A Time To Hate is book six in a nine part series and this is the book, in my opinion, that begins the arch that should have began in book one but that didn't happen which isn't neccasarily a bad thing only because Time to Hate is a more emotional book.
The planet Delta Sigma IV is falling apart. The Bader and the Dorset, with their natural aggressive instincts returned to them, are finding that one hundred years of peace has not prepared them for violence. Instead, riots have broken out, murders are becoming very commonplace, and vandalism runs rampant. Many blame the Federation, so they take it out on the Enterprise’s security officers who are attempting to keep the peace. Captain Picard is trying to buy time for Dr. Crusher to come up with a way to fix things. Meanwhile, Commander William Riker has found his father, as Kyle Riker tries desperately to track down the person who committed the initial murder. However, Kyle is just trying to rectify the mistakes he has made, and he tries to enlist Will to help him.
This happens to be a very interesting story with a lot of tension and suspense. But, I like to think of this particular story as a love story if only the story is more of a Riker/Troi/Kyle story. As you read the story, you can see that Riker has to deal with old rounds from the past mainly his father. For those wanting to know their history together, watch the season two episode The Icarus Factor and read the book Deny Thy Father by Jeff Mariotte.
Anyway, Riker has to deal with the fact that his daddy may not be all that he seems to be and Riker feels somewhat responsible. In that time, Riker makes a temporary home down on the planet while above, Deanna worries about him thinking that something bad has happened to him.
If I were to reveal the outcome, I would be giving away a major plot point in the book so all I will say is that the events lead Riker to finally make some personal decisions that shape the rest of the series as well as the post Nemesis novels. They are done in a VERY touching way. Even though Riker has his own personal demons to deal with, he still finds a way to "act" on his feelings with Troi.
This book is emotional and touching and is one of the best one in the series. It is here that the series begins to hit it's stride and where the pieces begin to fall into place. It's a heartwarming tale that's very rare to find in a Trek novel.
Recommended:
