Showing posts with label David Mack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Mack. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Firewall

Star Trek: Picard
Firewall by David Mack
Release date: February 27, 2024
Read February 18th 2024

Previous book (Picard): Second Self
Next book (Picard): 


Purchase:
Hardcover: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
Audiobook:  Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Publisher's description:

A thrilling prequel adventure based on the acclaimed TV series Star Trek: Picard!
Two years after the USS Voyager’s return from the Delta Quadrant, Seven of Nine finds herself rejected for a position in Starfleet…and instead finds a new home with the interstellar rogue law enforcement corps known as the Fenris Rangers. The Rangers seem like an ideal fit for Seven—but to embrace this new destiny, she must leave behind all she’s ever known, and risk losing the most important thing in her life: her friendship with Admiral Kathryn Janeway.


My thoughts:

When Seven of Nine first showed up on Star Trek: Picard at the end of the episode "Absolute Candor," many Star Trek fans were left wondering about her backstory. What happened to her in the aftermath of Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant? Why was she not in Starfleet? And how had she come to join the Fenris Rangers? While some aspects of those questions have been addressed on-screen in the years since, the vast majority of Seven's time from the end of Voyager to where we see her in Star Trek: Picard still remained a mystery. Until now!

The surprise appearance of Seven of Nine in season one of Star Trek: Picard left many viewers wondering what happened to her in the intervening years since the end of Star Trek: Voyager.

In David Mack's Firewall, the author brings us up to speed, showing the "lost years" of Seven's backstory. While some fan reactions I've seen online take issue with how Mack has characterized Seven's development during this time, I take a very different stance. Remember, when Seven of Nine was first introduced on Voyager, the character was freshly liberated from the Borg Collective, having been assimilated when she was a very young child. For all intents and purposes, she was going through her own childhood as she learned to be an individual and exist separate from the Collective. Combine that with the artificial environment of a ship of only about 150 people, isolated from the rest of human society, it becomes clear that Seven never really had the chance to fully explore who she is as an adult.

One thing Voyager had going for it, however, was that it was generally a positive environment in which Seven could grow. She was surrounded by mostly sympathetic people who had her best interests at heart. Upon returning to the Alpha Quadrant, however, Seven was forced to confront a society that distrusted and hated the Borg. Not knowing her as the crew of Voyager does, it's only natural that there would be a great deal of pushback against her. This is not to excuse the behavior of those around her; certainly, it would be ideal if the people of the Federation would understand that individual drones are just as much victims of the Borg Collective as the targets they attack.

Seven's poor treatment by the citizens of the Federation is frustrating, if somewhat understandable, but her treatment by the Federation government itself is appalling. She is rejected in her application to Starfleet Academy, but even more egregious than that, she is denied Federation citizenship! Ostensibly this is because she refuses to go by the name in her official records, Annika Hansen, preferring to go by Seven of Nine. There is a clear allegory to the issue of dead-naming and the trans experience, and David Mack does a great job in upholding the Trek tradition of shining a light on social issues through the lens of science fiction. Similarly, Seven's exploration of her queer identity was a welcome aspect of the novel. I found myself seeing a lot of parallels between what Seven goes though in Firewall and the experiences of one who has come out as gay or bisexual later in life.

Eventually, Seven finds herself working with the Fenris Rangers, a law enforcement agency that has, in recent years, found itself operating outside of the law due to the fact that the governments that contracted the Rangers no longer exist. The group continues to maintain a semblance of law and order on nearby worlds, but the various planets continue to slip into lawlessness and anarchy thanks to the efforts of bad players working to destabilize the region. Additionally, NGOs that used to provide needed relief have recently pulled out to assist with the humanitarian crisis generated by the impending Romulan supernova. However, Seven's work with the Rangers isn't entirely of her own volition; a supposed Federation Intelligence operative has recruited her to infiltrate the Rangers and report on their activities. It becomes clear fairly early on that this "agent," Arastoo Mardani, isn't exactly on the up-and-up. His real name turns out to be Erol Tazgül, and he is a former Federation spymaster who (according to Starfleet Intelligence) has turned entrepreneur, sponsoring warlords in the Qiris sector to further his own ambitions.

