Customer Reviews

Being Human (Star Trek: New Frontier)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Peter David is interesting as a writer, and we are not disappointed here either. I enjoyed this book as with most of the author's work.

The book focus is on Mark McHenry and where he came from. As an avid Star Trek fan myself I was pleased to see a tie in with the original series. More specific when Kirk et. al. were on Pollux IV where they met Apollo. Now we find out that that Apollo was more randy then TOS lead us to believe. After all this is fiction and a good imagination from the author. Now enters Apollo's sister Artemis cunning and resourceful.

We see a continuation from Restoration and tie ins from Gateway and the Double Helix series. Now we see Captains Calhoun and Shelby on different Starships doing what they do best after a conjugal tryst. And the interplay of all the other favorite characters was interesting and enjoyable.

The Danteri make an offer to Si Cwan and his sister Kalinda can't refuse, but as with all interesting books the bad guys have a trick up their respective sleves. Remember Lodec well he surfaces here and proposes to bring back the Thallonian Empire... at what cost? Calhoun says never trust the Danteri.

The book was well thought out and easy reading and the ending... well you have to read it. We now have the answer as to why Q could do nothing with Mark McHenry.

This book is worth buying and answers some of the questions many of us had about how McHenry could do what he could do. From the author that created "Q" to put it in the words of Spock fascinating. I say captivating... read it and enjoy.

These past reviews have given you no real good reason other than 'its good' to read this book. The material in this book is creative and fresh and new and it has something for fans of all the Trek series. If you remember the episode of the Original Series where Kirk and crew meet the Greek god Apollo out in the middle of space, you'll have one leg up in reading this book. Even if not, you'll have one heck of a time having fun learning finally where Mark McHenry comes from. This book focuses on McHenry, his past and explains why Q was truly baffled by his pressence last year in the E-X-calibur series. Though it features McHenry, its also one that focuses on all the main Excalibur officers and picks up where Restoration left off. Though I advise you, if you want to get into Shelby's side of the story and learn more about her ship and crew of the Trident, one that does include some good characters, Mueller as the XO, and two characters from the short lived Animated Series, read Cold Wars ( plus it'll explain how Burgy is the new XO on the Excalibur. )
This book has other interesting story lines that you shouldn't miss out on. Keborn begins to question his friend and for once, we really get to see or get exposed to Keborn more than a giant wall that stands in the back of the Bridge. Soleta is focused on as well. Dr. Selar and Burgy's son Xyon has some good moments with Moke, Calhoun's new adopted son from Restoration and one of the biggest shockers and attention grabbers is that the Danteri summon Shelby and crew to bring Si Cwan and Kalinda to their homeworld to speak on the subject of a new Thallonian Empire. Peter David really leaves the fans crying for more at the end of this book for much is left open, especially for the characters of Robin Lefler, Morgan Primus, and McHenry. Artemis and her Greek gods plus some Egyptian gods show up in whats one of the more interesting space battles in Trek. This is a must read for New Frontier fans and everyone looking for a good and fresh book. Also read NF's Cold Wars to get the most out of the Excalibur, Trident and many familiar faces from Kira, Picard and DS9 characters as well as Gabreck from the Exeter ( Restoration, ) Jelico and Adm. Ross, Scotty and more in Cold Wars then a continuation in Being Human.

In the twelfth installment of the New Frontier series, Mark McHenry's origins are revealed. From the other books, it's quite obvious that McHenry is a strange bird. He exhibits abilities that stretch human capabilities by normal standards. Here you will find out just how much "potential" McHenry has.

David does an outstanding job developing a storyline that revolves around McHenry, but as usually, branches off into so many intriguing directions. Being Human is not only play on words, but also a most appropriate title that hits the crux of the storyline. Though McHenry may be different, he just wants to fit in.

This book is a nice bridge between adventures of the "old" Excalibur and the "new" Excalibur. David ties off some loose ends like: How exactly did Calhoun manage to get off the Excalibur in time? Then he opens countless new threads that will give us readers many more enjoyable books to come.

Some of those:
- What is the mysterious change that is coming over Kebron?
- How will Robin and Si Cwan handle their "relationship"?
- Can the Thallonian Empire once again be rebuilt?
- Who/what is the strange thing that Moke sees running around?

This is another fine addition to Peter David's New Frontier series. He once again deftly ties his series into one of the old television shows. This time it happens to be from Star Trek the Original Series. I was left wanting more, and eagerly await the next installment. I'm sure any New Frontier fan will feel the same way.

I really can't say enough about how good this series is. Any one book is a treat unto itself, but the series is like a well-planned 12 course meal.

Peter David is not a novelist; he's a writer of comic books. He's a very GOOD writer of comic books, but at least in this series, his comic book writing background really shows through; there is never a tidy story, with a beginning and ending in the same book. There is always a continuation from issue to issue, but he doesn't just write 300 or so pages and then stop; like a good comic book writer, he always manages to end at a point of high drama to make the cliffhanger ending more compelling. Some people like this sort of thing; myself, I find it annoying.

