I don't post much here but feel compelled to do so in this thread. I have read so many of the Coda threads and have been struggling to figure out how I feel about Coda as a whole. What is below may simply be a bit of stream of consciousness rambling, but it probably is the best I can do.
I will start by saying that I consider the "Time's Arrow" episodes of TNG to be among the weakest of the cliffhanger two-parters in the series. They never resonated with me and I found the Devidians to be a very weak and underdeveloped species/enemy. So, the choice of using them as being the ultimate enemy in Coda already turned me toward the negative side of things. To go further, I saw very little resemblance between the "Time's Arrow" Devidians and the Coda Devidians. They could have been completely different for all that I saw any resemblance. I know some of that was explained in Coda, but it just didn't click for me.
I will agree with much of what others have said. The relentless death and the overwhelming sense of finality that permeated these books just wore on and wore on. I completely understand that our heroes are making the ultimate sacrifice, nobly pushing past their own hopelessness in order for the greater whole to survive.There is, most assuredly, something beyond noble in that and I thought the various authors (especially Mr. Mack) brought this through admirably. But, it was not well balanced against the relentlessness of the death and destruction. Yes, we are talking about the end of...everything. That is, by definition, death and destruction. But, it seemed to be mostly what the books were about.
Others have already pointed out how the battles between our characters and the Nagas just ended up being repetitive. I agree. Honestly, I came to think that if I never hear the word "Naga" again, it will be much too soon. I wanted more. I completely understood how overwhelming the Nagas were and the stakes associated with that. I didn't need to be continuously reminded if it. I would have much preferred, even in the context knowing that everything was going to end, to have so many more quiet moments with our characters. I wanted to see how this was affecting their relationships and how they were dealing with that. I wanted to give them their final moments with those that they loved and have it be something more than sacrifice. Instead, what I kept feeling was I was being told "and then this happened and then this other thing happened and then this thing that was very much like the prior thing happened" etc, etc, etc.
Don't get me wrong. I think the books were very well written within the context of what they were. Instead, I am saying that that context was off the mark.
I very much enjoy going back and re-reading books. I have nearly ever Star Trek novel ever published (I'm not going to claim I have them all, but I do have the vast majority) and I have read most of those books at least twice, if not more. But, I can honestly say I don't think I will re-read Coda. It truly did not resonate with me in a way that makes me want to revisit it.
As others have said, we don't know what the marching orders were that were provided to the authors from the publisher and from CBS. But, I would have vastly preferred there to be some grand final adventure, that had very real stakes (even to the potential loss some of our beloved characters), but was eventually overcome through these characters working together and being hopeful. The ending would then imply that their own adventures would continue, but that they were in a place now where we would not be revisiting them. And, I would have much preferred this grand tale to involve the TrekLit characters to a much higher degree in relation to the TV characters than what we got here. The purpose here was to wrap up the TrekLit continuity after all, so those characters unique to that continuity should have had a much bigger role to play.
But, that's not what we got. And, it is what it is.
I am sorry if this sounds like I don't appreciate the effort that the authors made to provide us with some sort of closure. I actually do very much appreciate that effort. They obviously felt they were telling the best tale they could to provide closure. Just because it didn't appeal to me doesn't invalidate the hard work they put into it. Heck, I am not an author and I cannot pretend to tell them how to do their jobs. So, I do want to say "Thank you" for the work and the opportunity.
And, I do want to end on a high note. Mr. Mack, the ending you provided to your book, the trilogy and, indeed, all of TrekLit was an immensely beautiful thing. Getting the chance to read so many of Picard's "memories" and then getting to see Benny Russell transition from TrekLit into the begnning of the PIC story did—genuinely—bring tears to my eyes. If nothing else, the trilogy was worth it for those last few pages alone.
