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Star Trek: The Lost Era
The Buried Age
Jean-Luc Picard. His name has gone down in legend as the captain of the U.S.S. Stargazer and two starships Enterprise. But the nine years of his life leading up to the inaugural mission of the U.S.S. EnterpriseTM to Farpoint Station have remained a mystery -- until now, as Picard's lost era is finally unearthed.
Following the loss of the Stargazer and the brutal court-martial that resulted, Picard no longer sees a future for himself in Starfleet. Turning to his other love, archaeology, he embarks on a quest to rediscover a buried age of ancient galactic history...and awakens a living survivor of that a striking, mysterious woman frozen in time since before the rise of Earth's dinosaurs. But this powerful immortal has a secret of cataclysmic proportions, and her plans will take Picard -- aided along the way by a brilliant but naive android, an insightful Betazoid, and an enigmatic El-Aurian -- to the heights of passion, the depths of betrayal, and the farthest reaches of explored space.
Following the loss of the Stargazer and the brutal court-martial that resulted, Picard no longer sees a future for himself in Starfleet. Turning to his other love, archaeology, he embarks on a quest to rediscover a buried age of ancient galactic history...and awakens a living survivor of that a striking, mysterious woman frozen in time since before the rise of Earth's dinosaurs. But this powerful immortal has a secret of cataclysmic proportions, and her plans will take Picard -- aided along the way by a brilliant but naive android, an insightful Betazoid, and an enigmatic El-Aurian -- to the heights of passion, the depths of betrayal, and the farthest reaches of explored space.
433 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 26, 2007
About the author
Christopher L. Bennett
62 books216 followersChristopher L. Bennett is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, with a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in History from the University of Cincinnati. A fan of science and science fiction since age five, he has spent the past two decades selling original short fiction to magazines such as Analog Science Fiction and Fact (home of his "Hub" series of comedy adventures), BuzzyMag, and Galaxy's Edge. Since 2003, he has been one of Pocket Books' most prolific and popular authors of Star Trek tie-in fiction, including the epic Next Generation prequel The Buried Age, the Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations series, and the Star Trek: Enterprise -- Rise of the Federation series. He has also written two Marvel Comics novels, X-Men: Watchers on the Walls and Spider-Man: Drowned in Thunder. His original novel Only Superhuman, perhaps the first hard science fiction superhero novel, was voted Library Journal's SF/Fantasy Debut of the Month for October 2012. Other tales in the same universe can be found in Among the Wild Cybers and the upcoming Arachne's Crime, both from eSpec Books. His Hub stories are available in two collections from Mystique Press.
Christopher's homepage, fiction annotations, and blog can be found at christopherlbennett.wordpress.com. His Patreon page with original fiction and reviews is at https://www.patreon.com/christopherlb..., and his Facebook author page is at www.facebook.com/ChristopherLBennettA....
Christopher's homepage, fiction annotations, and blog can be found at christopherlbennett.wordpress.com. His Patreon page with original fiction and reviews is at https://www.patreon.com/christopherlb..., and his Facebook author page is at www.facebook.com/ChristopherLBennettA....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
October 12, 2021
THE BURIED AGE is a decent Star Trek novel about Captain Picard's life between his time as captain of the U.S.S Stargazer and becoming captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. During this time, he works as an archaeologist and befriends a beautiful but amnesiac alien woman. As with most Christopher L. Bennett novels set in the Trekverse, it is a cavalcade of continuity porn. We get references to huge numbers of episodes as well as answers to questions which you might not even have asked (like why are there so many immature godlike aliens in Star Trek).
The big question it purports to answer is "What did Captain Picard do in the nine years between losing the Stargazer at the Battle of Maxia [against the Ferengi] and receiving command of the Enterprise?" If that's not a question you ask yourself then you may not be who this book is directed at. Thankfully, I am such a beast and doubly appreciate it as a coda to the Stargazer series by Michael Jan Friedman.
The author doesn't waste much time getting the Stargazer destroyed or reminisce much about the crew lost (including at least one important named character) but does establish how the events leave Picard wrecked. He's essentially lost his home for the past two decades and has to deal with the compound humiliation of having his own lover tear into him over it.
I feel like this section of the book is the strongest part as we can see Picard's old life being torn apart and honestly wish we had gotten more of that. One of the things I don't recall ever being covered in the novels was Picard's love of Beverly Crusher as well as the death of Jack Crusher. While it would have moved the timeline a bit forward, I wish that Christopher Bennett had also managed to cover that event as part of the farewell to the Stargazer and perhaps used more of the characters. Then again, that sort of "playing with other toys" would have to be done delicately even if I'm sure he could have done a great job.
I like Picard's romance as well, especially since we know its going to end disastrously. It takes awhile for the captain to open up and knowing that he has someone (two someones really) that will put him off emotional entanglements in the future fits the man we know from the Next Generation. I really like the way Phillipa Louvois is portrayed and wish we'd gotten more of her. Basically, there was more to mine there or I just like the author's style too much.
One of the best "Lost Era" novels.
The big question it purports to answer is "What did Captain Picard do in the nine years between losing the Stargazer at the Battle of Maxia [against the Ferengi] and receiving command of the Enterprise?" If that's not a question you ask yourself then you may not be who this book is directed at. Thankfully, I am such a beast and doubly appreciate it as a coda to the Stargazer series by Michael Jan Friedman.
The author doesn't waste much time getting the Stargazer destroyed or reminisce much about the crew lost (including at least one important named character) but does establish how the events leave Picard wrecked. He's essentially lost his home for the past two decades and has to deal with the compound humiliation of having his own lover tear into him over it.
I feel like this section of the book is the strongest part as we can see Picard's old life being torn apart and honestly wish we had gotten more of that. One of the things I don't recall ever being covered in the novels was Picard's love of Beverly Crusher as well as the death of Jack Crusher. While it would have moved the timeline a bit forward, I wish that Christopher Bennett had also managed to cover that event as part of the farewell to the Stargazer and perhaps used more of the characters. Then again, that sort of "playing with other toys" would have to be done delicately even if I'm sure he could have done a great job.
I like Picard's romance as well, especially since we know its going to end disastrously. It takes awhile for the captain to open up and knowing that he has someone (two someones really) that will put him off emotional entanglements in the future fits the man we know from the Next Generation. I really like the way Phillipa Louvois is portrayed and wish we'd gotten more of her. Basically, there was more to mine there or I just like the author's style too much.
