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Star Trek: Titan #10
Fortune of War
From New York Times bestselling author David Mack comes an original, thrilling novel set in the universe of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Death slumbers in the ashes of silent planets, waiting to be awakened and unleashed…
Twenty years have passed since the interstellar scourge known as the Husnock were exterminated without warning by a being with godlike abilities. Left behind, intact but abandoned, their desolate worlds and derelict ships brim with destructive potential.
Now a discovery by a Federation cultural research team has drawn the attention of several ruthless factions. From black market smugglers to alien military forces, it seems every belligerent power in the quadrant hopes to capture the Husnock's lethal technology.
All that stands between the galaxy and those who have come to plunder the cruelest secrets of the Husnock are Admiral William Riker, Captain Christine Vale, and the crew of the Starship Titan.
™, ®, & © 2017 CBS Studios, Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Death slumbers in the ashes of silent planets, waiting to be awakened and unleashed…
Twenty years have passed since the interstellar scourge known as the Husnock were exterminated without warning by a being with godlike abilities. Left behind, intact but abandoned, their desolate worlds and derelict ships brim with destructive potential.
Now a discovery by a Federation cultural research team has drawn the attention of several ruthless factions. From black market smugglers to alien military forces, it seems every belligerent power in the quadrant hopes to capture the Husnock's lethal technology.
All that stands between the galaxy and those who have come to plunder the cruelest secrets of the Husnock are Admiral William Riker, Captain Christine Vale, and the crew of the Starship Titan.
™, ®, & © 2017 CBS Studios, Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
349 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2017
86 people are currently reading
489 people want to read
About the author
David Mack
112 books667 followersDavid Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of 39 novels of science-fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies.
Beyond novels, Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for produced episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), games, and comic books.
Follow him on Twitter @davidalanmack or like his Facebook page.
Beyond novels, Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for produced episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), games, and comic books.
Follow him on Twitter @davidalanmack or like his Facebook page.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
September 12, 2022
Though I was reluctant to read a ST novel with characters that would mostly be new to me, David Mack really delivered the goods here with something that has some of the comic undertone of a heist story gone sideways, yet with a more weighty and ominous theme which ties directly to events in the TNG third season episode The Survivors. I love how he works in so many different alien species, including several that never got much exposure in the series and were ripe for deeper dives, including the Breen and the Pakleds.
November 27, 2025
I was looking for a Star Trek novel and picked this one up at a library used book sale. I would've liked a story featuring Picard, perhaps my favorite of all ST characters--but this one looked like it was focused on William Riker ( and no Picard at all). I decided that was OK. However, this is the tenth (and last) book in the Starship Titan series and Riker is an admiral, no longer the captain of a ship. As admiral, Riker has to hold himself back to let the starship captain make the decisions concerning the ship. Interesting, although somewhat disappointing. I had no feel for the captain, a human woman named Christine Vale.
Interestingly, there's a spy onboard, Commander Sarai, who's working for Starfleet Intelligence (and who have their own agenda).
I have to say David Mack writes a good story. There's certainly plenty of action. I particularly liked that it was a follow-up to an ST:TNG episode, "The Survivors." In that episode, a seemingly omnipotent energy being gets pissed-off at an expanding species of aliens, the Husnock. With one single devastating thought, the being exterminates the entire species. But their technology-including advanced ships and weaponry- has been left behind. So the story is basically a race with the Titan against other factions to gain control of the Husnock tech.
I'm being a little hard on this book, giving it only 3 stars. I like to see more character development in a Star Trek story. As I didn't know most of the characters, such as Vale and Sarai, it was hard to keep them all straight. But you could say it's my fault that I did not start this series at the beginning and get to know the characters that way. Anyway, I wanted more Riker--and more of his wife Deanna Troi, who is onboard the Titan with him.
Interestingly, there's a spy onboard, Commander Sarai, who's working for Starfleet Intelligence (and who have their own agenda).
I have to say David Mack writes a good story. There's certainly plenty of action. I particularly liked that it was a follow-up to an ST:TNG episode, "The Survivors." In that episode, a seemingly omnipotent energy being gets pissed-off at an expanding species of aliens, the Husnock. With one single devastating thought, the being exterminates the entire species. But their technology-including advanced ships and weaponry- has been left behind. So the story is basically a race with the Titan against other factions to gain control of the Husnock tech.
I'm being a little hard on this book, giving it only 3 stars. I like to see more character development in a Star Trek story. As I didn't know most of the characters, such as Vale and Sarai, it was hard to keep them all straight. But you could say it's my fault that I did not start this series at the beginning and get to know the characters that way. Anyway, I wanted more Riker--and more of his wife Deanna Troi, who is onboard the Titan with him.
November 19, 2017
As a balls to the wall action/adventure -- and a long-time-in-coming sequel to a TNG episode -- this certainly works, and hardly ever pauses for breath. My only issue is that I'm not enamored with much of the supporting cast; they didn't manage to grab hold of my attention, and their fairly quick disposal (and replacement by the much more formidable Breen) is a plus in my estimation. But this minor complaint aside, it certainly seems that David Mack as been on fire lately. The conclusion has me salivating for the next chapter of the Starship Titan's journey.
November 5, 2025
What a ripper scenario and it's finally in the bag! This is the last post-nemesis book I was waiting on before reading the final trilogy 'Coda.' It's a bitter-sweet place to arrive at but I've certainly put it off for long enough, (roughly 2 years.)
December 18, 2017
As expected David Mack turned out another high quality ST story. Over the years Mack has really done a lot with the Breen & it's always fun to see what he does next. Also getting to see Riker continuing to adjust to come into his own as an Admiral was cool. The story itself was very good, it's a neat continuation of an interesting TNG episode. Highly recommend!
February 13, 2018
A great read for any Star Trek fan, a real page-turner. Though I didn't really like the end but the story right until the end kept me completely captivated. I love way various racial features are discussed with abundance, and all the fear or fight decisions taken by the Federation commanders against all odds.
December 8, 2017
Spoilers ahead - A lot happens in this book despite the fact that almost no progress was made for 20 years while the federation research team studied Husnock technology. The Pakled, Orions and Breen sweep in and figure out how to get Husnock ships and a station up and running in no time. Meanwhile the federation can't even decrypt their language after 20 years? Pretty unbelievable - I've watched tv episodes and read books where the "universal translator" started picking up the language after hearing a few sentences. Sure there's a lot of action in the book that at least makes it readable but it's far from intelligent. Way too many factions were thrown into the story - which is relatively short (279 pages). The Breen are inserted as the primary antagonists because - well just because its easy to use them as the bad guys. The crew of Titan gets extremely lucky in the last hour and then you have your all's well that ends well ending.
December 1, 2017
Admiral Riker and his fleet are dispatched to locate the Husnock Empire, destroyed by a Dowd during the early years of the 'Enterprise's' mission.
The Federation are racing against the Orion Syndicate, the Breen, the Nausicaans and the Ferengi to capture weapons of unspeakable power.
A well written, fast paced novel which underpins Riker's values as an officer.
The Federation are racing against the Orion Syndicate, the Breen, the Nausicaans and the Ferengi to capture weapons of unspeakable power.
A well written, fast paced novel which underpins Riker's values as an officer.
December 2, 2020
Nach längerer Zeit wird die Star Trek: Titan Buchreihe fortgesetzt, und das durch den erfahrenen Star Trek Autor David Mack, der schon bei der Star Trek: Destiny-Trilogie Maßstäbe gesetzt hat. Auch hier zeigt sich die Stärke der Post Nemesis Novellisationen bezglüglich der Referenzen an den Star Trek-Kanon.
Denn hier fungiert die Folge “Die Überlebenden von Rana IV” (“The Survivors”) aus der dritten “The Next Generation”-Staffel (TNG 3×03) als Grundlage. Das dort zurückgelassene Setting dient nun als Ausgangspunkt für diesen Roman, denn allerlei Völker sind hinter den Geheimnissen der Husnock her. Die aggressive Spezies der Husnock wurden in dieser TNG-Folge durch ein omnipotentes Wesen restlos ausgelöscht, während ihre, der Förderation überlegene, Technologie zurück blieb.
