VAN: Harbinger by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!)

[Sho]

^ It's hard to tell how I would have reacted to Vanguard's tone if I hadn't been informed of its later evolution ahead of time by you and Mr. Mack in the other thread. T'Prynn aside, it really didn't turn out to be a big issue for me in the end. With the others I found myself simply looking forward to their journey of self-discovery to come as they faced their hardships. So thanks again.

[neptu8]

Hah completely disagree, the thing I liked the most about it was T'Prynn!
I would love him to write a less subtle 'Dwellers in the Crucible' style novel focusing on her. Who needs other characters when you have a gay Vulcan.

[Sho]

For some reason "gay Vulcan" reminds me of that episode that had Tuvok laughing all the time ...

[Patrick O'Brien]

I like that Harbinger is dark. It was very different from your average Trek book. The character development in this series is awesome as a result.

[Skywalker]

I just finished earlier this evening, and I wish I'd read this book years ago, because I loved it! I think part of the reason I was so hesitant to try Vanguard was because the TOS era generally doesn't interest me all that much, but I could only ignore the glowing reviews for so long.

I enjoyed pretty much the entire cast of characters, particularly Tim Pennington and Cervantes Quinn. While I can't say I completely sympathized with Pennington every step of the way (which I figure was intentional), I found his storyline interesting and I enjoyed following his investigation of the Bombay's destruction. I also appreciated having a civilian as a major POV character, it was a nice change of pace from the norm. That's also part of the reason why I enjoyed Cervantes Quinn, but I'll admit that another big part of that was just because I love smartaleck characters of any type.

I did like Diego Reyes, but he didn't quite 'grab' me like I was expecting him to do, considering he's technically the "leading man." But Vanguard seems to be more of an ensemble than most Trek, so I wasn't too worried about it. His relationship with Rana Desai was interesting, and I like having a JAG officer as part of the main cast. I also enjoyed Zeke Fisher's kind of laid-back, easygoing personality, and I got a kick out of watching his plans for retirement completely fall apart. As for T'Prynn, I wouldn't exactly say I like her, but I do find her intriguing.

As I was reading Harbinger, I actually kind of felt like I was watching a two-hour pilot for a TV series. That's just how it felt for me. I don't know if that was intentional on David Mack's part, given his TV background, but either way I think it actually enhanced my enjoyment of the novel.

[David Mack]

^ I'd say you received the story exactly as it was intended, and your reactions to all the characters (including Diego Reyes, who is meant to be complicated and difficult to get a read on) are spot-on. Glad you enjoyed Harbinger, and I hope you get to read the rest of the series.

[MatthiasRussell]

Keep reading Skywalker. They get better with every book.

[Skywalker]

David Mack wrote:

---

^ I'd say you received the story exactly as it was intended, and your reactions to all the characters (including Diego Reyes, who is meant to be complicated and difficult to get a read on) are spot-on. Glad you enjoyed Harbinger, and I hope you get to read the rest of the series.

I certainly plan to! Thanks for writing such a fun book and for creating such an interesting group of characters. I tore through Harbinger faster than anything else I've read anything in a long time.

[Patrick O'Brien]

^I envy you skywalker, you get to read the next six books for the first time in a row. I know you will enjoy them as much as we all have Have fun and keep posting your observations.

[JD]

Skywalker wrote:

---

I just finished earlier this evening, and I wish I'd read this book years ago, because I loved it! I think part of the reason I was so hesitant to try Vanguard was because the TOS era generally doesn't interest me all that much, but I could only ignore the glowing reviews for so long.

I enjoyed pretty much the entire cast of characters, particularly Tim Pennington and Cervantes Quinn. While I can't say I completely sympathized with Pennington every step of the way (which I figure was intentional), I found his storyline interesting and I enjoyed following his investigation of the Bombay's destruction. I also appreciated having a civilian as a major POV character, it was a nice change of pace from the norm. That's also part of the reason why I enjoyed Cervantes Quinn, but I'll admit that another big part of that was just because I love smartaleck characters of any type.

I did like Diego Reyes, but he didn't quite 'grab' me like I was expecting him to do, considering he's technically the "leading man." But Vanguard seems to be more of an ensemble than most Trek, so I wasn't too worried about it. His relationship with Rana Desai was interesting, and I like having a JAG officer as part of the main cast. I also enjoyed Zeke Fisher's kind of laid-back, easygoing personality, and I got a kick out of watching his plans for retirement completely fall apart. As for T'Prynn, I wouldn't exactly say I like her, but I do find her intriguing.

As I was reading Harbinger, I actually kind of felt like I was watching a two-hour pilot for a TV series. That's just how it felt for me. I don't know if that was intentional on David Mack's part, given his TV background, but either way I think it actually enhanced my enjoyment of the novel.

Honestly, I had a lot of the same feelings about the characters during Harbinger, but by the end of Summon the Thunder, I had fallen for everybody, including Reyes and T'Prynn. At this point, I love them just as much as the TNG and DS9 casts.