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frakalot's review against another edition
4.0
A very clever story. I must admit I didn't like the first chapter. I found the second chapter better but I still wasn't captured by the story. However by the third chapter I was enjoying the story and it just got better with every chapter thereafter.
The plot is creative and the exploration of Klingon-lore is great. You have to read it with the date of publication in mind, you can see by the cover how early this story was written and you'll need to expect that many Klingon concepts were either newly formed ideas or not even written into canon yet.
With that in mind. The Klingons in this story are great. They remind very much of TOS era Klingons and the author nails the characters very well. The plot is engaging and there's as much action as there is philosophical reelection in this one.
The plot is creative and the exploration of Klingon-lore is great. You have to read it with the date of publication in mind, you can see by the cover how early this story was written and you'll need to expect that many Klingon concepts were either newly formed ideas or not even written into canon yet.
With that in mind. The Klingons in this story are great. They remind very much of TOS era Klingons and the author nails the characters very well. The plot is engaging and there's as much action as there is philosophical reelection in this one.
octavia_cade's review
4.0
This is excellent. I was honestly skeptical at first; I'd picked up the book expecting another easy adventure with Kirk and company, and it was very clear very soon that Kirk was only there to bookend a so-called historical novel about Klingons. I was not enthusiastic, and a very unappealing start to that novel - a lengthy and tedious game/battle sequence (and I do hate battle sequences, they bore me rigid) - had me very tempted just to put the thing down and walk away. I even came to Goodreads to check if other people had hated it as much as I did, and was surprised to see all the positive reviews... they were so positive I thought I had to keep reading. And I'm so glad I did. Once that off-putting beginning was over, this exploration of what it means to avoid war, and the relationship between a Klingon captain and a decidedly non-military human ambassador, an elderly scholar with strong pacifist beliefs, was just so strong, and so very thoughtful, that by the end I was both riveted and genuinely, enormously touched.
I've been reading Star Trek books a lot recently, especially over this past year, because they have the advantage of being generally hopeful and also generally popcorn. They don't require much of me, and I say that with affection; pandemic has given me new appreciation for escapist texts. This one, though, is a substantial cut above, and still hopeful even so, and I'm going to go out and find a copy of my own to keep, because the library (damn them) will not let me keep this one. And, you know, they probably shouldn't, because my giving it back means that other library users get to read it, and that's a good thing.
It's without doubt the best Star Trek book I've ever read.
I've been reading Star Trek books a lot recently, especially over this past year, because they have the advantage of being generally hopeful and also generally popcorn. They don't require much of me, and I say that with affection; pandemic has given me new appreciation for escapist texts. This one, though, is a substantial cut above, and still hopeful even so, and I'm going to go out and find a copy of my own to keep, because the library (damn them) will not let me keep this one. And, you know, they probably shouldn't, because my giving it back means that other library users get to read it, and that's a good thing.
It's without doubt the best Star Trek book I've ever read.
j00j's review
3.0
Ford was really telling an original SF story more than writing a Trek novel (the TOS characters only appear peripherally), and it's an interesting story. Most of the stuff about the Klingons has since been Jossed (to use an anachronystic term), but it's an intriguing look at an attempt to create backstory for the Klingons when there wasn't much of one. If I recall correctly, he even tried to explain the forehead thing...
joelshults's review
4.0
Another good one. A great one, in fact. These books are on a roll. I wonder if it will keep going...
reeshadovahsil's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fascinating book. The author took a lot of risks here, fully inventing and exploring the intricacies of an entire society that had little detail provided in the canon at the time of publication, including inventing a name for the Klingon homeworld before Q'onoS was ever uttered. Some of the details have been superseded since, but that doesn't detract from the inventiveness on display.
There are several fascinating characters here, some of which I would have preferred much more background on (a paternal Klingon and an Orion consort, for instance), while the main character carries the story well.
A variety of excellent scenes display two disparate cultures trying to understand one another only to discover they aren't truly that different, are in fact reflections (ahem) of one another.
