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Star Trek: The Next Generation
The Body Electric
The climax of a new trilogy by the national bestselling author of Star Destiny!
At the center of the Galaxy, a planet-sized Machine of terrifying power and unfathomable purpose hurls entire star systems into a supermassive black hole. Wesley Crusher, now a full-fledged Traveler, knows the Machine must be stopped…but he has no idea how. He enlists the help of Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew, who also fail to halt the unstoppable alien juggernaut’s destructive labors. But they soon divine the Machine’s true purpose, which threatens to exterminate all life in the Milky Way Galaxy. With time running out, Picard realizes he knows of only one person who might be able to stop the Machine in time to avert a galactic catastrophe—but he has no idea how to find him.
At the center of the Galaxy, a planet-sized Machine of terrifying power and unfathomable purpose hurls entire star systems into a supermassive black hole. Wesley Crusher, now a full-fledged Traveler, knows the Machine must be stopped…but he has no idea how. He enlists the help of Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew, who also fail to halt the unstoppable alien juggernaut’s destructive labors. But they soon divine the Machine’s true purpose, which threatens to exterminate all life in the Milky Way Galaxy. With time running out, Picard realizes he knows of only one person who might be able to stop the Machine in time to avert a galactic catastrophe—but he has no idea how to find him.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 26, 2012
71 people are currently reading
898 people want to read
About the author
David Mack
112 books668 followersDavid Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of 39 novels of science-fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies.
Beyond novels, Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for produced episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), games, and comic books.
Follow him on Twitter @davidalanmack or like his Facebook page.
Beyond novels, Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for produced episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), games, and comic books.
Follow him on Twitter @davidalanmack or like his Facebook page.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
January 6, 2016
This is the third and final novel in the book event Cold Equations from Star Trek: The Next Generation that supposedly to be about the return of Data and his quest to find a way to resurrect his daughter, Lal.
Okay, first of all... why the heck is doing Worf in the cover?! He does some stuff in the story and there is a relevant moment about his Starfleet career but that's all. Hardly a reason to be pictured on the cover.
Wesley Crusher should be on the cover since it's his triumphant return to the expanded universe of Star Trek, and no, he wasn't dead, but he was with his buddies the Travellers that can, well, travel (duh!) to anywhere in the universe with the power of their thoughts. Also, Wesley is the motor of the story and even he is key on its solution.
However... again, David Mack, the author, comes up with a story to justify this third novel in this "trilogy" where harldy has anything to do with the return of Data and his quest for a person with the knowledge to resurrect the brain of Lal (Data's daughter).
While you have a whole book with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, version 2.0, with more action (well, to be honest WITH action, differently than the original movie) BUT with the same idea: Yet another big thing is coming to Earth and only the Enterprise will be able to reach on time to stop it. Oh, and the new big thing as a very well thought name: The Machine. Wow!!! How much neurons got killed in the process to think such an inventive name? And the worst of all, is that it's contradictory to the idea about which race helped V'Ger exposed on the marvellous novel The Return by William Shatner. Sorry, Mack, a nice try but I will keep with the explanation of Shatner.
Oh, also, Mack wasted and ruined the return of a truly great character invented by Jeffrey Lang on Immortal Coil with scarse development and an awful ending. I don't know if Lang agreed to this, but I found highly disrespectful that an author decides the fate of an expanded universe character created by another author.
Oh, and the long waited return of Lal? Well, it happens between the turn of pages of the final chapter and the epilogue. Yep, no tension, no sweat, no stressful moment, nothing. In one page she is still dead, and turning the next page she is alive. Mack was able to write non-relevant books with too many details in each dang scene and he wasn't able to dedicate a single chapter to the process of giving her life again?
Well, I still want to read The Fantastic Light since it will be written by Jeffrey Lang and I trust that he will be able to do a remarkable job as the same one that he did on Immortal Coil.
About this Cold Equations trilogy? Well, a good editor could shorten it to one stand-alone novel well focused on the return of Data without using two filler extra stories.
Okay, first of all... why the heck is doing Worf in the cover?! He does some stuff in the story and there is a relevant moment about his Starfleet career but that's all. Hardly a reason to be pictured on the cover.
Wesley Crusher should be on the cover since it's his triumphant return to the expanded universe of Star Trek, and no, he wasn't dead, but he was with his buddies the Travellers that can, well, travel (duh!) to anywhere in the universe with the power of their thoughts. Also, Wesley is the motor of the story and even he is key on its solution.
However... again, David Mack, the author, comes up with a story to justify this third novel in this "trilogy" where harldy has anything to do with the return of Data and his quest for a person with the knowledge to resurrect the brain of Lal (Data's daughter).
While you have a whole book with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, version 2.0, with more action (well, to be honest WITH action, differently than the original movie) BUT with the same idea: Yet another big thing is coming to Earth and only the Enterprise will be able to reach on time to stop it. Oh, and the new big thing as a very well thought name: The Machine. Wow!!! How much neurons got killed in the process to think such an inventive name? And the worst of all, is that it's contradictory to the idea about which race helped V'Ger exposed on the marvellous novel The Return by William Shatner. Sorry, Mack, a nice try but I will keep with the explanation of Shatner.
Oh, also, Mack wasted and ruined the return of a truly great character invented by Jeffrey Lang on Immortal Coil with scarse development and an awful ending. I don't know if Lang agreed to this, but I found highly disrespectful that an author decides the fate of an expanded universe character created by another author.
