Rating: 
Summary: An enjoyable episode in the "New Frontier" series.
Review: Picking up where the original four mini-book releases left off, Peter David gives us the first full-length Star Trek: New Frontier book with "Martyr."I really enjoyed the results. The main plotline of the book, the A-Story, is that of the ship encountering a world where Captian Mackenzie Calhoun has been 'recognized' as the 'Savior,' of their prophecies. With some interesting diatribes on the notions of faith and spirituality, the book would have been a bit heavy and a lot less 'fun' than the other books without the B-Story: Dr. Selar, still in the throws of her Pon Farr. The story reveals more tantalizing tid-bits of the characters assembled mostly from the mind of Peter David, and even those characters we already know gain a bit more depth (especially the aforementioned Dr. Selar). Peter David once again proves that the characters of the Star Trek world do not need a screenplay to stand on their own, and, indeed, be quite interesting in their own right. This one definately ends with something that makes you want to keep going, and I picked up Book Six the day I finished Book Five.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable episode in the "New Frontier" series.
Review: Picking up where the original four mini-book releases left off, Peter David gives us the first full-length Star Trek: New Frontier book with "Martyr." I really enjoyed the results. The main plotline of the book, the A-Story, is that of the ship encountering a world where Captian Mackenzie Calhoun has been 'recognized' as the 'Savior,' of their prophecies. With some interesting diatribes on the notions of faith and spirituality, the book would have been a bit heavy and a lot less 'fun' than the other books without the B-Story: Dr. Selar, still in the throws of her Pon Farr. The story reveals more tantalizing tid-bits of the characters assembled mostly from the mind of Peter David, and even those characters we already know gain a bit more depth (especially the aforementioned Dr. Selar). Peter David once again proves that the characters of the Star Trek world do not need a screenplay to stand on their own, and, indeed, be quite interesting in their own right. This one definately ends with something that makes you want to keep going, and I picked up Book Six the day I finished Book Five.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable episode in the "New Frontier" series.
Review: Picking up where the original four mini-book releases left off, Peter David gives us the first full-length Star Trek: New Frontier book with "Martyr." I really enjoyed the results. The main plotline of the book, the A-Story, is that of the ship encountering a world where Captian Mackenzie Calhoun has been 'recognized' as the 'Savior,' of their prophecies. With some interesting diatribes on the notions of faith and spirituality, the book would have been a bit heavy and a lot less 'fun' than the other books without the B-Story: Dr. Selar, still in the throws of her Pon Farr. The story reveals more tantalizing tid-bits of the characters assembled mostly from the mind of Peter David, and even those characters we already know gain a bit more depth (especially the aforementioned Dr. Selar). Peter David once again proves that the characters of the Star Trek world do not need a screenplay to stand on their own, and, indeed, be quite interesting in their own right. This one definately ends with something that makes you want to keep going, and I picked up Book Six the day I finished Book Five.
Rating:
Summary: Too much sex, but David knows his characters--and his Trek.
Review: The big-wigs at "Star Trek: Voyager" should drop everything and hire Peter David now. David accomplished in five books of the "New Frontier" series what the "Voyager" staff is still trying to do: chronicle the adventures of a free-wheeling crew with an unconventional captain in a distant region of space, and do it with enough character depth and Trek flavor to make fans want to come back for more. "Martyr" displays the best and worst of Peter David, with the best coming out on top this time around. Yes, David lays the sex and innuendo way too thick for a single book, the idea of a sentient Mugato security guard grates on this Trek fan's nerves, and the plot itself is not exactly groundbreaking material. However, even with these drawbacks, the story can still succeed if the presentation is good enough. In this regard, David rarely disappoints. And he doesn't this time. With "Martyr", David manages to flesh out all his regular charcters to some degree, especially the two characters I was most worried about. He finally made Burgoyne 172 more than a sex-craving curiousity, and Soleta got a chance to shine as well. And, like all the "New Frontier" books before, Captain Calhoun continues to stand out as a conflicted man who inspires both frustration and admiration--often at the same time. I find myself hanging on the Calhoun scenes just to see what the man does next. So, sex aside, the characters work. And the plot? Well, the plot fares less well, mostly because it is familiar ground, and the actions of the aliens involved are telegraphed well in advance. However, David makes the most out of it. He makes the character of Ramed just tortured enough hold one's attention, sets up the Redeemers as a possible recurring threat (possibly a quite interesting one), and leaves the fate of Zondar an open question. Plus, Peter David manages to infuse a Trekkian-style flavor in the ending. He is one of the few Trek novelists (perhaps the only one) who goes beyond the action and adventure and tries to convey a message with it, be it a character's self-discovery or the folly of a culture's short-sightedness. This is something that even the Trek television writers have pulling off nowadays. Is "Martyr" Peter David's best work? No. Is it still a good read? Definitely. Is it better than most of the other Trek novels being cranked out these days? Absolutely. There is just as much to like in "Martyr" as there is to dislike, but in my case the stuff I liked won out. Looking forward to "Fire On High"...
Rating:
Summary: Too much sex, but David knows his characters--and his Trek.
Review: The big-wigs at "Star Trek: Voyager" should drop everything and hire Peter David now. David accomplished in five books of the "New Frontier" series what the "Voyager" staff is still trying to do: chronicle the adventures of a free-wheeling crew with an unconventional captain in a distant region of space, and do it with enough character depth and Trek flavor to make fans want to come back for more. "Martyr" displays the best and worst of Peter David, with the best coming out on top this time around. Yes, David lays the sex and innuendo way too thick for a single book, the idea of a sentient Mugato security guard grates on this Trek fan's nerves, and the plot itself is not exactly groundbreaking material. However, even with these drawbacks, the story can still succeed if the presentation is good enough. In this regard, David rarely disappoints. And he doesn't this time. With "Martyr", David manages to flesh out all his regular charcters to some degree, especially the two characters I was most worried about. He finally made Burgoyne 172 more than a sex-craving curiousity, and Soleta got a chance to shine as well. And, like all the "New Frontier" books before, Captain Calhoun continues to stand out as a conflicted man who inspires both frustration and admiration--often at the same time. I find myself hanging on the Calhoun scenes just to see what the man does next. So, sex aside, the characters work. And the plot? Well, the plot fares less well, mostly because it is familiar ground, and the actions of the aliens involved are telegraphed well in advance. However, David makes the most out of it. He makes the character of Ramed just tortured enough hold one's attention, sets up the Redeemers as a possible recurring threat (possibly a quite interesting one), and leaves the fate of Zondar an open question. Plus, Peter David manages to infuse a Trekkian-style flavor in the ending. He is one of the few Trek novelists (perhaps the only one) who goes beyond the action and adventure and tries to convey a message with it, be it a character's self-discovery or the folly of a culture's short-sightedness. This is something that even the Trek television writers have pulling off nowadays. Is "Martyr" Peter David's best work? No. Is it still a good read? Definitely. Is it better than most of the other Trek novels being cranked out these days? Absolutely. There is just as much to like in "Martyr" as there is to dislike, but in my case the stuff I liked won out. Looking forward to "Fire On High"...
Rating:
Summary: Not bad..
Review: The book is now out, and it's good.. I'd say it's slightly better than the beginning set, as this story gets in deeper with the characters, and could be a stand-alone story. Like the first four, the end of the book leaves an obvious plot path that the next one is going to follow..
Rating: 
Summary: fun light summer reading
Review: The New Frontier Series is the first Star Trek books that I've ever read. Martyr (like the 4 books b4 it) is integrated with the next book Fire on High. The "weaknesses" of the book that others have mentioned indepth are developed later. So if you read one-read both. I'll call it a guilty pleasure. I'll put it down as "what I did on my summer vacation." This is not and should not be considered for a pulitizer - and I must admit, I was a bit embarrased to be seen reading it on the bus, and at lunch, but I enjoyed it! The protagonist and antagonists were true to there characters. The real antagonist was really the situation itself, and what kept me involved was seeing how these people got themselves out of it. In the process, we learn more about the people, as they learn about themselves. And really isn't that the nature of a good story anyway? IMHO, it is a good book, and I'd recomend it to a ST fan, but not to a ST fanatic. On this basis, I've borrowed a friend's copy of Q Squared - also by Peter David. I'm 1/3 into it and I can see that he is a capable of much better - but taken together, Martyr & Fire on High are a fun, humorous books - Great to keep you company on MUNI or at the beach.
Rating:
Summary: A good continuation of the New Frontier series
Review: This book actually is more like a continuation of the story in books one through four. This book focuses on the Excalibur coming to a planet where they bascically proclaim Calhoun the messiah of their world because he freed the Great Bird of the Galaxy. Also in this book is more on the situation of Dr. Selar, which, in turn, brings in more light of Calhoun's past.
Rating:
Summary: A good continuation of the New Frontier series
Review: This book actually is more like a continuation of the story in books one through four. This book focuses on the Excalibur coming to a planet where they bascically proclaim Calhoun the messiah of their world because he freed the Great Bird of the Galaxy. Also in this book is more on the situation of Dr. Selar, which, in turn, brings in more light of Calhoun's past.
Rating:
Summary: One of his Best
Review: This is one of his best books I have read. He has done what no other Star Trek series has. Have a total of 3 main characters (Com. Beth Shelby, Lt. Mark McHenry, Lt. Robin Lefler) to be Humans! The rest are aliens, If any of us nowadays consider vulcans to be Aliens. There is Capt. Calhoun a Xenexian, Lt. Com. Burgoyne a hermat, CMO Selar, the Vulcan, Ambassador Si Cwan, a Thollonian, Even Lt. Soleta a Vulcan/Romulan Mix. And a "walking land mass" Brikar Lt. Named Zak Kebron. Well the Story line is mainly on religon although Selars Pon Farr is in the main stream. And this book is another cliff hanger. But that is what makes Peter David's Star Trek Series so Wanting...
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