Star Trek: New Frontier #3 and #4 by Peter David. "The Two-Front War" and "End Game." August 1997.
The final two books of the New Frontier saga resolve many, though not all, of the plot threads in the first two parts. The characters now all introduced, we get to see many of them in action. Si Cwan and Kebron are in trouble, apparently blown to bits at the end of the second book: they are "rescued," to be taken to Thellon. In the meantime, Captain Calhoun must deal with the refugees found by the Excalibur, and find a place to resettle them.
A solution is reached for the refugees when the planet Nelkar offers to give them safe haven. That seems workable, except that Calhoun has a funny feeling about it, which is borne out when the Nelkar hold the refugees hostage and demand Federation technology. Most of book 3 is taken up by these problems, as well as the problem of Dr. Selar: she asks Soleta's help in determining the nature of her difficulties.
Book 4 resolves the problem of the refugees, as well as reuniting the ship with its missing crew members. However, Calhoun must face the son of a man he killed 20 years ago, in ritual combat. At the same time, Thallon seems to be tearing itself apart...or perhaps, something else is doing it. Great Bird of the Galaxy!
It's more adventure from Peter David, romping in this section of the Star Trek universe that he has created. There's lots of fun, action, and humor. A good time will be had by all.
Reviews and discussions of Star Trek novels and related publications.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Friday, August 01, 2008
Star Trek: New Frontier Book Two (Into the Void) by Peter David, July 1997.
This book continues the story from the previous novelette, which was produced in four parts. As we begin this volume, the Excalibur is being readied for launch. Si Cwan, Thallionian prince, is surreptiously loaded onto the ship as part of Soleta's luggage. Ah, but Soleta lets Captain Calhoun know of Si Cwan's presence. Calhoun allows the bag to be loaded anyway, and has security chief Zak Kebron greet the stowaway in the cargo bay. Kebron is a Brikar, a race from a heavy-gravity planet who resembles nothing so much as a small mountain. Cwan holds his own, but is stopped by Calhoun, and sent to the brig. He is released by Calhoun later to be an "ambassador" to his home region of space.
In the meantime, we meet more of the crew. Burgoyne 172 is the chief engineer, and also a Hermat, a race of hermaphrodites. Mark McHenry is the navigator, and often looks like he isn't paying attention even when he is. An affair between Captain Calhoun and first officer Shelby from years ago is also revealed.
When a damaged ship of refugees is found, they greet Si Cwan like a savior returning to bring hope. While attending to them, a distress call is received from a Thallionian ship that reports having Cwan's younger sister on the passenger list. Cwan sets out at one in a runabout with Kebron, who does not trust him. But all is not as it seems....
This is part two of a four-part story, which was also printed in a collected "Omnibus" edition with all the parts. It is Peter David, one of the best Star Trek authors, getting to play around in a Star Trek universe with some familiar one-shot characters from the show, and others of his own creation. On the way, he also takes a few shots at Star Trek: Voyager in this book.
This is good stuff, as David works always are, even if it is incomplete.
This book continues the story from the previous novelette, which was produced in four parts. As we begin this volume, the Excalibur is being readied for launch. Si Cwan, Thallionian prince, is surreptiously loaded onto the ship as part of Soleta's luggage. Ah, but Soleta lets Captain Calhoun know of Si Cwan's presence. Calhoun allows the bag to be loaded anyway, and has security chief Zak Kebron greet the stowaway in the cargo bay. Kebron is a Brikar, a race from a heavy-gravity planet who resembles nothing so much as a small mountain. Cwan holds his own, but is stopped by Calhoun, and sent to the brig. He is released by Calhoun later to be an "ambassador" to his home region of space.
In the meantime, we meet more of the crew. Burgoyne 172 is the chief engineer, and also a Hermat, a race of hermaphrodites. Mark McHenry is the navigator, and often looks like he isn't paying attention even when he is. An affair between Captain Calhoun and first officer Shelby from years ago is also revealed.