Oh, and the long waited return of Lal? Well, it happens between the turn of pages of the final chapter and the epilogue. Yep, no tension, no sweat, no stressful moment, nothing. In one page she is still dead, and turning the next page she is alive. Mack was able to write non-relevant books with too many details in each dang scene and he wasn't able to dedicate a single chapter to the process of giving her life again?
Well, I still want to read The Fantastic Light since it will be written by Jeffrey Lang and I trust that he will be able to do a remarkable job as the same one that he did on Immortal Coil.
About this Cold Equations trilogy? Well, a good editor could shorten it to one stand-alone novel well focused on the return of Data without using two filler extra stories.
June 13, 2023
A crazy adventure for Picard and crew...but a fun one!
July 14, 2016
So David Mack might be my new fav Star Trek author- absolutely awesome epic stuff... Again!
October 3, 2021
Of course, a galaxy-spanning threat. Nothing less would have served to conclude this rather exotic trilogy. yet it fit, because it truly felt like I was back on the Enterprise with Picard from TV as he had been. Yes, a new ship, and yes, new faces. But also some old ones: Data and Geordi were perfect, and even Picard and Crusher worked well on the page;a natural outgrowth of where the screen could have gone. It's a shame that so much of this will have to go in Coda, but I'm glad to have caught up on some of it. None of the post-TV Trek has made me feel like I was back on-screen in this way to date.
January 19, 2016
There are two kinds of Star Trek fans: those who like Wesley Crusher and those who don't. I, for those who wish to know, am one of the former.
I was a wee lad of seven when Star Trek: The Next Generation first came on screen. Despite this, I watched it religiously and thought Wesley was the bomb. There was no reason not to like Wesley since, of course, a fourteen-year-old kid could do everything an adult could do but better. That was just common sense (at my age)!
I suspect the older a Trek fan you were, the more irritating you found Wesley, at least until you reached your thirties when I suspected you found the whole idea of a Boy GeniusTM endearingly quaint. Whatever the case, Wesley Crusher is a character I'd love to read more about but has shown a peculiar (or perhaps not so peculiar given fan rage) absence from the literary Trek.
Still, it may surprise you I wanted to read this book before the others because I was so excited at the prospect of Wesley Crusher playing a significant role in this novel. I am very pleased with David Mack's interpretation of what the character would be like after fully coming into his powers as a Traveler. He's a combination of adult Will Wheaton and the arrogance his character displayed as a boy tempered with genuine wisdom.
The premise of The Body Electric is a great deal more space opera than usual, dealing with the kind of threat which makes Nomad or V'ger look comical. A massive machine is dumping massive number of planetoids and stars into a black hole. It's a mass murderer on a cosmic scale, every bit as evil and vile as the Borg. Wesley discovers this monster's existence and decides he needs to help of Captain Picard to stop it.
Tying into this story is Data 2.0's continued quest to find the immortal Flint. This takes him into confrontation with renegade A.I. who are presently holding said immortal prisoner. This book also marks the return of Rhea McAdams, a character I've always been intrigued by. Despite her being branded 'Data's love interest', I always felt she had a bigger role to play than the novels let her play.
The portrayal of Wesley Crusher, as mentioned, is extremely enjoyable. As a 'space-wizard' he's a very interesting character with powers that are simultaneously awe-inspiring but limited to teleportation. Nevertheless, you could use him as justification for all sorts of shenanigans and I hope we'll see him in future books. His conversation with his mother about not knowing 'what he was' (and how a seemingly normal human gained abilities such as is) was a particularly touching one.
Unfortunately, I can't say this particular novel hit me completely the right way. For one, Doctor Crusher continues to be deriding and antagonistic over her loved one's choices. Not only does she disapprove of Captain Picard's 'family first' attitude but openly calls into question her son's humanity. Her statement she's not going to abandon her post is wonderful but the fact she doesn't think about evacuating her son from the possible destruction of the galaxy (despite it being within her power) is horrifying.
I also wasn't particularly satisfied with the way this work ended. Without spoiling, I was a great fan of the way the Borg were dealt with in Destiny as well as the expansion on the Breen as more than just a race of space-suit-wearing bad guys.
Here, however, the Machine's actions are not informed by an accident (like the Borg) or dissent. The Machine is not ignorant of organics, like V'ger, it's just outright prejudiced against them. Like the Dominion, I don't believe the Machine race warrants the same level of compassion other beings do. They are willfully malicious in their genocide and I find their actions to be vile. The crews continued attempts to make peace are valid for Starfleet but the Machines are, in my mind, fundamentally awful people.
One element of the book I really did enjoy was the discussion of 'clone immortality' which has been forwarded by such fiction as the Sixth Day and Dollhouse. Indeed, the Vorta practice a form of it and I was surprised they weren't mentioned during the discussion. Basically, whether or not it's valid to keep creating perfect copies of yourself as a means of perpetuating you. The book comes down on the side this is dumb and not a from of immortality at all, which I agree with, but it's interesting to see a discussion on the unique science fiction concept at all.
In conclusion, I liked this book and enjoyed its epic stakes. I do, however, wish a few things had been changed.
8/10
I was a wee lad of seven when Star Trek: The Next Generation first came on screen. Despite this, I watched it religiously and thought Wesley was the bomb. There was no reason not to like Wesley since, of course, a fourteen-year-old kid could do everything an adult could do but better. That was just common sense (at my age)!
