Stone and Anvil

Rating:
Summary: History, murder, and revelations
Review: Peter David has done it once again. We waited two years for the conclusion of the Beings saga, and we were all very relieved not to have to wait so long to see the resolution of Gleau's murder. I'll get the prose praise out of the way; David writes with a flourish, an edge-of-your seat pace that is somewhat rare in this selective genre. His character development is second-to-none, and it is easy to believe that he cares for each one of them. There are a few tongue-in-cheek references peppered throughout the book; I had to laugh when Picard comments that he would never be able to run a school for gifted youngsters.
The focus here is on Calhoun, Shelby, Janos, and Kebron; at least, in the present. It is fascinating to see the new (and, in my opinion, improved) Kebron handle the investigation; he draws upon hard-boiled detectives of "old" and adamantly refused to believe that Janos was responsible for the murder of the manipulative, unlamented Gleau. His search takes him in new directions, and it is here where Calhoun ponders his past at Starfleet academy.
Calhoun recalls his savage days, his first meeting with Shelby, his roommate experience. We also see a rather laid-back Jellico (sort of) and finally have a lot of innuendo exposed. This reflection leads to a point when Calhoun finally comes to head with his savage side...and the ultimate reconciliation of savage and civilized soldier. We see a Calhoun who was so certain of himself, yet at the same time vulnerable. The progression of feelings he has for Shelby drives this point across quite well. As does his recollection of meeting Janos for the first time; one has certain expectations of meeting a white-furred creature after coming out of a fight for survival. The first encounter is both humorous and bittersweet; Calhoun and Shelby are still cadets, and they both realize that they have encoutered new life and it is their duty to ensure his survival.
Those hoping for a resolution or a glimpse of the Tholian/Danteri negotiations will be disappointed; the only time we glimpse Spock is when he melds with Janos. Si Cwan and Kalinda are likewise out of the picture, and for the last section of the novel, so is the "Trident." But that is understood and even appreciated; this is meant to be a focus on Calhoun and Janos. Yes, the murder happened on the "Trident," but when Calhoun absconds with Janos, it quickly becomes a Starfleet matter. The Selevians have petitioned the Federation to have Janos extradited in order to execute him.
This conflict leads to the action; "Enterprise" arrives on-scene to force Calhoun's hand, but he is convinced the Selevians are manipulating the Federation, and both ships face-off with a Selevian warship waiting in the wings, all vying for one thing: Ensign Janos.
Thankfully, "Stone and Anvil" does not end with a cliffhanger, but it will still leave you wanting more. Yes, there are unanswered questions, but not the big one.

Rating:
Summary: ST- New Frontier: Stone and Anvil
Review: Star Trek-New Frontier: Stone and Anvil written by Peter David is an action-packed mystery book that answers a lot of questions. This book takes off from where "Gods Above" left off and the murder of Lieutenant Commander Gleau a Selelvian crewmember of the U.S.S. Trident.

This book features Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and Captain Elizabeth Shelby and their respective crews of the U.S.S. Excalibur and Trident as they begin an action adventure into their lives past and present. The past story is background information on Calhoun and Shelby as they go through Starfleet Acadamy and snipits of past as it relates to the present situation. Ensign Janos is accused of murdering Gleau and Zac Kebron is sent to investigate to see if his friend really did the murder as the evidence suggests.

This is a well-written story where the character interplay and development is outstanding. The story is fast-paced and Peter David uses his powerful mastery of the English language to open our eyes as we read on in the New Frontier genre. I thouroughly enjoyed this newest addition to the on going tales of the New Frontier.

There is personal dilemma written into the story and witty dialogue to keep you interested. I gave this story a solid 5 stars and it is worth the money to own... the only drawback is that it is a hardback book, so use you library card and check it out and read it or wait for the paperback edition which I'm sure can't be too far away. This book wraps up a lot of loose ends and gives the reader some solid background into the main characters.

Rating:
Summary: ST- New Frontier: Stone and Anvil
Review: Star Trek-New Frontier: Stone and Anvil written by Peter David is an action-packed mystery book that answers a lot of questions. This book takes off from where "Gods Above" left off and the murder of Lieutenant Commander Gleau a Selelvian crewmember of the U.S.S. Trident.

This book features Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and Captain Elizabeth Shelby and their respective crews of the U.S.S. Excalibur and Trident as they begin an action adventure into their lives past and present. The past story is background information on Calhoun and Shelby as they go through Starfleet Acadamy and snipits of past as it relates to the present situation. Ensign Janos is accused of murdering Gleau and Zac Kebron is sent to investigate to see if his friend really did the murder as the evidence suggests.

This is a well-written story where the character interplay and development is outstanding. The story is fast-paced and Peter David uses his powerful mastery of the English language to open our eyes as we read on in the New Frontier genre. I thouroughly enjoyed this newest addition to the on going tales of the New Frontier.

There is personal dilemma written into the story and witty dialogue to keep you interested. I gave this story a solid 5 stars and it is worth the money to own... the only drawback is that it is a hardback book, so use you library card and check it out and read it or wait for the paperback edition which I'm sure can't be too far away. This book wraps up a lot of loose ends and gives the reader some solid background into the main characters.

Rating:
Summary: Peter David at his best!
Review: STONE AND ANVIL is more than just the culmination of ongoing storylines in the NEW FRONTIER saga. It's the culmination of what makes a man and a Starfleet officer. And Peter David pulls it off with wit, style, and class. Seldom, if ever, does it get better than this.

