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Science Fiction & Fantasy |
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Before Dishonor (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
written by Peter David
Studio : Star Trek
by Star Trek
Publisher : Star Trek
Released : 2007-10-30
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9781416527428
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 52 reviews)
List Price : $7.99
Our Price : $3.98
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Product Description |
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An enemy so intractable that it cannot be reasoned with. The entire race thinks with one mind and strives toward one purpose: to add our biological distinctiveness to their own and wipe out individuality, to make every living thing Borg. In over two centuries, the Federation has never encountered a greater threat. Twice Starfleet assembled and threw countless starships to stand against them. The Borg were stopped, the price paid in blood. Humanity breathed a sigh of relief, assuming it was safe. And with the destruction of the transwarp conduits, the Federation believed that the killing blow had finally been struck against the Borg. Driven to the point of extinction, the Borg continue to fight for their very existence, for their culture. They will not be denied. They must not be stopped. The old rules and assumptions regarding how the Collective should act have been dismissed. Now the Borg kill first, assimilate later. When the Enterprise manages to thwart them once again, the Borg turn inward. The dark places that even the drones never realized existed are turned outward against the enemy they have never been able to defeat. What is revealed is the thing that no one believed the Borg could do. |
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Peter David does it again... This book may not be his usual brilliants but it is still a must read. |
This book had everything... Peter David, The Borg, and the next great adventure after Nemesis were the ingredients of this novel and I couldn't wait. The reviews were mixed but I was sure that I was going to enjoy it. I have read three Peter David novels before this one and that has equaled two five stars and one four stars almost flawless.
This novel starts out with Admiral Janeway thinking about her position on Captain Picard from the events of "Resistance", and she finally comes to the conclusion that even though Picard disobeyed a direct order that since he had "once again" saved humanity that he should be excused. She was on the U.S.S Einstein and was on her way to the remains of the Borg ship. She just had to see it for herself. She was then visited by Lady Q who tells her that going to the Borg ship will be the biggest and the last mistake that she will ever make. She decided to go anyway and shortly after that she was enveloped by the ship as well as several other key members of the Einstein. That is when the reader realizes that the Borg is no longer assimilating information but is actually enveloping it (eating it) and taken its energy. The crew of the Enterprise along with Ambassador Spock and Seven of Nine Enterprise makes there way to intercept the Borg ship, as the Borg ship is making it way toward Earth it is destroying everything in its path. It is then that the crew of the realizes that the Borg ship is getting bigger and they must figure out how to stop it soon. They come up with two ideas; the first is two get control of the Doomsday Machine. In the novel "Vendetta" it was discovered that the Doomsday Machine from the Original Series episode "The Doomsday Machine" was actually originally built to battle the Borg and it was a shot in the dark that it could be used for that purpose again. The second option was to implant project Endgame into Seven of Nine. Project: Endgame was first thought up when Huey came aboard the Enterprise in the Next Generation episode "I, Borg". It was decided that if the program was put directly into Seven of Nine when they assimilate her that the virus will destroy the Borg. As the Enterprise heads toward the Doomsday Machine there is also a mutiny on board. To know more you'll have to read the book.
This felt like a movie. All the familiar characters that were brought in, Spock, Seven, Lady Q, and Janeway, as well as all the regular characters were a lot of fun. Resistance just felt like a really good episode, this felt like Star Trek X1. The other important thing was that the characters didn't feel like they were thrown in. They felt like they should be there. Another thing was that the Borg felt dangerous again. With the new trilogy on the way and considering the Borg is suppose to be the main antagonist it makes since that they are building up steam to be a major threat.
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So-so |
Peter David is one of the best Trek authors ever. That said, this was not his best showing.
Picard is one of the longest serving, most decorated officers in Starfleet history, and yet the admirals who have been his commanding officers for years are once again upset with him for not listening to them and in the process saving Earth. Again.
I think Spock showing up helped a lot, and 7 was pretty well written. I am really really disliking the Vulcan counselor. Seriously, how many Vulcans would go against something Spock said??
With Janeway has been taken care of, we don't have to see authors struggle with what to do with her, aside from making her be "angry admiral".
I'm glad I read it, but I'm also glad to be done with it and on to the next book. |
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Total break of Borg character |
Peter David is an experienced and popular Star Trek author. In this book, however, the exaggeration of Borg capabilities and other gimmicks eclipses the rest of the story.
It turns out the Borg cube that is destroyed at the preceding novel has returned to life in a BIG way and proceeds to create havoc.
Picard, who is facing a mutiny on the Enterprise must deal with his own crew, his admirals, his ridiculous Vulcan counselor and oh yes ... the Borg - now lead by Janeway.
The ties to Star Trek TOS are interesting but only add to the noise.
I was also disappointed in the depiction of some of the characters. In this story, Janeway is a two-dimensional bureaucratic member of the admiralty and Seven has regressed to being as much Borg as human.
The story moves along well but relies too much on gimmicks - mind melding with the Doomsday weapon from STTOS, for example. I won't even mention the planet that is eaten by the Borg cube.
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PAD Does it Again! |
Well, after reading the first few reviews on Americancivilwar, I was a little hesitant to dive into this novel, even though PAD is by far my favorite Trek novelist. But, after "Resistance", which I thought was written like a Scholastic book aimed at readers 10-12, and Q & A, which I enjoyed for the most part, although I felt the ending fizzled, I figured things had to get better. And for me, they did.
I found this book to be a fantastic read, and this was the first Trek book I've read in awhile that I found hard to put down. I found PAD's characterization to be spot-on, as usual. It's been an interesting to watch Picard learning to deal with a new crew and new command staff. I think it's been kind of refreshing to see the conflict on the bridge of the Enterprise in TNG. The fact that the crew was so perfect and could do no wrong makes it hard for me to go back and watch the tv series. This adds some much needed angst to the series and should open new avenues for writers to explore.
Honestly, I had lost all interest in the TNG novels, and have a bunch sitting on the shelf waiting to be read. But this novel sparked my interest in the TNG franchise, and so I may delve into the older novels I've put off and may even check out the Titan series. |
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A pleasant surprise, overall |
I seldom read Star Trek: The Next Generation novels, but I snap up the Voyager ones. I bought this book after discovering that Seven of Nine and Kathryn Janeway were among its lead characters, and I must say that it's been a pleasant surprise. I've never cared for Peter David's writing style, but he's done a good job of presenting these two Trek women without jarring my Voyager fan sensibilities in any major way.
The plot is a familiar and relatively simple one. The Borg are on the move again, this time after the Federation believes they've been destroyed. Picard has to defy Starfleet in order to save the galaxy from the Borg, and one Voyager character has to risk everything in order to save the life (or at least the soul, anyway?) of another. Standard stuff, yes; but written with good pacing, decent characterization, and genuine humor.
Now for a spoiler that I need to mention in order to finish my review. Stop reading, please, if you don't want to be spoiled.
If Admiral Janeway had met her "end" passively, or (even worse) had been rescued by anyone else without taking action to save herself and others, I would have come away from this book's ending furious. I liked what the author did, though, in resolving Janeway's situation. She "died" a hero, and that's just how it should be.
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