Cold Equations: Silent Weapons: Book Two

Star Trek: The Next Generation

by David Mack

Book Two in the New York Times bestselling Cold Equations trilogy set in the expanded universe of Star The Next Generation!A WAR OF LIES Three years after the disastrous final Borg Invasion, a bitter cold war against the Typhon Pact has pushed Starfleet’s resources to the breaking point. Now the rise of a dangerous new technology threatens to destroy the Federation from within. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise crew answer a distress call from an old friend, only to become targets in a deadly game of deception. To protect a vital diplomatic mission, they must find a way to identify the spies hiding in their midst, before it’s too late. But Worf soon realizes the crew’s every move has been Someone is using them as pawns. And the closer they get to exposing their enemy, the deeper they spiral into its trap…

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Star Trek The Next Generation, Ebooks, Media Tie In, Science Fiction Fantasy

351 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2012

About the author

David 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.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second novel in the book event Cold Equations from Star Trek: The Next Generation featuring the return of Data.

OK, why so low rating to this second book in the event? Precisely because my humble expectation was that this novel would present a story tied to the event and not using a "cheap trick" to make it appears as like it. Sorry, but I didn't bite the bait. On the first book, The Persistence of Memory, there is a forced small moment when a ship escapes with some Soong-type androids from an abandoned Borg factory now in control by the Breen. And because of that, David Mack, wrote this second novel using that to develop a story that has NOTHING to do with the search of Data for Emil Vaslovik and Juliana Tainer that was as the first book ended and I was expecting to continue to read here. But no, I was cheated.

The story is not bad, and if David Mack would promoted it as a stand-alone novel and/or a kinda sequel to Articles of the Federation, even as a preamble to the event The Fall, this book could work quite good enough. But, sorry, the author wanted to make the return of Data as something so big that it deserved a trilogy, and I have no doubt that it must be, but I didn't get that in this second book.

What you will find is a politics novel where the Breen and the Gorn are playing a risky game with the President's Office of the Federation while Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-E are running to stop a military operation by the Breen in the look for some technology that may turn the balance of power in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.

If you want to read as that, you well may be able to enjoy the book, however, if you are looking to read the second part of a supposed "trilogy" about the return of Data, well, you will be quite dissapointed.

Even the epilogue, the only section in the novel where you will read something about the expected event, it's an odd reading, since Data finally found Juliana Tainer and she recognizes him immediately as Data, but, sorry, now Data isn't the same anymore, he has a new body, he certainly has the face of Noonien Soong in a younger state, but if the Enterprise's crew had troubles to believe that the real Data was living now inside of that body, how the heck Juliana just knew? Because of some secret mother's instinct? Sorry, I don't buy it. Even worse, Data didn't question all of this for himself neither!

I have no option to read the third book since I am quite interested to read The Fantastic Light by Jeffrey Lang, that it will be a sequel story from this "trilogy" by David Mack and previous Lang's book, Immortal Coil, but honestly, I hope that third book would be at least tied to the event and not another trick.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good moments, but, overall, this one didn't win me over.

EDIT: This was actually better the second time around!

[Infosifter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Breen are up to no good and everyone knows it, but what are they actually trying to accomplish? Lots of action here, and Data gets in big trouble while attempting to fulfill a private mission. 3.5 stars

[Crystal Bensley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great action / thriller story after a slowish start.

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second part of Cold Equations was terrific. I read it in two sittings. The only reason it wasn’t one is because of a character death that I had to mourn. All my favorite characters had meaningless parts. They weren’t just mentioned. They all had substance.
The story was thrilling at times. Those site-to-site transport scenes were boss. My favorite President had me in stitches once again. And had me in tears back in Pike City.
Book III…let’s do this.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading this trilogy out of order, not having seen Book I, yet. When I picked up this second of three, I thought I'd glance at it, put it down, and search for Book I. Alas, the writing and the plot grabbed me right away and the appearance of a totally unexpected character (don't let me spoil it for you) searching for an even more unexpected character (no, no, I don't want to spoil it for you) sealed my fate. I finished the book in one day. Excited to find Book III and finish this captivating story; can't wait to read Book I and learn how the heck we got to the beginning of Book II.

David Mack may be my favorite Star Trek author. He advances the "history" of the Star Trek Universe without sacrificing the developed and beloved qualities of all the pantheon of characters. He pushes the characters to grow, adjust, and adapt to the events around them in understandable, sensible ways. His deep understanding of the nature of the franchise, his vast knowledge of the details of the franchise, his intimate feelings for the handling of the franchise makes reading his works as exciting as catching the next Star Trek Movie or re-watching a beloved TV episode.

[Oz Trekkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional series

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Post-Nemesis: Cold Equations: 02 Silent Weapons by David Mack

challenging dark hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense

Medium-paced

Plot or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes

3.75 Stars

I can honestly say that I'm enjoying the sequences/scenes MORE than the overall story. Obviously, having only read the first two of a trilogy, I don't know all the parameters of the story, so...I'll reserve overall judgement at the end.

I am loving the characters and their interactions, but for some reason, I feel disconnected from this story. I really don't know why. I hear other readers hold this trilogy in such high esteem, but for some reason...I feel "cold" about the plot. 

I am enjoying the relationship that Captain Picard has with Dr. Crusher and their son, and I can understand her frustration about what happened, but then again...Picard is showing he's vulnerable and does have a passionate love for her and their son. I don't know why she has to focus so hard on what happened in the past, and not just live in the present. Hmmm.

The android issue, is still a thing. I like that Data is front and center, but for some reason...this story (second book) didn't work for me. I understood and followed what was happening, but I felt disconnected...and was just absorbing it, without retaining any nutrients (if you know what I mean). I wanted to be inspired by it, but it was just meh.

The Orions are not my favourite race, so being on their planet and abiding by their ridiculous rules was so frustrating.

The Typhon Pact partners are not as homogenous as they might think (individually), for this current situation shows the cracks and who's the main instigator in this story.

Loved Worf and Geordi...and how they are growing as characters in their own right. SO that is a plus. BUT, like I said...I am enjoying the individual character's arcs, but just not the story itself.

Ugh, not sure I'm making myself clear. On to the final book in the trilogy, The Body Electric. I'll probably start it at the beginning of the year. We shall see.2

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Romulans have a saying, "Never turn your back on a Breen."

Silent Weapons is the sequel to not only the The Persistence of Memory but the Typhon Pact series. David Mack is exceptionally good at spy fiction and this book is one of the better examples of it in the Star Trek setting.

The premise is Data is pursuing the mysterious Flint, the universe's greatest cyberneticist, in hopes of resurrecting his daughter Lal. Along the way, he ends up on Orion and finds himself accused of murder. Simultaneously, the hostile Breen race is once more threatening the Federation and it's up to the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise-E to resolve things. The plot twists and turns throughout the novel and it's not until the end you have a complete idea of what the heck is going on.

Data (or Data 2.0 as I call him), is both the same character and different. He's a great deal craftier, more secretive, and more obsessive. Having been restored from the dead and merged with his father, Noonien Soong, he has developed numerous emotional quirks which separate him from his TNG self. It's a brilliant bit of character building to be able to illustrate him as both Data as well as Noonien. Data doesn't think of himself as Noonien but he's far more scoundrel-like than he's ever been before.

I'm glad David Mack has chosen not to have Data return to the U.S.S Enterprise and am pleased to be able to enjoy him as a solo adventurer. Something which bothers me about many Expanded Universes is they rarely are willing to go "outside the box." While some would be happy to see Captain Picard commanding the Enterprise well into his 200s, I'm interested in watching characters grow and evolve.

Part of what makes this book so enjoyable is the politics of the Alpha Quadrant are seamlessly integrated into the novel's narrative. The Federation wants to lure the Gorn into an alliance, the Breen want to become leaders of the Typhon Pact, and the Gorn want to impress their new allies while not annoying the Federation too much. You wouldn't think a conference about the political future of an alien race would be all that interesting but these are some of my favorite sections of the book.

I've always been a big fan of the Gorn race so seeing them have a bigger role is excellent. Their leader is an especial hoot, caught between a rock and a hard place thanks to having some of the worst allies any species could have in science-fiction. The Gorn might be better off in the Federation but they've allied with the Typhon Pact and removing themselves would prove... problematic.

The Breen, by contrast, are very much how I envisioned the Romulans. When I was first introduced to them by TNG I imagined a race of constant backstabbing as well as secret police officers monitoring everything. I also saw them being the ultimate schemers in Star Trek with plots within plots. The Breen show that the Romulans can be one-upped with this as they have plans within plans within plans.

