The Quiet Place (Star Trek: New Frontier, Book 7)

Rating:
Summary: I wasn't as keen on this episode in the "New Frontier..."
Review: Although it is eventually brought to light, the start of this book happens far from the Starship Excalibur, and deals with characters who you think, originally, have nothing to do with the ship on the New Frontier.

There are two characters, Xyon and Riella, who are somewhat interesting, and who take up a major portion of this book. It is unfortunate, however, that you don't really find out who these people are until a good portion of the book has gone by.

When it does touch on the characters we've grown to love on the USS Excalibur, "The Quiet Place" is very much about Si Cwan, the enigmatic Thallonian who survived the fall of the Thallonian Empire, and Captain Calhoun. Shelby gets a bit of the stage as well, mostly in relation to Calhoun.

Once I was aboard the Excalibur, I was happy again, but too much of this story was the "set-up" for the rest of it, and I was bored enough that I put it down quite often at the beginning. Still, the ending redeems it, the new plot wrinkles are definitely good ones, and with patience, the book pays off.

Rating:
Summary: Star Trek New Frontier No 7 The Quiet Place
Review: As is usual with this series, Peter David's writing is very strong. This is an intriguing and enthralling story, which like most, if not all of Peter David's stories, is a page turner that is very hard to put down. The premise: The Quiet Place, most of all, is the realization of Si Cwan's quest to find his sister. Previous New Frontier novels have established that Zoran, Si Cwan's childhood friend, turned traitor, had kidnapped and hidden his sister Kalinda. The Quiet Place begins with Kalinda, who doesn't know who she actually is, living on a backwater planet name Montos, going by the name of Riella. She's living with Malia, whom Riella (Kalinda), believes to be her mother. There are some very interesting scenes here.

We also meet Xyon who is an adventurous young man, who in his first chapter, is in a very dire situation. He's about to be put to death. As you read about Xyon, you almost get the impression you're reading about Captain Calhoun. We're then introduced to the Dogs of War. Only Peter David can convincingly create this warrior race of genetically engineered dogs and write them into a story so well. Throw in the Redeemers and what we have here is not only one of the best New Frontier novels written, this one falls into the category of one of the best Star Trek books ever written. As is usual with this wonderful series, it ends with the big bold To Be Continued..... This was of course preceded by a shocking discovery. Thank you very much to Peter David for this excellent addition to the New Frontier Series.

MINOR SPOILER - One note of interest, in past New Frontier novels, Peter David fairly well detailed the Redeemers as far as skin color, facial features and general demeanor. If I remember correctly, he had not talked much about their height. Somehow, I never figured the Redeemers to be somewhat similar to Star Wars Jawas, in height at least. It almost makes them sort of comical, whereas my previous impression of them had been of average to large bad guys. This almost makes them funny except that they have some personal abilities that more or less takes the humor right out of these little villains

Rating:
Summary: The enigmatic Xyon rescues the dream haunted Riella
Review: For most of "The Quiet Place," the seventh novel in Peter David's "Star Trek: New Frontier series," we are following the attempts of the enigmatic Xyon to rescue the dream haunted Riella. The problem is that neither of these characters are crewmembers of the Starship Excalibur, so we have no clear idea for most of the book why we are following them around instead of Captain Calhoun. Eventually things will be made clear, but if you are expecting this book to tie up loose plot threads from previous volumes you are not going to like what you find here. If anything, "The Quiet Place" adds a couple of significant new twists to what has gone on before with some pretty important implications for what is to come next. The problem is that basically everyone in the quadrant is after young Riella, from the fanatical Redeemers to a vengeful former member of the Thallonian court to the marauding Dogs of War (think Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and not Pink Floyd when you read about these mutated canines). All of them are interested in the secrets of "The Quiet Place," a combination heaven and hell where riches await any one who can find their way there. However, the star of the book is Xyon, another one of Peter David's heroes who makes up the rules as he goes along and never says or does anything that anybody else would reasonably expect. Sound familiar? That's a clue people. In the end not much happens in this novel, but it must be setting up something pretty big down the road. Sooner or later all this stuff has got to come to a head. Or does it . . .?

Rating:
Summary: Boring plot, bad writing
Review: I can't believe Peter David wrote this book. The writing is so far below his usual standard that I am at a loss. My other problem with the book is that the characters of NF are hardly in the book at all. The new character of Xyon was somewhat interesting, but not enough to sustain this cliched story.

Rating:
Summary: Little Focus on Excalibur Crew
Review: I have to admit that although I love Peter David's writing, this book left me a little wanting at the end. The "Quiet Place" finale was not all that interesting and I was waiting for more appearances by the rest of the Excalibur crew. I appreciated the focus on Zak, Si Cwan and Soleta, but there should have been less of an emphasis on introducing us to Xyon.

The ending was cute and I am definitely getting more of the series.

Rating:
Summary: Peter David Does it Again!
Review: Keep your eyes on Xyon... and the Dogs of War... You will enjoy this novel. He's just like his father... but I won't give that away... and DO NOT AT ALL READ THE LAST PAGE OF THE NOVEL! I DID AND IT SPOILED THE EFFECT...

Just read the novel slowly and carefully and you will find he did a great job.

Rating:
Summary: Set-up
Review: Peter David is one of my all time favorite Trek authors and I know a set-up when I read one. Sometimes books are nessessary to set up a scene for a new adventure. It was a great book and I can't wait to read the rest of the adventure.

Rating:
Summary: The set-up for the storm
Review: The Quiet Place, as well as the rest of the New Frontier books, is really in true Star Trek form. What characterizes this new series is its freshness. The seventh in the series, Quiet Place isn't centered on Calhoun as most of the books have been, but what we get is new characters and new plot beginnings. We meet Xyon, smart and witty, as well as a mysterious young women who might be the missing sister Si Cwan has been searching for.

The only complaint I have is that the books are all so frustratingly short. The finish of each book leaves readers with so many more questions about what will happen next then they started with. Each book is a joy, but waiting for the next installment is so very hard.

We get to know more about the crew, which is good, but this book is clearly setting up for the next one. I can't wait to find out what'll happen on the Excaliber next.

Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable read.
Review: There are, basically, three ways to write a book that ends with "to be continued": One is to simply have a basic plotline that is larger than will fit in the page allotment for the book, and to stop before you're done. That was the method Peter David used in the first four books of this series; and I don't care for that method.

My preferred method is to have a complete story within the scope of each book, while various subplots from one book carry over into, and perhaps become the major focus of, later books. This is the method used by Peter David in books five and six of the series.

The third method is the one Peter David uses in this book, and while it isn't my preferred method, it is far preferable to the first method: to overshoot the ending of the story by a chapter, thus giving a teaser into the action for the next installment.

As with all of the books in this series, (and indeed, almost all Star Trek books by Peter David), this book has fascinating character development, a lively plot, and a good mix of drama and humor.

Rating:
Summary: Secrets from the past, present and future
Review: This excellent story continues the amazing series about the U.S.S. Exalibur and its crew. There is so much going around in the book, that you'll have the time of your life. Plus, there's an incredible suprise at the ending that is concluded in book number eight, Dark Allies. If you enjoy the New Frontier series, then this is an absolute must.