dossamg@houxn.UUCP (A.GOPIN) (11/29/83)
Behind The Glory Of The Heroes
by
Joseph McCarthy
Review by Alan Gopin
Behind The Glory Of The Heroes by Joseph McCarthy is a new
piece of Star Trek Fiction. Big deal, you say. Well this
time maybe it is.
The plot revolves around a Romulan attack on a Federation
Base Station and is based on a scenario from the Star Fleet
Battles game. To quote from the story: "Service in Star
Fleet is two years of boredom and an hour of stark screaming
terror." Needless to say, the story is about the second half
of that quote.
This short story stands out for several reasons. First,
although it is set in the Star Trek universe (all right, so
it is really set in the Star Fleet universe, the difference
is trivial), none of the "regulars" appear. This lets it
stand on its own merit as a story. It doesn't lean on
established characters.
Second, it gives a very different viewpoint. The main
character is a lowly sensor tech. We get to see things from
down in the trenches for a change, and it is an interesting
change.
Third, and most important, this story evokes strong
emotional response from the reader. Character development
is strong for a story of this length, and the main
character's reactions to the events unfolding around her
really put the reader in the story. The author succeeded in
making me care about what happens to the characters.
Behind The Glory Of The Heroes appears in NEXUS #6. Read it
if you get the chance. On the Leeper Scale, I rate it a +2.