David Mack nicely avoids the "David Xanatos" problem by having these plans not always work out in their favor. Arguably, in fact, they forfeit numerous advantages in both time and resources in order to succeed in their main goal. Also, the Breen are probably more trouble than their worth in the Typhon Pact.

They betray the Gorn, Tholians, and themselves over the course of the novel. It makes me wonder if the Breen leadership has any redeeming qualities or if they're just a collection of complete [insert Klingon profanity]. Given David Mack is the spiritual "father" of the Breen, it'd be interesting to ask what exactly the public sees in their scheming leadership.

President Bacco plays a central role in this book and it's fascinating to watch her be out of her depth for once. As great a leader as she is, she's not used to people dealing in bad faith or the complex chain of betrayals the Breen are comfortable with. While she acquits herself well, it's nice to see she can be outsmarted. I was also touched by a eulogy she gave one of her close friends after the main plot of the book is resolved.

The rest of the characters work fine but I will say the most interesting plot of the Enterprise-E crew was definitely an unusual one: a fight between Doctor Crusher and Captain Picard over the fact the latter would put her life over the President's. Also, the question of his decidedly less than usual enthusiasm for Starfleet.

I won't share the circumstances of how this comes up but it's the kind of argument which would only come up in Gene Roddenberry's utopia. It's also appropriate given Captain Picard sacrificed the life of her previous husband on a mission. I like to think David Mack was thinking of Jack Crusher whenever Mrs. Picard was giving her husband the business. If you fall in love with someone, some of the worst arguments can emerge from not knowing who they are really.

I like David Mack's Post-Destiny Captain Picard. While I wouldn't go so far as to say Picard has PTSD, which he certainly did after becoming Locutus, I'm going to say that he's a figure whose clock is running down. The Borg stole away much of Captain Picard's love for space and forced him into becoming a warrior.

While we don't get much insight into what the Captain was doing during the Dominion War, the events of Destiny have clearly left their mark. He still loves being a Captain but I think he's capable of making the transition to Admiral or retirement Kirk couldn't. Which is a good thing as it separates those two characters more.

Silent Weapons is less of an emotional journey than The Persistence of Memory but my love of spy fiction biases me to liking it more.

9/10

[Laurie Jodice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this more than the first book. I especially liked the hidden mini technology and super hero likeness.

[Derkanus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A Federation scout ship out in BFE discovers what appears to be an old Federation mining ship crashed on some desolate planet. When they hail it, however, there is a flash of white light and the scout ship mysteriously vanishes...

The Enterprise is off on some bullshit mission--trying with futility to create the metaphasic radiation effect from TNG: Insurrection in the inert rings of some random planet--when Starfleet phones them up and tells them to go check out what happened to the missing scout ship. They zoom over but don't find jack squat; before long though, the emergency transceiver Data gave to Geordi starts going off and Picard says "fuck this, let's go help Data!" and off they go to Orion.

Data sent the signal because he's been thrown in the Orion slammer. He was working with an agent from Starfleet Intelligence, trying to find out where Emil Vaslovik ventured off to with Data's mother; however, shortly after meeting with Data, the agent turns up dead. At around the same time, the Orion bank was hacked--and the only evidence left behind were some funky signals, unique to Soong-type androids.

When the Enterprise gets to Orion, Picard gets in deep shit. It turns out President Bacco is on the planet, having a secret meeting with the Gorn to try and get them to leave the Typhon Pact and come back to the Federation; the last thing Bacco wanted was for the Enterprise to show up and draw unwanted attention to the planet! The whole thing is a mummer's farce, however, because the Gorn are only there to distract the Federation while the Breen enact a massive covert operation.

Geordi and Smrhova do some investigating, and find--thanks to an annonymous tip--that the director of the bank himself was behind the security breech. They confront him, get into a firefight, and end up shooting off his hand--revealing that he's an android replicant. They go on a massive chase, and eventually catch him when Geordi phasers the floor out of a glass elevator, causing Kinshal to plummet quite a few stories. This whole business (along with some camera footage showing Data at a shop across town at the time of the bank attack/SI murder) grants Data a get out of jail free card, and he joins the Enterprise in their investigations.

At around the same time, during a dinner banquet, the president's advisor, Esperanza Piniero, tries to assassinate both the president and the Gorn leader--she fails, but takes down a few members of each race before she's stopped. (Picard is in the marital doghouse hereafter because he decided to save Beverly in the crossfire instead of the president--pissing the good doctor off, since Picard once chewed Jack Crusher's ass out for choosing family over duty back on the Stargazer.)