The villains of the piece, Tazgül and his warlord beneficiary, General Kohgish, make for some great antagonists mostly due to how believable their motivations are. Kohgish wants to acquire as much capital as possible to solidify his stranglehold on the Qiris sector, while Erol Tazgül's aims are rooted in the extreme political stance he takes. Both felt like they could have been ripped from today's headlines, making this story resonate for any readers who happen to be students of modern history or politics. By the end of the novel, it's still somewhat unclear if Tazgül is truly working on his own, or still at the behest of Starfleet Intelligence, a question that leaves the reader shuddering at its implications. I will say that I was glad the author didn't use the shorthand that is commonly done and say that Tazgül is working for Section 31, as I feel that is a well visited far too often these days.

General Kohgish is an Antican warlord who hopes to control the Qiris sector.

The characters that Seven comes to call colleagues and friends in the Fenris Rangers were some of my favorite things about this novel. Her mentor, Keon Harper, is an older Ranger who has been doing this for a long time. This makes him somewhat jaded, but also never losing the idealism that brought him to the Fenris Rangers in the first place. His mentorship of Seven, and the effect that Seven has on him in return, was a true pleasure to read. Seven's other fellow rangers are a fun cast of characters, but one stand out in particular is someone I truly hope we see more of in the future: Ellory Kayd and Seven eventually strike up a romantic relationship, and it is truly heart-warming to see Seven finding somewhere to belong and someone to belong with. We of course know that the relationship doesn't last far into the future, leading me to wonder if there is a story there to pick up on at some point.

Finally, a major throughline in this novel and, indeed, in Seven of Nine's life, is the role of Admiral Kathryn Janeway. Seven's original mentor and parent-figure, Janeway has always had a vested interest in Seven, and went to bat for her when she was rejected from the Academy. Her perspective on Seven's experiences throughout the story is an interesting one. There are times in this novel when Janeway's view of the situation in the Qiris sector is frankly naive, but I think this was a great choice on the part of the author. She is not there in the thick of it with Seven, and only knows what the Federation news sources are saying about this situation. I think this says something interesting about where we get our information and serves as a warning to be on guard for bias in our sources of news. Regardless, the love that Janeway has for Seven (and that Seven has for Janeway) is always apparent, even when they are on opposing sides of an issue.

I also appreciated the elements from Star Trek: Prodigy that were used in the novel. David Mack worked as a consultant on season one of Prodigy, and I personally know how much he loves that series. Elements such as the U.S.S. Dauntless and her crew were very welcome to see, as were the oblique references to plot elements from Prodigy.

Admiral Janeway's ship from Star Trek: Prodigy, the U.S.S. Dauntless, makes an appearance in Firewall.

For some, the darker tone of Firewall may be off-putting, but in all fairness it does match the state of the Star Trek universe as seen in Star Trek: Picard. The action in this novel takes place far away from the gleaming egalitarian cities of Earth, and the desperate situations that people find themselves in are a stark reminder that not everyone in the Star Trek universe can live only to better themselves and the rest of sentient-kind.

Final thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed Firewall, and appreciated the exploration of Seven of Nine's life between the end of Voyager and her appearances in Picard. David Mack's worldbuilding of the planets in the Qiris sector and the environment in which the Fenris Rangers operate gave some much-need context for what we saw in Star Trek: Picard. I especially enjoyed the original characters populating this novel, a number of whom I hope we see again in a future story. The allegories to queer and trans experiences as well as the "ripped from the headlines" situations place this novel in the best tradition of Star Trek stories that highlight social issues from today. Top marks for this novel, one of my favorites in recent years.

 More about Firewall:

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Also by David Mack:

Next time on Trek Lit Reviews:

Next review is for book 3 of the Star Trek: Voyager: String Theory trilogy: Evolution by Heather Jarman.


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Thursday, March 11, 2021

Lost Souls

Star Trek: Destiny
Book III: Lost Souls by David Mack
Published December 2008
Read November 12th 2019

Previous book (Destiny): Book II: Mere Mortals
Next book (Post-Nemesis Continuity): A Singular Destiny
Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

The Destiny trilogy is also available in an omnibus containing all three parts!

Purchase:
Trade paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk


Spoilers ahead for Lost Souls!

 From the back cover:
The soldiers of Armageddon are on the march, laying waste to worlds in their passage. An audacious plan could stop them forever, but it carries risks that one starship captain is unwilling to take. For Captain Jean-Luc Picard, defending the future has never been so important, or so personal -- and the wrong choice will cost him everything for which he has struggled and suffered.

