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Well of Souls is a Star Trek: The Lost Era novel – the fourth novel in the series – written by Ilsa J. Bick. Published by Pocket Books, it was first released in October 2003.

Summary[]

From the book jacket
The year is 2336.
For twelve years, she was captain of the Federation's flagship. But while her exploits as commander of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C are legend, little has been revealed about Rachel Garrett, her vessel, or the unusual men and women of her crew. Until now.
When the archaeological find of the decade offers possible hints about an earlier Cardassian civilization, it attracts not merely those seeking to quench their thirst for knowledge, but also parties with far less noble interests. Among the latter is the Asfar Qatala, a notorious criminal cartel with a disturbing connection to one of the Enterprise's highest-ranking officers. Now Captain Garrett and her crew are swept into a maelstrom of kidnapping, extortion, and murder – as well as a desperate, secret struggle between the Qatala and its chief rival, the fledgling Orion Syndicate.
And beneath the surface of the frozen world on which the proto-Cardassian discovery was made, another drama is playing out that will force Garrett to make the most difficult decision of her career… amid ruins reputed to link the living with the ancient dead.

Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.

Background information[]

  • This is the first and, to date, only full-length Star Trek novel by author Ilsa J. Bick.
  • The novel was the combination of two pitches Bick made to Pocket editor Marco Palmieri. After getting approval from Paramount's Paula Block in October 2002, Bick completed the original manuscript by January 2003, in line with a schedule she developed with friend and fellow Star Trek author Dean Wesley Smith. Keith R.A. DeCandido then provided editorial assistance in cutting down the manuscript by roughly 100 pages. Although Pocket felt the novel was still too long for physical production, Palmieri was able to reduce the size of the novel further by eliminating chapter page breaks, which brought the final novel under 500 pages. (Voyages of Imagination, pp. 460-461)
  • Farius Prime is listed on the title page as the location of one of Pocket Books' offices.
  • Cover design by John Vairo, Jr..

Characters[]

Rachel Garrett
Marta Batanides
Richard Castillo
Darya Bat-Levi

References[]

Cardassian history; Starfleet Intelligence; religion; Judaism

External link[]


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