Gods Above

Star Trek: New Frontier #13

by Peter David

As Lieutenant Mark McHenry hovers in a twilight state between life and death, and a mysterious, bearded one-eyed man moves ghost-like through the ship with his own esoteric agenda, Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and Commander Elizabeth Shelby go head to head over the growing problem on Danter. There, the god-like creatures known only as 'The Beings' are building an increasing power base, and the question is whether they are potentially the greatest ally or the greatest threat that the Federation has ever known. When more aggressive races such as the Thallonians enter into the mix, threatening to send the entire galaxy spiralling into war over the miracle food called Ambrosia, only the starships Excalibur and Trident -- with the aid of Ambassador Spock -- can stave off a conflict that could crack apart the Federation.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks, Media Tie In, Space, Technology

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2003

About the author

aka David Peters

Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.

Reviews

[David H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second half of the story started in Being Human, and doesn't actually end in a cliffhanger--yay! I really liked seeing Spock here, and this was certainly a wacky plot involving "gods." The conclusion here was interesting, though I'll be sad to see a certain character leave the ship. The Gleau subplot was really frustrating since I think this is Star Trek and I'd like to think they'd be better than our time when it comes to sexual harassment/consent issues. But he's straight up DEAD at the end of this book (technically a spoiler, but it's like the best thing ever and makes it all worthwhile now)--and I see some hints of some interesting plot stuff with that too for future books. The side plot with the ship's computer ended up quite amusing as well. Soleta is great here, too, and I really like that Moke got to play an important role.

Also, as far as I can tell, aside from the No Limits anthology in this series, this is the start of the "no people" covers for this series. I wonder why that changed?

[Rob Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed to drag on with the fallout from the previous novel and plenty of ongoing storylines fought for a small piece of the action. The ending was swift and ultimately a bit of a letdown.

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

I haven't read the other books in this series, but this was an enjoyable space opera novel nonetheless, even if the characters were unfamiliar to me.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a "season finale" book where we have Mac actually facing down gods in Star Trek. It's definitely as big and epic a confrontation as we've ever gotten in the books and does a fantastic job of selling the stakes. While created independently, it has a lot of Season Four of Babylon Five energy as Mac reveals just how little humanity needs the gods of old anymore.

Unfortunately, the gods of this book don't have quite the nuance as the Vorlons or Shadows. Artemis, Thoth, Anubis, and Tyr are about as one dimensional as the slave lords from "The Gamemasters of Triskelion" or "Catspaw." Which is fine because TOS villains very often were incredibly awful with no nuance but disappointing here.

Much of the book is about the temptations the gods give to provide a literal opiate of the masses in ambrosia. I'm not very fond of Soleta's handling in this book as she gets reduced to a starstruck lover too enraptured with Thoth to really make a meaningful contribution to the story. It does posit the interesting idea that LOVE is the most powerful form of worship and why the gods so frequently take mortal consorts.

Another plotline I'm not particularly fond of is Lieutenant Commander Gleau and M'Ress, which is Peter David tackling date rape in Star Trek before Darulio from The Orville. Well, technically Star Trek has been handling date rape in Star Trek since "The Naked Now" but you know what I mean. It's deeply uncomfortable that Gleau uses his psychic power to get laid and Shelby is mostly disapproving but not "criminal charges and court martial" mad. It does reference the vow of celibacy that Deltans are forced to take and I'm reminded how Christopher Bennett handled the Deltan's disastrous First Contact in his ENTERPRISE novels. But yeah, screw this guy.

I'm kind of iffy about the handling of Odin in the setting as he represents all of the Sky Fathers of Earth History (at least in this universe). Still, he at least is mostly on the side of good and i actually felt the tie-in to Santa Clause was pretty good. I'm surprised they didn't allude to the idea he was also the Christian God's inspiration but that's mostly because Peter David does take risks like that. Then again, he was really pro-religious in his excellent Supergirl comics.

Morgan Primus "died" the previous book and is now uploaded to the Excalibur's computer system. I thought this was a very interesting twist and something that I was anxious to see how it worked. I have to admit it's only as a 42-year-old man that I get this is all just an incredibly elaborate Majel barret joke. After indicating she was Number One, had Scotty mistake her for Christine, and be an overbearing mother like Lxanna, OF COURSE she ends up the starship's computer voice.

Note: My headcanon is that I'm happy to consider New Frontier still part of my personal canon. Which also fits that she's just yet another woman who mysteriously looks like Majel Barret in-universe. Because why not? Tom Paris turns out NOT to be related to Lorcano.

This is the end of Mark McHenry's story and given he was a character that has been with us from the beginning and even in spin-offs, it's a shame to see him take the Wesley Crusher to Traveler route of ascending to a higher plane of existence. Same for Kes. I think that's something of a lazy way out and rarely satisfying when normally "ascending to godhood" is a big deal. At least it's a happy-ish ending, though. Which is a far cry from the way that Janos will be treated next book.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, with each one of these that I read I want to know these characters on a deeper level and I find more humorous episodes, more puns, more improbable escapades. I'm not going to spoil it for you but if you've read "Being Human" you have to read "Gods Above." It seems like it would be hard to jump right into the New Frontier series without reading the first twelve books (and some side adventures).
This is one of those books that leaves me satisfied (really deeply), but also wanting immediately to jump into the next book. I'm not going to give you the plot summary. This novel has a lot of Soleta, a lot of Kebron, a lot of McHenry (for obvious reasons) and a lot of Calhoun and Shelby. So if you're hungry for more about those characters this novel will not disappoint.
In "Being Human," Peter David ("PAD") really opened up the story as a two-starship story, i.e. Trident and Excalibur. I have to admit that I was skeptical whether that could work; it was already complex enough with characters going in different directions. Again, PAD exceeded expectations in these two novels. It really works.

[Peter Rydén · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stundtals blir denna bok lite väl mycket av återblickar i tidigare händelser, så den som inte har läst så mycket av New Frontier-serien bör läsa tidigare böcker först. Jag själv har ändå läst det mesta, så jag fann boken vara mycket förståelig och faktiskt mycket läsvärd. Äntligen börjar jag förstå mig på de olika personerna såsom Soleta, Burgoyne och Kebron för att bara nämna några som jag tidigare har haft svårt för. Den här boken förklarade mycket av de frågetecken som jag tidigare har haft om dessa och andra.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked most of this book and I think I would rate it 3.5 stars if I could. Pretty much inseparable from Being Human so be forewarned if you plan to read it. I think my biggest gripe with the New Frontier series is how there's just a bit too much inner ship drama and not acting quite like a Federation ship - especially the Trident in this case. Anyway, a nice sequel to a TOS episode and Roddenberry would be proud as they try to kill god. Some fun ideas in here too but wish everyone wasn't too quippy.

[Celia Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story line

I love that Ambassador Spok was weaved into the storyline of this book. Having old Greek, Norwegian, and Egyptian mythology woven into this storyline says so much about the writer imaginative genius. To me, it is a certain kind of genius to create such stories out of thin air. I enjoyed this book and enjoyed reading the adventures of the Excalibur and Captain Calhoun McKenzie. I hope Peter David writes new stories, I would like to read about the child of Calhoun and Soleta that should be interesting.

[John Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is NOT a Next Gen book as the title says. It's a series all it's own. I picked it up at a book drop. It has ONE notable Next Gen character, but is a whole other NEW ship(s)/captain(s). It also drops you RIGHT in to the middle of the story but does a nice job of explaining what happened in previous books.

I dunno. I liked it. Added to lore and was fun, but have too many books in my pile to pick up the next one, even though it left on a fun cliffhanger. Maybe if there was less to read.

[Michael Hanscom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little odd, because I didn’t know beforehand that the _New Frontier_ books were quite so serialized, and I was coming in mid-story. Still an enjoyable follow up to TOS’s “Who Mourns for Adonais?”. 🖖

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As McHenry is basically in a coma, the rest of the crew is left to deal with a whole collection of gods covering all the major groups we are familiar with from our ancient myths and legends. Some interesting twists happen along the way. Definitely recommended

[James Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very long and boring.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily this one is the best New Frontier novel so far.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how PAD weaves past and present into cohesive stories

[S.J. Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much more exciting read than the cover implies. Many stories come to a head in some pretty bonkers ways.