 For Captain William Riker, that choice has already been made. Haunted by the memories of those he was forced to leave behind, he must jeopardize all that he has left in a desperate bid to save the Federation.

 For Captain Ezri Dax, whose impetuous youth is balance by the wisdom of many lifetimes, the choice is a simple one: there is no going back -- only forward to whatever future awaits them.

 But for those who, millennia ago, had no choice...this is the hour of their final, inescapable destiny.

 My thoughts:

The third and final novel in the landmark Destiny trilogy sees the stories of four Starfleet captains come to their explosive conclusions in a story that would change the Star Trek universe forever... at least until canon Trek says otherwise!

The fear and terror of the worlds of the Federation and her neighbors is strongly felt in the pages of this novel as the unrelenting Borg armada spreads out from the Azure Nebula and threatens to completely wipe out the populations of planets throughout the Alpha and Beta quadrants. No longer interested in assimilation, the Borg are on a singular quest: to utterly destroy the Federation and its citizens who have become more trouble than they are worth. Meanwhile, the Enterprise, Titan, and Aventine must do everything they can to ensure the future of the Federation in the face of what appears to be certain Armageddon.

The Borg attack the Alpha and Beta Quadrants in force, with only one goal: the complete extermination of the Federation.

This novel also finally tells us the origin of the Borg once and for all. Now, of course, this origin story is not canon; however, I find myself hoping against hope that canon Star Trek (the various television series and films) never get around to telling us a definitive story for the origin of the Borg, because what David Mack has come up with here is nearly pitch-perfect. The story itself is quite dark and drives towards the themes of selfishness, pride, and the self-serving impulses within human beings, which fits perfectly with what we know of the Borg. I won't spell out the revelations here, even though this book is well over a decade old; I still feel this story needs to be read rather than simply summarized here.

There really is something for everyone in this story. Like your Star Trek action-packed? You will definitely find a lot of action in this novel. How about philosophy and morality? Like all the best Trek, Destiny features moral conundrums and ethical dilemmas aplenty. In particular, seeing Riker wrestle with his decision to leave the away team (including his wife, Deanna) behind on New Erigol while Titan makes her escape was heart-wrenching.

Politics also takes center stage in this trilogy and this final novel in particular, as we see the Federation government under President Nanietta Bacco (one of my all-time favorite TrekLit characters), and the supreme grace under pressure that she exhibits as the end very much appears nigh.

The government of the United Federation of Planets faces the possible end of their civilization in Star Trek: Destiny.

In this final novel of the trilogy, author David Mack has accomplished the nearly impossible: making the story feel like it might truly be the twilight of the Federation. Of course, we know that this can't possibly be the end, but while reading Lost Souls, that knowledge becomes irrelevant as the reader gets drawn into the vivid details and amazing prose that serves as the culmination of this amazing trilogy.

The Caeliar, ultimately responsible for the creation of the Borg, realize their error and takes steps to correct it. At the heart of this is Captain Erika Hernandez, herself having been transformed by the Caeliar. The threat of the Borg Collective is ended for all time when all Borg, everywhere, are transformed and merged into the Caeliar Gestalt, leaving a battered Federation to pick up the pieces. With over sixty billion lives lost between the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulans, the face of the Star Trek universe will never be the same.

Final thoughts on Star Trek: Destiny:

Destiny, more than any other story within the vast library of Star Trek fiction, is a huge inflection point in the Trek universe and is pointed to as the moment when everything changed. We all knew that (at the time) canon Trek had moved on and the writers were free to play in the universe as they wished, but the monumental events chronicled in these novels blew everything to this point out of the water. David Mack did not hold back at all when telling this story, and it's to his credit that it works as well as it does. The events of this trilogy defined Star Trek novels for the decade following its publication, a distinction that is very well-earned. Needless to say, Lost Souls and the preceding two novels are must-reads for any fan of Star Trek fiction.

Also by David Mack:

My next read:

Next up is the follow-up to Destiny, A Singular Destiny by Keith R. A. DeCandido.

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Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Collateral Damage

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Collateral Damage by David Mack
Release date: October 8th 2019
Read October 16th 2019

Previous book (The Next Generation): Available Light
Purchase:
Trade Paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

 Publisher's description:
The past returns to haunt Captain Jean-Luc Picard—a crime he thought long buried has been exposed, and he must return to Earth to answer for his role in a conspiracy that some call treason. Meanwhile, the U.S.S. Enterprise is sent to apprehend pirates who have stolen vital technology from a fragile Federation colony. But acting captain Commander Worf discovers that the pirates’ motives are not what they seem, and that sometimes standing for justice means defying the law….

