Author: Christie Golden
Pages: 232
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Published: October 2001
Publisher: Pocket Books
View on Goodreads
Date Completed: July 21, 2025
My rating: 
Thoughts
As the fifth installment in the Gateways series, you would expect the Gateways to play a bigger part of the story. While they are present, they really serve as the MacGuffin to a classic Voyager tale.
Basically, the Gateways start spitting out ships all over the place and are causing major disturbances in space right along Voyager‘s path. So Janeway does what Janeway does and creates an alliance, albeit a tenuous one, between a number of alien races to journey together through the rough terrain.
Where the book really excels, and where I wished it had focused more time, was on not one, but two murder mysteries. Not to mention a slave uprising to boot! These stories give rise to a lot of great character work. I was especially happy to see Chakotay used in ways that really let him shine. His beliefs and skills are fully utilized. Seven also has some great, almost human, moments with the V’enah slaves.
After taking a back seat for most of the book, the Gateways do become a prominent plot device toward the end. And as we’ve come to expect from these books, it ends on a cliffhanger.
I have to say that this was a really fantastic Star Trek: Voyager story. Christie Golden clearly knows the characters and her writing is so great. Where I have to dock points is the use of the Gateways. It’s tough with Voyager in the Delta Quadrant to have this crew involved in solving any of the mysteries surrounding the Gateways. However, we know that Pathfinder has had contact with Voyager, so they’re not completely cut off.
In the end, I have to give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. It’s got the great writing we expect from Golden and shining moments from our crew. I just wanted more connections to the Gateways saga.
