The Black Shore

Greg Cox

May 2013 · Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

After weeks of lonely journeys through a desolate region fo the Delta Quadrant, the crew of Voyager is badly in need of shore leave, so the planet Ryolanov seems just what the doctor ordered. Full of warm sunlight and gracious, hospitable people, Ryolanov is a veritable oasis amidst the endless reaches of uncharted space.
Alerted by his spirit guide, Chakotay is the first to suspect that there may be a serpent lurking in this paradise, but he is not alone. Driven by a psychic call she cannot ignore, Kes must conquer her own fears to discover the terrifying secret lurking beyond the black shore.

Ratings and reviews

PLOT OR PREMISE: Janeway and her crew are in desperate need of shoreleave...and they receive an invitation from an uncharted planet to visit and enjoy the paradise nature of the lands. All is not necessarily as it seems, including the citizens' treatment of their pets, the Neffaler, which seem surprisingly intelligent, almost sentient. . WHAT I LIKED: Good descriptive prose, with lots of little sub-stories -- Kes' pre-occupation and disturbing telepathic forces, Paris' involvement with the daughter of the leader, and Torres' desire to find the source of some dilithium signatures. . WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The sub-stories don't come together as well as they could, so the overall story is long and rather confused at times. Many of the characters seem "off" from their TV version, perhaps reflecting the author's pre-occupation with the characters' lives early in the series' history. Lots of descriptions are heavy on the visual, which would be impressive if it was a TV episode rather than a book, but it doesn't work as well here. The ending is rather fragmented, focusing on three different groups' of actions at the same time. . BOTTOM-LINE: Would have worked better as an episode than a book . DISCLOSURE: I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow him on social media.

Gimme

Timms

About the author

Greg Cox is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous Star Trek novels and short stories. He has also written the official movie novelizations of War for the Planet of the Apes, Godzilla, Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Rises, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and the first three Underworld movies, as well as books and stories based on such popular series as Alias, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, CSI, Farscape, The 4400, Leverage, The Librarians, Roswell, Terminator, Warehouse 13, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Zorro. He has received three Scribe Awards from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, as well as the Faust Award for Life Achievement. He lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Visit him at GregCox-Author.com.