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"." <.@trekdata.demon.co.uk> ha scritto nel messaggio 
news:fq4niv$me$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
> Baerbel Haddrell
> ============
>
> Dies ist meine Besprechung des neuesten Buchs von Keith R.A. DeCandido. "A 
> Burning House" ist der erste Band der Klingon Empire Serie oder der 
> neueste Band der Gorkon Serie. Wie ich unten erklaere hat sich der Titel 
> geaendert.
>
>
> S P O I L E R
>
> *
>
> *
>
> *
>
> I have been a big fan of the Gorkon series from the very beginning and had 
> been looking forward to this book for a long time. It is the continuation 
> of previous books but also a new beginning. Therefore, also people who 
> never read a Gorkon book should have no trouble to start with this first 
> Klingon Empire book. Throughout the book the author does a good job to 
> refresh my memory but within the flow of the story. I was never bored when 
> past events were mentioned. Often such flashbacks were combined with new 
> events which made these parts more interesting or combined with humour.
>
> The new series title Klingon Empire should be much more obvious especially 
> to the casual book reader and Trek fan than Gorkon. It also reflects the 
> much more comprehensive look at Klingon culture than just what is 
> happening on one Klingon ship. I enjoyed this book very much and to me it 
> is important that this new start of the series sells well. I want to point 
> out again that fans who might think that this book is just about Klingon 
> battles, narrow minded Klingon honour (like the Worf stories in late DS9) 
> and male bonding are mostly wrong. Of course you find these aspects in �A 
> Burning House� too but not within such limited clich�s. Klingon Empire 
> shows Klingons who are very much individuals. It also shows a wide variety 
> of the complex society within the Klingon Empire, also some aspects that 
> have never been explored before. Star Trek is about exploring new worlds 
> and civilizations and I think �A Burning House� definitely does that. It 
> often invites us human readers to think within Klingon values and compare 
> them with ours. It is an excellent combination of action, character 
> developments and a thought provoking look at the strengths but also the 
> weaknesses of this alien culture.
>
> �A Burning House� is not just building on previous Gorkon books but also 
> certain TV episodes. One of them is the controversial DS9 episode �The 
> Sons of Mogh� in which Kurn asked his brother Worf to kill him in a 
> Klingon ritual because he couldn`t deal with his dishonour. Instead of 
> doing that Kurn`s memory was wiped and he was given a new identity. Kurn 
> was never asked. Bashir performed the operation on DS9 with the approval 
> of Sisko and Dax. In essence, Kurn died in a death of personality 
> operation (like the penalty for murder in the series Babylon 5) and was 
> reborn as Rodek. Since that episode I wondered what would happen if the 
> truth will be revealed.
>
> For the most part, I am very happy with it how the author dealt with that 
> part of the book. I just wonder why he seemed to have been so cautious not 
> to criticize what happened. Worf was just saying that he did what he 
> thought was best at that time. This is certainly true but I wasn`t 
> satisfied. In hindsight, would Worf do something like this again? Is he 
> sorry about the choice he made and not just because he lost his brother? 
> Towards the end of the book Rodek`s conversation with Worf explained a lot 
> why Kurn had reached such a bad state. I understand and I felt with Rodek 
> but again, I felt that something was missing. I would have liked it to 
> read if Rodek still felt it was right to ask his brother to kill him or if 
> he despised what he became, being drunk and weak, unable to stand up for 
> himself and fight against the dishonour imposed on him.
>
> The discussion between Bashir and Ezri Dax about what happened was very 
> interesting but again, it was a balancing act I found unsatisfactory. On 
> one page it was mentioned that Kurn tried to kill himself on a number of 
> occasions and the next page mentioned that the procedure was the only 
> alternative to killing him. This leaves out the most important aspect, 
> that Kurn was robbed of his own free will and that the procedure was 
> forced on him. Nobody HAD to kill Kurn. This was about Kurn`s will to live 
> or lack of it. I am still amazed and very disappointed that Dax suggested 
> this procedure and am even more amazed and disappointed that Bashir 
> committed this crime. I think it should also have been mentioned that 
> Sisko supported this decision as well to do this operation on DS9. At 
> least on Klingon territory, it would have been done according to Klingon 
> law and maybe be more acceptable from that perspective. Me, as a human 
> being, would still think this is wrong and even from the Klingon 
> perspective, I think it would be more honourable to live and die as a 
> warrior instead of asking someone else to kill you.
>
> I expected some remorse on Bashir`s side, but nothing. The contrary, he 
> first of all blamed Dax and Worf because they made such good arguments. 
> This made him only more guilty in my book. I can understand that Klingons 
> have trouble to understand the concept of mental health and there is no 
> doubt in my mind that Kurn suffered from serious mental health issues. 
> What Bashir, a human doctor, did to him is unforgivable. By the way, I 
> indeed have trouble to see Ezri agreeing to the procedure. On the other 
> hand, if someone had told me before �The Sons of Mogh� aired that Bashir 
> would do something like that, I wouldn`t have thought him capable of it.
>
> Putting that part of the Rodek story aside, I think KRAD handled the 
> continuation very well. I was hoping that Rodek would stay on the Gorkon 
> but I had the gut feeling from early on that this is not going to happen. 
> I can understand very well that Rodek had trouble to deal with the sudden 
> impact of discovering the truth and that it was easy for Dorrek to 
> manipulate him. Klag`s reaction was very Klingon and although I very much 
> feel for Rodek, I can understand his point of view. Nevertheless, I think 
> he made a bad mistake by getting rid of him. His reaction and also that of 
> most of his crew shows again that Klingons see mental health issues not as 
> wounds, as invisible injuries that can be treated and healed but just 
> dismissed Rodek as a traitor, a liability. I am sure, after the cruel 
> lesson Rodek learned, he would have been even more loyal, an even better 
> crew member than before and therefore getting rid of him is not only 
> Rodek`s loss but his as well.
>
> What I liked very much is that Rodek reacted very differently to when he 
> was Kurn. He accepted the consequences of his actions, learn the lessons 
> from what happened and move on with his life. One of my favourite scenes 
> in the book is the good-bye scene between Rodek and Leskit. I always liked 
> Leskit and he is also one of my favourite characters of this series. I am 
> hoping, too, that Rodek will regain his honour. Well, in my book he never 
> lost it but I mean in the eyes of other Klingons. Who knows, one day Klag 
> might respect Rodek again. I would welcome that very much. I think the 
> Rodek story is the most powerful, most moving part of the book and I hope 
> Rodek will play an important part in future Klingon Empire books.
>
> Speaking of Leskit, I also enjoyed his other appearances in the book very 
> much. I love his great sense of humour and in general, I was happy for 
> him. I am very pleased about his promotion but mainly that Leskit and 
> Kurak finally managed to become a couple. I was very pleased for Kurak, 
> too, keeping in mind the state she was in at the beginning of the 
> Gorkon/Klingon Empire series. They should be an interesting couple, not 
> only because of their contrasts but also because Kurak is the leader of 
> her own house. Karreka, Leskit`s ex-wife and who has now a powerful 
> position in the house his wife is leading, will add an interesting 
> element, I am sure. There is a lot of potential here. I like it a lot.
>
> It is interesting that also captain Klag now has a mate. B`Oraq has 
> developed into a valuable voice of reason that has quite an influence on 
> her captain. Both of them are certainly passionate people and I am curious 
> how this relationship will develop. B`Oraq`s personal crusade to improve 
> Klingon medicine was in many ways predictable but not in all. That Martok 
> is fully supporting her shows among other things presented in this novel 
> that he is one of the better Klingon leaders. B`Oraq`s frustrations were 
> very understandable and I couldn`t help it, sometimes it was so bad that 
> it was funny at the same time. At least thanks to B`Oraq`s stubbornness 
> and persistence, there is a start. In the process she found allies but 
> also gained enemies. How this will develop is another topic with a lot of 
> potential.
>
> Klag`s family problems were much less interesting to me than the other 
> topics in the book. From the Klingon point of view, his brother got what 
> he deserved and I see no reason to care what happens to his manipulative 
> mother.
>
> Something else: I think it should be mentioned in the next book what 
> B`Oraq thinks about Rodek now. Is she agreeing with the decision her 
> captain and mate made?
>
> I have never been a fan of the TNG story dealing with the secret colony 
> Worf discovered, the colony in which Toq grew up. Although I felt for Toq, 
> in a way I was glad that this storyline is over and done with now. Ba`el 
> is not a character I am keen on meeting again. I am no fan of childlike, 
> overly innocent and na�ve characters like this woman who very much behaved 
> like an immature girl. I really hope she won`t become Worf`s next love 
> interest! Her behaviour feels like an immature girlish crush, something I 
> had little sympathy with. I am glad that Robin Lefler finally grew up in 
> NF (at least she made progress) and I am not interested to read something 
> like that again in Klingon Empire.
>
> What I also enjoyed is to learn more about the more lower decks characters 
> the series is focusing on, Leader Wol and her team. On that occasion it 
> was interesting and also fun to read about the farming family. On another 
> occasion it was interesting and at the same time depressing to read about 
> one of the areas in the Empire that very much felt like a slum to me. 
> Martok mentioned, if I remember correctly, how bad it is there. I am 
> hoping he is doing something about it because allowing such worlds to 
> deteriorate, such slums to develop, harms the overall Empire. At the same 
> time, the part giving us some insights into the world of Klingon Opera was 
> hilarious! I loved that.
>
> The last chapter gives some interesting hints of things to come. I am 
> looking forward to find out what Imperial Intelligence, what Lorgh is 
> planning concerning Worf and Rodek. At the moment I can only hope that I 
> will get the chance to meet these characters again.
>
> Baerbel Haddrell