The second book of the Genesis Wave series continues the rollicking ride that the first book gave us, though it's not quite as tight as I would have liked. We still have the galactic destruction, but this book is much more character-based, taking some of the characters in directions that are a little more absurd than I would have liked, but still enjoyable. The ending is predictable (though the method isn't necessarily), and the story is weakened by what turns out to be multiple scenes of monster slaughter. At times, the book felt like a variation on Dawn of the Dead, and lost a little bit of its luster because of it. Still, it was quite enjoyable.

The Genesis Wave has passed over the planet of Myrmidon, and Geordi LaForge, Admiral Nechayev, and Dolores Linton have all survived, along with hundreds of thousands of Bolians. However, survival may not be enough. Nechayev is injured in an attack right before the Wave hits, and LaForge has to act quickly to save her. What's left of the planet isn't necessarily habitable, especially when it becomes apparent that strange creatures are inhabiting the forests. Creatures that will stop at nothing for a host to latch on to. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is rushing to the apparent origin location of the Wave, along with a Romulan escort. Unfortunately, the Romulans may have other plans. Finally, Leah Brahms and a rag-tag crew of Klingons are on a mission of vengeance, to find whoever unleashed the Wave and kill them. Or die trying, anyway.

Vornholt once again has some good characterization of the regulars in this book. Maltz and Brahms are the highlights here, as they add a lot of fun to a rather downbeat book otherwise. That Vornholt does this without making the Klingons caricatures is even more of an achievement. Instead, they stay true to their Klingon heritage, trying to die with honour and taking as many of the enemy with them as possible. They look down on the humans as soft (one amusing scene has Maltz on a Federation ship trying to get *uncomfortable* in the captain's chair because it shouldn't *be* comfortable), but they develop a healthy respect for Dr. Brahms, mainly because she realizes she has to be just as gruff and harsh as a typical Klingon captain. Other than Maltz and Gradok, we don't really get a good sense of why the rest of the crew is following her. That's a minor point, however.

What's not quite as minor is one of the twists involving the Romulans, which I won't get into here other than asking: for what possible purpose would the Romulans have a contingency plan in a fairly deserted area of space before any of this happens (we're talking a matter of days, so there's no way they could have set it up after the Genesis Wave began)? There doesn't seem to be any point to it unless they somehow knew that this area would be important, but there's no indication of that. This plot hole sets up the finale, which does cheapen it a little bit

The other problem with the book is that it does, at times, become a monster hunt. This hunt is related to the whole story, so it does serve a bit of a purpose, but on Myrmidon it doesn't seem to connect with the rest of the story. Yes, these monsters are the same as are being dealt with elsewhere, but it only serves to give jeopardy to an already poignant storyline on Myrmidon, where all of these Bolians are trying to survive on a planet that's not really hospitable to them anymore. That may have been an interesting story to tell. These sequences also emphasize a "Super Data" that became a bit annoying at times. Yes, I know Data is capable of leaping great distances, but picturing him bounding around, grabbing people and then jumping away again and again became a little silly. All in all, the situation on Myrmidon did tend to distract from the rest of the book (though it did contain the classic line from Data, "Actually, you were trying to bite my face." Ok, you had to be there).

What did I like about Genesis Wave: Book 2? While I found them a bit far-fetched, I loved the Brahms/Klingon scenes. They were just a lot of fun, filled with Klingon bluster and adventure. Maltz is once again the highlight, either when he's swearing vengeance on Carol Marcus or when he's offering to pretend to be Leah's consort in order to protect her from any untoward advances from a crew member. These scenes certainly aren't flawless, but my enjoyment of them outweighed any incredulity that I might have had for them. Carol Marcus was also handled well, especially when she figures out that she's been duped, that Jim Kirk and her son are not really around her, and she must do whatever she can to stop the Wave from being unleashed again. Again, there were a few bits here and there that didn't quite connect for me (I didn't buy how easily she was able to empty her thoughts so that her captors couldn't read them, for example), but I could put any faults aside for the sheer entertainment value and the strength of the characterization. She's a woman who has the deaths of billions on her conscience, even though she was duped. This guilt and determination to not let it happen again shines through.

Genesis Wave: Book 2 is not as good, not as cohesive as the first book. However, it is a fitting conclusion to a cosmic adventure. I particularly liked how the ending is not all tied up in a neat little bow for the characters, though it is for the reader. There are some questions that you know they will never be able to answer. It's a nice change of pace. This duology is definitely worth a look-see for any Trek fan.