Customer Reviews

Lost Souls (Star Trek: Destiny #3)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I won't bother rehashing what goes on in this or any books in the trilogy, as others have already done so. I admit I approached the trilogy with trepidation, given many of the novels preceding it starting with "Death in Winter" were, frankly, very bad. The "Destiny" trilogy redeemed all that and more.

I've been reading Trek books for years and I can honestly say this is the first time I've felt truly invested emotionally in the outcome of one. The ending was very Roddenberry, peaceful and at the same time, wonderfully awesome. Learning the origins and the Borg and seeing their end arrive (sadly, they had become cliche from overuse) were interesting and poignant moments; the book leaves you with a sense of hope for the future of Trek, and the novels preceding it never could.

This was, quite frankly, one of the best written Star trek books I have ever read. David was able to accurately capture the voices and relational dynamics of some of the most beloved Star Trek Characters. I could not put it down. This man ranks up there with the likes of Peter David and Keith R.A. Decandido. Bravo sir. I look forward to your next book and the next installment of this story.

No book (or series) is ever perfect. But they can reach for it and come awfully close as this series does. What a fantastic and completely satisfying journey. It's not artsy as some Trek books try to be, it's not over intellectual either. To me, it's real; or as real as you can get in a futuristic Sci-Fi universe. The "chasing a fart through a bag of nails" line had me rolling on the floor. Not because I am immature (okay, maybe a little) but because it was so unexpected in Trek. (However, being a military man, there were a few things that grated on my nerves such as Capt. Dax's constant use of Prototype transphasic superduper uber slipstreamanator thingy; okay already, I get that it's a prototype.)

And this is the jewel of the series, the unexpected. In a television series that never mentioned or shown a character needing to use the bathroom, giving my favorite character's a dose of humanity was a welcome treat. People want to complain that Picard acted out of character. I disagree.

Like every other character sewn seamlessly from other book series, Picard has finally shown the emotion we saw in First Contact. He has never dealt with the pain and turmoil from not one but two assimilations by the Borg as well as the death of his brother and nephew, the fear of the impending birth of his son compiled with the emotions the utter destruction wrought by a vengeful Borg are roaring through him. He is a strong character, but even the strongest can break.

Since the cats out of the bag, some seem to find the origins of the Borg, which is partially the blame of humanity, an unfit `beginning'. How? Through TNG and Voyager, through the video game Star Trek: Legacy, through the books, we capture glimpses of but never the whole story. Often the largest, most profound things are started by a simple choice, one small decision. I love that picture, which this story has painted with aplomb.

The Destiny trilogy is the pinnacle of ST novels, combining a suspenful storyline including a REAL Federation-wide threat(for the first time ever in ST literature, no character is safe!) with fantastic characterization for established and new characters.

Ever since the Star Trek novel line re-alligned in 2000-2001, the novels have kept a consistant continuity (which still allows readers to "jump in" in jus about every novel, without confusion), and the Destiny trilogy is the culmination of those last few years of stories. Don't be alarmed, though. You don't need to read every Trek novel out there to understand it all - far from it: These books provide ALL the information you'd need.

In closing, the entire trilogy is a top-notch work from Star Trek's greatest novelist today!

Make the movie.


That was not a request.
-Worf-

I have just finished the trilogy and have been blown away by the ending (i won't spoil it, suffice to say, it's awesome). This has to be the most audacious piece of Trek fiction i have ever read, whoever comissioned this must have had some guts, because it could so easily have blown up in their face. This i believe will become highly controversial (if it hasn't already) as a result of the ending. My only qualms were that the pace was a bit too slow in places and that i can't help but feel it would have made a better duology than a trilogy (a tightening of the action wouldn't have gone amiss and some of the caeliar flashbacks felt unneccessary and clunky). Generally superb though with a classic cliffhanger at the end of book 2. I read them all in one go and sturggled only at the beginning of the third book. Brave concepts, Classic battles and a seemingly undefeatable foe make this trilogy as close to an epic legend as star trek fiction will probably ever get.

I read this book as slowly as I possibly could. I tried to savor every word of this novel, every tear-inducing sentence, every heart-pounding paragraph...but it still flew past my eyes in a flurry of frantic page turns as my anxiety to reach the climax of the Star Trek: Destiny trilogy surged to a maximum. It was too much. Before I knew it, the book lay at my feet, finished, done.

This book is unmatched by any Star Trek novel I've read before. I'd have given it six stars if that were possible. The pace and rhythm of the storytelling is perfect, the diction fantastic, and the plot as riveting as the best Trek movies and episodes. At times, it was so bewitching that I felt as if the book were being sung to me by some ethereal spirit. At others, it was as dramatic as sitting in the front row of a grand theatre while the events of Lost Souls were performed before my mind's eye.

But what I love most about Destiny is that it brings out the best of Star Trek. In the end, it's not about space, it's not about technology. It's about us--you and me--and the struggles we face as humans, as sentient and responsible beings in this evolving universe. Author David Mack captures this crucial essence of Star Trek in powerful dialogue and deep examinations of the characters in this book. He brings to life what I find to be one of Star Trek's most important messages: the courage to have optimism, compassion, and hope in the face of insurmountable odds.

The Star Trek: Destiny series has been both a pleasure and a wonder to read. A new door has been opened in the Star Trek universe. Go explore it!

This is the final book of the "Destiny" trilogy and it brings together such disparate Star Trek characters as Captain Erika Hernandez from the Star Trek Enterprise series, Ezri Dax from Deep Space Nine, Jean-Luc Picard from Next Generation, and Will Riker and Deanna Troi, from that same series, now on their own ship Titan.

That's the kind of thing you can do in a novel. "Lost Souls" ties up a lot of loose ends from the first two books in the series, but it does a lot more. Against the background of a massive Borg invasion of the Federation, it explains the horrifying origin of the cybernetic assimilators.

And (SPOILER ALERT) it tells the story of their fall.

This is a review for the triogy. This triogy is amazing every STAR TREK fan needs to read these books espesally book 3. AMAZING!!!

I've read ST Novels for a while though I'm pretty selective about it. I haven't read many of the other multi-part series too much, so I may be missing some points here and there.

To me, Star Trek: Destiny as a whole took Star Trek novels (and the expanded universe) in directions I would have never expected. Most of the books I have read are stand alone stories where the ST Universe pretty much remains static at the end OR the Khan books which provide background into some old characters history.

Star Trek: Destiny as a whole felt like some of the recent Star Wars series (New Jedi Order, Legacy of the Force) where there are major threats and changes to the universe.

All in all, all three books in the ST: Destiny series were good reads Lost Souls is a good conclusion to the three book arc. It will be interesting to see how the books following ST: Destiny will go.

This whole series is recommended. I read all three books in about 1 1/2 weeks.