Spoilers TNG: Takedown by John Jackson Miller Review Thread

[2of1million]

Every trek book I bought last year at my local Chapters was early. I felt so lucky. Everything was showing up one-two weeks early. And now TNG: Takedown, the first book of 2015, isn't at any store locations on the day of release, and none showed up early. I guess my luck has dried up

Still not available in any Chapters/Indigo stores from what I can see. I wonder what is going on here?? I really want to get back into buying the paperbacks, but looks like I have to go with the ebook again. *sigh*

 

[Ronald Held]

About a fifth through and do not know what to make of the story.

I think that's by design

40% in and it still makes little sense.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

About a fifth through and do not know what to make of the story.

I think that's by design

40% in and it still makes little sense.

You're not far from the point where EVERYTHING starts to make sense, all more-or-less at once.

 

[Cyfa]

Just finished it tonight, and liked it very much

I can see in the thread people picking on some continuity errors, like wrong date of the Khitomer Accords. Fortunately, I don't have all Trek dates memorised, so I didn't noticed nor cared
The only thing that disagreed with me was a suggestion that

Spoiler: little thingy

Dr. Tarses could mind meld with Riker. How would a 1/4 Romulan, 3/4 human meld with anyone?

Sovak the Vulcan could easily replace him here.

But this super-minor detail was quickly forgotten among other yummy continuity cookies, playing on an episode, one-time race, and generally bringing something new to something old from the Trek universe.

Yes, that particular detail distracted me for a little while, too. However...

Spoiler: Hybridisation

Tarses' hybrid nature may well afford him abilities such as the mind meld. Who knows what Romulan/Vulcanoid genes may get a "boost" from some pesky human genetic material?
Besides, maybe the telepathy comes from his human side, just like Dr. Miranda Jones'?

 

[JoeZhang]

Just a minor thing (which might be resolved because I'm not at the end yet) - I could be wrong about this but anyone noticed that the TNG era books keep promising that characters are going to get back to exploration after intrigue and war but we never get there? There is always some reason why they have to put it off.

 

[Stoek]

PS.: I'm sorry for the late thread - life ...

Life? Don't talk to me about life!

Seriously though, I really thoroughly enjoyed this book. The pacing was perfect, and it felt very much like an episode of TNG. I appreciate that we are not spoon fed everything. I am very much looking forward to Mr. Miller's next Trek effort.

 

[Ronald Held]

Two thirds in is too long to find out the entity responsible but not the rationale for what it is doing.

 

[Marika]

Outstanding !!!

This would be maybe my longest post lol not that i write too much

My life;s story is that in school what i hated so much after being forced to memorize entire pages of poetry - which now i hate will all my heart - and commenting about what the author tries to say and to try a text structuring . UGH!

For me when reading a book always counted other factors like:

1. The blurb is important . it's the blurb that catches my eye first and JJM Takedown blurb was interesting .

2. The first chapter is also important because it must keep me glued on the pages and make me want to read more . The first chapter i was like ( WTF is going on?)

3. Like i have said in another post of mine, the book must not be very melodramatic and sad , i hate sad things

Takedown was awesome because JJM knew how to combine serious with funny . The scene were Dax and her crew talks about how to talk to Enterprise ? I was laughing alone looking at my phone . Brilliant!

4 . No important character dies! Of course i still keep the grudge over Jasminder's death!!!! I mean really??? Poor Worf had 3 women dead more or less he being responsible or not . Now he won't get close to a woman again, less one under his command !!!! You guys mistreated his psyche XD

5 The end . It was unexpected and i appreciate that.


When i first started to read i was : What is going on? Riker is going crazy? What kind of books is this?

by 25% in the book my opinion became uhm.. looks good
half of it i was sold
the end i was like // please not be a holodeck simulation!!!! I wasn't dissapointed

Now , we only need that AVENTINE starts having it's own adventures

Thank you JJM

 

[aj1981]

After reading Cold Equations I wanted to make a Worf "Can't Catch A Break!" t-shirt. In the scheme of things I didn't see the point of killing Choudhury off, it didn't really further the story and hasn't really been visited since

 

[Jedi Ben]

For those of you for whom this is the first time reading JJM, consider checking out his Star Wars work, it's mostly excellent! (There's only one work I'd be hesitant to recommend but it's only one.)

As to this book, a damn good read.

The handling of it was well done too. This could easily have a been a deadly serious, spectre of war thriller, but it doesn't do that. Instead, from the off we know there's something not quite right with Riker, but Dax is hesitant to question due to her experiences in The Fall.

Similarly with Picard and Worf, they don't play the superhero card beloved of Marvel, that sees people that know each other very well over years suddenly turn on each other with huge amounts of violence. Nah, they know something's up. It helps that Riker has been attacking with zero casualties, which gets Picard's attention in the right way.

One of the sequences I liked most was at the end in the way JJM contrasts the Federation and Romulus in how they treat the affected people - Riker is assessed, deemed fit for returning to duty and that's it. Bretorious? Is utterly screwed by a system that has a very sadistic side to it. That he's happy about it because his wife and in-laws have been done over by it is a well-placed bit of gallows humour.

 

[JoeZhang]

I thought this was somewhere in the middle - it starts strong and the mystery of what is happening is quite good, however as the novel progresses and we get more information, the actual 'solution' I found quite dull - that particular group of aliens I don't find very interesting.

 

[Jedi Ben]

I can't say I found the Cytherians that interesting either, but I liked the central idea that they were operating on precedent knowledge that was heavily out-of-date, so much so they nearly set the galaxy ablaze without any intent to do so.

 

[The Wormhole]

After reading Cold Equations I wanted to make a Worf "Can't Catch A Break!" t-shirt. In the scheme of things I didn't see the point of killing Choudhury off, it didn't really further the story and hasn't really been visited since

As far as that novel went, it served the short term by adding drama of having an established character who the reader knows and cares about killed as opposed to some random redshirt.

 

[Csalem]

I really enjoyed this book. As much as I enjoy the continuity heavy arcs like The Fall, it was nice to have this stand-alone story that did not rely too much on what had gone before. It was like a good, old-fashioned Star Trek romp. Certainly look forward to more ST books from this author.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

the end i was like // please not be a holodeck simulation!!!!

My sentiments exactly.

 

[MNM]

I thought it was average.

The plot itself was interesting, as was the use of the Cyntherians. But for whatever reason I dont think it was realised all that well.

There were way too many call backs to previous episodes for me and a few too many "old terran sayings...".

Also I felt that a lot of the characters were...... off for want of a better word. Not really in what they did but in what they said and how they said it.

I also have no real need to read about anyone calling anyone a "good egg" again.

That said, I do love the Aventine and Captain Dax.

 

[Ronald Held]

I am not fully convinced it was not a Starfleet holodeck training exercise gone awry.

 

[aj1981]

Finished it a couple of days ago and when I stopped "rivet counting" (I love that phrase) I really started enjoying the book, especially the last five or so chapters. It felt like a real TNG story which can't always be said of every novel published over the last few years. For me some have just been action sci-fi stories simply using Trek settings also some have veered a little to close to fan fiction for my liking. Another reason I like this book was no Rene Picard. I can understand the editorial team at Pocket wanted to give Picard a happy ending (no pun intended) with Beverly but I've always felt it reared into fan fic territory giving them a child. I know that it has been established in dialogue on TV that humans in the 24th century routinely live into their 140's or older but at 57 maybe Crusher was a little old for kids. I can't criticize Picard at 76 as in the real world James Doohan had a child at 80. Then there's the fact he's named for a lot of dead people, you can almost imagine the conversation when he's older:

Rene: "Father, Who am I named after?"
Picard: "Why your cousin Rene of course!"
Rene: "I've never met him have I Father, Could I meet him?"
Picard: "Err..I'm afraid he died before you were born"
Rene: "How did he die Father?"
Picard: "He burned to death in a fire"
Rene: "Oh, my middle name is Robert, who is that for?"
Picard: "Why your Uncle Robert, my brother of course!"
Rene: "Can I meet him Father?"
Picard: "Err.. I'm afraid he died too"
Rene: "How?"
Picard: "In a fire"
Rene: "The same one as cousin Rene?"
Picard: "Yes"
Rene: "Oh, my next middle name is Jacques, who that for?"
Picard:"Thats for your mother's first husband Jack, your brother Wesley's father"
Rene: "Can I meet him?"
Picard: "Err.. Well the thing is he died too"
Rene: "Oh, my last middle name is Francois, is he dead too?"
Picard: "No Rene, we chose that because it sounded French!"

 

[Enterprise1701]

^And according to Star Trek Online - The Needs of the Many, Rene Picard marries Natasha Riker-Troi.

On a different subject, I like how Takedown uses the No'Var Outpost from KRAD's Myriad Universes - A Gutted World. It's only the second appearance of the No'Var Outpost in all of the novelverse.

 

[Idran]

Another reason I like this book was no Rene Picard. I can understand the editorial team at Pocket wanted to give Picard a happy ending (no pun intended) with Beverly but I've always felt it reared into fan fic territory giving them a child. I know that it has been established in dialogue on TV that humans in the 24th century routinely live into their 140's or older but at 57 maybe Crusher was a little old for kids. I can't criticize Picard at 76 as in the real world James Doohan had a child at 80.

I don't understand; are you objecting by biology or by age? Because I don't see how either would be an issue in the 24th century as shown. For age, they'll both be around for a significant part of Rene's life still. For biology, we're already making inroads towards controlling the ovulation cycle even with present-day medicine, there's no reason to think that trend wouldn't continue into the future.

Then there's the fact he's named for a lot of dead people, you can almost imagine the conversation when he's older:

That's how a lot of people are named in real life, though; they're named to memorialize lost friends and family.