House of Cards

At times I've had a little trouble 'getting into' Trek or Star Wars books that don't carry forward the story of main characters. This series completely overcame that reluctance of acceptance by establishing an interesting mix of new characters interwoven with some that you'll recognize from appearances (however brief) in the mainstream Trek series. I've read the first six books, and they seem to get better as they go. I recently ordered the entirity of the seriers, and one that it crosses over into, "Gateways". Highly recommended.

Peter David has created his own starship captain with some familiar faces in the crew. My favorite is Shelby from the episode "Best of Both Worlds". She had a relationship with the lead character, Mac. Now she's the first officer. Lots of exciting plot twists and we actually read about Jellio trying to bring them down in scandal....

If you like Star Trek, and you like Peter David, you can't go wrong with this book or the rest of the series. I was hooked on David's writing through his classic "Grey Hulk" series of Marvel Comics. I find his writing stands out from the crowd (though they did bring in some good writers for the original Trek book series). The New Frontier, Book One, is classically organized, developing the characters in their individual threads and then bringing them together for the new ship through the first four books. There's very nice balance, and the comics, er books, have a little more leeway with asides you don't get in the TV shows or movies. The time and place is set around the time of the Next Generation, with Jean-Luc Picard and even Spock putting in an appearance. Just to be clear -- this book reads like a comic book, or like a Star Trek episode. It's pure pulp, but pulp of the highest order. One word of warning: this "book" is barely novella length; it takes about an hour to read, and that's if you read the funny parts twice.

Out of all the books that I have read this series I have never been able to put down. It is that great. When it includes characters already seen of Star Trek TNG (TV Series) that gives you a kick start. When I read the first chapter I thought what??? but then I came to realise and as the series has progressed I love it. The best books ever read. If your new to Star Trek then this won't confuse you much.

The characters are great, the plot twists liberally and entertainment abounds. This is the rump-kicking Trek you've always wished they'd make that cuts through the fluff and techno-nonsense and delivers on all levels. Funny, too!