Spoilers TNG: The Body Electric by David Mack Review Thread

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Sho, Dec 16, 2012.

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Rate The Body Electric.

  1. Outstanding

    37 vote(s)
    33.3%
  2. Above Average

    42 vote(s)
    37.8%
  3. Average

    26 vote(s)
    23.4%
  4. Below Average

    5 vote(s)
    4.5%
  5. Poor

    1 vote(s)
    0.9%
  1. Paris

    Paris Commodore Commodore

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    I just finished, and I loved it! I'm a fan of Traveler Wesley and really enjoyed his involvement in this story. I really hope we see him again soon. My only beef was that I, too, wanted some acknowledgement of the whole shift in family dynamics for Wesley, JLP, Bev and Rene. Maybe we'll get it next time. It probably happened "off screen" like the wedding. In fact...if i'm not mistaken, there was a mention in one of the TNG-R books about Wes being at the wedding, but i can't remember from which one exactly,or maybe i'm imagining things. Oh well. Thanks Mr. Mack! Another great read :techman:
     
  2. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    ^I mentioned in Greater Than the Sum that Wes had attended the Picard-Crusher wedding.
     
  3. Paris

    Paris Commodore Commodore

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    ^There we go. I thought it may have been GTTS, but wasn't sure. Thanks for the confirmation Christopher :)
     
  4. Jarvisimo

    Jarvisimo Captain Captain

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    Isn't Wes mentioned as having visited the Picards after Rene's birth in one of the post-Destiny books too?
     
  5. Paris

    Paris Commodore Commodore

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    ^That sounds familiar too..
     
  6. CommodoreNero

    CommodoreNero Captain Captain

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    I did not like this one as much as the other two, to be honest. Not that it isn't well written, but I'm getting a bit worn out by the whole "THE WHOLE MULTIVERSE IS IN PERIL!" aspect of all these recent books. Between this and The Omega Continuum, I think I need more character-driven stuff and less massive plot for a bit.
     
  7. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I was thinking the same thing too, but I can't remember which book it is. I'm pretty sure there have been at least a couple references to them seeing Wes between books.
     
  8. BrentMc

    BrentMc Commander Red Shirt

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    I enjoyed the whole trilogy. I wish I had known to read Immortal Coil first. You may not have had to read it first, but I would of liked a heads up.

    I loved having Data reborn in a new body, although I thought about how it could disrespect the old Data if a copy of his memories in a new body is bringing him back... Would that suggest that he is nothing more that hardware and files? I remember when the book mentioned that his memories were saved but not his subroutines.

    It was fun to read what Dr. Soong did after faking his own death.
    I loved Geordi being in a good relationship.
    I liked Wesley's return and the homage to Wil Wheaton. My snarky comments about that got a retweet from David Mack on twitter. @BrentMcA
    I wish Data had gone to see Spot before he left.



    As much as I like the big cataclysmic event stories I think I would like to read more with exploration, ancient ruins, secret technology etc. Something like a James Rollins Novel. If you have not read him he is awesome! I think TITAN is more exploration oriented, so maybe I will get back to it soon. Does anyone have and recommendations for really good TOS, TNG books that sound like what I described?
     
  9. trash80

    trash80 Commander Red Shirt

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    Above Average ++, probably the best Trek book i've read since IFM / DTI

    Loved the massiveness of the themes and the lack of TP politics.
     
  10. Defcon

    Defcon Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Seems as if David has hit the NY Bestseller list again with this one.

    From Lucienne Diver's (his agent) Twitter:
     
  11. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Very cool. Congrats!
     
  12. Corran Horn

    Corran Horn Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Well deserved. Congrats!
     
  13. David Mack

    David Mack Writer Rear Admiral

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    Thanks, everyone — no matter in what format you purchased the book. :)
     
  14. Kertrats47

    Kertrats47 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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  15. Patrick O'Brien

    Patrick O'Brien Captain Captain

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    Congrats Dave! The recognition well deserved:bolian:
     
  16. Reanok

    Reanok Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Congratulations David.I really like the first novel about Data and can't wait to read the last 2 books in this series.:techman:
     
  17. Ronald Held

    Ronald Held Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Congratulations on making that list.
     
  18. Lord Lunacy

    Lord Lunacy Commander Red Shirt

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    Interesting read, especially seeing another construct from the machine race that upgraded Voyager...nice touch.
     
  19. Lord Lunacy

    Lord Lunacy Commander Red Shirt

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    Congrats on the list, well deserved.

    This is unrelated to the book, but I remember a galaxy full of Dyson's shells in it, will you be revisiting that particular galaxy in the future? Have I missed it in another novel perhaps?
     
  20. Thrawn

    Thrawn Rear Admiral Premium Member

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    I really liked this one. I'm surprised at the bleh reaction from a lot of people. I loved snarky, sure of himself Wesley Crusher, I thought the threat was poetic if not especially scary, and Data was fascinating.

    This whole trilogy felt like a novelization of the best three episodes from a whole TV season, in a really good way. Kept that TNG balance nicely of character piece / politics / sense-of-wonder in roughly equal parts (only leaving out the Planet Of The Week trope, which I'm thankful for), gave everyone a chance to shine or have some real development, lots of morality and contemplation of what it means to be human. Very TNG, very well done.

    The only thing that ends up bothering me in the final analysis is the Breen. I know Mack loves them, but it would've felt a little more TNG-like if we'd had a classic TNG adversary; the second book felt like it could've just as easily been Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Silent Weapons. But the political element there is consistent with a lot of political episodes on TNG, and so in the end it's still a nice balance.

    Great stuff. Not Destiny-great, but really solid.