One of the best "Lost Era" novels.
December 18, 2024
This has a lot of very good stuff in it. From Picard's time on Stargazer through to his arrival on Enterprise, we experience many of the events and relationships that forged him into the Captain we meet at the beginning of TNG.
January 24, 2017
A great look at Picard's life & the events that make him who he is prior to taking command of the Enterprise. As always CLB writes an excellent story with perfect character accuracy. This was a really fun book in that we get to see a lot a ST characters (not just TNG characters only btw) in their youth,...a Lt. Janeway for example in which we learn later on in the book was actually his first pick for first officer but was away on a deep space mission at the time of the Enterprise's launch. But as far as characters the real treat was getting to see Picard meet Data. Picard quickly sees his potential & saves him from be used as,....well basically a file clerk his entire career. A really fun & interesting ST book, highly recommend!
February 23, 2020
A lot of ups and downs here for my money but all respect to the novel and the author for the sheer amount of plot and the intention to follow Picard all the way from the end of Stargazer's mission to his first moments on the Enterprise, with a heavy focus on his passion for archaeology. And just like a rich archaeological dig, this novel is a treasure trove for hardcore Trekkies, featuring sometime unexpected appearances of characters, races and events from other popular ST works.
October 17, 2019
Like the other Star Trek book I wrote a review for today (did I do three? Hmm, well the one involving NASA), I picked this book up randomly from a used book shop. Also like that other book, I had actually read the author before, just not that specific book. Previous book involved Star Trek:TOS, as in the original Enterprise crew (the one with Kirk as Captain). This one involve Star Trek:TNG, as in the next generation (the one with Picard as Captain).
There were a bunch of things I had issues with while reading this book. Like when I figured out that Picard became captain of a space ship sometime around when he was in his mid-twenties (and there were all those comments about both original Kirk and movie-alt-universe Kirk taking over ‘so young’). Captain, that is, of the Stargazer. A ship he then proceeded to captain for something like twenty-one years. Those two things are two of the issues I had with the book. Picard’s age when he took over the ship as captain, and the part about the length of time Picard (and most of his crew, stagnate much?) was captain of the same bloody ship. Seriously? Bah.
Well the book opens while Picard is captain of the Stargazer. Specifically the last mission he was captain of that ship. He arrived at a new unexplored star system. Gets into a fight with an unknown alien ship; has to abandon ship; gets court martialed, etc. etc. The rest of the book then takes up the nine years between Stargazer and his assuming command of the Enterprise.
I picked the book up because it explored Picard’s love of archaeology and I always wanted to dive deeper into that. Of course this is a cheesy science fiction book, instead of a serious book, and naturally it finds Picard finding someone frozen in time and ‘rescuing’ them. This, by the way, is in the book description and happens fairly early on.
Glimpses of the Picard that appeared on the tv series appear, but this really is, mostly, a different man than the one that took command of the Enterprise.
Interesting story idea, but . . . I think I’ve reached the conclusion that I and the author of this book . . . should probably part ways.
Rating: 3.05
October 17 2019
There were a bunch of things I had issues with while reading this book. Like when I figured out that Picard became captain of a space ship sometime around when he was in his mid-twenties (and there were all those comments about both original Kirk and movie-alt-universe Kirk taking over ‘so young’). Captain, that is, of the Stargazer. A ship he then proceeded to captain for something like twenty-one years. Those two things are two of the issues I had with the book. Picard’s age when he took over the ship as captain, and the part about the length of time Picard (and most of his crew, stagnate much?) was captain of the same bloody ship. Seriously? Bah.
Well the book opens while Picard is captain of the Stargazer. Specifically the last mission he was captain of that ship. He arrived at a new unexplored star system. Gets into a fight with an unknown alien ship; has to abandon ship; gets court martialed, etc. etc. The rest of the book then takes up the nine years between Stargazer and his assuming command of the Enterprise.
I picked the book up because it explored Picard’s love of archaeology and I always wanted to dive deeper into that. Of course this is a cheesy science fiction book, instead of a serious book, and naturally it finds Picard finding someone frozen in time and ‘rescuing’ them. This, by the way, is in the book description and happens fairly early on.
Glimpses of the Picard that appeared on the tv series appear, but this really is, mostly, a different man than the one that took command of the Enterprise.
Interesting story idea, but . . . I think I’ve reached the conclusion that I and the author of this book . . . should probably part ways.
Rating: 3.05
October 17 2019
May 30, 2020
I was a little worried while reading this novel. After a blistering opening depicting the loss of USS Stargazer and Picard's court-martial, the next section about discovering the last of the ancients and meeting Ariel was...a bit dull. I was beginning to think the rest of the novel would be less than engaging...and then suddenly Data makes his debut, the novel stepped up a gear, and never looked back. Not quite what I was expecting, but the over-drive second half made up for the overly-sedate set up.
August 28, 2023
Something that blights a lot of second-rate historical fiction is when an author has done a lot of research on the period, and needs you to know it. As a result, the entire thing gets bogged down in long descriptions of the facades of every building a character passes, every street they walk down, every custom followed in the era, even if they have little to do with the plot of the novel. And the same thing happens here.
The best bits of this book are absolutely excellent. The opening section, following the loss of the Stargazer at Maxia Zeta and the ensuing court martial, are an absolute tour de force. The concluding sections, where Picard pulls together the crew of the Enterprise whom we'll come to know and love, are also really good. But between that are some long, long sections that are absolutely mired in detail, overwritten and full of technobabble. The acknowledgements show that the author did a lot of research for this novel, along with constructing some extremely complex and plausible-sounding scientific theories used by our characters, and he doesn't waste an opportunity to demonstrate that. The result is pages and pages of technobabble, and whole sections describing missions that could have been summarised as a 'Captain's Log'.
Ultimately, this book is hard to recommend, for that reason. It's clearly at its strongest when its indulging in continuity porn - skilfully pulling out background information hinted at in episodes, fleshing out characters, dramatising those encounters, and logically and compellingly drawing together those disparate threads - but unfortunately the rest of the novel falls somewhat flat.
