What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Trek: Vanguard #2
Summon the Thunder
In the aftermath of 'Harbinger', Commodore Diego Reyes commands Vanguard while waging an intensely personal struggle; tasked to uncover the true significance of the Taurus Reach while simultaneously concealing that mission from his fellow officers - and even his closest friends.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2006
105 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
About the author
Dayton Ward
112 books318 followersDayton is a software developer, having become a slave to Corporate America after spending eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. When asked, he’ll tell you that he left home and joined the military soon after high school because he’d grown tired of people telling him what to do all the time.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
May 31, 2010
This second volume in the Vanguard series is not written by David Mack, and Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore aren't quite as good authors. It's not a night-and-day difference in style or execution but Harbinger Star Trek Vanguard 1 is the better book.
Biggest highlight:
* The authors do a good job of showing the difference between how the Klingons react to the Shedai Wanderer and the Federation's response. They have no problems bombarding planets with photon torpedoes but the Federation's attempt to understand what's happening reaps greater rewards in the end.
Less good things:
* Why is it that in these shared-world series, it seems authors feel compelled to include every character or race introduced in other books. I noticed this during my Star Wars novel phase - Every book had to include every character from the original films, no matter how much of a stretch required. Here, we get a Romulan ship investigating the Reach. Now, I love the Romulans ("Balance of Terror" is in my top 5 TOS episodes) but there's no reason for their presence here.
* There's an ill-considered attempt at humor when Quinn and Pennington are sent to pick up one of Ganz's operatives who has a pet alien named "Sniffy" - do I need to elaborate?
* While the attempt to create a truly alien race in the Tholians continues apace, I wish that all their names didn't end in "-ene." It's nearly as bad, of course, with Vulcans or the other races.
* Out of nowhere we find that T'Prynn knows Sandesjo is a Klingon spy and, beyond that, we find that Sandesjo is working as a double agent. Huh? When did this happen? And from a narrative point of view, there's absolutely no tension anymore about Sandesjo's role in the Federaton embassy or the threat of discovery.
* What's worse? The Vulcan/Klingon lesbian sex is only implied in this installment :-(
I'm still not particularly interested in any of the characters but the storyline and the writing continue to be good enough that I want to reach closure with the series. Mack is the author of the third book - Reap the Whirlwind Star Trek Vanguard 3 - and that's in the mail and I have the last two books out from the library so my desires should be fulfilled relatively soon.
Biggest highlight:
* The authors do a good job of showing the difference between how the Klingons react to the Shedai Wanderer and the Federation's response. They have no problems bombarding planets with photon torpedoes but the Federation's attempt to understand what's happening reaps greater rewards in the end.
Less good things:
* Why is it that in these shared-world series, it seems authors feel compelled to include every character or race introduced in other books. I noticed this during my Star Wars novel phase - Every book had to include every character from the original films, no matter how much of a stretch required. Here, we get a Romulan ship investigating the Reach. Now, I love the Romulans ("Balance of Terror" is in my top 5 TOS episodes) but there's no reason for their presence here.
* There's an ill-considered attempt at humor when Quinn and Pennington are sent to pick up one of Ganz's operatives who has a pet alien named "Sniffy" - do I need to elaborate?
* While the attempt to create a truly alien race in the Tholians continues apace, I wish that all their names didn't end in "-ene." It's nearly as bad, of course, with Vulcans or the other races.
* Out of nowhere we find that T'Prynn knows Sandesjo is a Klingon spy and, beyond that, we find that Sandesjo is working as a double agent. Huh? When did this happen? And from a narrative point of view, there's absolutely no tension anymore about Sandesjo's role in the Federaton embassy or the threat of discovery.
* What's worse? The Vulcan/Klingon lesbian sex is only implied in this installment :-(
I'm still not particularly interested in any of the characters but the storyline and the writing continue to be good enough that I want to reach closure with the series. Mack is the author of the third book - Reap the Whirlwind Star Trek Vanguard 3 - and that's in the mail and I have the last two books out from the library so my desires should be fulfilled relatively soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2023
I was never a fan of this time in Star Trek but this series is amazing. What a great gritty read. If they had this universe on tv today this would be the series I'd want to see
I really enjoy this series. There’s certainly a lot of mystery but also a lot of great character work. I love how there’s just enough mystery revealed that leaves you wanting more. My one complaint and this is consistent with the authors are when characters are narrating multiple questions covering either the current situation or plot lines that happened in the previous novels instead of just letting events happen and continuing the story.
I really enjoy this series. There’s certainly a lot of mystery but also a lot of great character work. I love how there’s just enough mystery revealed that leaves you wanting more. My one complaint and this is consistent with the authors are when characters are narrating multiple questions covering either the current situation or plot lines that happened in the previous novels instead of just letting events happen and continuing the story.
Read
March 19, 2020"Report," Decker said, cutting straight to business.
Masada reached behind his ear as if to scratch, then gave an almost absentminded tug on his ponytail as he straightened and pivoted toward Decker. "We were running a routine gene-sequence scan on the biosamples froom Ravanar IV," he said. "Most were nothing to write home about." He geestured for Takeshewada to look at the sensor data for herself. "Then we found this."
