Sean Randall reviewed Infection by John Gregory Betancourt
Review of 'Infection' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
The first in a series spanning 6 books and perhaps as many authors, Infection throws us right into an epidemic of interesting proportions; very genetically specific ones. i won't go into too many details of the plot, but will note that sometimes this book felt like a trial run itself.
"The big question is motive, It can't be
racial purity. It can't be the Purity League. In fact, Starfleet has
only been able to come up with one possible motive... Practice."
Captain Picard.
Apart from that, there was a lot of well-executed character interaction. The whole Riker in a beard thing was quite prescient, for instance. Worf and yar were explored well, though not to the detriment of the story; onscreen events (such as Farpoint) were brought in, giving us more of an idea of when this book takes place than just a stardate.
I can't quite see jean-luc Picard …
The first in a series spanning 6 books and perhaps as many authors, Infection throws us right into an epidemic of interesting proportions; very genetically specific ones. i won't go into too many details of the plot, but will note that sometimes this book felt like a trial run itself.
"The big question is motive, It can't be
racial purity. It can't be the Purity League. In fact, Starfleet has
only been able to come up with one possible motive... Practice."
Captain Picard.
Apart from that, there was a lot of well-executed character interaction. The whole Riker in a beard thing was quite prescient, for instance. Worf and yar were explored well, though not to the detriment of the story; onscreen events (such as Farpoint) were brought in, giving us more of an idea of when this book takes place than just a stardate.
I can't quite see jean-luc Picard as an Old Spacedog, I must admit, and Crusher's leaping to conclusions is perhaps a little out of character (though her impetuosity is well-known). There's a lot that goes completely over our heads, of course - the shady General, the net result of the plague, and so forth. presumably because there are more books in the series, and revealing all now would spoil the rest.
To sum, a bit short, then, with the action squeezed in but exciting, with the ending feeling perhaps a little forced. The characterisation was well done - even to the slight lack of gelling which characterise later episodes and novels - a hallmark of early TNG, I believe. the writing style will almost certainly vary from title to title, as they are written by different authors. Something to look forward to: keeps a series rolling on.