My thoughts:

Click here to watch my video review of Collateral Damage, or click play on the embedded video below!



Final thoughts:

An impressive wrap-up to a number of dangling threads from the Trek litverse, but with still more room to move the story forward from here. Some great moral lessons for the Federation at large, and repercussions for Jean-Luc Picard as well. I loved this novel, and I'm eager to discover where things go from here! David Mack has once again knocked it out of the park.

 More about Collateral Damage:



Also by David Mack:

Next time on Trek Lit Reviews:

Next review will be for the Star Trek: Discovery novel Dead Endless by Dave Galanter. See you then!


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Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Mere Mortals

Star Trek: Destiny
Book II: Mere Mortals by David Mack
Published November 2008
Read November 5th 2019

Previous book (Destiny): Book I: Gods of Night
Next book (Destiny): Book III: Lost Souls
Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

The Destiny trilogy is also available in an omnibus containing all three parts!

Purchase:
Trade paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk


Spoilers ahead for Mere Mortals!

 From the back cover:
On Earth, Federation President Nanietta Bacco gathers allies and adversaries to form a desperate last line of defense against an impending Borg invasion. In deep space, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Captain Ezri Dax join together to cut off the Collective's route to the Alpha Quadrant. 
Half a galaxy away, Captain William Riker and the crew of the Starship Titan have made contact with the reclusive Caeliar -- survivors of a stellar cataclysm that, two hundred years ago, drove fissures through the structure of space and time, creating a loop of inevitability and consigning another captain and crew to a purgatory from which they could never escape.

 Now the supremely advanced Caeliar will brook no further intrusion upon their isolation, or against the sanctity of their Great Work....For the small, finite lives of mere mortals carry little weight in the calculations of gods.

 But even gods may come to understand that they underestimate humans at their peril.

 My thoughts:

Star Trek: Destiny is a generations-spanning story, beginning in the early days before the formation of the Federation, and culminating in the 24th century with a massive attack by the Borg against the Federation, a conflict in which the very survival of civilization is at stake. Mere Mortals is the second book in the trilogy, following on from the previous book, Gods of Night.

At the planet New Erigol, the crew of the U.S.S. Titan encounter the Caeliar, an incredibly advanced species which the Starship Columbia had encountered two centuries earlier. The away team from the Titan is shocked to discover Captain Erika Hernandez, seemingly alive and well, living among the Caeliar. From her, we get the backstory of how she ended up there and what happened to her and her remaining crew in the intervening years. The story of Hernandez and her fellow crewmembers living among the Caeliar is heartbreaking and tragic. David Mack does a terrific job of getting into the heads of these characters and showing us the horror of their new reality, cut off from Earth and everything they love as they grow old in this alien environment.

Captain Erika Hernandez of the Earth ship Columbia, who has been stranded with the Caeliar hundreds of years in the past and completely cut off from Earth.

Hernandez, now a being very much like the Caeliar, able to manipulate catoms out of which her body is now made, seems to exhibit a sort of Stockholm syndrome with regards to the Caeliar. "They don't mean to be evil," a line said by Vina in the original Star Trek pilot episode "The Cage," would not be out of place if said by Hernandez here. However, not everything is as it seems, and it appears as though there might still be some of that fighting spirit left in the captain.

While all of this is going on, there is also the "larger universe" story happening. In Paris, the Federation president, Nan Bacco, is attempting to build a coalition to oppose the Borg. I enjoy explorations of politics in my Star Trek, and these parts of the novel don't disappoint. I love the strategizing that Bacco has to do in order to build her coalition, and I was reminded of some of my favorite political maneuverings from episodes of The West Wing.

Meanwhile, the starships Enterprise and Aventine have been scouting a number of subspace tunnels within the Azure nebula. These apertures were created by the Caeliar, and it is believed the Borg have been using one of them to attack the Federation. One by one, they are exploring the tunnels and reporting back to the nebula, awaiting the fleet that President Bacco has assembled to reinforce them. At the terminus of one particular tunnel, the Enterprise encounters a Hirogen hunting party, and the attack that the Hirogen mount against the ship is brutal. There are some incredible action scenes in this part of the story, and David Mack keeps me on the edge of my seat throughout.

