Destiny: Gods of Night by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!)

[The Nth Doctor]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny - Gods Of Night REVIEW (NOTE: SPOILERS ABROAD!!

Since we already have a review thread on this book, I'm going to merge the two.

 

[JeremyW]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny - Gods Of Night REVIEW (NOTE: SPOILERS ABROAD!!

Okay...sounds good.

 

[David Mack]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny - Gods Of Night REVIEW (NOTE: SPOILERS ABROAD!!

This was the book where Geddy Lee joined Starfleet, right?

Indeed. And look for namesakes of his cohorts hidden elsewhere in the narrative....

 

[Judith Sisko]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny - Gods Of Night REVIEW (NOTE: SPOILERS ABROAD!!

**********************************

Phew! Now that that's done with, let the discussion begin. Anybody who wants it in its non-chopped mode, email me and I'll send the document over to you. Feel free to use at your leisure.

Wow. Just...wow. I've already read the book twice. Now I think I'm going to go back and read it a third time with your notes at my side.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[casey]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I have been lurking for a long time, but decided that Destiny is enough to bring me out of hiding and finally register.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I ended up reading it in one sitting, even though I wanted to space it out so I did not have to wait as long for Mere Mortals but I simply couldn't do it.

First the Dax storyline. I am liking her as captain. I admit to being a bit skeptical at first, but it immediately worked when I started reading it.

Second, I really liked the Columbia storyline. I didn't particularly like Hernandez in Enterprise and didn't really find her or her crew all that interesting in Kobayashi Maru, but David did an excellent job with her characterization her. And I found this storyline to be a standout for me. I really enjoyed the Caeliar and found them to be a believable representation of what such an advanced race might be capable of. I think the continuation of their story is what I am most excited about for the next book.

Finally I also thought the Troi/Riker issues were well handled. My wife and I are dealing with somewhat similiar issues (well, minus genetic damage from being impregnated by an alien) and this really resonated with me. And I found myself understanding the reactions of both Troi and Riker. What an aweful situation. And though I do like Dr. Ree, I found myself seeing him almost as I picture Troi was seeing him, and I was annoyed.

I had to wonder about the not-so-platonic hug. I almost hope we see more of this geting developped because it has so much potential (though I DO NOT want to see Will cheating on Deanna) I have to ask myself how you hide your affections for your captain when he is married to an empath???? And given the history between Vale and Troi I she some interesting potential.

Anyhow, that is my perspective. Thank you, Mr. Mack, for an excellent read, very well done. Now that you have spurred me out of hiding I am sure everyone will hear alot more from me, for good or for bad!

 

[David Mack]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

^ Thanks for your comments, Casey. As for having spurred you out of hiding, I can only hope that I haven't created a monster.

 

[JeremyW]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

^ Thanks for your comments, Casey. As for having spurred you out of hiding, I can only hope that I haven't created a monster.

Which really means that he hopes he hasn't created another monster...those baddies in the Taurus Reach... you and Wardilmore created enough interesting creatures out there to last a lifetime.

And then let's not forget the monster lab you created at Grennokar Prison in Warpath

And then, let's not forget Prime Minister Kinchawn...he's a monster, firing those cannons like that....

So, Dave's created monsters aplenty. He hopes you don't become one. Welcome Casey to the TrekBBS System.

 

[Corran Horn]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I very much enjoyed this book. When I first heard about it I had the same reaction as some (ugh, Borg) but while the Borg are involved in this story they're almost like a McGuffin because their actions drive the other characters they themselves aren't overly important to the story. Obviously, they have nothing to do with the 22nd century portions, which I very much enjoyed.

I did find Foyle to have gone off the deep end rather easily (and the MACOs under him as well) but I guess this is a play on the Starfleet/MACO resentment we saw in Enterprise as well a result of the time dilation affect ending up meaning that the crew was overly detached from what was going on with Earth. Getting back to where they should have been in time was too much of a carrot for Foyle to pass up I guess.

I did have some questions...what was the mechanism that the mutineers used to destroy the third city (not where they were nor where Hernandez was)? Are we to assume Foyle died along with the rest of the crew onboard Columbia? Hernandez and the aliens ended up way out where the Titan found them, The Columbia ended up in the Gamma Quadrant after passing through that tunnel, where did the third group (the mutineers that stayed on the city that survived) end up?

Nice work on giving the origin of the Azure Nebula, btw.

Forgive me if I'm misremembering about anything, I read it during a hectic work week and plan to re-read.

