Cloak and Dagger (Star Trek Voyager, No 19, Dark Matters Book One of Three)

It is a scientific truth that the structure of the universe depends on the amount of "dark matter" contained in the cosmos. When sinister forces threaten to tamper with the very nature of reality, Captain Janeway and the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager™ must risk everything to restore the universal balance....

CLOAK AND DAGGER

Years ago, near the beginning of its long journey, Voyager made contact with a brilliant Romulan scientist whose present was Voyager 's past. Now Telek R'Mor communicates with Janeway again -- to warn her of a dire plot to capture Voyager and turn its "future" technology against the Federation of yesterday. But more than just the timeline is at stake. Voyager itself may be carrying a menace deadly to all creation!

Among the typically more interesting Star Trek novels are those that are loosely or in whole based upon a character or two that appeared in a single episode. This is the formula that Christie Golden chose for this trilogy in which she takes the story told in Star Trek Voyager's first season episode "Eye of the Needle" and primarily the character of Telek R'Mor and expounds on it in beautiful fashion to create yet another great Star Trek Voyager tale.

The cover art for this novel is typical of Star Trek Voyager novels at the time in which it was published making it a cut above the majority.

The premise:

In Voyager's first season episode "Eye of the Needle" Ensign Harry Kim discovers a wormhole and raises his hopes thinking that it might lead the crew of Voyager home to the Alpha quadrant. Unfortunately, their hopes are dashed when they discover that the wormhole is ancient and way too small for Voyager to fly through. By a stroke of "luck" though, a Romulan scientist is experimenting with the wormhole in the Alpha quadrant and they make contact with him only to have their hopes dashed once again when they find out that this scientist, Telek R'Mor is from twenty years in the past and that the wormhole possesses temporal qualities...

Jump approximately five years in the future and Christie Golden's Dark Matters trilogy begins with "Cloak and Dagger" as the crew of Voyager find themselves running an obstacle course of multiple wormholes opening up in their path as they're making their way home to the Alpha quadrant...

What follows from there is one of the best Star Trek Voyager novels written up to its publishing date in which Christie Golden takes the character and events of "Eye of the Needle" and weaves an extremely well told tale involving Romulan intrigue and subterfuge that rarely falls short in the compelling read category.

I highly recommend this novel and the following two in the trilogy to any and all fans of Star Trek fiction as this Star Trek Voyager novel written by Christie Golden is very typical of her high standard of science fiction in which she writes with excellent pacing and characterizations resulting in a highly compelling read! {ssintrepid}
March 27, 2004

What I found disturbing was her Coda at the end of the third book. All throughout the book there is the theme of the old Christian/Hebrew/(Zorastrian?) war in heaven where Lucifer falls - it is nearly transparent, but done well enough that it didn't bother me. It wasn't annoying within the story, but when she desided to have Janeway listen Telek R'Mor's final statement that he left behind it was too much--too clear exactly what myth she used to base her story on and it even got a little preachy, especially if you knew what you were reading. Liauh (sp!) the badguy, is so much like the Christian Devil and his aims and powers are so nearly the same that it felt like Golden was trying to make Christianity's beliefs fit into the Star Trek universe by giving it a scientific spin.

That was my only complaint. The rest of the 3 part series was great.

R
January 18, 2003

This book begins slowly, but it builds to a warp core breach toward the ending, getting you ready for the second part of this series. There are villains and Romulans making this story one of treachery and deceit... right! Now, throw in some Dark Matter to the mix... interesting! Then have the Voyager crew involved trying to solve a mystery of universal balance due to the aforementioned... now, you got a story.

This Voyager story brings back an old friend from the "Eye of the Needle"...yes, you guessed it, Telek R'Mor. After he made a successful contact with Voyager earlier, the sinister folk back on Romulus want Voyager's technology from the future to battle the Federation of their past time.

Ah, but the villains have other thoughts... not that the deceit from the Romulans is not enough... but a double cross. You've got to read this book to appreciate this story.

The plot is interesting, the characters are engrossing, and the story will fascinate you. This is a fast read... captivating.
March 21, 2002