Customer Reviews

Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Gods of Night follows four captains and their crew: Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise, William Riker of the USS Titan, Ezri Dax of the USS Aventine, and Erika Hernandez of the Columbia NX-02. In the year 2381, the Borg have waged war on the Federation. And this time, their goal is not assimilation but annihilation. Meanwhile, the USS Aventine is investigating a centuries-old mystery - the Columbia NX-02 went missing in 2156 and has been discovered, seemingly abandoned on a remote, uninhabited world.

With flashbacks between the various ships, not to mention centuries, readers must pay attention or find themselves easily confused. But to help with the large number of main characters, there is a handy appendix in the back of the book, which lists the different crew members of each ship, as well as their species.

Every story that involves the Borg has been suspenseful and intense, and this one is no exception. Everything that the Federation knows about the Borg is now irrelevant. For reasons unbeknownst to anyone outside the collective, the Borg have changed their entire directive as well as other facets which had at least made them somewhat predictable. And Captain Picard's reaction to the Borg invasion is equally as unpredictable, reminiscent of the movie First Contact. With the main cast of The Next Generation, save Data (see Nemesis), either on the Enterprise or Titan, the crew retains their same great qualities and personalities that made them a personal favorite.

Gods of Night contains everything great about Star Trek - advanced technology, intrigue, drama, relationships, danger, action, mystery, aliens, time travel, and blowing stuff up. Ending in a mild cliffhanger, readers will want to pick up the next, Mere Mortals, as soon as possible. With an exciting story, wonderful characters, and insurmountable odds to overcome, this is a trilogy no Trek fan will want to miss.

When I first heard this trilogy was going to deal with the Federation and the Borg I was disappointed as I am tired of the Borg. I did have faith in David Macks writing though. As usual he has a has a winner on his hands. This is a must buy must read book. This is a book that for me was impossible to put down and I read all 400 plus pages in one sitting. Destiny book one starts a trilogy that will shake up the Trek universe. We get a good look at Ezi Dax as a starship captain in this novel. I like what I have seen, someone who has grown since DS9 and is confident and in command. We also see Picard's, Riker's and Hernandez's crews. The 4 crews in this book are well drawn and the action is continuous. I liked the brief parts of the book dealing with the Klingons deciding to come to the aid of the Federation after a Borg attempt to destroy Kitomer. This story is engaging and the story leaves one with many questions and speculations. I enjoyed the way that Mack weaves the story line of 3 of the crews. My only problem with the book is the ongoing Troi/Riker relationship problems. I have never liked the way this has been portrayed and still dont. That said I think Mack handled it in a reasonable way. I think there is more to this situation than it appears on the surface. Mack has a way of doing that. I do hope it is resolved by the end of the trilogy. I can hardly wait to see how the situation with the Borg resolves.

It was nice to see various crews & characters back, and this outing felt more "in-character" than several of the past few years' have been. Ezri is growing into Captain-hood well. My heart broke for Riker & Troi.

Although given the amount of stories out there, if one hasn't been keeping up with all of them, it was easy to go "when did that happen" (i.e., Picard & Crusher's development).

The "enemy" was nicely written in that they aren't really an "enemy" so much as an adversary. And how they tie into the new Borg offensive, as well as WHY the Borg have changed their tactics/purpose I look forward to reading.

The first of three novels in this trilogy, "Gods of Night" in an admirable contribution to the saga that is Star Trek.

Pros:

* David Mack has managed to craft an epic story that manages to weave together the various threads of the Trek universe with surprising dexterity.
* This book FEELS like Star Trek. I can't explain that...the statement has to stand on it's own.
* I'd grown tired of the Borg...most likely around the time that Voyager turned them into the villain of the week...but this story manages to make them exciting again.
* Since Paramount has no intentions of telling more stories about the Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise (NCC 1701-E) crews...Pocket Books is free to take bold steps forward...and the quality of the story is attributable to that sense of freedom.