When a damaged ship of refugees is found, they greet Si Cwan like a savior returning to bring hope. While attending to them, a distress call is received from a Thallionian ship that reports having Cwan's younger sister on the passenger list. Cwan sets out at one in a runabout with Kebron, who does not trust him. But all is not as it seems....
This is part two of a four-part story, which was also printed in a collected "Omnibus" edition with all the parts. It is Peter David, one of the best Star Trek authors, getting to play around in a Star Trek universe with some familiar one-shot characters from the show, and others of his own creation. On the way, he also takes a few shots at Star Trek: Voyager in this book.
This is good stuff, as David works always are, even if it is incomplete.
Star Trek: New Frontier #1 (House of Cards) by Peter David: July 1997.
Imagine getting a chance to develop your own part of the Star Trek universe. That was the opportunity Peter David, noted Writer of Stuff, had when he was presented with the idea for New Frontier. With Pocket Books editor John J. Ordover, David developed the framework for a new ship and crew, set in the Star Trek universe and with roots firmly set in the series canon.
The series itself was something of an experiment. There is limited tension in the regular novels, because no lead characters can be killed off in a novel. No matter what peril Captain Picard may find himself in within a book, we know that he must survive. In a new series, however, there are no such guarantees. It was this idea that lead to the creation of this series, and that drew David, one of the most successful ST novelists, to it.
The characters are a mix of the familiar and the totally new. Dr. Selar, seen on the Next Generation crew, and Lt. Commander Shelby, seen in the two-part Borg episode as an anti-Borg strategist, are used, as is Robin Lefler, who also was seen on the TNG crew. None were regulars, but all are familiar faces. This helps connect the crew to the familiar, and to ground them for the reading audience. Around these characters, David creates a new set for a new series.
Introduced this time is our new captain, M'k'n'zy of Calhoun, or the standarized version, Mackenzie Calhoun. Calhoun was a freedom fighter on his home work of Xenex against a race, the Danteri, that seeks empire. Although just 19, Calhoun succeeds in leading the resistance that drives the Danteri to give up the planet. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Stargazer is suitably impressed, and sponsors the young man to Starfleet Academy.
We are also introduced to Soleta, a half-Vulcan half-Romulan who first appeared in the youth-aimed novels about Starfleet Academy. Soleta, an archaeologist, will become the science officer for Calhoun. But there is more to her story. (Also in the series are two other characters David created for the StarFleet Academy books, Zak Kebron and Mark McHenry.)
The book is written in sections ranging from 20 years past to the present day. First the story of Calhoun's battle for his home planet is recounted, as is his first encounter with Picard. Next, we move to 10 years ago, when Soleta came into contact with Ambassador Spock on the Thallonian homeworld. An undercover Spock rescued her from certain death. She also went to the academy.
In the next section, we see Dr. Selar leaving the Enterprise to answer the savage call of the Vulcan mating ritual, pon farr. In the mating act, her betrothed suffers a heart attack and dies. Selar interprets this as a need to shut off all emotion, and shut out feeling from her life. This is two years before the book's present.
Finally we come to the present day, as on the Enterprise, Picard and Commander Riker meet with Admirals Jellico and Nechayev, both seen previously on Next Generation, both as adversaries of our heroes. At this meeting, they discuss the situation of the Thallonian Empire, which has collapsed. What should be done? It is decided to send a starship, but with whom in command? Picard recommends Mackenzie Calhoun, who is from a nearby world. Jellico is outraged, but Nechayev is intrigued. This might be just the thing. In the meantime, Soleta is called to duty on the recommissioned Excalibur because of her experience on Thallonia, but finds herself threatened....
Originally simply titled "Book 1," this volume was later designated "House of Cards." It is largely introductory material, serving to introduce us to Calhoun and also to set up the situation. The book is short at 168 pages. The first four books of the series were released at nearly the same time, in a smaller and somewhat cheaper format, to allow for reader sampling. It was successful, no doubt because David was the writer. The four books were also later collected into a hardcover volume with some new material.
It's Peter David, it's Star Trek. There is humor, and action, and really more blood than is required, but it's a page-turning story. In other words, this is what we have come to expect from Peter David. The series is good, solid entertainment.
Imagine getting a chance to develop your own part of the Star Trek universe. That was the opportunity Peter David, noted Writer of Stuff, had when he was presented with the idea for New Frontier. With Pocket Books editor John J. Ordover, David developed the framework for a new ship and crew, set in the Star Trek universe and with roots firmly set in the series canon.
The series itself was something of an experiment. There is limited tension in the regular novels, because no lead characters can be killed off in a novel. No matter what peril Captain Picard may find himself in within a book, we know that he must survive. In a new series, however, there are no such guarantees. It was this idea that lead to the creation of this series, and that drew David, one of the most successful ST novelists, to it.
The characters are a mix of the familiar and the totally new. Dr. Selar, seen on the Next Generation crew, and Lt. Commander Shelby, seen in the two-part Borg episode as an anti-Borg strategist, are used, as is Robin Lefler, who also was seen on the TNG crew. None were regulars, but all are familiar faces. This helps connect the crew to the familiar, and to ground them for the reading audience. Around these characters, David creates a new set for a new series.
Introduced this time is our new captain, M'k'n'zy of Calhoun, or the standarized version, Mackenzie Calhoun. Calhoun was a freedom fighter on his home work of Xenex against a race, the Danteri, that seeks empire. Although just 19, Calhoun succeeds in leading the resistance that drives the Danteri to give up the planet. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Stargazer is suitably impressed, and sponsors the young man to Starfleet Academy.
We are also introduced to Soleta, a half-Vulcan half-Romulan who first appeared in the youth-aimed novels about Starfleet Academy. Soleta, an archaeologist, will become the science officer for Calhoun. But there is more to her story. (Also in the series are two other characters David created for the StarFleet Academy books, Zak Kebron and Mark McHenry.)
The book is written in sections ranging from 20 years past to the present day. First the story of Calhoun's battle for his home planet is recounted, as is his first encounter with Picard. Next, we move to 10 years ago, when Soleta came into contact with Ambassador Spock on the Thallonian homeworld. An undercover Spock rescued her from certain death. She also went to the academy.
In the next section, we see Dr. Selar leaving the Enterprise to answer the savage call of the Vulcan mating ritual, pon farr. In the mating act, her betrothed suffers a heart attack and dies. Selar interprets this as a need to shut off all emotion, and shut out feeling from her life. This is two years before the book's present.
Finally we come to the present day, as on the Enterprise, Picard and Commander Riker meet with Admirals Jellico and Nechayev, both seen previously on Next Generation, both as adversaries of our heroes. At this meeting, they discuss the situation of the Thallonian Empire, which has collapsed. What should be done? It is decided to send a starship, but with whom in command? Picard recommends Mackenzie Calhoun, who is from a nearby world. Jellico is outraged, but Nechayev is intrigued. This might be just the thing. In the meantime, Soleta is called to duty on the recommissioned Excalibur because of her experience on Thallonia, but finds herself threatened....
Originally simply titled "Book 1," this volume was later designated "House of Cards." It is largely introductory material, serving to introduce us to Calhoun and also to set up the situation. The book is short at 168 pages. The first four books of the series were released at nearly the same time, in a smaller and somewhat cheaper format, to allow for reader sampling. It was successful, no doubt because David was the writer. The four books were also later collected into a hardcover volume with some new material.
It's Peter David, it's Star Trek. There is humor, and action, and really more blood than is required, but it's a page-turning story. In other words, this is what we have come to expect from Peter David. The series is good, solid entertainment.
The Siege by Peter David: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #2, May 1993.
This is Peter David's only Deep Space 9 novel, and the first original novel written although it is numbered #2, after the novelization of the first episode.
The wormhole adjacent to the planet Bajor is unstable and must be shut down, so space station Deep Space 9 must play host to unhappy folks who were planning to visit the gamma quadrant. It doesn't seem so bad when a Borg ship comes through....in pieces. Among the uncomfortable guests are an Edemian priest, who was planning to spread the word of his god, K'olkr, to the gamma quadrant. Instead, he and his family proselytize DS9. It doesn't go well, especially when one of the party is murdered. And he is only the first.
Odo quickly sees that this is a "locked-room" murder, and suspicions begin to flow. When more murders are committed, it eventually becomes obvious that the killer is a shapeshifter, much like Odo. With hundreds trapped aboard the space station, the being has a rich killing field. The situation only worsens when Edemian and Cardassian warships show up, demanding justice for those of their race that have been killed.
Peter David, as usual, writes an entertaining and involving book. You'll read through this one fast, as the plot keeps the pages turning and the light writing style makes it easy to consume. David is gifted at writing serious, often gory, plots with a leavening of humor. One scene, a body will get ripped apart, and a few pages later you'll laugh out loud. This is the dichotomy of a Peter David book.
Considering that he had just the series character guides and five episodes to write from, David gets the characters right. Part of this is due no doubt to the guidelines, as DS9 is the best written and best acted of all Star Trek series and deserves more recognition as such. Primary series creator Ira Stephen Behr is responsible for much of that. Behr would later create "The 4400" for cable, and should be put in charge of current Star Trek projects. Oh, well.
The murder mystery is the main plot, but there is more going on here. David examines fundamentalist religions through the Edemians, who are dedicated to their deity but have warships, and have an ill son whom they do not want treated medically. Of course, Dr. Bashir will have none of this, and coerces the mother into letting him treat the child. This has serious consequences.
Of course, the Cardassians have to show up. It would hardly be DS9 if they didn't. Gul Dukat dispatches an emissary (read: spy) to DS9, but he is among those murdered, in the act of an attempted rape of a Bajoran woman. Why do the Cardassians, who profess no love of Barjoran or similar races, tend to ravage their women so? I know, it's more about the violence. The murder gives Dukat a reason to show up at DS9 armed to the teeth and threatening. It also raises the stakes for the climax.
Quark plays a major role, and as often happens becomes a focal point of the action. David captures the Ferengi rather well in this novel. It's hard to imagine that the Ferengi were originally proposed as the Federation's big rivals and enemies, based on what they have become. David captures both the humor and the ruthlessness of Quark.
Sisko and his untenable situation are also captured. O'Brien, Kira, and Dax get scenes, although they are not center to the action. Of course, you can't get them there every time.
Odo is really the central character. The murder mystery, and the search for a being like himself, consume the shapeshifter. This was a good use of Odo, who at this time did not have a lot of his background revealed. David manages to write a story that is not strongly contradicted by future events, but still hangs together well and uses the characters. Quite an achievement in a licensed novel.
This is Peter David's only Deep Space 9 novel, and the first original novel written although it is numbered #2, after the novelization of the first episode.
The wormhole adjacent to the planet Bajor is unstable and must be shut down, so space station Deep Space 9 must play host to unhappy folks who were planning to visit the gamma quadrant. It doesn't seem so bad when a Borg ship comes through....in pieces. Among the uncomfortable guests are an Edemian priest, who was planning to spread the word of his god, K'olkr, to the gamma quadrant. Instead, he and his family proselytize DS9. It doesn't go well, especially when one of the party is murdered. And he is only the first.
Odo quickly sees that this is a "locked-room" murder, and suspicions begin to flow. When more murders are committed, it eventually becomes obvious that the killer is a shapeshifter, much like Odo. With hundreds trapped aboard the space station, the being has a rich killing field. The situation only worsens when Edemian and Cardassian warships show up, demanding justice for those of their race that have been killed.
Peter David, as usual, writes an entertaining and involving book. You'll read through this one fast, as the plot keeps the pages turning and the light writing style makes it easy to consume. David is gifted at writing serious, often gory, plots with a leavening of humor. One scene, a body will get ripped apart, and a few pages later you'll laugh out loud. This is the dichotomy of a Peter David book.
Considering that he had just the series character guides and five episodes to write from, David gets the characters right. Part of this is due no doubt to the guidelines, as DS9 is the best written and best acted of all Star Trek series and deserves more recognition as such. Primary series creator Ira Stephen Behr is responsible for much of that. Behr would later create "The 4400" for cable, and should be put in charge of current Star Trek projects. Oh, well.
The murder mystery is the main plot, but there is more going on here. David examines fundamentalist religions through the Edemians, who are dedicated to their deity but have warships, and have an ill son whom they do not want treated medically. Of course, Dr. Bashir will have none of this, and coerces the mother into letting him treat the child. This has serious consequences.
Of course, the Cardassians have to show up. It would hardly be DS9 if they didn't. Gul Dukat dispatches an emissary (read: spy) to DS9, but he is among those murdered, in the act of an attempted rape of a Bajoran woman. Why do the Cardassians, who profess no love of Barjoran or similar races, tend to ravage their women so? I know, it's more about the violence. The murder gives Dukat a reason to show up at DS9 armed to the teeth and threatening. It also raises the stakes for the climax.
Quark plays a major role, and as often happens becomes a focal point of the action. David captures the Ferengi rather well in this novel. It's hard to imagine that the Ferengi were originally proposed as the Federation's big rivals and enemies, based on what they have become. David captures both the humor and the ruthlessness of Quark.
Sisko and his untenable situation are also captured. O'Brien, Kira, and Dax get scenes, although they are not center to the action. Of course, you can't get them there every time.
Odo is really the central character. The murder mystery, and the search for a being like himself, consume the shapeshifter. This was a good use of Odo, who at this time did not have a lot of his background revealed. David manages to write a story that is not strongly contradicted by future events, but still hangs together well and uses the characters. Quite an achievement in a licensed novel.
"Ship of the Line" by Diane Carey. Star Trek: The Next Generation hardcover, October 1997.
A ship of the line is an impressive craft, and built for that purpose. It is meant for exploration, and often for defense, to "hold the line" against those who would do harm. Author Diane Carey takes that theme, and others from the stories of Horatio Hornblower, and characterizes the starship Enterprise as that "ship of the line."
Star Trek has been referred to as "Horatio Hornblower in Space" by numerous people, including Nicholas Meyer, director of Star Trek movies II and VI starring the original cast. This novel takes on those themes of the starship as "naval" vessel (StarFleet has always used navy terminology) and relies on author Diane Carey's own experiences with sailing.
This book was the only hardcover Next Generation novel published in 1997. It is one of a long list of Carey's novels, and one of her three Next Generation hardcovers. Her strengths and weaknesses are all on display here, but unlike many of Carey's books, on this one the strengths outweigh the weaknesses.
Carey grounds her story in established Star Trek lore. The book begins on a Klingon ship, a ship that is about to launch a solo attack on a Federation starbase while the rest of the Klingon fleet distracts StarFleet elsewhere. Only the cutter Bozeman is left to defend the border, helmed by Captain Morgan Bateson. Bateson (played on the show by Kelsey Grammer, a big Star Trek fan) was seen very briefly in the Next Generation episode "Cause and Effect," in which the Enterprise shockingly collides with another ship and explodes in the episode teaser, then seems to return unharmed when the show comes back from commercial. As it happens, the ship is caught in a temporal feedback loop, continually repeating the same crash over and over until the Enterprise takes action to prevent it. The loop is caused by the Bozeman traveling through time.
Carey's story begins back before the causation of that loop, in the time of the original series. The Bozeman encounters the Enterprise of Kirk and Spock in a somewhat gratuitous scene, which leads to a too-long scene of tedious naval discussion of interest only to avid sailors. It is one of Carey's weaknesses, the need for heavy editing, but thankfully this is the only serious instance of the problem.
The Bozeman encounters the Klingon ship, and engages it in spite of being outgunned. Bateson hopes to keep the Klingons busy long enough to get help and save the starbase that is undoubtedly the target. It works, and the Bozeman is likewise saved when it falls into the temporal field and moves 90 years into the future, and the time of Next Generation, encountering the Enterprise of Picard and Riker.
Now, the crew of the Bozeman must face the loss of family and friends, and knowledge that is 90 years out of date. Captain Bateson manages to keep his crew together, and manages a job supervising starship construction. Thus, when the Enterprise-D is destroyed in the events of Star Trek:Generations (the crossover movie involving the original series and Next Generation, basically the first Next Generation movie) Bateson is supervising the building of the new Enterprise-E. The Enterprise command crew gathers, hoping that Captain Picard will be offered, and will accept, command of the new ship.
StarFleet, however, has other ideas. Bateson is given command of the Enterprise for the shakedown cruise, and Picard is given a diplomatic mission to Cardassia, negotiating for prisoners of war. He takes Dr. Crusher and Worf with him. The other officers, including Riker, are assigned to the Enterprise. LaForge assists Montgomery Scott in engineering, and Data takes ops. Troi is on medical/science staff, the old-fashioned Bateson not believing in the need for a ship's counselor. Riker gives Picard a gift: he has the civilian ship Picard uses fitted with a holodeck, and provides him with tapes of Captain Kirk's exploits.
While Picard watches the original series crew (in scenes from "Balance of Terror," featuring an encounter with the Romulans, and "The Enemy Within," when Kirk is split into passive and aggressive personalities by a transporter accident) his thought processes coalesce, and he decides both that he does want another command, and that simply pleading with the Cardassians, and his former torturer (from the two-part episode "Chain of Command") is not the proper way to deal with the situation.
Meanwhile aboard the Enterprise, Bateson is convinced that the Klingons are being aggressive again, and takes a still-incomplete Enterprise to the site where he expects trouble. Trouble indeed shows up, in the form of the still-living Klingon commander who was once his nemesis. With his knowledge of Bateson, and 90 years of experience, Commander Kozara defeats the Enterprise and boards her, imprisoning the crew. Bateson, Riker, and Scott must regroup and take back the ship.
As you can see from the plot description, this is quite an involved book with a lot going on. This is a welcome difference from the usual Carey habit of packing 100 pages of plot into 300 pages of overblown writing. While at times she gets a bit wordy, most of her usual weaknesses are avoided, although some dialogue is too cute by half and Riker is generally out of character. Too cute? This exchange is early in the book, when Bateson informs the crew that they can ask the soon-to-be-visiting Mr. Spock any question:
"Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?"
"How do you know when to tune bagpipes?"
"What's the French word for 'bouquet'?"
"Was 'dead reckoning' ever alive?"
And this exchange between Bateson and Troi on the subject of his and Riker's similar beards:
"You know, we have a problem. One of us is going to have to shave this D'Artagnan imitation. Either that, or everybody aboard is going to have to grow one."
"Don't look at me!"
Funny, but reaching. However, it doesn't hurt the overall book. It's a good read, even if the climax is a bit anticlimactic. This one will also be popular with lovers of sailing.
A ship of the line is an impressive craft, and built for that purpose. It is meant for exploration, and often for defense, to "hold the line" against those who would do harm. Author Diane Carey takes that theme, and others from the stories of Horatio Hornblower, and characterizes the starship Enterprise as that "ship of the line."
Star Trek has been referred to as "Horatio Hornblower in Space" by numerous people, including Nicholas Meyer, director of Star Trek movies II and VI starring the original cast. This novel takes on those themes of the starship as "naval" vessel (StarFleet has always used navy terminology) and relies on author Diane Carey's own experiences with sailing.
This book was the only hardcover Next Generation novel published in 1997. It is one of a long list of Carey's novels, and one of her three Next Generation hardcovers. Her strengths and weaknesses are all on display here, but unlike many of Carey's books, on this one the strengths outweigh the weaknesses.
Carey grounds her story in established Star Trek lore. The book begins on a Klingon ship, a ship that is about to launch a solo attack on a Federation starbase while the rest of the Klingon fleet distracts StarFleet elsewhere. Only the cutter Bozeman is left to defend the border, helmed by Captain Morgan Bateson. Bateson (played on the show by Kelsey Grammer, a big Star Trek fan) was seen very briefly in the Next Generation episode "Cause and Effect," in which the Enterprise shockingly collides with another ship and explodes in the episode teaser, then seems to return unharmed when the show comes back from commercial. As it happens, the ship is caught in a temporal feedback loop, continually repeating the same crash over and over until the Enterprise takes action to prevent it. The loop is caused by the Bozeman traveling through time.
Carey's story begins back before the causation of that loop, in the time of the original series. The Bozeman encounters the Enterprise of Kirk and Spock in a somewhat gratuitous scene, which leads to a too-long scene of tedious naval discussion of interest only to avid sailors. It is one of Carey's weaknesses, the need for heavy editing, but thankfully this is the only serious instance of the problem.
The Bozeman encounters the Klingon ship, and engages it in spite of being outgunned. Bateson hopes to keep the Klingons busy long enough to get help and save the starbase that is undoubtedly the target. It works, and the Bozeman is likewise saved when it falls into the temporal field and moves 90 years into the future, and the time of Next Generation, encountering the Enterprise of Picard and Riker.
Now, the crew of the Bozeman must face the loss of family and friends, and knowledge that is 90 years out of date. Captain Bateson manages to keep his crew together, and manages a job supervising starship construction. Thus, when the Enterprise-D is destroyed in the events of Star Trek:Generations (the crossover movie involving the original series and Next Generation, basically the first Next Generation movie) Bateson is supervising the building of the new Enterprise-E. The Enterprise command crew gathers, hoping that Captain Picard will be offered, and will accept, command of the new ship.
StarFleet, however, has other ideas. Bateson is given command of the Enterprise for the shakedown cruise, and Picard is given a diplomatic mission to Cardassia, negotiating for prisoners of war. He takes Dr. Crusher and Worf with him. The other officers, including Riker, are assigned to the Enterprise. LaForge assists Montgomery Scott in engineering, and Data takes ops. Troi is on medical/science staff, the old-fashioned Bateson not believing in the need for a ship's counselor. Riker gives Picard a gift: he has the civilian ship Picard uses fitted with a holodeck, and provides him with tapes of Captain Kirk's exploits.
While Picard watches the original series crew (in scenes from "Balance of Terror," featuring an encounter with the Romulans, and "The Enemy Within," when Kirk is split into passive and aggressive personalities by a transporter accident) his thought processes coalesce, and he decides both that he does want another command, and that simply pleading with the Cardassians, and his former torturer (from the two-part episode "Chain of Command") is not the proper way to deal with the situation.
Meanwhile aboard the Enterprise, Bateson is convinced that the Klingons are being aggressive again, and takes a still-incomplete Enterprise to the site where he expects trouble. Trouble indeed shows up, in the form of the still-living Klingon commander who was once his nemesis. With his knowledge of Bateson, and 90 years of experience, Commander Kozara defeats the Enterprise and boards her, imprisoning the crew. Bateson, Riker, and Scott must regroup and take back the ship.
As you can see from the plot description, this is quite an involved book with a lot going on. This is a welcome difference from the usual Carey habit of packing 100 pages of plot into 300 pages of overblown writing. While at times she gets a bit wordy, most of her usual weaknesses are avoided, although some dialogue is too cute by half and Riker is generally out of character. Too cute? This exchange is early in the book, when Bateson informs the crew that they can ask the soon-to-be-visiting Mr. Spock any question:
"Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?"
"How do you know when to tune bagpipes?"
"What's the French word for 'bouquet'?"
"Was 'dead reckoning' ever alive?"
And this exchange between Bateson and Troi on the subject of his and Riker's similar beards:
"You know, we have a problem. One of us is going to have to shave this D'Artagnan imitation. Either that, or everybody aboard is going to have to grow one."
"Don't look at me!"
Funny, but reaching. However, it doesn't hurt the overall book. It's a good read, even if the climax is a bit anticlimactic. This one will also be popular with lovers of sailing.
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