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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
First-Rate Story, May 31, 2006
When a contingent of MACO's is assigned to the Enterprise to support Captain Jonathan Archer's Starfleet crew both groups share a common goal: stopping the Xindi, but they differ in their ideas of how to accomplish that goal.
In the new Enterprise novel Last Full Measure the writing duo of Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels have crafted a first-rate story that goes a long way toward reconciling how the two groups learned to work together and trust each other while at the same time fleshing out the characters and bridging some of the gap between Enterprise and the Original series. Then there is the little matter of a very shocking revelation within the framing story.
The bulk of the action in Last Full Measure takes place right after the third season episode "The Xindi" so it's not surprising that the Military Assault Command Operations personnel have a fairly low opinion of Archer and his Starfleet crew. When Archer decides to lead a landing party to Kaletoo to follow another tenuous lead on the Xindi, Major Hayes has justifiable doubts about Archer's leadership skills but dutifully assembles a small squad to accompany the away team.
Meanwhile T'Pol, who has been left in command on Enterprise, sends Mayweather and another squad of MACO's lead by Mayweather's nemesis Corporal Chang to investigate what appears to be the trail of a Xindi vessel. The trail leads the shuttlepod to a Xindi fuel facility and a showdown between Mayweather and Chang over the decision about what to do about their discovery.
As the main narrative unfolds in Last Full Measure the tension between the MACO's and Archer's Starfleet crew is palpable. Mangels and Martin employ several tried and true storytelling techniques to simply and effectively take most of the Enterprise characters out of the equation early so that the reader's attention is focused on the small core group they tell their story through.
This approach works wonderfully and although you barely know some of the major players as the story begins by the final chapter they feel like old friends. In addition to getting to know several of the MACO's a bit better we also get a chance to meet Lieutenant "D.O." O'Neill, one of Enterprises watch commanders.
Some people might be disturbed by the characterization of Archer in this story, primarily the methods he employs to ensure the "cooperation" of Trahve in tracking down the Xindi but given the weight of responsibility he carries you can understand those methods even if you can't agree with them.
The surprise in the framing story raises lots of questions but once the initial shock passes you can sense that a door has just been opened that allows for some potentially exciting novels in the future.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A war against the Xindi, or amongst themselves?, May 27, 2006
The third season of Star Trek: Enterprise was a season-long epic about the quest to destroy the superweapon aimed at Earth by the alien Xindi. Some liked it, some didn't, but there was no question that this was different for the television Treks, a story where each episode told a specific part of the story, rather than being self-contained. The latest Enterprise novel, Last Full Measure (by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels) takes place near the beginning of the season, and it's well-written (as is typical from these two). While I didn't enjoy it as much as I have some of their other work, it is definitely a novel worth reading.
On their quest for the Xindi, the Enterprise has been assigned a platoon of MACOs (Military Assault Command Operations), soldiers that will be expected to be the ground troops for any planetary missions the expedition requires. Being spit-and-polish military, rather than rather laid back Starfleet types, tensions between the two crews begin to rise, especially amongst those Starfleet officers who have to make room for these MACOs. Especially affected is Ensign Mayweather, the helmsman of the Enterprise. His MACO roommate is really getting on his nerves, and it's made even worse when T'Pol assigns him to pilot a shuttle full of MACOs which includes his roommate. Meanwhile, Captain Archer and Lieutenant Reed are having some growing pains of their own with the MACO commander, Major Hayes, on a clandestine mission that could turn out to be a Xindi trap. Both teams will have to use all of their ingenuity to get out of their predicaments, and they'll have to get past their prejudices as well.
Mangels and Martin handle the Enterprise characters really well, even managing to make Mayweather interesting (not that they had much to build on from the television show). Some of the plot is a bit cliched, as we know how things will generally work out, not only because of where in the show this book takes place, but also because that's generally the way these types of stories work. On the other hand, the authors manage to demonstrate a successful sleight of hand technique in a couple of instances, including the resolution of one of the regular MACO soldier's storylines. I liked that, as I hated to think that the authors would give us something that ordinary.
On the other hand, the torture aspect of the book seemed a little forced, mainly because I think it's dealt with a couple of episodes later in the series, and this doesn't seem to bring anything new. My memory of the episode is hazy, but I think Reed seemed surprised when Archer resorted to it, which he wouldn't have been if a similar thing happened as it does in this book. However, I do trust the authors to have done their research on that, so I'm just commenting on how it made me feel at the time. In the book itself, I thought the debate was well-handled, with Reed being the dissenting figure in the use of it, and then Mangels and Martin showing us why he's so against it. I did think Archer swung a little bit too quickly from one side to the other, however.
The plot piles on the tension as it quickly shifts from one setting to another, with only the scenes going back to the Enterprise and Trip's dream sequences seeming to bring the book to a halt. After reading the whole book, I understand why these sequences are there, but for me they destroyed the pacing of the rest of the story. Just as I was getting interested in one mission or the other, we'd flash back to Trip and all of the tension would drain from the book, only to start filling up again when we went back to the action. I especially didn't care for the scenes because they dealt with Trip's guilt and remorse over his sister's death in the Xindi attack, which seemed like territory that's been heavily plowed over before.
Even with that fault, though, Last Full Measure is hard to put down. Those scenes don't go on that long, and then we're back to seeing what wrenches can be thrown in the works for our two squads in jeopardy. Mayweather gets more characterization in this book then he did in the entire series, and everybody else is done well too. I found the MACOs interesting, fleshing out these characters that we only saw briefly on the show (other than Hayes). It was nice to see the grudging respect begin to take form as both sides realize that they need the other in order to complete their mission. That Starfleet people are soft, and that there is a reason for the military discipline of the MACOs. Oh, and there is one final thing that makes the book extra good. The framing story contains something that will make those fans who hated the series finale whoop with joy.
Last Full Measure is the first Enterprise book I've read, as I wasn't too interested in the books that were written as the series was still ongoing. The quality of this book definitely ensures that I will be back for the post-series novels that will be coming in the next couple of years. And Mangels & Martin also demonstrate that there is some gold to be mined from the series itself. You just have to dig for it a bit.
David Roy
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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Moral Tale... Barely Star Trek, August 21, 2006
In the wake of the Xindi attack on the planet earth, Captain Jonathan Archer and the crew of the Enterprise have been assigned the challenging task of neutralizing a Xindi super weapon that is being prepared for the annihilation of the human race. Along for the ride is a troop of space-marines, the MACO's. The MACOs view the crew of the Enterprise as soft and undisciplined, while the crew looks upon the MACOs with discomfort and concern. The cauldron is set boiling as separate missions expose Captain Archer, Major Hayes, Lieutenant Reed, Corporal Chang, and Ensign Mayweather to the best and worst of one another, and themselves.
In a quest to discover the location of hidden Xindi weapon construction bases, Captain Archer, Major Hayes, and Lieutenant Reed embark on a shuttlepod journey to the planet Kaletoo to track down a Xindi supplier.
Later, Ensign Mayweather is assigned to track down an odd emission reading at the edge of the Kaletoo system - and to take a squad of MACOs with him.
In the interweaving tales both sides of the 'sharks and squids' competition (mirroring the inter-service rivalry of modern day naval/marine contingents) learn valuable lessons about one another and grow in their (grudging) appreciation of the gifts and talents that both bring to the table in the fight to save the human race.
Last Full Measure is a very, very satisfying read. The writing duo of Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels manage to do an outstanding job of laying out several supporting crewmembers who one grows to care for by the end of the story, interweaves the work with a large amount of Star Trek backstory (particularly in the Prologue and Epilogue), and offers up a satisfying moral and interpersonal relations tale.
Sadly, however, while the novel is excellent, it goes to confirm in my mind a wide gap between Star Trek and the Enterprise series.
Star Trek, at it's purest form, is both a social commentary and a space adventure. This book manages to capture both elements well, and yet still manages to fall outside the pale of what, in my mind, constitutes a Star Trek story.
Conflict and the occasional poor decision needs to be a staple of good storytelling, particularly when one is attempting to create a sympathetic hero-figure. Sadly, in the tradition established in the televised episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise, Captain Archer continues to be depicted as an (at best) inept spacecraft commander, ill suited to the demands of tracking down the greatest threat to Earth that the human race has faced in a century. For most of the story, I had a very difficult time accepting Archer as a Starfleet captain, a position I grew to feel more and more during the third season of the television series. While Archer is well written given his previously established mindset, I have to admit that he is a commander I would never have followed into battle.
Ensign Mayweather gets a good portion of development in this particular story, and the insights gel well with what we observed of him on-screen.
The shining element of the story, however, is Lieutenant Malcom Reed. His reflections, his personal deliberations on right and wrong - particularly given his assignment as the Enterprise's tactical officer - are most satisfying, even if the internal dialogue that he has is criticized by some reviewers as being nothing more than ham-handed political commentary on the Iraq war. Reed's was the single-most compelling element of a very good story, and given my own personal views on matters of justice, integrity, and militarism, I found myself utterly sympathetic towards him from the outset.
Martin and Mangels also use the novel to set forth the beginning elements of an Enterprise relaunch (using the framing material to do this quite well), and to place the events of Enterprise squarely into the Star Trek universe... while the actual tome convinced me more than ever that Enterprise is not truly Star Trek.
Last Full Measure is good military sci-fi, and a compelling moral and personal tale, one that I would commend to all those looking for a morality tale and an action-adventure rolled into one; but it is barely Star Trek. This is not the fault of the authors, however, who have provided an excellent story to those interested in the investment.
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