Double or Nothing (Star Trek The Next Generation: Double Helix, Book 5)

This is the fifth book in the "Star Trek: Double Helix" series I'm reading about a mysterious villain who has been releasing biological agents across the Alpha Quadrant in an attempt to perfect the ultimate 100% fatal virus.Now the journey comes to an end, as we finally learn who the mysterious villain is. And it's up to a teaming of Jean Luc Picard and Will Riker with the crew of the USS Excalibur to stop his final plans for wiping out all of the Federation in one fell swoop.Highlights: 1) TNG cameos of two admirals and a major villain. 2) a James Bond-style spy adventure starring Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, complete with gadgets, brutish henchman, a feisty babe and mad villain. 3) Will Riker taking temporary command of the USS Excalibur and having to deal with its eccentric crew and his old nemesis, Shelby. 4) the Excalibur crew themselves shine in all of their wacky glory. 5) you learn even more about Calhoun's character and why he's one of the most unique Starfleet captains ever.Nitpicks: 1) a glaring boo-boo about where the Bajoran wormhole goes to. 2) unless there's another one, Thaddeus Riker was supposed to be a Civil War not a Federation pioneer. 3) I still think the mysterious villain is way too big for his britches, and one look at his awe-inspiring impressive headquarters will make you agree. 5) unless the Narobi have been used before in a previous book (or in the next book), this interesting race wasn't utilized to their fullest potential.All in all, this was my favorite book of the series. Peter David writes for fans, so it was fast-paced and fun to read. Those who haven't read Peter David's "New Frontier" books or aren't familiar with the Excalibur crew might get a little confused keeping track of all the characters. However, if you are a "New Frontier" fan, it must be pointed out that this book does stand by itself, so you can read it without bothering with the rest of the "Double Helix" books.Last but not least, if you're wondering why a six-part series ends with a fifth book, the next book is a prequel that explains why The General hates Picard and the Federation so much.

This is another great installment to the New Frontier and the Double Helix series. Not having read the last of the Double Helix books yet, it seems that this one pretty much finishes the Double Helix???? A favorite quote from the book, Riker - "I've got to get off this ship." Peter David did an excellent job of integrating Picard and Riker into the New Frontier. It's really interesting and well done how he brought Riker and Shelby together again. That portion was done very well and even better than I'd expected another meeting of those two. Overall another great book by Peter David.

Peter David has writen another amazing New Frontier story. Completely filled with twists and surprises all the way to the end. Also it has numerous familar guest stars. Particularly like the ongoing conflict between Riker and Shelby.

Although the plot is a little too "Star Trek saves the world", Peter David entertains us with a fast paced story filled with great character interaction, action scenes, and more background on some of the shadier sides of Star Fleet. My only critique is if the reader is not familiar with the crew of the Excalibur from the New Frontiers' series, they may get be easily confused. This is a must have for anyone enjoying the New Frontiers series right now.

OK, first of all, I've got to admit that I'm a huge fan of Peter David's work and have been since he published the first really great TNG novel, Strike Zone many, many years ago. That said, I've got to admit that this was the one novel of the Double Helix series I was really, really looking foward to. I read it in three days. It's just that good.First of all, it features David's wonderful cast from his New Frontier series. Secondly, it's got several of the members of TNG interacting with them with some great results. (There's a huge shouting match between Riker and Shelby that rings so absolutely true that it's painful.) Finally, it's got David's compulsively readable style of writing that makes the pages just fly by with ease. I'd love to discuss the details of just why this book is so good, but it would ruin the series for those of you might not have read it yet. Suffice it to say, this book makes the entire Double Helix worthwhile and worthy of being a six book saga. A must read for any Trek fan...