No Man's Land

Star Trek: Gateways #5

by Christie Golden

Left behind by a long-vanished civilisation, the mysterious portals known as the Gateways can enable spacefarers to travel unimaginable distances. This seven part saga includes characters from all four Star Trek television series.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek Voyager, Fiction, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy, Technology

232 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Award-winning author Christie Golden has written over thirty novels and several short stories in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror. She has over a million books in print.

2009 will see no fewer than three novels published. First out in late April will be a World of Warcraft novel, Athas: Rise of the Lich King. This is the first Warcraft novel to appear in hardcover. Fans of the young paladin who fell so far from grace will get to read his definitive story.

In June, Golden’s first Star Wars novel, also a hardcover, sees print. Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi—Omen is the second in a nine-book series she is co-authoring with Aaron Allston and Troy Denning. Also in June comes the conclusion of Golden’s StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga with the release of Twlight, the third book in the series. The first two are Firstborn and Shadow Hunters.

2004 saw the launch of an original fantasy series called The Final Dance, from LUNA Books. The first novel in the series, On Fire's Wings, was published in July of that year. The second, In Stone’s Clasp , came out in September of 2005. With In Stone’s Clasp, Golden won the Colorado Author’s League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel for the second time. The third book, Under Sea’s Shadow, is available only as an e-book

Golden is also the author of two original fantasy novels from Ace Books, King's Man and Thief and Instrument of Fate, which made the 1996 Nebula Preliminary Ballot. Under the pen name of Jadrien Bell, she wrote a historical fantasy thriller entitled A.D. 999, which won the Colorado Author's League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel of 1999.

Golden launched the TSR Ravenloft line in 1991 with her first novel, the highly successful Vampire of the Mists , which introduced elven vampire Jander Sunstar. Golden followed up Vampire with Dance of the Dead and The Enemy Within . In September of 2006, fifteen years to the month, The Ravenloft Covenant: Vampire of the Mists enabled Jander Sunstar to reach a whole new audience.

Other projects include a slew of Star Trek novels, among them The Murdered Sun , Marooned , and Seven of Nine , and "The Dark Matters Trilogy," Cloak and Dagger , Ghost Dance and Shadow of Heaven .

The Voyager novel relaunch, which includes Homecoming and The Farther Shore , were bestsellers and were the fastest-selling Trek novels of 2003. Golden continued writing VOYAGER novels even though the show went off the air, and enjoyed exploring the creative freedom that gave her in the two-parter called Spirit Walk, which includes Old Wounds and Enemy of my Enemy .

Golden has also written the novelization of Steven Spielberg's Invasion America and an original "prequel," On The Run , both of which received high praise from producer Harve Bennett. On The Run, a combination medical thriller and science fiction adventure, even prompted Bennett to invite Golden to assist in crafting the second season of the show, if it was renewed.

Golden lives in Loveland, Colorado, with her artist husband and their two cats.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic and almost poetic premise. When gateways suddenly appear across the galaxy, Voyager finds itself leading a kind of interstellar caravan - an improvised fleet of lost ships from numerous strange and far off worlds. The story is packed with tension and suspense as Captain Janeway's leadership and diplomatic skills are pushed to their limits as she attempts to hold together this fragile, makeshift alliance, navigating political friction and uncertainty in a high-stakes journey through the unknown. Things, however, wrap up a bit too fast and loose, and of course it ends on a cliffhanger like every book in the Gateways series, to be resolved in book 7. Golden really nails Janeway's character - the strong will, compassion and optimism. This is undoubtedly one of the best pre-return Voyager books, as well as one of best in the Gateways series.

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christie Golden really understand the Voyager crew. There is a reason she was tapped to write so many Voyager novels. And she turns in a great (albeit short) book in the Gateways series.

What I really liked about this book was how much it tackled in so little time. It could have felt crammed and like it tried to do too much. However, Christie Golden was able to maximize the storytelling and make all the subplots and plotline feel well balanced here.