Rating:
Summary: The best NF yet.
Review: The New Frontier series is far and away the best Star Trek novel series, even including the recent (and excellent) DS9 relaunch and Lost Era series. As simply as possible, this novel is why. Never before in Star Trek has there been a series that so consistently created characters of depth, realism, and interest. Period.

When you add on to that the fact that the characters are also the most colorful bunch of people to ever grace the Star Trek universe, and that the plots are of a particular type of ingenious wackiness that is entirely surprising and yet completely believable, you find...well, this. I was surprised roughly twice per chapter, I never once felt that any scene was anything short of completely realistic, and, overall, I haven't felt this engrossed in a Star Trek book in a long time.

The previous NF book, Gods Above, was up with the greatest the series had previously offered. This rose above them all.

Excellent job, Peter David, and may the rest of the series continue this way.

Rating:
Summary: New Frontier is back on the upswing
Review: The quality of the New Frontier has gone back on the upswing in this latest novel. The plot is well crafted, and two fold. One, in the present, is the ongoing investigative story of Zak Kebron's murder investigation of who might be behind Lieutenant Commander Gleau. With solid characterization of both M'Ress and Arex, and more from Kat Meuller (a character I'm really starting to enjoy), this half of the plot has a good pace and a very interesting unfolding story to it.

The B-plot is in the past, and tells the story of Mackenzie Calhoun meeting Elizabeth Shelby and what exactly happened between them the first time they met, fell in love - and how they fell out of it, and how all of that might just very well play a significant role in the murder investigation that will take place years later.

Done well, and with a bit of a reprieve from the over-the-top humour that has been getting so out of hand lately, this 'episode' in the New Frontier has restored a bit of my faith in where David is taking these characters.

What I can say I didn't approve of is the formatting in hardcover - if I didn't have an employee discount at the bookstore where I work, I wouldn't have bought it. And, judging from the feedback of the various trek fans who've passed comments about the book so far, they're not buying it in hardcover, they'll wait for paperback. I'm not sure why Trek is going to hardcover so often lately, but it is not appreciated.

'Nathan

Rating:
Summary: New Frontier is back on the upswing
Review: The quality of the New Frontier has gone back on the upswing in this latest novel. The plot is well crafted, and two fold. One, in the present, is the ongoing investigative story of Zak Kebron's murder investigation of who might be behind Lieutenant Commander Gleau. With solid characterization of both M'Ress and Arex, and more from Kat Meuller (a character I'm really starting to enjoy), this half of the plot has a good pace and a very interesting unfolding story to it.

The B-plot is in the past, and tells the story of Mackenzie Calhoun meeting Elizabeth Shelby and what exactly happened between them the first time they met, fell in love - and how they fell out of it, and how all of that might just very well play a significant role in the murder investigation that will take place years later.

Done well, and with a bit of a reprieve from the over-the-top humour that has been getting so out of hand lately, this 'episode' in the New Frontier has restored a bit of my faith in where David is taking these characters.

What I can say I didn't approve of is the formatting in hardcover - if I didn't have an employee discount at the bookstore where I work, I wouldn't have bought it. And, judging from the feedback of the various trek fans who've passed comments about the book so far, they're not buying it in hardcover, they'll wait for paperback. I'm not sure why Trek is going to hardcover so often lately, but it is not appreciated.

'Nathan

Rating:
Summary: The Best New Frontier Book To Date
Review: This book takes up where Gods Above ends. The part in the present day trek universe follows the investigation of the murder of Gleau and all evidence points to Janos as the perp. This part of the story follows the new and in my opinion improved Kebron as he tries to clear his friend of the charges. The part of the story in the past follows Calhoun and Shelby during their time at Starfleet Academy. The book is fast paced and hard to put down. The ending for a change isnt a cliffhanger but it is very bittersweet. If you are a New Frontier fan you will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: You'll enjoy it -- but read the others first
Review: This is a good addition to the series, but it won't stand on its own -- I recommend the whole series -- and a familiarity with the whole ST universe doesn't hurt, because it is all his playground! It isn't absolutely necessary to be familiar with everything, because he does a good job of giving his characters background - but it is fun when you recognize characters from TOS (Spock)- which is "The Old Series"; the cartoon:TOS (M'Ress and Arex); and that some were secondary characters in ST:TNG (Shelby; Jellico); Movies - (Dr. Selar); and apparently the books about Star Fleet Academy for young ST:TNG -- I'm guessing because I never read those.

I'm enjoying Peter David's New Frontiers series more than any of the other ST books out there -- in a quick analysis I'd say it is for the consistency of the writing (it isn't great, but it is good -- and heads and shoulders above most of the stuff they're selling in the ST universe) and for the freedom that playing in his own universe gives him -- stuff happens! Characters change and move on -- sure, some of the plot is ludicrous, but it is entertaining, so who cares?

I really want to know what is going to happen next -- and what
more do you want from a book?

Edit: Given my recommendation to read the others, it is only fair to mention that this hardback book includes a CD:Rom that has all the other ST:NF books (excluding the current pb release About Gods and of course this one.) So if you decide you want to read the series, and don't mind reading on a monitor, this may be the way you want to go.

(also, re: the other reviewer's comment about cost of a hardback -- I don't mean to belabor the obvious, but check out the library! And if they aren't carrying it, ask them to -- often they'll say yes.)

Rating:
Summary: a must read!
Review: This is a must read full of twist and turns and so worth reading.