Maximum Warp Book Two: Forever Dark (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 63) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Dave Galanter (Author), Greg Brodeur (Author) "GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON why I shouldn't kill you, Picard..." (more)
Key Phrases: alien console, other warbird, main viewer, Tal Shiar, Captain Picard, Commander Riker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A mysterious cosmic force is destroying the very fabric of subspace, rendering warp travel and interstellar communication impossible throughout scattered regions of the galaxy. Even worse, these "dead zones" are spreading rapidly, bringing the entire Alpha Quadrant to the brink of a new dark age. Only Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise™ stand a chance of reversing the decay by tracking the disruption to its ultimate origin.

Beyond the boundaries of the Federation, deep in uncharted space, Picard and his treacherous Romulan allies have discovered the source of the crisis: a vast alien mechanism suspended between a black hole and a nearby inhabited planet. The ancient device is all that prevents the imperiled planet from disappearing into the voracious black hole, but its cataclysmic effects are eroding subspace at speeds faster than light. Now Picard faces a wrenching dilemma: must he sacriÞce an entire world to save the galaxy?

About the Author
Dave Galanter and Greg Brodeur are a writing team whose successful collaborations include Star Trek novels set both in the Voyager and the Next Generation universes.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 221 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek; 1st PB Edition edition (February 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671047574
• ISBN-13: 978-0671047573
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,510 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Foray Into Galactic Catastrophies, March 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Maximum Warp Book One: Dead Zone (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 62) (Mass Market Paperback)

This two book series is set against the backdrop of the Alpha Quadrant three or so months after the conclusion of the Dominion War. The Federation and Romulan Empire are both straining under the fragile peace that the War brought upon them, but find themselves in a staring contest as a series of "Dead Zones" crop up across the quadrants; these Zones somehow render a drastic change in substance, rendering everything from communications to warp drive to even the seemingly infallible Data useless.

The Enterprise is sent on a covert mission to the Neutral Zone, carrying with them one Ambassador Spock. Together, with their reluctant Romulan allies, they must discover the true nature of the Subspace Deserts, and it may cost them their lives, or perhaps signal the end of the civilization that they have fought so hard for.

It is only fair to say that the "End of The Universe" storylines have been overused, but, like the Genesis Wave duology, Maximum Warp offers up a fresh spin on the tired old tale. Brodeur and Galanter (who always does the bulk of the work) follow the plot well, and the characterization is as I've come to expect from this team of writers.

The idea is original and begs the question: what would happen to the universe of the 24th Century if everything they'd come to depend on would serve them no more, and to what extreme measures would they go? These questions are answered, and aside from the occasional hopping around (especially early on; but it does drive the plot forward) and somewhat obvious plot twists, the books reads well and is worth buying.

The end will leave you hanging, and the desire to start (and finish) book two will probably overtake you. All in all, an excellent work that gives us a rare glimpse in a little-seen race from the television series', the Romulans. Well written, well-plotted, well-characterized, but a little choppy. Final verdict: Four stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A surprisingly good storyline with many different plots., May 22, 2001

By	B. Elliot (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Maximum Warp Book One: Dead Zone (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 62) (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought this series of two books was much better than some other reviewers seem to have. The authors brought in elements from more than just the Next Generation, like Voyager, which made an appearance. What was particularly impressive was the pseudo-science the writers intertwined throughout the two novels to build the main storyline, namely "dead zones" that had suddenly appeared throughout the universe. Any ship or planet that happened to be where one of these zones was would lose all main power. This would have meant the end of the universe as we know it, so naturally it is up to Picard and his crew, with help from a shady Romulan named T'sart and also a heroic Romulan named Folan whom we never really know until the end where her loyalties lie. The addition of suspicious Klingons adds yet another possible area of conflict. The multiple story lines were really engaging. They were so involving, in fact, that I read both novels in a day, one right after another. While there may be a few loose ends that were never tied up, they really do not take away from the resolution of the story. The resolution involves a highly advanced alien device and some real scientific theories about how after our universe has expanded as far as it will go, it will contract back together into its original mass of energy and matter, the universe will end, another Big Bang will occur, and the uviverse will begin anew. All this science mixed in with the Star Trek pseudo-science is very believable. I truly advise against being swayed by anyone away from these books. They are worth your valuable time.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Couldn't Put It Down..., April 5, 2001

By A Customer

Maximum Warp Book 1 is by far one of the best TNG novels I have read , that is just my opinion. I really loved the story line. It was great to see Ambassador Spock turned back to Captain Spock working with Picard in this story. While you are reading it gets you thinking about who or what is behind what is happening the galaxy. My opinion of T'sart is he is a pain in the backside, but what do you expect from a Romulan. After finishing read book 1 recently I had to to start book 2 [not finished yet with book 2] to see how it ends up. I highly recommend both books 1 and 2 to any die hard Star Trek fan or if someone is looking for a good story to sink their teeth into.