The best bits of this book are absolutely excellent. The opening section, following the loss of the Stargazer at Maxia Zeta and the ensuing court martial, are an absolute tour de force. The concluding sections, where Picard pulls together the crew of the Enterprise whom we'll come to know and love, are also really good. But between that are some long, long sections that are absolutely mired in detail, overwritten and full of technobabble. The acknowledgements show that the author did a lot of research for this novel, along with constructing some extremely complex and plausible-sounding scientific theories used by our characters, and he doesn't waste an opportunity to demonstrate that. The result is pages and pages of technobabble, and whole sections describing missions that could have been summarised as a 'Captain's Log'.
Ultimately, this book is hard to recommend, for that reason. It's clearly at its strongest when its indulging in continuity porn - skilfully pulling out background information hinted at in episodes, fleshing out characters, dramatising those encounters, and logically and compellingly drawing together those disparate threads - but unfortunately the rest of the novel falls somewhat flat.
March 11, 2015
Summary
The Buried Age covers the period of time in Picard’s life leading up to the first mission of the Enterprise-D. Following the loss of the Stargazer, Picard, believing that his future in Starfleet is in doubt, focuses on archaeology and begins an exploration of a buried age of the ancient galactic history.
Let the Gripes Begin
The premise is intriguing. Otherwise I wouldn’t have picked the book up. Picard isn’t exactly an open book, so having the opportunity to learn about his past prior to the Enterprise was something I just couldn’t pass up. But a book needs more than a good premise to be successful, and this one has some problems that keep it from being great.
First of all, the book is slow! At least in the beginning, it is. There’s very little action to drive the book along, and I’ve come to appreciate a fair amount of action in Trek books. It’s something I’ve become accustomed to, and while it’s not necessary for the book to be all action, there needs to be some. If I recall correctly, this is a gripe that fans had during the first season of TNG – too much talk, not enough action, so we’ve seen this situation before. With the show, it could be attributed to the fact that fans were comparing Picard and Kirk. It took time for them to get used to the fact that the two men are very different captains and have very different methods of resolving problems. Picard prefers a more diplomatic approach, while Kirk is the kind of captain who shoots first and asks questions later. Picard is the focus of the book, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised there isn’t a ton of action. Picard isn’t a cowboy.
Tech Speak!
The writing also has a tendency to get very technical, and I often found myself lost in all the science talk – it’s very difficult to follow at times. I get it – Trek is science fiction, so there are supposed to be technical bits. After all, it wouldn’t do to have Trek devolve into space opera. But I don’t understand why Bennett spends so much time having characters explain intricate technical phenomena, especially while glossing over the action bits. Every once in a while – okay, I can deal with that, but it seems like it happens so often in this book. I found myself skimming over those parts because they’re just too much. Those passages are difficult to follow, and I question just how relevant they are to the overall plot. I realize that some readers probably love all the tech details, and that’s totally cool. But I’m not one of those readers. The action is what I want to read! My eyes glaze over when I have to read a page-long explanation of some technological process I’m not interested in. Ugh! It plays a big role in ruining this book for me. There is just way too much tech speak!
(Spoiler Alert! Don’t read past this point if you don’t want to know what happens.)
I’d approached this book thinking I would be reading about my favorite characters. After about the first ten chapters, the only familiar faces and names I’d encountered were Picard and Guinan, and even then, Guinan only appears for a few pages. I almost gave up, but then Kathryn Janeway pops up unexpectedly at the end of Chapter 9. Her appearance was the only thing that kept me reading. Curiosity about how the plot would be resolved wasn’t even enough to keep me interested. Combine that with the slow pace and the lack of canon characters, and you’ve got one dull read. Maybe I should have somehow known what I was getting into when I bought the book, but I guess I thought learning more about Picard’s history would be more interesting. Luckily for me, things eventually did get more interesting. One reason is because more familiar faces, like Janeway, appear. After this, the plot seemed to pick up some steam.
Sabotage
Bennett somehow managed to sabotage my enjoyment of the action that eventually did appear in the book, though. How? By rushing through scenes. I know that he does it to move the plot along, and it’s necessary at times because the book covers such a large swath of time, but Bennett also does it when it would be better to let the action play out, such as when Ariel freaks out in the city. That scene would have been great if Bennett had been more active in his portrayal. Instead, he provides a passive account. One of the things that makes great books great is their ability to pull you into the story so that you feel like you’re sitting there watching the action from a front-row seat or even standing in the middle of the action. The way Bennett writes, you feel as if you’re only getting a re-cap. It’s just not engaging.
Lessons
So it turns out that Ariel double-crosses Picard. I can’t say that I didn’t suspect that this might end up being the case, just from the summary on the back cover. But there were other clues throughout the plot, too, such as Picard’s uncharacteristic behavior in letting Ariel’s desires influence his actions so much, especially after he returns to Starfleet. On the other hand, for all we know, that may not be so uncharacteristic for Picard at this point in his life, given that we don’t really know much about Picard’s personality from before his time as the Enterprise’s captain. The only significant clues I’ve ever learned about his pre-Enterprise personality were gleaned when we saw his brashness as an Academy cadet in the TNG episode “Tapestry”, which depicted how Picard ended up with an artificial heart.
Part IV is the best part of the book for me. The action and flow of the plot in this part is more in line with what I’d expect of a Trek book, plus we get to see how Picard chose more members of his command crew for the Enterprise. Good stuff! This part of the book actually makes me want to watch TNG’s season 1. That’s saying a lot because Season 1 of TNG is probably my least favorite season in all Trekdom, no joke.
In addition to being plain old good, the final chapters also bring together some important themes of the book, namely guilt and the toll it can take on an individual; and the ability to let go of the past, live for the present, and welcome the adventure of the future. The latter theme is what hit home for me the most, as it’s something I’ve find myself struggling with often. Picard tells Ariel that she shouldn’t mourn the past. She should view the unknown as an adventure. Moving on in life is difficult, but you can’t remain somewhere that seems comfortable if it’s obvious that you’ve outgrown it, as Ariel has outgrown the corporeal plane of existence. Don’t look at the past in terms of what you’ve lost – look at the future with excitement over what new things you’ll experience and the new people you’ll meet.
