J.M. Dillard is a veteran of Star Trek novelizations, having written them for the last five films. Her latest, Star Trek: Insurrection, finds her in fine form. The film is much lighter in tone than the last Next Generation offering, First Contact, and Dillard captures this relaxed mood well, transferring the humor from screen to page with a sure touch. The plot moves at a good pace as Picard and crew attempt to protect a group of peaceful Ba'ku villagers from the sinister alien Son'a and Starfleet's Admiral Dougherty, who is being less than candid about his mission. The planet has a rejuvenating effect on everyone who lands there, and this is what the Son'a, a dying race, are after. Dillard deepens the complexity of Dougherty's character, and fills in more of the background of the Ba'ku and Son'a peoples than the film had time for. The book diverges slightly from the screen version in places, presumably because Dillard was working from an earlier version of the script, but at least this means that Picard and Anij get to kiss one another! For those who enjoyed the film, this is a good way of fixing it in the memory, and it works as an exciting novel in its own right. --Elizabeth Sourbut, Amazon.co.uk

From AudioFile
Though not as flashy as the Star Wars audio derivatives, this is very good nonetheless. Reader Boyd Gaines soberly portrays the various "Star Trek: The Next Generation" characters with eerie accuracy, especially Captain Picard--you'd swear Patrick Stewart was filling in. The audio special effects are well done, usually at low volume in the background--providing tremendous verisimilitude. And the Star Trek music is there, too, punctuating events. The story has the Enterprise intervening in the plans of a Starfleet admiral led astray by an evil sub-race bent on destroying an inhabited planet to capture nearby rays of immortality. D.R.W. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Book Description
On an unnamed planet in a distant sector, Starfleet has formed an uneasy alliance with a mysterious new alien species of unknown origin. It has discovered a secret with astounding implications that could transform the future of the entire Federation, but this secret has a price that may be more than some are willing to pay.

About the Author
J.M. Dillard is the author of many best selling Star Trek original novels, including The Lost Years and several Star Trek novelizations including Star Trek: First Contact. She lives in the sleepy community of Ojai, with her husband and her dogs.

FROM THE PUBLISHER