A review by whaleofabook
Dark Mirror by Diane Duane
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"He closed the book and looked over at the painting again. The little scrap of light fluttered there among the trees, against the shadow. It needed the darkness to make that tiny bit of life look so bright: it would not have shown otherwise."
The Star Trek: The Next Genration mirrorverse episode we never got
So, this is the first ST: TNG novel I've read (except for the Autobiography of Picard) and it did not dissapoint. This book truly felt like another TNG episode but longer, not rushed and not limited by cgi and budget. Diane Duane made sure to keep true to the TV characters and made the mirror counterparts feel very convincing. One of the main characters in focus was Troi and her Betazoid abilities in particular, which were depicted really well. The balance between the philosophical aspects of TNG and the hard/tech sci-fi was kept as well (plus there was some humour and romance). The book also explored the mirrorverse in great detail and there was clear continuity with the TOS "Mirror, Mirror" episode and many references to it.
In general, this was a fun and fresh read, there was a lot of things I loved about this book, though some paragraphs felt a bit lengthy with all the technobabble but not that hard to get through. I definitely will be coming back to it.
The Star Trek: The Next Genration mirrorverse episode we never got
So, this is the first ST: TNG novel I've read (except for the Autobiography of Picard) and it did not dissapoint. This book truly felt like another TNG episode but longer, not rushed and not limited by cgi and budget. Diane Duane made sure to keep true to the TV characters and made the mirror counterparts feel very convincing. One of the main characters in focus was Troi and her Betazoid abilities in particular, which were depicted really well. The balance between the philosophical aspects of TNG and the hard/tech sci-fi was kept as well (plus there was some humour and romance). The book also explored the mirrorverse in great detail and there was clear continuity with the TOS "Mirror, Mirror" episode and many references to it.
In general, this was a fun and fresh read, there was a lot of things I loved about this book, though some paragraphs felt a bit lengthy with all the technobabble but not that hard to get through. I definitely will be coming back to it.