Decker tried to be patient, but at times like this it was hard. "Guillermo, please don't keep me in suspense."
"Sorry, sir. It's a gene sequence unlike anything we've ever seen before. My best uess would be that it has several million chemical base pairs, and it's more complex than simple G-A-T-C. It has molecules we're still trying to identify."
Takeshewada lifted her gaze from the blue-gray sensor hood. Her already fair complexion looke paler than normal. "That's incredible," she said.
Folding his arms across his chest, Decker said to Masada, "Where did it come from? Some kind of uber-life-form?"
"Hardly," the science officer said. "From a simple mold."
"Simple?" Decker shook his head, as much in disbelief as in sheer wonderment at the never-ending tricks the universe had up its proverbial sleeve. "That's a lot of DNA for something I'd scrape off my breakfast. Speaking of which--" He turned toward his yeoman, who happened to be walking past. "Lawford, get me some coffee, will you?"
"Lawford transferred to the Yorktown two weeks ago, sir," the yeoman said. "I'm Guthrie."
Decker squinted in disapproval. "And that has precisely what to do with my coffee?"
"Nothing, sir."
The commodore pointed the yeoman toward the food slot. "Milk, no sugar."
"I know, sir."
"Thanks, Lawford."
"Guthrie, sir."
"Whatever." Decker turned back toward the science station while the yeoman plodded away, muttering quietly. Returning his attention to Masada, Decker said, "Why would mold need that much genetic information?"
"I don't think it does," Masada said.
Decker was getting annoyed. "That's what I'm saying."
"No sir," Masada said. "What I mean is, I think only a very small portion of the genetic string has anything to do with the mold itself. The rest is...well, just there."
Takeshewada tilted her head in a way that implied she found Masada's answer less than satisfactory. "But what does it do, Guillermo?"
The science officer's eyes widened as his lips tightened into a thin line and his shoulders rounded into a shrug. "No idea. I can tell you that it's big, but other than that..." He just shook his head.
"And out tradition of excellence continues," Decker said with a sour inflection. His darkening mood was brightened by the arrival of his coffee. He accepted the mug from Guthrie, then turned immediately back toward Masada. "How soon can you finish some testsand get me a real report?"
"I'm not sure I can," Masada said. "Our lab's good, bu it's not this good. We're gonna have to send all of this--the samples, the scans, the whole kit and kaboodle--back to Starfleet Command and let them handle it."
Decker's shoulders slumped with disappointment. "Are you serious? We make a once-in-a-lifetime find, and you're telling me we have to punt?"
"I'm afraid so so, sir
January 17, 2022
This novel was pretty disappointing coming off of Harbinger, which I thought was excellent. Overall, it was just ok. The story of the USS Endeavour and its exploration of Erilon was the best part of the novel and furthered the Taurus Reach storyline in an interesting way. My biggest issue with this novel is that it takes 50 pages to get going, has a moderately exciting away mission on Erilon for the next 50 pages, and then proceeds to follow a bunch of really dull uninspired storylines that are all over the place for about 100 pages. The storylines didn’t mesh well and I found myself asking the whole time: what’s the point? It isn’t until the Klingons get into hot water on Palgrenax that this story starts to get interesting again. The second half of the novel was the novel I wanted for the duration of the book but it still wasn’t enough to forgive the earlier misgivings of the story. T’Prynn, who was one of the best characters in Harbinger, is also largely absent from this story and I think that hurt the narrative because I wanted to know what she was up to during all of the chaos that happens in the second half of the book. Ultimately, this feels like a setup book for the rest of the series and if so, that’s fine, but it’s one that I really had to push through. It gives me comfort that this is the lowest rated of the series because I was constantly wondering if I was the problem or if the story was the problem, because I normally love the majority of Star Trek novels that I read. It’s only up from here.
November 2, 2017
SUMMON THE THUNDER is okay. I enjoyed it but I can't say I quite got the meal I was looking for out of this volume. Weirdly, I think it may have to do with the fact I was eager to get back into the character journeys of the vividly realized cast from HARBINGER but instead got a focus on the plot. The characters, however amusing Quinn and Pennington kidnapping a mob accountant may be, didn't seem to progress much in the story.
It says something I was more interested in the relationship of a Romulan commander and her subordinate than I was in the explosion of a planet midway through the book. Really, the best part of the book was the Romulan and Ambassadorial sections that seemed the most removed from the main cast. We get some information about the Tholians, the big threat, and some more but it does seem to be not as much happened character wise as I'd hoped.
Still, I'm not turned off the series either.
6.5/10
It says something I was more interested in the relationship of a Romulan commander and her subordinate than I was in the explosion of a planet midway through the book. Really, the best part of the book was the Romulan and Ambassadorial sections that seemed the most removed from the main cast. We get some information about the Tholians, the big threat, and some more but it does seem to be not as much happened character wise as I'd hoped.
Still, I'm not turned off the series either.
6.5/10
January 19, 2024
Could've been a better book. I understand the necessity to add so many subplots, so to make it clear how grand this design is, how many elements concur to fit in a scenario that includes politics, science, exploration, warfare...but, so far, there was Quinn's story that...meh, it read like something crammed in only to justify the presence of Pennington the journalist. Considering what happens toward the end, one would ask themselves: Did we just need that particular storyline?