Cons:
* I've done a pretty good job of keeping up with the Trek fiction that is set in the post-Nemesis era...but I still found myself confused by developments that are only mentioned in passing without elaboration or clarification for those who might not be up on the entire plot line. For example, a certain Admiral is dead...but I had no idea when he/she died. I can only assume it was in a book that I missed.
* The next book doesn't come out until later this month! Hardly a true complaint...but there isn't much else to hang them on.

I should note that I read the Kindle version. I was impressed with the format and the transfer. I saw no noticeable flaws or errors.

I've read easily over a hundred Star Trek novels throughout the years, mostly while during my college years. I continue to read them here and there when I get time. In general, I love the characters and find them a good read, or I wouldn't keep reading.

With this book, I think the overall story is good, but I do have some criticisms. First, there are just too many characters. I ended up caring for none of them really. Some character development would have been nice, but with three crews it's a bit hard to find the time I suppose.

Another criticism was the Riker and Troy story line. Some parts of it had me rolling my eyes. It's not that I don't have sympathy for the characters dilemna, but rather I found his reaction to be out of character and hence unbelievable. Troi's behavior on the other had seemed consistent with her character but equally annoying.

And last, while some of the writing was good, I thought it was a bit inconsistent with some passages seeming amateurish.

These are just my opinions however. No offense to anyone who found it five out of five stars. I will download the preview for the next book in the series to my iphone before deciding whether or not to buy it.

Incidentally, this is the third disappointing Star Trek book I've read in the last two months. Too bad.

I've watched all of the Star Trek shows and movies and am old enough to have seen ST:TOS in first run as a kid, but I've never been real big on Trek novels. I've enjoyed some of the classics, such as SPOCK'S WORLD and FEDERATION, and even read some more recent novels, such as TAKING WING, the first in the Titan series, but I'm no more than a casual reader. This review is aimed at people like me.

You probably already know the outlines of the story: The Borg have for some reason decided attack Federation colonies, annihilating rather than assimilating their populations. Picard's Enterprise and Riker's Titan (yes, he has a command) become caught up both in trying to defend the Federation and in trying to discover why the Borg have changed their goals and how they have managed to slip deep into Federation space. Ezri Dax's Aventine (yes, she has a command, too) is investigating an old mystery that might have some relevance to fighting the Borg: How did the USS Columbia, a contemporary of Capt. Archer's Enterprise, end up wrecked in the Gamma Quadrant, much farther from Earth than it could traveled in two centuries at warp 5? The answers to all of the novel's mysteries apparently involve some heretofore undiscovered aliens who are advanced, shy, pacific, and not perhaps as bright as they think they are.

You might think that bringing together characters from Enterprise (Capt. Hernandez of the Columbia was a colleague and sometime lover of Capt. Archer), The Next Generation (Worf, etc.), Deep Space 9 (Dax), and Voyager (Tuvok) would be loads of fun. It's really not. When put together with a full cast of supporting characters, there are just too many people to keep track of, much less care about. When Mack focuses on individual characters, the result is sometimes engaging, as when he details Ezri Dax's insecurity in her new position, but it is sometimes unnervingly awkward, as when Ra-Havreii tries to follow through with his crush on Pazlar (two Titan officers), and sometimes jarring, as when he delves into well-meaning efforts by the Titan's XO and doctor to convince Troi to terminate her pregnancy. And then there's Beverly Crusher's pregnancy ... The combination of too many characters and too much Gray's Anatomy is not all that appealing to me.

Then there are the aliens -- the "new life and new civilizations" that are a must for any Star Trek tale. They may be able to do as many as six impossible things before breakfast, but they're wan, foolish, and disappointing, with not one-tenth the whoa! factor of the Borg or even the Q.

In any event, do not be fooled by the five-star reviews others have given: this novel is OK, but it is no classic. If you're like me, you will not be deeply disappointed, but you will still find yourself skimming some parts and rolling your eyes at other parts. Keep that in mind and you'll be fine.

Except for a couple books about Q I read as a child that have a fond place in my heart for sentimental reasons, this is the best book and series in the Star Trek universe.