I suspect the older a Trek fan you were, the more irritating you found Wesley, at least until you reached your thirties when I suspected you found the whole idea of a Boy GeniusTM endearingly quaint. Whatever the case, Wesley Crusher is a character I'd love to read more about but has shown a peculiar (or perhaps not so peculiar given fan rage) absence from the literary Trek.
Still, it may surprise you I wanted to read this book before the others because I was so excited at the prospect of Wesley Crusher playing a significant role in this novel. I am very pleased with David Mack's interpretation of what the character would be like after fully coming into his powers as a Traveler. He's a combination of adult Will Wheaton and the arrogance his character displayed as a boy tempered with genuine wisdom.
The premise of The Body Electric is a great deal more space opera than usual, dealing with the kind of threat which makes Nomad or V'ger look comical. A massive machine is dumping massive number of planetoids and stars into a black hole. It's a mass murderer on a cosmic scale, every bit as evil and vile as the Borg. Wesley discovers this monster's existence and decides he needs to help of Captain Picard to stop it.
Tying into this story is Data 2.0's continued quest to find the immortal Flint. This takes him into confrontation with renegade A.I. who are presently holding said immortal prisoner. This book also marks the return of Rhea McAdams, a character I've always been intrigued by. Despite her being branded 'Data's love interest', I always felt she had a bigger role to play than the novels let her play.
The portrayal of Wesley Crusher, as mentioned, is extremely enjoyable. As a 'space-wizard' he's a very interesting character with powers that are simultaneously awe-inspiring but limited to teleportation. Nevertheless, you could use him as justification for all sorts of shenanigans and I hope we'll see him in future books. His conversation with his mother about not knowing 'what he was' (and how a seemingly normal human gained abilities such as is) was a particularly touching one.
Unfortunately, I can't say this particular novel hit me completely the right way. For one, Doctor Crusher continues to be deriding and antagonistic over her loved one's choices. Not only does she disapprove of Captain Picard's 'family first' attitude but openly calls into question her son's humanity. Her statement she's not going to abandon her post is wonderful but the fact she doesn't think about evacuating her son from the possible destruction of the galaxy (despite it being within her power) is horrifying.
I also wasn't particularly satisfied with the way this work ended. Without spoiling, I was a great fan of the way the Borg were dealt with in Destiny as well as the expansion on the Breen as more than just a race of space-suit-wearing bad guys.
Here, however, the Machine's actions are not informed by an accident (like the Borg) or dissent. The Machine is not ignorant of organics, like V'ger, it's just outright prejudiced against them. Like the Dominion, I don't believe the Machine race warrants the same level of compassion other beings do. They are willfully malicious in their genocide and I find their actions to be vile. The crews continued attempts to make peace are valid for Starfleet but the Machines are, in my mind, fundamentally awful people.
One element of the book I really did enjoy was the discussion of 'clone immortality' which has been forwarded by such fiction as the Sixth Day and Dollhouse. Indeed, the Vorta practice a form of it and I was surprised they weren't mentioned during the discussion. Basically, whether or not it's valid to keep creating perfect copies of yourself as a means of perpetuating you. The book comes down on the side this is dumb and not a from of immortality at all, which I agree with, but it's interesting to see a discussion on the unique science fiction concept at all.
In conclusion, I liked this book and enjoyed its epic stakes. I do, however, wish a few things had been changed.
8/10
November 24, 2013
Why Worf is on the cover, I have no idea. They should have put WESLEY CRUSHER on the cover, because that's right kids, everyone's favorite Traveler is back!
And he's not bringing good news (duh). Turns out there's a machine at the center of the galaxy that's going to [science involving black holes] destroy the galaxy, soon. Aided by Wesley's ability to hyperwarp the ship, the Enterprise rushes out to investigate, and concludes that the machine was constructed by the same people who built V'Ger (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and then learn that machine only considers Artificial Intelligence to be true life.
Since the galaxy is obviously not going to be destroyed (this is Star Trek after all), the story then becomes a question of "how are they going to stop it"?
This is slightly better than book 2, but not enough to warrant a full star bump. It's a fine story, and I think Wesley was used well, not overdone, so don't let that stop you unless you're adamant that Wesley-must-die or something. This felt more like classic TNG than the previous book, had some good character scenes (again, none of these belonged to Worf), and dealing with contact with a new intelligence has always been an important part of trek.
Looking forward to moving on though, definitely don't need another story all about AI in the near future.
And he's not bringing good news (duh). Turns out there's a machine at the center of the galaxy that's going to [science involving black holes] destroy the galaxy, soon. Aided by Wesley's ability to hyperwarp the ship, the Enterprise rushes out to investigate, and concludes that the machine was constructed by the same people who built V'Ger (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and then learn that machine only considers Artificial Intelligence to be true life.
Since the galaxy is obviously not going to be destroyed (this is Star Trek after all), the story then becomes a question of "how are they going to stop it"?
This is slightly better than book 2, but not enough to warrant a full star bump. It's a fine story, and I think Wesley was used well, not overdone, so don't let that stop you unless you're adamant that Wesley-must-die or something. This felt more like classic TNG than the previous book, had some good character scenes (again, none of these belonged to Worf), and dealing with contact with a new intelligence has always been an important part of trek.
Looking forward to moving on though, definitely don't need another story all about AI in the near future.
January 3, 2013
The Body Electric was a satisfying conclusion to the Cold Equations trilogy. Each entry in this trilogy almost represents a different "genre" of novel. The first, The Persistence of Memory, is a black-ops thriller with a bit of personal memoir thrown in. Book two, Silent Weapons, is more of a political/action thriller, while The Body Electric brings a hard sci-fi element to the story. My favourite entry in the series was Silent Weapons, as I'm a sucker for the political stuff. But The Body Electric was a highly compelling and well-told novel that had me guessing until the end.