The last scene, set on Romulus, is redundant, unnecessary, and doesn't help at all. At that point, your emotional investment is completed already, it was like some lazy, long post-credit scene.
The last scene, set on Romulus, is redundant, unnecessary, and doesn't help at all. At that point, your emotional investment is completed already, it was like some lazy, long post-credit scene.
July 19, 2017
What Ward and Dayton do best is move an intricate plot forward with continuous interpersonal conflicts in an unfolding mystery about a newly discovered alien race. Its what I like most about Star Trek; the discovery of new life forms and civilizations. But I have a problem with this story. I don't care enough about any of the characters that Mack (in the first book) and Ward (in this book) have crafted to feel much of anything when they die or lose someone they care about. The authors hop around a lot, creating quirky characters that gradually push a lumbering series of side stories, yet I never really get to know them.
Now that I've finished books 1 and 2 of the series, I am asking myself the following: Where the heck did Spock and Kirk go? (they had cameos in the first book and disappear in the second book). Will I read the next book in this Vanguard series?
Even in Game of Thrones, which has a massive amount of characters, I feel something for Tyrion, Arya, John Snow, and the Mother of Dragons, even though I struggle to keep track of all the extra characters and sub-plots. With the first 2 books in the Vanguard series, the characters are a little wooden to me and the jokes are predictable. They seem more like vehicles to push along the interests of their species rather than breathing, bleeding beings. I do see Ward and Mack as talented writers who had a hand in shaping the greater story arc of Vanguard (greater emphasis on Mack as he oversaw nearly all of the series). I also understand the desire of an author to craft their own characters and the thrill to be the ones to expand the Star Trek universe. But I think the story could have been more engaging to me if either Spock or Kirk were given significant parts in this space opera since none of the new characters seemed to grab me. In Book 1, the brief interplay of Spock and T'Prynn as two Vulcans could have gone a long way. Kirk lacked action in the first book, but he could have livened up the slow parts with some gutsy Kirk-ness in this second book. This might have given more runway to the other characters to deepen in their development. The story line was interesting enough for me to wish that these things could have happened. But 800+ pages later (Books 1 &2), I'm not sure I will get to the next Vanguard books. Too many great series out there in the Sci Fi and Fantasy realms. If anyone has read book 3, please comment your thoughts below.
Pick up this book if you are a Trekkie that is not attached to seeing established characters from the Trek backbone and just want an intriguing mystery about different species on the edge of war.
Now that I've finished books 1 and 2 of the series, I am asking myself the following: Where the heck did Spock and Kirk go? (they had cameos in the first book and disappear in the second book). Will I read the next book in this Vanguard series?
Even in Game of Thrones, which has a massive amount of characters, I feel something for Tyrion, Arya, John Snow, and the Mother of Dragons, even though I struggle to keep track of all the extra characters and sub-plots. With the first 2 books in the Vanguard series, the characters are a little wooden to me and the jokes are predictable. They seem more like vehicles to push along the interests of their species rather than breathing, bleeding beings. I do see Ward and Mack as talented writers who had a hand in shaping the greater story arc of Vanguard (greater emphasis on Mack as he oversaw nearly all of the series). I also understand the desire of an author to craft their own characters and the thrill to be the ones to expand the Star Trek universe. But I think the story could have been more engaging to me if either Spock or Kirk were given significant parts in this space opera since none of the new characters seemed to grab me. In Book 1, the brief interplay of Spock and T'Prynn as two Vulcans could have gone a long way. Kirk lacked action in the first book, but he could have livened up the slow parts with some gutsy Kirk-ness in this second book. This might have given more runway to the other characters to deepen in their development. The story line was interesting enough for me to wish that these things could have happened. But 800+ pages later (Books 1 &2), I'm not sure I will get to the next Vanguard books. Too many great series out there in the Sci Fi and Fantasy realms. If anyone has read book 3, please comment your thoughts below.
Pick up this book if you are a Trekkie that is not attached to seeing established characters from the Trek backbone and just want an intriguing mystery about different species on the edge of war.
December 5, 2020
Star Trek Vanguard is a series with two, dichotomous forces. The plot is fantastically strong and makes me really excited to read. However, the writing style and characters are just not interesting and are flat out annoying at times.
Regarding plot, I love where the series is going. The Taurus Reach is an interesting place and having the differing factions of the Federation, Klingons, Tholians, and Romulans fighting for control in a cold war style politics is fantastic. I didn't know where is was going and kept me on my toes.
Also, the "star trek" element isn't the best I've ever seen, but it has me intrigued enough that I want to keep reading.
My problems with this book(and with it's predecessor) are it's writing style and characters. There is so much "soap opera" stuff in this book that I just don't like it. You don't have to write romance to include sleeping around and include affairs and the like. Some Star Trek authors just can't grasp that, and unfortunately, Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore are in that camp.
Also, I think the book is trying to cover a few too many bases, particularly with the Pennington story here. With condensing that storyline and eliminating a lot of the "soap opera", this book could have been 100+ pages shorter, and better for it.
