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Star Trek: New Frontier #11
Restoration
The ever resourceful Captain Mackenzie Calhoun abruptly finds himself at a loss – marooned on the primitive outback world of Yakaba after his ship, Excalibur, is destroyed by deadly sabotage. He is separated from his loyal first officer, Shelby, who has gone on to command the Exeter and is certain that Calhoun has been blasted into oblivion. On Yakaba's dry frontier, Calhoun meets and befriends Rheela, an extraordinary woman beset by enemies trying to control or destroy her and her gift – summoning rain to her parched homeland.
Trapped on this hostile world, unable to relay to his people that he survived their ship's cataclysm, Calhoun must stand against countless adversaries who will stop at nothing to gain power or keep it from others. Life and death hang in the balance. Out in the distance, mourning but determined to move on, Shelby must discover what sort of captain she really is.
Trapped on this hostile world, unable to relay to his people that he survived their ship's cataclysm, Calhoun must stand against countless adversaries who will stop at nothing to gain power or keep it from others. Life and death hang in the balance. Out in the distance, mourning but determined to move on, Shelby must discover what sort of captain she really is.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2001
27 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Peter David
3,567 books1,363 followersaka 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
September 26, 2019
Definitely not the best of the series. Some fun and exciting moments, but, overall, it fell flat for me.
November 7, 2022
This is the Western installment of the New Frontier series and I mean that in the most direct TOS sort of way. There's a big desert planet, an evil cattle baron, and Captain Calhoun comes down to become the new Sheriff in town. I actually love when Star Trek does this sort of stuff because as nonsensical and weird as it is, it is fully the kind of genre-bending I enjoy. It also doesn't take place in a holodeck and I give props for that.
I don't really have a problem with Star Trek being on the sillier side of things, blasphemy as that may be. I am happy to have our protagonists visit Wild West Planet, Medieval Planet, Gangster Planet, Cyberpunk Planet, or whatever else sort of planet we need for this weeks budget. Contrivances be damned. It's one of the major appeals of New Frontier that they're willing to put a bunch of TNG-era characters in TOS sort of situations and really is the ethos of the entire series.
But is the story really good for Mac? Surprisingly, I'd say so because there's some very interesting character development for him. His single-target sexuality (Kat Mueller aside) to Shelby is challenged by the possibility of falling in love with the Girl-of-The-Week but the big difference is that it leaves him with huge consequences: a son that he chooses and raise as his own. I thought that was a brave decision of Peter David and it leads to some very interesting encounters along the way as Mac is forced to confront his biological son seeing his adopted one.
Random aside, I actually liked the romance of Mac and Shula because Peter David writes the former as a man capable in all areas except romance. Mac has been with, as far as we can tell, three women in his life with his awkwardness extremely apparent when he's in a romantic situation. There's the girl he lost his virginity to, Shelby, Kat, and now the "determined homesteader" archetype. Mac is confidant everywhere but here and it's really rather sweet to see how they bond while she struggles to deal with the fact he's uncomfortable with her overtures.
The story goes in a very odd direction with the fact that Shula had an affair with Odin and her rain-making son is the result. That'll come up later but is the kind of absolute batguano insanity that reminds you that Peter David is a comic book writer even when he's writing novels. It's also what contributes to making New Frontier so unique.
In any case, this is a good "ending" for the series with the reunification of the crew as well as Shelby accepting they're her family even if she has her own command. I'm going to have some "issues" sadly with where the story goes from here.
I don't really have a problem with Star Trek being on the sillier side of things, blasphemy as that may be. I am happy to have our protagonists visit Wild West Planet, Medieval Planet, Gangster Planet, Cyberpunk Planet, or whatever else sort of planet we need for this weeks budget. Contrivances be damned. It's one of the major appeals of New Frontier that they're willing to put a bunch of TNG-era characters in TOS sort of situations and really is the ethos of the entire series.
But is the story really good for Mac? Surprisingly, I'd say so because there's some very interesting character development for him. His single-target sexuality (Kat Mueller aside) to Shelby is challenged by the possibility of falling in love with the Girl-of-The-Week but the big difference is that it leaves him with huge consequences: a son that he chooses and raise as his own. I thought that was a brave decision of Peter David and it leads to some very interesting encounters along the way as Mac is forced to confront his biological son seeing his adopted one.
Random aside, I actually liked the romance of Mac and Shula because Peter David writes the former as a man capable in all areas except romance. Mac has been with, as far as we can tell, three women in his life with his awkwardness extremely apparent when he's in a romantic situation. There's the girl he lost his virginity to, Shelby, Kat, and now the "determined homesteader" archetype. Mac is confidant everywhere but here and it's really rather sweet to see how they bond while she struggles to deal with the fact he's uncomfortable with her overtures.
The story goes in a very odd direction with the fact that Shula had an affair with Odin and her rain-making son is the result. That'll come up later but is the kind of absolute batguano insanity that reminds you that Peter David is a comic book writer even when he's writing novels. It's also what contributes to making New Frontier so unique.
In any case, this is a good "ending" for the series with the reunification of the crew as well as Shelby accepting they're her family even if she has her own command. I'm going to have some "issues" sadly with where the story goes from here.
September 15, 2024
Very underwhelming conclusion to this trilogy.
October 29, 2017
Read this one out of order, but that didn't matter. A good read, with lots of interesting action, characters and atmosphere.
June 24, 2019
What is it with sci-fi and westerns? I know, I know, "Wagon Train to the Stars" and all that. Personally, I've never been a fan of westerns so I've never been a fan of the mashup. (Yes, Firefly is the obvious exception, but google Wild West C.O.W-Boys of Moo Mesa to see the definitive sci-fi-western.) Point being, the odds were against me liking this book.
Calhoun survived the destruction of the Excalibur and crashed on a primitive world, at a developmental era, or area, similar to the old west. The people look human-ish, the social mores are similar. Calhoun, naturally, becomes the sheriff, and has it out with the local gang of outlaws and the businessman who's secretly bankrolling their shenanigans.
Meanwhile, Shelby is now captain of her own ship. She surrounds herself with a bunch of stick-to-the-rules types like herself, then ends up in a situation where she makes some rule-bendy decisions in order achieve the greatest good and her goody-two-shoes subordinates give her a bit of an identity crisis. Which could have been a good character moment, but it somehow lacked the right drama.
And then, inexplicably, three-quarters of the way through, we get a continuation of the Morgan Lefler story, which ended on a cliffhanger in the last book.
On the one hand, this was much better written than the last two. All three of these came out in the same year, and this one was the first New Frontier hardback. So this being the best of the three, with more time and effort put in, makes sense. But I didn't enjoy any of the writing choices made in this.
Calhoun survived the destruction of the Excalibur and crashed on a primitive world, at a developmental era, or area, similar to the old west. The people look human-ish, the social mores are similar. Calhoun, naturally, becomes the sheriff, and has it out with the local gang of outlaws and the businessman who's secretly bankrolling their shenanigans.
Meanwhile, Shelby is now captain of her own ship. She surrounds herself with a bunch of stick-to-the-rules types like herself, then ends up in a situation where she makes some rule-bendy decisions in order achieve the greatest good and her goody-two-shoes subordinates give her a bit of an identity crisis. Which could have been a good character moment, but it somehow lacked the right drama.
And then, inexplicably, three-quarters of the way through, we get a continuation of the Morgan Lefler story, which ended on a cliffhanger in the last book.
On the one hand, this was much better written than the last two. All three of these came out in the same year, and this one was the first New Frontier hardback. So this being the best of the three, with more time and effort put in, makes sense. But I didn't enjoy any of the writing choices made in this.
June 20, 2015
Besides the initial four-book launch, Restoration remains my favorite novel from the New Frontier series. There's a new sheriff in town (literally), in Peter David's three-book wrap-up, where we find out the fate of Calhoun (who's believed dead, after the destruction of the Excalibur, in Dark Allies). Having saved his crew, miraculously, Mac finds himself alive, but on a backward world, charged with the attempted murder of a local woman and in the town's gaol. If you like a good western, Restoration is the best; with all of the adventure and grand Calhoun storytelling we've come to expect from David, while adding in a flavor of sci-fi to the narrative. Also, Captain Shelby of the Exeter, settles into her new command, while acclimating to her new hand-picked crew; but, ghosts of her former commander make it clear, that Eppy isn't the stiff, regs-pushing first officer she once was.
June 1, 2019
This series started off superb and it impossibly gets better with every book. Loved this one very much. They are not flawless, for sure, but in the broadest sense, the books in this series are tons of easy-reading fun. Love Peter David.
January 2, 2025
Finally, what happened to everyone and the ship. It wraps up the "Excalibur" trilogy alright. It's not my favorite book in the series, not even close, but does its job I suppose.
July 13, 2015
3.5 Stars. One of the better books in the series
June 24, 2020
This was the third and final of the Excalibur sub-trilogy, this time focusing on Elizabeth Shelby and of course, Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, who clearly did not die in the destruction of the USS Excalibur, but managed to maroon himself on a nearby planet. We also finally get a conclusion to Si Cwan and Lefler's two plots, left hanging from the previous books.
Calhoun's plot was the majority of the action in this volume, and it was basically a Western, which was fun. However, the woman that Mac helps here ended up being rather frustrating. Despite several chapters from her perspective, I never really got why Rheela stayed in that town (there's stubborn, and then there's just dumb). If you like competent heroes, Calhoun is always fun to read.
Shelby's plot was actually really interesting, as she's a former "rules and regulations!" officer who frequently clashed with Calhoun's style, so it was fun to see her in a role where she both hand-picked a crew who were rule-sticklers but then had to lead after her experience under Calhoun.
The conclusion of the Si Cwan and Lefler plots from the first and second books of this trilogy felt somewhat anticlimactic, and just made me wish that Peter David had come up with something else for them.
And we definitely get a bit of a shakeup at the end of this book as Calhoun returns, , and implies that he and Shelby will . I'll be curious to see what happens next.
Calhoun's plot was the majority of the action in this volume, and it was basically a Western, which was fun. However, the woman that Mac helps here ended up being rather frustrating. Despite several chapters from her perspective, I never really got why Rheela stayed in that town (there's stubborn, and then there's just dumb). If you like competent heroes, Calhoun is always fun to read.
Shelby's plot was actually really interesting, as she's a former "rules and regulations!" officer who frequently clashed with Calhoun's style, so it was fun to see her in a role where she both hand-picked a crew who were rule-sticklers but then had to lead after her experience under Calhoun.
The conclusion of the Si Cwan and Lefler plots from the first and second books of this trilogy felt somewhat anticlimactic, and just made me wish that Peter David had come up with something else for them.
And we definitely get a bit of a shakeup at the end of this book as Calhoun returns, , and implies that he and Shelby will . I'll be curious to see what happens next.
February 13, 2018
So Mac's alive (shocker) & stuck in a Western on a backwater planet. I honestly just skimmed this for the most part because ... well ... there was little to no surprise to be had here. The biggest surprise is that the end to this book out-schlocked the ending to Excalibur: Renaissance, which ... flabbergasted me. With where everyone is at this point, I am kind of wondering what the hell the next New Frontier novel will be about, if anything. Two ships? An entirely new crew on the Excalibur? What?
Anyway, it'll be good to get back into space again. This whole "experiment" of blowing up the ship & doing what COULD have been great character-centric stories really backfired. The most in-depth character exploration involved saying nothing new in Renaissance. And, OK, I guess Mac has a fair epiphany & his character moves forward at the end of this one, but ... in a way that made me sneer and pull away. For me to say why is a spoiler, but it just seemed really out of place here.
I'm sticking with it for at least one more book because of McHenry, though, dammit.
Anyway, it'll be good to get back into space again. This whole "experiment" of blowing up the ship & doing what COULD have been great character-centric stories really backfired. The most in-depth character exploration involved saying nothing new in Renaissance. And, OK, I guess Mac has a fair epiphany & his character moves forward at the end of this one, but ... in a way that made me sneer and pull away. For me to say why is a spoiler, but it just seemed really out of place here.
I'm sticking with it for at least one more book because of McHenry, though, dammit.
May 8, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. Finally got Calhoun back into the story and solved his disappearance (which I don't think is much of a spoiler as he's on the cover) and gave Shelby some command time in his absence. It was great dealing with her in a position like that where the lines of command are not so black and white as when you are second in command. Had a good resolution to the book prior which I did not enjoy but I did enjoy the first of the trilogy so it balances it out and leaves a good taste in my mouth in the end. Final thought: I think it's all together hilarious that everyone has been mourning Mac while he's off living a Western stuck on some backworld planet the whole time.
June 25, 2023
In the third part of the trilogy, we find Calhoun marooned on a primitive planet with his transport destroyed after a crash landing. He gets quite involved in the local village and eventually becomes basically the new sheriff in town. He gets together with a woman who apparently can control the weather to a certain degree along with her son. A number of twists come along and eventually he gets off the planet with the boy. In the meantime the rest of the command crew gave their respective stories tied up nicely with a bow, so that everyone meets back up on the new commissioned Excalibur. Now I’m looking forward to the next adventure of the new ship. Definitely recommended
September 27, 2017
I liked this book. I'm liking the characters in this Star Trek New Frontier series. Just sorry I haven't been able to find any more of them, especially the earlier ones. I'd read a couple of the later books and it's good to find out how Calhoun came to adopt Moke... At any rate, it's a good read with some interesting characters and a bit of action.
January 2, 2024
The mystery revealed
[Spoilers for this trilogy]
In Requiem, it is revealed that Mackenzie Calhoun died in the Excalibur explosion. In this novel, it is revealed that he actually escaped and landed on a desert planet. Essentially, Calhoun’s plot line is the same as John Jackson Miller’s Kenobi book. This novel also follows Commander Shelby as she receives a promotion and a new ship.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would, and it reminded me why I kept reading this series in the first place: Shelby and Calhoun are fantastic characters. I loved how the conflicts were resolved, and the series seems to be going in a fun direction.
[Spoilers for this trilogy]
In Requiem, it is revealed that Mackenzie Calhoun died in the Excalibur explosion. In this novel, it is revealed that he actually escaped and landed on a desert planet. Essentially, Calhoun’s plot line is the same as John Jackson Miller’s Kenobi book. This novel also follows Commander Shelby as she receives a promotion and a new ship.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would, and it reminded me why I kept reading this series in the first place: Shelby and Calhoun are fantastic characters. I loved how the conflicts were resolved, and the series seems to be going in a fun direction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2018
One of the best books in the series! Well deserving of the hardcover treatment. Really enjoyed this re-read.
October 27, 2018
This book was fun, I really liked the old style western theme. This was a good Read.
February 1, 2019
Good
Another chapter in the lives of the Excalibur crew. Not a bad story felt a little rushed at the end.
Another chapter in the lives of the Excalibur crew. Not a bad story felt a little rushed at the end.
August 29, 2022
UGH this was SO LONG WINDED and slow moving. while I love shelby being captain... the rest of this book didn't do it for me at all.
September 23, 2022
Shelby finally gets her own ship!
but Excalibur is gone, uh, the do rebuilds
but Excalibur is gone, uh, the do rebuilds
October 14, 2022
A sufficient wrap-up to a handful of threads, but some of the choices feel a bit baffling.
3.5/5 Some things dragged and others felt rushed, but I do plan to return to the series in the future.
3.5/5 Some things dragged and others felt rushed, but I do plan to return to the series in the future.
December 28, 2022
some wonderful new characters emerging...
May 24, 2024
I listened on audio. If I had read in order I might have rated higher.
April 25, 2025
A Star Trek Western? Works, but kind of weird. 3.5 stars
September 7, 2025
Interesting Book
I enjoy reading about Captain Calhoun and his adventures. I wish they would create a movie about Calhoun or, better yet, a series on TV.
I enjoy reading about Captain Calhoun and his adventures. I wish they would create a movie about Calhoun or, better yet, a series on TV.
February 1, 2013
Star Trek: New Frontier: Excalibur: Restoration, book 11 of the New Frontier series is the third of the Excalibur trilogy-within-a-series and the 14th chapter of what I like to refer to as Star Trek: The Prime-Time Soap. This time around we focus on the now Capt. Shelby and her first months of command onboard the USS Exeter alternating with scenes on a desert planet called Yakaba, where we follow the lives of Rheela, a young single mother who has the uncanny ability to make it rain, Rheela's son Moke, and a tall dark stranger with a scarred face who calls himself...Calhoun. Oh yeah, Robin Lefler, Morgan Primus, Si Cwan, Kallinda, and Montgomery Scott's adventure also comes to a quick resolution.
Shelby hand picks her crew, feeling that a less flamboyant crew than, say, her previous on on the lost USS Excalibur is the correct way to go. She quickly learns otherwise, as she also finds that power changes one's perspective on things. Shelby discovers her style of captaincy is not wholly dissimilar to the late Mackenzie Calhoun's, but a captain even a little like Calhoun does not sit well with such a by-the-book crew. So when Shelby learns of the fact Starfleet is christening a new USS Excalibur (this one a huge Galaxy Class vessel--think Enterprise from ST The Next Generation), she leaps at it and starts reassembling her old crew.
Calhoun finds himself stranded on Yakaba after he and Shelby manages to somehow evacuate everyone from the doomed Excalibur but themselves. Because much of the power systems were shot the escape pods needed to be manually activated meaning one had to stay behind. Naturally, it was Calhoun. He tried to escape his fate in a shuttle, but could not clear the Excalibur's final explosion. The shuttle was damaged and he crashes on the desert planet of Yakaba, which has very little (but some) contact with the larger galactic community. Over the next few months, Calhoun arrives at the small town of Narrin, meets Rheela and Moke and makes a life for himself as the town Majister (think "sheriff") while looking for a way off planet. Eventually he makes it offworld, but not before Rheela gets killed, prompting Calhoun to "adopt" Moke and taking the boy back to Federation space.
The wildly improbable story with Robin, Morgan, Si Cwan and Kallinda comes to a quick end on Risa the vacation planet. It seems that the father and son duo of Rafe and Nik Viola that Robin and Morgan were romancing were none other than Sientor Olivan and son, the people responsible for the death of Jereme, an especially beloved teacher of Cwan. It also seems they had some involvement in the creation of the computer virus primarily responsible for the destruction of the Excalibur (small galaxy). They die quickly, but the motivation for killing Jereme is never adequately explained. Oh, and it seems that Scotty was not as dead as it seemed in the last book (surprise).
The last few pages involve Calhoun returning to civilized space, reuniting with Shelby, marrying her and it is hinted that he will be the captain of the new Excalibur, while Shelby will get still another ship and together they will resume humanitarian efforts in the former Thallonian empire. Outstanding plotlines include Zak Kebron's suspicions that Mark McHenry is not all he says he is, and it is hinted that McHenry had a greater hand the complete evacuation of doomed Excalibur than should have been possible for an ordinary human.
The next book is a bit of a side trip again as New Frontier gets involved in the Gateways crossover which will take some time to get to as NF is the sixth out of seven books on that arc.
Shelby hand picks her crew, feeling that a less flamboyant crew than, say, her previous on on the lost USS Excalibur is the correct way to go. She quickly learns otherwise, as she also finds that power changes one's perspective on things. Shelby discovers her style of captaincy is not wholly dissimilar to the late Mackenzie Calhoun's, but a captain even a little like Calhoun does not sit well with such a by-the-book crew. So when Shelby learns of the fact Starfleet is christening a new USS Excalibur (this one a huge Galaxy Class vessel--think Enterprise from ST The Next Generation), she leaps at it and starts reassembling her old crew.
Calhoun finds himself stranded on Yakaba after he and Shelby manages to somehow evacuate everyone from the doomed Excalibur but themselves. Because much of the power systems were shot the escape pods needed to be manually activated meaning one had to stay behind. Naturally, it was Calhoun. He tried to escape his fate in a shuttle, but could not clear the Excalibur's final explosion. The shuttle was damaged and he crashes on the desert planet of Yakaba, which has very little (but some) contact with the larger galactic community. Over the next few months, Calhoun arrives at the small town of Narrin, meets Rheela and Moke and makes a life for himself as the town Majister (think "sheriff") while looking for a way off planet. Eventually he makes it offworld, but not before Rheela gets killed, prompting Calhoun to "adopt" Moke and taking the boy back to Federation space.
The wildly improbable story with Robin, Morgan, Si Cwan and Kallinda comes to a quick end on Risa the vacation planet. It seems that the father and son duo of Rafe and Nik Viola that Robin and Morgan were romancing were none other than Sientor Olivan and son, the people responsible for the death of Jereme, an especially beloved teacher of Cwan. It also seems they had some involvement in the creation of the computer virus primarily responsible for the destruction of the Excalibur (small galaxy). They die quickly, but the motivation for killing Jereme is never adequately explained. Oh, and it seems that Scotty was not as dead as it seemed in the last book (surprise).
The last few pages involve Calhoun returning to civilized space, reuniting with Shelby, marrying her and it is hinted that he will be the captain of the new Excalibur, while Shelby will get still another ship and together they will resume humanitarian efforts in the former Thallonian empire. Outstanding plotlines include Zak Kebron's suspicions that Mark McHenry is not all he says he is, and it is hinted that McHenry had a greater hand the complete evacuation of doomed Excalibur than should have been possible for an ordinary human.
The next book is a bit of a side trip again as New Frontier gets involved in the Gateways crossover which will take some time to get to as NF is the sixth out of seven books on that arc.
December 29, 2014
Some thots while reading:
I found it hilarious that the head of security died .
Right now, it is shaping up to be the sci-fi version of 'High Noon', where the 'Sheriff' in town is being threatened, the woman who wants to be his lover/wife is his only supporter, and none of the rest of the town wants to help him.
Other than 'Vendetta' and the two episodes in which she appears in the 'the Best of Both Worlds' I am not that familiar with [now] Captain Shelby, so it is interesting learning more about her. I am sure if I had started this series with the first book I would have learned more about the author's interpretation of her character's growth.
It is interesting, but in 'Reunion' Captain Morgen is referred to as the Captain of the Excalibur and now in this series it is Calhoun Mckenzie. It makes me wonder if Morgen is referenced as being the former Captain of the Excalibur; I imagine I shall find that out someday [if I ever read the other books in the series].
thots now what I'm done reading:
It was good. Not bad. Not horrible. Never having read any of the previous books in this series, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more had I done so, but I doubt it. It focuses mainly on Shelby taking command of the Exeter and Calhoun trying to survive on a planet with barely any technology. Perhaps I enjoyed it more because I had no expectations when I started reading it.
I cannot say it moved at a fast pace; neither did it move glacially slow. It was interesting, I guess. Calhoun does not make his entrance until well into the book. Apparently in the previous novel the Excaliber had self-destructed due to a computer virus. A lot happens in this book, and there are a couple of times where the author moves from third-person to first-person in the telling. Each chapter is from a different person's view point; there are only a couple of chapters told in the first-person.
Mr. Scott makes an appearance! Yeah!
As I said, there is a lot in it. A bizarre 'love triangle' , a planet-wide attempt at genocide, impending war between former allies, Shelby getting a new command and hand-picking her crew, gunfights, thunderstorms, a symbolic Storm of the X-men [in my opinion] making an appearance, alien outlaws, desert planets, stolen Runabouts, Orion pirates, casinos. Klingon Targs, and Jean-Luc Picard!
I think the most 'telling' part of the book was when five scientists are essentially given up for dead as a type of appeasement to prevent a genocidal conflict. It would be interesting to see how this event molds and affects the officers involved. I do not know if the author will ever explore this event further, but it would still be interesting to 'see.'
It is funny how each Star Trek book involving a ship other than the Enterprise and her crew claims the vessel in that particular story is the 'best ship in the whole fleet!' considering the Enterprise has 'always' been the Federation's 'flagship' and the measuring stick by which other vessels and crews are measured.
I am not unhappy I read the book. It was interesting. I have read better books - there is no doubt about that. Will I read it again in 'the future'? Only time will tell.
I found it hilarious that the head of security died .
Right now, it is shaping up to be the sci-fi version of 'High Noon', where the 'Sheriff' in town is being threatened, the woman who wants to be his lover/wife is his only supporter, and none of the rest of the town wants to help him.
Other than 'Vendetta' and the two episodes in which she appears in the 'the Best of Both Worlds' I am not that familiar with [now] Captain Shelby, so it is interesting learning more about her. I am sure if I had started this series with the first book I would have learned more about the author's interpretation of her character's growth.
It is interesting, but in 'Reunion' Captain Morgen is referred to as the Captain of the Excalibur and now in this series it is Calhoun Mckenzie. It makes me wonder if Morgen is referenced as being the former Captain of the Excalibur; I imagine I shall find that out someday [if I ever read the other books in the series].
thots now what I'm done reading:
It was good. Not bad. Not horrible. Never having read any of the previous books in this series, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more had I done so, but I doubt it. It focuses mainly on Shelby taking command of the Exeter and Calhoun trying to survive on a planet with barely any technology. Perhaps I enjoyed it more because I had no expectations when I started reading it.
I cannot say it moved at a fast pace; neither did it move glacially slow. It was interesting, I guess. Calhoun does not make his entrance until well into the book. Apparently in the previous novel the Excaliber had self-destructed due to a computer virus. A lot happens in this book, and there are a couple of times where the author moves from third-person to first-person in the telling. Each chapter is from a different person's view point; there are only a couple of chapters told in the first-person.
Mr. Scott makes an appearance! Yeah!
As I said, there is a lot in it. A bizarre 'love triangle' , a planet-wide attempt at genocide, impending war between former allies, Shelby getting a new command and hand-picking her crew, gunfights, thunderstorms, a symbolic Storm of the X-men [in my opinion] making an appearance, alien outlaws, desert planets, stolen Runabouts, Orion pirates, casinos. Klingon Targs, and Jean-Luc Picard!
I think the most 'telling' part of the book was when five scientists are essentially given up for dead as a type of appeasement to prevent a genocidal conflict. It would be interesting to see how this event molds and affects the officers involved. I do not know if the author will ever explore this event further, but it would still be interesting to 'see.'
It is funny how each Star Trek book involving a ship other than the Enterprise and her crew claims the vessel in that particular story is the 'best ship in the whole fleet!' considering the Enterprise has 'always' been the Federation's 'flagship' and the measuring stick by which other vessels and crews are measured.
I am not unhappy I read the book. It was interesting. I have read better books - there is no doubt about that. Will I read it again in 'the future'? Only time will tell.
January 30, 2008
Trite, commonplace, and unimaginative, there's very little inside to redeem this book. Typically with a Star Trek book, the plot or the technology can be a saving grace. In this case, the plot is frustratingly shallow and contrived, and the technology barely makes an appearance. This also marks the first use I've seen in print of what I'll term "deus ex aliena"—the author gets to a nice, neat point where all is tension and the hero seems to have only to do one thing to make everything right with the universe (though I didn't know what that one thing would be and wanted very much to read the author's ideas), but then at the last second, some random alien arrives from nowhere, requested by a member of the local community (which heretofore had been described as just shy of social isolationists, astonished at the arrival of a nearly normal-looking person), and proceeds to make the situation horridly unfair for said hero. WHY, I ask the author. Why?
The writer has very little creativity here, and when it does come though, it's mostly just to give the reader something to gawk at. Nothing whatsoever of lasting import, no genuine human feelings involved, no rational motivations of any characters, and no wisdom to be gained through the viewpoint of another human's perspective.
Overall, a waste of time. Move along, please. Nothing to see here.
The writer has very little creativity here, and when it does come though, it's mostly just to give the reader something to gawk at. Nothing whatsoever of lasting import, no genuine human feelings involved, no rational motivations of any characters, and no wisdom to be gained through the viewpoint of another human's perspective.
Overall, a waste of time. Move along, please. Nothing to see here.
November 29, 2014
One of the reasons Star Trek novels keep coming is that the Trek world is very adaptable. This one is a great example of that. Capt. Calhoun, missing since the Excalibur blew up, ends up marooned on a primitive world, and gets involved in an adventure that is part western, part fantasy.
There is a woman with a mysterious power, who is trying to protect her son. There's the local corrupt powerful rich man, and a cowed populace. All in all a good read, with Peter David's trademark humor and new twists on old ideas.
There are a few scenes with the other characters along the way, but this story focuses mostly on Calhoun.
Recommended for Trek fans and those who enjoy adventure with humor, and, of course, to fans of Peter David.
There is a woman with a mysterious power, who is trying to protect her son. There's the local corrupt powerful rich man, and a cowed populace. All in all a good read, with Peter David's trademark humor and new twists on old ideas.
There are a few scenes with the other characters along the way, but this story focuses mostly on Calhoun.
Recommended for Trek fans and those who enjoy adventure with humor, and, of course, to fans of Peter David.
March 12, 2009
Eh. Some of the stories and characters were interesting, but all in all, it seemed like a waste to have 3 books in this little series within a series. What was the point of it all? You basically end up where you began, so it's just a little sidetrip, where only a few things of consequence happen. I'm sure those things will be big players later in the series, but this seemed like an excessive way to get those few things into the overall arc.
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