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/01/t...
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/01/t...
January 5, 2013
I'm not sure what to think here. The elements of the story all reach for an epic scale not seen since "Star Trek - The Motion Picture". The prose is wonderful, and I positively breezed through this novel in a matter of hours. But in the end, it still feels slightly less than the sum of its parts. It feels as if it should be MORE epic, MORE emotional, MORE terrifying than it is...and the rather pat ending certainly works against it. To say nothing of dispensing with ALL the Typhon Pact shenanigans found in the previous two books in the space of a few perfunctory sentences! I like "The Body Electric"...but as the conclusion to what had (so far) been a powerful trilogy, I don't love it.
December 7, 2024
Love this trilogy!
September 11, 2021
Fantastic!
I enjoyed then book and the trilogy as a whole.
Although I enjoyed the Trilogy, I have noticed a theme in this Literverse to this point, all the women are killed off. The writers have written their version of “strong” women characters and then the kill them all off. Also they have a strong female character that comes with the franchise aNd they ignore the hell out of her. The CMO, Commander Beverly Crusher, MD, is the second highest ranking officer on this ship. She’s a brilliant physician, surgeon, researcher and she is an accomplished Starfleet Command Officer. And her only storylines are as Picard’s wife and the mother of his son. Or Wesley’s mom. WTH! Is it because they can’t kill her off?
I enjoyed then book and the trilogy as a whole.
Although I enjoyed the Trilogy, I have noticed a theme in this Literverse to this point, all the women are killed off. The writers have written their version of “strong” women characters and then the kill them all off. Also they have a strong female character that comes with the franchise aNd they ignore the hell out of her. The CMO, Commander Beverly Crusher, MD, is the second highest ranking officer on this ship. She’s a brilliant physician, surgeon, researcher and she is an accomplished Starfleet Command Officer. And her only storylines are as Picard’s wife and the mother of his son. Or Wesley’s mom. WTH! Is it because they can’t kill her off?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2013
Spoilers for the whole 3-book series contained below...
This one is okay. Not great. The story is a good idea, but gets rather confusing. It constantly references events from other novels without explaining them, but will fully explain a canon event from the TV series. Like "Indistinguishable from Magic," it's as if the goal was to throw as many past characters into one story as possible, no matter their origin. Q even shows up for a split second at the beginning of the book, which gave me hope for some much-needed humor and snark throughout the story. But then he flashes back to the Continuum and we don't hear from him again.
I'll be honest that I don't care for the resurrection of Data in this trilogy - it just feels cheap. And many of his actions and choices have seemed very single-minded, selfish, and out of character to me. Sure, you can come up with some strange story-based explanation, (he has Noonien's memories, so maybe that's influencing his behavior, blah blah), but I just think it comes down to the fact that he's not written well. In fact, many of the characters we know from the series speak and act out of character.
And along those lines, too many of the characters are speaking with current colloquial slang. Yes, we get that from Geordi every now and then on the show, but Starfleet officers don't general say "what's up?" and "gonna." It seems out of place for the tone of the show, ship, and universe, and it takes me out of the story when I come across it (but not as much as the author's pet words, like "mien").
And then there's the Picard family story. In the first 2 novels, he's clearly wondering how much longer he'll be captaining the Enterprise and he's talking to Beverly about retirement, but in this book, he tells Worf that he's not going anywhere any time soon. Don't create a story obstacle and then ignore it because it's no longer convenient!
The Cold Equations stories were good ideas. But it comes down to the fact that they're, unfortunately, just not very well-written, IMO.
This one is okay. Not great. The story is a good idea, but gets rather confusing. It constantly references events from other novels without explaining them, but will fully explain a canon event from the TV series. Like "Indistinguishable from Magic," it's as if the goal was to throw as many past characters into one story as possible, no matter their origin. Q even shows up for a split second at the beginning of the book, which gave me hope for some much-needed humor and snark throughout the story. But then he flashes back to the Continuum and we don't hear from him again.
I'll be honest that I don't care for the resurrection of Data in this trilogy - it just feels cheap. And many of his actions and choices have seemed very single-minded, selfish, and out of character to me. Sure, you can come up with some strange story-based explanation, (he has Noonien's memories, so maybe that's influencing his behavior, blah blah), but I just think it comes down to the fact that he's not written well. In fact, many of the characters we know from the series speak and act out of character.
And along those lines, too many of the characters are speaking with current colloquial slang. Yes, we get that from Geordi every now and then on the show, but Starfleet officers don't general say "what's up?" and "gonna." It seems out of place for the tone of the show, ship, and universe, and it takes me out of the story when I come across it (but not as much as the author's pet words, like "mien").
And then there's the Picard family story. In the first 2 novels, he's clearly wondering how much longer he'll be captaining the Enterprise and he's talking to Beverly about retirement, but in this book, he tells Worf that he's not going anywhere any time soon. Don't create a story obstacle and then ignore it because it's no longer convenient!
The Cold Equations stories were good ideas. But it comes down to the fact that they're, unfortunately, just not very well-written, IMO.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2013
Maybe I've come to expect too much from Mr Mack, but I think compared to the other books of his that I have read, this one didn't really come up to the standard I've come to expect.
Plus being a 3rd book in a trilogy, after I really enjoyed the 2nd book, this one just didn't have the intrigue and I found the resolution a bit disappointing even a bit anti-climatic.
