Review: Resistance

Following the release of Death in Winter in 2005, the second Next Generation novel set after Nemesis has finally arrived - J.M. Dillard's Resistance. With the crew of the Enterprise-E in transition - Worf filling-in as temporary first officer, Crusher and Picard's romantic relationship developing, and an enigmatic new Vulcan counselor arriving - it's hardly good timing for Captain Picard when he begins to hear the voice of the Borg. Fearing that they're planning a revenge assault on Earth, he contacts a sceptical Admiral Janeway, and eventually ends up disobeying orders in search of the Collective.

On the surface, Resistance is a story about loyalty. The long-serving crew of the Enterprise blindly follow Picard's beliefs whereas new counselor T'Lana does not, Worf is still troubled by his decision (in the DS9 episode Change of Heart) to save his wife rather than save millions of lives, and Picard must choose whether to act on instinct or obey his superiors. At times, it seems that Dillard goes too far with pressing this theme home - Resistance could work either as a light-and-fluffy Borg adventure, or as a deeper moral argument - but it often feels like it's trying to be both, and its success as either is limited.

The characterisations in Resistance are, on the whole, quite poor. For example, we have a Kathryn Janeway who - despite having had more experience with the Borg than anyone else in Starfleet, and despite being fully aware of Picard's own past with the Collective - refuses to indulge his hunches straight away. Worf, too, feels unfamiliar - it's six years since the events of Change of Heart, and slightly less since Jadzia was killed and he secured her a place in Sto-Vo-Kor, and yet his strong warrior heart is still troubled by these events. Other regulars like Picard and Crusher don't seem to ring true, either.

In fact, the only character that comes across as identifiable and well-rounded is Nave, who eventually (if unsurprisingly) is killed-off. Whilst I understand that the purpose is to have the readers engage with Nave, and then shock them by killing her, when she's arguably the only entry-point for the audience her death feels like less of a surprise, and more of a betrayal.

To focus on the bad, however, is to ignore the fact that Resistance manages to be a pleasantly diverting novel. It doesn't bring anything new to the Borg but, since previous efforts to do so have been consistently criticised for weakening them as a threat, that's no bad thing; the fact that this feels very much like the Collective's "greatest hits" is part of the fun. And the relationships between the senior staff are conveyed nicely - the sense of camaraderie and mutual respect between Picard and Worf and Crusher is replicated well, even if the characters themselves feel slightly off.

So, worth a look? Dedicated Next Gen fans will probably lap this up. However, this is the second book in the "relaunch" and so far we've met only one new regular character, and very little seems to have happened plot-wise. At such an early stage, with so many potential new story-threads to start up, I was expecting more of an "event" than this.

Dillard's novel is shallow but fun, and whilst it has many flaws, it's engaging enough. But Resistance isn't quite sure what it wants to be, and consequently it doesn't end up as very much at all.