The Hirogen, first encountered in Star Trek: Voyager, threaten the crew of the Enterprise as they scout subspace tunnels, one of which leads deep into the Delta Quadrant.

While Destiny could be described as a plot-heavy trilogy with huge action set pieces, it's the character work in these novels that really make them stand out to me. So while yes, the Federation is facing an existential crisis, through it all we have smaller stories such as Deanna Troi and Will Riker experiencing a difficult pregnancy. Troi is on the away team to New Erigol, and experiences complications during the mission. Dr. Ree, the Titan's chief medical officer, has accompanied the team and must find a way to safeguard Troi's life. His particular brand of medicine leads to a huge misunderstanding as to his motives, when it suddenly appears as though he has attacked Troi.

Similarly, another great bit of characterization comes in the form of Lieutenant Melora Pazlar and Dr. Ra-Havreii. I love the psychology of what these characters are going through, and there is a terrific exploration of the motivations of each of these characters and how they deal with emotional trauma and obstacles. For me, Star Trek is at its best when it is less about the huge, galaxy-shaking events and more about the personal struggles of the characters and what it means to be a person. Destiny manages to balance these two demands on the story brilliantly.

Because this is book two of three, Mere Mortals must end on a cliffhanger of some sort. At the end of the novel, the Enterprise and the Aventine escape back through a subspace aperture just as it is being shut down by the Caeliar. In the Azure Nebula, they see the remnants of the allied fleet, smashed through by the Borg, who have deployed over 7400 ships into Federation, Klingon, and Romulan space. Meanwhile, at New Erigol, Hernandez appears on the bridge of the Titan, telling Riker they have one chance to escape, but he has to decide now. Having witnessed the destruction of the fleet by the Borg, Riker wants to join the fight. Leaving behind the captive away team, including his wife, Riker decides to allow the Titan to escape with Hernandez. An incredibly action-packed finale to the novel, which has me eager to pick up book three as soon as possible!

 Final thoughts:

An amazing balance between the huge, apocalyptic big-picture events and the smaller character moments that are at the heart of this novel. As the middle novel in a trilogy, the danger exists that it could feel like it is treading water or acting as "filler," but that is never the case with Mere Mortals. This entire trilogy is tightly plotted, using all of its characters to its advantage to tell a meaningful, heartfelt story. A wonderful middle chapter in this epic Star Trek trilogy by a masterful author.


More about Mere Mortals:

Also by David Mack:

My next read:

Next up is my video review of the TNG novel Collateral Damage by David Mack. Stay tuned for more!

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Friday, November 1, 2019

Gods of Night

Star Trek: Destiny
Book I: Gods of Night by David Mack
Published September 2008
Read October 28th 2019

Previous book (Post-Nemesis Continuity): The Next Generation: Greater Than the Sum
Next book (Post-Nemesis Continuity): Destiny, Book II: Mere Mortals
Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

The Destiny trilogy is also available in an omnibus containing all three parts!

Purchase:
Trade paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Gods of Night!

 From the back cover:
Half a decade after the Dominion War and more than a year after the rise and fall of Praetor Shinzon, the galaxy's greatest scourge returns to wreak havoc upon the Federation -- and this time its goal is nothing less than total annihilation.

 Elsewhere, deep in the Gamma Quadrant, an ancient mystery is solved. One of Earth's first generation of starships, lost for centuries, has been found dead and empty on a desolate planet. But its discovery so far from home has raised disturbing questions, and the answers harken back to a struggle for survival that once tested a captain and her crew to the limits of their humanity.

 From that terrifying flashpoint begins an apocalyptic odyssey that will reach across time and space to reveal the past, define the future, and show three captains -- Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise, William Riker of the U.S.S. Titan, and Ezri Dax of the U.S.S Aventine -- that some destinies are inescapable.

 My thoughts:

More than any other story line in the Star Trek literary universe, Destiny has impacted the current state of Star Trek novels. Although the word has been overused in recent years, Destiny is nothing short of epic. A story that spans generations, with a tragic event for the crew of the Columbia in the 22nd century, and an apocalyptic Borg invasion in the 24th, Destiny ties together the whole of Trek history into one incredibly intricate and compelling story.