They take Piniero's android corpse back to the Enterprise and find that it doesn't actually have a functioning android brain; instead, it has an amalgamation of Romulan, Breen, and Tholian thoughtwave technology inside (onyx glass-looking stuff) that the Breen use to control the androids telepathetically--but the android had some sort of self-destruct that basically melted all the technology in the head. Piniero's (human) body is found in an Orion crackhouse, thanks to another anonymous tip.

2 more Breen-controlled androids attack the Orion bank, and successfully infiltrate the vault where President Bacco and Gorn Imperator Sozzerozs are hiding, killing all the guards along the way. Data intercepts the androids just as they're about to kill the dignitaries, but he notices that the second replicant had more than enough time to kill the president before Data could've stopped it... Curious.

The android Data killed didn't self-destruct, and the Enterprise uses it to track the thoughtwave signal to a planet...within Federation space! There they find the Breen operators freshly dead, still plugged into their controller machines. They easily hack the Breen computers and find the locations of androids ready to be activated on planets all over Federation space. Starfleet quickly scrambles the fleet to reach all the 'droid locations before they can be activated...

...But the Enterprise crew realizes that they found all of this information entirely too easily, and that the diversion of the fleet has opened up a corridor through space leading straight from the planet where the scout ship disappeared (at the beginning of the book) to Breen space. The Enterprise quickly intercepts, and sure enough, there's some kind of strange ship, capable of creating wormholes to a parallel dimension, being excavated from the planet. A Breen warship de-cloaks nearby, claiming they merely happened to intercept a distress call and are simply there to help. Picard tells him to back the fuck off or he'll nuke the crashed ship from space. The Breen say "there could be Federation personnel down there, you wouldn't date"--but Picard does dare, and launches a volley of photon torpedoes at the ship, utterly destroying it--and all the Breen's best laid plans. The warship limps back to Breen space, tail between its legs.

The Breen Domo is removed from office in disgrace; he gave up the Breen's best military secrets (i.e. the androids) to get the parallel dimension ship, all for naught. The Gorn--realizing that the Breen were willing to sacrifice them (making it look like the Federation did it) in order to start a war in which the Breen would end up controlling everything--are understandably pissed and start backdoor negotiations with the Federation.

Data bids a fond farewell to his friends aboard the Enterprise and heads off to find his mom and Vaslovik. He traces them to a distant planet, but once there his mom tells him that Vaslovik was abducted by the Fellowship of Artifical Intelligence.

Review: 4.5 stars. I really liked "Silent Weapons"; it had the political intrigue of Game of Thrones, with the gritty neo-noir atmosphere--and replicants--of Blade Runner. This is a great examply of how the sheer diversity of tales that can be spun in the Star Trek universe are what make it so great--and long-lasting!

This book had a lot of good character moments in it; I particularly appreciated that Geordi got lots of stuff to do, since he's usually just there to do the [TECH] stuff (it was pretty badass when he shot the floor out of that elevator). It also fleshed out Smrhova a bit, so she's starting to feel like a real character and not just another red shirt. We also got to further see how Picard is starting to care more about his wife and kid than his duty to Startfleet, so when the time comes for him to step down, it will actually feel believable. I didn't particularly buy it that Beverly was so pissed off at Picard for saving her life instead of the president's, but I guess she's more dedicated to Starfleet than I thought. I was definitely on Team Picard for that one.

I was really impressed by how much Mack fleshed out the Gorn; I quickly went from "oh great, the rubber-suited dinosaurs", to "wow, I actually want to read more books about Gorn society!" They did feel a bit overmuch like the Klingons--with all the focus on honor and eating raw meat--but they were distinct enough to feel like their own species. I also didn't really know anything about the Breen either (other than that they look like Leia in her Boushh mask), and Mack did a great job of making them slimy and covert, like the Romulans, but, again, different enough that they can stand on their own. Using thoughtwaves to power the androids instead of building a positronic brain was a stroke of genius, and feels totally plausible--it's just like VNCing into a computer than can walk and talk!