David Mack is superb. Read this book. But dont waste your time ordering one at a time, order the whole series right now.

I have progressed through several layers of Trekker-hood. Initially, I scoffed at Trek offerings beyond the orignal series cast. The seventh Trek film, featuring Captains Kirk and Picard, was my first exposure to the Next Generation. My fondness for all things Federation forced me to admit that I enjoyed it. I was hooked, and soon became enthralled by the superior story arc of Deep Space Nine. In short order, my love for Trek grew to include all of the television shows. But all series eventually end, and once Enterprise was cancelled, I tried to fill the sad and sudden void through reading. To my dismay, many of the authors seemed more interested in showing off their knowledge of science than in tearing off a ripping good story. The Star Trek: Destiny trilogy has decisively changed all that, and it begins with the first book, Gods of Night. Present here are extensively developed characters and cultures both familiar and brand new. Readers will encounter events separated by centuries--and sometimes millenia--but with a clear impact on one another. There are gasp-inducing encounters with arch enemies, genuine and serious moral dilemmas, exasperating political maneuverings, and finally, loads of ACTION!!!!! Star Trek: Destiny is no physics textbook; it's about multiple species trying to overcome their own frailties and survive the machinations of ruthless and implacable enemies. David Mack puts to work all of familiar features that true Trekkers crave to create an entirely new direction for the Federation to follow. Longstanding fans should find this trilogy, and the subsequent books that have sprung Athena-like from it, a joyful addition to the canon.

'Gods of Destiny' is the first book in a three-part "epic" in the Star Trek novel-universe. Here, we're supposedly finally treated to the ultimate showdown between the Federation and the Borg, a plot that has been playing out in the novels for the past year. Considering David Mack was tackling this project, I expected this epic to truly be mind-blowing and come out hitting hard from this first installment. Yet, I found that while being a good, quick read, it left some to be desired. The book plays out between four different plots; one involving the Enterprise, another Titan, the newly revealed Aventine lead by Ezri Dax and then another plot focusing on the Columbia NX-02 from the 'Enterprise' era.

My main gripe is that these different plots deal with the Borg threat in varying degrees. The plot that (for this book) focuses most on the threat the Borg are posing is the Enterprise-E plot. While they do have a skirmish with the Borg, most of this plot is dealing with the same-ole 'Picard is troubled and obsessed with the Borg' plot we've seen in the television shows, movies and in recent books. The Aventine plot, while interesting and involving the Columbia NX-02, seems a bit awkward and random; this is the first book where we, as readers, are presented with Ezri in command of her own ship. I found myself more interested by questions and situations left unanswered such as what drove her away from Deep Space Nine, why are the DS9-relaunch characters curiously absent and never mentioned, and was Ezri as a captain really necessary for this epic? Titan's plot, for now, is also dealing with the Columbia NX-02 and soap opera-worthy drama between Riker and Troi. Columbia's plot is intriguing and engaging but feels a bit forced in the plot.

There are some good, redeeming qualities. I enjoyed that this book was more character-driven than it was action-orientated. We are presented with a very different side of Deanna Troi that was never explored or seen in the television shows or films. I enjoyed that this book is forcing different characters together in interesting situations and conversations, such as Crusher having to confide in La Forge, or reading of Admiral Owen Paris and his troubled relationship with Tom Paris. Though the Borg are not really the feature of this novel, reading of the Columbia's crew was fun and engaging. Their story takes center stage in this novel and definitely felt more original and fresh than many plots and novels to come out in a while in Trek.

In all, a good read that fleshes out some of Trek's characters. Since it was much hyped as the big 'Borg' novel, would have been nice to see this plot dealt with more and some conclusion (yes, even in book one) given to the Borg considering they have been the focus of so many novels this year.

An amazing book. I don't do a lot of reading except for a few Star Trek Novels, and this one I couldn't put down. I finished the 400 page+ book in just a weekend. Can't wait for the rest of the trilogy to come out.