Customer Reviews

A Rock and a Hard Place

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

 

 

As good as his first Star Trek novel, Star Trek The Next Generation #5 - "Strike Zone" is, "A Rock and a Hard Place" is that much better. If you were to read through the entirety of the early STNG novels, you will quickly gather that there are a couple authors' novels that are to be looked forward to, Peter David's and Michael Jan Friedman's. With this particular installment, Peter David firmly reaffirmed and set himself in place as the one Star Trek author that can deliver a solid plot with thought provoking twists and an excellent sense of humor. His novels are the ones that will make you laugh as you read along.

The premise:

The planet Paradise is being terraformed but the terraformers in charge have fallen behind schedule and they've requested assistance. Commander William T. Riker of the USS Enterprise is given that task and sets off for Paradise. This is where we see Riker on his own, dealing with nature and its quirks.

Meanwhile, aboard the Enterprise, Riker's temporary replacement is a brazen individual by the name of Commander Quinton Stone and let's just says that he and the Captain and crew of the Enterprise aren't getting along chummily!

What follows is but a mere inkling as to some of the outstanding adventures that author Peter David will take Star Trek fans on in the future. I highly recommend this novel to any and all fans of the genre! {ssintrepid}

Star Trek-The Next Generation: A Rock and a Hard Place written by Peter David is a double plotted book. As Commander Riker is given leave of the U.S.S. Enterprise to help with the terraforming of the planet Paradise and his replacement on the Enterprise is Commander Quintin Stone.

Only Peter David could write such a compelling story with a double plot and keep the reader's intrest till the blockbuster ending. First off you'll be reading about the terraforming of the planet Paradise where it's Commander Riker vs. Nature storyline. We get a fleshing out of the character of Riker and we get to see how he does without of the influence of Captain Jean-Luc Picard looming overhead. As Riker is pitted against an unforgiving environment where unter the best of circumstances "unforgiving" would be a mild term.

We alernate plotlines to the next confrontation, that of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise vs. Quintin Stone. Stone is considered here as the prototype for Peter David's Captain Mackenzie Calhoun in the ST-New Frontier series. Rough around the edges, quite strong-minded, with a quick wit, and radically novel solutions to problems, this is how Quintin Stone is portrayed.

David hasn't lost his wit either as he pulls off the double plot with an ending the is both clever and stunning. You've got to read it to believe it. Confrontation between Store and Riker is all I'm going to tell you the rest you'll have to read for yourself. This book is a solid 4 stars, not quite as good as "Imzadi" but close.

Both plots keep the reader's intrest and I'd like to see further Quintin Stone books as he seems to be a very intresting character... a kind of by the seat of your pants, guy. This is a good read and you'll finish it wanting another story with the same character called Quintin Stone.

The two plots, one involving the replacement of Riker with another, slightly psychotic, first officer, and the other featuring Riker himself fighting giant wolves on an ice planet, work well together, though I enjoyed the former much more. Peter David's qualities as a writer lie in his ability to be both dark and funny at the same time, and he doesn't miss the mark this time either. Is this as good as some of his giant novels? No, of course not, or they would have made him expand it into an Imzadi. Is it better than your usual "numbered" Star Trek novel. Oh, yes!

I put this a book the maximum possible rating, 5 stars. The reason why I do that is because I think this novel is brilliant! Not only it takes you in from the first page and keeps you interested EVERY page till the end, but it also has that great ST:TNG feeling that makes it seem that it is an integral part of the official canon.
Also, it is very sad to say good-bye to Stone, to the Carters and terraformers at Paradise. I want to meet them all again!

I have considered Peter David the best writer of Star Trek: The Next Generation novels for quite some time, with "Imzadi" the cream of the crop. In "A Rock and a Hard Place," David presents Commander Quintin Stone, who is quite possibly the most original and fascinating character created in a Next Generation novel.

Commander Riker is given temporary leave from the Enterprise to help the terraformers on the brutal ice planet ironically called Paradise deal with problems maintaining their schedule. Stone arrives to take Riker's place despite the insistence of his former captain that the man is a "loose cannon," "space case," and completely "impossible." It does not take Captain Picard long to see why. When Stone leads an away team to deal with a hostage situation on the planet Culinan, his outrageous solution has Captain Picard convinced the man is insane, Counselor Troi insisting he is not, and Dr. Crusher wondering about the massive scarring on the Commander's back.

