Seven of Nine

(Star Trek: Voyager 16)
by
Christine Golden

Pocket, September 1998, 233 pp.
ISBN: 0-671-02491-4

Genre: Science Fiction
Subgenre: TV Tie-In
Reviewed: 5/15/2002

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Read Part of the Book

"I am uncertain as to why. Do you not wish to assist me in determining what is causing my hallucinations?"

"No, of course I do, but--okay." Kim took a deep breath. "Ravens or some other black bird, huh?"

"Correct."

Kim cocked his head and thought. "Edgar Allan Poe. Nevermore. The Twa Corbie. Sing a Song of Sixpence. The Ugly Duckling. No, wait, he turned into a swan. Umm..."

But Seven had gone cold inside. Around her, a chorus of shrieking birds had suddenly appeared. They were flying about, their wings flying, hugely excited.

Yes. Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye; four and twenty blackbirds--

Pain ripped through her, exquisite in its agony. That awful smell of carrion filled her nostrils and twisted her stomach into knots. Her knees buckled and with a low groan she collapsed. Harry seized her elbows and tried to lift her. She heard his voice, but faintly, as if he were far away: "Seven? Seven, are you alright?"

Why was he calling her Seven? She was the First of Six in her household--that was, until the Great Destroyers came. And his face--hideous! Deformed! Frantically, Amari seized his face and cried out, "What have the Destroyers done to you? Oh, my love, my love...." She kissed him, and when she pulled back, Sulmi's face was again the handsome, feathered visage she so adored. His expression was confused, and the words he spoke were curious:

"Doctor, I'm bringing Seven in right now. It's happening again."

Review

Tamaak Variis and all of his people, the Skedans, are telepaths. News that the Borg are on the way to assimilate their world reach them, but they are not worried since the Emperor is said that he is going to send reinforcements to fight off the Borg. When the Borg arrive six hours earlier then the empire estimated, they either assimilate or kill the billions of Skedans, with only a handful able to escape. Much later, as the USS Voyager starts passing through a huge piece of space owned by the Lhiaarrian Empire, the ship has to dock and await the rights to pass through this space. The refugees from Skedan spot the humans and arrange for Captain Janeway to quickly obtain passage through Lhiaarrian space if only Janeway will take them on Voyager. Once the Skedans are on Voyager, Seven starts seeing hallucinations. Ravens. Only a few at first, but more and more as time goes on. Along with this ever-growing number of ravens, Seven is experiencing periods where she is reliving the memories of the people that she personally assimilated...and its killing her.

This is a book in the Star Trek: Voyager series. The number of the book is 16. It is based upon the characters on the television show Star Trek: Voyager. This story appears to take place during the fifth season of the show, and Seven of Nine has been onboard for about one year.

Finally, a book starring the most popular character on Star Trek Voyager. What I really liked about this book was how it tied into one of the episodes of the television series where Seven saw a raven. Christie Golden does an excellent job portraying the crew of Voyager. The storyline she has come up with is intriguing and has a heck of an ending that I didn't see coming. Some of the aliens Golden comes up with are quite intriguing and she does a wonderful job of mixing it in with the ever infamous Borg. The book moves quickly and reads very well. As a Star Trek book, this is a good read, especially if you are a Seven of Nine fan. It is good to get into more of her past and get to know what makes her who she is.

I rated this book an 8 out of 10.