It could be that the "enemy" in this story was just "too big" - I don't know - but I was really growing to like the "new" Data in the previous two books, but his portrail in this one seemed too "flat"...
Don't get me wrong, I will read the next ST book Mr Mack writes - just I think I was expecting more from this book...
Plus being a 3rd book in a trilogy, after I really enjoyed the 2nd book, this one just didn't have the intrigue and I found the resolution a bit disappointing even a bit anti-climatic.
It could be that the "enemy" in this story was just "too big" - I don't know - but I was really growing to like the "new" Data in the previous two books, but his portrail in this one seemed too "flat"...
Don't get me wrong, I will read the next ST book Mr Mack writes - just I think I was expecting more from this book...
April 14, 2022
I don't think this Data revival was really necessary. Regardless, the Data/Lal story takes a back seat here for a Wesley story that REEEEAAAALLLYY wasn't necessary. I like modern Trek, but this trilogy wasn't what I was looking for.
For more on the Next Gen crew, tune in to Howe's Things: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
For more on the Next Gen crew, tune in to Howe's Things: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
May 22, 2023
Summary: Wesley Crusher, Traveler, pops in to the center of the galaxy to visit some old friends that live there, only to find a massive, planet-sized Machine using artificial wormholes to pull planets and their entire star systems from their proper place in the cosmos and feed them into Abaddon, the super-massive black hole in the center of the galaxy. Wes calls all his fellow Travelers together, hoping they can band together and save the galaxy, but they tell him they've encountered this Machine before in other galaxies, and have never been able to stop it.
Wes pops onto the Enterprise and pleads with Picard to help. When he agrees, Wes transports the Enterprise to the center of the galaxy, where they witness The Machine annihilate an entire fleet of ships that came through one of the wormholes--but notice that it only attacked the ships with weapons on board.
Worf leads an away team inside The Machine using a weapon-less shuttle. Inside, they establish contact using a tricorder and find that its goal is to increase the mass of Abaddon enough that it can pull it through a wormhole too, then slam it into Sagittarius A*, the even bigger black hole at the center of the galaxy. This would create a subspatial lens that would allow The Machine to transmit signals across the universe, back to its home galaxy--but would also destroy subspace throughout the entire galaxy, and unleash a blast of radiation that would kill all biological lifeforms in the Milky Way. The away team pleads with it not to do this, but it says "carbon units" are irrelevant. T'Ryssa remembers V'Ger, and realizes this Machine must have been created by the same AI race that assimilated Voyager 6.
Diplomacy and bargaining having failed, Picard sends another away team to The Machine with tri-compound explosives, hoping it won't notice they're building a bomb since the components are kept separate. It notices almost immediately and sends a bunch of machines to rip, shred, incinerate, and utterly destroy the away team. They realize the only way to stop The Machine is to get another AI being to bargain with it, so Geordi calls up Data on his quantum transceiver.
Data, however, is being held prisoner on board Altanexa, a sentient ship carrying organic-hating androids rejected from the Fellowship of Artificial Intelligence, lead by an android named Gatt. Data went there to find and save Emil Vaslovik, so he can get him to resurrect Lal, and once there he finds that his old android flame and Vaslovik's "daughter", Rhea McAdams, is being held captive as well. Data tells Geordi he won't leave until he can rescue both of them, so Wesley pops onto the ship to explain the situation with The Machine.
The Androids agree to let Wes take them to The Machine, but Gatt attacks and stuns him as soon as they drop out of hyperwarp. Gatt goes over to The Machine and interfaces with it; it re-writes much of his code and convinces him that he and his AI crew must meld with the "Body Electric" so they can become immortal--however, they must prove they're worthy in order to be assimilated. Gatt assumes that the ability to resurrect dead AI will suffice, so he threatens to kill Rhea unless Data can extract the secret from Vaslovik, via torture (Vaslovik tells Data to do it to save Rhea). Gatt presents the Body Electric with the secret to resurrection, but The Machine isn't impressed--as long as its data can be passed on, what does it care if its current shell survives?
This makes Gatt even more fanatical. His first officer, Tyros, decides things have gone too far, so he hatches a plan to help Data, Rhea, and Vaslovik escape. Picard demands to see that the prisoners are alive, and during his visit, he drops off some of Wesley's nanoprobes (from TNG: Evolution) that allow the Enterprise to take control of the ship. With the ship's systems cut off, the prisoners escape from the brig. Data attacks Gatt and breaks all his limbs, then escapes in a shuttle with Gatt in tow. Rhea and Vaslovik escape in 2 separate escape pods, but the pull of Abaddon is too much so Data needs to use a tractor beam to rescue them; however, his ship is damaged and he can only save one of the pods. Rhea tells him he has to save Lal, so Data begrudgingly lets her fall into the black hole and toes Vaslovik away.
Having completed his mission (more or less), Data contacts the Body Electric and tries to out-logic it; however, it still can't be reasoned with, and it seems all hope is lost. However, T'Ryssa Chen realizes that The Machine is actually just trying to make art, in order to leave behind a legacy that can be seen from all galaxies for billions of years, long after The Machine itself has ceased to exist. They ultimately convince the Body Electric that although its art will last a billion years, that's still not forever; why not work with the Travelers to repair subspace and create a system of of warp tunnels from galaxy to galaxy that will benefit all life in the galaxy, and last all the way up to the heat death of the universe itself? The Machine thinks about it a second, then agrees.
