Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals (Mass Market Paperback)

by David Mack (Author)
Key Phrases: subspace tunnels, corm officer, main viewer, Captain Picard, Madam President, Captain Dax (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
On Earth, Federation President Nanietta Bacco gathers allies and adversaries to form a desperate last line of defense against an impending Borg invasion. In deep space, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Captain Ezri Dax join together to cut off the Collective's route to the Alpha Quadrant.

Half a galaxy away, Captain William Riker and the crew of the Starship Titan have made contact with the reclusive Caeliar -- survivors of a stellar cataclysm that, two hundred years ago, drove fissures through the structure of space and time, creating a loop of inevitability and consigning another captain and crew to a purgatory from which they could never escape.

Now the supremely advanced Caeliar will brook no further intrusion upon their isolation, or against the sanctity of their Great Work....For the small, finite lives of mere mortals carry little weight in the calculations of gods.

But even gods may come to understand that they underestimate humans at their peril.

About the Author
David Mack is the author of numerous Star Trek novels, including the USA Today best-seller A Time to Heal and its companion volume, A Time to Kill. Mack's other novels include Star Trek: DS9: Warpath, Star Trek Vanguard: Harbinger, Star Trek: S.C.E.: Wildfire, and numerous eBooks and short stories. Mack also cowrote two episodes of Star Trek: DS9, "Starship Down" and "It's Only a Paper Moon."

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek; 1st Pocket Books Pbk. Ed edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416551727
• ISBN-13: 978-1416551720
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,720 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About Time, October 31, 2008

By	Mateo "mateo1216" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews

After the almost child-like and flat writting in Greater than the Sum I was about ready to give up on TNG works. While not nearly as stupid as the Voyager relaunched it certainly found itself leaning to that simple third grade writing style rather than the rich, compelling and complicated beauty that is the DS9 works, in particular the fabulous Terok Nor trilogy. However, the first two books, Mere Mortals, in particular, have renewed my interest. Well written and impossible to put down, the authors weave a number of stories as they flesh out characters that we can like, dislike or simply believe in. What I found most interesting was the story of Erika Hernandez and her three crewwoman stuck on Axion. It is such a sad, desperate tale that truly leaves the reader feeling for each of these characters and more specifically Hernandez. The writing is great and the stories are well crafted. Each crew and story gets its own time and never seems to long or rushed. While initially suspicious of the Borg storyline (since I feel it has been exhausted and while fine in this one hopefully will end) I was happy to see that while in the background, it really isn`t a focal point. The books thus far are more about the crews and individual characters. About time that we fleshed some of these characters out! Finally, Voyager shows up, and while it is a short appearance at least they weren`t ignored as much as they have been in recent publications. All in all, a great read for anyone.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Destiny Trilogy is changing the Star Trek Universe Forever..., January 29, 2009

By	Tiberius "Tiberius" (Alpha Santeria) - See all my reviews

After the first book of the trilogy you can bet that I was extremely excited about reading the second book. The Star Trek universe is about to have something happen that will change the face of it forever. The "Destiny" Trilogy is a perfect title because this story reminds me ofsomething that is felt in very few novels and that is something that will impact everything that is published for quiet some time.

This book picks up right were book one leaves off. The Enterprise and the Aventine are now working together to uncover the secret behind the subspace tunnels and Borg entrances and exits to and from the Alpha quadrant. The Titan crew has become the newest prisoners of a race of beings known as the Caeliar. The Caeliar you find out in "Gods of Night" were responsible for the disappearence of the Columbia and of course Erika Hernandez's long journey with the Caeliar and how she became many years younger when she welcomed the crew of the Titan that she was when she disappeared.

It is very simple if you were a big fan of the first book then you are in for a real treat. In my opinion "Gods of Night" while a great read was just setting the table and "Mere Mortal" you are starting to eat the meal. This book is better than Gods of Night a lot more action and everything starts to come into focus. The danger of the Borg hits you in the face by the end of the novel. We are not just talking about another little battle with the Borg, this is war.

Bottom line: If you like "Gods of Night" then you will absolutley love "Mere Mortal" and even if you struggled to get thru the first book you still need to give this book a go it is a lot better.

Grade: A

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 2nd Installment in the Destiny Trilogy, October 28, 2008

By	SciFiChick "www.SciFiChick.com" (Fishers, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Picking up where Gods of Night left off, Captain Riker and the Titan have stumbled upon the Caeliar and are now trapped as another captain and crew was. Meanwhile, Captain Picard and Captain Dax have joined forces to investigate the area that the Borg may be using to enter the Alpha Quadrant. And back on Earth, President Bacco must convince every neighboring empire and alliance to help defend the quadrant against the Borg invasion.

Time is running out for the crew of the Titan, and not just in their fight against the Borg. Deanna's pregnancy is becoming more detrimental to her health. But she doesn't want help from the Caeliar even though they are far more advanced technologically. This part of the story bothers me a bit. Obviously, she's distraught and wanting to keep her baby at all costs. But wouldn't you check to see if the Caeliar had the technology to help heal her and keep the baby? I know she doesn't trust them. But if she's truly as desperate to keep her baby (as most women would be), you'd think she'd be willing to try anything. As a female reviewer, I obviously got hung up on this subplot and found myself siding with Troi from the beginning.

Captain Hernandez has gone through a lot of changes, mentally and physically. Her character has the most depth in this story, as the central storyline revolves mostly around her. She's intriguing and easy to sympathize with. I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes her next.

And, of course, on the frontlines of the invasion, the Borg are proving to be near impossible to combat. As the situation grows worse, tensions and suspense run high. And Mere Mortals ends on a major cliffhanger that left me on the edge of my seat. I'm eagerly awaiting the conclusion - Lost Souls, set to release in late November. Again, Star Trek fans, don't miss this crossover trilogy!