Full_CircleBy Kirsten Beyer

Pocket Books, out now

The former crew of the Starship Voyager face peril and heartache as the Destiny crisis looms…

Kirsten Beyer doesn’t have an easy job with this book – she’s got to wrap up the various plotlines that were started by Christie Golden in the initial phase of the Voyager relaunch, shepherd the crew through the events of the Destiny trilogy, and put the pieces in place for future tales. And, to cap it all, she has to give Admiral Janeway’s death some weight.

Janeway’s self-sacrifice in the Next Gen novel Before Dishonor has been extremely controversial, and Beyer finds a way to make something that was very unpalatable in its original form seem almost understandable, and certainly far more in character than it first appeared. Janeway’s death has a knock on effect across her former crew, leading to some interesting choices by a number of the characters.

Beyer doesn’t confine herself to dealing with people we know already: there are numerous new Starfleet officers introduced, some of whom are clearly going to become major players in the series. There’s also a lot of closure on other fronts, so readers don’t feel cheated that Golden didn’t finish up her stories.

Verdict: A mammoth undertaking, which will appeal to fans of Star Trek in general, not just Voyager.  8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order Full Circle from Amazon.co.uk

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