If I can say one final good thing about the book is that they really caught me up quickly. It's been over 2 years since I read the last book(Harbinger) and I had forgotten most of the plot and only remembered a handful of characters(mostly stuff I didn't like), and I was caught up quickly and felt as if I hadn't missed anything. That's very important in a media tie-in fiction series with multiple authors, so well done.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, in so much as I am eager to read book 3. However, I don't believe it holds a candle to some other Star Trek books I've read. I give this book a 6.5 out of 10! Decent job Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore.
Regarding plot, I love where the series is going. The Taurus Reach is an interesting place and having the differing factions of the Federation, Klingons, Tholians, and Romulans fighting for control in a cold war style politics is fantastic. I didn't know where is was going and kept me on my toes.
Also, the "star trek" element isn't the best I've ever seen, but it has me intrigued enough that I want to keep reading.
My problems with this book(and with it's predecessor) are it's writing style and characters. There is so much "soap opera" stuff in this book that I just don't like it. You don't have to write romance to include sleeping around and include affairs and the like. Some Star Trek authors just can't grasp that, and unfortunately, Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore are in that camp.
Also, I think the book is trying to cover a few too many bases, particularly with the Pennington story here. With condensing that storyline and eliminating a lot of the "soap opera", this book could have been 100+ pages shorter, and better for it.
If I can say one final good thing about the book is that they really caught me up quickly. It's been over 2 years since I read the last book(Harbinger) and I had forgotten most of the plot and only remembered a handful of characters(mostly stuff I didn't like), and I was caught up quickly and felt as if I hadn't missed anything. That's very important in a media tie-in fiction series with multiple authors, so well done.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, in so much as I am eager to read book 3. However, I don't believe it holds a candle to some other Star Trek books I've read. I give this book a 6.5 out of 10! Decent job Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore.
March 4, 2019
This is the second book in the Vanguard series. The series is set in the Taurus Reach, with the Federation trying to examine clues to a discovered meta genome, while also navigating Tholian and Klingon activity, which happens to border this region of space.
It does a good job moving the story along. To me, this book felt it could have been a solid stand-alone Star Trek episode. Compared to the first entry, this one could feel a little slow at times. I think it was down to the writing style of the authors (David Mack wrote the first entry). It was good to see the Endeavor in action, a Constitution class ship that was only mentioned in the previous novel. The characters there are compelling and I cannot wait to follow up with them in future installments. I like how the story also carries on with Pennington, the reporter, and Quinn, a universal drunk. Their adventure helps shed light on the universe outside of the Federation. I did not find that their story arcs clashed with the Federation counterparts. I'm looking forward to see how their story threads intertwine in future installments.
The story does a good job answering a few questions from the first book. The problem is that one answer always brings up 100 more questions. A major problem with the book is the ending, which seemed to go on and on. All of this was to set up for the third installment. So while this was necessary, I cannot help but feel that there could have been ways to shorten it, or to make it a bit more entertaining. The surprise turns at this point seemed a little predictable.
Overall, a good book for the series, which is starting off strong!
It does a good job moving the story along. To me, this book felt it could have been a solid stand-alone Star Trek episode. Compared to the first entry, this one could feel a little slow at times. I think it was down to the writing style of the authors (David Mack wrote the first entry). It was good to see the Endeavor in action, a Constitution class ship that was only mentioned in the previous novel. The characters there are compelling and I cannot wait to follow up with them in future installments. I like how the story also carries on with Pennington, the reporter, and Quinn, a universal drunk. Their adventure helps shed light on the universe outside of the Federation. I did not find that their story arcs clashed with the Federation counterparts. I'm looking forward to see how their story threads intertwine in future installments.
The story does a good job answering a few questions from the first book. The problem is that one answer always brings up 100 more questions. A major problem with the book is the ending, which seemed to go on and on. All of this was to set up for the third installment. So while this was necessary, I cannot help but feel that there could have been ways to shorten it, or to make it a bit more entertaining. The surprise turns at this point seemed a little predictable.
Overall, a good book for the series, which is starting off strong!
March 3, 2016
Dayton Ward does his best David Mack impression and the results are entertaining and enjoyable. The humour and variety don't quite hit the spot quite as well but we get plenty of setup here and the Vanguard series wheels keep spinning along quite nicely. I'm continuing to enjoy the vast range of characters, the overt liberalness that tinges this particular Star Trek, the classic warmongering (and the Romulans make their entrance in a sneaky fashion this time around) and the pure - albeit generic - space operaness of it all. It's a lot of fun, though perhaps difficult to recommend beyond the pure entertainment value.
I did, also, enjoy the little nod to the lack of Klingon makeup in TOS explaining it away as a bastard race, lacking the honour of the classic klingon - indeed, the Klingons on the show are particularly masochistic.
Not a whiff of Kirk makes me sad, though.
If you enjoyed Harbinger, there's no reason you wouldn't enjoy this continuation since the quality doesn't dip. Be aware that it's a little thin on the ground story-wise though, I think David Mack probably wanted to keep the big moments in the series for himself.
I did, also, enjoy the little nod to the lack of Klingon makeup in TOS explaining it away as a bastard race, lacking the honour of the classic klingon - indeed, the Klingons on the show are particularly masochistic.
