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Spoilers Destiny: Lost Souls by David Mack Review Thread

Grade Lost Souls

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    195
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

Really nothing to say here, other than that it was, as expected, entirely excellent. A few small things nagged at me (I was hoping to see more of the primordial-borg after the initial assimilations) but I can't argue at all with the overall structure of the story. It worked on every level, from the minor personal notes, to the overall galactic repercussions of the entire thing. Favorite moments include the creepy, zombie vibe of the icebreaker crew running into the first of the Borg, and, of course "My name is Annika." Brilliant.

Oh, and Terminat hora diem terminat auctor opus? Way to go, Dave. It takes a real writer to throw out a personal message both from and for the author, a little latin, and a tip of the hat to Rush all at once. Bravo, good sir.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

Steve, your review reminded me of something that's been nagging at me for a week now.

You wrote, "the former Seven of Nine may come out of the experience as a very different person," which is what's been nagging me.

Did the Caeliar assimilating the Borg unintentionally lobotomize her? "Timeless" showed us that Seven had an extensive cranial implant that replaced a fair chunk of her grey matter. Whatever the Caeliar did to cause her implants to turn into dust would have, I assume, have done the same to the rewiring work the Borg had done inside her brain. So unless the Caeliar repaired the brain damage, I imagine that Seven would come out of this with severe brain damage that could probably never be repaired.

...if the Caeliar repaired her brain while disintegrating the Borg implant, I wonder if the new Annika wouldn't be resentful that she didn't transcend into a posthuman Caeliar form.

Either way, this could make for some interesting storytelling avenues.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

So I take it that the old rumor that..
Earth would be destroyed
... didn't actually occur?
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

Babaganoosh said:
So I take it that the old rumor that..
Earth would be destroyed
... didn't actually occur?
Click to expand...

I believe that very question was answered when I enquired about a prediction I made a few months back about Mr Mack going after the
WHOLE Solar System!

But to answer, then no, it is still there, but as I haven't gotten a copy yet I'm not sure in what state she is in.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

Babaganoosh said:
So I take it that the old rumor that..
Earth would be destroyed
... didn't actually occur?
Click to expand...

I don't think that ever reached the level of full-fledged rumor, just wild speculation on somebody's part.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

KRAD said:
ronny said:
The Borg have been vanquished. :borg: I'm not going to be satisfied if none of the follow up books have some sort of VJ Day type of celebration somewhere. ;)
Click to expand...
Erm -- sixty-three billion people died. I don't care who you vanquish, that is no cause for celebration of any kind.
Click to expand...

If nothing else, David has outdone himself with the number of people killed in a Star Trek novel. It makes the events of Tezwa look mild by comparison.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

destro said:
My only real problem was Picard's treatment in the book. There was a logical explanation yes, but I felt like he may as well not have been there. He didn't really accomplish anything or help much. Even worse he spends a lot of his time bitching about his ready room and crying on the holodeck. Even considering his emotional state at the time, acting like this while the Federation was about to be destroyed came off as really weak. I feel really let down by Picard's actions in this book. I also feel like his actions are going to be brushed under the rug since by the end we are back to 'happy Picard'. I hope someone addresses this in a future novel.
Despite my small criticisms I really liked the whole Trilogy and I'm excited about where things are going from here. Great work David!
Click to expand...

I really enjoyed Book 3 over all but I wanted to say that I agree with the above. If there was one blemish, it is the handling of Picard. This whole concept of how Picard is obsessed and wears blinders with regard to the Borg comes from First Contact and was a flawed characterization from the start (I am a lone voice in the wilderness, but I found FC weak for this and other reasons). Picard had a chance to destroy the Borg years earlier in "I, Borg" and true to his nature, decided against it. To throw that away cuts to the core of who the character is. It wasn't David Mack's choice I suppose, since, as I wrote, it was established in the movie, but it still is disappointing to me. Otherwise a great job!
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

See, I don't understand the frustration about Picard's state of mind here. Considering all he's been through, and the fact that he now has a wife and a baby on the way, I don't see how he couldn't have cracked a little. Maybe people want to see him in Kirk-God mode, single-handedly destroying the Borg with his hands and charisma. Humans are flawed, and are going to go through low periods that challenge who they are and they (hopefully) come out the better for it. To expect otherwise undermines the point of drama and is, frankly, unrealistic.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

My goodness....well, I'll just say this: I picked up the book on Wednesday and finished it in the same night. My final Destiny review is forthcoming, but I just have to say this: this book was downright amazing! My thoughts were this at the end: there's no more?! Dave, you did a great job with it. And yes, I love the religious overtones in the book. And, you even had me dig to find stuff when compiling my review. (Like my first question, 'what the freak does 'Logos' mean?') When I found out, lightbulbs went off in my head, and I was just extremely excited for what you were accomplishing in the story.

