Reap the Whirlwind

Star Trek: Vanguard #3

by David Mack

The mystery of the Taurus Reach is about to be revealed.Ancient secrets lie on the fourth planet of the Jinoteur system, and three great rivals are fighting to control it. The Federation and the Klingon Empire want to wield its power; the Tholian Assembly wants to bury it.

But the threat stirring on that distant world is more dangerous than they realize. The Shedai, who ruled the Taurus Reach aeons ago, have risen from their ages of deathlike slumber -- to gather, marshal their strength, and take their revenge.

To keep Jinoteur from falling into enemy hands, the crews of Starbase Vanguard and the "U.S.S. Sagittarius" must risk everything: friends...loved ones...their own lives. But the sacrifices they make may prove too terrible for them to bear.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, War, Space, Planets, Adventure

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

David Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of 39 novels of science-fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies.

Beyond novels, Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for produced episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), games, and comic books.

Follow him on Twitter @davidalanmack or like his Facebook page.

Reviews

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

REAP THE WHIRLWIND is the third volume of the Star Trek: Vanguard series that follows the adventures of the Starbase Vanguard's crew. I was very fond of the first novel in Star Trek: Vanguard (Harbinger) and less fond of its sequel (Summon the Thunder). Part of this may be do to the fact that Vanguard is like a television series and has multiple writers each bringing their different perspectives as well as styles to the story.

The premise for Star Trek: Vanguard as a series is that the 23rd century Federation has found a fascinating scientific miracle in the Meta-Genome, a piece of incredibly complicated biological life that could be used to create just about anything [and is later revealed to be incorporated into Project: Genesis]. Not wanting to alert the Klingons to their find, they have established a space station in the region and opened it up to colonization as a cover for their research. This despite how fantastically dangerous it is.

Reap the Whirlwind, as its title implies, shows the consequences for this horrible idea. The Federation has a colony on Gamma Tauri IV that is unwittingly in the path of the Klingons, Tholians [who consider the region akin to the Great Old One's resting place], and the Shedai [who are akin to Cthulhu and his ilk]. The Federation can't warn them without breaking operational security and aren't fully aware of what they've unleashed.

I've commented on how much I love the Star Trek: Vanguard series that is immensely detailed and has a lot of themes that are not commonly found in Star Trek. Starfleet is depicted as callous, militant, secretive, and engaged in realpolitic rather than being the idealistic organization of explorers. The characters are various kinds of broken individuals as well, full of flaws and mixed loyalties that sometimes explode in their faces.

This may bother some people but I admit I like this simply as a contrast to the typical depiction of Starfleet as a bunch of superhuman Captain America science types. Everyone here is immensely flawed and full of the conflict that Gene Roddenberry hated. It also makes them immensely more relatable. There's even a scene that is based on Clerks where a bunch of workers are debating whether they can make an ice hockey rink on an alien planet in their break time (and can't because it's not that kind of Star Trek). It's a humanizing moment and one that stuck with me long after I finished the book.

The chief plot that interested me this book is the settling of Gamma Tauri IV by Jeanine Vinueza. Jeanine is an arrogant and condescending woman who is every bit as convinced of her righteousness as a typical TNG officer. She wants to keep the Federation off her colony despite the presence of Klingons and doesn't head any of the warnings by her ex-husband Reyes. Reyes can't tell her specifics but she's so full of herself that she throws caution to the wind with horrific results. The fact she's an esper (psychic) makes her feel even more entitled to know people's secrets.

I was also fascinated by the plotline of Commander T'Prynn and Anna Sandesjo (Lurqal). T'Prynn is a lesbian Vulcan working a similarly sapphically inclined Klingon disguised as a human in the local embassy. Anna has completely fallen for T'Prynn and wishes to make their romance "real" while T'Prynn continues to treat her as an asset. Unfortunately, T'Prynn's psychological state is in a state of collapse due to a doctor's well-meaning attempts to discover the source of her headaches: which are linked to her falsifying her medical records.

