Title: Star Trek: S.C.E. Book Two - Miracle Workers
Authors: Keith R.A. DeCandido, Kevin Dilmore, David Mack and Dayton Ward
Review by Jacqueline Bundy
Miracle Workers is the second volume of SCE, Starfleet Corps of Engineers, stories to be collected in one volume. It follows on the heels of last months Have Tech, Will Travel. Included in this novel are the books Interphase-Part Two by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore and Cold Fusion by Keith R.A. DeCandido. The novel concludes with a story that was originally released in two parts Invincible by David Mack and Keith R.A. DeCandido. The added bonus of a minipedia to the SCE books is included at the end of the collection.
Interphase-Part Two is the exciting conclusion to the fantastic and memory provoking story of the attempt by SCE to salvage the 23rd century Constitution-class USS Defiant from the interdimensional rift it has been trapped in for so many years. At the conclusion of part one (Have Tech, Will Travel) the Tholians had attacked and things don't look to promising either for the away team on board the fabled ship or for the crew of the USS da Vinci where the inexperienced Commander Kieran Duffy was left in command. Unable to communicate, the away team and the crew of the da Vinci must anticipate the moves of the other as they race against the clock and the Tholians to not only somehow survive themselves but to also bring back a piece of Starfleet history.
Extremely satisfying is the best way I can think of to describe my reaction to Interphase-Part 2. The ending is particularly poignant and the entire story is a fitting and well written tribute to TOS. For anyone who has ever watched "The Tholian Web" and wondered how the Defiant came to be trapped in the first place, Interphase holds the answers.
Cold Fusion is set between the DS9 post-finale novels Avatar and Abyss. After Colonel Kira Nerys was forced to eject DS9's fusion core in order to save the station in Avatar, DS9 finds itself in dire straights. Nog comes up with the idea of retrieving a new one from DS9's abandoned sister station Empok Nor and the USS da Vinci is dispatched to aid in the retrieval. Things don't exactly go according to plan as they find themselves battling Androssi pirates who have their own plans for the old space station.
I absolutely loved this story. It was extremely clever. Nog gets a chance to prove his mettle, showing he has inherited more than a touch of his father's brilliant if unorthodox approach to engineering and that Ferengi negotiating skills can come in very handy when you're trying to accomplish the seemingly impossible.
Invincible takes place simultaneously with Cold Fusion when Commander Sonia Gomez is placed on temporary assignment to aid the planet of Sarindar. The tale of the harrowing adventure on Sarindar is told by Gomez herself through her logs. Without any Starfleet or Federation presence Commander Gomez must cope with the unpleasant and splintered society she finds herself in and still accomplish the mission objectives. A task that quickly goes from onerous to deadly as the isolated project site finds itself under attack by mysterious creatures once thought to be just a myth but who tragically prove to be all to real.
The 'voice' of Sonia Gomez comes through loud and clear as this young woman recounts the horrifying experiences that took place at the Nalori construction project. Layer by layer the truth behind the creatures is revealed in a manner that keeps you enthralled right up until the very end.
One of the enjoyable things about these SCE stories is that they can take characters and elements from various trek incarnations and seamlessly incorporate them into the books in a totally believable way. It just adds to the enjoyment of the stories. The stories that do not include already familiar trek elements are just as good. Their own unique sphere of engineering and troubleshooting specialists opens up story possiblilities not possible in the average Star Trek book.
The crew of the da Vinci is diverse and made up of characters that are interesting in and of themselves. In each story the individual characters like Captain Gold, Commander's Gomez and Duffy, Solomon, Corsi etc. continue to develop and build relationships. There is a unique mix of personalities that just somehow go together and make for a fresh take on the world of Starfleet.
Miracle Workers is the perfect companion to the first collection Have Tech, Will Travel. The variety of stories keeps things from getting dull. Despite the fact that you meet the same main characters with slight variations in each tale, the various writing styles and plotting choices keep the stories from seeming repetitive. Whether it be in these paperback collections or through the ebooks, the SCE adventures are well worth sampling if you're looking for something new to read.