It does feel like Golden "leveled up" the story type that we're used to in the Voyager books. Normally it is a very small and self contained story in the "numbered" books. However, here, there is a huge cast of aliens, heroes, villains, creatures, and everything in between. It really felt like it was an epic two-episode EVENT! (that could be a three-episode crossover featuring the short story from the What Lay Beyond" collection).

If you're a fan of shipping Chakotay and Janeway, I think you'll have a blast with this book. Obviously, we know nothing happens with them until Full Circle by Kirsten Beyer, but in this book Christie Golden write a dynamic where you can absolutely see groundwork being laid for their relationship. I just loved everytime Chakotay and Janeway were talking.

Seven also had a tremendous story in this book (and I do believe that Golden is THE best writer of Seven of Nine), and her scene were she talked with the slaves on the ship was fantastically written.

One thing that didn't work in the book unfortuantely was the Gateways storyline. I think it could have been utilized a little more, particularly in the middle of the book. Maybe 5 more pages of Gateways shennanigans or something else happening, but it felt like it was necessary.

This is far from the best Voyager book, or even the worst one. It is entertaining throughout, gets all of the characters correct, and adds to the Gateways saga. Overall, a 7.5 out of 10.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far this is my favorite book in the Gateways series! I thought it just got better and better until I reached the end, and now I can hardly wait for the "real" end in the last book. Though I admit that I might be a bit biased since Voyager is my favorite Star Trek and what got me into the Gateways series to begin with.

With that said I thought I'd tell you a little bit what I love about this book except for it being about my favorite crew and the fascinating gateways. First of all I love that we get to know many new alien races, like the Kuluuk for example, that are also described in a captivating way by Golden. In fact, I can't help but to wish we could have seen some of them when Voyager was still airing. And mentioning Golden I feel I have to say that I love her writing. Her books have, so far, pretty much more or less easily ended up among my favorite Star Trek books. And as you might have guessed by now this one is no exception. She's also good at giving me the, oh so much wanted, little glimpses of more intimate interaction between Janeway and Chakotay. I also love the story in itself with captain Janeway leading the fleet of lost aliens through dangerous space. It almost feels a bit poetic and beautiful with Voyager leading the way helping out other lost ships that suddenly found themselves in the same situation as Voyager did a few years earlier. But I guess that's, in part, why I love Voyager so much to begin with; the lost ship fighting to find its way back home.

So I'm very much looking forward to the last book in this series so I can get to know how it all ends, cause I loved this. But I already said that, so I guess I got it all covered. This is definitely a book you should read if you're a fan of Star Trek!

[Elizabeth Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Voyager book is about a bunch of aliens with a common goal, to get out of a hazardous area of space. Of course Voyager takes the lead of this make shift fleet and then some interesting things start to happen with a few interesting twists and turns along the way.

I sincerely think this is Goldens best book so far, and I have read about 10 of hers. The story is fast paced, there is lots of humor, and a few dramatic and very sad parts that are impossible to not empathize with. I thought she did great with the characters as she always does. If you are a pet lover of any kind I think there are some extra points in the book that you'll really love.

Also these vast array of aliens are probably the most interesting I have read in ANY science fiction book.

I now completely see why everyone said to read this and how so many people have this as a favorite.

One of my favorite quotes.
"...They seem to think that I have some kind of pull with their gods."
"Well, I knew you had clout, Chakotay, but I never dreamed"...
"You just remember that, Captain."

[Fate's Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of a dangerous traverse was a little silly to start with (things in space are just not that close together to the point where you practically have to thread a needle. And an asteroid BELT, for example, is definitionally mostly flat, so... did we forget there are three dimensions? I think Golden definitely did.) The inter-species interactions are interesting, at least until the Q ex machina, which you have to buy a separate anthology to even GET, wherein everyone acts completely out of character and sings kumbaya and Janeway just shrugs at Q' s offer to send her crew home with a weird "I think were meant to be here"comment, then DECIDES NOT TO TELL ANY OF HER SENIOR OFFICERS. Fucking hell.