The guilt thread is relevant to me, too, because I do have a tendency to feel guilty about failures, as Picard does. What Deanna tells Picard about his history of success – it almost sounds like she could be speaking directly to me. Like Picard, success has often come so easily to me that I expect it. Failure has been something that I’ve viewed as unacceptable, something that needs to be fixed. But that isn’t always possible or even desirable, and you mustn’t allow yourself to become obsessed by it.
The Buried Age begins slowly, but it eventually picks up steam and becomes an interesting read in the later chapters. It unexpectedly touched on some issues that I’ve been trying to deal with in my life, which has been rare for me when it comes to Trek books, though I know it’s not at all uncommon for that to happen. I don’t think I can go so far as to call the book great, but it’s a solid good.
The Buried Age covers the period of time in Picard’s life leading up to the first mission of the Enterprise-D. Following the loss of the Stargazer, Picard, believing that his future in Starfleet is in doubt, focuses on archaeology and begins an exploration of a buried age of the ancient galactic history.
Let the Gripes Begin
The premise is intriguing. Otherwise I wouldn’t have picked the book up. Picard isn’t exactly an open book, so having the opportunity to learn about his past prior to the Enterprise was something I just couldn’t pass up. But a book needs more than a good premise to be successful, and this one has some problems that keep it from being great.
First of all, the book is slow! At least in the beginning, it is. There’s very little action to drive the book along, and I’ve come to appreciate a fair amount of action in Trek books. It’s something I’ve become accustomed to, and while it’s not necessary for the book to be all action, there needs to be some. If I recall correctly, this is a gripe that fans had during the first season of TNG – too much talk, not enough action, so we’ve seen this situation before. With the show, it could be attributed to the fact that fans were comparing Picard and Kirk. It took time for them to get used to the fact that the two men are very different captains and have very different methods of resolving problems. Picard prefers a more diplomatic approach, while Kirk is the kind of captain who shoots first and asks questions later. Picard is the focus of the book, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised there isn’t a ton of action. Picard isn’t a cowboy.
Tech Speak!
The writing also has a tendency to get very technical, and I often found myself lost in all the science talk – it’s very difficult to follow at times. I get it – Trek is science fiction, so there are supposed to be technical bits. After all, it wouldn’t do to have Trek devolve into space opera. But I don’t understand why Bennett spends so much time having characters explain intricate technical phenomena, especially while glossing over the action bits. Every once in a while – okay, I can deal with that, but it seems like it happens so often in this book. I found myself skimming over those parts because they’re just too much. Those passages are difficult to follow, and I question just how relevant they are to the overall plot. I realize that some readers probably love all the tech details, and that’s totally cool. But I’m not one of those readers. The action is what I want to read! My eyes glaze over when I have to read a page-long explanation of some technological process I’m not interested in. Ugh! It plays a big role in ruining this book for me. There is just way too much tech speak!
(Spoiler Alert! Don’t read past this point if you don’t want to know what happens.)
I’d approached this book thinking I would be reading about my favorite characters. After about the first ten chapters, the only familiar faces and names I’d encountered were Picard and Guinan, and even then, Guinan only appears for a few pages. I almost gave up, but then Kathryn Janeway pops up unexpectedly at the end of Chapter 9. Her appearance was the only thing that kept me reading. Curiosity about how the plot would be resolved wasn’t even enough to keep me interested. Combine that with the slow pace and the lack of canon characters, and you’ve got one dull read. Maybe I should have somehow known what I was getting into when I bought the book, but I guess I thought learning more about Picard’s history would be more interesting. Luckily for me, things eventually did get more interesting. One reason is because more familiar faces, like Janeway, appear. After this, the plot seemed to pick up some steam.
Sabotage
Bennett somehow managed to sabotage my enjoyment of the action that eventually did appear in the book, though. How? By rushing through scenes. I know that he does it to move the plot along, and it’s necessary at times because the book covers such a large swath of time, but Bennett also does it when it would be better to let the action play out, such as when Ariel freaks out in the city. That scene would have been great if Bennett had been more active in his portrayal. Instead, he provides a passive account. One of the things that makes great books great is their ability to pull you into the story so that you feel like you’re sitting there watching the action from a front-row seat or even standing in the middle of the action. The way Bennett writes, you feel as if you’re only getting a re-cap. It’s just not engaging.
Lessons
So it turns out that Ariel double-crosses Picard. I can’t say that I didn’t suspect that this might end up being the case, just from the summary on the back cover. But there were other clues throughout the plot, too, such as Picard’s uncharacteristic behavior in letting Ariel’s desires influence his actions so much, especially after he returns to Starfleet. On the other hand, for all we know, that may not be so uncharacteristic for Picard at this point in his life, given that we don’t really know much about Picard’s personality from before his time as the Enterprise’s captain. The only significant clues I’ve ever learned about his pre-Enterprise personality were gleaned when we saw his brashness as an Academy cadet in the TNG episode “Tapestry”, which depicted how Picard ended up with an artificial heart.
Part IV is the best part of the book for me. The action and flow of the plot in this part is more in line with what I’d expect of a Trek book, plus we get to see how Picard chose more members of his command crew for the Enterprise. Good stuff! This part of the book actually makes me want to watch TNG’s season 1. That’s saying a lot because Season 1 of TNG is probably my least favorite season in all Trekdom, no joke.
In addition to being plain old good, the final chapters also bring together some important themes of the book, namely guilt and the toll it can take on an individual; and the ability to let go of the past, live for the present, and welcome the adventure of the future. The latter theme is what hit home for me the most, as it’s something I’ve find myself struggling with often. Picard tells Ariel that she shouldn’t mourn the past. She should view the unknown as an adventure. Moving on in life is difficult, but you can’t remain somewhere that seems comfortable if it’s obvious that you’ve outgrown it, as Ariel has outgrown the corporeal plane of existence. Don’t look at the past in terms of what you’ve lost – look at the future with excitement over what new things you’ll experience and the new people you’ll meet.
The guilt thread is relevant to me, too, because I do have a tendency to feel guilty about failures, as Picard does. What Deanna tells Picard about his history of success – it almost sounds like she could be speaking directly to me. Like Picard, success has often come so easily to me that I expect it. Failure has been something that I’ve viewed as unacceptable, something that needs to be fixed. But that isn’t always possible or even desirable, and you mustn’t allow yourself to become obsessed by it.