In this, the first novel of the trilogy, the various pieces are moved onto the chess board, setting things up for the huge story to come. In the 22nd century, a battle with the Romulans at the outbreak of the Earth/Romulan War leaves the Columbia crippled and out of contact with Starfleet. With no alternatives, Captain Erika Hernandez sets a course for the nearest habitable planet and pushes Columbia's impulse engines to relativistic speeds - the warp drive is offline. Upon arriving at the planet they discover is called Erigol, the inhabitants - a species calling themselves the Caeliar - informs the landing party that they will not be allowed to leave the surface, and the orbiting Columbia will not be permitted to leave.

The novel alternates between the Columbia crew in the 22nd century and the crews of a number of starships in the 24th century. Of course, on the front line of the battle against the Borg is Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise. Outfitted with transphasic torpedoes (see: Voyager's "Endgame"), the Enterprise is assigned to determine how and where the Borg are entering Federation space. Meanwhile, the U.S.S. Aventine under the command of Ezri Dax is investigating the crashed wreck of the Columbia, which has somehow wound up in the Gamma Quadrant. The third 24th-century starship the story follows is Captain Riker's U.S.S. Titan, which finds itself far beyond the borders of the Federation investigating a strange, seemingly artificial star system.

This image, "Last Flight of the Columbia," from Ships of the Line, was the inspiration for much of this story for David Mack.

Interspersed with the huge, epic narrative of the battle against the Borg are smaller, human stories that serve to remind the reader just what it is the characters are fighting for. Picard and Crusher have a child on the way, which causes Jean-Luc to reflect on what kind of universe their child will be born into. Riker and Troi are having difficulties in conceiving a child, and Troi makes what some would see as reckless decisions regarding her nonviable pregnancy. And in the flashback sequences, the crew of the Columbia, imprisoned on Erigol, deal with their fate in a variety of ways.

One of the big themes that comes out of the novel is the idea of fear as the impetus for much of the story: the Caeliar fear outside contact, so they do not allow the Columbia crew to leave. Major Foyle, the head of the Columbia's MACO contingent, fears never returning home and takes drastic steps to secure their freedom. All the while, they are setting in motion events that will shape the future not only for themselves, but for the entire galaxy.

Some may feel that the whole "Federation in peril" story has been overdone. However, it has never been done quite like this. The future that Picard sees when he hears the Borg in his head is nothing short of apocalyptic. The Federation is being brought to its knees in a way it never has before, and while those who have read the entire trilogy know how it will all turn out, at this point the outcome appears bleak to say the least. This is the ultimate test of the Federation, and even someone as strong as Jean-Luc Picard at times seems resigned to the fact that the Federation will fail.

All of these elements will eventually come together, but for now, they are all mostly set up for what is to come. Eventually, we learn of the fate of the Caeliar, and how members of the Columbia crew contributed to the cataclysm that befell them. At the end of the novel, an away team from Titan investigates a planet surrounded by an artificial shell. A familiar figure greets them: former Captain Erika Hernandez of the Starship Columbia, who welcomes them to "New Erigol."

 Final thoughts:

This is an incredibly strong start to the Destiny trilogy, both when I first read it years ago and in my most recent re-read. The action sequences are among the best in Star Trek, and the character moments work very well for the most part. I found the Columbia sequences to be equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying. It's clear from the very start that this is a very tightly-plotted story, with twists and turns that readers will not see coming. At the same time, the story is pure Star Trek through and through. If you haven't read Destiny yet, do yourself a favor and put it on your list immediately; this is Trek lit at its absolute finest, and the best is still yet to come.

More about Gods of Night:

Also by David Mack:

My next read:

Next up is my review of the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, recently re-released for that film's 40th anniversary!

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Friday, March 1, 2019

A Time to Heal

Star Trek: The Next Generation
A Time to Heal by David Mack
Published September 2004
Read November 13th 2018

Previous book (A Time To): A Time to Kill
Next book (A Time To): A Time for War, A Time for Peace
Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for A Time to Heal!

 From the back cover:
A cataclysmic war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire has been miraculously averted, and a new government is finally in place on the planet Tezwa. But deadly secrets still threaten the fragile peace accord. 
Rebels still loyal to the old Tezwa regime have captured Commander Riker and are willing to kill to achieve their goals...the Orion Syndicate is interfering in the rebuilding -- and may also be involved in much more than that. But the most devastating revelation of all threatens the very foundations of the Federation itself -- leaving Captain Picard to possibly face the very conflict that he labored so hard to prevent....

