Spoilers Destiny: Mere Mortals by David Mack Review Thread

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Julio Angel Ortiz, Oct 24, 2008.

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Grade "Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals"

  1. Excellent

    107 vote(s)
    79.3%
  2. Above Average

    15 vote(s)
    11.1%
  3. Average

    10 vote(s)
    7.4%
  4. Below Average

    1 vote(s)
    0.7%
  5. Poor

    2 vote(s)
    1.5%
  1. William Leisner

    William Leisner Scribbler Rear Admiral

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    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    I don't believe Starfleet -- with the exception of Bill Ross -- knew/knows Zife and Friends were executed, only that he was forced to resign against his will.

    How Bacco learned the full story is that an investigative reporter discovered the real origin of the weapons on Tezwa, and that reporter brought the story to the Palais. It wasn't until Bacco confronted Ross that she got the full picture (as depicted in AotF).
     
  2. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

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    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    That was shown in Articles of the Federation.
     
  3. Bjoern

    Bjoern Ensign Newbie

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2002
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    Germany
    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    So, do I have to read Articles of the Federation before reading Destiny?

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    :hugegrin:
     
  4. MMCL

    MMCL Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    I wish I had read it before reading this thread :(
     
  5. Stephen!

    Stephen! Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2008
    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    Voyager really does seem to be the "miracle ship" .... First, seven years in the Delta Quadrant, and now, over Seven thousand Borg Cubes, and it still survives.
     
  6. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    It's made of the same hull metal as the Rio Grande. ;)
     
  7. wew

    wew Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2001
    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    Or maybe its made by the Timex corporation.

    I really enjoyed this book, the problem is it reads so fast, I'm left waiting about a month until the next part.

    I have found this series to be extremely rich in detail in in potential story ideas. I believe it would make a good basis for a short story anthology looking at some of the ideas found throughout the book.
     
  8. Rat Boy

    Rat Boy Vice Admiral Admiral

    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    I hear they used the same stuff when they built the Hood, the Sutherland, and the Venture. One wonders why people keep fighting to get posted on the Enterprise.
     
  9. dave_R_treker

    dave_R_treker Captain Captain

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    Upstate New York
    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    You know I was just thinking about this today. I just got done with Mere Mortals last night. The Federation should ask the Odo for Dominion assistance. Jem'Hadar aren't too shy about killing themselves to win a war. They're fast with ship building. They could crank out the ships faster then the Borg can send them.
    Now that would be something a Federation/Dominion allience. Hey sometimes you have to sleep with the devil to win.
     
  10. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2004
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    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    ^That definitely seems to be the direction they are headed in in the DS9R, but I doubt we'll see them in Destiny since they were part of one of the bigger left over ? from that series.
     
  11. Stephen!

    Stephen! Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
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    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    The Federation could simply have just used the Orb of Time to travel back several months, before the Borg Invasion started, then seal the subspace tunnels :)
     
  12. Rat Boy

    Rat Boy Vice Admiral Admiral

    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    No, no, no. I know what really happens:

    The Caeliar travel back in time to early 21st Century Earth to retrieve the one man who can thwart the Borg invasion: Terry Tate, Office Linebacker!

    "You mess with the Feds, you get busted in the heads! That's how I roll, baby! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
     
  13. Turbo

    Turbo Changeling Premium Member

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    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    But that would be cheating!
     
  14. David Mack

    David Mack Writer Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2003
    Location:
    New York, NY
    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    Crap, I wish I had thought of that. How cool an ending would that have been?
    "Ain't nobody assimilating this!"
     
  15. Rat Boy

    Rat Boy Vice Admiral Admiral

    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    You're lost without my insanity, aren't you? ;)
     
  16. JoeZhang

    JoeZhang Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2008
    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    I'm a bit torn about this series - I enjoyed those books but it seems to signal ane increasingly dark universe, something that seems at odds with the direction the films are going. I'm not sure I'm that interested in reading about a smashed collapsing federation, as I like my escapism fiction to be a bit lighter than this but hey who knows without reading the last book.

    Lots of nice character moments but I have to say for whatever reason I couldn't work up any interest in Troi or her problems, that was a bit too much like a soap opera. I'm hoping the doctor actually does eat her. Oh and while that irritating vulcan wild child didn't get spaced, thankfully her lines were kept to a minimum.
     
  17. Marie1

    Marie1 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    I'm opposed to the wanton destruction of my Jem'Hadar to save the petty Alpha Quadrant... especially the Breen... -_-

    :p


    Or maybe it is... foreshadowing of the past... *narrows eyes*
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2008
  18. fleetcaptain

    fleetcaptain Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2005
    Location:
    Virginia Beach, VA, USA
    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    I'm about to finish Mere Mortals myself and I have to say now I see why Pocket waited til now to release all 3 books and the follow ups to the series til this part of the year. Does feel like a trilogy type movie and just how things have been going on through out the book. Love the following of all 3 different crews and Erika Hernandez's path.
    I really liked the Hirogen showing up and battling both the Enterprise and Aventine crews. Just finished up those parts. About to start Ch. 20 soon. Just know I'm going to hate waiting for another 3 weeks for the last book but its worth it.
    I have a few ideas down already to parallel a few stories to this series, as well as the Elite Force characters since I am working on that as a series too. Just thinking of how to put them in there during the fight w/ the Hirogen through.
     
  19. Ayelbourne

    Ayelbourne Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2005
    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    Finished the book last night. I jusst couldn't put it down, except for sleeping and eating (thank God for weekends), which of course means that I immensely enjoyed it.

    Like others, Hernandez' story impressed me the most. It worked well as the emotional core of the novel, and presented very believable characters, which made it easy for me to feel for them.
    I really hope, book three will deal with the fate of Mantilis, because I 'm really interested in finding out, wether they are the origin of the Borg. The basic ingredients are there.
    Catoms ---> Borg nanoprobes
    Gestalt ---> Hive
    Even the location seems to match.

    This being a Mack-novel, the action sequences where of course top notch and extremely intense. Though I didn't exactly dig the general idea of inserting a completely random Hirogen-fight-scenario only to give the crews on Aventine and Enterprise something to fight too while their fleet was getting butchered at the Azure Nebula, I found it quite gripping.

    Next time though, try to make the security details look a bit more capable. Here it seemed, that their only advantage were their numbers and in Kedairs case their, uhm, "racials". They're intelligent fighters too. Don't let them fall for traps and tricks all the time. ;)

    As on GoN, I found the Titan stuff to be quite short, but I guess they'll get their shining moment in book three, what with Riker being on the cover and all. So I can live with that. I did, however, love those few segments, especially the one with Huilan and Pazlar. Really didn't see the twist at the end coming. I have a newfound respect for that blue little teddy bear now. I mean, I liked him before but that was badass. :lol:

    As for the Borg stuff...I really don't know, how you're gonna write yourself out of this (well..technically, you already did), David, except for some deus ex machina intervention. So my main point of interest for book three now will be: Excactly how much havoc is this Borg Fleet going to wreak, before they are stopped?

    I mean...more than 7000 ships? Thats a bit much, no? And to think, that I was once shocked at the sight of 12 Cubes at the beginning of Scorpion...

    Anyway...are those vessels all Cubes? Or are there less dangerous ships with them? You know...like Spheres, or those small "bars" (I believe they were called Interceptors in Armada 2)?

    And one small question at the end:
    Are we to assume, that Veronica Fletcher invented Captain Proton? If so, how and when did earth get there hands on those novels?

    All in all: Great book. Can't wait for Lost Souls. Fortunately, Wrath of the Lich King will be out on thursday, so I'll get my "Fiction Fix" till December, which should make the waiting a bit less hard. :lol:

    Keep up the good wirk, David. :techman:
     
  20. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals - SPOILER Thread

    Err, no. Presumably, in the Trek universe, Captain Proton was a movie serial in the 1940s or thereabouts.