Last Full Measure

Star Trek: Enterprise #10

by Michael A. Martin, Andy Mangels (Draft Writer)

Without warning or provocation, a Xindi weapon appears above Earth and unleashes a blast that kills millions across two continents. It is only the first such weapon: a second is being built, and this time it might very well destroy the entire planet. Desperately trying to save the Earth and her people, Starfleet must, in a heartbeat, change its mission from one of peaceful scientific exploration to one of military service.

There is only one ship fast enough to stop construction of this new weapon: the Starship Enterprise.™ But its crew can't do it alone. Captain Jonathan Archer accepts aboard his ship a contingent of Military Assault Command Operations personnel: battle-hardened soldiers known as MACOs.

Starfleet and the MACOs are two different services now sharing a common goal, but they are divided as to how to reach it. It is a culture clash that echoes across the centuries of military service. The men and women now aboard Enterprise know they must succeed in working together or the price will be paid in the blood of innocents. Failure is not an option.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek Enterprise, Fiction, Ebooks, Adventure, Novels

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2006

About the author

Michael A. Martin's solo short fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. He has also coauthored (with Andy Mangels) several Star Trek comics for Marvel and Wildstorm and numerous Star Trek novels and eBooks, including the USA Today bestseller Titan: Book One: Taking Wing; Titan: Book Two: The Red King; the Sy Fy Genre Award-winning Star Trek: Worlds of Deep Space 9 Book Two: Trill -- Unjoined; Star Trek: The Lost Era 2298 -- The Sundered; Star Trek: Deep Space 9 Mission: Gamma: Vol. Three: Cathedral; Star Trek: The Next Generation: Section 31 -- Rogue; Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers #30 and #31 ("Ishtar Rising" Books 1 and 2); stories in the Prophecy and Change, Tales of the Dominion War, and Tales from the Captain's Table anthologies; and three novels based on the Roswell television series. His most recent novels include Enterprise: The Romulan War and Star Trek Online: The Needs of the Many.

His work has also been published by Atlas Editions (in their Star Trek Universe subscription card series), Star Trek Monthly, Dreamwatch, Grolier Books, Visible Ink Press, The Oregonian, and Gareth Stevens, Inc., for whom he has penned several World Almanac Library of the States nonfiction books for young readers. He lives with his wife, Jenny, and their two sons in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Matthew Kresal · Rating 3 out of 5]

As part of my on-again-off-again reading of the various Enterprise novels, I've circled back around at last to the first of the "relaunch" novels published well over a decade ago now. Last Full Measure, unlike the other books, is set not after the series but during the middle of it. Indeed, during the very earliest part of season three's Xindi War arc. In doing so, Micahel A. Martin and Andy Mangels offer some fresh and intriguing insights into the conflicts within the conflict both between Starfleet/MACO and the "necessary evils" of decision making in wartime. It's very much a work that acts as supplemental material, a lost episode or two even, from that third season.

Which is also the single biggest issue with the novel: it's supplemental. Given the way the Xindi War played out onscreen, Last Full Measure doesn't have a meaningful impact on the wider course of the season. It offers insights, sure, but it feels oddly inconsequential at times in terms of plot. It's also a volume that feels like an overextended novella at times rather than a full-on novel but, perhaps, that's due to having encountered the later, post-TV novels first? Not that the framing device around the novel's events doesn't offer a hint of what was to come, mind you.

Either way, if you're a fan of Enterprise, there's something in the novel to enjoy. Though it's perhaps a book best suited to the most die-hard or eager of Enterprise fans. Honestly, you might be better off reading the later novels starting with The Good That Men Do instead with its continuation of the series rather than looping back into the past for a more fulfilling literary experience with the series.

[Vic Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT character work. Miss the Enterprise people!!

[Nimrodds]

!יש עוד הרבה לקרוא בעלילה זו

[David King · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Last Full Measure" by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels was the first of the Enterprise re-launch novels to be released which continued telling original stories after the end of the TV series. Although I will clarify that outside the framing story, "Last Full Measure" is set firmly within the time period of the show and actually follows on quite well from the last Star Trek book I read, "The Expanse".

The central storyline is quite standard compared to most of the other stories set in Enterprise's third season. It is basically based around the Xindi council trying to deflect the Enterprise away from their home world by tricking them into following a false trail. There is nothing really original in that although I do believe that the authors did this so that they could concentrate on the interactions between the characters instead.

The main purpose of this story therefore seems to be in regards to highlighting the various tensions that exist between the MACO's and Starfleet. Whilst it was good to actually see a little bit more about the relationship between these two groups, after the first few examples of issues between them it all got a little bit repetitive. There are only so many times I am going to be interested in reading about how someone is arrogant etc. In addition it was all a little bit too obvious that this would all end up with some sort of happy respect occurring between the two groups although to be honest, this isn't anything new with either Star Trek or other novels.

However, the issues I mentioned above didn't stop me enjoying what really was still quite a fun and action packed adventure. Sometimes Star Trek can be accused of being a little bit too slow and cerebral but anyone reading this novel would have to think otherwise. There were explosions, dangerous space walks, fights and deaths throughout which ensured the book was thoroughly entertaining. The only really negative element of the story was when the novel would jump to some of Trip's thoughts about his sister and her death in the Xindi attack. I just felt that it spoiled the flow of the book and didn't really add anything beyond what I had previously seen in the TV show or in the previous Enterprise novel "The Expanse".

In regards to the characterisation, I have to admit that I was a bit surprised to see the actions taken by Captain Archer in regards to obtaining the "co-operation" of a captive. I understand that he is under some severe pressure due to the threat to Earth, but it just didn't feel right to me, although in honesty it probably does tie in with the way Archer acted in Season 3 but I never really liked his characterisation then either. Other than this, I actually quite like the various characterisations throughout the novel and I loved the fact that Travis was a major character in the novel with some solid development as he has been forgotten many times in the past. The only down side is that once again a plot device is used to make sure that the main ensemble cast is reduced to a smaller number early on. It seems to be a much too common element of Star Trek stories to ensure that writers don't have to worry about dealing with all the characters and can concentrate on a few of the main characters and some of the minor ones.

My final comment is in regards to Reed's history in the city of Leicester which is mentioned in the story. I went to University in Leicester and just can't imagine it ever having a dock district as mentioned in the novel as the river Soar which flows through the city is quite small. Not really an issue in the overall story but it did make me laugh a little bit.

Overall, "Last Full Measure" was an enjoyable novel although as with "The Expanse" I think it suffers a little bit in that the overall story arc's finale is dealt with in the TV series and not in any novels. Martin & Mangels have done a good job capturing some of the various interactions between the characters and kept the story fun and fast paced. As a final note, there is also a little surprise in the framing story that hopefully points to some interesting developments in the novels to come and therefore I am now looking forward to reading the next re-launch novels.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Enterprise is exploring the Delphic Expanse in search of the Xindi, who have attacked Earth and killed 7 million people. In an effort to stop a second attack, Archer and his crew search desperately for the Xindi homeworld. New additions to the crew are 36 soldiers from Military Assault Command Operations group (MACOs) who are tasked with handling any combat-based missions. Tensions are running a bit high between the MACOs and the Starfleet crew due to cramped quarters and differing philosophies. But when some new information about the Xindi comes available, the two branches need to work together just to survive.

This book is simply about the relationship between the crew - Starfleet vs. MACOs. It's set very early in the Xindi hunt season of the series, so the MACOs are still fairly new onboard the ship and everyone is getting used to this new normal. Shared quarters, shared mess hall, and shared working spaces are making everyone uncomfortably on edge and tensions are rising. There is also little respect among the divisions for each other. The entire focus of this novel is to give everyone a better understanding of each other. It makes for an enjoyable enough story, but you can see where the author's are heading. Luckily they throw in a few curves and well-crafted new characters to keep the reader interested.

Martin and Mangels add some MACO characters to the Enterprise mythology that give the squad a broader base and some much-needed depth to their "bench." These characters are often the ones that are most interesting in this book and their issues kind of pull you through.

While the authors do pull a few of the main characters through the story, I feel they are slightly different than what we've seen on screen. Some of their actions and thoughts don't quite fit with what we've seen before or are too quickly developed to seem accurate here. Archer and Reed particularly suffer from this treatment throughout the book. In fact, Archer's character fluctuates dramatically - more than I can credit to his distressed frame of mind at this time.

The overall action in the book is decent, and there are a couple of very hair-raising sequences that spark some increased heart rates. Overall, though, the story doesn't seem to mean much in the greater sense except where it's focused on the two branches within the greater crew. There are also a lot of allusions to Star Wars that are fun, but a bit distracting.

In general, this is a decent read and serves to set up some things for the Xindi Hunt storyline that the series glosses over. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in exploring the complete Enterprise run.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and action-driven story, Last Full Measure was a fun read. However, the failure on the authors' parts to adhere to established Trek canon (character deaths, T'Pol's rank or lack thereof) were annoying and did take me out of the story somewhat. I understand that this is obsessive attention to detail, but I'm a Star Trek fan and this is a Star Trek novel; what do you expect? All of that said, Last Full Measure was worth reading, and the examination of the relationship between the Starfleet crew and the MACO soldiers was interesting. Also, this novel offers us the first hints that the events in the abomination of a final episode, "These Are the Voyages...," may not have been all that they seemed...

Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/02/l...

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that is a stand-alone story during the beginnings of the Xindi conflict. It does a good job at describing more about the MACOs onboard, but as a fan of Star Trek Enterprise, I would have liked more depth about some of the main casts that get no love, like Mayweather. The story is engaging and fun, but it may drag just a little bit in the beginning.

It is a fun read for any Star Trek Enterprise fan. While this is a stand-alone story, it does set up a few things for the next book, which can be thought of as when the Star Trek Enterprise series is relaunched as a series of novels. While you may or may not agree with what happens afterward, the way it sets it up is intriguing and has lots of potential.

[Micha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this book was better than the Titan books but it still was not good.

Formulaic writing and now I see the lameness that others mention about Trip at the end.

If this book was never written, I would not have missed it. Why they chose to write a book after the series ended but set during season 3, I do not know. You knew the main guys were going to survive. And you were not surprised when new no-name crew members were dead by the end. Again, formulaic.

I am hoping the next book is better. I have my doubts, though.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, lets say it was all right. Enjoyable, off-canon true, but still a fairly good read. It did drag a little at times, and I was slightly annoyed at the poor character development (particularly Travis, I can't recall how many times the fact he was a space-boomer was mentioned). I would recommend this to definite STE fans, otherwise steer clear.

[Crystal Bensley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok Enterprise book with an interesting ending!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always interesting to read about the adventures of the early starship captains and their crews.

[James Wegman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first novel of the ENT relaunch series. It also has the sickest cover art.

I was originally going to give this one three stars but it gets an extra one for undoing “These Are The Voyages” (let’s just ignore the fact that this book isn’t canon), despite it being a bit fan service-y, even for 2006.

“Last Full Measure” weirdly takes place between Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 3 of Star Trek: Enterprise (GOATED season of a GOATED and criminally underrated show). The timeline leaves little room for character development of the main crew, not to mention action, since well…all that happens in the rest of Season 3 onward. So half of the main cast of the show (Hoshi, T’Pol, Phlox, and Trip for the most part) are pushed to the *side so we can spend more time with the MACOs, as well as two characters who desperately needed more development in the overall series (Reed and Mayweather).

The whole premise of the book is that the MACOs and Starfleet aren’t getting along. They’ve been stuck on Enterprise for weeks with no luck in finding the Xindi. But they go on an away mission and in the end, both crews come to an understanding that they are all on the same side fighting for a common goal.

So here’s the thing: Aside from Reed/Hayes, there was never any real conflict between Starfleet and the MACOs in the show. In fact, most of the time, everyone was buddy-buddy. There’s crew conflict sure, but not between teams. The real drama in Season 3 came from the emotional toil the Xindi attack on Earth had on the crew. There’s pressure to find the Xindi before they complete their final weapon…what lengths will Archer and crew go to in order to find them and save mankind? What will happen when they meet the Xindi? In desperate times, can we still hold onto our humanity? The season was essentially everything Star Trek: Voyager could have been (different premises aside)! Anyways, the only time we get full on Starfleet vs. MACOs was in the episode “Hatchery”, which was a much more interesting and entertaining story. In the context of this book, it’s just a lot of passive aggressiveness between the two sides, particularly between Ensign Mayweather and MACO Chang. Why? Because they’ve been sharing the same room for too long. No Baby Insectoid mind control, no full on brawl in the ship’s gym. Just minor annoyances.

Mayweather does shine in story character-wise. He shows up Chang on an away mission, proving that Starfleet “squids” (a term never used in the show) can get shit done just as well, if not better, than the MACOs. We also dive into Reed’s psyche, and get a bit of his backstory. All good stuff, hell it was the best part of the book. Close second was the opening scene where Trip falls ill in the mess hall (*pushed to the side); the scene is very well written and feels like an opening teaser to an actual episode. The other characters we meet, the usually nameless crew members in the background of the show (D.O., the other MACOs that aren’t Hayes), however are all very boring and just add to the book’s page count (over 300 pages long). This book definitely drags at parts.

At one point, Archer tortures a shady alien for information. The book does a great job setting up why he crosses this line and in executing the scene. There’s also a great exchange between Archer and Reed discussing the morality of it all. I should mention however that all this is only about to happen AGAIN immediately after in Episode 2 with another shady alien. I’m not really sure what to make of that.

Also while the authors otherwise did a great job keeping the characters motivations consistent with the show, as well as using Memory Alpha as a reference when they wrote the book, there is a continuity error where Archer mistakes the Klingons who got turned inside out for Vulcans (whoops!).

Oh well…ultimately there’s some good stuff in here, but you won’t miss anything if you don’t read this between your watch of Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 3 and just stick with the show in general. It’s more of an excuse to set up some things for future books, alluding back to my earlier comment about “These Are The Voyages”.

If you’re an ENT fan like me, you’ll be glad you read this, despite its flaws. Perhaps I’ll read the other novels these authors wrote about Archer and the gang.

[Adam Goss · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel weird rating this one because A. I read almost all of it but technically not all, I found myself skimming and then skipping ahead to the end after I got to the point where I had less than 100 pages to go, and B. just because I did that does not mean I don't think this book might appeal to someone else.

The authors (duo of Martin and Mangels) had apparently written much fiction before this, including working together, but this book felt like a first-time effort with an awful lot of repetition, and the framing parts of the novel (the first and last chapters, set about 70 years later) seem to have virtually no bearing on the novel's main plot aside from the fact that a descendant of one of the characters in the main story became one of the many caretakers of the elderly man central to the two framing chapters. Some might call that connection significant... I call it technically significant but dramatically flimsy, especially since the elderly character was IN A COMA during most of the main story's events and so is barely in the damn book!! I get why the authors used him, as a kind of prologue to the next Enterprise novel, but it REALLY REALLY WAS NOT NECESSARY!

The other big problem of the book is the plodding pace of it. Ok yes there are some tense situations but they get drawn out seemingly endlessly and it's hard to do that and keep it from committing the sin of actually becoming boring. This part, however, I fully admit is subjective - one reader's overly-drawn-out tension is another reader's nail-biting suspense roller-coaster. That kind of book is not for me, personally. Add in the fact that this is set very early in Enterprise's 3rd season and can't do much of consequence because of the demands of that season's story arc... and it just made reading this book a chore, a chore I wound up rushing through. The main story splits into two focus groups, one of which had a solution I saw coming because the authors' acknowledgements gave credit to two famous people who made a famous movie, so when the time came for one of those focus groups to have their Big Save... I knew what it was. It wasn't a matter of wondering cluelessly what the characters would do and then getting surprised (and then even the CHARACTERS themselves cite the specific famous movie!!), rather it spoiled the surprise for me and will likely spoil it for most readers unless you have managed to not see that film. So I skipped ahead past their Big Save and was so bored I didn't even bother to find out how the other focus group got out of their predicament. I still don't know and I don't care, I just know one of them survived to be the ancestor of one of the characters in the two framing chapters.

Now there are some very big themes in this book - the title itself has heavy weight, and in our post-9/11 world (and this book was written just a handful of years after the events of 9/11) those themes should be explored more. There was a terrific scene early in the book on a desert planet that felt like a very good homage to the Mos Eisley cantina sequence in the original Star Wars movie. And there was excellent portrayal of the show's established characters, the parts which focused on who they were and what they felt/thought? Those were extremely well done and if the book had been more of that and less drawn-out tension (or more of that excellent characterization with more breaks in the book's mood and pacing), that would have made this book very enjoyable. But that's not what Martin and Mangels gave us.

So unless you're really into drawn-out suspense and can tolerate beginner-ish writing that really should have been tightened into a shorter book with at least slightly better pacing and better connective tissue between the main story and the framing chapters... I can't recommend this one. I hope the next Enterprise novel, also by these guys, is better. But this Enterprise novel, my first BTW, is now the second Trek novel I have failed to fully read, and the first one I have failed to fully read in about 20 years, and I've been reading them for 35.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's difficult to fathom why this book was written. Set early in the third season of Enterprise, it's a slight story that doesn't add much of anything to the Xindi conflict. All the themes essentially duplicate what we see in the series instead of illuminating anything new in them. Tension between Starfleet and MACOs? We saw that played out between Reed and Hayes. Tension between Starfleet optimism and post-9/11 "whatever it takes" nonsense? Yes, we got that from the show too. Maybe this book would have been worthwhile if we had really gotten to know any of the MACOs on the series, but as usual for Berman-era Trek the focus was all on the main crew, so despite having a small crew these ships had virtually no repeating minor characters (contrast the enormous cast of characters in DS9 to VOY or ENT. Were there any recurring crew in ENT after Crewman Cutler disappeared in Season 1? Heck, they never even gave "Chef" the dignity of a name. . .), giving the novelists little to work with, since we know upfront who's expendable. And the missions here feel so slight that it's hard to believe they took up 300 pages. This was an easy enough read but . . . why?

[Frank Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh My Goodness. That Epilogue comes out of nowhere. Hardly related and probably unnecessary but it's still a treasure. Suggest that ENT fans read just for the experience of the epilogue.

This one fits right in with the TV series. It has the same kind of energy, the same grit and all of the emotions that were flaring at the beginning of the search for the Xindi.

The Starfleet Vs MACO drama is alive in this story and as you'd expect the teams find themselves in situations that allow them to learn to respect each other. This lesson is something that is always relevant.... that even when we favour different methods we often want the same outcome.

The question of how far one should go for a righteous purpose is warily tested by an alien named Trahve and this causes both Archer and Reed to look inward. In particular I enjoyed Reed's flashback.

Some of the crew feature only briefly in this story and the core plot is not a Trip and T'Pol centric one. We get an opportunity to hang with Reed, Mayweather and some of the MACOs quite a bit more instead.

[Burns Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story right out of season 3
Last Full Measure is set between the first and second episodes of Star Trek Enterprise season 3. The novel is one of the crews earlier missions while trying to prevent the Xindi from launching their super weapon against Earth. The expedition into the Delphic Expanse is one of the Enterprise’s most harrowing missions, and the crew are pushed to their absolute limits, even at this early point. This author duo wrote the characters of Captain Archer and Malcolm Reed in a truly masterful fashion. Similar to the show, these characters have to struggle with moral questions, deciding if they can truly do whatever it takes to save humanity, even if that means becoming less human in the process. As if these moral quandaries weren’t enough to deal with, the Enterprise crew also has to deal with the militaristic MACOs sharing their bunks, leading to lots of interpersonal tension.
Enterprise has always been special to me, being the first Star Trek TV show I ever finished, and this book was an excellent “lost episode” kind of story.

[Irredeemable Shag · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing watching the ENTERPRISE TV series, I had an NX-01 shaped hole in my heart. Diving into this fun, fast read helped heal my aching wound. While the book wasn’t groundbreaking, it was quite enjoyable. The writers captured the voices of the characters, as well as the spirit of the show.

The vast majority of the novel takes place during the Xindi war of ENTERPRISE season 3. However, the prologue and epilogue feature a pleasantly surprising follow-up to the final episode of the series.

Enjoyed being back aboard Archer’s ship, and look forward to the next one by this same writing team.

[Nabil Hussain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and Original

This book was well composed and written. It proceeded at an energetic pace. It was dramatic to an extent and interesting. It wasn't spectacular or rather dynamic; events proceeded in a normal fashion but wasn't overwhelmingly impressive. I wasn't awesomely stunned by the story of this book just pleasantly entertained. This is why I gave this book 4 stars. The whole story could have been revised to be more awesome in its wonder and sci fi action. Great eventful and stunningly dramatic events could have been read about. It is a good book but could have been so much better like an epic tale.

[Peter Rydén · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inblick ges i MACO-truppen ombord Enterprise, där detaljer i mångas liv kommer upp till ytan. Boken är också värdefull i förståelsen av den underliggande konflikten mellan MACO och Jordens stjärnflotta, men också en beskrivning till hur denna klyfta började att överbryggas.

Boken är mycket bra och ger en spännande grund inför nästa bok, den där döda återuppstår... Vissa avslöjanden ges redan i denna bok och det är nog viktigt att läsa denna först, innan nästa bok.

[Benjamin Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good: it's a well-written story. I can't say the same of every Star Trek book that I've read. It gave some new and interesting perspective into the relationship between the MACOs and Starfleet.

The bad: It is paced very slowly. It doesn't feel like much happens. Which is part of the problem. It's a supplemental story to the existing Xindi storyline. It adds nothing new.

It's an okay read. The characters felt right. It just was kind of irrelevant.

[Jackie Cain]

I didn't read the whole of this book, not wanting to read more about the Enterprise's time in the Expanse nor about clashes between Military Assault Command Operations and Starfleet personnel. I was just interested in the prologue and epilogue that show an(other?) version of the story of Charles Tucker III. It was interesting, even showing a meeting between him and a very young and over-excited James Tiberius Kirk, but not as good as the books that follow it.

[Laura (Robertson) Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

very well written

This is an excellent book. It focuses in on Archer Reed Mayweather and their 2 separate missions with the Macos. The author captured these characters very well and explored some rough topics that do come up during season 3 of the show. And the intro and epilogue from 2253 from commander Tucker is interesting.

[Colin manning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not Impressed

Most disappointing book I have read about Star Trek.
A build up to nothing, I would not recomend to others.

[imareader2006 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting read. Pulled a couple of heart strings too along the way. The cameos of the Kirk’s at the end was so sweet and I loved the fact that Trip survived These Are the Voyages Of.

[Abbot Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Xindi are the most boring story arch in my opinion of the Star Trek universe. I have been trying to force this book since December and just can't finish it. It's totally boring.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is mostly set during season 3 and feels confined, unable to push boundaries apart from the wraparound. And even then, the cameos in the epilogue kinda made me cringe.

[Liz Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed parts, and found other parts wordy and needless. Overall, though, it had the same feel as the show. I miss these characters so much…

[Andrew Maddox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, my first experience with an Enterprise novel and overall I've come away feeling... meh. I want to preface this by explaining that I wasn't the biggest fan of Enterprise when it first aired but last year I re-watched it and gained a new sense of appreciation for it. This novel though just didn't do it justice in my opinion.

First of all the plot. Its set within the third season and the story just didn't grab me. I knew right away that due to the plot and the setting, this story was going to end up being either inconsequential or a reset as it couldn't effect the main narrative (a problem with may tie-in novels obviously but one that can be avoided as many others I have read have managed to do). This ended up feeling like the former and as a result it just couldn't hold my interest. It also didn't help that the story didn't really seem to go anywhere. I found myself skimming towards the end, a sure sign a novel is not holding my interest. The basic idea was a good one, don't get me wrong, it just didn't feel like it held up.

As to the characters, mostly OK but the characterisation felt a little off in some cases. Archer condoning torture for example seemed very out of character and the whole MACO vs Starfleet thing got old faster than it did in the series itself. Reed was a standout for me with his characterisation almost spot on, if a little preachy at times. I would have liked to have seen more of the rest of the crew with characters like T'Pol and Flox barely given any "screen time" so to speak.

Overall, I felt like it was worth reading as a starting point to the enterprise relaunch (despite the fact its set within the show, the framing story being what I presume is the connection to the later stories) and if your an Enterprise die hard fan then you will probably enjoy this "Lost Episode" type of story.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, let's get to the point - it was wishy-washy. I only read the book because I was keen to read The Good That Men Do and Romulan War novels, and I figured I should cover the entire Enterprise relaunch from the start. And while I don't regret reading it, it was far from a masterpiece.

The premise of the story is good - the tension between Starfleet and the MACOs during season three wasn't explored much in the TV series outside of Reed and Hayes bashing each other up, so Martin and Mangles evidently saw a good opportunity and ran with it. The tale is essentially spilt into two plots: one that centres on Travis and Corporal Chang, and another with Archer, Reed and Hayes. Not unsurprisingly, the story makes a point of incapacitating Trip and Hoshi early on, and leaving T'Pol on Enterprise to hold down the fort. There were a few portions that gave us an insight into the characters; we're offered an explanation for Reed's hydrophobia, a few sequences that address Trip dealing with the death of his sister, and a tactic employed by Archer that was lampshaded as being inspired by a classic sci-fi movie.

But the best word I can find to describe this book is 'inconsistent'. Some bits I absolutely loved, and others made me cringe. At some points I deprived myself of sleep to find out what unfolds next, at others I could not have cared less what happens in the end. However, I felt as though my perseverance was rewarded, and in the end I was glad I'd read it - although I'd think twice about reading it again. In short, if you want to do the relaunch series properly then by all means give this novel a go, but don't expect too much.

[Viktor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. The story telling gets a little monotonous at times. The ending is wonderful, the beginning is wonderful. It's the book in which they start to " fix " what left broken in the last episode of ENT.