All in all, I really liked this book. I feel silly for having had reservations. I've never disliked a David Mack work (Harbinger is one of my favorite ST books) and I shouldn't have doubted.

 

[spocksbrain]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I'm about 100 pages in and I'm fighting the urge to just stop reading it. It's not that it's bad, it's just that nothing of interest has happened yet. Is something going to happen? Presumably so, but it's going really slowly.

Except for Troi, Riker, Picard, etc., I don't know any of the other characters, nor do I care about them. I feel like all of these new characters are wasting my time. And it's been 100 pages introducing them all with no actual story. The one encounter with the Borg so far, the Enterprise blew up the cube in about 10 seconds. So much for great action.

Somebody please tell me that something of interest happens ...

 

[Christopher]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Except for Troi, Riker, Picard, etc., I don't know any of the other characters, nor do I care about them. I feel like all of these new characters are wasting my time. And it's been 100 pages introducing them all with no actual story. The one encounter with the Borg so far, the Enterprise blew up the cube in about 10 seconds. So much for great action.

Fundamentally, story is driven by character. The characters are the story. The action is just a means to explore them.

 

[JeremyW]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Well, in the first 100 pages of the novel, you were introduced to a mystery, the Columbia had come under attack by Romulans, Troi learned she was going to miscarry again, the Enterprise blew up a cube, and two officers on the Aventine were killed mysteriously on the wreck of the Columbia. Ever try watching a show like Dallas? I chose not to add this in my review, but the pacing of the book is akin to that of a serial program like Dallas or Dynasty (personally, I'd use the Dallas analgoy). There are multiple plots going on, and some are accelerating faster than others. For each section of the book, there's character drama, a mystery, and an action event that keeps the story going nicely...not introducing you to anything before it's needed. Yes, in this part of the book, Dave's doing a quick job of finishing up loose ends from Titan's Sword of Damocles and moving the story along from Greater Than The Sum. Dax and the Aventine were alluded to in Greater Than The Sum, although Dax's story from where she was on DS9 to her position as Captain now is forthcoming in the Deep Space Nine post-finale literature. To keep those plot elements a surprise, they couldn't be referenced here, only vague allusions. As the novel progresses, you find that these characters and these multiple stories will all make sense, and when they do, you want it to continue, but then you see that The story will continue in 'Mere Mortals' and you're like "WHAT THE?!" Just like in Dallas, the writers had to create the characters that, although NOT necessarily members of the Ewing family, they had to be believable that they could have a relationship TO the family. It couldn't just be about J.R screwing everybody around in Dallas, whether it be man or woman. That would have been boring. It's cause and effect. Dave's done a great job with this story, and the cause/effect relationship works well here. I'm sorry you're not liking it too much so far. Finish it through, and then decide.

Yes, there are characters that you may not be aware of, if you have not read some of the post-Nemesis TNG literature, the Titan literature or even some of the post-DS9 literature. The crew of the Columbia were introduced fully in Kobayashi Maru, earlier this fall. Feel free to ask around if you're unsure about someone. There are many people here that could help fill you in.

 

[Steve Roby]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Somebody please tell me that something of interest happens ...

It's possible that this just isn't the book for you, but part of what the book is about is making you care about the characters, and it worked perfectly on that level for me. Oh, and between a hundred pages into the first book and the end of the trilogy, a whole hell of a lot happens. Body count in the billions, whole worlds destroyed. Painful experiences for a lot of the main characters. Suspense. Action. Heroism and betrayal. All that big epic stuff.

 

[David Mack]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I very much enjoyed this book.

Glad to hear it!

I did have some questions...what was the mechanism that the mutineers used to destroy the third city (not where they were nor where Hernandez was)?

An improvised explosive device that was merely meant to be a distraction/diversion when detonated inside one node of the Caeliar's planetary apparatus ended up causing much more damage, because the MACOs underestimated the amount of energy that would be released as a consequence.

Are we to assume Foyle died along with the rest of the crew onboard Columbia?

Yes.

Hernandez and the aliens ended up way out where the Titan found them, The Columbia ended up in the Gamma Quadrant after passing through that tunnel, where did the third group (the mutineers that stayed on the city that survived) end up?

Good question.

Nice work on giving the origin of the Azure Nebula, btw.

Glad you liked that. To give credit where it's due, that was actually a suggestion from Christopher L. Bennett. Originally, I had hidden Erigol inside the nebula. Christopher pointed out that the supernova would disperse the nebula's gases; he suggested instead that I have the destruction of Erigol be the origin of the nebula.

