Review: LIVE BY THE CODE (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #4) by Christopher L. Bennett

DISCLAIMER: I received this book as a freebie from the publisher at Cleveland ConCoction 2016, where Bennett was the author guest of honor.

Though book titles should always have something to do with the contents of the book, I will always appreciate a book title that is also a good pun. Live by the Code can refer to the computer code that makes up the primary “villain” in this book, but it can also refer to the code of honor that is also the lifeblood of the Klingon Empire, who’s politics makes a great return in this fourth installment of the Rise of the Federation series.

There is a ton going on in this book, from multiple political clashes to a brief interlude for a wedding that also gets interrupted by political clashes. Keeping track of everything going on is starting to get a bit more difficult, but I had the benefit of reading all four books in the series within the span of a few days while on vacation. I hope I’m able to pick up all the threads when book 5 is released in 2017!

On the other hand, all of the plots are interwoven beautifully, and ultimately everything has relevance to everything else, which is the mark of a great narrative. I’ve seen this series described as the “fifth season” of Star Trek: Enterprise, which I completely agree with. It definitely lives up to the source material and makes a great successor for the stories that were either left off or not quite fully explored. All fans of Star Trek: Enterprise should give this book series a shot.

[And though I know the author has nothing to do with it, this is by far one of the best Star Trek book covers I’ve ever seen. Epic!]

Rating: 4 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.

Currently reading: Currently reading: Frost Burn by K. T. Munson and Nichelle Rae (54%) and Star Trek: Articles of the Federation by Keith R. A. DeCandido (10%)