Customer Reviews

Renaissance (Star Trek New Frontier: Excalibur, Book 10)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Book #10, if you will, is a parallel novel to that of #9. That is to say the majority of events that take place here are in the same time frame as the previous novel, but with the other half of the New Frontier cast. What one will not find here is any mention of 2nd Officer Elizabeth Shelby, or major space faring battles. A bit of a let down if you are looking for strange new worlds.....

Like it's sister novel, the original cast of New Frontier is split into smaller original stories, each one revolving around either one or two of these characters. The most dynamic of these stories is a really richly crafted tale of Dr. Selar and Hermat Lieutenant Commander Burgoyne and the fate of their new child. The reader is exposed to both sides of parenthood and how best to raise a child with two different cultures. The baby Xyon, though Vulcan in appearance carries some of the latent qualities of the Hedrmat species and these slowly manifest over time. How Selar deals with these changes is a journey through re-self-discovery. She believes Xyon should be brought up in the Vulcan tradition, but events will soon challenge her first impressions. On the other hand, Burgoyne hirself believes that Xyon should be able to express itself, and what better way than for Burgoyne and Selar to become a family. This struggle leads both back to Vulcan where T'Pau and the Vulcan justice system decides the ultimate fate. Or does it? A great surprise appearance from a well established Trek character makes Selar face her inner most fears. Also a `gay' Vulcan debuts here and it is interesting to see the authors take on sexuality in the Trek Universe, which generally hasn't been touched by other authors.

Robin and her Mother Morgan travel to Risa, the pleasure planet, where they venture on a vacation that they both help will bring them closer together. But once there, both women meet new love interests who have their own Agenda. Is Robin over Si Cwan? This story furthers the development of Morgan. She is no longer the litlle girl that she was portrayed in the previous novels, but comes into her own here. Morgan also displays a new side which even adds more mystery to this character, wanting the reader to desire more about her in future installments. Also a deeper story opens up in which the miracle worker, Scott Montgomery lends his hand to. Scott's charm is still there and he has some humorous tales to tell.

Finally, Si Cwan and Kalinda make a surprise appearance at the end that begins to tie up the cliffhanger that they were involved in book #9. I'm sure all this will come to a head in the hard cover, "Restoration".

Overall this book was much better executed than #9 was, and made much more sense in the larger scope of things in the New Frontier universe.

I have a love/hate relationship with Peter David's book...I love them so much that I can read them in one sitting, but I hate that they have to come to end. Such is the case with the new addition to the New Frontier series--itself the second portion of a trilogy that won't be completed until November (thankfully it's not a year otherwise I'd have to be seriously upset with Pocket Books). The storyline continues to follow the crew after the destruction of the Excaliber. There are only two plotlines going this time around. The first finds Selar and Burgy battling (literally and figuratively) for the future of their son. The other features the mother-daughter team of Robin Lefler and her mother, Morgan. Of the two, the vacation that Robin and Morgan takes seem the more lightweight of the two until the final fifty pages when David pulls the rug out from under the reader (to say too much would, honestly, ruin the fun).

David pays homage to the history of Trek by bringing in old characters from the past and actually making them useful to the story. The characters aren't just there for shock value but actually contribute to the plot. Especially nice is a chance to catch up with David's vision of how Scotty might turn out, trapped in the 24th century, many years after his time.

This is an enjoyable and fun novel to read. The final 50 pages are staggering in that they take some disparaging threads together and serve as the jumping off point for the final leg of the trilogy in which we will hopefully find out the fate of Captain Calhoun (I don't think for an instance he's dead) and what really happened to the Excaliber (we're told how the ship was destroyed here and it's truly a wonderful moment of revelation).

Staggering and superb, this series only gets better and better. And it only makes waiting until November that much harder.

I've praised Peter David's "Excalibur" series left and right (see also my review of the prequel to this book, "Requiem.") "Renaissance" carries on the same great tradition and in the best of all possible worlds, gives us action, personal growth stories, examinations of alien cultures, guest stars galore, and one heck of a cliffhanger. But it's in his handling of themes that are ignored by the TV series that Peter David excels, making these among the best Trek novels ever.

Free of the restraints of television censors, David is able to examine a much-ignored theme of "Star Trek": sexual relations of the twenty-fourth century. His treatment of these subjects is always tasteful and tactful (although I'm aware that by even mentioning the subject in this review, I'm likely to turn off or even outrage a few potential readers). Much of the novel is taken up with a child-custody battle between Selar and Burgoyne--"Kramer vs. Kramer" in the 24th Century--but with the added twists of ancient Vulcan law and the examination of exactly how a hermaphrodite species treats and understands the concept of children. Add to all this a gay Vulcan, introduced as a very natural and ordinary character with the minimum of fuss. It's nuances and treatments like this that bring the Excalibur universe best into line with Roddenbury's original vision: a time in which those beliefs and lifestyles that caused societal strife today have simply ceased to be a matter for conflict four hundred years from now (which is not to say *all* problems have been solved, or it would be a short and uninteresting book!). It's a love story, it's a personal growth story, and there's even one humdinger of a very-Trekkish action sequence.

Though it's not part of the "official" continuity, this Excalibur novel features not one, not two, but *three* classic Trek guest-stars. It's to David's credit that these guest appearances seem natural and welcome (too often a 'special guest appearance' reads like a ratings stunt or a fan fiction). As always, David's characterization in the Trek universe is second-to-none, and intriguing mysteries about established characters are introduced: *I* personally always thought that Morgan Primus must look like Naomi Judd (well, her daughter *is* played by Ashley Judd!), but Peter David has other ideas who she must look like...and personally, I can't wait to find out the rest. "Renaissance" ends with a classic Trek cliffhanger, but thankfully we won't have to wait a whole summer to find out the ending in "Excalibur: Restoration" out in October.