Not a whiff of Kirk makes me sad, though.
If you enjoyed Harbinger, there's no reason you wouldn't enjoy this continuation since the quality doesn't dip. Be aware that it's a little thin on the ground story-wise though, I think David Mack probably wanted to keep the big moments in the series for himself.
June 6, 2018
While continuing the main story and doing good development on it. I think this books centers too much on overexposition and lessens the mistery.
It also has some deep incursions into repetitive instances of inner thoughts, and while the repetition works to a certain extent, it could have been done with far less instances with the same or greater effect.
It also leaves suggested but unresolved what is perhaps one of the perhaps more pivotal points in star trek. This might be the place where the klingons get romulan technology, or it might not be. But it's completely unresolved. And while there are better clifhangers open, some things you just don't play with.
It also has some deep incursions into repetitive instances of inner thoughts, and while the repetition works to a certain extent, it could have been done with far less instances with the same or greater effect.
It also leaves suggested but unresolved what is perhaps one of the perhaps more pivotal points in star trek. This might be the place where the klingons get romulan technology, or it might not be. But it's completely unresolved. And while there are better clifhangers open, some things you just don't play with.
August 25, 2015
Even though it took me over a month to read it, it wasn't due lack if quality, I just couldn't find the time. But I thought it was a great follow to Harbinger, not as good as Harbinger but still a solid entry. The Shedai scenes & the character building was great. l think the overall Vanguard story is awsome, it's a little unpredictable as it seems the traditional Star Trek rules don't apply, people die regardless of rank or status,...fixin to jump right into Reap the Whirlwind! Loving this Vanguard series!
July 27, 2018
I guess slow burn would be the best way to descripbe this book (series). The writing is good, you don't really feel the change of author and the multiple story arcs are evolving nicely. I'm still having problem with the lack of action in the series (so far), but I think Star Trek as always been mre about human drama then action. The multiple strories are all interesting and the main mystery is well presented and preserve. When I'm in the right mood to read a slow moving novel, I go to this series and enjoy the familiar Star Trek setting and great plot.
April 2, 2018
The second volume is as enjoyable and well written as the first. I'm enjoying the journey of this story very much, I'm just hoping that by the end, the secret of Taurus Reach will be worthy. Great characters and storyline so far.
July 25, 2019
An epic entry in a fascinating series! The authors succeed brilliantly in a fast-moving novel with a lot of moving parts and intriguing characters across several starships as well as the starbase Vanguard. A perfect series for Star Trek noobs.
July 21, 2017
Took me a bit of time to get into this one after a very large gap since reading Harbinger but really got caught up in it towards the end. Hope I can get around to book three a lot quicker.
July 24, 2018
Rough.
August 1, 2019
great book
March 22, 2023
Star Trek: Summon the Thunder by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore is the second book in the 9 book Star Trek Vangaurd series. This book takes place very soon after Harbinger by David Mack ended. This book does not feature anyone from the Star Trek the Original series, like the last one did, but with events that happened in this book Kirk, Scotty, Chekov, and Uhura will all return in the series soon. The event of this book take place in the far reaches of space between The Klingon Empire and Tholian space on Starbase 47 also called Vangaurd. The Starfleet mission is set up to look like a peace keeping mission, but really the Starfleet Federation is looking at a higher life form and a potential weapon. The first book had a lot of internal conflict and character development, this book continues the conflict but loses some of the character development. This book had more action than the first but did not always do the best job describing it. This story had a great beginning but lost momentum in the middle a little bit and pulled out a decent ending that made me want to read more. The Shedai Wanderer has some great action scenes and seems like a really interesting character that could be the enemy or really misunderstood. Star Trek: Vangaurd 2 Summon the Thunder was published by Pocket Books on July 1 2006.
Plot Summary: The spaceship the Endeavour is on a mission to check out a power source and possible weapon that was discovered in the last book on the ice planet Erilon. The surface team thinks they are investigating a dormant planet with a power source beneath the planet until they are attacked both on the surface and in the air. The Klingons are searching the same thing on another planet as they are attacked on the surface and in air, but this time the end result is different with the Shedai against the battle hardened Klingons. Also to make things more interesting the Romulans curious abut what is going on see the power of the weapon first hand. Things get messy as the Vanguard sets up peace talks while hiding what they know of power of Shedai.
What I Liked: The political intrigue was told really well and made more interesting by the Romulans join the fight. The Quinn and Pennington adventure was fun and I liked a twist element that was in the story. Both these characters were my favorite of the last book, they are not in too many scenes but make the most when involved. I liked Reyes finally letting his lover and second in command know the truth. I like the science of the crystalline material. I liked the Shedai and how it operates, it is not explained really well until the second battle. I liked the Romulan involvement and really liked all the scenes they were in. The Reyes and Pennington scene really good writing in that scene.
What I Disliked: The first battle on Erilon was a mess and I feel was not described well at all. I had a real hard time picturing it. There is no line break or anything when the narrative switches characters with in the chapter, it was really annoying and done at least 3 times. T'Prynn knows someone is a spy but did not seem to know this in the first book and doesn't include the reader in how they found out or how long they have know it kind of came out of nowhere and didn't even act like it was a big deal, when to the narrative it is a really big deal. Dropped the ball a bit in character development for this novel, when it was really excellent in the first.