[Jeremy Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good Voyager book. The character focus is on Janeway. There are portals that open up in their region of space and because of the hazards of the space and the portals she must lead a group of various ships full of a variety of species both hostile and kindly. While there are a few teases of potential conflict the villain of the book is obvious so it’s not a huge surprise but it is interesting to see “the how” of the crime. This book like all the others in the series ends on a cliff hanger so it didn’t have a solid ending.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite of the Gateways books. Even though it's a less epic story than the others, it's written so well. The author got the characters absolutely spot on and make it all feel natural, down to Chakotay being utterly useless and delivering every line with an inappropriate smirk.

If this had been a double-episode of the TV show I think it would have been the best thing it ever did (assuming they didn't change anything while adapting it).

[Crystal Bensley · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the cliffhangers in this series are making me nuts! An interesting Voyager tale with lots on new alien races.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all the Gateways books, this one continues the story from previous novels but with the associated franchise's perspective on the Iconian situation. In Voyager's instance, Janeway finds herself leading a caravan of displaced gateway travellers through a very difficult region of space filled with not only nebula and asteroid belts, but also randomly opening gateways and a fleet where few get along. Combine this with a deeping "Who done it?" mystery and you have a very well written book. In fact, this could have easily been made into a Voyager two hour special like "Dark Frontier." This installment of the Gateways saga takes place following the "Pathfinder" episode, well before the series finale. Despite what the Deep Space Nine installment of the Gateways series may have implied or hinted at, there is no DS9 crossover in this book. Also, like all the other books, this one annoyingly ends on a cliffhanger.

[A.K. Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

***If you only care about the Voyager crew, you don’t need to read the other stories and can skip ahead to ‘What Lay Beyond’.

I hope I have covered all the necessary points below. If you have kept up to date with the Star Trek books as they have been released or have a better memory than I do, you can skip down to the bit where I actually say how good this one is.

Otherwise, before you read this volume you may wish to look up other aspects of the Star Trek Universe.
Most obviously are the first 4 books of the Gateways series-

Star Trek (Gateways #1) - One Small Step (It literally follows on from The Original Series episode ‘That Which Survives’ and makes more sense if you watch that first).

Star Trek: Challenger (Gateways #2) - Chainmail (This is a new crew who feature only in one other book ‘Star Trek: New Earth - Challenger’. The new team is hard to get used to, so you will need to read the other book as well to even vaguely understand how they came to be. The first 6 books in the ‘New Earth’ series aren’t necessary to follow this thread).

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Gateways #3) Doors Into Chaos (The Series 2, episode #11 ‘Contagion’ introduces the Iconian race, the creators of the Gateways. The Deep Space Nine Series 4, episode #22 ‘To The Death’ introduces a second Gateway and The Voyager Series 3, episode #24 ‘Displaced’ gives us our first glimpse at the Nyrians and Taleen in particular, who features heavily in this story. There are lots of other references to episodes, but these are the key ones to follow this tale).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Gateways #4) - Demons Of Air And Darkness (This volume is also a part of a series that follows on from the end of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine TV show itself, so it will help if you ensure you know what has happened in that too.
Especially the following-
Series 7
Episode 24 - The Dogs Of War (Rom becomes the Grand Nagus and leaves with Leeta).
Episode 25 - What You Leave Behind (Sisko leaves to be with the Prophets/Worf Is appointed Federation Ambassador to Qo’nos/Odo goes to live with the Founders/Chief O’Brien moves back to Earth to teach at the Academy/The end of the war with the Dominion and Nog’s promotion to Lieutenant, while Garak stays on Cardassia to help rebuild after the war).