My complaints are small, but I would say 1. there is a bit too much time given to the intricacies of battle movement, which are to me always so taxing in text (they went this way, they went that way, they were at this angle, they moved to that position, etc.), and 2. the author sometimes goes too far in trying to keep secrets from the reader, but in such a way that it makes stretches of the story confused, disjointed, and frustrating rather than engendering fascination, suspicion, or a whetting of the appetite for an imminent denouement.
But this is the first true Klingon story, the first earnest attempt to give dimension to the species as a people, and it is absolutely worth a read.
I'm reading all Star Trek novels in order of publication date, so believe me that it's rare for me to say this: I might pick this one up again sometime down the line for a fresh read.
There are several fascinating characters here, some of which I would have preferred much more background on (a paternal Klingon and an Orion consort, for instance), while the main character carries the story well.
A variety of excellent scenes display two disparate cultures trying to understand one another only to discover they aren't truly that different, are in fact reflections (ahem) of one another.
My complaints are small, but I would say 1. there is a bit too much time given to the intricacies of battle movement, which are to me always so taxing in text (they went this way, they went that way, they were at this angle, they moved to that position, etc.), and 2. the author sometimes goes too far in trying to keep secrets from the reader, but in such a way that it makes stretches of the story confused, disjointed, and frustrating rather than engendering fascination, suspicion, or a whetting of the appetite for an imminent denouement.
But this is the first true Klingon story, the first earnest attempt to give dimension to the species as a people, and it is absolutely worth a read.
I'm reading all Star Trek novels in order of publication date, so believe me that it's rare for me to say this: I might pick this one up again sometime down the line for a fresh read.
janetlun's review
I loved Ford's delicious farce, How Much for Just the Planet?. This is completely different, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, too. I rode the bus 30 blocks past my stop because I was so engrossed. The protagonist is from an entirely alien culture, and you're caught up in his world view. Jo Walton writes a much better review of it than I can* (note that she's in no way a Star Trek fan):
"For me, The Final Reflection would be a better book if it were set in an original universe. But it’s still an excellent book — it’s one of those rare tie-in books that’s good even if you’re not a fan of the show and it must be world-shatteringly marvelous if you are. The important thing here is a tightly paced and fascinating story about warrior aliens and the difference between tactics and strategy.
I have been told by fans that Ford invented Klingon culture in this book, and if this is so, he did a very good job. .... The novel is a story of a complex and subtle revenge, and re-reading it I was able to appreciate that properly. Ford’s plots are often sufficiently subtle to be surprising on a first reading and much more satisfying when revisited."
For years, this was out of print, and you had to look for tattered paperbacks. Now you can get it as an ebook.
*What a surprise!
"For me, The Final Reflection would be a better book if it were set in an original universe. But it’s still an excellent book — it’s one of those rare tie-in books that’s good even if you’re not a fan of the show and it must be world-shatteringly marvelous if you are. The important thing here is a tightly paced and fascinating story about warrior aliens and the difference between tactics and strategy.
I have been told by fans that Ford invented Klingon culture in this book, and if this is so, he did a very good job. .... The novel is a story of a complex and subtle revenge, and re-reading it I was able to appreciate that properly. Ford’s plots are often sufficiently subtle to be surprising on a first reading and much more satisfying when revisited."
For years, this was out of print, and you had to look for tattered paperbacks. Now you can get it as an ebook.
*What a surprise!
bstenger's review
5.0
I sought this book out because I had heard it was one of the greatest tie-in novels ever written. I cannot argue with that statement - it's not just a great tie-in novel, it's a great novel period. If you like Star Trek at all, this should be on your bookshelf.
txlight75's review
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11967753
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11967753
ladygeeke's review
5.0
This book deserves all the adjectives in my vocabulary. I read an article about the mostly-forgotten author which prompted me to try this, reportedly one of his more accessible books, published in 1984, and it was astounding. It takes us into the world of Klingon diplomacy (two words I never thought I would put together) and an attempt to broker a peace between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. It is thoughtful, wise, constantly surprising, and gripping up till the final page. I will be thinking about it for a long time - I may have to re-read it soon because there is so much to absorb. Definitely worth reading, even if you're not a Star Trek fan. And it wipes the floor with those dreadful stereotyped Klingons in Star Trek: Discovery!
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