dillon@ucbvax.ARPA (The Sherif "Matt D.") (01/28/85)
In my opinion, "The Final Reflection" is a fantastic novel which every one of you should read. It is an extremely well done book set in a time just after the first encounter with the klingon empire by the Federation, when warp 4 was the fastes one could go, and the transporter was still on the drawing board. You don't know all there is to know about a klingon until you've read this book. The book centers around the Babel Conferences and gives us a lot of background on that period of time. I especially liked the great excitement of new-old characters as well as some new-new characters. The name of the book refers to the most complex version of a klingon board game, somewhat like chess.
freeman@spar.UUCP (Jay Freeman) (07/29/85)
[Captain, I dinna think the line-eater can take it much longer!!] In article <255@ihlpl.UUCP> sag@ihlpl.UUCP (Gore) writes: >Could someone please post a good summary of The final Reflection? Don't know if it will be good, but I will try. In general I don't think much of Star Trek, but I find this a superb book -- Hugo quality on its own merits. And yes, I know it has been out for more than a year, but nevertheless I shall post a ... ##### SPOILER WARNING ##### John M. Ford's _Final_Reflection_ is set in the Star Trek universe about forty years before the TV series. Ford traces the career of a military officer from orphaned, futureless, junior cadet to commander of a battle cruiser. Most of the book deals with a specific task, in which Commander Krenn is in charge of a diplomatic mission a long way from home: Major power groups among both the Klingons and the Humans want to start an unlimited interstellar war. Krenn's goal is to keep the peace. What's more, he's a Klingon. Ford paints an alien culture in rich and fascinating detail, a Klingon civilization completely consistant with the "heavy" image of the Star Trek series, but whose unendearing reputation is more the product of deep prejudice on the part of the Federation than of anything of substance. In particular, Krenn is a man [sic?] of iron-bound and unimpeachable integrity, yet as tough as nails and as ruthless and sophisticated at espionage and intrigue as anyone could wish for. He is also possessed of a puckish sense of humor ("How many Romulans does it take to change a transtator?"), and is unparalleled at oneupsmanship. (There's a scene with a transporter that is just delightful, possibly the best in the book.) According to Ford, every civilization has a game that epitomizes it. For the Humans, it is chess; for the Klingons a board game that is a little more like capture the flag. There are variants of this game, and Krenn is a master of one of them -- the "reflective game", in which under certain circumstances you get to move your opponent's pieces, and your opponent gets to move yours. The game is metaphor for political intrigue in a society neck-deep in it -- for you cannot get anything done without working with a team, yet there is no one -- no one -- whom you can always trust. And it is no accident that Krenn's battle cruiser is named ... _Mirror_. -- Jay Reynolds Freeman (Schlumberger Palo Alto Research)(canonical disclaimer)