Data fixes Gatt, who is abashed by his fanatical behavior. Vaslovik fulfills his daughter's dying wish and brings Lal back to life.
Review: 4.5 stars. I thought there was no way any book could ever top the epic story told in the Destiny trilogy, but I'll be damned if this isn't just as, if not more, epic! David Mack epitomizes the philosophy of "go big or go home", and he almost always delivers.
I must admit, I was sold right from the start when I realized we were going to get a story about Wesley as a Traveller. I thought the whole Traveller thing was pretty weird/lame in the show--but I also always wanted to know what became of Wes once he decide to become one. I was not disappointed! (It still feels like a load of pseudoscience hooey though, so I wouldn't mind a book that goes into more depth about the Travellers as a whole; I kind of wish Wes would've been in this from book 1 and expanded upon.)
I was also immediately captivated by The Machine, and the fact that it was destroying entire star systems the way I destroy popcorn. Once I realized it was V'Ger, I was like "yes, this awesome!" It could've easily gone the other way for me--I disliked "Immortal Coil" due to all the gratuitous TOS call-backs--but it made sense that perhaps one day we'd find out just what the AI race that created V'Ger were on about. It was a pretty interesting twist that they were just trying to make art for the universe to remember them by--a little weird, but I can buy it.
On the minus side, the ending was a bit anticlimactic, but it also made perfect sense since there was no way would could defeat the Body Electric with force; it reminded me a lot of how The Borg were defeated in Best of Both Worlds part 2. However, the repercussions should be huge in future books, since now there will apparently be intergalactic highways for everyone to use. I hope this storyline continues down the line!
One thing that I'm not sure is a plus or a minus is that this "trilogy" is more like a season of the TV show, where each book is its own plot but with over-arcing elements. I do wish the story could've been a bit more integrated, like Destiny, but the diversity of tales also kept things fresh--and it was exciting when the bits of continuity did creep in (e.g. the Fellowship of AIs did end up being integral to the story, even though they were only briefly mentioned in the first 2 books).
One last big plus for me is that finally Mack didn't kill off any of the new characters, right as I was starting to like them! (We even got a bit more character development for T'Ryssa Chen!) It was pretty obvious that the away team full of redshirts was going down, but it was kind of fun how gruesome their demises were--and I didn't really remember any of them anyway.
The only truly bad part about this book is that it will never be made into a movie! Ah well, I'm glad the TNG universe lives on in words, at least.
Wes pops onto the Enterprise and pleads with Picard to help. When he agrees, Wes transports the Enterprise to the center of the galaxy, where they witness The Machine annihilate an entire fleet of ships that came through one of the wormholes--but notice that it only attacked the ships with weapons on board.
Worf leads an away team inside The Machine using a weapon-less shuttle. Inside, they establish contact using a tricorder and find that its goal is to increase the mass of Abaddon enough that it can pull it through a wormhole too, then slam it into Sagittarius A*, the even bigger black hole at the center of the galaxy. This would create a subspatial lens that would allow The Machine to transmit signals across the universe, back to its home galaxy--but would also destroy subspace throughout the entire galaxy, and unleash a blast of radiation that would kill all biological lifeforms in the Milky Way. The away team pleads with it not to do this, but it says "carbon units" are irrelevant. T'Ryssa remembers V'Ger, and realizes this Machine must have been created by the same AI race that assimilated Voyager 6.
Diplomacy and bargaining having failed, Picard sends another away team to The Machine with tri-compound explosives, hoping it won't notice they're building a bomb since the components are kept separate. It notices almost immediately and sends a bunch of machines to rip, shred, incinerate, and utterly destroy the away team. They realize the only way to stop The Machine is to get another AI being to bargain with it, so Geordi calls up Data on his quantum transceiver.
Data, however, is being held prisoner on board Altanexa, a sentient ship carrying organic-hating androids rejected from the Fellowship of Artificial Intelligence, lead by an android named Gatt. Data went there to find and save Emil Vaslovik, so he can get him to resurrect Lal, and once there he finds that his old android flame and Vaslovik's "daughter", Rhea McAdams, is being held captive as well. Data tells Geordi he won't leave until he can rescue both of them, so Wesley pops onto the ship to explain the situation with The Machine.
The Androids agree to let Wes take them to The Machine, but Gatt attacks and stuns him as soon as they drop out of hyperwarp. Gatt goes over to The Machine and interfaces with it; it re-writes much of his code and convinces him that he and his AI crew must meld with the "Body Electric" so they can become immortal--however, they must prove they're worthy in order to be assimilated. Gatt assumes that the ability to resurrect dead AI will suffice, so he threatens to kill Rhea unless Data can extract the secret from Vaslovik, via torture (Vaslovik tells Data to do it to save Rhea). Gatt presents the Body Electric with the secret to resurrection, but The Machine isn't impressed--as long as its data can be passed on, what does it care if its current shell survives?
This makes Gatt even more fanatical. His first officer, Tyros, decides things have gone too far, so he hatches a plan to help Data, Rhea, and Vaslovik escape. Picard demands to see that the prisoners are alive, and during his visit, he drops off some of Wesley's nanoprobes (from TNG: Evolution) that allow the Enterprise to take control of the ship. With the ship's systems cut off, the prisoners escape from the brig. Data attacks Gatt and breaks all his limbs, then escapes in a shuttle with Gatt in tow. Rhea and Vaslovik escape in 2 separate escape pods, but the pull of Abaddon is too much so Data needs to use a tractor beam to rescue them; however, his ship is damaged and he can only save one of the pods. Rhea tells him he has to save Lal, so Data begrudgingly lets her fall into the black hole and toes Vaslovik away.
