Spoilers TNG: A Singular Destiny by Keith R.A. DeCandido review thread

[KRAD]

Finished this yesterday, and loved it! A very fitting follow-up to the Destingy trilogy.

Thanks!

I do hope we get to see him again. I had thought that after his success, Bacco might have invited him back as a full-time advisor, but in the end he seemed to be back to his overview history course. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Mars isn't that far from Earth, so it's easy enough for him to come and serve again.

I also liked the looks into the lives of the Gorkon and SCE crews in the post-Destiny timeframe. Now, I admit I'm way behind on SCE. Was the Corsi/Stevens marriage, and Stevens' transfer to the Musgrave covered in the series itself, or is it new material for ASD?

The latter.

Kudos to KRAD for another excellent read!

Again, thanks!

- My favourite joke in the book? Altoss's line, after discovering the Battlecruiser Vengeance novels: "Who would read books based on a serial drama?" Classic, sir, just classic!

 

[DEWLine]

I'll say it again: we need a new map.

 

[William Leisner]

One of the things I wanted to comment on was that the destruction seemed so much... um... BIGGER than what I recall seeing in Destiny itself. Maybe I need to go back and reread the trilogy, but what I thought I recall was that a few minor planets with minimal populations were hit hard, then Deneva was obliterated, then the major homeworld planets either had a small portion of their surface attacked before the Borg turned around, or they weren't hit at all.

No, it's consistent. Deneva was the one obliterated world that was focused on and actually visited, but it's one of many that were destroyed (including Barolia and Acamar, the first two targets, which were wiped out at the end of Greater Than the Sum). And Destiny did show some pretty major devastation on Vulcan, Andor, etc. If the destruction seemed less severe to you in DES, it must've just been because there was so much going on at once that you didn't have time to pause and examine just how devastating it was, except on Deneva.

What Christopher said. President Bacco says at the end of Lost Souls that there's a "dead zone" extending for 100 light-years around the Azure Nebula -- that's a lot of real estate, and you can fit a lot of planets into a region of that size.

 

[Sci]

One of the things I wanted to comment on was that the destruction seemed so much... um... BIGGER than what I recall seeing in Destiny itself. Maybe I need to go back and reread the trilogy, but what I thought I recall was that a few minor planets with minimal populations were hit hard, then Deneva was obliterated, then the major homeworld planets either had a small portion of their surface attacked before the Borg turned around, or they weren't hit at all.

You need to re-read the trilogy. Seven thousand Borg cubes were established to be running around destroying planets all will-nilly, with 63 billion deaths. It wasn't "a few minor planets" -- they pretty much ran around saying that all sorts of planets were being destroyed and they couldn't even keep up with it all. Deneva was one of a number of worlds Destiny established to have been destroyed.

With regards to the attacks on the core worlds that Hernandez disrupted, it's important to remember that it wasn't just a small section of each planet that was attacked. There were fleets of usually around ten ships for each world, deployed all over those worlds' orbits in order to exterminate the surfaces. Hernandez disrupted the attacks before the exterminations could be completed, but that doesn't mean that those worlds weren't devastated. London wasn't exterminated during the blitz, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't decimated.

For the record, so far, this is what I have as far as the damage report for known space goes:

Confirmed Exterminated:
Ramatis (UFP)
Acamar (Independent)
Deneva (UFP)
Khitomer (Klingon)
Beta Thoridor (Klingon)
Adelphous IV
Devnar IV
Alrond (Andorian colony world)
T’Khut (Vulcan sister planet colony)
Sherman’s Planet (UFP)
Rhaandarel (UFP)


Believed Exterminated
Coridan (UFP)
Risa (UFP)
Regulus (UFP)
Korvat (UFP)
Barolia (Independent)
Yridia (Independent)
Hyralan
Celes
Japori II
Gamma Hromi II
H’Atoria (Klingon)
Beta Lankal (Klingon)
Mempa (Klingon)
Rura Pente (Klingon)
Nequencia Alpha (IRS)
Xarantine (UFP)
Jouret (UFP)
Pandril (UFP)
Several dozen smaller Klingon colonies

Devestated
(Attacks Interrupted)
Qo’noS (Klingon)
Vulcan (UFP)
Andor (UFP)
Tellar (UFP)
Rigel (UFP)
Ardana (UFP)
Morska (Klingon)

Attacked – Status Unknown
Aldebaaren (UFP)
Nausicaa (Independent)
Elas

Targeted – Status Unknown
Gorath
Elas
Ajilon
Archanis
Castor
Alrond

Targeted – Spared All Damage
Troyius
Earth (UFP)
Luna (UFP)
Mars (UFP)

Never Hit
Cestus III (UFP)

Confirmed Survived
(Damage Unknown)
Cestus (UFP)
Alonis (UFP)
Bolarus (UFP)
Zalda (UFP)

Prominent Federation Deaths
Federation Starfleet Admiral Owen Paris of Earth
Former Federation Councillor Charivretha zh’Thane of Andor
Federation Starfleet Captain Alex Terapane (C.O., USS Musashi)
Daughter of the Fourth House of Betazed Ione Kitain of Deneva
Deneva Civil Defense Corps Officer Elieth (Homeworld: Vulcan)
Federation Starfleet Lieutenant Command T’Lana of Vulcan
Federation Starfleet Lieutenant Zelik Leybenzon of Gault
Former Federation Starfleet Lieutenant and Maquis operative B’Elanna Torres of Kessik
Federation Councillor Nerramibus of Alonis
Federation Starfleet Captain George Sanders

 

[Paris]

...Prominent Federation Deaths
Federation Starfleet Admiral Owen Paris of Earth
Former Federation Councillor Charivretha zh’Thane of Andor
Federation Starfleet Captain Alex Terapane (C.O., USS Musashi)
Daughter of the Fourth House of Betazed Ione Kitain of Deneva
Deneva Civil Defense Corps Officer Elieth (Homeworld: Vulcan)
Federation Starfleet Lieutenant Command T’Lana of Vulcan
Federation Starfleet Lieutenant Zelik Leybenzon of Gault
Former Federation Starfleet Lieutenant and Maquis operative B’Elanna Torres of Kessik
Federation Councillor Nerramibus of Alonis
Federation Starfleet Captain George Sanders

One to not forget is...

Miral Paris, daughter of Lt.Cmdr. Thomas Paris of Earth and Former Federation Starfleet Lieutenant (Commander)and Maquis operative B’Elanna Torres of Kessik, and perhaps, the Kuvah'magh of Klingon prophecy

 

[LutherSloan]

I finished 'ASD' last night, and I was very happy with how it turned out. It's a strong story that delves somewhat into the aftermath of 'Destiny', although it would probably take 3-4 books to cover ALL the devastation that the Borg caused in total.

There were a lot of interesting little tidbits scattered throughout the book. One of them was of course the now-infamous casualty list. The other was a counselor's report mentioning that a Starfleet away team encountered a group of liberated ex-Borg, and one of the security officers preceded to kill them all unprovoked. It was certainly a dark side of humanity that was bound to occur at some point (although the person in question MIGHT have been a Vulcan, I am not 100% sure...). Little things like this and other news reports/transmissions that were placed inbetween chapters give an interesting view of events.

I have to say, while I did like the idea of the Typhon Pact, I find it VERY unlikely, especially given their history, that the Tholians would ally with ANYONE. I understand the reasoning that they gave, except that it still doesn't fly with me. It's also somewhat odd that the Gorn would make a move like this, although I know very little of them. As mentioned in 'ASD', now-President Bacco had helped out the Gorn herself when she was still the head of the Cestus government. The others were not all that surprising. The Tzenkethi have always been hostile towards the Federation, along with the Romulans, Breen, and Tholians. The Kinshaya were an interesting addition to this pact, but I assume their primary motivation was to gain allies to fight the Klingons (as we witness when the Tzenkethi, Gorn, and Breen vessels attack the IKS Gorkon's task force sent to retake Krios from the Kinshaya).

I thought it was interesting that we might see an expansion of the Khitomer Accords to involve the Cardassians, the Imperial Romulan State (or as I call them, the Cool Romulans ), the Ferengi, and the Talarians. It's somewhat surprising to me how quickly the Talarians have forgotten about the war they waged with the Federation in the early 2360s (or late 2350s). I thought that the Talarians, considering their somewhat aggressive nature, might have been in the Typhon Pact instead of the Gorn.

I would say that the only downside of this book to me was the fact that we are going to have to wait to see a continuation of the new AQ order.

Otherwise, I give it a 9/10.

 

[rfmcdpei]

What Christopher said. President Bacco says at the end of Lost Souls that there's a "dead zone" extending for 100 light-years around the Azure Nebula -- that's a lot of real estate, and you can fit a lot of planets into a region of that size.

I took the "100 light years" bit to be metaphorical: Wouldn't Earth be within a hundred light years of the Azure Nebula?

That said, well, the butcher's bill is unimaginably huge.

 

[Elemental]

I just picked up this book today and am greatly looking forward to picking up in the fallout of the post-Destiny world!

 

[Corran Horn]

...Prominent Federation Deaths
Federation Starfleet Admiral Owen Paris of Earth
Former Federation Councillor Charivretha zh’Thane of Andor
Federation Starfleet Captain Alex Terapane (C.O., USS Musashi)
Daughter of the Fourth House of Betazed Ione Kitain of Deneva
Deneva Civil Defense Corps Officer Elieth (Homeworld: Vulcan)
Federation Starfleet Lieutenant Command T’Lana of Vulcan
Federation Starfleet Lieutenant Zelik Leybenzon of Gault
Former Federation Starfleet Lieutenant and Maquis operative B’Elanna Torres of Kessik
Federation Councillor Nerramibus of Alonis
Federation Starfleet Captain George Sanders

One to not forget is...

Miral Paris, daughter of Lt.Cmdr. Thomas Paris of Earth and Former Federation Starfleet Lieutenant (Commander)and Maquis operative B’Elanna Torres of Kessik, and perhaps, the Kuvah'magh of Klingon prophecy

Yeah, don't hold your breath on those last 2 being dead.

 

[KRAD]

I finished 'ASD' last night, and I was very happy with how it turned out. It's a strong story that delves somewhat into the aftermath of 'Destiny', although it would probably take 3-4 books to cover ALL the devastation that the Borg caused in total.

Thanks!

The other was a counselor's report mentioning that a Starfleet away team encountered a group of liberated ex-Borg, and one of the security officers preceded to kill them all unprovoked.

Heh. Yeah, I figured there'd be some of that goin' 'round, too. I was trying to cover as many possible permutations of this as possible, drawing at least in part on my own experiences living in New York City on and after 11 September 2001.

It was certainly a dark side of humanity that was bound to occur at some point (although the person in question MIGHT have been a Vulcan, I am not 100% sure...).

The guy's name was Nakahara, which is a common Japanese name. Of course he was human......

I have to say, while I did like the idea of the Typhon Pact, I find it VERY unlikely, especially given their history, that the Tholians would ally with ANYONE. I understand the reasoning that they gave, except that it still doesn't fly with me.

Well, I explained their reasons through Tezrene -- it's enlightened self-interest on their part. Keep in mind that, as of ASD, the pact is, like, five minutes old, and it formed under extreme circumstances. It'll be fun to see how things play out as time goes on.................

It's also somewhat odd that the Gorn would make a move like this, although I know very little of them. As mentioned in 'ASD', now-President Bacco had helped out the Gorn herself when she was still the head of the Cestus government.

Why wouldn't they?

It's somewhat surprising to me how quickly the Talarians have forgotten about the war they waged with the Federation in the early 2360s (or late 2350s). I thought that the Talarians, considering their somewhat aggressive nature, might have been in the Typhon Pact instead of the Gorn.

A bit of inside baseball, here: Early on, I was considering having the Talarians be part of the Pact (in addition to the Gorn, actually -- the Gorn were always going to be part) and Dave Mack was the one who talked me out of it. His argument convinced me, certainly...

Otherwise, I give it a 9/10.

Cool beanies!

 

[Christopher]

I took the "100 light years" bit to be metaphorical: Wouldn't Earth be within a hundred light years of the Azure Nebula?

Maybe. The 2-dimensional projection of the Azure Nebula's position in Star Charts is within the 100-ly circle out from Earth, but we don't know how far "above" or "below" the plane of the page the actual nebula is (since it's an imaginary nebula, or rather, one that doesn't exist until the mid-22nd century).

 

[KRAD]

Just finished it, and though I expect I'll blather at more length soon,

I look forward to your blathering.

Oh, and maybe I'm a fanwanksta,

NEW FAVORITE WORD!!!!!!!111111!!!!!!1111eleventy-one!!!

I also appreciated the chance to get to know Captain Ezri Dax a bit better; I think some of the people who had concerns about her may find a few questions answered.

From your mouth...

 

[JD]

Even though I've just started the book, I already really like the fact that this book really is showing us what's happening all around the galaxy, instead of just focusing on the Federation or Sonek's perspectives. It really does help to show just how widespread, and destructive the Borg invasion was.

 

[Enterpriserules]

When the U.S.S. Voyager is dispatched on an urgent mission to the planet Kerovi, Captain Chakotay and his first officer, Commander Thomas Paris, must choose between following orders and saving the lives of two of those dearest to them. B'Elanna Torres and her daughter, Miral, are both missing in the wake of a brutal attack on the Klingon world of Boreth. With the aid of their former captain, Admiral Kathryn Janeway -- as well as many old friends and new allies -- Voyager's crew must unravel an ancient mystery, placing themselves between two warrior sects battling for the soul of the Klingon people ...while the life of Mirl hangs in the balance. But these events and their repurcussions are merely the prelude to even darker days to come. As Voyager is drawn into a desperate struggle to prevent the annihilation of the Federation, lives are shattered, and the bonds that were forged in the Delta Quadrant are challenged in ways that none could have imagined. For though destiny has dealt them crushing blows, Voyager's crew must rise to face their future ...and begin a perilous journey in which the wheel of fate comes full circle.

This is the blurb for Full Circle, it seems like Torres and her daughter are still, not quite dead. And who knows, maybe even Janeway too.

 

[Christopher]

This is the blurb for Full Circle, it seems like Torres and her daughter are still, not quite dead. And who knows, maybe even Janeway too.

Full Circle begins in 2378, after the Spirit Walk duology, and ends after Destiny. So it covers a period wherein we know for a fact that all those characters were still alive, but that doesn't say anything about their fate by the end of the book.

 

[Stevil2001]

^ Yeah, the part of the blurb that mentions the Torreses also mentions Janeway, after all.

 

[Enterpriserules]

This is the blurb for Full Circle, it seems like Torres and her daughter are still, not quite dead. And who knows, maybe even Janeway too.

Full Circle begins in 2378, after the Spirit Walk duology, and ends after Destiny. So it covers a period wherein we know for a fact that all those characters were still alive, but that doesn't say anything about their fate by the end of the book.

That is true, but it also leaves the door wide open for anything, and I like that. I am actually quite sad that the big deaths seem to keep coming from Voyager, I really liked Tom and Torres, so I am hoping that she is not dead.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

OK, i got this book some time ago. Finished it in a week. I simply could not put it down! I loved the explanations between the chapters. Those were really cool and gave us an insight into what other individuals were up to, and of course, the oft-mentioned casualty list. When i saw those names, i took another look. And another. i was like, "Oh no he didn't!" In a good way though. As for the Typhon Pact, great idea. Completely surround the Federation and her allies. Oh btw, nice to see Rom is still in power.

 

[JD]

When the U.S.S. Voyager is dispatched on an urgent mission to the planet Kerovi, Captain Chakotay and his first officer, Commander Thomas Paris, must choose between following orders and saving the lives of two of those dearest to them. B'Elanna Torres and her daughter, Miral, are both missing in the wake of a brutal attack on the Klingon world of Boreth. With the aid of their former captain, Admiral Kathryn Janeway -- as well as many old friends and new allies -- Voyager's crew must unravel an ancient mystery, placing themselves between two warrior sects battling for the soul of the Klingon people ...while the life of Mirl hangs in the balance. But these events and their repurcussions are merely the prelude to even darker days to come. As Voyager is drawn into a desperate struggle to prevent the annihilation of the Federation, lives are shattered, and the bonds that were forged in the Delta Quadrant are challenged in ways that none could have imagined. For though destiny has dealt them crushing blows, Voyager's crew must rise to face their future ...and begin a perilous journey in which the wheel of fate comes full circle.

This is the blurb for Full Circle, it seems like Torres and her daughter are still, not quite dead. And who knows, maybe even Janeway too.

Just out of curiosity, where did you find this?

 

[LightningStorm]

Just out of curiosity, where did you find this?

I don't know where Enterpriserules specifically found it, but it was posted here waaaay back in November. And confirmed by Kirsten that it was accurate (sans the typos in that link).