Part of what makes the book so damned good is the fact that the safety rails are completely absent this time around. I don't mean to say characters die, though some do, but they fail in an epic Rob Stark manner. This is not the kind of story that Star Trek often tells with the exception of that time Kirk got most of his crew killed in the Wrath of Khan. The fallibility of the crew and unwillingness to bend to accommodate situations they don't fully comprehend is stuff that makes the dramatic stakes all the higher. Starfleet has awoken an ancient evil in the Shedai and don't seem to realize that Godzilla is stomping around their backyard. The only reason he hasn't destroyed their cities yet is because Godzilla is on their side, fighting the other equally horrible monsters--for now.

A lot of good stuff happens in this book from epic planetary battles, revelations about the mysterious Shedai race, stuff that couldn't happen on a TOS television budget, and more. There's even comedic bits like the Klingons discovering their ship's toilets have been sabotaged. This is a great book and I recommend everyone pick up the Vanguard series to enjoy its unique take on the Federation during its early years.

10/10

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked everything about the Shedai plot in this book—the revelations, the rise of the ancient beings, and their realization that while they’ve been "gone" those little sparks of beings have gotten rather troublesome, in fact. The crew of the Sagittarius (the archer-class scout) were also a favourite (for the most part, though some of them fell into the a thing I’ll get to in a minute), and the pacing of the book was more like an action episode of The Original Series than a more thoughtful, philosophical episode (to be clear, I enjoy both styles—Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Asylum, for example, is very, very light on action and almost entirely philosophic/discussion based and I loved it).

That said… You know that episode of TOS with Redjac? It’s the one where Kirk and McCoy are all "We better get Scotty some, ahem, company, because a woman was responsible for an accident that nearly killed him and we wouldn’t want him to end up hating all women, would we?" (No, really.)

In fact, hang on…

Here’s the conversation after Kirk introduces Scotty to a dancing girl at a bar/pub.

Captain James T. Kirk: My work is never done.
Dr. McCoy: My work, Jim. This is prescription stuff. Don't forget, the explosion that threw Scotty against a bulkhead was caused by a woman.
Captain James T. Kirk: Physically he's all right. Am I right in assuming that?
Dr. McCoy: Oh, yes, yes. In matter of fact, considerable psychological damage could have been caused. Eh, for example, his total resentment toward women.
Captain James T. Kirk: He seems to be overcoming his resentment.
Dr. McCoy: Of course, in my professional opinion, when he gets back to the ship, he's gonna hate you for making him leave Argelius, but then he will have lost total resentment toward women.
Captain James T. Kirk: Mission accomplished as far as Scotty is concerned. Bones, I know a little place across town where the women...
Dr. McCoy: Yes. I know the place. I know the place, let's go.

Okay, this book? This book has a lot of the same tone. It’s set in the same era of Star Trek, so I guess—though it’s not the same era of viewer and reader, I’d note—but the multiple "horny dudes discuss women" or "Ooo, check out the miniskirts!" scenes had me sighing and rolling my eyes. Starfleet Dudebros being all "We gotta sneak out, because colony girls, you know colony girls, eh, eh, eh?" and "Check out that Deltan in the corner, you know Deltans, eh, eh, eh?"

I’m so very appreciative of everything Star Trek TOS brought us, and how groundbreaking it was (and is), but I’m also so very thankful for shows like Strange New Worlds for revisiting that era for a modern audience, and sort of… well… adjusting a few of those not-so-groundbreaking parts. I can even see how some of this stuff—maybe even most of this stuff—was supposed to be in homage to that vibe of the show, maybe, but… No thanks?

There were also major, major plot changes for two of the main characters, Ana and T’Prynn (the only overt queerness, I believe)—or at least, I’d assumed they were going to be main characters given they were central in the first two books—that appear leave them sidelined/finished/done (maybe that’ll change). And the same problem from Book 1 where women are traumatized/killed/fridged to motivate men came back again in a big ol' way.

So, mixed bag. I really am enjoying the overall plot and mystery of the Shedai/Taurus Reach, so I’m going to keep reading, but there are definitely frustrating pieces in play.