This, of course, necessitated hastily informing the writers who were working on Enterprise-era books not to reference the Azure Nebula prior to 2168.

All in all, I really liked this book. I feel silly for having had reservations. I've never disliked a David Mack work (Harbinger is one of my favorite ST books) and I shouldn't have doubted.

I'm happy to hear you feel it was money well spent.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[jezor]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Having purchased this on Fictionwise and devoured it within a day (I read on my Palm TX, by the by), I wanted to weigh in to tell David how much I enjoyed it. While I generally resent the idea of a 1/3 book (as in, first of a trilogy), this one had enough substance to it that while I am impatient for the next two books, I'm not unhappy having purchased this one.

More to the point, David very solidly managed the multiple plot lines, stretching literally over parsecs, and ensured each crew had its own unique voice(s). The subplot about Will and Deanna's conception issues was a welcome change from the "medical science cures everything instantly" we've grown to expect, and adds a very interesting dynamic to that already unusual crew mix on Titan, as well as being a callback to an otherwise forgettable episode early in TNG. I also liked the dynamic of Hernandez' crew, particularly the conflict between the Fleeters and the MACOs.

Once again, thanks for an entertaining first of three, and I look forward to the next two. {ProfJonathan}

 

[David Mack]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

^ I'm glad you dug it. Thanks for your comments!

 

[Warp Coil]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I finished this book on Monday, after managing to space it out over several readings (I think I managed to milk about 5 days out of it, which is surprising). I loved it all. I'm only bummed that there wasn't even more action, but then I keep telling myself that there's two more books to go. This does a great job at setting the stage, re-introducing the characters and laying the groundwork for what I assume will be a huge climax and finale.

There were times when I wasn't sure which crew I wanted to follow. I really wanted to stick with the Enterprise and follow the Borg invasion, and felt that maybe the Titan crew had the least interesting story of the bunch, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it all. It would be really nice to see the Enterprise and Titan team up at some point in the trilogy - we'll see what happens.

I'm just happy that we only have to wait a few weeks (instead of a few months) for the next book.

 

[Stevil2001]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Foyle... any relation to Gully Foyle of Alfred Bester fame?

Nope. Major Foyle — and several other characters in the trilogy — are named in honor of characters from various mystery series and police procedural TV shows, some British, some American.

Oh, excellent! As a Foyle's War fan, I was always thinking of that show all the way through, but period British police shows don't typically get name-dropped in Star Trek novels.

"My name's Foyle. I'm a police officer."

EDIT: Between that and Mirren, I should have realized, though. Duh.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I absolutely enjoyed this book a lot. I thought that David Mack did an absolutely fantastic job of balancing the storylines and the plot points. The characters were excellent and each one of them were written wonderfully. It opens up a lot of interesting situations and scenarios and I personally don't see them getting wrapped up within the three novels.

I do agree that it was nice that some of the mysteries were wrapped up by the end of the book. There are a few that still need to be answered (like how the Borg found the tunnels, if indeed they are using them, which looks likely). There are some other ramifications that need to be sorted out as well, like what is going to happen to the Titan. I pray and hope that no one simply 'resets' this like nothing happened. I feel like Troi, Riker, or part of the crew is going to be pushed and forced to make a decision that will ultimately shake up the entire crew and that the next Titan book some of the regulars we've seen won't be there anymore. I don't think it's possible for Vale, Troi, Riker and Rees to all continue working together without some unforseen event. Something has to give and Vale's assertions were correct.

The same goes with Picard. He's been driven to the edge and I like that. There are questions of capability that I enjoyed. Crusher seemed a little off but nothing major. I think mostly it was spot on characterization.

All in all a wonderful book.

My last question posed is this: While not ideal, why doesn't Riker and Troi adopt a child? I know they can't implant one of Troi's eggs in someone else because they are mutated but why didn't this pop up? I know it's not the ideal solution but with such an advanced society and such, is adoption still frowned upon? Or even occur in the 24th century?

 

[LaBarre]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Guys, I know this seems stupid, but I'm a Star Trek fan purely through the TNG series, movies and novels. So, my knowledge of 22nd century Starfleet is sadly lacking. Hence, my surprise by the MACO. It didn't affect my reading of GoN because I sort of had Major Foyle and crew sorted out as Marines in my head (as in Alien or BG).

What I can't figure out is what the acronym MACO stands for. And it's driving me crazy!

Please put this anal-retentive lawyer out of her misery.

 

[Defcon]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Military Assault Command Operations