Big Finish continues its trek into the universe of Gene Roddenberry
Having announced and released the ‘Star Trek: Prometheus’ audiobook range in very short order last month, Big Finish made a bold voyage into the worlds of Trek. Having reviewed the first story – ‘Fire with Fire‘ – as a slow but solid start to the sage, we’re taking a look at the second book in the trilogy.
Plot
A series of terrorist attacks have rocked the Federation, Klingon Empire and Romulan Star Empire. To investigate, the USS Prometheus and a coalition of other ships have been sent to a strange region of space: the Lembatta Cluster. Where the crew discover a fanatical group trying to start and intergalactic war. And the Klingons are only too keen to oblige.
The Root of All Rage
‘The Root of all Rage’ was originally published in 2016 and was part of a trilogy of novels concerning the titular ship and its crew. Set during the period of Star Trek continuity after the 2002 film ‘Nemesis’. Written by Brend Perplies and Christian Humberg, the story continues to spin out across the universe, from the Lambetta Cluster to the heart of the Klingon Empire.
The Picard Maneuver
As you might expect, this story is stuffed full of ‘Star Trek’ references and cameos. Some are placed into the events subtly enough that they work to help the story move forward. However, a few work against the story in a similar way to the previous outing. There are several moments when the Prometheus crew are pushed aside for cameo appearances from fan-favourite Trek characters. Making it sometimes feel like they’re side-shows in their own trilogy, which is a shame.
Like the previous story, ‘The Root of all Rage’ takes a while to build up steam and really get going. It bounces around locations and new/old characters for so much of the first half that it might prove a little difficult to keep up with. Once you get past that, the story settles down nicely and it turns out to be a much better outing for the crew of the Prometheus. A sub-plot of several crew-members being held hostage does a lot to develop the characters who were less memorable in the last book.
Perplies & Humberg
The writing duo of Bernd Perplies and Christian Humberg fares a lot better this time around. The crew of the USS. Prometheus are given some more to do but they still suffer slightly because their development is so few and far between. Captain Adams, however, is the worst served with nothing to distinguish him from any other ‘Star Trek’ captain.
The Klingon crew of the Bortas are where Perplies and Humberg focus their attention and these segments of the story is where it really shines. A Klingon perspective is always welcome in Star Trek media. The Klingon crew are an interesting bunch of misfits, all of whom are layered nicely with their own agendas. They are the stand out characters of this reading. The Renao race continues to be interesting additions to the mythos with their unique outlook on the universe. They aren’t tyrannical monsters, or robotic creatures who want to remake the peoples of the universe in their own image. They despise the fact that the universe wants to branch out and explore.
Alec Newman
As narrator, Alec Newman continues to be an impressive find for the range. His voice lends itself perfectly to the text and it helps this is a far superior script to the original. While he still tends to pronounce worlds and aliens incorrectly on occasion, it doesn’t drag you out of the story. Really this is only something you’ll notice if you’re a fan.
With such a calm voice, he does the quieter and more sensitive moments brilliantly, but he also manages to handle the action sequences expertly. He allows moments of tension to really breathe where someone else might have missed these little nuances. Newman will be back in December with the final outing for the Prometheus crew: ‘In the Heart of Chaos’.
Overall
‘The Root of all Rage’ is a far superior release from the original. While it takes a little while for things to settle down, when it does the story moves along at quite a pace. Perplies and Humberg have done some great work with the Klingon crew, giving each one a distinct personality. Alec Newman is a fine narrator and, while the ‘Prometheus’ range will probably finish in December, hopefully, Big Finish will continue to boldly go…
‘Star Trek: Prometheus – The Root of All Rage’ is available to buy now from the Big Finish website. The complete trilogy is also available as a bundle.
Synopsis
The Federation races to discover the culprits of several terrorist attacks, sending their flagship, the USS Prometheus, to stop war breaking out in the galaxy.
™ & © 2016 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(Please note this is a very large download-file – be aware of any data-charges your network may incur, and that you will need twice the filestore available on your computer or device to unzip the file)
Written By: Bernd Perplies, Christian Humberg
Directed By: Richard Fox
Cast
Read by Alec Newman
