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Summary: Sex Trek - Or someone throw cold water on this Crew!
Review: Just finished Peter David's Captain's Table entry (Once Burned) and liked that much better than this one. Writing was tighter and felt he didn't get so lost trying to keep track of an entire crew.Sex in Trek has either gone overboard or been totally ignored. This series seems to take the overboard theory - at least someone other than the Captain is getting lucky. And if that floats your boat, go ahead and read this series. Overall I can't recommend it, but its actually not much worse than 95% of the Star Trek novels out there. I'm a fan and I must admit I frequently read these Trek books just to get a fix of Gene's fabulous universe - no matter how stinky the writing. And, unfortuantely, the writing is often stinky. (Are you listening Paramount?) Have to agree that some of the crew interactions are amusing, but on the whole it just doesn't gel. However, I'd be willing to take on old violet-eyes for a night. Something about maverick starship captains gets the hormones percolating. . .
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Summary: Good, more direct as other series.
Review: Just read it, but you must like trek and not mind that there is a bit more erotic scent beneath the lines.
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Summary: Star Trek New Frontier No 6 Fire on High
Review: One of the great things about this series, in my opinion, is that the author Peter David is not hindered by the guidelines that apply to the stand alone books or for that matter the miniseries that seem to be popping up every couple of months. I've noticed that other reviewers have complained about the sex scenes in the books. Oh well, it adds some flavor and character to the series. Part of Gene Roddenberry's ethos about Star Trek was that he didn't want too much interplay between the main characters like this; the current producers have stuck with that as well. With one exception, Deep Space Nine. Look at how that turned out, DS9 was a wonderful show that showed the darker side of life in the twenty fourth century, and for its last two to three years it was almost serialized in that shows lead from one to another as opposed to the stand alones. That same style is what makes New Frontier what it is, a great series. The continuous building of characters and plot is absolutely great! As you read through these books and then peruse the ones you've read, you can see that the author, while telling the current story, is setting up either the next story directly or indirectly setting up a future story. In "Fire on High," we have a strange woman who has mysteriously destroyed all life on the planet she's on. There are some wonderful Commander Shelby scenes, ones you wouldn't have figured the character capable of. We meet and more or less welcome to the crew Morgan Lefler, Ensign Lefler's mother. There is the continuing storyline between Selar, Burgoyne 172 and McHenry. A baby "Great Bird of the Galaxy" is growing in the warp core. Everybody seems to be going to the half Romulan, half Vulcan, Soleta for romantic advice, which by itself is very funny. There are a great many more things here that I do not wish to spoil for everybody. Suffice it to say, Peter David has written another great installment to the New Frontier series, in "Fire on High!"
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Summary: A Great book that all should read
Review: Peter David did a great job with this book, it was a good continuation of his other books in the series. It is suspensfull and has some great characters with personality. Captain Calhoun reminds me of Captian Kirk in the best way possible, he can fight without depending on weapons and has great strategies. The crew works together and just seem to fit with the mission perfectaly. The book takes unexpected turns in the plot wich makes it fun to read.
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Summary: Best of the series so far.
Review: Peter David is an excellent author, the best Star Trek author I've found. He is one of the few who can tell a dramatic, action-packed story without losing his sense of humor, as was done in some of the best episodes in the original Star Trek series ("Trouble With Tribbles", "A Piece of the Action", "Shore Leave") and has only rarely been seen since. I've enjoyed this series so far, and the characters in it (which is, perhaps, the most important thing in a book or a series). But there are a couple of caveats for those considering the series: First is the one that actually bothers me a bit: I don't really care for the fact that the storyline continues from one book to the next; granted, the last two books in the series have been better about this than the first four, in that they have legitimately been complete stories in and of themselves. But I find that I prefer stand-alone stories for the most part. If you don't share this preference, you may find this a strength rather than a weakness. Second is the caveat that does NOT bother me, but might well bother some people: while he never becomes EXTREMELY graphic, certainly never tasteless, Peter David's characters have always been a bit more obviously sexually active than we usually see in Star Trek; not that there was ever any doubt about Kirk, but even in his case, it was generally just hinted at, and that was even more true in "Next Generation". Granted, "DS9" and "Voyager" went a little farther in that direction, (remember the opening scene of "What You Leave Behind", the final episode of DS9, with Bashir and Ezre Dax naked in bed together?) but the constraints of network television still kept things a bit more restrained than David feels any inclination to. Certainly, most Star Trek novels follow the precedent set in the shows, and are much more circumscribed about showing what their characters do behind closed doors than he is. I enjoy this, but it does mean that people who do NOT enjoy this sort of thing can be unpleasantly surprised to see so much sexuality in a place that they wouldn't ordinarily expect it. As to this book specifically, I found the story to be the best of the series so far. But really, I can't recommend it to anyone who hasn't read the previous books, so my recommendation is simply: start with Book One (House of Cards); if you like it, keep reading. If you don't, you've no need to read this one.
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Summary: New Frontier explores new grounds
Review: Peter David is attempting to set the New Frontier series apart from the other Star Trek categories by injecting some new elements. First, I enjoy how he has a continuing cycle through the books. Each book builds upon or touches upon events in the previous book. It is like reading a larger adventure. I prefer this as opposed to the done-in-one, stand alone Trek books I've read from Next Generation or Deep Space Nine. Second, the author realizes these are his characters to develop. He must give us looks at the entire crew. He does not have the luxury / constraint of a TV series to work within - it all has to be in the books. Third, he is realistically portraying what interactions might occur on a starship, especially with a younger crew. People are going to get involved with one another. Fourth, this series has had some of the funniest scenes I've read in books in a long time. The author often injects humor into his work and it seems to work well here.
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Summary: New Frontier explores new grounds
Review: Peter David is attempting to set the New Frontier series apart from the other Star Trek categories by injecting some new elements. First, I enjoy how he has a continuing cycle through the books. Each book builds upon or touches upon events in the previous book. It is like reading a larger adventure. I prefer this as opposed to the done-in-one, stand alone Trek books I've read from Next Generation or Deep Space Nine. Second, the author realizes these are his characters to develop. He must give us looks at the entire crew. He does not have the luxury / constraint of a TV series to work within - it all has to be in the books. Third, he is realistically portraying what interactions might occur on a starship, especially with a younger crew. People are going to get involved with one another. Fourth, this series has had some of the funniest scenes I've read in books in a long time. The author often injects humor into his work and it seems to work well here.
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Summary: It's great to see someone else in Starfleet doing something
Review: That's one of the reasons I'm finding the adventures of Calhoon and company so enjoyable. In the series, it seemed that the only people doing anything useful were on the Enterprise. The concept of another ship with another crew (who didn't need rescuing) was long overdue. In regard to the sex in the last two books, I think it was a good story in and of itself. Sela's dealing with the pon farr, Calhoon's reaction at being propositioned, Burgoyne's jealousy, heck even Shelby's conflicting emotions were well handled. Granted sex usually isn't a subject in Star Trek (at best, it's hinted at) but I don't think it was dealt with improperly here. There's worse on televison during prime time.
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Summary: Lose the Mugato with the English accent
Review: The first four books of this series were great. Then Burgoyne humped everyone and a Mugato with an English accent saved the day. What started with promise has become disgusting. I will have to try book seven in November, but if things follow the trend of books five and six, I'm done with this series. It's a damn shame.
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Summary: The continuing Star Trek Soap Opera series
Review: The New Frontier series gives you three things you do not get with any other Star Trek series. First, you get a group of mostly original characters, having borrowed a couple of supporting characters from the Next Generation show and the Starfleet Academy books. Second, you get a single writer, Peter David. writing every book. Third, you get what is essentially a continuing story, where if you do not read the books in sequences you are not going to be able to follow what is going on with the various situations and relationships. Of course, this makes sense. After all, this is not a question of being familiar with the characters from the respective series. However, in "Fire on High" we are becoming aware of both the strengths and the weaknesses of these unique facets. I am not surprised that the New Frontier series is turning into something of a soap opera. Obviously there is greater freedom for romantic entanglements here than in any of the other series, where only television episodes or feature films get to determine who is in love with whom and to what extent. Besides, Peter David has always been just as much of a romantic ("Imzadi" and "Imzadi II") as he has been a master of biting humor ("A Rock and a Hard Place" and "Q-In-Law"). And like a soap opera there is a whole bunch of stuff going on in "Fire on High": Selar and Burgoyne are going to be parents, Robin has found out her mother is not dead, Shelby is in denial about Calhoun, and everybody is going to Soleta for romantic advice. Oh, and by the way, the Tholeian firebird laid an egg in the warp core and on Armista there is a woman with a really big gun who has destroyed ever other living creature on the planet. Bottom line, I am still enjoying the series although it has yet to produce a really great story. I bought into the idea because I liked how Captain Calhoun was a reincarnation of Commander Quintin Stone, the unforgettable character he created in "A Rock and a Hard Place." But I do not care about the characters enough yet to really be interested in the romantic entanglements and since that is becoming the major thrust of the series, that might be a problem. Still, I must admit he often makes he laugh. We have the same sort of sense of humor, so for now I will continue to work my way through this series.
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