As a result of all these changes a new crew is introduced in the following books that precede Gateways #4 -
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Avatar (1&2) (Commander Vaughan and Taran ‘atar are brought in and we meet Shar, an Andorian Ensign and find out that Ro Laren has been brought in as Security Chief having survived the Maquis liquidation by the Dominion. Ezri also decides to transfer to command from sciences and Jake ventures to the Wormhole looking for his Dad. Kira becomes attainted by the Vedeks)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Section 31) Abyss (We learn that Jake is struggling in the Wormhole while Bashir takes a crew to expose Section 31)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Rising Son (This story runs alongside the Gateways story, but doesn’t affect it, however if you’ve read the others, you might want to find out what happens to Jake?)
These books in themselves reference lots of other happenings from the series, but I can’t list everything.

On top of these you may want to refresh yourself on these TV episodes too-

Star Trek: The Next Generation -
Series 1
Episode 11- The Big Goodbye (The Jaradans feature in this episode establishing their xenophobia)

Series 4
Episode 12 - Wounded (Gul Macet, who looks suspiciously like Gul Dukat, works with Picard to stop Ben Maxwell from a murderous rampage)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine -
Series 3
Episode 24 - Shakaar (We meet Lenaris Holem who features heavily in Volume #4).

Series 4
Episode 7 - Little Green Men (Cousin Gaila gives Quark a dodgy ship that sends him back to Roswell)

Series 5
Episode 18 - Business As Usual (Quark works with his Cousin Gaila selling weapons)

Series 6
Episode 10 - The Magnificent Ferengi (Quark recruits a number of regulars to help him rescue his Mother from the Dominion, including Gaila)

Cousin Gaila is a recurring reference throughout the series, if you haven’t heard of him and his antics or his moon, I’m not sure why you would read this book?

Episode 15 - Honor Among Thieves (O’Brien goes undercover working for the Orion Syndicate. Although the Orions in this book are more like the one first seen in The Original Series Episode 1 (Pilot) The Cage).

Star Trek: Voyager
Series 4
Episode 15 - Hunters (We meet the Hirogen for the first time - None of the exact characters are used in this book, but you may not remember the species?) The Hirogen are important in Gateways Volume #5 as well.

It is easier to read the Voyager Gateways book (#5), but you may still want to catch up or refresh your memories with the following-

Star Trek: Voyager
Series 6
Episode 10 - Pathfinder (It is established that the events that take place in at least books 3, 4 & 5 of the Gateways series take place after this episode in which Reg Barclay features heavily)
Episode 11 - Fairhaven (It’s a little thing, but they do make a reference to this holodeck program)
Episode 14 - Memorial (It would appear that what happens in this volume follows on from this episode as Saavedra and Takaris are mentioned)

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (Janeway mentions the Mutara Nebula from this film as similar to the one they find)

Other than that the other characters, planets and ships are all new as far as I can tell. Except for Ensign Lyssa Campbell who appears to have been a regular in some of the other books in the Voyager series. Carey and Vorik feature, but they are regular enough in the series to be remembered.


Review:
I did like this part of the Gateways series. The writing was good and there were very few proof reading issues, like the others. I also enjoyed the fact that it could be read as a stand alone story if you were so inclined and don’t mind not finding out what happens in the bigger picture. It is a self contained story in a bigger narrative. I look forward to finding out what happens to all of the crews when I get to the final volume of the series ‘What Lay Beyond’ (7 of 7).

I do have a few issues with this one though. It is such a short book that I don’t understand why so much seems to be missing. Arguments with Arkathi, an aggressive and meddling alien, to give it some more edge are excluded and a conversation about how Voyager and their crew, who have previously gone to extreme lengths to get home, could use the gateways for instance would have made sense too. There is no way they would pass up that opportunity. There is also a lack of tech talk which limits our contact with Harry and B’elanna. Perfect opportunities wasted to flesh out the bones of the story. I hope that there is a reason for it all to be explained in book 7, but I think I will still have questions that go unresolved.

