The Book Report #136
Episode #135
Star Trek – The Final Nexus by Gene Deweese
The Book
Titan Books Ltd published the book. They branded this as a First Titan Edition, released in December 1988.
This is number 18 in the series and also a sequel to the first book in the series, called the Chain of Attack by the same author.
My copy is a first edition paperback. It has 282 pages and nothing else. I did use a digital copy on my phone when I wasn’t at home.
What Did I Think?
Starfleet calls on the Enterprise to help investigate the Nexus. They have investigated the Nexus before. But this time around, something is different. Someone has found an entity. Whatever the entity is, it can jump into a person’s body and make them terrified of everything and paranoid about whoever is around them.
Over the centuries, this has affected millions of lives, from starships to whole worlds.
The Nexus is a multi-universal network of passageways that allows ships to travel faster than warp speed.
In this story, Spock experiences a type of freedom he has never experienced before. When the Enterprise enters the Nexus, everyone disappears, and only the mind remains. Spock cannot help but revel in it.
He can go beyond what he has normally been able to do with his telepathic abilities and marvel at the experience.
He is not alone. A fellow Commander from the first ship on the scene. The ex-teacher who left to become a Starfleet officer. They do make a point of making sure you know this. She understands the situation and surprises the Captain when she appears out of nowhere on his bridge.
The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise slowly unravels the mystery of the Nexus. And the origins of the entity. They also get some help from an old, unknown stranger.
I like the idea of the Nexus. I also like how they slowly pieced together the mystery from all the problems it caused.
The dumping ground for all the “infected” was a nice touch. And the reason why everything slowly stopped working.
At the same time, everyone in the Federation was under attack. Kirk, as always, chose to save them all, ignoring orders from a compromised Starfleet.
Would I Recommend?
Absolutely. This is a great story that delves into the minds of the various characters and lets them grow. We also get to join them on the journey.
The action and adventure are both slow. It lets you catch up as they debrief and discuss possible solutions. It speeds up when they try to save themselves from the various dangers the crew faces.
Please give this a go.
Would you like to purchase your very own copy?
You could try these online stores: Amazon (UK/USA), Waterstones, AbeBooks (UK/USA), Barnes and Noble, eBay (UK/USA).
Alternatively, you could try your local bookshop or your local library.
