Teaser

As the Romulan Star Empire feels the fallout from Shinzon’s disastrous coup attempt, Starfleet medical expert Beverly Crusher goes undercover to treat a deadly plague. But plague is not the only danger, and when Beverly is captured, only one man can save her. But Jean Luc Picard has his own orders . . .

Review

Death in Winter takes place in the direct aftermath of Star Trek Nemesis, and is the book that really kicked off the Next Generation relaunch series. Okay, so technically the Time To… series beat it chronologically, but I treat that as more of a gap-filler than a real continuation. For me, Death in Winter is where the books really started treading into the unknown. As such, it’s a novel all about changes, both personal and political.

The bit that immediately sticks out to me is the political drama of the Romulan Star Empire. This is something I’ve seen in bits and pieces before, in both the Titan and Typhon Pact series of novels. I really do think that the fate of the Romulans is one of the best long-running stories in the Litverse, and I wish I was able to read through it in a proper chronological manner. Yet even as I jump hither and yon across the timeline, I find it increasingly remarkable how the whole thing fits together despite being written by the hands of multiple authors across the best part of a decade. In this book, we get to see an oft-overlooked aspect of the Empire, which is the non-Romulan species who also inhabit the region. Second-class citizens in their own home, and forced to rely on outside help when the Romulans would happily leave them all to die.

Which handily provides a reason for our protagonists to pay a visit to the Empire. Make no mistake, this book largely exists to put crusher and Picard into a romantic relationship, but the book is not the romance that the character-heavy blurb would have you believe. It’s largely concerned with Picard’s dedication to his old friend, and the romance only becomes a focus in the final handful of chapters.

Now, the romance between Crusher and Picard was hinted at throughout The Next Generation, but was never committed to. Partly to keep the avenue open for romance-of-the-week adventures, and partly due to the desire for an episodic structure, as was tradition at the time. In universe, the excuse given was that Picard still felt loyalty to Crusher’s dead husband, and that a romantic involvement with a member of his crew was not a good idea. On the latter front, I fully agree, and nothing in this book changes that sentiment. Starfleet may not be (depending on your interpretation) a military organisation, but fraternisation among the ranks strikes me as a very bad idea. Like Picard of the early seasons, I think a commanding officer should have some personal distance between himself and his crew. This is especially true when the option of maintaining a relationship is still possible while not serving on the same ship. It is not as if Picard will be uncontactable for long periods of his time, as his missions are still located in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.

It’s a good thing then, that the romance largely plays second fiddle to what is otherwise a fun and action-packed space opera. I haven’t read many of Friedman’s books, but this is one of his best. It’s a good transitional book between the show/films and the relaunch novels, and as good a place as any for someone looking to get into the Litverse.

Book Stats

• A Next Generation Relaunch Novel
• Published by Pocket Books in 2005
• Space Opera
• 355 pages