It really isn’t a bad story, as Janeway creates a caravan of lost ships, who find themselves in her vicinity. Together they navigate a dangerous part of the Delta Quadrant while she also deals with animosity on a varying scale and has to become an ambassador to lead the rag tag bunch through it all relatively unscathed.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book read for 2021 was a really fun one. I know a 5-star rating feels like a bit much, but I really enjoyed this even if I know it's not necessarily going to become a pillar for fiction.

What really makes this book stand out is how well Christie Golden captured the essence of the Voyager crew at this point in their history. The character dialog is totally spot on and the overall tone of the book was just totally Voyager.

As a tie-in book for the greater Gateways storyline, you kind of expect that Voyager can't contribute to the final solution to the problem since they are in the Delta Quadrant, and thus too far removed in order to help the Federation back home. And we got another adventure that was crafted to show them affected by the same problem even if they never quite find a way to resolve things fully. But it was a very good adventure and one that really had Janeway holding onto the ideals of the Federation despite being so far away from home. How she managed to cobble together this caravan coalition to get through this No Man's Land area of space just because of how these different alien ships had been displaced by the gateways being activated across the galaxy is just totally Janeway.

You just hope for the best and see how things go because a Starfleet captain who can't stick to the ideals of the Federation is no captain at all, really.

[Kissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Star Trek: Voyager novel adventure that doesn't disappoint! Despite being the fifth addition to the series, this novel does well with being a stand alone story; the only time I felt like I needed to know what happens in the other books is with the conclusion. The author does a fantastic job capturing the personalities of the main Voyager cast and creating a captivating arrangement of characters among the other alien ships. Although there were so many different alien species introduced, I was able to keep track of who was who, and their few connections with each other. The pacing of the story was expertly done, making it feel like an actual episode of the TV series; it was quick to read through but the amount of information presented wasn't toned down or too overbearing. Highly would recommend to any Star Trek: Voyager fan or someone needing a quick, comfort sci-fi read.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this started out the weakest of the ones I have read in this series and the Gateways seem to operate differently than the other books.

The book moved at an odd pace and took a while to really get the plot going as they all decide to head off in the same direction for some reason. And all the Gateways opening right in front of Voyager dumping 60 ships out seemed really contrived.

There are some good moments in the book like passing through the Nebula but then gets ruined by evolving into a murder mystery which has been done in Star Trek novels WAAAAY too many times.

Overall the mediocrity overwhelmed the originality of what the book could have been.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worthy of Voyager fans

I'm no big fan of Voyager, but it's alright. The author did a good job capturing the feel of the show. It's got multiple alien species to be worked with, some not so nice, and a murder mystery to solve. Depending on how the cliffhanger is tied up in book 7 of the Gateways series, this could've been a stand-alone episode of the show. My only real complaint of this book would be there is not enough of the Dr.

[Jason Fawkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Above average entry in the series; Voyager seems a natural fit for the overarching story connecting this series.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle of the road. This was less about the gateways and more about Janeway leading a ragtag fleet. There was little reason for the fleet to follow Voyager. They wouldn’t necessarily all go the same way, Voyager only stood out because it didn’t travel through a gateway, and the plot ultimately tried to be about a murder mystery of all things. Little things didn’t work for me. Janeway escorted the Hirogen without security? Chakotay sitting in Janeway’s chair? B’Elanna hoping to have visitors? An inconsistent level of ships in the fleet? (20+ of 30 had engaged engines and then two dozen more jumped the line?) It all just seemed off to me.

[Casey Pettitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the fifth installment in the Gateways series, you would expect the Gateways to play a bigger part of the story. While they are present, they really serve as the MacGuffin to a classic Voyager tale.

Basically, the Gateways start spitting out ships all over the place and are causing major disturbances in space right along Voyager's path. So Janeway does what Janeway does and creates an alliance, albeit a tenuous one, between a number of alien races to journey together through the rough terrain.

