TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!)

Sho · November 17 2012, 05:23 PM

One month after the well-received debut entry in the Cold Equations trilogy (which resulted in author David Mack's first stint on the New York Times bestseller list), we're back for the second chapter with Silent Weapons.

Official blurb time:

A WAR OF LIES

Three years after the disastrous final Borg Invasion, a bitter cold war against the Typhon Pact has pushed Starfleet’s resources to the breaking point. Now the rise of a dangerous new technology threatens to destroy the Federation from within.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise crew answer a distress call from an old friend, only to become targets in a deadly game of deception. To protect a vital diplomatic mission, they must find a way to identify the spies hiding in their midst, before it’s too late.

But Worf soon realizes the crew’s every move has been predicted: Someone is using them as pawns. And the closer they get to exposing their enemy, the deeper they spiral into its trap. . .

Sadly, no excerpt yet. It might appear on the Simon & Schuster book page within the next few days.

shanejayell · November 17 2012, 07:13 PM

Oooh. I'll start looking in book stores tomorrow, just in case.

JD · November 17 2012, 10:59 PM

FYI the official release date is Nov. 27, so it'll be available for e-readers/tablets then.

Lonemagpie · November 17 2012, 11:38 PM

Silent-but-deadly Weapons?

I'll get me coat...

shanejayell · November 20 2012, 10:22 PM

Got it, starting it today.

MatthiasRussell · November 21 2012, 01:49 AM

I love this cover. It looks like Picard is having his mind blown by a bunch of math problems.

Kertrats47 · November 21 2012, 01:49 AM

Wow, this is officially the earliest I've ever gotten a new release. Just picked this up from Coles in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Going to start it as soon as I finish The Hobbit, probably sometime this evening.

Ronald Held · November 21 2012, 08:44 PM

Got to wait until ths first download day....

rfmcdpei · November 22 2012, 03:44 AM

Wow. (That was my outstanding.)

Patrick O'Brien · November 23 2012, 05:52 AM

Maybe I should not be waiting for my kindle downloads? You guys get the book so much faster

Kertrats47 · November 23 2012, 07:07 AM

Patrick O'Brien wrote:

Maybe I should not be waiting for my kindle downloads? You guys get the book so much faster

I only recently moved back to Canada from Korea, and I remember the pain of having to wait for the Kobo edition to become available for download while seemingly everyone else on the forum already had their copies! I really do enjoy having the paper copy early now.

Titus Andronicus · November 23 2012, 04:25 PM

MatthiasRussell wrote:

I love this cover. It looks like Picard is having his mind blown by a bunch of math problems.

I think I had that look while taking my physics exam back in high school, lol!

But seriously I cannot wait for this new novel. I almost regret pre-ordering on my Nook, because I'm mighty tempted to just get the old fashioned paperback if I see it today!

Patrick O'Brien · November 24 2012, 01:58 PM

Three days until digital download

Paper Moon · November 25 2012, 03:38 AM

WOW!!

5 stars out of 5. Outstanding.

Just finished it, about 18 hours after finishing TPoM (about seven of those hours were spent sleeping), about 30 hours after getting both books from Barnes and Noble.

For those who are reading this in an e-mail digest (where spoiler tags don’t work):

MANY MANY MANY SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Literally cannot think of a single thing I did not like about this novel. Everything worked for me. There were a couple of things I was less crazy about while I was in the middle of the story

but even those elements became completely redeemed by the end of the story.

Worth saying that SW has redeemed key aspects of TPoM, raising my opinion of the latter (mainly by assuring that certain elements of the latter were indeed followed up on in the former).

Just listing off things that were great, off the top of my head, in no particular order and not representing a comprehensive list:

Mack struck a perfect balance between character moments and plot development, between big-picture and small-picture, between politics and action.

In my mind, this novel, on its own, has surpassed Destiny and Raise the Dawn. Silent Weapons is now the high bar against which I will compare subsequent Trek novels.

As I said, 5 stars out of 5. Outstanding.

Dsven43 · November 25 2012, 10:07 AM

Excellent book Mr Mack...as was the first one in the Trilogy. I really enjoyed it. I also like it when book stores in the US make a mistake and have it on the shelf a few days early. Picked it up Friday

Would someone be so kind and show me how to do the spoiler blocking? Is it in the advanced reply?
Nevermind figured it out about spoiler tag:-)

View Poll Results: Rate Silent Weapons.
Outstanding	36	46.15%
Above Average	30	38.46%
Average	10	12.82%
Below Average	1	1.28%
Poor	1	1.28%
Voters: 78. You may not vote on this poll

November 17 2012, 07:13 PM	#2
shanejayell Captain Location: BC, Canada	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) Oooh. I'll start looking in book stores tomorrow, just in case. __________________ Avatar: Priss Asagiri, Bubblegum Crisis

November 17 2012, 10:59 PM	#3
JD Admiral Location: Arizona, USA	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) FYI the official release date is Nov. 27, so it'll be available for e-readers/tablets then. __________________ Over the course of many encounters and many years, I have successfully developed a standard operating procedure for dealing with big, nasty monsters. Run away. Me and Monty Python. Harry Dresden - Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6)

November 17 2012, 11:38 PM	#4
Lonemagpie Writer Location: Yorkshire	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) Silent-but-deadly Weapons? I'll get me coat... __________________ "I got two modes with people- Bite, and Avoid" Reading: Mystery Man (Colin Bateman) Blog- http://lonemagpie.livejournal.com

November 20 2012, 10:22 PM	#5
shanejayell Captain Location: BC, Canada	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) Got it, starting it today. __________________ Avatar: Priss Asagiri, Bubblegum Crisis

STAR TREK

CSI

ABOUT US

November 21 2012, 01:49 AM	#6
MatthiasRussell Fleet Captain Location: Seattle	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) I love this cover. It looks like Picard is having his mind blown by a bunch of math problems. __________________ "Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers?"

November 21 2012, 01:49 AM	#7
Kertrats47 Fleet Captain Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) Wow, this is officially the earliest I've ever gotten a new release. Just picked this up from Coles in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Going to start it as soon as I finish The Hobbit, probably sometime this evening. __________________ Trek Lit Reviews (SCE #4: Interphase, Part I by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore - May 16) 2013 Pocket Books Star Trek Releases

November 21 2012, 08:44 PM	#8
Ronald Held Rear Admiral Location: On the USS Sovereign	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) Got to wait until ths first download day....

November 22 2012, 03:44 AM	#9
rfmcdpei Captain Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) Wow. (That was my outstanding.) Plenty of stuff on the internal affairs of the Gorn and the Breen, on technologies and characters seen in the previous volume, an appearance from the pleasingly moderate Praetor, and a setting largely based on the till-now unseen Orion homeworld? Piniero. Now who is Bacco going to banter with? Oh, also, everyone else in the Bank of Orion. Last edited by rfmcdpei; November 22 2012 at 03:44 AM. Reason: typo

November 23 2012, 05:52 AM	#10
Patrick O'Brien Captain Location: Brooklyn NY	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) Maybe I should not be waiting for my kindle downloads? You guys get the book so much faster __________________ The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe. -Dr. McCoy, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

November 24 2012, 01:58 PM	#13
Patrick O'Brien Captain Location: Brooklyn NY	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) Three days until digital download __________________ The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe. -Dr. McCoy, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

November 25 2012, 03:38 AM	#14
Paper Moon Commander	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) WOW!! 5 stars out of 5. Outstanding. Just finished it, about 18 hours after finishing TPoM (about seven of those hours were spent sleeping), about 30 hours after getting both books from Barnes and Noble. For those who are reading this in an e-mail digest (where spoiler tags don’t work): MANY MANY MANY SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. … … … DON’T SCROLL DOWN! … … … … … … … … … Literally cannot think of a single thing I did not like about this novel. Everything worked for me. There were a couple of things I was less crazy about while I was in the middle of the story (the Breen operatives’ handlers’ subplot occasionally was less interesting than I’d wished, and Crusher’s feelings towards Picard were annoying before they were explained [at which point they made absolutely 100% sense]), but even those elements became completely redeemed by the end of the story. Worth saying that SW has redeemed key aspects of TPoM, raising my opinion of the latter (mainly by assuring that certain elements of the latter were indeed followed up on in the former). Just listing off things that were great, off the top of my head, in no particular order and not representing a comprehensive list: -Chen in command -Bateson and USS Atlas cameo -Šmrhová; quite a change from Choudhury. Not sure I actually approve of her conduct (I hope La Forge shuts her down at some point for snapping her fingers at him; he’s got an extra pip on his collar, and that means stuff), but it made for a great read -Šmrhová strikes me a bit as a reimagining of Tasha Yar, as she would be done on TV today (in a good way) -Data and La Forge working together again -Data and the crew of Enterprise working together again. Eff yeah. -Data getting a proper send-off this time -Data finding his mother -Data 2.0 feels like an actual, organic growth from his predecessor, and was a joy to read -the wormhole ship from Rise Like Lions; one of the greatest surprises in all of Star Trek, if you ask me -Orion world-building -use of the Lore-droids as avatars -the attack on the bank -Data saving the day in the bank, especially the ending -the attempted assassination scene; jaw dropped when Piñiero pulled out the gun. It was chilling -Bacco’s eulogy -obviously Piñiero's death was an awful thing, but it was done extremely well, which made for a great story -Gorn as maybe-allies -strengthening of Gorn-Romulan relationships -Crusher’s concern about René’s developing social understanding -the last line of the book Mack struck a perfect balance between character moments and plot development, between big-picture and small-picture, between politics and action. In my mind, this novel, on its own, has surpassed Destiny and Raise the Dawn. Silent Weapons is now the high bar against which I will compare subsequent Trek novels. As I said, 5 stars out of 5. Outstanding. Last edited by Paper Moon; November 25 2012 at 03:39 AM. Reason: forgot something

November 25 2012, 10:07 AM	#15
Dsven43 Ensign	Re: TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!) Excellent book Mr Mack...as was the first one in the Trilogy. I really enjoyed it. I also like it when book stores in the US make a mistake and have it on the shelf a few days early. Picked it up Friday Would someone be so kind and show me how to do the spoiler blocking? Is it in the advanced reply? Nevermind figured it out about spoiler tag:-) Is the wreckage the Breen are excavating a ship in Rise Like Lions? If si which ship was it? I ask because I don't recall a ship going missing Last edited by Dsven43; November 25 2012 at 10:18 AM. Reason: Spelling and discovering the Spoiler tag:)