had to come up with a stupid kidnapping subplot? It was a very immature development. Don't people ever get tired of "save the princess" storylines?

STAR TREK TITAN: OVER A TORRENT SEA is the fourth novel centered on the Prometheus-class Starship Titan under the command of Captain William Riker. In the wake of the game-changing events of STAR TREK DESTINY, Riker receives orders to resume Titan's mission of exploration on the outer reaches of Federation space. This brings the crew to "Droplet", a world comprised entirely of water around a small rocky/icy core. When Titan discovers an asteroid on a collision course with Droplet and determines that it would kill thousands of "squales" -- members of the ocean planet's sentient "squid/whale" species -- it attempts to destroy the asteroid. These efforts, alas, have unintended -- and seriously bad -- results. In order to save the squales (!) and redeem themselves, Titan's crew must employ all of their ingenuity, courage, and compassion.

Now, the good, the bad, and the ugly:

The good: Author Bennett draws upon recent developments in astronomy and planetary science, and related speculation about xenobiology (cited in an appendix). His background knowledge gives discussions of planet Droplet, its structure, weather, biology, and ecology an appreciable degree of verisimilitude. This makes OVER A TORRENT SEA more science-based than most Trek novels.

The bad: Much of the novel is tedious filler. On one hand, OVER A TORRENT SEA continues in the footsteps of many recent Trek novels in its focus on high-schoolish (at best) crushes and flings among crew members, including first officer Vale's unrequited love for Riker and the tentative affair between officers Ra-Havreii and Pazlar. Repeated mentions of how embarrassed Riker is to be seen naked or to be around naked female crew members are ... sad. I guess the intention is to bring in more female readers, but I doubt that this sort of bad romance writing is going to do anything positive for anyone.

On the other hand, the Titan series continues the ST:TNG fixation on psychotherapy. (There's a reason that neither ST:TOS or ST:E had a Counselor on the bridge.) It is not surprising that many crew members emerged from the catastrophic events of DESTINY with emotional scars. Everyone is affected to some degree by survivor's guilt, and others have more specific burdens, such as Tuvok and his wife's grief for their son, Troi's trauma over the near-loss of her unborn daughter, and ensign Lavena's guilt over her parental irresponsibility. These are legitimate topics, but the even though their treatment in TORRENT is more sophisticated than Troi's "I sense you are feeling distressed", I couldn't help but feel more annoyance than compassion.

The ugly: Once again, as in DESTINY, Deanna Troi's pregnancy is milked for over-the-top drama and sickening sentimentality. Fortunately, this is the last time this pregnancy will be misused in this fashion, but unfortunately we can count on the ruthless exploitation of her child for future plot complications and pious declarations about maternal and paternal instincts and responsibilities.

The bottom line: While not awful, OVER A TORRENT SEA was not generally a pleasure to read. Since it is standalone, not contributing to a major Trek plot line, it is easily skipped. Save your money.

Boring. That was the first adjective that came to mind at the conclusion on page 349. Don't get me wrong; 'Over a Torrent Sea' is not a poor written novel. In fact, it has some interesting points to it. The alien world-du-jour is offbeat; this isn't the typical Trek novel in that there really are no bad guys involved; a lot of minor plots that have been running throughout the Titan series seem to come to head in this novel. Yet, even with the original aliens, the vivid alien world and plots coming to a satisfying conclusion, this novel was by far the weakest of the series and far from interesting.

The Good: The alien world Titan encounters is definitely original. The world is nothing but water and with the offbeat make-up of the world comes a truly alien species that don't seem like Trek's usual bi-ped humanoid species. Strip away the alien world and its inhabitants and the story has a clear theme of parents and their relationship with their children. You have Tuvok and his wife T'Pel attempting to make sense of the aftermath of the 'Destiny' trilogy that left them with emotional issues they have to work out; Riker and Troi waiting in anticipation for their soon-to-arrive daughter; Dr. Ree grappling with his own lack of children but fear of allowing Troi to lose the one she's carrying; Dr. Ra-Harveii and Melora Pazlar encountering relationship issues when trying to figure out how a child might impact their relationship; Alli Lavena revealing her fear of motherhood and how it drove her to make certain decisions of her life. Parenthood is really the core of the novel and if you go into 'Over A Torrent' sea with that in mind, it will be very enjoyable and satisfying. the best plot is not the alien world but the arrival of Troi and Riker's child, an adventure within itself. Also, Lavena (featured on the stunning cover) speaking of her past, and even her past relationship with Riker, was interesting.

The Bad: The alien world seems like a distraction and nothing but filler. Yes, it gets points for being creative but with this being the central plot, it just wasn't gripping enough. The main issue is that the alien world of Droplet and its inhabitants seem to be all description and yet no real substance. This plot felt like nothing more than a distraction from the character's various plots. It was dull, boring and draining. There was no true conflict involved; the Titan encounters an alien world mostly composed of water (similar to an episode of Star Trek: Voyager that is referred to numerous times) and the world's in peril; an asteroid is heading toward it! Yes, very unoriginal plot. You can easily guess what happens next. This plot feels as if it is dragged out far too long and as if the conclusion is just as dull and anti-climatic as the discovery of the world. It felt as if the author tried to pack too much science into making the world believable. The crew's numerous away missions seem boring and tame; instead of any form of action, we're treated to long descriptions of the sea life and scenes of Lavena swimming and trying to communicate through 'song' to the aliens. Riker ends up stranded on the world and yet even this feels like it comes without a true threat. Being the main focus of the book, it truly kept me unattached and uninterested and by the end feeling as if I had to force myself to finish the novel.

In all, it's okay. I'd give it 2.5 stars if I could because the characters and their plots/developments really did get a lot of attention while the plot involving Droplet and the aliens on it seemed to be thought out at the end to fill-out pages. Not worth the $7.99 price tag.

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