Where the book really excels, and where I wished it had focused more time, was on not one, but two murder mysteries. Not to mention a slave uprising to boot! These stories give rise to a lot of great character work. I was especially happy to see Chakotay used in ways that really let him shine. His beliefs and skills are fully utilized. Seven also has some great, almost human, moments with the V'enah slaves.

After taking a back seat for most of the book, the Gateways do become a prominent plot device toward the end. And as we've come to expect from these books, it ends on a cliffhanger.

I have to say that this was a really fantastic Star Trek: Voyager story. Christie Golden clearly knows the characters and her writing is so great. Where I have to dock points is the use of the Gateways. It's tough with Voyager in the Delta Quadrant to have this crew involved in solving any of the mysteries surrounding the Gateways. However, we know that Pathfinder has had contact with Voyager, so they're not completely cut off.

In the end, I have to give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. It's got the great writing we expect from Golden and shining moments from our crew. I just wanted more connections to the Gateways saga.

[Daniel O'donovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a little uneven. It has some good parts certainly but I fail to see how it connects with the other books in the series. The gateways are present but Voyager, by the nature of the premise, is separated from the Federation.

To me the ending is problematic. We get Janeway doing the 'this is something I have to do' bit. And as almost always happens when a character says this there is no reason for it.

Furthermore the story has Janeway taking control of a group of ships. With the exception of the Hirogen none of the races none of the races know humans. I find it rather unbelievable that these races would follow Janeway. She is an unknown and just because she has a powerful ship doesn't mean you would follow her.

Janeway acts as if she should be in control. She refers to giving the group orders. All in all she rather comes across as a little power crazy. Though some would say that that is Janeway all over.

So far this series has been...

Book one: Dull.
Book Two: Boring and Incomprehensible.
Book Three: Interesting but a thin story.
Book Four: Better characterization and a more interesting plot.

And now book five. Its uneven. The Gateways are causing the problems but since the Voyager crew don't know that this is happening in the Alpha quadrant too there is no real connection.

Over all this series is a huge disappointment.

Maybe number six will be the charm.

[Jimyanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may well be the best of the "Gateways" miniseries; the story is quite good, with an interesting plot, good characterizations, and good pacing. Unfortunately, it has the inevitable problem suffered by all of the books in this series: it ends on a cliffhanger. The first six books of the series are all incomplete, leaving their endings for book seven; book seven has no plot of its own, being simply six story endings. The concept was a cheesy excuse to sell an extra book; none of the first six books would have been made unduly long by including its ending, so there was no excuse other than marketing for arranging the series the way it was arranged.

If, like me, you are foolish enough to want to read all Star Trek novels, and are therefore intent on reading this series, I would suggest getting the whole series before beginning, and reading each book followed by its complementary segment in book seven, rather than reading each of the first six books before continuing to book seven. Of all the books in the series, this might really be the only one even marginally worth doing so for, but I'm unconvinced that even this story is worth the price of two books (which is what you need to buy in order to have it).

If, on the other hand, you actually LIKE cliffhanger endings and "come back next week, same bat time, same bat channel" stories, you'll LOVE this one.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid, interesting entry in the Gateways series. The lack of coordination between this story and the rest of the series is a little disappointing, but does not detract too much from a generally interesting, if not overly compelling story.

Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2012/03/n...

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voyager is about to pass through a dangerous part of space. It is surrounded by gateways that ships have come through. Janeway must keep the peace and lead these ships through No Mans Land. NB It does end on a cliff hanger. It's quite fun with all the new alien races and one old one. A bit predictable but has some good character moments. A good read.

[Ossy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hayoo.. Janeway ngilang kemana?

[Tammy]

Annoyingly, the endings of all the books in the series are in 'What Lay Beyond'.

[Dustin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my least favorite book in the Gateways series, but I'm not really much of a Voyager fan, so there is that.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I registered this book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10536558

[S.J. Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting enough #Voyager story that kept me guessing in mostly good ways.

4/5 The Gateways crossover may still feel a bit forced and convoluted, but I'm content with the ride, thus far.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neatly brings the last important crew into the story.