Thom reviewed The Romulan Way by Diane Duane
Review of 'The Romulan Way' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
A short story with a Romulan (excuse me: Rihannsu) civics and history lesson added in, this sequel to [b:My Enemy, My Ally|176543|My Enemy, My Ally (Star Trek Rihannsu, #1)|Diane Duane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328050705l/176543.SY75.jpg|74442] is more of an epilog to that story. Ms. Duane was also working on [b:Spock's World|176544|Spock's World|Diane Duane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172442848l/176544.SY75.jpg|1471332] (released the following year), so the Vulcan/Romulan history was getting double duty. I just wish the story were better.
I can say with certainty that I haven't read this before, though I did purchase it for a complete collection of the Star Trek Pocket Books. It is followed by three more sequels in the Rihannsu series, and now I see the significance of the titles of those books. This was also a time when Star Trek the Next Generation was spinning up, and their take on Romulans was very likely influenced by these two books. Since this one …
A short story with a Romulan (excuse me: Rihannsu) civics and history lesson added in, this sequel to [b:My Enemy, My Ally|176543|My Enemy, My Ally (Star Trek Rihannsu, #1)|Diane Duane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328050705l/176543.SY75.jpg|74442] is more of an epilog to that story. Ms. Duane was also working on [b:Spock's World|176544|Spock's World|Diane Duane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172442848l/176544.SY75.jpg|1471332] (released the following year), so the Vulcan/Romulan history was getting double duty. I just wish the story were better.
I can say with certainty that I haven't read this before, though I did purchase it for a complete collection of the Star Trek Pocket Books. It is followed by three more sequels in the Rihannsu series, and now I see the significance of the titles of those books. This was also a time when Star Trek the Next Generation was spinning up, and their take on Romulans was very likely influenced by these two books. Since this one is roughly half history, it makes sense.
That said, I would have hated rereading this as much as retaking a history course from the same professor in school. Cutting out the civics lesson, the remaining novella is just not that great, though the ending is fun to read. That said, I will very likely read the final three books.