Book Review: ‘Seize the Fire’ by Michael A. Martin

September 6, 2022 at 7:20 am | Posted in Books, Reviews, Sci-Fi, Star Trek | 1 Comment
Tags: michael a. martin, typhon pact

Star Trek: Seize the Fire is the second novel in the Typhon Pact series. It was written by Michael A. Martin and was released in December of 2010. 

After reading this novel, I can kind of see where they are taking this Typhon pact series. It appears that every book will essentially be another book in that ship’s particular line of novels (TNG, Titan, Aventine, DS9, etc), but there is a throughline current here about the threat about the Typhon Pact, although you’d almost be forgiven if you didn’t realize it in this book.

This book really does feel like another Titan novel. That is not only because the Titan is the only established Trek ship present, but the story follows the type of storyline that the Titan novels followed (not to mention that the author is the creator of the titan line and author of 3 official Titan novels). In that sense, it feels like just a standard Star Trek romp. Nothing here doesn’t fit with Star Trek, but nothing really works for me. 

My biggest issue with this book is its inclusion in the Typhon Pact line. When it was pitched, it seemed like the Typhon Pact line would be about this epic Cold War struggle between the Federation and the Typhon Pact including spy missions, epic battles, and political struggles. That is kind of what we got in book one (Zero Sum Game by David Mack). Here, however, there is a discussion of a Typhon Pact fleet incoming to help the Gorn, and the Gorn mention their ties to the Typhon Pact. That is about the extent of the connection to the Typhon Pact. In my opinion, this should have been rebranded as another Titan novel and they should have been more focused in the actual Typhon Pact line. 

I didn’t particularly like the writing of the Gorn here. There were some interesting facets to their culture and to their species, but it seemed like bland reptilian alien storylines to me. I kind of connected with Syrrix a little, but since he was the main character of the novel, I should have connected with him more. 

There was one chapter earlier in the book where Tuvok has a flashback to his days on the Exelsior where he deals with a rogue element trying to use a Genesis type device. That storyline as a flashback was actually the most interesting thing in the book, and I realized that I wanted the story of that book more than I wanted the story of this book. 

Because there is nothing extraordinary or particularly excellently well done here, it just feels like a bland book. I cannot point out issues where I think “That was horrible”, but I cannot point out too much that I actually loved. I just feel in the middle on this one. 

Overall, a decent novel, but nothing stellar. I still have hope for some of the Typhon Pact novels, but not all of them, considering the next one Rough Beasts of Empire is so controversial. But Seize the Fire gets three out of five from me.

Reviewed By: Jonathan Koan for Roqoo Depot.