james_annis's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The vibe is Star Trek's version of West Wing. It's actually fun to read: for the points where the philosophy of the Federation are talked about (the Federation President gives talks, after all), for the relationship of the Federation with Star Fleet, for how one actually allies with the Klingons, and for the way successes and losses keep on coming to the office of the President.
It is a genuinely rare book, by paperback novel standards, which I find surprising.
The novel gives you events as if all are important, a way of showing what it would be like to be President of the Federation and the wall of events one would pass through each day. The novel itself tells you only that what is important is "holding the Federation together". I suggest that the most important thread in the book is the Federation/Klingon alliance, and that watching the events around that will bring you the most joy in the reading.
It is a genuinely rare book, by paperback novel standards, which I find surprising.
The novel gives you events as if all are important, a way of showing what it would be like to be President of the Federation and the wall of events one would pass through each day. The novel itself tells you only that what is important is "holding the Federation together". I suggest that the most important thread in the book is the Federation/Klingon alliance, and that watching the events around that will bring you the most joy in the reading.
meredith_peruzzi's review
5.0
Everybody keeps saying how similar this book is to The West Wing. It's been said Aaron Sorkin should be demanding royalties. The author freely admits the connection. I don't know about all that, because I've never seen The West Wing, which is my point: if you know the show, apparently the book reads like the show. If you don't know the show, the book stands up more than fine on its own.
From where I sit, the key achievement of "Articles of the Federation" is something another reviewer disliked: it doesn't feel like a Trek book. I like this because TrekLit has been published for decades, and while I enjoy reading about the continuing adventures of the crews I know and love, having something in their world but not ABOUT them is refreshing. There are plenty of elements of the Trek universe, particularly the events of Nemesis, but it's about a part of that world that's been happening in parallel all this time, that we've just never seen.
I don't think another writer could have pulled this off so well. I've read tie-in fiction that feels like a completely separate story, with trappings of the property laid over it like Miranda Jones's sensor web dress. "Articles of the Federation" is the total opposite, because DeCandido knows Trek so well, and is a master at telling stories that reflect what has happened off-screen as much as what we've seen on-screen.
Following the turns of politics is never easy, but this book makes it darn entertaining to do so. It's well deserving of all the praise that has been heaped upon it.
From where I sit, the key achievement of "Articles of the Federation" is something another reviewer disliked: it doesn't feel like a Trek book. I like this because TrekLit has been published for decades, and while I enjoy reading about the continuing adventures of the crews I know and love, having something in their world but not ABOUT them is refreshing. There are plenty of elements of the Trek universe, particularly the events of Nemesis, but it's about a part of that world that's been happening in parallel all this time, that we've just never seen.
I don't think another writer could have pulled this off so well. I've read tie-in fiction that feels like a completely separate story, with trappings of the property laid over it like Miranda Jones's sensor web dress. "Articles of the Federation" is the total opposite, because DeCandido knows Trek so well, and is a master at telling stories that reflect what has happened off-screen as much as what we've seen on-screen.
Following the turns of politics is never easy, but this book makes it darn entertaining to do so. It's well deserving of all the praise that has been heaped upon it.
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