The Buried Age begins slowly, but it eventually picks up steam and becomes an interesting read in the later chapters. It unexpectedly touched on some issues that I’ve been trying to deal with in my life, which has been rare for me when it comes to Trek books, though I know it’s not at all uncommon for that to happen. I don’t think I can go so far as to call the book great, but it’s a solid good.
May 4, 2023
This is an outstanding piece of tie-in fiction, and I've only docked a star because it's not really literary and the prose is quite perfunctory. Elsewhere, though, this entirely succeeds in its remit of filling in the chronological gap between Picard's days on the Stargazer up until joining the Enterprise but manages to do so in an emotionally interesting and logical way, as well as weaving in an ongoing adventure that both contains a bit of romance and a pseudo-philosophical plot beloved to Star Trek, based around the hoary old Godlike trope but finding new ways in the telling. On top of all that Bennett also manages to squeeze in not only about a billion continuity references, but also incidents surrounding the first meeting of Picard with many of the crew including a particularly nice sequence with Data, and - except for an overuse of Guinan (who doesn't particularly interest me when she's not Whoopi Goldberg being a smartass in TNG) they're woven into the story in a tasteful manner that feels fun and adds to the characters.
It's rare that tie-in fiction uses its time and space as literature so well but The Buried Age is structured sedately so that the importance of each individual scene creeps up on you as you progress through the tale. Initially it felt potentially episodic and potentially tiresome but, like Picard on one of his archaeological digs, it became a pleasure to uncover this well thought out plotline and its many twists and turns that evolve over the course of many years. perhaps the ending is a little swift and neat and, as is not unusual in Star-Trek, technobabble wins the day a bit on few occasions (as well as causing a bunch of problems), but the emotional heft of the scenes which surround the action mean that if it's a faux-pas, it's an easily forgivable one.
A must for Star Trek:TNG fans.
It's rare that tie-in fiction uses its time and space as literature so well but The Buried Age is structured sedately so that the importance of each individual scene creeps up on you as you progress through the tale. Initially it felt potentially episodic and potentially tiresome but, like Picard on one of his archaeological digs, it became a pleasure to uncover this well thought out plotline and its many twists and turns that evolve over the course of many years. perhaps the ending is a little swift and neat and, as is not unusual in Star-Trek, technobabble wins the day a bit on few occasions (as well as causing a bunch of problems), but the emotional heft of the scenes which surround the action mean that if it's a faux-pas, it's an easily forgivable one.
A must for Star Trek:TNG fans.
December 3, 2022
As we are currently watching the Next Generation episodes, this has been a very satisfying read. It covers the life and adventures of Jean-Luc Picard from the battle that resulted in the loss of the Stargazer right up to the moment he takes his place in the command seat of the Enterprise. Along the way he encounters several of the people who will join him on the Enterprise, including a delightful first meeting with Data. Guinan also plays a considerable role in this story, already an established friend and busy doing some behind-the-scenes manoeuvering to ensure the events surrounding her first meeting with Picard as described in the episode Time's Arrow will take place. In fact, on this second reading, I'm inclined to think that may be the real theme of this novel!
However, the obvious plot is the one which finds Picard abandoning his Starfleet career to pursue his studies in archaeology. He's soon back in space, on board a science vessel attempting to track down an extremely ancient artifact in which he discovers a beautiful woman held in stasis for millions of years. At first she has no memories of who she is and for a short time, Picard and she enjoy a romantic interlude. But when her memory returns, she realises she's from an advanced race, one that sees itself as mentors and galactic guardians, a role she feels obliged to take up again. What could possibly go wrong?
However, the obvious plot is the one which finds Picard abandoning his Starfleet career to pursue his studies in archaeology. He's soon back in space, on board a science vessel attempting to track down an extremely ancient artifact in which he discovers a beautiful woman held in stasis for millions of years. At first she has no memories of who she is and for a short time, Picard and she enjoy a romantic interlude. But when her memory returns, she realises she's from an advanced race, one that sees itself as mentors and galactic guardians, a role she feels obliged to take up again. What could possibly go wrong?
February 21, 2020
This might be the best Star Trek novel I've read yet. I was thoroughly entertained by the quantum physics discussions that skimmed on my limited knowledge of the subject and clearly took a lot of thought and creativity to expand the subject without resorting to inane techno-babble.
Watching the new Picard series, this really helps fill in an already well established character without going out on any ridiculous limbs, in my opinion.
Definitely recommended.
Watching the new Picard series, this really helps fill in an already well established character without going out on any ridiculous limbs, in my opinion.
Definitely recommended.
September 26, 2024
Great prelude to TNG, loved all the character cameos. Felt the lessons of growth and sacrifice to be very meaningful. Love when a Star Trek book gets this horney.
October 15, 2023
One of the great things that spin-off media for a franchise can do for fans is to fill-in missing pieces of lore. The backstory of Jean-Luc Picard between losing command of the Stargazer and the events of Encounter at Farpoint is just such a thing for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Christopher L. Bennett's 2007 novel The Buried Age sought to fill in that gap. And while I did enjoy it, the way that Bennett worked in continuity into this novel felt shoehorned in at times. Indeed, there were moments it felt less like a novel and more like a series of vignettes showing how Picard met various TNG characters. Then again, Buried Age was written toward the start of Bennett's Trek writing career, so that might explain as I had a similar experience with his The Motion Picture era novel Ex Machina which was written roughly around the same time. Bennett's more recent novel The Captain's Oath would explore the backstory of James T. Kirk far better, perhaps showing that the author learned some lessons from this earlier work. But, for fans of Picard and The Next Generation era, there's still a fun read here all the same.
April 22, 2021
Interesting prequel with a fairly well thought out plot, but the delivery is rather clunky at times.
February 20, 2023
I hadn't read this book since it first came out, and since Season 3 of Picard was soon to debut I thought I would revisit this book. It is in need of some editing.
Picard's battle against the Ferengi is recounted (and it is very exciting), and then comes the new additions to Picard's life. He's put up for a court martial since he abandoned his ship--an normal procedure for captain's who do so, but it sours him on being a captain and he turns to education. As an instructor of archaeology he goes on a distant dig and finds something and someone.
It's from this point on that I had issues with the way Picard was written. I had a very difficult time with going along with this new character and what occurs to them. Additionally, the descriptions get so wrapped up in descriptions and scientific justification that the plot came to a stand still too often. A third of this book could be cut to better serve the story.