Also, now that I’ve read the next book I can add a really frustrating note to the end of this one. I’d hoped for a bait and switch reveal, but it appears I’m not getting one, which means we have a bury-your-gays after all. There’s no last-minute "but actually…" here, they’ve killed one of the only two queer characters, used the trauma of that death to knock the other into a coma/mental collapse, and so… yeah. That was a choice. The single queer relationship across four books—which wasn’t exactly awesome to being with—ends in tragedy, death, and suffering and adds one more "woman dies to progress another character’s growth" tally to the fridges, only this time it motivates a lesbian Vulcan at least, I guess? If there’d been even one other queer person in the series thus far, and we weren’t so inundated with "hur, hur, I like women!" from so many of the men, I’d be a bit more likely to sigh this one off, but ugh.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more books by David Mack I read, the more I believe that he is the number one Star Trek writer out there at the moment. Having written one of the most meaningful stories of the Star Trek Universe (the Destiny trilogy) and having made contributions to numerous other Star Trek series, he is, in my opinion, the author who manages to best capture the Star Trek atmosphere. When reading his books I am totally immersed in the story and location. Totally involved in the character progression.

Reap the Whirlwind is again one of those books. Having written the opening book of the Vanguard series (Harbinger), David Mack returns with the third book. And what a book it is. Packed with action, exploration, character development. The way he portrayed the Shedai race reminded me of the Caeliar in Destiny. In his skilful hands the Shedai became more than an instrument of destruction carrying the plot forward, they became a collective character in the story, as they should have been.

Reaching the end of the book left me with a feeling that this was initially intended to be a trilogy with Reap the Whirlwind as the conclusion. I truly hope that the decision to continue the series beyond this book does not end up hurting the series as a whole and that the following books manage to at least maintain the bar set by David Mack in this one.

[Caleb Dorsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Summon the Thunder” crawled at quarter impulse so that “Reap the Whirlwind” could go to warp 9.9. This novel was thrilling from start to finish and focuses on the exploration of the Jinoteur system and Gamma Tauri IV, both of which have ties to the Shedai. One of my main criticisms of “Summon the Thunder” was that it didn’t give us enough background about the Shedai and that is remedied here in this novel to great extent. The pacing is also greatly improved upon and Mack weaves through the different stories very effectively. T’Prynn, Pennington, and Quinn were all given much more substantial storylines in this novel and each of their actions mattered quite significantly. I felt those characters were underserved in STT and it was great to have them back in full force. There are some amazing reveals about the carrier wave, the meta-genome, and the Shedai and I frankly was not expecting them at all. There are some really cool ties to the TOS movie era as well that helped ground this series and establishes its importance. Commodore Reyes continues to be a really interesting and complex character that constantly battles the weight of command and his duty to Starfleet with what is morally the right thing to do. There’s a lot of sacrifice on his part that is frankly gutting, but I respect his character all the more for it. If you were like me and struggled with “Summon the Thunder,” it is absolutely worth pushing through for “Reap the Whirlwind.”

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an epic! Even shed a tear at the end.

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reap the Whirlwind is the third book in the Vanguard series of “Star Trek” novels.

For those who may have missed earlier reviews of the previous novels: Vanguard is a Federation starbase in the Taurus Reach, a region of space between the UFP, the Klingons and the Tholians. Several years before the opening of the initial volume – Harbinger Star Trek Vanguard 1 – Starfleet discovered what it calls the meta-genome, clear evidence of an incredibly advanced race that had once dominated the region. Under cover of colonization and exploration efforts in the region, the crew of Vanguard attempts to unravel the meta-genome’s mysteries before the “bad” guys can get their hands on them. (Here, we must have faith that the Federation will use the knowledge with wisdom.) Unfortunately, Starfleet’s interest in the region draws the attention it wished to avoid from both the Klingons (who are there, initially, because they have a general policy of interfering with the Federation when they can) and the Tholians (who have a history with the original inhabitants of the region, the Shedai, they are desperate not to reveal).

Reap the Whirlwind is well titled as a number of galactic-level and personal tragedies are played out, not least of which is Diego Reyes’ (commodore of Vanguard) decision to leak Starfleet secrets and face court martial when his decisions and Starfleet’s policy result in the death of an innocent Federation colony. (It gets a bit melodramatic and maybe over-the-top to have the governor of the colony be Reyes’ ex-wife, who he still carries a torch for, but it’s not too excessive.)

As with the first two books in the series, this is pretty good “Star Trek.” Mack again shows his versatility as an author. His action scenes crackle and are well paced, though nothing as good as the Tholian ambush of the Bombay in Harbinger. And that skill continues with the novel’s down times – they’re important to the story and they don’t overstay their welcome. The chief weakness of the novel is that for too much of it the Federation et al. are on the sidelines, watching two factions of the Shedai vie for dominance and trying to avoid becoming collateral damage. On the plus side, Mack contrives to neutralize the overwhelming superiority of the aliens, paving the way for making the characters the focus of subsequent novels.

The series continues to lack a strong emotional connection for me. No character has really connected. For which I blame the number of characters; there are too many foci and little time for measured character development. Too often, Mack and his collaborators rely upon telling us something has changed rather than following through with it in the story. I’m still following the series more for the solid story-telling in a milieu I like than for any other reason.

Two final observations:

(1) Mack continues to enjoy slipping in references not just to past and future developments in the ST universe but also pays homage to other SF icons. In RTW, his target (at least the one I kept picking up on) is the movie “Aliens.” Some of the dialog is lifted directly from the movie. (Though not my favorite line when Burke complains that destroying the colony will cost a hefty sum and Ripley says, “They can bill me!”)

(2) There’s also a nice scene where Mack captures why the Federation is the “good” guy and preferable to the Klingons, regardless of how “cool” and “honorable” Worf is: A group of Tholians have been captured and are being tortured by the Shedai. A Federation officer convinces the rebel Shedai to free them because it’s the right thing to do despite Tholia’s hostility to the Federation and even though it’s unlikely the Tholians would be so magnanimous were the situations reversed.

It’s nice to see that optimistic side of the future that TOS captured better than any of its children – We can be better people than we are now.

PS - There's a handy mini-encyclopedia of characters in the back of this book but be warned - it contains spoilers. Don't peruse it till you've finished the novel.

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My views on this book is much the same as the last two books in the Vanguard series. It has so much potential and lots of things I enjoy. However, it is overall boring and poorly paced.

David Mack took back the reigns for this book and swung for the fences...although he missed badly. His development of the alien species the Shedai would be more interesting if I hadn't already read his Destiny Trilogy, where he does a much better job with a similar species; the Caeliar.

The books most fascinating parts are the political/military aspects with Vanguard. Any time the station is on the page, I was instantly fascinated. The political aspects of the series is the primary driver of bringing me back with each book. Without it, I would have quit the series already.

The boring parts of this book are also the boring parts of the first two books: The alien planet section. Each Vanguard book has followed an overall pattern: Start on Vanguard, go to a planet where a disaster happens, return to Vanguard. The beginning and ending are interesting, but I just don't care for alien species(unless it's the Klingons or the Romulans) and the exploration aspects of Trek are boring to me. I know I should like it more, but I just don't.

Again, the soap opera part of the book annoyed me, although it wasn't quite as bad as the last book and the relationships actually had to do with the main plot, so it had one interesting quality(although it's still annoying).

Overall, I give this book a 5.5 out of 10. Not great, but not utterly terrible, although of all the series I've read in Star Trek, this is probably the lowest. I know Mack can deliver, and I'm sure that Dayton Ward can as well, so I'll eventually continue the series, but I need a break from this version of Trek for a while.

[Aron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding & best so far of the Vanguard series!

[Graff Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging, dark, emotional, mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.

Medium-paced

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

4.75 ⭐

Powerful story, indeed. I was told it was good, but I hadn't realized HOW good. VERY good.

My favourite character is Commodore Reyes. I cannot say that I've agreed with every decision that he's made, but I was impressed at his resolve to make the hard decisions. In this story, he has been rocked. It seems that the culimation of ALL these decisons has broken a good man. I have a good idea on what's going to happen to him, but I hope there is a way that he can survive (instead of being ground up BY the machine).

Quinn and Pennington are also favourites...and in this book, we see them "stepping up". Neither of them had gotten this "leg up" WITHOUT the help of others, but deep down, each of them have heart's of gold and the moral fortitude to "do the right thing", even when it is the hardest thing they will EVER have to do.

Tim was "allowed" to write the story that needed to be written, but also at the expense of another. I'm hoping that through Tim's pursuit of the "right" story, he'll also be able to repay Commodore Reyes for the kindnesses that he's give him.

The story of T'Prynn is also tragic. From an outward POV, Starfleet can "drum her out", but I'm holding out HOPE that she will survive this latest struggle with Sten and all the torment that she's been afflicted with through his Katra being "a constant companion" of torture. She's unwavering, and she's NOT done yet. I truly wondering what's it going to look like when she wakes up...and how far she'll have to go to recover. Maybe not be in Intellegence, but righting the wrongs in the universe. A very logical thing for her to do.

As we know, we have NOT seen the last of the Sedai, nor the Tholians. The longer they stay in the Tauris Reach, they will have to navigate this issue. It is going to get far worse, before it gets better. Many thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of lives are yet to be lost. I wonder IF the Federation, at the end...will have believed it was worth it? Hmmm?

This was a great story.

👇Spoiler
Does anyone feel that Anna Sandjesjo is STILL alive? I do. I think that she's the one that blew the pod OFF the ship. She's actually still alive (cannot keep a Klingon down).👍🏻

I cannot wait to start the next book in the series.

[Jeff Jellets · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Flee, little spark. While you can.”

Reap the Whirlwind brings author David Mack back to the Star Trek: Vanguard sector of the galaxy to pen the series’ third installment as the Federation’s conflict with the alien Shedai hits the boiling point. Like stinging bees antagonizing a much larger bear, the Federation, Klingon and Tholian probes into the Shedai’s slumbering technologies have finally provoked the powerful aliens to muster and swat away the interlopers. In addition to the menace of the Shedai, the beleaguered crew of Vanguard station is finally starting to sink under the turbulent waters of mission and military secrecy, and all is not going to end well this time around.

Mack continues to make the most of his ensemble cast; each of the major players (plus a few new ones) get their little moments to shine, and there’s a few scene stealers (Commodore Reyes’ barbed repartee with his ex-wife being my favorite). It’s the chess game Reyes, Jetanien and T’Prynn play in bilking the opposing factions while maintaining operational security (and ultimately -- inevitably -- compromising themselves in the process) that is, for me, the best part of this series. While the struggle against the Shedai has been the pivot point of the series, the danger of the ‘uber alien culture’ is so prominent in the sci-fi genre that by now it feels a bit passee. It’s the reverberations of the characters’ decisions – before, during and after the war -- that give this one its weight.

I have no idea what the hardcore Trekkie thinks of this one – maybe its too outside the lines to be loved – but I can’t help but dig this whole series. This is the Star Trek I need … beyond the limits of a single starship, its crew and captain … and into the broader reaches of the universe with the people pulling the strings, moving ships, personnel, and assets like game pieces to check an adversary here, outfox a rival there, and pull off a last minute rescue over there, while getting more than a little bit dirty all in the name of the greater good, while proving leadership and making hard choices suck.

After three books, I was surprised that the ending of this one is nearly all cliffhanger but also smiles that Star Trek: Vanguard didn’t get itself limited to just a trilogy.

Took me less than five minutes to reserve a copy of the next installment …

[cauldronofevil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have an open book slot but these are good bedtime reading and I’m enjoying them.

More details are learned about the mysterious force that is capable of destroying a planet of several colonies of people, no matter what species they are.

The Federation, Klingons and Tholians are all learning that they are out of their depth.

If there was one thing that Mogan loved above all else, it was finding anonymous ways to make politicians miserable.

”Splendid, more guns,” Karume interjected, shaming both ambassadors to silence. “That’ll solve everything.”

Well, it took until book #3, page 332 but the awesome powers they are fighting has finally started to speak english clearly and understandably. So if you get frustrated by the gobbly-gook they usually speak, it gets better… eventually.

There’s some great writing here. I’d quote it but that would kind of ‘give it away’ and I wouldn’t want to spoil the pleasure of reading it.

”We woke this nightmare, and now it’s loose. Gods knows where, running amok.”

”And you can call this a healing trance if it makes you feel better, but when I was in medical school we called it a coma.”

It looks like the new mandatory upgrade for the iPhone destroyed the ability to search Notes (in a note AND outside of a note!). So the previous half of the review I did for this book cannot be found. Thanks Apple-holes.

Near p.198 you have the Klingons depicted not as they were in Star Trek — aggressive, scheming conquerors - but like they were in Next Generation. Bone-headed narcissists violently treating each other like the Three Stooges. This has always seemed a shallow representation of starfaring race.

Another ripping good yarn! I’m looking forward to the next one. A strong 4 stars. Stronger than the last book I think.

At the end of the book is a Star Trek Vanguard Minipedia which will undoubtedly be nice to refer to occasionally.

Fontana Meadow—Greensward located inside the hollow terrestrial enclosure of Starbase 47. Named for the prominent fountain in its center.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that’s more like it.

I don’t know what it was, but this volume breezed by. Probably because the motivations behind the Shedai were finally revealed. So many questions were answered.

And the status quo has been shook. Questioning the motions of secrecy for securitiy’s sake. Reyes and where he ends, revealing the General Order 24. T’Prynn and her mental degradation.

The Sagittarius chunk is a bit of a slog. But we only have a crew of 14! How novel for a Trek crew to be small. Suddenly, logistical questions you’re asking about the other Trek shows go out the window.

I don’t like them tying in Genesis to the meta-genome. But I don’t want anyone to even reference TWOK. Don’t do it, you’ll ruin it.

[Brennon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A continuation of the series

These books are very slow reading.
Some trekkers might go for the intricate step by step detail of every button pushed and switch flipped, as if all of the Trek techno-babble actually means something, - but I just find it tedious to read.
The action is predictable, making for a slow read too.
Plus the overt carnage and high body count makes the entire story very in-house Star Trek.

It is as if the author or authors of the recent Star Trek books actually hate Star Trek and are doing their best to change Trek into something wholly unrecognizable to the long-standing fans.

[John R. Goyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much everything I could ask for in a great sci-fi book - big ideas, interesting characters, a satisfying series of storylines, some of which have been resolved in this book, some continue, some have just been introduced - a wonderful sense of humanity and character development - even though this is volume 3 of 9, I already feel that I've been paid back for my reading with the adventures so far, and the revelations of the origin of Taurus Reach. This is going to be a hard volume to follow - highly recommended!

[Gustavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, several open story threads introduced in the first and second volume finally collapse and get resolved. It might not be the resolution you were hoping for but for me it made it a far more interesting read than the previous book of the series.

It was really good to see a supporting cast as Quin take a more frontline role, and the way that made him evolve was great.

Several other characters went through very defining moments in this book, so this makes it a must read, as it changes the status quo quite greatly.

[Elliot Weeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Incredible tension and stakes in pretty much every storyline the book contained. I absolutely loved the stranded Sagittarius sections. I really bonded with the characters and felt for them during their struggles. The Shedai stuff at times felt a little more fantastical rather than science fiction, but once it tied into Carol Marcus and Genesis, it all clicked! Looking forward to book 4!

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great ST book by David Mack. Mack keeps the storyline going at a fast pace, with different scenes and lots of characters, but in a way the reader can keep up. Additionally, Mack reveals the genesis of a storyline that will become paramount in the ST future canon. What a juicy tidbit that was! This whole series is a must-read by any Star Trek fan.

[M.R. Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent conclusion to the first act of VANGUARD, this exciting novel brings the events set up in books 1 and 2 to a satisfying climax, while setting up plenty of conflict and mystery for the second half of the series.

[Mike Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third entry in the Vanguard Series. It seems that the series has found its stride with this book. While quick paced, the events of the book really pick up tempo within the last 1/3 of the story. The main characters are developing nicely and you find yourself intrigued by them.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the best yet of this spectacular series.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Read

Vanguard #3 is another good effort. David is one of my favorite authors. Looking forward to Vanguard #4. A court martial to conduct.

[Michael Mullin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good. Hope the next one is just as good

[Mac Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be my favorite novel ever.

[Mark Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed, not for children darker Star Trek.

[Barb]

A little boring

[David King · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Reap The Whirlwind” by David Mack is the 3rd novel in the Star Trek Vanguard series and it really highlights how these novels are getting better and better. The novel is full of engaging philosophical and moral dilemmas set amongst a thoroughly engrossing and enjoyable space adventure. Simply put, I believe this novel and the series in general is proving to be Star Trek at its very best.

The story itself picks up several weeks after the events of the previous novel, “Summon The Thunder”. The ancient and powerful alien race known as The Shedai continue to awaken throughout the Taurus Reach and are continuing to threaten the various Federation colonies that have spread across the region. The crew of Starbase 47 and its various support ships continue to try and protect these colonies from both the Shedai and the Klingons with whom tensions have continued to rise. However, trying to keep the information on the Shedai a secret is proving a strain, especially when one of the leaders of these new colonies turns out to be Commodore Reyes’ ex-wife.

Mack has really ratcheted up the tension in this book which helps to turn the book into a addictive page turner as the reader. This tension is expertly released via various exciting action sequences that don’t pull any punches as the body count continues to rise due to the dangers of the Taurus Reach. All of this is supported by some really wonderful characters that continue to grow as they face various challenges, both personally as an individual and professionally as a member of Starfleet etc. I now really feel for these characters and can’t help but feel for them as they are forced to face the wide ranging consequences that have resulted from their actions in both this and previous books.

What I also have enjoyed about the book is that Mack has continued to try and give the reader differing viewpoints to that of our usual Federation heroes. We get to see things from the view of the Klingons, Tholians and now even the Shedai themselves which provides so many interesting layers to the story. Seeing things from the Shedai’s position in particular was a clever move as it manages to give this potentially super powerful enemy a real face that the reader can try and understand and opens up future avenues to explore in greater detail as the series progresses.

I have finally come to the conclusion that none of the Vanguard novels are going to have any real standalone stories that would make me recommend the book as an individual read. Yes, there are two superbly enjoyable central plots to this novel, the first being around the colony being set up by Commodore Reyes wife and the scouting mission being undertaken by the USS Sagittarius but neither of them would mean much to a reader who doesn’t know the overall storyline. Basically, if you haven’t read the previous book in the series and/or don’t plan to read the next ones then I wouldn’t waste your time picking this novel up.

Overall, this is another fun and entertaining book in the Vanguard series which now has me well and truly hooked. If you have enjoyed the previous books then you are really going to be thrilled by this book.

[Andrew Maddox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well... What a ride.

After reading the first two Vanguard novels I came away feeling very underwhelmed. The plot was intriguing and the characters had promise but there was far too much set up, too many characters to keep up with and too much padding.

This story changed everything. The plot was thrilling and kept me hooked throughout with lots of twists and turns that had me saying to myself "just one more chapter" despite the fact it was 2 in the morning. The characters whilst still too many to keep track of in some respects were far more fleshed out and I felt for them and they plights, especially Reyes and surprisingly Quinn and Pennington.

The story as a whole mostly wrapped up a lot of the plot points raising in the first two books whilst setting up new mysteries and story lines that will presumably fuel the other 5 novels left in the series.

To sum up, in my review of book 2 I said this would only really appeal to hard core Trek fans but I take that back. This is a thrilling Sci-Fi read that almost transcends it's Star Trek roots and I can't wait to read book 4 :)

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading Reap the Whirlwind, the third book in the Star Trek Series Vanguard. I know, it's not current news and the book is seven years old now, but I just read it and I think it's worth sharing.

Vanguard focuses on events surrounding the Taurus Reach, a mostly unexplored region of space between the borders of the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the Tholian Assembly. The series is named for Starbase 47, Vanguard, where a lot of the story takes place. The Federation moved into the Taurus Reach in order to study the Taurus Meta-Genome, an incredibly complex genetic structure that seems to hold the key to much more than a specie's genetic material. The Klingon's are trying to discover what the Federation is after and the Tholians are trying very hard to keep both parties out. The reasons why become clear when the Shedai, an ancient collection of beings that can shed their physical bodies and have godlike powers, come back from their eons long self-induced hibernation and try to use the Tholians as the slaves they once were inside the Shedais' machines.

Reap the Whirlwind continues the plot lines set down in the previous two books and has the Federation making it to the Jinoteur system, the seeming source of the Shedais' power. The middle of the book is full of explosive action and I found it difficult to stop reading at that point. There is great character development in this story, and the story and characters are pretty deep for a Star Trek novel. This is certainly a long way from the original Star Trek books. It has a good mix of action, political intrigue, legal drama, and real stories of human interaction. By the end of part two, the story seems to be done. The third part, while very interesting, feels like an extended epilogue. Each of the chapters wraps up the hanging plot lines, of which there are many. Some of these later chapters leave obvious places for the fourth book in the series to pick up, while others neatly tie up a sub plot. Reap the Whirlwind nicely wraps up the first story arc, while setting the series up for a refreshing new start.

I get that people usually write about new or upcoming releases, and this book is pretty old, but I really enjoyed reading it. Being a few years old doesn't mean a book is worthless, or that everyone that would enjoy it has read it, so I hope a few people out there are inspired to start reading the Vanguard series. It is a very well written set of books with a very deep set of plot lines. If you've never read a Star Trek book before, this would be a great place to start. It is separate from the events in the main novel arcs and the TV series, and it would be great on its own, even if you took all the Star Trek jargon out of it.

Find the rest of my reviews at Tavern at the End of the Universe

[Nicky2910 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: Vanguard: Reap the Whirlwind by David Mack I think what bothered me about the Vanguard-series up to that point was the moral ambiguity by the SF-characters. T'Prynn and Reyes' actions against Pennington were just despicable. There's no other word for it, even if they might have been warranted by the situation/orders/whatever. And of course, the willful ruination of a person happens in reality "for the greater good", but that's why I read Star Trek because I kind of like to have the illusion that society can grow above all those petty, immoral decisions (not withstanding that DS9 already started to darken that illusion by Section 31 or even Sisko's actions). So I really appreciated the show conscience on Reyes' part especially, but also that this show of conscience - not in the least caused by the terrible choice he had to make surrounding Gamma Tauri IV - had consequences for him in return.I enjoyed the events on Jinoteur (even though Sagitarius' crew is a bit... quirky for me. There are only so many one-liners I can stand.) very much, especially now in retrospect after having read Open Secrets. Who's really the bad guy among the Shedai? What's the Apostate's agenda? I thought it very interesting that SF is viewing the Apostate as some kind of good guy, whereas for the Tholians (Nesrene) he's the absolute evil as he was the one to enslave them. Again, at least that's my impression from Open Secrets.Overall, I felt as though the plotthreads start coming together. With Marcus' appearance it becomes clearer what the meta-genome is about. The mythical Shedai come out from under the shadows, the race for mastery of their technology between the Klingons and the Federation is on (with contributions from other races), and the main SF-protagonists so far (Reyes and T'Prynn) were given a heart and a conscience fighting their own demons - literally and figuratively.Great book - definitely the turning point in this to me so far lackluster series (when I first read it, not when I went back to the opening books - what a change in impression a few more details can make).

[Danie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's sort of weird when you get near the end of a story and realize that there's nearly another whole book to be read. Not a bad thing exactly, but it was a bit distracting, because after about page 351 the story truly seemed concluded to me, and concluded well. But, you read what is on the page and so I kept going and it was a good little extra novella after the first part, though not as very exciting as the first part of the book. Mack is a very good author when it comes to weaving all these new characters (and life forms) with the established canon of Star Trek (of which there seemed to be more in this book than the previous two).

On the whole I thought it was the best book of these three Vanguard books that I've read so far. A lot of questions that the first two books posed were answered, but of course, new questions were asked as well as new problems and situations cropped up so that the series wouldn't die off.