TNG: The Body Electric by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!)

[Sho]

Closing out the year is the final chapter in the Cold Equations trilogy penned by David Mack, The Body Electric (Bradbury or Whitman?). This one promises the return of one Wesley Crusher, continuing the trilogy's work to catch us up on some of the TNG characters we haven't seen in action in a while.

'... We have engaged the Blurb':

AT THE CENTER OF THE GALAXY . . .

A planet-sized Machine of terrifying power and unfathomable purpose hurls entire star systems into a supermassive black hole. Wesley Crusher, now a full-fledged Traveler, knows the Machine must be stopped . . . but he has no idea how.

Wesley must enlist the aid of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise crew, who also fail to halt the unstoppable alien juggernaut’s destructive labors. But they soon divine the Machine’s true purpose—-a purpose that threatens to exterminate all life in the Milky Way Galaxy. With time running out, Picard realizes he knows of only one person who might be able to stop the Machine in time to avert a galactic catastrophe—-if only he had any idea how to find him. . . .

THE CLIMAX OF A NEW TRILOGY BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF STAR TREK: DESTINY

Sadly no excerpt on the book's Simon & Schuster page at this time.

[Patrick O'Brien]

Looking forward to this one

[David Mack]

The Body Electric (Bradbury or Whitman?)

More Whitman, but also Peart.

[Mage]

This one certainly has the oddest title of any Trek book ever I think, with the exception of How Much For Just The Planet.

Looking forward to it though, since I feel this one

might finally have Picard deciding on retiring, after the omens in the last two books, and even some little hints in earlier novels, where Picard was wondering about family life and safety on a starship.

[zarkon]

Are we expecting the first copies to roll out to shelves before or after crimbo?

Mage wrote:

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This one certainly has the oddest title of any Trek book ever I think, with the exception of How Much For Just The Planet.

I dunno, some of the Bantam ones were pretty out there

Trek to Madworld
Spock Must Die!
Spock, Messiah!

Something something seventies I guess

[rahullak]

Ah just cannot wayt tah get ma haynds on this one!

[Reanok]

This novel is certainly at thr top of the list of Startrek books I've been wanting to get and read sometimeafter it finally comes out in a few weeks.Now if only first data novel would come in the mail so I can start read this trilogy at long last.

[Ronald Held]

Already ordered awaiting the download. I wonder who will die or be killed this time. Would we ever see the death of Flint?

[Sho]

Killing an immortal, how is a David Mack to resist?

[Eat-Da-Tribble]

I want to know what happen with SPOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just hope s/he won't die, so in the next book we will witness the fierce battle between Data and Worf to see who retains Spot's custody.

I don't want to wait until the 26.

O, please, I need spoilers... NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Emh]

I hope to get this book while I'm stateside for Christmas. I would hate having to wait for it to show up on base in Japan. They usually get Star Trek books two, three weeks after everyone else.

[rfmcdpei]

Who do I think might die?

It might well be Wesley. He's clearly an important character, not only to the plot but to the TNG crew, but not so important that he might not be disposed of. Meanwhile, Wesley is important to the family that Picard and Crusher are building up.

[rahullak]

<saves up popcorn to see the BBWC crowd fight it out and protest against the grossly unfair death of their beloved character>

[Emh]

rfmcdpei wrote:

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Who do I think might die?

It might well be Wesley. He's clearly an important character, not only to the plot but to the TNG crew, but not so important that he might not be disposed of. Meanwhile, Wesley is important to the family that Picard and Crusher are building up.

Now that you mentioned it, I wouldn't be surprised if Wesley is killed, but I suspect he won't die.

That being said, I do think someone of significance will die. First Jasminder Choudhury, then Esperanza Piñiero. I would be surprised if someone doesn't die in The Body Electric.

I'm currently rereading Immortal Coil (I couldn't before the trilogy because my copy was on the other side of the world at the time) and I really hope Rhea McAdams shows up.

[JD]

rfmcdpei wrote:

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Who do I think might die?

It might well be Wesley. He's clearly an important character, not only to the plot but to the TNG crew, but not so important that he might not be disposed of. Meanwhile, Wesley is important to the family that Picard and Crusher are building up.

I'm torn on this one. He's been a fairly minor character in the franchise for a while now, so his death won't have a big effect on the specific storyline (althought it obviously will on the characters). So on one hand he'd been easy to kill since it won't have a huge effect on any of the ongoing stories, but at the same time that could be a good reason not to kill him off and kill someone who's a bigger player instead.