Wildfire (Star Trek S.C.E.. Book 6) [Mass Market Paperback]

Keith R. A. DeCandido (Author), David Mack (Author), J. Steven York (Author), Christina F. York (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2004

Wherever there is a need to fix a malfunction or rescue a damaged ship, the Federation calls in the crack team from Starfleet S.C.E. From finding a Starfleet vessel lost inside a holographic ship, to checking out new technology captured during the Dominion War, no task is too bizarre or too dangerous for Captain David Gold, Commander Sonya Gomez and their crew of S.C.E. troubleshooters on board the USS da Vinci. However their mission to Galvan VI could prove their greatest challenge yet. Not only must they salvage the USS Orion from the turbulent atmosphere of a gas giant, but the Orion is carrying the prototype of the deadly Wildfire device, a protomatter warhead that can ignite gas giants into stars. And to complicate matters still further they encounter an unknown alien life-form that may have lured the USS Orion to its destruction...

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Keith R.A. DeCandido was born and raised in New York City to a family of librarians. He has written over two dozen novels, as well as short stories, nonfiction, eBooks, and comic books, most of them in various media universes, among them Star Trek, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Marvel Comics, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity, Resident Evil, Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, Farscape, Xena, and Doctor Who. His original novel Dragon Precinct was published in 2004, and he's also edited several anthologies, among them the award-nominated Imaginings and two Star Trek anthologies. Keith is also a musician, having played percussion for the bands the Don't Quit Your Day Job Players, the Boogie Knights, and the Randy Bandits, as well as several solo acts. In what he laughingly calls his spare time, Keith follows the New York Yankees and practices kenshikai karate. He still lives in New York City with his girlfriend and two insane cats.

David Mack is the national bestselling author of more than twenty novels and novellas, including Wildfire, Harbinger, Reap the Whirlwind, Precipice, Road of Bones, Promises Broken, Rise Like Lions, and the Star Trek Destiny trilogy: Gods of Night, Mere Mortals, and Lost Souls. He developed the Star Trek Vanguard series concept with editor Marco Palmieri. His first work of original fiction is the critically acclaimed supernatural thriller The Calling. In addition to novels, Mack’s writing credits span several media, including television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), film, short fiction, magazines, newspapers, comic books, computer games, radio, and the Internet. His upcoming works include the new Star Trek Vanguard novel Storming Heaven, an epic 24th-century Star Trek: The Next Generation trilogy, and a new original supernatural thriller. Mack resides in New York City with his wife, Kara.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek; First edition (October 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743496612
• ISBN-13: 978-0743496612
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,078,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst of the Series, June 24, 2011

By 

J. Z. Watkins - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Trek: Corps of Engineers: Wildfire (Kindle Edition)

As far as its written, well. As a premise I wonder what where they thinking when someone pitched this idea and someone else said yes. As another reviewer so aptly put it, I read for the escapism, to be entertained, sometimes to have my mind blown away with an interesting concept or a nice commentary. This appeared to me as an author having a bad day and taking it out on the characters. The other review, titled lost as a reader is right. The next several books does not just dwell on the aftermath, they wallow in it. What began as a series I had bought faithfully and loved the premise and characters, turned into a fading glory.

In somewhat fairness it seems to be the trend these days. Killing off characters to prove they can die and there is jeopardy we (the readers) should expect and not gloss over. However, I read (or watch a series, yes I mean you SG and SGA) to bond with a set of characters and go through adventures not with the will they survive mentality, but with either how do they get out of this one or purely to go through the adventure with them seeing them react and how it affects them.

If the goal of the author was to make all these deaths so heroic, it failed. The deaths were cheapened by the sheer number of them. I could only go through so much before it changes from oh no, not him/her, before it became oh not another one.

Worst of all, we have to read about the survivors wallowing in grief (not just grieving I mean -wallowing-) for books, -books- to come. I've actually stopped reading the series now (several books later).

Its a shame this book couldn't be taken back and said 'ooops we didn't mean it', but its here. If you love deaths a plenty, buy it. If not, don't bother. I'd say skip it, but the next several books will visit this one again, and again, and again ad nauseam. I do mean that.

Its a shame, the ending of a great series. I'll have the earlier books of their 'golden era' to enjoy.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very powerful, very gripping story., April 3, 2008

By 

James Yanni (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wildfire (Star Trek S.C.E.. Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

This story does just about the best job I've seen of any Star Trek book of conveying the emotions a crew will feel during a disastrous mission when many of their crewmates die. I dock it one star because the threat itself seemed rather contrived and had a definite feel of "seen that before, been there, done that"; both the alien energy intelligences living in the gas giant atmosphere and the protomatter terraforming device have been done before, and I have my doubts that Starfleet would ever consider using such a thing. But the character interactions were perfect, and the heroism displayed by the whole crew, including minor characters, was a delight to see; this is what I read Star Trek for: the idea that human beings (and other sentient life forms) are capable of great heroism is somewhat passe in most other forms of literature these days, and I enjoy seeing characters responding to crises with competence and true heroism now and again.

2.0 out of 5 stars Just lost me as a reader, November 30, 2006

By 

Wood (Victoria, TX United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Wildfire (Star Trek S.C.E.. Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have thoroughly enjoyed the "SCE" series, and have read them in order. Characters and relationships are what makes Star Trek books great. While the stories in this book were well-written, and I have enjoyed these authors in past books, I found this book much less enjoyable due to the widespread death and destruction. The ending of "Wildfire" ensured that the next book will be even less enjoyable. I read Star Trek books for pure escapism. I don't want to be weighed down with grief. I read to be entertained. And they killed off the most entertaining character, for pete's sake! I don't plan on suffering throught the emotional fallout the next book promises.