By Kirsten Beyer

Pocket Books, out now

Has another Janeway somehow survived?

It was firmly established that Kathryn Janeway’s death in all continua was a fixed point in time, and only the intervention of the Q ensured that ‘our’ Kathryn survived, and was able to be restored. It’s therefore something of a shock to the crew of the Full Circle fleet to discover that there’s another Janeway in the Delta Quadrant, and one who’s embroiled in a full scale war.

The reasons for this are linked to the episodes Shattered and Year of Hell – the latter one that I’ve often hoped would be further explored in the fiction – and gives Beyer an opportunity to show us a different path for Janeway, one that puts her through the wringer during this book before an ending that brought a wry smile to my face. It’s a story about consequences – not just in the Janeway(s) plotline, but also in terms of the ongoing story of Nancy Conlon and Harry Kim, and for the book’s “guest star”, Tuvok, brought over from Titan to try to help with the alternate Kathryn – and also about family, and just what we’ll do for those we love.

Beyer juggles the temporal shenanigans (aka the timey-wimey stuff) well, and keeps the reader’s focus firmly on the characters and the decisions that they make. There are some well told action sequences, but it’s the way in which she throws new light on Janeway, Chakotay and Tuvok that you’ll come away remembering.

Verdict: Another fine example of Star Trek storytelling. 9/10

Paul Simpson