I found book four of this series to be a solid finish for the first story arc. It was the longest of the four books, weighing in at 184 pages, and it showed. There were a couple parts where I wished the story had moved along sooner. For example, how many different references to earthquakes do we need to get the picture? This planet isn't stable.
Also, the dialogue didn't sparkle as much as in the first three volumes. Gone was most of the wit that was so surprisingly fresh in the earlier works. The characters also spoke in a more on-the-nose way this time, making them predictable. For example, one character said something on-the-nose as he preferred death by falling to being saved by his mortal enemy, Calhoun told his brother he had no brother even after their dislike for one another had been well established, etc. Even Shelby and Calhoun's exchanges seemed staler and more predictable than the earlier volumes. Was this a result of deadline rush, I wonder?
Still, Peter David brought the story threads that mattered (I don't count the Vulcans' relationship among such threads) to a satisfying conclusion. Kebron comes away as a thoroughly likable and honorable if not entirely believable security chief. Kebron's abilities appear more rooted in superhero fiction than Trek, but this is David's only lapse (and only with this character) into comic bookdom, a forgivable flaw for me since I also enjoy comics. I really enjoy Mackenzie Calhoun's character, his decisive self-reliance, his modesty through his recognition of his imperfections (he may be too maverick to lead a starship), and his refusal to sit on the bridge when there is adventure to be had. Si Cwan and Soleta are engaging and appealing characters too, though I feel we have more to learn of them. Shelby, McHenry, Burgoyne, and Selar have not yet grown on me, but I don't know much about them yet.
I look forward to reading where David intends to take these characters, and to discovering where he takes his series premise: a space sector needs Calhoun to babysit it for the Federation.
I don't much care for GoodReads five star rating system. It is too limited. I like the comic book world's 10-point rating system for comic book conditions as being more descriptive. Using that rating system, the books in this series for me would get high marks, specifically:
9.0 House of Cards 8.5 Into the Void 9.2 The Two-Front War 8.0 End Game
Also, the dialogue didn't sparkle as much as in the first three volumes. Gone was most of the wit that was so surprisingly fresh in the earlier works. The characters also spoke in a more on-the-nose way this time, making them predictable. For example, one character said something on-the-nose as he preferred death by falling to being saved by his mortal enemy, Calhoun told his brother he had no brother even after their dislike for one another had been well established, etc. Even Shelby and Calhoun's exchanges seemed staler and more predictable than the earlier volumes. Was this a result of deadline rush, I wonder?
Still, Peter David brought the story threads that mattered (I don't count the Vulcans' relationship among such threads) to a satisfying conclusion. Kebron comes away as a thoroughly likable and honorable if not entirely believable security chief. Kebron's abilities appear more rooted in superhero fiction than Trek, but this is David's only lapse (and only with this character) into comic bookdom, a forgivable flaw for me since I also enjoy comics. I really enjoy Mackenzie Calhoun's character, his decisive self-reliance, his modesty through his recognition of his imperfections (he may be too maverick to lead a starship), and his refusal to sit on the bridge when there is adventure to be had. Si Cwan and Soleta are engaging and appealing characters too, though I feel we have more to learn of them. Shelby, McHenry, Burgoyne, and Selar have not yet grown on me, but I don't know much about them yet.
I look forward to reading where David intends to take these characters, and to discovering where he takes his series premise: a space sector needs Calhoun to babysit it for the Federation.
I don't much care for GoodReads five star rating system. It is too limited. I like the comic book world's 10-point rating system for comic book conditions as being more descriptive. Using that rating system, the books in this series for me would get high marks, specifically:
9.0 House of Cards
8.5 Into the Void
9.2 The Two-Front War
8.0 End Game