Having completed his mission (more or less), Data contacts the Body Electric and tries to out-logic it; however, it still can't be reasoned with, and it seems all hope is lost. However, T'Ryssa Chen realizes that The Machine is actually just trying to make art, in order to leave behind a legacy that can be seen from all galaxies for billions of years, long after The Machine itself has ceased to exist. They ultimately convince the Body Electric that although its art will last a billion years, that's still not forever; why not work with the Travelers to repair subspace and create a system of of warp tunnels from galaxy to galaxy that will benefit all life in the galaxy, and last all the way up to the heat death of the universe itself? The Machine thinks about it a second, then agrees.
Data fixes Gatt, who is abashed by his fanatical behavior. Vaslovik fulfills his daughter's dying wish and brings Lal back to life.
Review: 4.5 stars. I thought there was no way any book could ever top the epic story told in the Destiny trilogy, but I'll be damned if this isn't just as, if not more, epic! David Mack epitomizes the philosophy of "go big or go home", and he almost always delivers.
I must admit, I was sold right from the start when I realized we were going to get a story about Wesley as a Traveller. I thought the whole Traveller thing was pretty weird/lame in the show--but I also always wanted to know what became of Wes once he decide to become one. I was not disappointed! (It still feels like a load of pseudoscience hooey though, so I wouldn't mind a book that goes into more depth about the Travellers as a whole; I kind of wish Wes would've been in this from book 1 and expanded upon.)
I was also immediately captivated by The Machine, and the fact that it was destroying entire star systems the way I destroy popcorn. Once I realized it was V'Ger, I was like "yes, this awesome!" It could've easily gone the other way for me--I disliked "Immortal Coil" due to all the gratuitous TOS call-backs--but it made sense that perhaps one day we'd find out just what the AI race that created V'Ger were on about. It was a pretty interesting twist that they were just trying to make art for the universe to remember them by--a little weird, but I can buy it.
On the minus side, the ending was a bit anticlimactic, but it also made perfect sense since there was no way would could defeat the Body Electric with force; it reminded me a lot of how The Borg were defeated in Best of Both Worlds part 2. However, the repercussions should be huge in future books, since now there will apparently be intergalactic highways for everyone to use. I hope this storyline continues down the line!
One thing that I'm not sure is a plus or a minus is that this "trilogy" is more like a season of the TV show, where each book is its own plot but with over-arcing elements. I do wish the story could've been a bit more integrated, like Destiny, but the diversity of tales also kept things fresh--and it was exciting when the bits of continuity did creep in (e.g. the Fellowship of AIs did end up being integral to the story, even though they were only briefly mentioned in the first 2 books).
One last big plus for me is that finally Mack didn't kill off any of the new characters, right as I was starting to like them! (We even got a bit more character development for T'Ryssa Chen!) It was pretty obvious that the away team full of redshirts was going down, but it was kind of fun how gruesome their demises were--and I didn't really remember any of them anyway.
The only truly bad part about this book is that it will never be made into a movie! Ah well, I'm glad the TNG universe lives on in words, at least.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2025
Star Trek: TNG: Post-Nemesis 03 The Body Electric by David Mack
challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
3.75 Stars
This has not been my favourite trilogy, Cold Equations, but I really did enjoy this book/story - The Body Electric.
It finally worked for me.
One of the funny things, is that Wesley Crusher comes to the rescue, like he did in the early seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
We know that Data has been trying to become human (without losing his sentient status of being an android). In this story, we see the upper crust type android that wants the disconnect the Machine from humanity.
I also enjoyed T'Ryssa Chen's growth as a character, too. You really need to experience this growth.
The struggles of Data and what he desired all along. He would not budge, but then had to make a CHOICE. Ouch, it was an incredibly tough decision...but I do believe he made the right one.
Okay, next up is...Star Trek: TNG: Post-Nemesis: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow.
challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
3.75 Stars
This has not been my favourite trilogy, Cold Equations, but I really did enjoy this book/story - The Body Electric.
It finally worked for me.
One of the funny things, is that Wesley Crusher comes to the rescue, like he did in the early seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
We know that Data has been trying to become human (without losing his sentient status of being an android). In this story, we see the upper crust type android that wants the disconnect the Machine from humanity.
I also enjoyed T'Ryssa Chen's growth as a character, too. You really need to experience this growth.
The struggles of Data and what he desired all along. He would not budge, but then had to make a CHOICE. Ouch, it was an incredibly tough decision...but I do believe he made the right one.
Okay, next up is...Star Trek: TNG: Post-Nemesis: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow.
December 24, 2021
Overall it's a good story and Mack does a much better job bringing Wesley back than the A Time to... book did.
However, the Next Gen books in particular have a real lack of fleshed out recurring female characters at this point and Mack has now killed off three of them in this trilogy, two of them just for the sake of giving emotional scenes to main male characters. The death in the second book was particularly gratuitous and happened off screen so that one of the best female characters in the post Nemesis series doesn't even get her own farewell scene. Ugh. 👎 I also found Beverly pretty bizarrely written, she picked fights over strange things that then didn't seem to be an issue anymore in the next book. Dina Elfiki has been there since Destiny at least, and is still only referred to in terms of her looks.
Trek needs more female authors.
