Finally had some time to read this one. It continues the trend of the Picard novels being more consistently good than the show itself. The show teased all kinds of cool ideas and had interesting characters, which it left underexplored. Thankfully, the books have picked up on many of those ideas (the synth ban, Rios' history, what actually happened during the Romulan evacuation) and now we finally get Seven's history as a Fenris Ranger. And it did not disappoint. I was sorely disappointed when the novelverse was supplanted by Picard's version of what happened to Seven after Voyager returned. I loved Beyer's Voyager relaunch (Voyager being my favorite Trek).. While I love where Seven ended in Picard, I was a bit mad that they created an intriguing backstory involving these super cool sounding Fenris Rangers just to discard the premise (except to namecheck it occasionally). Also, I was saddened by Icheb's brutal death. I had hoped that since Picard went there with Seven's backstory, the show would also give more background on the Fenris Rangers. Alas, the show did not. I absolutely love the way this story handled Seven. Seeing her get rejected by the Federation at the beginning was a gut punch. It's a far cry from what the Voyager relaunch did with her. But unlike in the show, the painful events lead into a strong story. David Mack skillfully connects the dots from the Seven we see at the end of Voyager to the Seven we see in Stardust City Rag. I don't fault the episode for introducing such a different iteration of Seven, after all it had been over two decades since Endgame. But it's nice to see the journey that led to these changes. I was afraid that I would be disappointed by the Fenris Rangers. I had a nagging suspicion that if they were ever explored, it would be like what Star Wars did with the Knights of Ren. They were introduced in The Force Awakens nut by the time they appeared in Rise of Skywalker, they were generic lightsaber-wielding off-brand Sith wannabes. Thankfully, the Fenris Rangers are a well-developed organization with a clear mission and well-developed characters. They aren't quite police and aren't entirely vigilantes (as of yet in the time period covered). It's really great to see an alternative to Starfleet get so well-developed and to have characters articulate reasons why they joined that organization rather than Starfleet. However, I was also impressed with how well Seven's refusal to join Starfleet at this time, still felt like a logical step to where she ends up at the end of Picard. Being a huge Voyager (and Prodigy as a natural extension) fan, I can't neglect to mention how much I loved the way this book dealt with Admiral Janeway. I was not expecting her to be as prominent of a character as she is. And I really didn't expect the Prodigy tie-in. I love how well this integrates the elements of both shows. The best part,though, is how the story portrays Seven and Janeway's conflict. They both make strong points and while it tests their friendship, they do not have a huge falling out or anything. The Prodigy elements did lead to a strange quirk in the way I visualized things: For most of the book I imagined events as if they were live-action, but for all the scenes set on the Dauntless, my imagination switched to Prodigy-style animation. Not sure what to make of that... Perhaps it's because Mr. Mack captured the voices of Tysses and Noum so well that it just evoked an episode of Prodigy. Overall, this was another amazing installment in the Picard novel series. I am by no means a Picard hater. I quite enjoyed seasons 1 and 3 and though that season 2 had it's moments. However, much like all the Picard novels to date, this book really elevates the material seen in screen and takes up what could have otherwise been some missed opportunities. Since we won't be getting any more Voyager relaunch novels, I'm happy to say that what we did get in it's place is just as compelling a story even if it goes in the opposite direction with Seven (as on-screen cannon dictated).
Well, I'm now past the 2/3 point, and past the spoiler I'd stumbled upon. And past the nod to Prodigy. Is it just a coincidence that Mardani's real name looks like it should rhyme with the Black Speech word for "ringwraith"?
Not sure whether the last sentence is ominous, or tragic, or both. Had to look up the name . . . then WHAM!
The fact that Sevens lie about her Borg implants being nonfunctional probably saved her life...and doomed Icheb.
Very true, sadly. And the revelation that Kohgish is a narcistic willing puppet with the intellect of a concrete block just reminds me even more of Trump.
Kudos for David Mack not using Section 31 for absolute utterly stupid evil idiocy with a (ex) Federation spy. It is also surprisingly good critique of American foreign policy. "Let's support this psychotic monstrous warlord because he agrees to be our pawn despite how he's manifestly making this region more unstable and dangerous to everyone."
My favorite bit is this, definitely this part: Awesome to see any element of Lower Decks lit-canonized but I don't recognize the antimatter part if it's a reference to anything.
I think it answers the question of where the enlisted are on the Cerritos, if ensigns -actual officers- have to sleep in hallways.
Just finished. Boy, when this novel got rolling, it rolled. Thanks to my younger kid taking two long naps, I have read 240 pages over the last two days, which of course is nothing special in itself, but is an achievement for any working father of two. It was certainly worth it. I was quite surprised at how spectacular it was, star-warsy-wise. Plenty of memorable scenes. And a very nice touch with the framing story. Props for the ending Harper scene, too -- perfectly executed. I was wondering about one bit: when the heroes are discussing the (then) potential heist, they mention possible prison sentences. What jurisdiction are they talking about? I have to say, Seven struck me as a superhero here. I guess she could rule a whole sector with the abilities she displayed in this novel. Not sure if the droid fight wasn't over the top even for her :-) Still, I'm buying this aspect of the book: yes, she is superhuman, thanks to her Borg past, so a Seven-focused novel should make use of this, of course. Her initial plan, the one that got hundreds of thousands people killed, was unbelievably naive, I'm sorry. This is one thing in the novel I found really jarring: that the Rangers wanted to cooperate with her afterwards. Overall: as usual, a Picard novel which is a lot better than anything offered on the show itself. I hope more will come.