I've seen other reviews complain that this book seemingly has nothing to do with book I ("The Persistence of Memory"), but that's not really true. Without book I, Data wouldn't be back, of course, but this also ties up the Breen android plot that started in that book, and reveals what their big scheme was. I do agree though, that in the over-arching storyline of the trilogy, this book could probably be summed up as: "Data tracks down Vaslovik only to find he's been abducted by the android Superfriends."

Still, this is a great book (much better than the first one) and I'm eager to read part III!

[Paul Lunger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 2nd book in David Mack's "Cold Equations" trilogy "Silent Weapons" takes us 3 months beyond where we left off in "The Persistence of Memory" & finds the Enterprise on a mission out of Starfleet's way & Data making backroom deals on Orion looking for info on the one person who could help him find his mother. When the Bank of Orion is robbed, Data becomes the prime suspect & the Enterprise is summoned covertly away from their original mission to aid their missing officer. From there we learn of more Breen treachery & a summit between President Bacco & the Gorn to possibly have them leave the Typhon Pact. Throw in more rogue androids & a lot of action including a stunning death & Mack's novel moves at a breakneck speed that will literally take your breath away. There is a lot of character growth in amongst the political aspects of this post-Destiny era Federation which adds a glimpse into things to come down the road. With a simplistic ending & a twist in the epilogue, Mack again delivers another top notch story that has fans like myself awaiting December's finale "The Body Electric".

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel to The Persistence of Memory that does not require reading of that book to enjoy.

Data is captured on the Orion homeworld for murdering a Starfleet officer. He is innocent, obviously, but why he is being considered suspect number one is what makes this book interesting. Full of politics, but more of the "plans with plans" variety, rather than the boring rote procedures, the Breen, Orion, Gorn, and Romulan all play a part in this book as one of these groups looks to strengthen their position within the Typhon Pact of star systems that are the opposite of the Federation. There are also lots of bits between Picard and wife Crusher as they consider their eventual retirement from Starfleet. I didn't think I would enjoy reading those sections, but they came across as completely believable to the characters at this point in their lives.

Lots of action and plenty of surprises makes this an enjoyable read. The Epilogue sets up the next book, but I wish it hadn't been there as it diminished from the punch of this book.

[Monotony Boy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally, I tend to think of these types of books exclusivity as professional fan fiction, and the type of book you pick up at the grocery or dollar store on a whim. While I don't think this is the case in this series, I still wouldn't recommend this for anyone but earnest star trek fans who have at least seen all the movies.

But if any books I have seen in the tng series could breathe new life into the world, this trilogy can.

That being said, we join the Enterprise crew in an adventure that is well conceived and well executed. The themes of family are persistent throughout this trilogy (I can't say much more without giving up spoilers. ) and the settings are dynamic.

At times this book reads like a modern Crime/political intrigue novel, and that's a good thing. It adds a dimension of believability to the tng Universe that is refreshing.

[Adrian H · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this 0 stars, I think I probably would.

Here's a quote from the book:


The harder Kohl tried not to think about missing the long-awaited championship fútbol match between Pacifica United and Royal Betazed, the more stubbornly rooted his resentment became. "Do you have any idea what I want through to get those tickets? We had sideline seats, Treg. At midfield"

[Maurice Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

** spoiler alert ** David "D-Murder" Mack strikes again :-). Reading his Star Trek work is engaging and frustrating at the same time. It's engaging because he clearly understands the characters and writes a good story. He also does his homework for the most part- he does well with picking up from different authors and not blowing continuity by, say, using a character that a different Trek author killed off in a book that happened before his did.

It's frustrating because he keeps killing off good characters, and as much as I want to hate him for that, most of the deaths in my opinion make sense. This time around, the Breen found a use for the Soong android bodies they stole from the abandoned Borg base that Lore once used. Using cobbled together tech from various Typhon Pact entities, they enabled volunteers to remote-pilot the android bodies. They also learned how to alter the androids' appearance with modular swap-out parts to create the perfect spies- or assassins.

The best way to use these androids was to disguise them as someone close to the target, slip them into place and let them kill that target. The Breen sweet-talked the Gorn into asking the Federation to negotiate the possibility of them leaving the Pact for the Federation. The Gorn's past friendly relationship with President Nan Bacco made it desirable for the Federation to enter talks, and they met beneath the Bank of Orion, supposedly the most secure location available.