4.5/5 The wrap up fizzles a bit, but the journey was fun.

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The latest installment in Peter David's "New Frontier" series got a little out of hand in its plot, but was ultimately enjoyable.

When we last saw the crew (or, I should say, 'crews,' since Shelby's crew on the Trident is now just as much a part of the plot as Calhoun's on the Excalibur), they were getting beaten to a pulp by the ancient gods of historical earth, and we'd learned that Mark McHenry had, in his ancestry, one of those gods - Apollo. In the episode of the original series with Apollo, he took a lady lieutenant aside, and apparently, they conceived, which ultimately led to Mark and his odd abilities.

Since Mark told Calhoun not to trust the gods (including Artemis, his childhood friend and adolescent lover), the gods smacked the Excalibur to heck and back, killing eight crewmembers, including Robin Lefler's apparently not-so-immortal mother, and leaving McHenry in a strange dead-but-not-decaying state.

And that's just the set up at the start of this novel. Si Cwan is back on Danter, trying to rekindle the Thallonian empire (but one of the gods is also on Danter, handing out ambrosia, and things get awkward, fast). The role of the gods, ambrosia, and the effect it is having on the quadrant is the main plot of the story, and done interestingly, if a tad over the top, and of course, the McHenry story (like he'd really be totally dead). Ditto Robin's mother.

The 'B' plot is the continuing story arc on the Trident of Lieutenant M'Ress, Lieutenant Commander Gleau, and Lieutenant Commander Arex - a twisted little love and hate and potential murder triangle that leaves one a little confused at best. Kat Meuller, Shelby's XO, gets quite a bit of attention in this book, and it's a good thing, but Peter David's tendency to make everyone lust after the wrong person is starting to get a tad stale.

I was looking forward to this book, so I think I was a little let down by holding it up a little high in my expectations. It has some great one-liners (a David trademark), and the plot advances in some significant ways, so I cannot complain overmuch. It was good enough, just a little heavy on the coincidence.

[David Palazzolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: New Frontier: Gods Above is book 13 in ordinary time and the 19th chapter of what I like to call Star Trek: The Prime-Time Soap. The story picks up from where Being Human left off. Lt Mark McHenry and acting-Ensign Morgan Lefler Primus are dead (or are they?) after a vicious attack from the god-like Beings lead by Artemis. Si Cwan and Kallinda are in danger from the Danteri and their secret patron Anubis after Cwan discovers thei real motivations for promising a renewed Thallonian Empire. And Capt. Calhoun's adopted son Moke also remains in severely injured from a fall sustained from running from "the Dark Man" aka a Being who resembles the Norse god Odin.

There are interesting interactions all throughout. Dr Selar comes to the aid of Lt Soleta as she performs a perilous mind-meld. Soleta later is kidnapped by Thoth and given a taste of peace of mind which is suddenly yanked away. The situation between Lt M'Ress and Lt Cdr Gleau heats up with Cdr Mueller beginning to realize that Gleau may not be all he seems. Kebron is also not all he seems as he undergoes a startling transformation Moke's father is finally revealed and he finds out he has a sibling he never knew.

The scenes between Captains Shelby and Calhoun are well written. Calhoun seems to be adjusting well to sharing responsibility for sector 221-G with an equal partner after being simply the only authority for so long. The Beings have a logical weakness that Shelby and Calhoun exploit to bring about a new "Twilight of the Gods" (with a little help from an unexpected ally).

And finally, we have a surprise murder at the end.

Next is Stone and Anvil, where the murder is investigated and may have ties to Shelby and Calhoun's Starfleet Academy days...

[reherrma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die EXCALIBUR mit Cpt. Calhoun und die TRIDENT mit seiner Frau Elizabeth Shelby als Captain, bekommen es mit den "Wesen" zu tun, mit denen sich schon Kirk & Co herumgeschlagen hat. Im letzten Band hat Artemis, eine der "Göttinen" der Wesen, einen verheerenden Angriff auf die EXCALIBUR angerichtet und mehrere Besatzungsmitglieder getötet, Calhoun schäumt vor Wut und sinnt auf Rache.
Währendessen haben sich die "Götter" auf Danter niedergelassen und haben ein Abkommen mit den Danteri geschlossen, sie bekommen Ambrosia im Gegenzug müssen Sie die Wesen anbeten.
Wieder mal ist Peter David ein rasantes und humorvolles SF-Abenteuer mit der Crew der Excalibur und der Trident gelungen, mit skurrilen Einfällen wie dem Schiffs-Computer der EXCALIBUR, die eine der getöteten Besatzungsmitglieder aufgenommen hat, die Mutter von Robin Lefler, die dem Computer eine besondere Note verleiht. Durch das Auftauchen von Spock bringt die Serie inzwischen auch eine nostalgische Note ins Spiel. Die Charakterbeschreibungen der einzelnen Figuren sind, wie bei New Frontier immer, humorvoll und voller Tiefe. Es ist einfach ein Zyklus, der Spaß macht und der einem süchtig nach neuen Abenteuern zurückläßt...

[Sean Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

" 'Impart the godhead.' That would be a euphemism for 'have sex with,' am I correct?"

The risque humour, not to mention a rather disconcerting pantheon of gods, continue to sit at the centre of this rather humdrum addition to the new Frontier series.
"I've walked some death myself, 'god,' " shot back Calhoun, "and it might be wise for little gods to stay the hell out of my way."
Calhoun is his typical brash self, and the rest of the characters fall neatly into their holes with neither fuss nor foible. Morgan's outcome is perhaps one of the most interesting elements here, but even mchenry's eventual state of affairs is only of mild interest after the seemingly endless barrage of Godly abuse.

It's worth noting that there seem to be a bunch of asides missing - double helix,xenexian honemoony honeymoon, and of course m'Res and the rest of the gateways incident. I can only attribute these to other New Frontier workks in other series and shall hopefully read them at some point.

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

PAD, still writes enjoyable ST like we're viewing a new episode. He's very easy to read and enjoy, a true entertainer. This time we continue from the cliffhanger of the last book where some members where killed and the USS Excalibur suffered massive defeat at the ends of "gods". And now the conclusion...
---
Just finished!
Like I said, an easy read, the story keeps advancing at good pace and the characters are believable and respectful of their roots, motivations and the Star Trek universe.
Another very good ST:NF by PAD! Its really fun and a good substitute to no new tv episodes.
On to the next one...

[***Dave Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wrapping up the storyline begun in Being Human, this is a very solid read. It pulls in some underused cast members, makes significant changes on others, and leads to the end of the tale for yet one more. And it's all done in an extended Star Trek setting that makes canon-like sense. Good stuff -- not for the first-time reader, by any means, but some decent payoff for those who've been following the series along.

[Dan Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter David writes a very particular kind of Star Trek, especially when writing "New Frontier" books. If you like the earlier ones, you should find this one pretty entertaining. David continues too bring a TOS feel of larger than life events--Gods in this case--unabashedly into the 24th Century. The sense of adventure is high and the dialogue is as snappy as any previous book. If you think Trek needs to be a little more somber, this one may not be for you.

[Voula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I liked the way it tied into an old classic Trek episode and added more back story and an additional encounter with the same race of beings. Again, really love Star Trek and really liked this book! Love the Mackenzie Calhoun character, his wife, Elizabeth Shelby and the playful interactions between them. Yippee! I'll be looking for more books in this series to read!

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing off the previous book. Calhoun and Shelby return to Danter to find it changed by the Beings. McHenry and Morgan Primus are dead ... or are they? And Kebron has a skin condition.

There's a lot of forward movement in this one. The next book will have a new status quo.

[SFReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.a...

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conclusion to the one I was reading last week. Decent wrap up with some funny bits and good mythological nods.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great follow-up to "Being Human." Everything I said there applies here as well. I am continuing to devour these in an attempt to catch up to the most recent installment.

[Frank Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

_

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not nearly as strong as its predecessor, mainly because the first half of the book spins its wheels at length.

[Loki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot more satisfying than its predecessor, tying up the major plots quite well... and then abruptly ending on a cliffhanger as one of the subplots suddenly takes centre stage. Fun.