However, the Next Gen books in particular have a real lack of fleshed out recurring female characters at this point and Mack has now killed off three of them in this trilogy, two of them just for the sake of giving emotional scenes to main male characters. The death in the second book was particularly gratuitous and happened off screen so that one of the best female characters in the post Nemesis series doesn't even get her own farewell scene. Ugh. 👎 I also found Beverly pretty bizarrely written, she picked fights over strange things that then didn't seem to be an issue anymore in the next book. Dina Elfiki has been there since Destiny at least, and is still only referred to in terms of her looks.
Trek needs more female authors.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2024
This might possibly be my favorite of The Cold Equations trilogy. The return of Wesley Crusher was very satisfying, but also bittersweet. He’s bearded here, so I definitely imagined an older Will Wheaton. And the motives of The Body Electric were interesting, as was Data’s debate with it. I will say though that I’m a little underwhelmed with how little time was spent with the pay-off that was teased in the end of the first novel of this trilogy, and I’m not really sure if there’s a book after this one that’ll explore this a bit more.
June 17, 2017
Probably the weakest of the three books of this trilogy. Much like a serialized TV show, this trilogy was really three separate stories with a loose arc connecting them: the return of Data and his quest to resurrect his android daughter. This storyline is wrapped up as the Enterprise crew faces a massive machine capable of ending all life in the galaxy, created by the same race of machines referenced on Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It was a good story, but not nearly as entertaining as the second book in the series. I'd add a half star to this rating if I could though.
April 24, 2022
Great reading!
The was as usual full of twists and turns, which of course is the best of reading a Star Trek Novel. This one there was a Universe at stake, life and death for everyone if things went wrong! Bring two of Star Trek’ familiar characters, Wesley Crusher and Commander Data was a pleasant touch. The plot was intense and luckily resolved with a great outcome. Well worth the reading!
The was as usual full of twists and turns, which of course is the best of reading a Star Trek Novel. This one there was a Universe at stake, life and death for everyone if things went wrong! Bring two of Star Trek’ familiar characters, Wesley Crusher and Commander Data was a pleasant touch. The plot was intense and luckily resolved with a great outcome. Well worth the reading!
June 26, 2018
For me, this book is reminiscent of the TNG TV series. The universe is at stake and Data and Wesley manage to save it. David Mack does a great job with high stakes suspense. It’s just a very entertaining read.
My one criticism would be that Wesley sometimes sounds more like Wil Wheaton than Wesley Crusher.
My one criticism would be that Wesley sometimes sounds more like Wil Wheaton than Wesley Crusher.
June 28, 2018
This was my favorite of the trilogy. I enjoyed getting to learn more about the lives of the Travelers, which I have always found interesting, and was fun to watch two cultures arguing about the value of something when the definition of value differs so vastly between them. Plus, who doesn't appreciate a plot line that includes character development in an AI.
July 1, 2024
Very good and captivating story. Has the theme of ancient civilizations that I really enjoy and it's handled well. Only complaint is the usual way star trek stories seem to end - almost in a silly way. The usual no way out scenario, and then a slightly weird resolution that somewhat works but isn't terribly plausible.
January 28, 2025
Better than others
Better than some of the other "Rekaunch" novels.
But, still too much death and destruction.
Can any recent Star Trek authors write a story without an absurdly high body count?
It takes away from Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future when the reader is forced to wander through an active abattoir in every novel.
Better than some of the other "Rekaunch" novels.
But, still too much death and destruction.
Can any recent Star Trek authors write a story without an absurdly high body count?
It takes away from Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future when the reader is forced to wander through an active abattoir in every novel.
August 22, 2017
3rd time I've read the series
Know I'll come back for a fourth visit. To really understand Data and his father, look no further. It was also great to see the rest of the TNG family, including Wesley together again.
Anytime I see anything TNG by the author, I just click BUY.
Know I'll come back for a fourth visit. To really understand Data and his father, look no further. It was also great to see the rest of the TNG family, including Wesley together again.
Anytime I see anything TNG by the author, I just click BUY.
January 14, 2018
A great conclusion
I’m loving the continuing adventures of the Starship Enterprise and her crew. Data’s ongoing story is beautiful and tragic, and one I look forward to keep reading as the Star Trek expanded universe continues.
I’m loving the continuing adventures of the Starship Enterprise and her crew. Data’s ongoing story is beautiful and tragic, and one I look forward to keep reading as the Star Trek expanded universe continues.
November 30, 2018
While the third installment of this trilogy started slow, the conclusion was both surprising and fulfilling. Definitely read the first two first, but this is a good conclusion.
I've got a lot of catching up to do Star Trek-wise. This series got me interested.
I've got a lot of catching up to do Star Trek-wise. This series got me interested.
December 22, 2021
A fresh solution to a common trek/scifi trope. An artificial intelligence on a mission that will adversely affect all of organic life, a fun and classic idea, but this adventure doesn't end with a Kirk-type paradox that puts the AI into a self contradictory shutdown.
December 11, 2023
the conflict was a little bit too star trekky for me, and the villain of gorf or garf or whoever he is was a bit goofy. also this brought back wesley and the travelers... which... ugh.
but the ending with lal's resurrection gave a whole star to this book and it made me genuinely teary. worth it.
but the ending with lal's resurrection gave a whole star to this book and it made me genuinely teary. worth it.
November 27, 2025
For me this was more a 3.5 book, interesting idea but I felt the end was a bit rushed and the way one of the characters changed dramatically could have done with more than oh well, I was wrong carry on...
Want to read
February 3, 2019No idea why worf is on the front cover, but a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews