Star Trek: Myriad Universes #2: Echoes and Refractions

by Chris Roberson, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Geoff Trowbridge, et al.

Book Overview

It's been said that for any event, there are an infinite number of possible outcomes. Our choices determine which outcome will follow, and therefore all possibilities that could happen do happen across countless alternate realities. In these divergent realms, known history is bent, like white light through a prism -- broken into a boundless spectrum of what-might-have-beens. But in those myriad universes, what might have been...is what actually happened...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416571817
• ISBN13: 9781416571810
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Star Trek
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

So Many "What If's"........

I recently finished reading this book on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 after I began reading it the previous Thursday. In the "Chimes at Midnight", imagining a universe without Spock does boggle my mind! Then imagining a Bajor that was never liberated and everyone that we came to know and love, from Deep Space Nine, (with the exception of Quark), dies????? The story, "A Gutted World", did depress me quite a bit. The last story, "A Brave New World", imagining uploading ourselves into positronic beings after our physical bodies wear out....does feel a bit disconcerting. All three stories had me doing a LOT of thinking AND feeling!

Andorian Story worth the price of the book

I have to say this was the ultimate what if story. What if Spock never existed? The Andorian tale should have been expanded into a larger story. It covers all the events in the first original series movies. There was enough background and depth to the character to make you believe he could replace Spock. I was impressed with the character moments between him and Kirk.

Star Trek: Myraid Universes: Echoes & Refractions

This is a great book - great reading, can't wait until I start the next one in the series. Recommend it to everyone - you don't have to be a star trek fan just have a great imagination. Helen

Echoes and refreactions:Excellent work by all 3 Authors

I don't think i can say enough good things about this book. I was eagerly awaiting it all summer and when it finally came; it was all she wrote! KRAD once again outdoes himself with his very character heavy story of what would have happened if Cardassia had never left occupying Bajor. Chris Roberson did a great job with a story almost forgotten in the realms of The Next Generations first season! Geoff Trowbridge's story though i feel is the strongest of all three. The tale of what would have happened if Spock had died as a child and never joined Starfleet is intriguing enough as it is, but throw in what happens when a totally different person fills those shoes; an Andorian no less! This story changed how events from the end of Star Trek 2:The Wrath of Khan ended, as well as how the entirety of parts 3 and forward changed drastically! This is one avid trek reader who looks forward to more from Mr. Trowbridge!

"Echoes and Refractions" Review [Few Spoilers]

Myriad Universes: "Echoes and Refractions" is different from the first volume, "Infinity's Prism". While the first may have had a rather light, typical-Trek vibe with somewhat happy endings, "Echoes and Refractions" is far more complex, deeper and outright dark. But as a reader and avid Trek fan, I appreciated this darker-outlook on the Trek universe. The whole concept of this series is to show what Trek and the characters, plots, shows, situations *could* have been, not what they are and what we're used to. I couldn't put the book down and thought as a whole it was far more ambitious and exciting than the first volume. 'The Chimes at Midnight' is an alternate take on the Original Series movie era. Yes, it's darker, but there are some awesome plot twist. I thought it started off a bit weak; reading like a simple rewriting of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Then it really picks up and goes in a direction that completely turns the Trek universe, the characters we're used to, on their heads. David Marcus, Saavik and the Andorian named Thelin (from the Animated series) take center stage. There were parts so intense and shocking that I found myself gripping the book and having to look away. The final pages left me breathless, making me wish the actual movies and producers had taken the chances Geoff Trowbridge took with this story. 'A Gutted World' was, by far, the best book of the entire "Myriad Universes" saga. It features cameos by a dozen or more characters across not just one series but all shows. The plot is basically a different take on the Dominion War and really had the emotion, creativity and spark to be a full-length novel. No, as you may think from the title, this isn't a dull story about Bajor and Kira - the story is so much more than that and saying more about the plot would spoil it. If you wanted to see Picard and the Enterprise have a more active role in the whole Dominion War situation, this is your story. If you wanted to see what Janeway would be doing had Voyager not ended up in the Delta Quadrant, buy this book just for this story. What made this story so exciting and nearly flawless was that it not only showed an alternate take on the Dominion War and how it impacted the Alpha Quadrant, but it managed to be one of the best crossover stories yet. 'Brave New World' was, in my opinion, the weakest story after the first two action-packed, thought provoking stories. It was okay, but it seemed even far fetched for this series. It's more of a 'The Next Generation' story featuring Data and Lore and another surprise guest or two. I felt not enough setup was given to this dramatically different universe and Enterprise we're reading about. Worse yet, I didn't buy the story at the end. Everything is far too easily solved, there's no depth to the characters, the conflict was weak. Picard seems very off, always smiling and chuckling as is Ro Laren. The end is overly cheesy and had me rolling my eyes. It was by far a let down after a