| Title : |
Rihannsu Book 2 : The Romulan Way |
| Writers : |
Diane Duane, Peter Morwood |
| Year : |
1987 |
| Rating : |
4.1667 for 6 reviews | Add your own review |
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| Reviewer : |
Moonprince |
Rating : |
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| Review : |
I was turned onto the Rihannsu series by a friend of mine. Told me that I would not regret it and if I could I needed to get my hands on all four books. Well I listened to her. Did something I had never done till then, ordered them on Amazon because I couldn't get them local. I have to say I have never regreted getting them. The Romulan Way is a fantastic read with two great stories in one. |
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| Reviewer : |
Mikaa |
Rating : |
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| Review : |
While very good in its own right, "The Romulan Way" lacks the pacing of other Diane Duane novels, and compared to its "prequel," "My Enemy, My Ally," just doesn't have the humor or suspense. Granted, the story concept is notably different, but it is not really until the very end that I began to have a massive interest, especially the Council scene. By far, my largest gripe is the fact that some idiot sent McCoy to be captured and sent to his destination to find just one person, with little or no chance of sucess or retrieval. Excuse me? And I thought the efforts to steal a cloaking device were unbelievable... |
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| Reviewer : |
ASR |
Rating : |
 |
| Review : |
I concur entirely with the previous reviewer. I just wanted to add that the purpose of Star Trek from the beginning was to tell stories. From this point of view, arguments about canon are silly. The fact is, after "The Enterprise Incident," the canon Romulan storyline is about a bunch of agressive, unintelligent thugs. Personally I would rather read about a complex and, for once, distinctly alien culture than watch the television version of the utilitarian, honourless Romulans, with only the occasional character such as Admiral Jarok to remind us of the honour-driven beings we saw in Balance of Terror. |
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| Reviewer : |
Schuyler Corson |
Rating : |
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| Review : |
Without doubt, this is my favorite Star Trek book printed. In my mind, one of the greatest crimes that happened in the Star Trek universe was the backround presented here not being accepted as canon for the multiple series. The Romulan Way is actually two shorter works, combined with an impressive original language base. The two works interweave, chapter by chapter, keeping the reader jumping from a conventional Star Trek story, and a historical work that traces the formation of the Romulan civilization, including political prospects, language, notable events, and a reasoning of the known canon points of the Romulans. The story is focused on Dr. McCoy being sent in to recover a deep cover agent on Romulus. Caught almost immediately, he is brought up on charges as a criminal of the worst sort before the Romulan people, displaying a moxie that conflicts with the McCoy on trial before the Klingons seen in Star Trek VI. However, the historical piece is a true piece of art. Reaching back to the days of Surak, the story traces the Vulcan people making a decision between logic and emotion, with the most radical electing to leave in a mass exodus that the calmer minds choose to simply write out of their history. These people face trials until they find a suitable world to colonize, then go through the growing pangs of a new civilization. Included is a rational explanation of the planetary naming by the Federation, although the twin worlds are known by different names in the storyline to the inhabitants. Also explained is a complex honor system that stays true, despite the political nature of the Romulans. This was actually the first of four stories written in the "Rihannsu Quartet", stories meant to follow the exploits of an outlaw family member of the Romulan Commander seen in "The Enterprise Incident". Despite their never being considered canon, and every episode and movie past the original series that dealt with Romulans disputing noted facts in this book, it is very well written, and a remarkable read. If you have any interest in a differing approach to the two dimensional bad guys seen on television and the movies, this is the book for you. I tend to reread it every so often, and find myself using Rihannsu quotes afterwards. If you're a nitpicker about canon facts, steer clear and stick to simple novelizations of movies and episodes. But, if you want to enjoy a good read with an open mind, I'd recommend this book. |
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| Reviewer : |
Ktasay |
Rating : |
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| Review : |
One part history of the Romulan/Vulcan schism, and the other a decent story involving McCoy as a prisoner on Romulus. The McCoy plot is a bit thin with several weak areas, and the History has a lot of depth. Overall it was a very good read. |
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| Reviewer : |
ADM_J_Herring |
Rating : |
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| Review : |
For those of you who wanted a book with just McCoy, you got it. For those of you who wanted to know about how the Romulans came about, you got it! It’s a story where McCoy ‘volunteers’ to work for Starfleet Intelligence to go and see about a deep cover agent on the Romulan home world, that has not been heard from in two years. In between the story is the background of how that group of Vulcans broke away and how they ended up where they are now. The Romulans.
This is a GREAT book for the historian with a glossary of Romulan phrases in the back. Loved it! The older books were written in the style of the original series and used as much from there as they could and then developed new stuff. The writers knew that we could relate more to what was in that older series, as that is what made Star Trek so popular; characters and well written stories and background. This was before it was all special effects and computer stuff.
I really don’t want to give some things away; as they were part of my favorite aspect of the book. So the best line in the book may not seem like much, but it was well delivered and you really have to know the original series and a certain episode to truly appreciate the mention.
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