This Star Trek outing was not for me.
Picard's battle against the Ferengi is recounted (and it is very exciting), and then comes the new additions to Picard's life. He's put up for a court martial since he abandoned his ship--an normal procedure for captain's who do so, but it sours him on being a captain and he turns to education. As an instructor of archaeology he goes on a distant dig and finds something and someone.
It's from this point on that I had issues with the way Picard was written. I had a very difficult time with going along with this new character and what occurs to them. Additionally, the descriptions get so wrapped up in descriptions and scientific justification that the plot came to a stand still too often. A third of this book could be cut to better serve the story.
This Star Trek outing was not for me.
August 15, 2016
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Buried Age by Christopher L. Bennett It took me 3 attempts, the last one spanning over a year to finally finish this novel. Why does it still get 2.5 out of 5 stars? Because the final 100 pages were captivating, living up to the hype surrounding the whole book in various internet fora. But let's start at the beginning.The Buried Age spans the time between the apparent destruction of the Stargazer and the launch of the Enterprise and consists roughly of 4 parts.
The first one deals with the court martial, alluded to in TNG's "The Measure of a Man". This was the plotthread I was most looking forward to - and perhaps which turned out to be the biggest disappointment because it read like a trial transcript. Facts and testimonies were reported but not shown, I felt removed from the events, from what the crew of the Stargazer and Picard had gone through. There was nothing to relate to.
The second part deals with Picard's subsequent leave of absence from Starfleet and dive into academic research. Prompted by Guinan he eventually leads an expedition into the whereabouts of an ancient race, older than all other known races. And this is where the story comes off the rails. I admit I'm not too fond of Bennett's writing style. He spends endless pages to describe some astronomical phenomena, technical details behind procedures or pseudo historical theories. I know that from his other books which were already difficult to get through due to these issues but he's really indulging himself here with needless technobabble. In short, this is where I stopped reading the first two times, and needed 18 months now to pick up the book yet again.
The third part is more of the same - but at the end it fortunately finally picks up speed again with an albeit rather obvious but still very welcome story twist of betrayal and an abuse of trust which leads to some much needed drama and heartfelt emotions in part 4. This is where the story becomes gripping, the emotions real and the characterization the main focus of the book which it should have been from the beginning.
So, yes, we do learn why Picard is the way he is at the beginning of TNG - intensely private, removed from his officers, focused on his job and guarded all the time. But it takes ages to get to these satisfying parts. This novel could have easily been shortened by 100 or more pages and not have lost a single bit of plot. On the contrary, I'd rather say the concept would have benefitted enormously. Alas, it was not to be, and the result is a barely average novel.
The first one deals with the court martial, alluded to in TNG's "The Measure of a Man". This was the plotthread I was most looking forward to - and perhaps which turned out to be the biggest disappointment because it read like a trial transcript. Facts and testimonies were reported but not shown, I felt removed from the events, from what the crew of the Stargazer and Picard had gone through. There was nothing to relate to.
The second part deals with Picard's subsequent leave of absence from Starfleet and dive into academic research. Prompted by Guinan he eventually leads an expedition into the whereabouts of an ancient race, older than all other known races. And this is where the story comes off the rails. I admit I'm not too fond of Bennett's writing style. He spends endless pages to describe some astronomical phenomena, technical details behind procedures or pseudo historical theories. I know that from his other books which were already difficult to get through due to these issues but he's really indulging himself here with needless technobabble. In short, this is where I stopped reading the first two times, and needed 18 months now to pick up the book yet again.
The third part is more of the same - but at the end it fortunately finally picks up speed again with an albeit rather obvious but still very welcome story twist of betrayal and an abuse of trust which leads to some much needed drama and heartfelt emotions in part 4. This is where the story becomes gripping, the emotions real and the characterization the main focus of the book which it should have been from the beginning.
So, yes, we do learn why Picard is the way he is at the beginning of TNG - intensely private, removed from his officers, focused on his job and guarded all the time. But it takes ages to get to these satisfying parts. This novel could have easily been shortened by 100 or more pages and not have lost a single bit of plot. On the contrary, I'd rather say the concept would have benefitted enormously. Alas, it was not to be, and the result is a barely average novel.
April 1, 2023
Truly 2.5 stars rather than two.
The Buried Age gives us the story of Picard's life between the captaincy and loss of the Stargazer, up until the very beginning of TNG. Fantastic premise, great backstory that ST fans would love to have. Sadly, the execution is spotty and the story itself runs a lot longer than it needs to for the amount of plot we get.
The beginning of the book, detailing the loss of the Stargazer and survival of its crew is fantastic. As is the end up the book detailing Picard's taking command of the Enterprise. Characterization is spot on, we get some important plot elements, and it moves along at an acceptable pace. Following the loss of the Stargazer, Picard temporarily leaves starfleet. I don't love this as a plot point given his later anxiety over this same decision post-Wolf 359, but his shift back to working in the field of archeology still feels in character. There's definitely fat to trim in this section, as well as throughout his ensuing romance with an alien of a previously undiscovered race while researching a galaxy wide extinction event in pre-history, but it still moves along okay.
I think the real failing is somewhere between 2/3rd and 3/4s of the way through the page count. There's been a big twist with the archeological research and romance, most of the main and sub-plots are suitably resolved, we've hit climax, passed on into denouement...and yet the story keeps going? There's significant chunk there were it could have skipped straight to setting us up for the start of TNG with no significant impact on the story, but it just, keeps, going. Imagine if after the end of the of a well crafted episode of trek, before the credits, you had about 15 minutes of additional filler. Between that and fat trimming for earlier, this could easily have come in 50-100 pages shorter, which leaves the impression that maybe the author was padding it.
The Buried Age gives us the story of Picard's life between the captaincy and loss of the Stargazer, up until the very beginning of TNG. Fantastic premise, great backstory that ST fans would love to have. Sadly, the execution is spotty and the story itself runs a lot longer than it needs to for the amount of plot we get.