Just wanted to add my hearty endorsement to the growing list of kudos. Characters are what make a story, and Peter David has done a superb job of making them as interesting and surprising as possible. And just wait until you find out who Morgan Lefler *really* is!

Get it. Read it. You won't be disappointed!

This book, second of three, chronicles the struggle between Dr. Selar and Burgoyne, the Hermat, over the right to care for their son, Xyon. Selar wants to bring him up on Vulcan as a Vulcan, while Burgoyne just wants to remain a part of his life. Meanwhile, Robin Leffler & her mother, Morgan Primus, have gone to Risa, the pleasure planet, for some rest and relaxation and a chance to spend time together. From the beginning, the reader knows that there's more to Morgan than meets the eye. But just who she is is an excellent question. I read this book in just a couple of hours. It's a fast read and, like its predecessor, very hard to put down! Enjoy!

Book 10 picks up where 9 left off with the continuing saga of the Excalibur crew. This book focuses on Selar, Burgoyne, Robin, and her mother. In addition it continues the story of the Si Cwan story. Also you finaly learn why the Excalibur exploded. There are also a couple of guest appearances in this one as well. I can't wait for the upcoming hard cover as well as the upcoming comic book from Wildstorm press. In case you have not heard about it, it should be out on SEPT 27.

Peter David continues the series that he created with some great books, he shows once again that he will always have a place in the Star Trek universe.

Personally I read Trek novels simply for entertainment, not for any deep or hidden meanings. This 'new' series of characters I can honestly say have gone straight to my heart and I look forward to each new story.

To begin book 9 with the death of the Captain was a shock, however Peter David is a great storyteller and for me, he managed to keep my totally engrossed in the various storylines right until the end of each book.

Previous reviewer's have given the basic storylines, so I won't repeat them, suffice to say that if you have read and enjoyed any of the previous books in the series, you might find having to wait for more after book No 10 is far from easy!

I just hope that, if this is the last in this present series, the writer gives fuller explanations of why the ship blows up and the Captain is killed (?) (I have a feeling I am not the only reader who hopes that there is something else going on and all is not as we are lead to believe!)

Time will tell - roll on the issue of the next book!

"Renaissance" is another outstanding book in the Star Trek New Frontier series and in Peter David's list of superior Star Trek novels. As furtherance to the Excalibur trilogy, this novel serves very well. Just as it is with all of his novels, his writing style and pacing is perfect to the subject, making for a very quick and highly enjoyable read.

The cover art for "Renaissance" is beautiful and it, for the first time, gives us a decent drawing of Zak Kebron. The true oddity is whose images are on the cover of this book. The story behind "Requiem" involved Soleta, McHenry and Kebron, the main characters in "Renaissance" are Burgoyne, Selar, Morgan Primus and Robin Lefler. Either way, the cover art for this title is exceptional.

The premise:

Just as the first book in the series, "Requiem" tells the tale of Soleta, McHenry and Kebron and Si Cwan and Kalinda, after the loss of Excalibur, "Renaissance" now tells the tale of Burgoyne and Selar and Robin Lefler and Morgan Primus.

The first plot of "Renaissance" entails the highly intriguing tale of Burgoyne and Selar and the strife they're going through concerning the parental rights of their son Xyon who was named after the "now dead" Captain Calhoun's son, Xyon.

The second plot of "Renaissance" carries the story of Morgan Primus and her daughter Robin Lefler who take a vacation to Risa and their meeting some "intriguing" characters there.

Overall, I've truly enjoyed how Peter David has broken down the first two books in the Excalibur series into extremely intriguing tales concerning all of the characters and what they're going through after the loss of Excalibur and the "loss" of their Captain. What makes these first two stories even more enjoyable are the "guest" characters that become deeply engrained in the story and the tie to another Star Trek series of novels that reveals itself.

I highly recommend not only this title, but the entire Star Trek New Frontier series for you will find within the pages of these novels some of the most refreshing, hilarious, intriguing and poignant stories available in the Star Trek genre. {ssintrepid}

Spoiler alert!!!

Well, Peter David does give a good hint in this book as to why the Excaliber was destroyed, but still doesn't tell the whole story. Anyway, this book focuses on the post Excaliber-destruction adventures of Selar, Burgy, Robin Lefler and her Mom. The portions of the story dealing with Burgy and Selar do finally bring an acceptable end to the tensions that have been mounting between the two since the birth of their child. And the bits with Lefler and her mother... Well, lets just say there are a lot of plot points to be wrapped up in the next book. I guess that's why they made it a hardback book....

This particular "episode" of the New Frontier series focuses very much on the ties of family. While Robin Lefler and her mother attempt to "reconnect" on Risa, Burgoyne and Selar struggle with what their roles should be in regards to Xyon, their son.

The most interesting (and often moving) passages of this book revolve around the relationship between Selar and Xyon (and, to a degree, Burgoyne). While Lefler's life always adds a bit of comic relief (I swear, she's written like the bad-luck faerie), it wasn't so over-the-top this time, and her constant talking to herself didn't come off as forced in this book. Likely, this is because I've gotten used to her character now, and she just seems to be acting normally.

There is a lot of good stuff about Vulcan culture and their passions (anti-passions?) and Burgoyne's navigation through Vulcan culture is a must-read, as is Selar's "Logical" conclusions on how Xyon should be raised.

Now, the quibbles I have with this book are the cameos. I imagine I was likely one of the only people who didn't like the TNG Episode "Relics," so you can imagine how flat the entrance of Scotty was into this book for me. Spock also makes an appearance, as does T'Pau. It was a bit much. Any one of them would have been okay.

You will not regret this book, but gosh will you hate the cliffhanger (yet again).