The book basically alternates chapters between Riker on Paradise and Stone aboard the Enterprise. The latter plot line is so fascinating that you begrudge spending time on the other one, although you know in the end the two men are going to have some sort of confrontation that will solve the mystery of Quintin Stone. All we know is that Stone tells everybody a completely different story regarding his past and that he has a really big chip on his shoulder about the Prime Directive. All you need to know before you read the book is that the payoff for this mystery is an absolute stunner.

"A Rock and a Hard Place" is also worth a second look because Quintin Stone is obvious prototype for Captain Mackenzie Calhoun in Peter David's Star Trek: New Frontier series. Granted, Calhoun is not as psychotic as Stone, but each shares the ability to find creative ways of getting things done. Stone was always the one character from a Next Generation novel that I would have liked to have seen pop up again, and this is sort of like getting my wish granted.

This is one of the best numbered Star Trek books out there due in large part to the characterization of Quentin Stone. Peter David has a great handle on these characters, and the dialogue is both believable and fun. The Stone/Picard confrontations were wonderful. Stone is similar in type to David's New Frontier captain, MacKenzie Calhoun, at least in the first four installments of the New Frontier. After that, Calhoun was toned down. Stone never got toned down. He's high-octane and quite memorable. Sadly, he's probably a one shot character, but I would love to see him again.

Peter David is by far one of the best trek novelists out there, from books like Vendetta all the way to his latest New Frontier series, are all top notch and well worth your time. This here is a great addition to your reading list whether you're a fan of the numbered series or even if you are just a casual sci fi reader, there's just a little something for everyone.
Primarily this book focuses on William Riker and really delves into his early life and offers alot of nice little details about the character. The majority of the story takes place on terraforming colony where Riker is sent by starfleet to oversee their progress and in the process reunites with his childhood friend. Of course all is not well and he soon discovers the planet is inhabited by some nasty genetically engineered monstrosities.
The B story involves Riker's Replacement on the Enterprise who may or may not be a complete lunatic. This behavior really gets pretty reckless and leads to plenty of action and craziness which by the way, makes for some really good reading. You really don't know how far he's willing to take things, the whole things kinda like Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. It's really too bad that this is the only novel to feature him because he's not a typical trek character and that's one of things that makes this book really refreshing.
Overall, all of the characters are well written and very much in character. It's really easy to tell that Peter David has a true love and affection for these characters. The action is all well developed and entertaining. It's a fairy short book and if you're like me, you'll page turn your way through it in a day because what's here is riveting. I hope this review helps as I really enjoyed it and if you want a good breezy read you should check this out. Anyways, keep on trekkin'.

Peter David certainly knows how to write an enjoyable and gripping book. While not as interesting as his first Next Generation novel, "Strike Zone" this is a solid story.

Commander Riker is given temporary leave from the Enterprise to help out a terraforming colony run by a childhood friend of Riker's from the wilds of Alaska. (As an aside, it's nice to know that even in the 24th century Alaska remains an independent, rugged and pristine area - at least in this fictional future). Meanwhile back on the Enterprise, Riker's temporary replacement, Commander Quentin Stone is causing quite a stir. Commander Stone has been assigned as Picard's first officer so that Captain Picard can evaluate him to see if he truly is the rogue officer and space case that Stone's previous captains think he is.

Peter David seamlessly switches back and forth between these two disparate storylines, and keeps your interest from the first page to the last. Deanna Troi is quite well used in this story, and it's nice to see her character fleshed out somewhat.

There were a number of interesting character moments from O'Brien at the poker games, to the ressurection of Worf's "musical talent" that was previously brought up in Peter David's previous Next Gen novel. As usual with a Peter David novel, there are some great humorous bits such as the poker games. It's also interesting to note that Peter David's first Next Generation novel "Strike Zone" was the first novel to deal with Dr. Crusher being replaced by Dr. Pulaski in the second season, this novel is the first Next Generation book to deal with Beverly Crusher's return to the Enterprise.

While not the best of Next Generation novels, this book is a fun and fast read. Enjoy!

I liked the book, but after reading some other Peter David's novels, I thought this one would also be a 10 in my list... it wasn't, altough it's a good book, and if you like Peter's work, you'll probably also like this one.

Just don't expect a ¨Q-Squared¨ or ¨Imzadi¨ novel because it is not THAT good.

This book shows Will Riker's strong qualities: his loyality, his strength of character, his perseverence in the presence of impossible odds. Peter David has also created a wonderfully complex character in Quintin Stone (Riker's "replacement" on the Enterprise, while Riker is on the planet). The stories of both men play out separately and then are joined in a gripping (pun intended - if you read it, you will understand) climax. There is also a very sweet scene between Riker and the teenage daughter of his friend when he rescues her and they are trapped in a cave together.