The beginning of the book, detailing the loss of the Stargazer and survival of its crew is fantastic. As is the end up the book detailing Picard's taking command of the Enterprise. Characterization is spot on, we get some important plot elements, and it moves along at an acceptable pace. Following the loss of the Stargazer, Picard temporarily leaves starfleet. I don't love this as a plot point given his later anxiety over this same decision post-Wolf 359, but his shift back to working in the field of archeology still feels in character. There's definitely fat to trim in this section, as well as throughout his ensuing romance with an alien of a previously undiscovered race while researching a galaxy wide extinction event in pre-history, but it still moves along okay.
I think the real failing is somewhere between 2/3rd and 3/4s of the way through the page count. There's been a big twist with the archeological research and romance, most of the main and sub-plots are suitably resolved, we've hit climax, passed on into denouement...and yet the story keeps going? There's significant chunk there were it could have skipped straight to setting us up for the start of TNG with no significant impact on the story, but it just, keeps, going. Imagine if after the end of the of a well crafted episode of trek, before the credits, you had about 15 minutes of additional filler. Between that and fat trimming for earlier, this could easily have come in 50-100 pages shorter, which leaves the impression that maybe the author was padding it.
July 19, 2017
[Actual rating 3.5/5] A pretty engaging story about the years of Captain Picard's life that lead to him taking command of the Enterprise. It manages to create a strong original character, as well as really nailing the personalities of the many established Trek character who appear. In particular, the writing for Jean Luc Picard feels spot on and it's extremely easy to hear Patrick Stewart speaking the dialogue in your head.
For all that, the book gets bogged down with some horribly dull sections. The author has extensive scientific knowledge and really injects a huge amount of technobabble into the story. It's all seemingly researched to be scientifically correct, but that doesn't mean we need to get so many pages of it. I was struggling to continue during an early section which has our characters engaging in an archaeological expedition which was beyond tedious.
Add to that the author's tendency to use ridiculous words far too often ("megayears", "logopathy") and give his characters difficult names (Jameela Janasz, Xian Chuanli, Subramaniam, Quetzalxochitl) and there are many parts of the book which are a challenge to get through.
But once the character of Ariel appears, the story becomes much stronger. There's quite an emotional tale here, and the final third of the book is quite gripping. It ties in very nicely to established continuity and leads into the first episode of the TV series very nicely.
For all that, the book gets bogged down with some horribly dull sections. The author has extensive scientific knowledge and really injects a huge amount of technobabble into the story. It's all seemingly researched to be scientifically correct, but that doesn't mean we need to get so many pages of it. I was struggling to continue during an early section which has our characters engaging in an archaeological expedition which was beyond tedious.
Add to that the author's tendency to use ridiculous words far too often ("megayears", "logopathy") and give his characters difficult names (Jameela Janasz, Xian Chuanli, Subramaniam, Quetzalxochitl) and there are many parts of the book which are a challenge to get through.
But once the character of Ariel appears, the story becomes much stronger. There's quite an emotional tale here, and the final third of the book is quite gripping. It ties in very nicely to established continuity and leads into the first episode of the TV series very nicely.
February 15, 2018
I read this novel because on "the Almight Star Trek Lit-verse Reading Order Flow Chart" it was listed as a Stargazer novel. It's not. It starts with the desctruciton of the Stargazer and deals with everything Picard did from that point until the actual start of the first episode of TNG.
However, unlike the Stargazer books, this is a proper novel. It's not like watching an episode of Star Trek because it covers years and years and employs storytelling that would not work on TV.
This episode's tie-in with TOS
But yes it still has a tie-in with TOS. Alternative Factor, S1E27, but that's not all. This is chock-a-block of ties to all things Star Trek from Janeway as a commander, to an explanation of why so many noncorporal beings from the organians to the Q Continum even exist. It would take way to long to mention them all.
The story continues too long past the denouement just so fans can meet the Enterprise crew and see it head off to Far Point Station, and that was just too much fan service for me. It took so much away from what could've been a good ending that I knocked a star off my rating.
The defector of the episode is...
Unfortunately there is one.
It was awesome that...
the storytelling is so sciency and thought provoking. A true bit of Star Trek.
It was too bad that...
it didn't end when it should've.
However, unlike the Stargazer books, this is a proper novel. It's not like watching an episode of Star Trek because it covers years and years and employs storytelling that would not work on TV.
This episode's tie-in with TOS
But yes it still has a tie-in with TOS. Alternative Factor, S1E27, but that's not all. This is chock-a-block of ties to all things Star Trek from Janeway as a commander, to an explanation of why so many noncorporal beings from the organians to the Q Continum even exist. It would take way to long to mention them all.
The story continues too long past the denouement just so fans can meet the Enterprise crew and see it head off to Far Point Station, and that was just too much fan service for me. It took so much away from what could've been a good ending that I knocked a star off my rating.
The defector of the episode is...
Unfortunately there is one.
It was awesome that...
the storytelling is so sciency and thought provoking. A true bit of Star Trek.
It was too bad that...
it didn't end when it should've.
April 14, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. It really filled in Picard's backstory and spans several years. I was impressed at how much material was covered. This includes the Battle of Maxia, the resulting court martial, teaching archaeology, going on a mission to make a big discovery, falling in love with the discovery, etc. I also liked how it introduced characters, that would later become his crew and why he picked them, like Data, Troi, and LaForge. I liked how it ends just where the series begins. I also liked the part where she tells Q about Picard and peaks his interest, resulting in him visiting Picard in Encounter at Farpoint. I thought the book was very well researched. His background in physics and history were perfect for creating this book. The Afterward was really interesting when you read all the references to episodes and scientific papers. The only thing that I found a little annoying was the numerous references to Shakespeare. I know Picard likes Shakespeare but I don't, and one or 2 references are fine, but I thought there were too many. Other than that, it was a really great book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2024
A unique chapter in the life of Jean-Luc Picard
This book opens up with the Battle of Maxia Zeta, allowing readers to say goodbye to the crew of the Stargazer. I enjoyed seeing these characters again, but it was a little disappointing that they aren’t in the rest of the story. The middle of the book sees Picard exploring his archeology career, and this was a decent story, but not my favorite. Picard falls in love with an ancient alien being and it was just too weird for me. I enjoyed seeing other Star Trek characters like Guinan, Janeway, Data, and so many others. Most of these characters appeared towards the end of the book, and I think my favorite part was Picard assembling the crew of the Enterprise-D.
