Star Trek: The Next Generation: Before Dishonor

Peter David is a skilled author. The hugest problem with the 'remaining' TNG Cast, Picard, Crusher, Geordi and Worf is that they're so bloody comfortable with each other. How in the world do you create a good plot when the crew doesn't have anything to fuss over. The Mutiny was the kind of character interaction I was not anticipating . It was something new and really showed off what can be done with the character dynamics. I really like the new Counselor in particular. T'Lana's clashing personality reminds me of Dr. Pulaski. To have a good plot you need to have good characters. To have good characters you need a variety of personalities. T'Lana seems to have the majority of the variety. What I'm most impressed with in Peter David's writing is that plot device characters aren't simply written off simply in a cataclysmic explosion. That would be the point where we go 'Oh dear', while the author goes "Oh Yes, now I don't have to concentrate on that half thought out character. It was nice seeing Grim Vargo continue though the story, help out, and observe. It's a care you don't generally see applied to throw away characters. Janeway's Assimilation was one of the most stunning events I had ever witnessed in all of the Star Trek books. There always seemed to be unwritten rules about what could and could not happen in these books. The fact that something that could not happen happened was a thrill to me.

This was awsome I could not put this down, Its momentum was constant so many characters we know they are all there but you got to read the book before this one first, "Resistance". It is a little slow but you need the info! Enjoy!!!

One of the biggest advantages for Star Trek novels and comics, now that there aren't any ongoing television Trek series and the movies are few and far between, is that there's a new freedom to go in new directions and make new changes with characters, ships' lineups, alien races, the inner workings of the Federation and the balance of power in the galaxy, without having to watch out for contradictions with what might happen next month on tv, or to save out certain 'big' ideas in case they want to use them for a season cliffhanger or a new movie. They're also 'mixing up' the characters a lot, where a book, regardless of its heading ('Next Generation', 'Voyager', etc.) can bring in characters from all across the Trek universe. And thus it is with 'Before Dishonor', which features (and this isn't a spoiler, I'm only listing characters who appear early on) Captain Picard, Seven Of Nine, Mr. Spock, Worf, the Borg, and the Q Continuuim, all in a truly epic tale penned by one of the best Trek authors, Peter David. It's epic in more than one way - although there's massive space action this isn't just one big melee. There's a big story tying all the action together, and making it more potent, and there's humor, ongoing development of the characters and their relationship to one another (including on the bridge of the Enterprise, where there's real tension between different crew members now that some of the originals are gone and the new blood is sometimes in sharp conflict with old favorites and their decisions), familiar places and bits of Trek lore coming in when they're least expected, and a spiritual element that works extremely well (David has handled this expertly in previous Trek books). Much of that spiritual element is incorporated into a study of the Borg, with such questions as 'Does the Borg Collective have a soul?' and 'What happens to an individual's soul when the Borg assimilate them?' Seven Of Nine is deeply troubled by a vision of the Borg that abruptly comes to her, and the feeling that something terrible is wrong with Admiral Janeway, who's currently leading an expedition to examine a dead-in-the-water, nonfunctional Borg Cube. When Seven brings her concerns to the hierarchy of Starfleet Command, they fall on deaf ears, but when she defies their cease-and-desist and tracks down Picard, he's inclined to have a much more open mind over anything the Borg may be capable of. And to ignore a Starfleet cease-and-desist himself, and take the Enterprise out to see if there really is anything amiss with this 'dead' Cube. Which there most certainly is. I loved the Voyager tv show, but in its latter run it, along with the movie Star Trek - First Contact (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) were inadvertently watering down the Borg - they were getting defeated too often, and sometimes almost easily. In the Borg's first couple appearances on Star Trek Next Generation it always seemed like a one-time miracle that the Enterprise an

After I started reading this book, I found myself unable to stop reading it for more than a couple of minutes. The intriguing, verbally advanced, interesting plot made it a fascinating read. I don't really know how to give pros and cons about this book without spoiling it, but suffice it to say there are many plot twists and unexpected events. This monumental book will affect Star Trek books' plots for many years to come. (Yes, this book has massive repercussions in the Star Trek universe.) A warning: this book will depress you. If you don't like getting depressed by books, this isn't for you. Overall, if you like Star Trek, you'll like this book. It involves the Borg, Seven of Nine, Kathryn Janeway, Jean-Luc Picard, Worf, Lady Q, Spock, Geordi La Forge, and many other famous characters.

Incorporating cast members from STNG, Voyager and the original series, this new Trek novel by Peter David would make for a pretty good movie. Taking center stage in the story are Seven, Jean-Luc Picard and none other than Spock. One scene, with all three of them together, would have been fantastic to see on the big screen. The story takes place after the Enterprise has apparently crippled the Borg for good. A massive cube lies seemingly dead in space while the Federation studies it - only humanity's greatest nemesis isn't quite dead. It waits for the right opportunity to present itself and it recognizes that opportunity when Admiral Kathryn Janeway visits the dormant cube. Light years away on Earth, Seven of Nine, now a professor at Starfleet Academy, wakes up from her regeneration cycle in horror. Immediately aware of the danger that has resurfaced and determined to help the woman she loves and owes so much to, Seven defies Starfleets and heads off on her own to try to find the one other human she knows will help her. On Vulcan to celebrate the opening of the Sarek School of Diplomacy and Ambassadorial Studies, Jean-Luc Picard is reunited with a legend just as a very determined former Borg reaches them. With Ambassador Spock and Seven of Nine on board, the Enterprise heads off to try to stop a threat unlike anything any of them have ever experienced. The Borg are no longer interested in simple assimilation. They have evolved - changed - and they are determined to retrieve what once belonged to them - a starship captain that has denied them victory once too many times and a young woman whose soul will make them complete. As commercial Trek novels go - I found this story quite satisfying. Peter David's characterizations of the familiar Trek principals are all very good. He does a particular fine job at writing Picard, Ambassador Spock and Seven. His portrayal of Worf is a hoot! I liked the Klingon more in this novel than I ever did watching the TV series. Spock is written as an older version of the vulcan we all came to love in the original series - the logic is there and the aloofness but also the underlying genius, steely resolve and humanity. Despite this being a Next Generation novel, Seven and Janeway are at the heart of it. About half the chapters are all about Seven and the end is all about these two ladies. David gives us a good adventure story with an almost epic feel to it that is ultimately quite emotional while leaving doors open for...other possibilities.