The Gorn didn't even know that the Breen would make them targets in an assassination attempt, or that they would replace Bacco's chief of staff Esperanza Pineiro with one of their android assassins to do it. It made sense, but I am beyond pissed to see such an endearing character killed off like that. Not only that, but Agent Stephen Wexler also got killed protecting the president. I've liked this recurrent character ever since the head of President Bacco's security detail thrashed both the Romulan and the Klingon ambassadors at the same time to break up an argument several books ago.

It was chilling, but showed the Federation that the Breen would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. In this case, they used the androids as misdirection so they could steal something from Federation space, and overreached themselves so far that they lost everything.

I hate to think of who Mack might kill off in the final book of this trilogy. It better not be Data- he was just brought back!

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Star Trek political thriller.

While a direct continuation of the events of book one, Silent Weapons was very different from the first book and a standalone adventure in many ways. The politics of Trek take center stage as the Breen maneuver and manipulate major powers in the Alpha and Beta quadrants for their own devious ends. Getting such an in depth look at the Breen society was definitely the best part of this novel. The role of the Breen in Deep Space Nine was a minor one and their culture wasn't explored in much detail. Their race proved very fascinating and they made excellent villains. Likewise the Gorn got a fair amount of time to shine which was great. It's so satisfying to read about that race interacting with Picard and the Federation in the TNG era. Going into this I knew only what was onscreen in TOS and Enterprise season four so I was very excited reading and learning about their culture. They were portrayed as a compelling race with some imaginative ways of living based on their reptilian design.

I look forward to revisiting the Breen and hopefully the Gorn in book three while also refocusing on Data's personal journey that was put on hold here as he helped his friends on the Enterprise. It took awhile, bit I think I'm adjusted to the new Data. It's still weird that he's so... human now.

[Vorik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wer glaubt, dass in diesem zweiten Teil der Lebensweg des „neuen“ Data erzählt wird, muss eine herbe Enttäuschung verkraften: Data ist in diesem Roman nur eine Randfigur. Stattdessen findet man sich in mitten einer politischen Intrige zwischen Typhon-Pakt-Mitgliedern und der Föderation wieder. Leider lässt der Autor dabei dem Leser von Beginn an viele wichtige Informationen zu kommen, sodass er den Helden der Enterprise stets einen Schritt voraus ist. So weiß man was oder warum etwas passiert und wer dafür verantwortlich ist, während David Mack die Figuren von einem Hinweis zum nächsten stolpern und in Unwissenheit agieren lässt. Das ist äußerst langweilig und kein bisschen unterhaltsam. Dass zudem die wenigen übriggebliebenen Charaktere von der Enterprise-D über weite Teile des Buches nur Nebenfiguren darstellen, macht diese Lesekost für TNG-Fans nicht appetitlicher. Insgesamt ist das Werk eine maßlose Enttäuschung, die nicht annähernd an den genialen Mitteilteil des Vorgängerromans heranreicht.

[Vic Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this novel - especially having the Gorn play a major part. There is a high chance of them being a Klingon knock off but thankfully they don't feel anything like Klingons.
The President being in this novel felt fresh and interesting, it immediately made me pay more attention.
However I would have liked more time with Esperanza before she was killed and replaced by a clone. It made the reveal slightly less impactful. Still so good tho.
I think that entire attack scene and the events afterwards are 5 stars. Picard choosing to save Beverly... good stuffff.
The beginning of the novel and the Data stuff didn't really do it for me.

[Scott Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-moving, with a spy thriller vibe, David Mack’s second instalment in the Cold Equations trilogy is very entertaining. I always enjoy spending time with President Bacco. I would have liked more of Data but I sense he will be the focus of book three.

I don’t like the direction that the post-Nemesis novels have taken Dr. Crusher and Picard. I feel like their unresolved, unrequited relationship was more interesting. I don’t like the idea that they’ve had a child and I found Beverly’s story to be the weakest link in this novel. I’m not sure I buy her motivations.

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course I could never see the Android attack on mars in Short Treks and the opening of Picard, but the idea of all the Soong-type bodies working to a singular hive-mind dread purpose is just as chilling. it was also fascinating to see more of the galactic politics here, and with a nod to one of the best TNG episodes ever (Cause and Effect, anyone?) This was a fantastic follow-up.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first in the series, it seemed a huge waste of resources all the antics the Breen got up to for the proposed end result, whilst making out the baddies to be just that all bad, no grey areas.

[omiczech · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should be part of the Typhon pact series.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t really get the plot... but I enjoyed certain parts of the side stories...