Since The Buried Age is essentially the bridge between the Stargazer series and The Next Generation, it had a lot of boxes to check. I think Bennett accomplished this task pretty well, but the combination of all those story beats on top of the archeology plot was a bit too much for one book.
I would hesitantly recommend this to fans of Picard. I would definitely say to read the Stargazer series first, and any other Lost Era books if you’re curious about the time period between TOS and TNG.
This book opens up with the Battle of Maxia Zeta, allowing readers to say goodbye to the crew of the Stargazer. I enjoyed seeing these characters again, but it was a little disappointing that they aren’t in the rest of the story. The middle of the book sees Picard exploring his archeology career, and this was a decent story, but not my favorite. Picard falls in love with an ancient alien being and it was just too weird for me. I enjoyed seeing other Star Trek characters like Guinan, Janeway, Data, and so many others. Most of these characters appeared towards the end of the book, and I think my favorite part was Picard assembling the crew of the Enterprise-D.
Since The Buried Age is essentially the bridge between the Stargazer series and The Next Generation, it had a lot of boxes to check. I think Bennett accomplished this task pretty well, but the combination of all those story beats on top of the archeology plot was a bit too much for one book.
I would hesitantly recommend this to fans of Picard. I would definitely say to read the Stargazer series first, and any other Lost Era books if you’re curious about the time period between TOS and TNG.
July 14, 2018
Oh too have the partial star we all want. This book is in many ways a 4 star story, but length & very unnecessary, overly descriptive details that made my eyes glaze over make it, to me, 3.75 stars.
I have reads hundreds of star trek books, many more then I have found on here & marked as read.
I have read stellar S.T. books & disappointments in all of the series. This one falls somewhere in the middle.
It is a time frame that needed telling, I am just not sure it is a story that matches the characters as we know them.
Although it is officially part of the lost era book series, it is also a coda for the Stargazer series, but with the disappointment that the last Stargazer book written did not yet have Jack Crusher on board the ship, & at the start of this book, he has already died.
I have reads hundreds of star trek books, many more then I have found on here & marked as read.
I have read stellar S.T. books & disappointments in all of the series. This one falls somewhere in the middle.
It is a time frame that needed telling, I am just not sure it is a story that matches the characters as we know them.
Although it is officially part of the lost era book series, it is also a coda for the Stargazer series, but with the disappointment that the last Stargazer book written did not yet have Jack Crusher on board the ship, & at the start of this book, he has already died.
August 18, 2021
The Buried Age is one of the better Next Generation books to come out. it follows Jean-Luc Picard in between his command of the Stargazer and the Enterprise. The book explores the court martial that followed the destruction of the Enterprise and Picard's interest in Archaeology. From their we explore an interesting species with buried intentions. The book slows down at about the 300 page mark and finishes quite anticlimactically, though the book does deserve four stars for the strong first 300 or so pages. Quite a few Next Generation characters make an appearance and some of the Next Generations enemies (for lack of a better word) also make appearance. Overall, one of the more quality Star Trek: The Next Generation books that fills in an important era in Jean-Luc Picard's life.
May 31, 2018
Loved loved loved the detail in this book, the author clearly has thought about every aspect of Trek and blended all kinds of events throughout Trek history together, finding meaning and value in the contradictions. Found the narrative of this lost a lot of momentum after the reveal of the bad guy, would have preferred that the reveal and the conclusion were a lot closer together. Also would have liked way less stellar physics as I'm sure it was all 1000% accurate and well-researched, I just found I lost interest immediately in those sections. Almost gave it four stars but I loved the bits I loved so much that I had to give it the fifth star.
July 18, 2023
So this begins with the Stargazer's last mission and ends pretty much where TNG begins. Not having read the Stargazer series, I was able to follow fine, though it felt like there were characters whom readers of that series would know. I did kind of roll my eyes at the inclusion of characters named Simenon and Schuster, who seem like they're named after Simon & Schuster. The court martial at the beginning was interesting, but then the pacing slowed down in places. Picard's first meeting with Data is amazing, and I kind of wish it could have gone longer. We also get other TNG characters, of course. Somehow, I feel not so into the overall idea of this novel being a gap-filler.
January 1, 2025
Great story filling in some details on Captain Picard's past beginning with the incident involving Damion Bok's son. Introduces some unique and interesting new alien races, gives some twists that one may not expect, and has a fun focus on Archaeology.
I read this book initially because I saw on Memory Beta that Data is in it. He's certainly not the focus and isn't in the book for most of it, but the interactions between him and Captain Picard are really fantastic.
Definitely a good read for TNG fans and Picard fans especially.
I read this book initially because I saw on Memory Beta that Data is in it. He's certainly not the focus and isn't in the book for most of it, but the interactions between him and Captain Picard are really fantastic.
Definitely a good read for TNG fans and Picard fans especially.
September 2, 2018
Ambitious tale that really gives insights into Picard's driven personality. I enjoyed this as it explored the years between the Stargazer and the Enterprise. Picard is introduced to several of his future crew members in his quest to find and release a long lived race that may hold answers to the Universe's past. I am getting more enjoyment watching the first season of the Next Generation because of this book.
March 23, 2022
Not bad, after all, although I have had difficulties, at some points, in continuing the reading. I found Picard a little out of character and I didn't appreciate very much the chapters in which he was playing archeologist, but in the complex this is not a bad book and I can't say I didn't appreciate it. I think that it has earned a 3.5 stars ;)
As soon as I will be able, I'm gonna write an exaustive review on my personal blog, so stay tuned.
As soon as I will be able, I'm gonna write an exaustive review on my personal blog, so stay tuned.
March 29, 2023
If you are a TNG fan, this novel covers those mysterious 9 years of Jean-Luc Picard's life between the Stargazer court-martial and his taking command of the Enterprise. Overall, the story is solid and tracks well with the hints provided in the series. It can take awhile to get places, at times, and it takes some liberties that can confuse, if not contradict, the accepted timeline. However, it is one Trek novel that is absolutely worth your read!
May 30, 2023
I love ST in all its permutations, so I was disappointed to find this installation tedious. The first half of the book gives us a cardboard middle-aged Picard with low self esteem who somehow has Starfleet cred more suited to the admiral he won't become for decades, plus an entirely unbelievable plot device of a love affair. The second half piles on expository meetings with characters we know from his future, including a wholly unsatisfying backstory for Q. Kindle.
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