I just finished reading Probe. I know it has a bit of a checkered history as to it's authorship. Margaret Wander Bonanno was disavowed ownership of the book and it was largely written by the late Gene DeWeese (who's novels I usually enjoyed).
However, I still enjoyed the novel for the most part. It takes place not long after TFF (I always enjoy reading novels between TFF and TUC as there aren't many that take place in that period), and is, of course, a sequel to TVH. What's odd is the historians note says sometime before TUC, however it is far closer in time to TFF, maybe a few months after, but I digress.
While I generally liked it, the novel seemed a bit slow going at first. A new regime has taken hold in the Romulan Empire and they decide to open negotiations with the Federation on a world in the Neutral Zone. A prior civilization lived there so both sides bring archaeologists, along with musicians, to work together on the planet. Meanwhile the Probe is travelling around Romulan space and the Romulans deny it even exists, complicating matters, and eventually destroys a Romulan settlement in Romulan Space because they were conducting experiments on the indigenous aquatic life-forms. We really don't learn much about what those experiments entailed though. Eventually the Probe starts to head back to Earth until the Enterprise finds a way to attract it's attention using it's tractor beam. Eventually the Probe takes the Enterprise and the Romulan vessel on a little trip to where it was created and we learn about where the Probe came from and what happened to the inhabitants there. It is strongly implied that they were attacked by the Borg (though since this is before their existence was common knowledge they were never named as such) and probably scattered to other worlds.
Kevin Riley makes an appearance as the ambassador here. His past work with Kirk during the "Lost Years" novels was referenced in the novel, adding a bit of continuity there with those prior books. It also features a Commander Hiran on the Romulan side, though I'm not positive if that's the same Hiran that is a Praetor decades later. It also features some intrigue in the Romulan Empire that isn't quite resolved, as the new government has elements trying to undermine it from within.
All in all it was a decent book. There are a few threads left dangling and some unresolved bits. I wonder if some of that has to do with the multiple people involved with making the book (while DeWeese is said to be the major player, I've seen it noted others took part in writing it as well, and there are a few elements that remain of the original novel by Bonnano). The book got much better in the 2nd half. The first half left you wondering if it was really about the Probe at all, or was it just something that appeared now and again.
I do think I read somewhere, though I can't find it now, that Bonanno didn't really hold any permanent grudge against DeWeese, and maybe someone can confirm this but I seem to remember reading that he was not aware of all the circumstances when he was brought in to revise it.
