Power Hungry by Howard Weinstein is the sixth numbered TNG novel.
The plot involves the Enterprise being sent on a relief mission, bringing food and equipment, to a candidate Federation planet. The planet, Thiopia, has undergone until recently rapid development due to a trading agreement with Nuarans, which has resulted in extreme and ongoing ecological degradation. The plot involves slowly coming to terms with the political complexity of the situation, especially the opposing positions of the planetary government and that of a gaia-faith-based sect named the Sojourners.
The author also plays around with some side plots and similar, including: the presence of Nuaran fighters which attack the Enterprise on a few occasions; an Ambassador Undrun who is responsible for the mission and who has a “vexatious” personality (i.e. substrate for a personal-growth tale); as well as a few (not quite, but not problematic either,) comedic episodes involving Geordie trying to convince Riker to incorporate Worf and his Klingon instrument into his jazz group.
Comments: I suspect that I enjoyed this more than most (see below) due to its ambivalent ending. Having said that, it is strange that the readers’ appreciation of the failure is not quite reflected in the crew, whom it would be fair to say react with what is essentially an “oh well” shrug coupled with a voiced desire to wipe their hands of the entire affair ASAP. I would have preferred a bitter-sweet end, appreciating the possibilities of the future, appreciative for being able to retreat of the utopian ethos of the Federation, and also appreciating the failure implicit in their leaving.
Although it doesn’t pan out for the rest of the series(es), it is nice to have the Ferengi appear as they did in early TNG, namely as the unknown enemy (eventually their place is usurped by the Borg, leaving them to be domesticated in DS9).
External links:
There’s a page at Siskoid. I was a bit surprised at the low ratings over at Amazon, although they do perhaps accurately reflect the many weaknesses displayed by the novel, including but not limited to: the brush stroke environmentalist preachiness and some of the less well-developed characters. Although there’s hardly anything (for now) at MemoryBeta, the MemoryAlpha page is fairly developed, including an extended synopsis and annotated reference lists.