Recommendations: This is a solid second novel in a series, that adds onto what was started in the first book. This book had a lot more action 2 big battles and one smaller one. The character were rarely developed further but David Mack did such a good job in the first I noticed it more than I perhaps would've. The story overall was good and made me want to read more of the series. The next book David Mack returns which makes me really excited for the series. I rated Star Trek: Summon the Thunder by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Plot Summary: The spaceship the Endeavour is on a mission to check out a power source and possible weapon that was discovered in the last book on the ice planet Erilon. The surface team thinks they are investigating a dormant planet with a power source beneath the planet until they are attacked both on the surface and in the air. The Klingons are searching the same thing on another planet as they are attacked on the surface and in air, but this time the end result is different with the Shedai against the battle hardened Klingons. Also to make things more interesting the Romulans curious abut what is going on see the power of the weapon first hand. Things get messy as the Vanguard sets up peace talks while hiding what they know of power of Shedai.
What I Liked: The political intrigue was told really well and made more interesting by the Romulans join the fight. The Quinn and Pennington adventure was fun and I liked a twist element that was in the story. Both these characters were my favorite of the last book, they are not in too many scenes but make the most when involved. I liked Reyes finally letting his lover and second in command know the truth. I like the science of the crystalline material. I liked the Shedai and how it operates, it is not explained really well until the second battle. I liked the Romulan involvement and really liked all the scenes they were in. The Reyes and Pennington scene really good writing in that scene.
What I Disliked: The first battle on Erilon was a mess and I feel was not described well at all. I had a real hard time picturing it. There is no line break or anything when the narrative switches characters with in the chapter, it was really annoying and done at least 3 times. T'Prynn knows someone is a spy but did not seem to know this in the first book and doesn't include the reader in how they found out or how long they have know it kind of came out of nowhere and didn't even act like it was a big deal, when to the narrative it is a really big deal. Dropped the ball a bit in character development for this novel, when it was really excellent in the first.
Recommendations: This is a solid second novel in a series, that adds onto what was started in the first book. This book had a lot more action 2 big battles and one smaller one. The character were rarely developed further but David Mack did such a good job in the first I noticed it more than I perhaps would've. The story overall was good and made me want to read more of the series. The next book David Mack returns which makes me really excited for the series. I rated Star Trek: Summon the Thunder by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore 3.5 out of 5 stars.
July 18, 2024
”If there’s going to be a fight, we have to be ready to get bloody.”
After enjoying the first book in the Star Trek: Vanguard series immensely, I was more than a little concerned that the second installment would stumble in the switch from original author David Mack to the new writing duo of Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore. Fortunately, my fears were unfounded as the sophomore story is nearly as strong as the space station’s first foray into the mysterious and decidedly dangerous Taurus Reach, making for another rollicking good time as the Federation, Klingons, Tholians and Romulans vie for dominance in the sector.
Of course, it’s probably fair to say that if you are not a sci-fi fan or don’t have an inkling of the fundamentals of the Star Trek universe, this series probably isn’t for you. You’ll need to beam into this one at least knowing how to tell a Vulcan from a Romulan, but you (thankfully) also don’t need a commission from Star Fleet to enjoy the story. And while many of the sci-fi underpinnings are arguably a little trite – from a newly discovered alien mega-culture (a la The Expanse) to the ingenue forced to helm a starship under fire after her senior officer expires – the quick tempo of the plot and the great cast of characters kept me fully engaged from cover-to-cover.
This may be a short review because Summon the Thunder is the ‘middle part’ of a larger story. Too often, this can mean a bit of wheel spinning, but Ward and Dilmore take quite a few strides in advancing the overall plot while also carving out a few new sub-plots to both begin (and end in a few cases) the stories of some additional characters. Had someone suggested to me that a Star Trek series would be may favorite serial (so far) of 2024, I probably would have scoffed; Star Wars, not Trek being more my thing but take me to warp speed on the next book in this series. I remain hooked.
January 2, 2020
This was a rough one for me. Starting with the good, there are a few expertly paces action sequences in the novel. Both Shedai attacks on the planets had me turning the pages quickly. Bravo to Ward and Dilmore for that.
Outside of those two sequences, I found it an incredibly frustrating read. So much excess wordage—the book is 417 pages and I think the authors could have told the same story with a much better pace around 360-380 pages. It is long. It is very repetitive. It focuses on deep inner thoughts of characters that do not advance the plot nor deepen the reader’s connection with the character. I was also just absolutely perplexed by a few choices made in the last 10% of the novel. First, Sandesjo working for T’Prynn completely out of the blue?? The reveal was confusing and felt like the authors chickened out on a plot line set up in the first novel. Second, the last two chapters were so pedestrian and anticlimactic. The Pennington and Reyes scene was interesting, but nowhere near an acceptable way to end a 417 page slow burn novel...that’s the last thing we read that happens on Vanguard? Snore. Then there was the last chapter/epilogue that suddenly put us in a senate meeting on Romulus. Having to review the entire 100 year history of the Romulan empire while a boring strategy debate is occurring is perhaps the worst way I’ve seen a Trek novel concluded. I get it’s part of an ongoing series, but do a better job.