Da ist zum einen natürlich die Förderation der Planeten, welche die Husnock-Technik erforscht. Die anderen “Jäger” sind die Orioner, die Ferengi, die Breen und noch ein paar andere Fraktionen, die fleißig mitmischen. Der Zeitrahmen für die Handlung ist wenige Monate nach der Handlung von "Star Trek - Titan: Aus der Dunkelheit"
als die Titan unter dem Commando von Christine Vale, begleitet durch Admiral Will Riker, einigen Linguisten, die die Husnock-Sprache erforschen wollen, zu Hilfe kommen wollen, weil sie von Unbekannten gekidnappt wurden.
Was mir insgesamt gut gefallen hat ist, dass sich Mack nicht auf die üblichen Klischees versteift und sowohl die Sternenflotte als auch ihre Gegner dumm dastehen lässt. Die Titan täuscht ihre Vernichtung vor? Die Breen rechnen damit. Umgekehrt ist auch die Sternenflotte ihren Gegnern immer auf der Spur. Dabei beschränkt sich die Darstellung der Aliens aber nicht nur auf Raumkämpfe. Obwohl solche hier zuhauf vorkommen, verfügt die Handlung darüber hinaus auch über eine ganz besondere Dynamik: Rechnet man zunächst damit, dass den "dummen" Ferengi alles von den Orionern weggenommen werden wird, wird dies auch gleich wieder über den Haufen geworfen, als diese plötzlich von den Breen ausgelöscht werden. Derartig schnelle und m.E. gute Wendungen gibt es in diesem Roman zuhauf.
So schaukelt sich die Handlung bis zum unvermeidlichen Action-Finale hoch und auch die Husnock werden gut charakterisiert. Etwas negativ betrachte ich die Charakterbeschreibungen in diesem Roman, insbesondere da ich bei David Mack etwas besseres gewohnt bin. Die Charaktere bleiben ob dieser schnellen Handlung ziemlich auf der Strecke. Auch wenn es zu Anfang bei einigen noch Selbstzweifel (Sarai und Vale) gibt und auch das Beziehungsdrama bei Pazlar kurz angesprochen wird, bleiben diese Aspekte schlussendlich doch nur Randereignisse. Im Großen und Ganzen bleiben nahezu alle Charaktere diesmal recht blass. Da ändert es auch nichts, dass als weiterer Fanservice noch Brunt und Gaila (aus “DS9”) auftauchen. Auch diese beiden spielen nach ihrem kurzen Auftritt kaum noch eine Rolle.
Alles in Allem hat mir die Handlung, die betont gängige Klischees umschifft, gefallen, auch weil die Action etwas zuviel Raum eingenommen hat, ohne, wie in vielen Military SF-Romanen, in ein unglaubwürdiges Action-Spektakel zu münden. Auf der Negativseite hat mich die Charakter-Entwicklung nicht so gut gefallen, die Charaktere blieben doch etwas blaß. Allerdings bleibt die weitere Entwicklung der Spionage-Geschichte um den 1. Offiziers, Sarai, spannend, denn Mack hat hier wahrscheinlich den Raum für weitere TITAN-Romane vorbereitet. Und vieleicht verfolgt er auch seinen "Plan", wie der den Kanon der Post-Nemesis Romanreihe mit der TV-Serie "Star Trek: Picard" vereinen will. Da bin ich sehr gespannt, insbesondere weil dann der Kanon der Buch-Reihe alle TV-Serie integriert hat, außer Star Trek: Discovery...
Denn hier fungiert die Folge “Die Überlebenden von Rana IV” (“The Survivors”) aus der dritten “The Next Generation”-Staffel (TNG 3×03) als Grundlage. Das dort zurückgelassene Setting dient nun als Ausgangspunkt für diesen Roman, denn allerlei Völker sind hinter den Geheimnissen der Husnock her. Die aggressive Spezies der Husnock wurden in dieser TNG-Folge durch ein omnipotentes Wesen restlos ausgelöscht, während ihre, der Förderation überlegene, Technologie zurück blieb.
Da ist zum einen natürlich die Förderation der Planeten, welche die Husnock-Technik erforscht. Die anderen “Jäger” sind die Orioner, die Ferengi, die Breen und noch ein paar andere Fraktionen, die fleißig mitmischen. Der Zeitrahmen für die Handlung ist wenige Monate nach der Handlung von "Star Trek - Titan: Aus der Dunkelheit"
als die Titan unter dem Commando von Christine Vale, begleitet durch Admiral Will Riker, einigen Linguisten, die die Husnock-Sprache erforschen wollen, zu Hilfe kommen wollen, weil sie von Unbekannten gekidnappt wurden.Was mir insgesamt gut gefallen hat ist, dass sich Mack nicht auf die üblichen Klischees versteift und sowohl die Sternenflotte als auch ihre Gegner dumm dastehen lässt. Die Titan täuscht ihre Vernichtung vor? Die Breen rechnen damit. Umgekehrt ist auch die Sternenflotte ihren Gegnern immer auf der Spur. Dabei beschränkt sich die Darstellung der Aliens aber nicht nur auf Raumkämpfe. Obwohl solche hier zuhauf vorkommen, verfügt die Handlung darüber hinaus auch über eine ganz besondere Dynamik: Rechnet man zunächst damit, dass den "dummen" Ferengi alles von den Orionern weggenommen werden wird, wird dies auch gleich wieder über den Haufen geworfen, als diese plötzlich von den Breen ausgelöscht werden. Derartig schnelle und m.E. gute Wendungen gibt es in diesem Roman zuhauf.
So schaukelt sich die Handlung bis zum unvermeidlichen Action-Finale hoch und auch die Husnock werden gut charakterisiert. Etwas negativ betrachte ich die Charakterbeschreibungen in diesem Roman, insbesondere da ich bei David Mack etwas besseres gewohnt bin. Die Charaktere bleiben ob dieser schnellen Handlung ziemlich auf der Strecke. Auch wenn es zu Anfang bei einigen noch Selbstzweifel (Sarai und Vale) gibt und auch das Beziehungsdrama bei Pazlar kurz angesprochen wird, bleiben diese Aspekte schlussendlich doch nur Randereignisse. Im Großen und Ganzen bleiben nahezu alle Charaktere diesmal recht blass. Da ändert es auch nichts, dass als weiterer Fanservice noch Brunt und Gaila (aus “DS9”) auftauchen. Auch diese beiden spielen nach ihrem kurzen Auftritt kaum noch eine Rolle.
Alles in Allem hat mir die Handlung, die betont gängige Klischees umschifft, gefallen, auch weil die Action etwas zuviel Raum eingenommen hat, ohne, wie in vielen Military SF-Romanen, in ein unglaubwürdiges Action-Spektakel zu münden. Auf der Negativseite hat mich die Charakter-Entwicklung nicht so gut gefallen, die Charaktere blieben doch etwas blaß. Allerdings bleibt die weitere Entwicklung der Spionage-Geschichte um den 1. Offiziers, Sarai, spannend, denn Mack hat hier wahrscheinlich den Raum für weitere TITAN-Romane vorbereitet. Und vieleicht verfolgt er auch seinen "Plan", wie der den Kanon der Post-Nemesis Romanreihe mit der TV-Serie "Star Trek: Picard" vereinen will. Da bin ich sehr gespannt, insbesondere weil dann der Kanon der Buch-Reihe alle TV-Serie integriert hat, außer Star Trek: Discovery...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2018
Fortune of War kicks off after the previous book with Vale, Riker and the rest of the crew of Titan embarking on a rescue mission to a Xenoarchaeological dig investigating the remains of the Husnock civilization first introduced in the ST:TNG episode The Survivors! :D This leads them into a chase that ultimately involves the Breen Ferengi and the remains of the Husnock's people! :D
Fortune of war greatly expands on the Husnoc people giving us a brief insight into how their society actually worked and much more detailed one into the remains of their technology! :D The crashed Husnoc ship reminds you of a downed Star Destroyer from it sheer size and scope! :D The book is full of mystery from start to finish! :D
One of the traits of the book as well is that you can never guess what exactly is going to happen from Bounty Hunter Brunt appearing to the Pakleds, to the greed of Gaila to the quasi honour system of Thot Tren! :D The Breen and Ferengi are up to their antics as usual though Brunt is running with a different rule book! :D The book allows Vale to shine throughout though as she repeatedly comes up with one new plan after another as she goes head to with her opponents! :D The book also uses this as Riker tries to put a fist in his mouth to avoid offering advice and this play brilliantly with the high tension that is exhibited throughout the book! :D
The books scope is gigantic with world building left right and centre and the battle scenes are really tense! :D The losses and damage on both sides really ramps up the tension! :D Throwing in the extensive ground combat which alternates with the ship battles works brilliantly as well and you really get a visceral sense from what is happening! :D The storming of the command centre by Saria and her 'Strike Force' is genuinely tense with you not sure from the beginning which way the story is going to go! :D This of course gives the opportunity for the characters to shine from Saria herself to Kyzak and the returning sh'Aqabaa! :D
The spy duties that Saria find herself in also interweave themselves through the events of the book and you can really feel the tension that Saria is under! :D Luckily though Riker and Vale are nobodies fools and the decision for Saria to confide in Riker and Vale gives a neat twist to her conversations with Batanides who certainly seems to be like a dig with a bone! :D
At the same time the book is full of difficult moral choices as the Husnock technology is so powerful that whoever is to get their hands on it will have a decisive power balance shift that would allow them to more greatly influence the surrounding powers! :D This does give the book a decisive chase feel to the events and this provides the pace and action for the book! :D You get the impression throughout though of our characters desperately holding on the wild ride that it is! :D Vale does the daring do with her crew in this one with Riker ironically being the calm one but the entire crew comes off brilliantly! :D The tactics employed are hard to guess much to even Riker's puzzlement but work brilliantly even with Tuvok and Lieutenant Omal look like they have been out out to dry! :D The Breen certainly escalate things in this book and you have to wonder where it is going to lead! :D But this of course enables further plot points which the book does brilliantly! :D In addition the other Starfleet ships like the Ajax and the Canterbury get their screentime as well with flesh out crews! :D
Fortune of War works brilliantly on every level with the tension and action flowing everywhere! :D It is full of world building and daring do from start to finish! :D The stakes are all there in this one and the ongoing undermining by Starfleet Intelligence of Vale and Riker gives the book the book a tone of conspiracy which set brilliantly all the battle scenes that are visceral in a nature and cunning in there tactics from start to finish! :D Fortune of war is a roller-coaster ride that sets up further plot lines and sets things up for more gaming changes adventures and is action packed throughout! :D Brilliant, highly recommend! :D Crisp high five! :D Make sure you have the next one! :D
Fortune of war greatly expands on the Husnoc people giving us a brief insight into how their society actually worked and much more detailed one into the remains of their technology! :D The crashed Husnoc ship reminds you of a downed Star Destroyer from it sheer size and scope! :D The book is full of mystery from start to finish! :D
One of the traits of the book as well is that you can never guess what exactly is going to happen from Bounty Hunter Brunt appearing to the Pakleds, to the greed of Gaila to the quasi honour system of Thot Tren! :D The Breen and Ferengi are up to their antics as usual though Brunt is running with a different rule book! :D The book allows Vale to shine throughout though as she repeatedly comes up with one new plan after another as she goes head to with her opponents! :D The book also uses this as Riker tries to put a fist in his mouth to avoid offering advice and this play brilliantly with the high tension that is exhibited throughout the book! :D
The books scope is gigantic with world building left right and centre and the battle scenes are really tense! :D The losses and damage on both sides really ramps up the tension! :D Throwing in the extensive ground combat which alternates with the ship battles works brilliantly as well and you really get a visceral sense from what is happening! :D The storming of the command centre by Saria and her 'Strike Force' is genuinely tense with you not sure from the beginning which way the story is going to go! :D This of course gives the opportunity for the characters to shine from Saria herself to Kyzak and the returning sh'Aqabaa! :D
The spy duties that Saria find herself in also interweave themselves through the events of the book and you can really feel the tension that Saria is under! :D Luckily though Riker and Vale are nobodies fools and the decision for Saria to confide in Riker and Vale gives a neat twist to her conversations with Batanides who certainly seems to be like a dig with a bone! :D
At the same time the book is full of difficult moral choices as the Husnock technology is so powerful that whoever is to get their hands on it will have a decisive power balance shift that would allow them to more greatly influence the surrounding powers! :D This does give the book a decisive chase feel to the events and this provides the pace and action for the book! :D You get the impression throughout though of our characters desperately holding on the wild ride that it is! :D Vale does the daring do with her crew in this one with Riker ironically being the calm one but the entire crew comes off brilliantly! :D The tactics employed are hard to guess much to even Riker's puzzlement but work brilliantly even with Tuvok and Lieutenant Omal look like they have been out out to dry! :D The Breen certainly escalate things in this book and you have to wonder where it is going to lead! :D But this of course enables further plot points which the book does brilliantly! :D In addition the other Starfleet ships like the Ajax and the Canterbury get their screentime as well with flesh out crews! :D
Fortune of War works brilliantly on every level with the tension and action flowing everywhere! :D It is full of world building and daring do from start to finish! :D The stakes are all there in this one and the ongoing undermining by Starfleet Intelligence of Vale and Riker gives the book the book a tone of conspiracy which set brilliantly all the battle scenes that are visceral in a nature and cunning in there tactics from start to finish! :D Fortune of war is a roller-coaster ride that sets up further plot lines and sets things up for more gaming changes adventures and is action packed throughout! :D Brilliant, highly recommend! :D Crisp high five! :D Make sure you have the next one! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2017
I'm halfway and I'm bored. This is supposed to be some high stakes race to a super weapon, but I don't feel any interest or sympathy for any of the characters except maybe one of the Ferengi... but there are two of them and I can't tell them apart based just on the writing, so it makes it hard to care. Aside from just not being interested in practically anyone, there's some random side character with serious gross misogyny issues and another (or is it the same guy? See what I mean?) who tells a woman using an assistive device that she's as much an emotional cripple as a physical one (because she's his ex and he's a jackass). I'm done. This is pathetic.
October 11, 2020
cool one ! u will find some surprises 😉
July 5, 2023
Summary: Prologue: The Husnock race is immolated in an instant by a Douwd, a being of pure energy. The last words they here are "for Rishon", and they see the image of an alien female they executed during the conquering of Delta Rana IV.
20 years later: Dr. Theron leads a Federation team of xenoarchaeologists studying the Husnock planet. Elsewhere, a crew of Pakleds finds an abandoned space station filled with weapons.
Titan's XO Sarai checks in covertly with Admiral Marta Batanides, director of Starfleet Intelligence, advising her on Riker and Vale's commanding; Batanides has an obsessive vendetta against Raiker and Titan's senior officers, and Sarai is SI's mole.
Brunt, no longer a Ferengi Commerce Authority liquidator, now makes his money as a bounty hunter. Gaila, a former partner that Brunt turned in to authorities, has broken out of prison and Brunt believes he will find him in an uncharted system.
Dr. Theron and his Vulcan assistant Kilaris are presenting their findings on a Husnock Rosetta stone when they are ambushed. Kilaris and a few others are taken, and the rest are killed.
A ship run by an Orion named Nilat observes the mercenary's attack and follows them surreptitiously.
Riker tells Vale that Titan and 3 other ships are being dispatched to the planet he dubs Rishon, fearing that the scientists were abducted because they know where to find the Husnock weapons cache.
Kilaris and her lot are thrown in the brig. Their captors are Nausicaans who want the weapons to restore their race's pride. They're taken to an irradiated moon of a gas giant.
Titan's away team determines the attackers were Nausicaans, and Riker commands Titan and 2 of the other ships to pursue the residual warp trail. The bounty hunters tracking the Nausicaans release distress beacons to divert one of Riker's ships from the gas giant.
A Ferengi named Gaila and his hired mercs oust the Pakleds from the Husnock warehouse. The tortured Pakleds flee and the captain vows to get revenge.
Kilaris et al. eventually arrive at a crashed Husnock ship. The Nausicaans tell them they have 1 hour to crack the command codes. Titan scans the planet and also sees the ship. Riker and Sarai lead an away team. Vale gets word from the Wasp that the distress calls were just Orion syndicate beacons, but when they destroyed them, they started being followed by what they think is a cloaked ship.
Titan's away team almost gets the drop on the Nausicaans inside the Husnock ship, but when they run into Brunt, the Nausicaans overhear and a firefight ensues. Slokar tells Riker they just want to make Nausicaans great again, and that he'll let the prisoners go if Riker lets them leave; otherwise, he's going to blow up the ship.
The scientists manage to hack the Husnock ship; Brunt storms in, guns blazing, sand the Nausicaans retreat--but not after leaving a time bomb. The away team grabs the hostages and flees the ship, and Brunt hands Riker a bill on the way out. The Nausicaans make it back to their ship, but members of the Orion Syndicate are waiting; they kill the Nausicaans and take the Husnock data chip.
Back on Titan, the recovered Tellarite scientist says he put a virus on the data chip that will let them track the Orions. Troi tells Sarai that she's not working with the crew enough. Xin and Pazlar get into a heated argument, ending with Melora slapping him.
The Ferengi Gaila has his hacker working on the Husnock system. Brunt surreptitiously sends Titan the coordinates of the cloaked Orion vessel, and how to detect it while cloaked, which they use to track the Silago-Ekon.
The Orions find the virus on the datachip and store it away for later. They also notice the Starfleet and Ferengi ships tracking them and decide to run for the Hussnock planet they found in the Naussican logs. The Denobulan engineer Proat contacts someone privately, much the same way Sarai does, to tell them to start phase 4.
The Orion Syndicate ship arrives at the abandoned Husnock vessel before they're caught up, but Proat takes over the ship, killing the entire crew. A Breen ship decloaks nearby; Spetzkar Proat (Breen military elite special forces) was a mole for Thot Tren. With Titan en route, 2 other Breen ships decloak.
After a bit of sabre rattling, the Breen aboard the Husnock ship fire it's phasers, which completely knock out Titan's shields and most primary systems. Titan's sister ships retaliate; the Husnock vessel auto-launches a trilithium missile into the sun and destroys it. Ra-Havreii is exposed to massive doses of radiation making repairs to the warp core, but Titan gets it's warp drive back online seconds before they would have been destroyed in the blast wave.
The Breen ships arrive at a Husnock shipyard housing over 280 warships. The Breen appear to be able to use Tholian thoughtwave technology to pilot all the ships at once. Vale leads Titan and its 2 sister ships into a seemingly hopeless battle, but the Breen find that the Husnock ships only have beam weapons and no munitions. Thot Tren deems it dishonorable to fight such a lopsided battle against a weaker foe, and decides to take the fleet to a nearby Husnock munitions factory so he can load up one of the warships instead.
Vastly outgunned, Pazlar comes up with an idea to disrupt the frequency the Breen are using to control the ships while they negotiate with Gaila. After a brief show of force, which wiped out 40 of the Husnock ships, Gaila presents his asking price and Tren says he'll have to take it to the Breen government for approval--while trying to find a way to take Gaila out. Just a they're about to run out of time, the Pakleds who previously occupied the station negotiate with the Breen for the backdoor security codes they installed before Gaila took over the station.
The Breen quickly take the station, and Gaila flees in his ship on a course towards Ferenginar, until he pieces together that the Pakleds had to have been the ones that sold him out. He and his one surviving crew member decide to wait for them in a nearby star system.
The Husnock fleet gets loaded with ordnance and comes for the Starfleet vessels. The Wasp and Canterbury are destroyed, and the Titan badly damaged. With nowhere to return and no way to fight, they risk a warp jump into the atmosphere of a nearby gas giant so they can hide and make repairs, which they narrowly pull off.
After making multitudinous repairs, Titan's crew decides to follow the sole Breen ship that broke off from the armada, after calculating that it seems to be headed towards the Husnock home planet. Their sensors are fried, so they transmit Pazlar's plan to disrupt the thoughtwave technology back to Starfleet. Thot Tren deploys an away team to the planet to break into the compound that has the override for the Husnock ships.
Vale sends a shuttle to the planet while the all the other shuttles are deployed and detonated with quantum torpedoes to distract the Breen ship. They still destroy the shuttle en route to Husnock Prime, but not before the away team evacuates in their eva suits. They her resistance from Spetzkar on the building's rooftop, but Modan hacks the Husnock cannons behind them and obliterates the troops.
Inside the bunker, they realize there's an auxiliary control station that the Breen don't know about, and head there. In orbit, Titan appears to be dead in the water, and just as the Kulak is about to deliver the killing blow, Tuvok blasts it from a Husnock defense platform that they hacked. Vale forces Tren to retreat, leaving the Spetzkar troops behind.
Sarai's team makes it to auxiliary control and are pinned down by ricocheting Spetzkar fire, but they managed to access the console. Knowing that Admiral Batanides will have her head if she doesn't follow her orders, she tells them to save 1 Husnock ship and detonate the rest. Backup arrives from Titan and the Spetzkar surrender.
Thot Tren tells his men they will be seen as heroes, having download schematics of Husnock technology. Their superiors need not ever know they controlled the Husnock fleet.
Gaila beams aboard the Pakled ship and says he's going to torture them until they hand over the money they got from selling him out to the Breen. Brunt--who had boarded the Pakled ship a few days ago--holds up Gaila and says he's taking him jail.
Sarai reports to Batanides, telling her that Riker and Vale did a commendable job in their respective duties. The admiral chides her for destroying most of the Husnock fleet, and when Sarai pushes back, Batanides says she's going to wind up at a Starfleet Intelligence black site if she doesn't watch herself, and that she'll give Riker and Vale her unredacted dossier. Vale and Riker are just off screen, and they tell Sarai they'll help her get out of this with her career in tact.
Review: 3 stars. I had high hopes for this one, but was a bit disappointed overall. It focused mostly on moving the plot forward instead of focusing on the Titan crew (apart from Sarai and Vale), which is what so much of the Titan series was about. Definitely not the sendoff I was hoping for.
20 years later: Dr. Theron leads a Federation team of xenoarchaeologists studying the Husnock planet. Elsewhere, a crew of Pakleds finds an abandoned space station filled with weapons.
Titan's XO Sarai checks in covertly with Admiral Marta Batanides, director of Starfleet Intelligence, advising her on Riker and Vale's commanding; Batanides has an obsessive vendetta against Raiker and Titan's senior officers, and Sarai is SI's mole.
Brunt, no longer a Ferengi Commerce Authority liquidator, now makes his money as a bounty hunter. Gaila, a former partner that Brunt turned in to authorities, has broken out of prison and Brunt believes he will find him in an uncharted system.
Dr. Theron and his Vulcan assistant Kilaris are presenting their findings on a Husnock Rosetta stone when they are ambushed. Kilaris and a few others are taken, and the rest are killed.
A ship run by an Orion named Nilat observes the mercenary's attack and follows them surreptitiously.
Riker tells Vale that Titan and 3 other ships are being dispatched to the planet he dubs Rishon, fearing that the scientists were abducted because they know where to find the Husnock weapons cache.
Kilaris and her lot are thrown in the brig. Their captors are Nausicaans who want the weapons to restore their race's pride. They're taken to an irradiated moon of a gas giant.
Titan's away team determines the attackers were Nausicaans, and Riker commands Titan and 2 of the other ships to pursue the residual warp trail. The bounty hunters tracking the Nausicaans release distress beacons to divert one of Riker's ships from the gas giant.
A Ferengi named Gaila and his hired mercs oust the Pakleds from the Husnock warehouse. The tortured Pakleds flee and the captain vows to get revenge.
Kilaris et al. eventually arrive at a crashed Husnock ship. The Nausicaans tell them they have 1 hour to crack the command codes. Titan scans the planet and also sees the ship. Riker and Sarai lead an away team. Vale gets word from the Wasp that the distress calls were just Orion syndicate beacons, but when they destroyed them, they started being followed by what they think is a cloaked ship.
Titan's away team almost gets the drop on the Nausicaans inside the Husnock ship, but when they run into Brunt, the Nausicaans overhear and a firefight ensues. Slokar tells Riker they just want to make Nausicaans great again, and that he'll let the prisoners go if Riker lets them leave; otherwise, he's going to blow up the ship.
The scientists manage to hack the Husnock ship; Brunt storms in, guns blazing, sand the Nausicaans retreat--but not after leaving a time bomb. The away team grabs the hostages and flees the ship, and Brunt hands Riker a bill on the way out. The Nausicaans make it back to their ship, but members of the Orion Syndicate are waiting; they kill the Nausicaans and take the Husnock data chip.
Back on Titan, the recovered Tellarite scientist says he put a virus on the data chip that will let them track the Orions. Troi tells Sarai that she's not working with the crew enough. Xin and Pazlar get into a heated argument, ending with Melora slapping him.
The Ferengi Gaila has his hacker working on the Husnock system. Brunt surreptitiously sends Titan the coordinates of the cloaked Orion vessel, and how to detect it while cloaked, which they use to track the Silago-Ekon.
The Orions find the virus on the datachip and store it away for later. They also notice the Starfleet and Ferengi ships tracking them and decide to run for the Hussnock planet they found in the Naussican logs. The Denobulan engineer Proat contacts someone privately, much the same way Sarai does, to tell them to start phase 4.
The Orion Syndicate ship arrives at the abandoned Husnock vessel before they're caught up, but Proat takes over the ship, killing the entire crew. A Breen ship decloaks nearby; Spetzkar Proat (Breen military elite special forces) was a mole for Thot Tren. With Titan en route, 2 other Breen ships decloak.
After a bit of sabre rattling, the Breen aboard the Husnock ship fire it's phasers, which completely knock out Titan's shields and most primary systems. Titan's sister ships retaliate; the Husnock vessel auto-launches a trilithium missile into the sun and destroys it. Ra-Havreii is exposed to massive doses of radiation making repairs to the warp core, but Titan gets it's warp drive back online seconds before they would have been destroyed in the blast wave.
The Breen ships arrive at a Husnock shipyard housing over 280 warships. The Breen appear to be able to use Tholian thoughtwave technology to pilot all the ships at once. Vale leads Titan and its 2 sister ships into a seemingly hopeless battle, but the Breen find that the Husnock ships only have beam weapons and no munitions. Thot Tren deems it dishonorable to fight such a lopsided battle against a weaker foe, and decides to take the fleet to a nearby Husnock munitions factory so he can load up one of the warships instead.
Vastly outgunned, Pazlar comes up with an idea to disrupt the frequency the Breen are using to control the ships while they negotiate with Gaila. After a brief show of force, which wiped out 40 of the Husnock ships, Gaila presents his asking price and Tren says he'll have to take it to the Breen government for approval--while trying to find a way to take Gaila out. Just a they're about to run out of time, the Pakleds who previously occupied the station negotiate with the Breen for the backdoor security codes they installed before Gaila took over the station.
The Breen quickly take the station, and Gaila flees in his ship on a course towards Ferenginar, until he pieces together that the Pakleds had to have been the ones that sold him out. He and his one surviving crew member decide to wait for them in a nearby star system.
The Husnock fleet gets loaded with ordnance and comes for the Starfleet vessels. The Wasp and Canterbury are destroyed, and the Titan badly damaged. With nowhere to return and no way to fight, they risk a warp jump into the atmosphere of a nearby gas giant so they can hide and make repairs, which they narrowly pull off.
After making multitudinous repairs, Titan's crew decides to follow the sole Breen ship that broke off from the armada, after calculating that it seems to be headed towards the Husnock home planet. Their sensors are fried, so they transmit Pazlar's plan to disrupt the thoughtwave technology back to Starfleet. Thot Tren deploys an away team to the planet to break into the compound that has the override for the Husnock ships.
Vale sends a shuttle to the planet while the all the other shuttles are deployed and detonated with quantum torpedoes to distract the Breen ship. They still destroy the shuttle en route to Husnock Prime, but not before the away team evacuates in their eva suits. They her resistance from Spetzkar on the building's rooftop, but Modan hacks the Husnock cannons behind them and obliterates the troops.
Inside the bunker, they realize there's an auxiliary control station that the Breen don't know about, and head there. In orbit, Titan appears to be dead in the water, and just as the Kulak is about to deliver the killing blow, Tuvok blasts it from a Husnock defense platform that they hacked. Vale forces Tren to retreat, leaving the Spetzkar troops behind.
Sarai's team makes it to auxiliary control and are pinned down by ricocheting Spetzkar fire, but they managed to access the console. Knowing that Admiral Batanides will have her head if she doesn't follow her orders, she tells them to save 1 Husnock ship and detonate the rest. Backup arrives from Titan and the Spetzkar surrender.
Thot Tren tells his men they will be seen as heroes, having download schematics of Husnock technology. Their superiors need not ever know they controlled the Husnock fleet.
Gaila beams aboard the Pakled ship and says he's going to torture them until they hand over the money they got from selling him out to the Breen. Brunt--who had boarded the Pakled ship a few days ago--holds up Gaila and says he's taking him jail.
Sarai reports to Batanides, telling her that Riker and Vale did a commendable job in their respective duties. The admiral chides her for destroying most of the Husnock fleet, and when Sarai pushes back, Batanides says she's going to wind up at a Starfleet Intelligence black site if she doesn't watch herself, and that she'll give Riker and Vale her unredacted dossier. Vale and Riker are just off screen, and they tell Sarai they'll help her get out of this with her career in tact.
Review: 3 stars. I had high hopes for this one, but was a bit disappointed overall. It focused mostly on moving the plot forward instead of focusing on the Titan crew (apart from Sarai and Vale), which is what so much of the Titan series was about. Definitely not the sendoff I was hoping for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2017
There is a ton of action in this one, lots of characters we have loved for years or grown to like from the Titan books, but not enough Riker. This is more a Vale as Captain story. That's fine, and the book is good as you can see from my 4 star rating, but I want more Riker and Troi.
That said, this one has the Titan fighting for its life against the overpowered Breen and a super powered race from a TNG episode with a cache of weapons and warships that the Federation somehow did not find in 20 years. Vale does an awesome job as captain in an impossible outnumbered and outmatched scenario, as we have come to love about Trek. Riker has some moments but has to come to terms with the fact that he is an admiral now, and not involved in the day to day. This means in a ship to ship fight he is supposed to take a back seat. Imagine Kirk or Picard as an extra. There you go. That's what's missing here.
The pace is high as we meet all kinds of races, Ferengi bounty hunter and Orion Syndicate ships, Nausicaans, Breen, Pakleds, and am I missing anything? Oh yeah, Section 31 sneaking around a spy on board. Well, its get or destroy the Husnock weapons cache or the whole galaxy falls to the Breen. How's that for action? And this delivers that in a big way.
Overall, a quick, fun read. More Titan adventures please.
That said, this one has the Titan fighting for its life against the overpowered Breen and a super powered race from a TNG episode with a cache of weapons and warships that the Federation somehow did not find in 20 years. Vale does an awesome job as captain in an impossible outnumbered and outmatched scenario, as we have come to love about Trek. Riker has some moments but has to come to terms with the fact that he is an admiral now, and not involved in the day to day. This means in a ship to ship fight he is supposed to take a back seat. Imagine Kirk or Picard as an extra. There you go. That's what's missing here.
The pace is high as we meet all kinds of races, Ferengi bounty hunter and Orion Syndicate ships, Nausicaans, Breen, Pakleds, and am I missing anything? Oh yeah, Section 31 sneaking around a spy on board. Well, its get or destroy the Husnock weapons cache or the whole galaxy falls to the Breen. How's that for action? And this delivers that in a big way.
Overall, a quick, fun read. More Titan adventures please.
February 22, 2018
I've enjoyed David Mack's Bashir/Section 31 novels, and his wife exploration of the Breen is very interesting, but this novel didn't do the trick as a Titan book. Past Titan novels by other authors have focused on the crew and its interactions, even when there was a large-scale crisis at hand.
To me, it seems that this book treats the Titan characters, except for two or three, as mere set pieces, or extras. Furthermore, the crisis is purely military (with a small measure of science sprinkled here and there), and as such, not the most fertile Star Trek plot. It's one I could have enjoyed more if the crew had been given more importance; but an inordinate amount of pages are devoted to subplots that add nothing of real value ot to the novel.
There are subplots (all tied together, I must admit) featuring Ferengi, Pakled, Orion pirates, and Nausicans, that only convoluted the plot unnecessarily. Even the pages devoted to seeing how the Breen operate, a feature in Mack's other books (particularly those on the Breen homeworld) are sterile, pertaining only to their military operations, with nothing but whisps of insight into their culture.
All in all, not a bad book, but it was a slow read for me, because it was not what I want when I pick up a Star Trek: Titan novel.
To me, it seems that this book treats the Titan characters, except for two or three, as mere set pieces, or extras. Furthermore, the crisis is purely military (with a small measure of science sprinkled here and there), and as such, not the most fertile Star Trek plot. It's one I could have enjoyed more if the crew had been given more importance; but an inordinate amount of pages are devoted to subplots that add nothing of real value ot to the novel.
There are subplots (all tied together, I must admit) featuring Ferengi, Pakled, Orion pirates, and Nausicans, that only convoluted the plot unnecessarily. Even the pages devoted to seeing how the Breen operate, a feature in Mack's other books (particularly those on the Breen homeworld) are sterile, pertaining only to their military operations, with nothing but whisps of insight into their culture.
All in all, not a bad book, but it was a slow read for me, because it was not what I want when I pick up a Star Trek: Titan novel.
December 6, 2017
David Mack writes good Star Trek novels. Titan: Fortune of War is based on the ST:TNG episode "the survivors" where the Enterprise finds evidence of the disappearance of a entire race of advanced beings, the Husnock.
In this novel, a Star Trek xeno archeologist team is investigating a Husnock site, and finds something resembling a Husnock "rosetta" stone which allows them to read Husnock. A crew of Nausicaan freedom fighters (terrorists) kidnap four members of the xeno team to gain access to the Husnock's weapons systems and fabricators. From there it is a race, with many players, as to whom will ultimately controll the Husnock weapons and starships.
It's an exciting book, a speedy and well written read. The downside of the Titan series for me, is that there is a very large number of non canonical ST players and the sheer number of new beings and civilizations can be overwhelming. That said, this is a good book, and Mack deals ably with the large cast. Highly recommended for ST fans and for fans of the ST:Titan universe.
In this novel, a Star Trek xeno archeologist team is investigating a Husnock site, and finds something resembling a Husnock "rosetta" stone which allows them to read Husnock. A crew of Nausicaan freedom fighters (terrorists) kidnap four members of the xeno team to gain access to the Husnock's weapons systems and fabricators. From there it is a race, with many players, as to whom will ultimately controll the Husnock weapons and starships.
It's an exciting book, a speedy and well written read. The downside of the Titan series for me, is that there is a very large number of non canonical ST players and the sheer number of new beings and civilizations can be overwhelming. That said, this is a good book, and Mack deals ably with the large cast. Highly recommended for ST fans and for fans of the ST:Titan universe.
November 11, 2019
An excellent page turner from David Mack. Typically stellar work from Mr. Mack as he proves time and again why he’s my favorite Trek author (I know I’m not alone with that opinion). I loved how he combined mystery, espionage, and high intensity action into this story. As with my favorite Trek novels, this contributes to Trek lore, expanding on a species mentioned onscreen but never seen, the Husnock. One of my favorite TNG episodes—I really appreciate having more depth and quality being poured into the canon. This will give my rewatch so much more value. Loved seeing the Titan crew again and it’s nice to see Vale come into her own as a captain. It was also nice to have follow through with her first officer and the position Mr. Mack put her in at the end really made me gasp! Glad to see she has finally decided to be part of the crew—Titan seems like the perfect place for her to reclaim her stunted career. I live in hope that this wasn’t the last Titan novel! I’ll always get in line to buy new ones!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2017
Disappointing sequel to the TNG episode "The Survivors."
The Duowd was able to wipe out an entire species of fifty billion people with a single thought but there's no follow-up for that. Why didn't the Federation go back to him to ask for help with the Dominion or Borg? Where did his species come from? Are they familiar with Q?
The Husnock were described as a "hideous intelligence" but we never get a sense of what exactly that meant. Instead it's just a caper story. Nausicaans, Orions, Ferengi, Packleds and Breen clamoring for abandoned armaments.
The Duowd was able to wipe out an entire species of fifty billion people with a single thought but there's no follow-up for that. Why didn't the Federation go back to him to ask for help with the Dominion or Borg? Where did his species come from? Are they familiar with Q?
The Husnock were described as a "hideous intelligence" but we never get a sense of what exactly that meant. Instead it's just a caper story. Nausicaans, Orions, Ferengi, Packleds and Breen clamoring for abandoned armaments.
February 3, 2019
A perfect follow up book to TNG's "The Survivors."
The Husnock were a military race, that made the mistake of conquering Delta Rana IV. Unfortunately for them, one of the inhabitants was a Douwd, a powerful GOd-like being who killed all the Husnock instantly throughout the galaxy.
20 years later, Admiral Riker is leading a task force whose main objective is to prevent the Breen and other races from acquiring Husnock ships and technology.
Its a pretty fast-paced book that throws you right back into the Star Trek Universe. It was an awesom read.
The Husnock were a military race, that made the mistake of conquering Delta Rana IV. Unfortunately for them, one of the inhabitants was a Douwd, a powerful GOd-like being who killed all the Husnock instantly throughout the galaxy.
20 years later, Admiral Riker is leading a task force whose main objective is to prevent the Breen and other races from acquiring Husnock ships and technology.
Its a pretty fast-paced book that throws you right back into the Star Trek Universe. It was an awesom read.
November 16, 2018
I have, in general, enjoyed the "Titan" series, and this is one of the best of the lot. Still, I don't think there was enough to interest a general reader (as opposed to an established Star Trek fan) to rate the book at five stars. Even for an established fan, there wasn't enough unique and gripping to keep it from ultimately blending into the background of literally hundreds of Star Trek books read. A month from now, I'll have trouble recognizing the name and remembering what happened in it.
July 19, 2018
A fun adventure that uses events of the TNG series to great advantage in crafting a fascinating follow-up. Fast-paced and exciting, while at the same time featuring some great character moments and explorations of the relationships in Titan. Here's hoping we get a continuation of Star Trek: Titan someday!
Full review (video): https://youtu.be/VH0hzDvsULQ
Full review (video): https://youtu.be/VH0hzDvsULQ
December 27, 2020
If this is end End of Titan, I am pleased a writer of David Mack's caliber wrote the final book in the series.
I did enjoy this book for many reasons. Primarily because David Mack does such a fantastic job with Star Trek battle scenes and action. His dialogue between characters is excellent, and who doesn't want another Breen novel? I just wish the End of the Fall Series had seen a return of the Villainess of that series, but who knows if She will ever return.
David Mack on a scale of balance between a plotter or a character writer, is the finest Plotter in all of Star Trek Novels. the scales must balance so his characterization writing is far below Kirsten Beyer. Whereas Greg Cox is one of those balanced writers who does both very very well.
I thoroughly enjoy the Plots that David Mack does give us with all its grand twists and turns along the way, but I do wish the stakes felt higher. I kept thinking that there was no real threat to the Federation, that they would save the day in the end.
I enjoyed Brunt very much, I enjoyed Vale, and Sarai, and Riker who get most of the attention in this novel. Xin Ra-Havreii Torvig Bu-Kar-Nguv Melora Pazlar get some time in the novel.
Tuvock, Troi, along with Tasha did not much time in this novel. Any time that Tasha gets in the novel with Riker and Troi as parents is a blessing and a total joy. Dr Ree and the entire medical staff are MIA. I know there isn't much time for everyone , but that's the difference between a plotter and a character writer. The focus is on the action in this novel and the action is pretty damn fantastical and fantastic.
I won't miss Star Trek Titan overall. Throughout all the entire series I felt as if it never truly grasped Star Trek. Its a miss overall as a series. It has its best books like Christopher Bennett's over a torrent sea, when its exploring, instead of being bogged down with political missions or missions where its role is like this one, playing space cop over a sector.
If this is final book in the Star Trek Titan series then Thankfully the final book is filled with Action, and good writing. Perhaps they should have done the Star Trek Typhon Pact's Grand Scale of "Seize the fire" for the final book, but who knows when a novel series is going to end. Although I believe this is the ONLY Michael A Martian full Novel I read that I didn't absolutely DESPISE / HATE want to burn destroy -- RAGE RAGE RAGE !!!!! (Sorry you can read my other reviews on his other awful novels)
I do enjoy Every David Mack Story. Although sometimes I question some creative decisions, he is one of the finest writers in all of Star Trek. Titan as a whole is a miss, but his writing is always very good. I make excuses on his behalf alot. (For example-- Control was something he was told to write, just like he was told to the kill off of the Borg... even if I have no idea if he thought this up or was told to do it. )
I did enjoy this book for many reasons. Primarily because David Mack does such a fantastic job with Star Trek battle scenes and action. His dialogue between characters is excellent, and who doesn't want another Breen novel? I just wish the End of the Fall Series had seen a return of the Villainess of that series, but who knows if She will ever return.
David Mack on a scale of balance between a plotter or a character writer, is the finest Plotter in all of Star Trek Novels. the scales must balance so his characterization writing is far below Kirsten Beyer. Whereas Greg Cox is one of those balanced writers who does both very very well.
I thoroughly enjoy the Plots that David Mack does give us with all its grand twists and turns along the way, but I do wish the stakes felt higher. I kept thinking that there was no real threat to the Federation, that they would save the day in the end.
I enjoyed Brunt very much, I enjoyed Vale, and Sarai, and Riker who get most of the attention in this novel. Xin Ra-Havreii Torvig Bu-Kar-Nguv Melora Pazlar get some time in the novel.
Tuvock, Troi, along with Tasha did not much time in this novel. Any time that Tasha gets in the novel with Riker and Troi as parents is a blessing and a total joy. Dr Ree and the entire medical staff are MIA. I know there isn't much time for everyone , but that's the difference between a plotter and a character writer. The focus is on the action in this novel and the action is pretty damn fantastical and fantastic.
I won't miss Star Trek Titan overall. Throughout all the entire series I felt as if it never truly grasped Star Trek. Its a miss overall as a series. It has its best books like Christopher Bennett's over a torrent sea, when its exploring, instead of being bogged down with political missions or missions where its role is like this one, playing space cop over a sector.
If this is final book in the Star Trek Titan series then Thankfully the final book is filled with Action, and good writing. Perhaps they should have done the Star Trek Typhon Pact's Grand Scale of "Seize the fire" for the final book, but who knows when a novel series is going to end. Although I believe this is the ONLY Michael A Martian full Novel I read that I didn't absolutely DESPISE / HATE want to burn destroy -- RAGE RAGE RAGE !!!!! (Sorry you can read my other reviews on his other awful novels)
I do enjoy Every David Mack Story. Although sometimes I question some creative decisions, he is one of the finest writers in all of Star Trek. Titan as a whole is a miss, but his writing is always very good. I make excuses on his behalf alot. (For example-- Control was something he was told to write, just like he was told to the kill off of the Borg... even if I have no idea if he thought this up or was told to do it. )
February 29, 2024
This is a good, typical Trek book. It's remarkably well-written, though it doesn't have one of the more memorable or consequential plots. In other words, I enjoyed it but suspect I won't remember it for long.
The author chose a random, easily forgotten idea from a specific TNG episode and ran with it, applying it creatively to the world of the Titan. He makes excellent use of both the original context of the idea and the flexibility afforded by the esoteric reference.
More notably, he does masterful work creating characters with names appropriate to their species. I never thought about a style book defining the nature of Pakled versus Breen versus Denobulan names, yet such a reference must exist considering how obviously correct the author's invented names all are. I'm afraid that's a bit of a backhanded compliment, as I'd argue this book has *way* too many named characters, giving identities to players who could have just as easily been referred to by title.
Another surprising strength is the depiction of the Titan's captain. The author shows how she issues a litany of orders, then expects her crew to carry them out competently and immediately. Trek rarely shows time-crunch criticality like what appears in this book, and the captain's ability to conduct a full symphony of activity from the captain's chair is impressive. Even more impressive is Mack's ability to present those activities in a way that readers can follow.
A nit-picky complaint: I know that managing the reader's knowledge is imperative with plot-driven stories like Trek serialized fiction. We have to know enough to understand what's happening but not enough to ruin the narrative surprise. It's a delicate balance, and for a plot-focused readership, it can often be managed through contrivances. (Think of a captain telling a subordinate they'll lay out their entire plan in their ready room, but the book's scene ends once the ready-room door closes, thus keeping readers in the dark. That sort of thing.) For the most part, Mack manages that dance well. His skills were stretched toward the climax of the story, and at one point, he had the captain write something on a console for an officer to read and react to, without telling us what was written. That seems a bit cheap to me. It was like telling readers two characters had passed a note in class, suggesting to us that we'd really like to know what that note said, then cutting to the next scene. Mack is better than that, but that's what we got, all the same.
Now that that's off my chest, this really was an enjoyable and well-written story. Mack knows what he's doing, and he knows the characters, the lore, and the technical details of Trek well enough to write a story that is both rewarding and competent. Few manage both.
The author chose a random, easily forgotten idea from a specific TNG episode and ran with it, applying it creatively to the world of the Titan. He makes excellent use of both the original context of the idea and the flexibility afforded by the esoteric reference.
More notably, he does masterful work creating characters with names appropriate to their species. I never thought about a style book defining the nature of Pakled versus Breen versus Denobulan names, yet such a reference must exist considering how obviously correct the author's invented names all are. I'm afraid that's a bit of a backhanded compliment, as I'd argue this book has *way* too many named characters, giving identities to players who could have just as easily been referred to by title.
Another surprising strength is the depiction of the Titan's captain. The author shows how she issues a litany of orders, then expects her crew to carry them out competently and immediately. Trek rarely shows time-crunch criticality like what appears in this book, and the captain's ability to conduct a full symphony of activity from the captain's chair is impressive. Even more impressive is Mack's ability to present those activities in a way that readers can follow.
A nit-picky complaint: I know that managing the reader's knowledge is imperative with plot-driven stories like Trek serialized fiction. We have to know enough to understand what's happening but not enough to ruin the narrative surprise. It's a delicate balance, and for a plot-focused readership, it can often be managed through contrivances. (Think of a captain telling a subordinate they'll lay out their entire plan in their ready room, but the book's scene ends once the ready-room door closes, thus keeping readers in the dark. That sort of thing.) For the most part, Mack manages that dance well. His skills were stretched toward the climax of the story, and at one point, he had the captain write something on a console for an officer to read and react to, without telling us what was written. That seems a bit cheap to me. It was like telling readers two characters had passed a note in class, suggesting to us that we'd really like to know what that note said, then cutting to the next scene. Mack is better than that, but that's what we got, all the same.
Now that that's off my chest, this really was an enjoyable and well-written story. Mack knows what he's doing, and he knows the characters, the lore, and the technical details of Trek well enough to write a story that is both rewarding and competent. Few manage both.
January 21, 2018
Fortune of War is the latest novel following the continuing stories of, now-Admiral, William Riker. On the edge of explored space the ruins of a vast, powerful, and technologically dangerous civilization have been found. What comes next is a race to claim its powerful technology and industry against shadowy forces. A race where the loser could be wiped out.
I liked the motivations from each of the major players involved. Complete with how far each are willing to go and how some, confronted with the power, are willing to change, while others are not. The book shows, those who are willing to change, are able to survive and thrive, while those more rigid fail.
The alien technology, showing that it will be not just a de-stabilizing factor, but something capable of genocide becomes a crucible for the first officer. A relatively new character, that fans of existing Star Trek books have been setup to dislike due to her past choices, is ultimatley put on the spot. Will she make the same choice again? Or will she reach out to others.
Where the book failed, was consequences. Vessels are destroyed, but we feel almost nothing for them. We spent no time with their crews and barely any time even talking to, or about them despite Riker being the Admiral for the whole task force. This is supposed to show the growing dynamic between the Captain under him, Vale and himself. That she's to be in command, but it becomes almost pointless having him on board. Other existing characters like Deanna Troi, Riker's wife, are given just one scene. Despite her status as a diplomatic officer, that scene is NOT when they reach a diplomatic confrontation.
This leads to the next consequences flaw, acts of war. Imagine Soviet and United States ships deep in international waters, firing on each other. This would not be limited to them. This is the sort of thing that turns a cold war, into a hot one. Not enough narrative effort is placed on this. I can only hope the repercussions are visited in future novels.
All told, still a great story. Especially a good Star Trek story and doing what some of the best novels have done, picking up a small, one-off thread from an episode and fleshing it out for a novel. Letting it breathe and pickup new power.
I liked the motivations from each of the major players involved. Complete with how far each are willing to go and how some, confronted with the power, are willing to change, while others are not. The book shows, those who are willing to change, are able to survive and thrive, while those more rigid fail.
The alien technology, showing that it will be not just a de-stabilizing factor, but something capable of genocide becomes a crucible for the first officer. A relatively new character, that fans of existing Star Trek books have been setup to dislike due to her past choices, is ultimatley put on the spot. Will she make the same choice again? Or will she reach out to others.
Where the book failed, was consequences. Vessels are destroyed, but we feel almost nothing for them. We spent no time with their crews and barely any time even talking to, or about them despite Riker being the Admiral for the whole task force. This is supposed to show the growing dynamic between the Captain under him, Vale and himself. That she's to be in command, but it becomes almost pointless having him on board. Other existing characters like Deanna Troi, Riker's wife, are given just one scene. Despite her status as a diplomatic officer, that scene is NOT when they reach a diplomatic confrontation.
This leads to the next consequences flaw, acts of war. Imagine Soviet and United States ships deep in international waters, firing on each other. This would not be limited to them. This is the sort of thing that turns a cold war, into a hot one. Not enough narrative effort is placed on this. I can only hope the repercussions are visited in future novels.
All told, still a great story. Especially a good Star Trek story and doing what some of the best novels have done, picking up a small, one-off thread from an episode and fleshing it out for a novel. Letting it breathe and pickup new power.
January 4, 2018
The first standalone Titan novel in a while, David Mack's "Fortune of War", is a follow-up to TNG's "The Survivors". The basic premise around the novel at the beginning is the discovery of a way into the Husnock technology to finally learn the secrets of the race. An attack on that planet; however, reveals a revolt w/in the Nausicaans which is quickly brushed over when that group is wiped out by an attack from the Breen. It's against this backdrop that the Titan along w/ the USS Canterbury & Wasp are called into action to try to protect the Husnock technology from falling into the wrong hands & potentially causing an interstellar war.
Mack's story isn't horribly bad although at times it feels like it adds a lot of tension & action in as well as bringing in characters for no reason other than we haven't seen them in a while. Brunt, Gaila & the Pakleds are also re-introduced into this as a way to keep the Federation task force from assisting in this recovery mission. Also, the use of Thot Tren as the Breen commanding officer is more of a plot device than anything else. We, additionally, have the the issue w/ Commander Sarai & Admiral Betanvides in play along w/ Riker's inability at times to stay back from the command of the Titan & let Christine Vale do her job.
Overall, "Fortune of War" is a decent addition to the Titan novels & does allow some plot advancement which is necessary for the world of late 2386 that the novels are in. The use of the old Husnock territory & technology is also nice to see since it's something that probably could've been dealt with at some point since "The Survivors". Granted, there could be consequences from whatever the Breen did manage to hang on to which can be used down the road, but that is something only time will tell. This isn't a great novel & Mack has done better, but it does what it needs to do as we the reader await to see what happens next.
Mack's story isn't horribly bad although at times it feels like it adds a lot of tension & action in as well as bringing in characters for no reason other than we haven't seen them in a while. Brunt, Gaila & the Pakleds are also re-introduced into this as a way to keep the Federation task force from assisting in this recovery mission. Also, the use of Thot Tren as the Breen commanding officer is more of a plot device than anything else. We, additionally, have the the issue w/ Commander Sarai & Admiral Betanvides in play along w/ Riker's inability at times to stay back from the command of the Titan & let Christine Vale do her job.
Overall, "Fortune of War" is a decent addition to the Titan novels & does allow some plot advancement which is necessary for the world of late 2386 that the novels are in. The use of the old Husnock territory & technology is also nice to see since it's something that probably could've been dealt with at some point since "The Survivors". Granted, there could be consequences from whatever the Breen did manage to hang on to which can be used down the road, but that is something only time will tell. This isn't a great novel & Mack has done better, but it does what it needs to do as we the reader await to see what happens next.
August 20, 2018
Captain Christine Vale faces the toughest challenge of her brand new command- yet another threat from Admiral Riker's past. Twenty years ago as first officer of the Enterprise, then Commander Riker encountered a powerful being calling itself a Dowd masquerading as a human named Kevin Uxbridge. A savage race called the Husnock attacked the planet where Kevin and Rishon had settled and massacred everyone living there. For love of his wife Rishon, Kevin committed genocide on the Husnock race.
The Husnock were erased from the galactic stage, but their powerful weaponry is still out there, just lying around for anyone to find and use. A Federation science team finds one of their colony worlds, but falls under attack while attempting to translate the Husnock language. Admiral Riker tasks Titan with rescuing the team and keeping Husnock weaponry out of enemy hands. Everybody from the Ferenghi to the Pakleds to the Orions is out to claim the weaponry for themselves, but a surprise player in the game proves to be the most formidable.
Captain Vale finds herself in a race against time to keep the weapons out of the wrong hands while simultaneously keeping her ship safe in the face of multiple attacks from different forces.
I enjoyed this blast from Riker's past, particularly the interplay between his recently shaken up crew. Newcomers Commander Sarai and Lieutenant Ethan Kyzak and newly promoted lieutenant commanders Sariel Rager and Aili Lavena (and now Lieutenant Torvig) give the feel of a new crew behind Captain Vale, who is growing into her new role. Sarai was assigned to Titan as punishment for past indiscretions, and it was interesting to see her dealing with an assignment she doesn't want (she was fine where she was in Starfleet Intelligence as opposed to starship duty). I can't wait to see the next Titan book to see what happens next.
The Husnock were erased from the galactic stage, but their powerful weaponry is still out there, just lying around for anyone to find and use. A Federation science team finds one of their colony worlds, but falls under attack while attempting to translate the Husnock language. Admiral Riker tasks Titan with rescuing the team and keeping Husnock weaponry out of enemy hands. Everybody from the Ferenghi to the Pakleds to the Orions is out to claim the weaponry for themselves, but a surprise player in the game proves to be the most formidable.
Captain Vale finds herself in a race against time to keep the weapons out of the wrong hands while simultaneously keeping her ship safe in the face of multiple attacks from different forces.
I enjoyed this blast from Riker's past, particularly the interplay between his recently shaken up crew. Newcomers Commander Sarai and Lieutenant Ethan Kyzak and newly promoted lieutenant commanders Sariel Rager and Aili Lavena (and now Lieutenant Torvig) give the feel of a new crew behind Captain Vale, who is growing into her new role. Sarai was assigned to Titan as punishment for past indiscretions, and it was interesting to see her dealing with an assignment she doesn't want (she was fine where she was in Starfleet Intelligence as opposed to starship duty). I can't wait to see the next Titan book to see what happens next.
January 12, 2022
Who doesn't like revisiting an old favorite series with new stuff from time to time? I jumped right into the middle of the Titan novels with this one which turns out to have been book 11, but that's generally okay with Star Trek. The great thing about Star Trek novels and shows alike is that they all function pretty well as stand alone entries for the most part.
This was a good fast read. I liked seeing Riker in the Admiral seat. My first experience of that was actually the Picard television show and I enjoy it. That's another benefit of a long running series like this is the ability to show real character growth spanning decades in many cases.
Recommend for fans of the show, movies, or other books. If you're a science fiction fan new to Star Trek however, there are other books to start on besides this one for sure. Also, if you're new to Star Trek, where have you been?
This was a good fast read. I liked seeing Riker in the Admiral seat. My first experience of that was actually the Picard television show and I enjoy it. That's another benefit of a long running series like this is the ability to show real character growth spanning decades in many cases.
Recommend for fans of the show, movies, or other books. If you're a science fiction fan new to Star Trek however, there are other books to start on besides this one for sure. Also, if you're new to Star Trek, where have you been?
January 13, 2023
An enjoyable follow-up to one of my favorite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I didn't realize how much this story was needed until I read the summary, and the book does a good job of fulfilling that need. No need to read the previous Titan books in the series (I haven't), but I would recommend watching the ST:TNG episode "The Survivors" (season three, episode three) first if you haven't.
March 2, 2018
David Mack doesn't write a bad book. back in the 80s & early 90s, you always knew a Peter David Star Trek book would be a good read. Mr. Mack has done the same with his ST novels!
This one is no exception. For those wanting more post-Voyager Trek, this is it!
Now, get 'The Midnight Front' - not Trek, but a whole new take on WWII history.
This one is no exception. For those wanting more post-Voyager Trek, this is it!
Now, get 'The Midnight Front' - not Trek, but a whole new take on WWII history.
February 10, 2020
Great action, complex plots, twists and turns galore!
This was a great story, full of swift changes, plans gone awry. With determined Pakleds, greedy Ferengi, honorable Ferengi(!), brutal Nausicans, along with Breen adversaries, there are plenty of corners for this story to bounce against. Not to mention a poor conflicted Vulcan!
This was a great story, full of swift changes, plans gone awry. With determined Pakleds, greedy Ferengi, honorable Ferengi(!), brutal Nausicans, along with Breen adversaries, there are plenty of corners for this story to bounce against. Not to mention a poor conflicted Vulcan!
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