But where the comic-book background REALLY comes into play is his inclination to keep the continuing storyline going when he writes a New Frontier story that's out of the general numbered sequence. Therefore, as a public service, I'll let you in on a (not very) closely kept secret, but one which I was baffled by until I saw the list of New Frontier books in the back of this book: do not read book seven of this series after reading book six; after book six, read "The Captain's Table #5"; then read "Double Helix #5: Double or Nothing", which is actually a Next Generation book (#55). THEN read #s 7-11 of this series; THEN read "Gateways" #s 6 & 7; THEN read this book and then "Gods Above".

Peter David writes quite well; he has fine characters, fine plots, and a nice grasp of the language. But none of the books in this series stands by itself. Don't start the series unless you're interested in continuing to read the series, and tracking it down even when the story line crosses over into other series. Reading any one book in this series will leave the reader unsatisfied.

Intriguing and compelling. Of course, these adjectives could be used to describe almost any of Peter David's books, but this one happens to be one of my favourites. Although the main focus of the novel is McHenry, and the revelation that he is not quite human - which explains his almost supernatural abilities and Q's deference towards him - we also dip into the lives of the other characters. David's skill is his ability to intertwine science fiction with drama, and his characters are among the most complex out there. The story switches between the Excalbiur and the Trident, Calhoun and Shelby's ships respectively, and the various officers on each. High points of the novel (well, higher) included the M'Ress/Arex/Gleau interaction and the mysterious "changes" occuring in Zak Kebron. It had its funny, tongue-in-cheek moments, too, again typical of David. And, again typical of the most infuriating and brilliant writer in the field of Star Trek novels, it ends with multiple cliffhangers.

I call this story a bridge, because that's exactly what it is. Aside from McHenry, we don't see a lot of forward movement for any of the characters. But without this story, we couldn't easily get from the events of "Restoration" and "Cold Wars" to the *next* one. I only hope #13 comes out soon - and preferably *not* in hardback!

If you're following the NF bunch, you already know McHenry was an odd duck, but this story will give you the real dirt on his past. If you enjoy it when a writer takes a thread from TOS past and sews it into the present, then you'll just adore Mark's backstory. Heck, even if you don't care for that sort of thing, you'll still like the story. It'll even answer a question or two about McHenry's abilities in a past NF novel.

Much else is resolved and some things more thoroughly explained herein, but don't let that worry you that the end is near. Not hardly. Be on the lookout for more about Our Favorite Brikar, Calhoun's adopted son, Moke, and the quicksilver offspring of Burgoyne and Selar. Oh, did I mention Si Cwan and Kalinda? No? Well, if you think *everything* has been resolved with McHenry, I'd say think again.

While quite good on one hand: that hand being the explanation of Lieutenant Mark McHenry, on the other hand, the lack of focus on one ship that has begun with this book is a bit frustrating.

The majority of this book deals with the young lieutenant who has displayed an exacting spacial sense, and whose tendancy to appear asleep has become routine to the rest of the crew. The McHenry story is interesting, good-humoured, and touches on some Original Series era episodes. It is well-done, and enjoyable, especially as the rest of the crew of the USS Excalibur-A tries to deal with the notion of just who - and what - McHenry is.

Where the book gets frustrating is the other portion of the book, where we keep zipping back and forth between the McHenry "A" story and finding ourselves in the USS Triton, which is Captain Shelby's ship, as it continues along its previous plotline of the M'Ress and Gleau storyline, and adds in a new potentially related story with the Danteri and Si Cwan.

The result is overload: Too many characters, two plotlines that would have been more interesting as two separate books, and once more, a cliffhanger ending.

Buy it for McHenry, and for the interaction of Shelby and her XO: Mueller; but as a whole, it'll let you down a little.

'Nathan

As usual Peter David is at his spectacular best. Anyone who read the Gateways books will agree that the 'New Frontier' was the best part of the entire series. Peter David expertly melds superb dialogue with action and a wry sense of humor. My only question is, "Exactly how long do I have to wait for the next book?"

My favorite books. Star Trek at its best. Read in one settting and enjoyed it. Calhoun is a good character and I have read all this authors books.

My hat goes off to Peter David. Being Human turned out to be, in my opinion, one of the best Star Trek: New Frontier novels he's written up to this point. One thing I've always loved about the various post-original-series novels is the way in which they incorporate events and episodes from the Original Series. Being Human does that in spades; in fact, it incorporates one of the more interesting of the early epsisodes. Another great thing about this novel was the humor. More often than not I found myself reading with a smirk on my face, and there were many times I was laughing out loud. Peter David also does a great job of expanding the relationships between crew members while at the same time creating realtionships with a whole new set of crew members from Shelby's Starship Trident. Excellent work and a fun read.