I enjoyed the first book but didn’t love it. I didn’t like the second book. I’m hopeful for the rest of the series but so far I’m not seeing where the high praise from other fans is coming from so far.
Outside of those two sequences, I found it an incredibly frustrating read. So much excess wordage—the book is 417 pages and I think the authors could have told the same story with a much better pace around 360-380 pages. It is long. It is very repetitive. It focuses on deep inner thoughts of characters that do not advance the plot nor deepen the reader’s connection with the character. I was also just absolutely perplexed by a few choices made in the last 10% of the novel. First, Sandesjo working for T’Prynn completely out of the blue?? The reveal was confusing and felt like the authors chickened out on a plot line set up in the first novel. Second, the last two chapters were so pedestrian and anticlimactic. The Pennington and Reyes scene was interesting, but nowhere near an acceptable way to end a 417 page slow burn novel...that’s the last thing we read that happens on Vanguard? Snore. Then there was the last chapter/epilogue that suddenly put us in a senate meeting on Romulus. Having to review the entire 100 year history of the Romulan empire while a boring strategy debate is occurring is perhaps the worst way I’ve seen a Trek novel concluded. I get it’s part of an ongoing series, but do a better job.
I enjoyed the first book but didn’t love it. I didn’t like the second book. I’m hopeful for the rest of the series but so far I’m not seeing where the high praise from other fans is coming from so far.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2023
Adventurous, challenging, hopeful, informative,
inspiring, mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0 ⭐
This is a multi-thread story, with a cast of characters. If this was a Cecil B. Demille movie, there literally would be thousands of characters.
One thing that really works, is the time that it is set in. The Original Series (First Season) era is perfect for this multi-book story (nine books in total).
The first one set the tone, the characters and the stakes. This second book is starting the unravel the scope of what can/cannot happen, but also adding MORE characters (especially the Romulans).
Vanguard, Starbase 47 is in a unique position (not technically in Federation space), but put out there...in hopes of making it Federation space, in time.
Commadore Reyes and his team on Vanguard are doing a LOT of exploring in this section of space for a specific reason...which hopefully will bring dividens over time.
The dual nature of the station is NOT known by many, but it's circumference of knowledgable people is growing, because of the need to keep their people safe, while still doing the work.
Even some of the characters that seemed to be a pain in the rear, are now being fleshed out and are becoming some of my favourites.
This is a good book, but it also suffers from a not so defined plot, but a series of events that have taken place within the whole story.
I'll pick up the third book, hopefully before the end of the month (June 2023).
inspiring, mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0 ⭐
This is a multi-thread story, with a cast of characters. If this was a Cecil B. Demille movie, there literally would be thousands of characters.
One thing that really works, is the time that it is set in. The Original Series (First Season) era is perfect for this multi-book story (nine books in total).
The first one set the tone, the characters and the stakes. This second book is starting the unravel the scope of what can/cannot happen, but also adding MORE characters (especially the Romulans).
Vanguard, Starbase 47 is in a unique position (not technically in Federation space), but put out there...in hopes of making it Federation space, in time.
Commadore Reyes and his team on Vanguard are doing a LOT of exploring in this section of space for a specific reason...which hopefully will bring dividens over time.
The dual nature of the station is NOT known by many, but it's circumference of knowledgable people is growing, because of the need to keep their people safe, while still doing the work.
Even some of the characters that seemed to be a pain in the rear, are now being fleshed out and are becoming some of my favourites.
This is a good book, but it also suffers from a not so defined plot, but a series of events that have taken place within the whole story.
I'll pick up the third book, hopefully before the end of the month (June 2023).
September 1, 2024
I was going to take a break from reading Vanguard. I liked the last book well enough but I’m still pissed off that the character outlines were in the back of the book instead of the front!
But I’m also down two books so I needed to fill the slots.
This book continues the story and the same characters. Something mysterious is happening. The Federation is finding some very unusual and ancient alien artifacts.
The reporter and the blackmailed crook and trying to pick up a scientist and deliver him to the crooked Orion on the space station Vanguard.
The Klingons are trying to take over a planet of primitive aliens who rebelling.
In a similar manner as the Bombay was destroyed a landing party has stumbled across alien technology that nearly killed them all.
It seems the Klingons are discovering the same technology to their regret.
Meanwhile the Tholians are being forced to get involved in something they seem to have known about and yet avoided for quite a while.
I love this style of Trek story. The stakes a both meaningful and yet personal. There are no easy answers and everyone is suspicious of everyone else and for good reason! This is a page turner!
Well, that book just flew by! Very exciting stuff.
The Federation DID in fact trigger something bigger than they expected, though they are not sure what it was. However they triggered it on the Klingons which will undoubtedly suspect the Federation.
The Romulans are still in hiding but seeing what’s brewing in Taurus Reach they may have to make themselves known soon! I looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Easy 5 stars and a keeper.
But I’m also down two books so I needed to fill the slots.
This book continues the story and the same characters. Something mysterious is happening. The Federation is finding some very unusual and ancient alien artifacts.
The reporter and the blackmailed crook and trying to pick up a scientist and deliver him to the crooked Orion on the space station Vanguard.
The Klingons are trying to take over a planet of primitive aliens who rebelling.
In a similar manner as the Bombay was destroyed a landing party has stumbled across alien technology that nearly killed them all.
It seems the Klingons are discovering the same technology to their regret.
Meanwhile the Tholians are being forced to get involved in something they seem to have known about and yet avoided for quite a while.
I love this style of Trek story. The stakes a both meaningful and yet personal. There are no easy answers and everyone is suspicious of everyone else and for good reason! This is a page turner!
Well, that book just flew by! Very exciting stuff.
The Federation DID in fact trigger something bigger than they expected, though they are not sure what it was. However they triggered it on the Klingons which will undoubtedly suspect the Federation.
The Romulans are still in hiding but seeing what’s brewing in Taurus Reach they may have to make themselves known soon! I looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Easy 5 stars and a keeper.
June 29, 2025
I liked this much more than the first, and I think a great deal of that was due to Ward not constantly making the women suffer (though T’Prynn’s situation continues) or be out-of-the-loop (Desai), or being danced on the strings of others (Ana). This felt more balanced.
Also, I will now retroactively give the first book credit for definitely making me realize that any character can die at any time—I don’t like that much, it’s not something I tend to like as a plot device—but it meant that in this book, during tense moments, I did hope characters would make it, as there’s not that sense of Plot Armor beyond the few main characters I know have to make it through the whole series. Every new ship that shows up is another potential Bombay.
Ward, I should note, didn’t do that, though. He killed some characters, sure, and even one just introduced I was sad to see go, but it wasn’t the "and the whole ship dies" from the first book, so huzzah for that.
The mystery is also growing more intriguing.
Also, I will now retroactively give the first book credit for definitely making me realize that any character can die at any time—I don’t like that much, it’s not something I tend to like as a plot device—but it meant that in this book, during tense moments, I did hope characters would make it, as there’s not that sense of Plot Armor beyond the few main characters I know have to make it through the whole series. Every new ship that shows up is another potential Bombay.
Ward, I should note, didn’t do that, though. He killed some characters, sure, and even one just introduced I was sad to see go, but it wasn’t the "and the whole ship dies" from the first book, so huzzah for that.
The mystery is also growing more intriguing.
May 27, 2021
Den andra boken i serien, men jag missade tyvärr att läsa del 1 så en del kändes lite svävande i början när jag inte förstod sammanhanget och när man av det som skrevs förstod att saker och ting hade hänt innan. Men när jag väl kommit över det hindret blev detta en riktigt bra bok - Ward och Dilmore levererar mycket bra material som vanligt, det andas av eftertänksamhet och grundlighet. En mycket god start på mitt Vanguard-läsande. Höjdpunkterna var berättelserna kring klingonerna och romulanerna. Tyvärr får man i denna bok inte så stor inblick i tholiernas situation, men det är också tidstypiskt för TOS-eran då man inte visste så mycket om dem pga deras återhållsamma attityd gentemot andra arter.
March 15, 2023
The Mack-ness Continues
David Mack is one of my favorite Star Trek authors and I appreciated the tone and framework he provided in the first book of this series. I was very pleased that Dilmore and Ward continued the Mack-ness in this novel, not only with many of the same characters, but the overall tone and ambiance that Mack had established for station Vanguard. A solid Star Trek addition, worthy of your consideration.
David Mack is one of my favorite Star Trek authors and I appreciated the tone and framework he provided in the first book of this series. I was very pleased that Dilmore and Ward continued the Mack-ness in this novel, not only with many of the same characters, but the overall tone and ambiance that Mack had established for station Vanguard. A solid Star Trek addition, worthy of your consideration.
September 14, 2021
Decent 2nd book of the series. Expands the story and continues developing characters. Although it takes place in TOS's timeframe, do NOT expect Kirk's Enterprise or those characters in this book. They put in their appearance in the first book. I don't expect we'll see them again in this series.
January 22, 2022
Okay
An okay book. Still a slow series, necessitating one to skim chapters rather than intensely read. Lots of recap of the previous book, tedious detail of rooms, and predictable action.
Just a bit boring after awhile, plus most of the main characters are just not that interesting or appealing.
Some side characters are more interesting, but they meet an untimely demise, while tiresome main characters continue to survive.
An okay book. Still a slow series, necessitating one to skim chapters rather than intensely read. Lots of recap of the previous book, tedious detail of rooms, and predictable action.
Just a bit boring after awhile, plus most of the main characters are just not that interesting or appealing.
Some side characters are more interesting, but they meet an untimely demise, while tiresome main characters continue to survive.
July 9, 2022
I don’t know why I struggled with this book so much. I found it so dull and I can’t articulate why. I just find the books from Dayton Ward and David Mack to be difficult reads. So Vanguard is an interesting challenge
Someone tell me why I’m wrong!
Someone tell me why I’m wrong!
February 24, 2022
Another entry in the Vanguard series. It had been awhile for me since I had last read from this series and it took a bit to get the characters straightened out as they are unique to this story line.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews