9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New Frontier Rocks!, March 22, 2006
Peter David is without a doubt the best Star Trek novelist and one of the best Science Fiction writers out there. With his New Frontier series, he has created a captain even more outrageous than Captain Kirk-- Mackenzie Calhoun who, although unconventional, to say the least, is extremely likable. David has peppered the series with minor characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation and, unlike other Star Trek writers, is able to have his characters live real lives. They change allegiances, accept promotions, get married, have children, and even die.
In this book, we find Soleta in command of a Romulan intelligence ship, Leffler involved in a Civil War on SiCwan's home world, and the Excalibur trapped inside a strange type of space, unable to escape unless Calhoun can manage to make two sworn enemies work together, while Admiral Shelby defies Star Trek orders to go out and try to rescue her husband.
The characters undergo some major changes in this book- and I don't want to do any spoilers, but I will say that the ending does not leave everything tied up in a neat little package. There are some unexpected twists, and one major death that still leaves me reeling. David has made it pretty clear that this character is dead so I have to believe that he is not going to pull one of the usual Star Trek rabbit tricks out of his hat and tell us in the next book that it was actually a clone that was killed.
This is a great book in a great series by a great author. An easy 5-star read.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!, February 13, 2007
When I closed the cover of Missing in Action, I said to myself- literally outloud- "Now that's good storytelling."
I've come to expect that with PAD's Star Trek New Frontier series, but MIA is the best one yet.
Slight SPOILERS to follow:
In MIA, Calhoun finds himself and the crew of his ship, The Excalibur, sucked into a distant universe where the laws of physics are not what we are accustomed to. Space is gelatinous rather than a vacuum and the creatures that inhabit it are just as bizarre. While there, he must end a centuries long feud between two warring races- a feud that has wiped out the entirity of the inhabitants of their universe, except for their own races of course.
Back home, Calhoun's wife, Admiral Elizabeth Shelby, must decide whether to defy Star Fleet and go after him or sit back and wait- as she was ordered too. Always a strict adherent to regulations, she's naturally torn, but in the end makes a decision based on her instincts, much like her cowboy husband always does. (Well, instincts and ALOT of whiskey!)
Before she can reach her husband, she finds herself in the middle of a war at it's breaking point on the Planet of Priatia, in the part of space where Calhoun and The Excalibur disappeared.
Old friends, Lt. Commander Robin Lefler and Captain Kat Mueller, join her- and by this time I was reading fast because the action was so intense.
The climax comes together with Calhoun expertly manipulating his way out of a morass of "peace" negotiations between the warring peoples- a peace negotiation that could have been "do this or die" if it had been any other man- and Shelby, Lefler, and Mueller discovering just how connected the planet of Priatia is to Calhoun's disappearance- and vice versa. A big surprise hits at this point and since I've probably spoilered too much as it is- I leave it for you to discover.
The book concludes with a few excellent little denouements- one with an ironic twist reminiscent of the old The Twilight Zone, and the other, a fable-like scene featuring Q, that lets us know where we measure up in the scheme of things.
MIA is a continuation and finale of a story arch advanced in the previous book, After the Fall. Where as it might be helpful to read the books before MIA, it really wouldn't be necessary to enjoy this story.
PAD writes with a sense of humor that makes me laugh out loud like no other author can. I have yet to read his other books, outside of the Star Trek universe, but I will eventually get to them, of that you can be sure of!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best "New Frontier" Story in a While, July 30, 2006
This was, hands down, perhaps the best New Frontier story since "Cold Wars" or the "Excalibur" series. While the last few books have felt lacking, or playing too much into a comic-book feel, this book comes off as fresh and a real page-turner.
There's a nice balance in this book between plot and focus. Finally, we have a book where we get to see perhaps the leading females have their time in the spotlight while Calhoun's plot doesn't come off as very important. Soleta's ties with the Romulans are explored and is linked to the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. Shelby and Mueller finally get a novel where they are the the focus and the ones who have to save the day and think and act outside the box. Also, Robin Lefler's character gets major development here, making this really a stand-out novel for this series.
What I enjoyed most about this novel was how it was a nice blend of Star Trek yet the character were written in a relaxed manner that "New Frontier" started as. They aren't as stiff or formal as the characters in other series; Here, they come off as very real, to the point where you can almost forget that this is all taking place in the Star Trek universe. My favorite scene is the drinking moment between Shelby, Mueller, and Lefler; here they just speak their minds and it makes you laugh and think and ponder all at once about how great these characters are.
You'll need to have read the previous book, "After the Fall", to completely get some of the changes that have taken the character. Be prepared for a major plot twist and development for more than a few of the characters. If this is the bold new direction being taken with this series, I really am looking forward to what Peter David has planned for the characters and plot. Definitely worth your time and money!
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