[Frank Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once you've stomached the big changes of book 1, you're ready to enjoy this fantastic tale.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as enjoyable as the first book.

[Lisa Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

TenForward

Love all of your books but I prefer the name Ten Forward over that happy bottom stuff. It just flows off of the tongue better and is more memorable.

[Jay Daze · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh TNG politics - the ST characters not as interesting as the pretty bland side characters. Mack is utilizing a lot of wider Star Trek universe characters and lore that I don't really care about.

[John R. Goyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

well written and compelling reading. Some interesting issues are raised and I'm very curious how they will be resolved by the end of this trilogy. A nice addition to the star trek history.

[Nicky2910 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Cold Equations: Silent Weapons by David Mack Plot:While on a routine research mission, Geordi is contacted by Data who calls for help. He got arrested on Orion for an attempted break-in into their bank, one of the most secure buildings in the galaxy, and murder of an Starfleet Intelligence officer. The evidence, the bank's sensor data indicating a Soong-type android strongly suggests his involvement. And so, the race is on to clear him and uncover what's really going on on Orion... who's behind it and why.Review:First of all, it was a much easier read than PoM, certainly because there was no present tense or 1st person-PoV. There was enough adventure and quick action to make this book into a page-turner. But even though, it lacked the emotion depth of the last part of PoM. Again, I repeat what said in my reaction to PoM: Maybe that's because I'm a mere casual reader who has no knowledge of the prior parts of the TP. Granted, this book could be read on its own, but there's a lot of contextual information that's only hinted at - and not knowing the details IMO distracts and minimizes the pleasure of reading the story. I've often said here that I'd wish for some kind of "What happened earlier" in the books, especially in books connected to each other. But the way it was I didn't quite get the Breen's apparent obsession with that propulsion system, leading them to literally throw away the Soong androids which really could have secured them dominance if used wisely. And of course, the intricacies of the whole political situation escaped me almost entirely.My reaction to Piniero's death was... indifferent, again. Frankly, I'd have felt more if Wexler had been killed and then used as a traitor.I found the character moments on the E-E much more interesting. First of all, there was no real dealing with Worf's loss. Of course, Silent Weapons occurs a couple of months after PoM, but still, save for some problems with Smrhova which were mentioned in passing (because their actual interaction was quite limited), he was pretty much sidelined to putting some of the clues together. Except for 2 or 3 mentions of Choudhury, it was like nothing ever happened - which reenforced my red-shirt point of view. I'd have wished for more here.OTOH, I quite liked Smrhova's portrayal, but I guess her ambition and her need to prove herself, coupled with her badass attitude could lead to troubles in the near future.I didn't quite get what Beverly's problem was. Honestly, somehow I thought *she* let it go to her head that she's "the captain"'s wife and shouldn't quite worry so much about Rene. It's not news, after all, that Picard has troubles keeping his relationship with a woman under his command and his duties as officer apart - that was the issue why he and Darren separated in "Lessons" after all. Back then, his focus was on his career. The only shift in attitude from Picard was that now he's ready to resign himself and put the relationship above his career. So, what does that tell about Beverly and her perception of their relationship? And why does she criticize Picard? After all, she could have put herself between "Piniero" and Bacco as well. And if one goes one step further: What if Rene had been there? Would she really have expected and accepted Picard sacrificing his son? This was a "Change of Heart"-kind of situation. And actually, considering that his first officer has a mark on his record for that incident with Jadzia, perhaps Picard and Beverly should have made plans to prevent such situations (not going on away missions together etc). Well, the signs are there that they will leave the E-E in the near future... Who knows what will happen then to stories set on the E-E...Finally, I was a bit disappointed by Data's role here. I loved the way he contacted Geordi and had confidence that his former colleagues would come. Then again, save for grins, smiles and his overall human appearance his return to being the Data of old, solving puzzles, making use of his android speed, felt a bit too convenient. Especially his integration into the entirety of the Enterprise crew during the "think tank"-parts. I mean, they all know of Data, they might have heard of his return... but they don't know him and at least displayed no obvious curiosity towards him. To me that seemed a bit too much like business as usual.I hope the 3rd part will continue Data's storyline (as the epilogue suggests it will), and in doing so be a bit more emotionally engaging than this novel. I realize that most of what I've written here is critical, but, overall, Silent Weapons is a good book. However, I'm not satisfied with good.
 
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review originally written in 2012