 My thoughts:

 A Time to Heal is the eighth book of the A Time To series, and the conclusion of a duology consisting of this book and the previous one, A Time to Kill.

While I have enjoyed the A Time To series overall, there is one aspect of the format that has been bugging me. The stories themselves are interesting and engaging, but in previous duologies, the stopping point between books one and two have seemed arbitrary. Usually, there's some sort of cliffhanger, and it feels like "Part I" and "Part II" of a Star Trek television episode. This may indeed have been what the authors were going for, but it irks me when a book doesn't feel like a complete story, even when it's an installment in a series.

However, A Time to Kill and A Time to Heal do not exhibit this issue. The story in this novel is very different from A Time to Kill. While the story does indeed continue in Heal, the pacing and atmosphere of both books are very different. And each novel feels like a complete story, which I was very appreciative of.

From the very start, A Time to Heal distinguishes itself from the previous book. While A Time to Kill was a fast-paced action/adventure, A Time to Heal is much more contemplative. If the first book is the story of the invasion and capture of Tezwa, the second is the story of the long slog of occupation. Reviews I've seen online say that the novel is "slow going," and comparing it to A Time to Kill, that's certainly true. But it's telling a very different story, and I felt that the pacing was entirely appropriate for the events of the novel. Starfleet forces, now occupying Tezwa, are trying to bring aid and support to the population, all the while under constant attack by forces loyal to deposed leader Kinshawn. As David Mack said in Literary Treks 250, if A Time to Kill is the 2003 invasion of Iraq, A Time to Heal is the long, brutal, and bloody 8-year occupation that followed.

Deanna Troi faces her demons in A Time to Heal.

Commander Riker, who was captured by Kinshawn's forces at the end of the last novel, is imprisoned and tortured for information. On the Enterprise, Deanna Troi questions one of Kinshawn's generals, who has been captured by Starfleet. This section of the story was certainly difficult to read, but it comes with some hard lessons, both for Deanna and for the reader. Deanna, desperate to get Riker back, ends up resorting to interrogation methods that push the boundary of the definition of "torture." These methods, of course, turn out to be ineffectual, proving that torture is designed not to get information but simply to inflict pain. At the end of the novel, Deanna has to come to terms with her feelings and what she has done.

A Time to Heal isn't, by any stretch, a light tale. There are some heavy themes being explored in its pages, but David Mack does an excellent job of crafting an engaging story that explores these issues in a mature and thoughtful way. War is never pretty, but Star Trek has tended to present a fairly sanitized version of war. Not so in this novel; men and women whom we have come to know well in the A Time To series are senselessly killed, and horrors are visited upon the crew and the people of Tezwa that would look very familiar to anyone who has been in armed combat.

War is stupid, senseless, and bloody. A Time to Heal presents that awful truth in a stark and uncompromising way.

Star Trek's vision of warfare tends to be very sanitized. Not so in A Time to Heal.

The fallout from these events continue into the next novel, A Time for War, A Time for Peace by Keith R.A. DeCandido. The conflict on Tezwa and the resulting suffering stems from actions taken by President Min Zife of the Federation, and his decision to cover them up rather than face the consequences. And the consequences that result from those decisions affect the Star Trek literary universe, even up to the present releases.

A Time to Heal also has a lot of great character work for the rest of the TNG cast as well. Geordi gets some interesting stuff to play with as he slowly pieces together the basis of the conspiracy that the Federation president has been party to; Picard and Crusher face the fact that their relationship has deteriorated as Beverly decides to move on to Starfleet Medical; and in a bit that I loved in particular, Riker acknowledges that his hesitation to move on to his own captaincy has had a detrimental effect on not only his own career, but that of Data, who deserves to move up into the first officer position at long last. Tragically, us fans who have seen Star Trek Nemesis know that he will not have the chance to take that promotion.

 Final thoughts:

Overall, A Time to Heal is an excellent novel, showing the true difficulty and associated horrors of a prolonged military occupation. David Mack pulls no punches with this one, subjecting our heroes to a quagmire that was clearly inspired by real-life events in our very recent cultural memory. While the subject matter is certainly dark, Mack never loses sight of the humanity of the characters, presenting us with a story that will, sadly, be relevant for a long time to come.

 More about A Time to Heal:

Also by David Mack:

A Time To...

My next read:

Next up is my review of the second book in the I.K.S. Gorkon series: Honor Bound by Keith R.A. DeCandido.


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