Personally, I liked what was done to Picard, and I think it was essential that he play the role he played in the book. You had Dax, who was gung-ho, Picard, who was very cautious and pensive, and Riker, who balanced the two out. Everything's about balance, and the book did a great job of it.

There were a lot of gems in this story... too many to mention twice, so I'll save it for my review. Bacco's always a star, and I loved reading about her again in this story. I also liked the ultimate fate of the Borg Collective, and did not clue in whatsoever as to what powered the Caeliar cities until you mentioned "Particle 010"... in that context, the Borg's desire to assimilate Omega at all costs made sense.

All in all, very sweet read! As I said, review forthcoming.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

KRAD said:
JeremyW said:
My thoughts were this at the end: there's no more?!
Click to expand...
Sure there is: A Singular Destiny, Over a Torrent Sea, Full Circle, Losing the Peace....... :D
Click to expand...

Keith, are you sure you're not somehow a Caeliar yourself and can tune your catoms to what I write? I mentioned something similar in my forthcoming review. Here's an excerpt.

********************
I was like, there’s no more?! Considering I’m about to take a two year leave of absence from the world and go serve a mission, it’s unlikely that I’ll get to read Over A Torrent Sea (I always want to say Bridge Over A Torrent Sea), Full Circle or Losing The Peace, I leave knowing that what I get to come back to is going to be amazing. (Yes, I’m probably going to get to read A Singular Destiny)
**************************
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

I GUESS I can cut some Picard some slack, seeing that he did save the universe recently :rommie:.

I went back and read the Picard scenes in the book again. It isn't that they are bad or out of character for his frame of mind. I think what really bothered me about it in the end is that he basically contributed nothing. Actually he hindered the mission. He may as well not have even been there, he could have just taken a long nap and let Worf command. I'm not saying that Picard always has to be the one to save the day, but he should always be a major player, especially in this situation. He only formulated one real plan, and let Geordi of all people change his mind about it, so that doesn't count. Crying on the holodeck during a full on Borg invasion is so pathetic. He is supposed to be a Starfleet captain and put his personal feelings on the backburner, especially in a HUGE crisis like this. So yeah, this really did bug me (though it was still well written).

Also, why is Ezri so respectful of Picard at the end? Based on his actions in this book she should think his reputation is overrated and basically think that he should retire.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

Concerning Picard, I have been wondering to what extend the hunger might have still been influencing him. Perhaps that might account for his obsession since FC with destroying the Borg, and being in close proximity to 7000 cubes might explain why he was willing to abandon his principles and entertain the idea of the thalaron weapon. Maybe as the hunger drives the borg to assimilate it was having an impact on Picard to destroy.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

casey said:
Concerning Picard, I have been wondering to what extend the hunger might have still been influencing him. Perhaps that might account for his obsession since FC with destroying the Borg, and being in close proximity to 7000 cubes might explain why he was willing to abandon his principles and entertain the idea of the thalaron weapon. Maybe as the hunger drives the borg to assimilate it was having an impact on Picard to destroy.
Click to expand...

Considering the fact that the hunger spoken of was mixed with human aggression, what you say would make perfect sense. After all, the Collective was just an extension of humanity's dark shadow, and not at all unreasonable to think in such terms.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

destro said:
He is supposed to be a Starfleet captain and put his personal feelings on the backburner, especially in a HUGE crisis like this. So yeah, this really did bug me (though it was still well written).
Click to expand...

If it were any threat other than the Borg, that's exactly what he would've done. It's hard to understand just how horrific his ordeal as Locutus was. The Borg broke him. They violated him, enslaved him, made him into a tool for killing thousands of his own people. There's no way he could ever entirely get over such a deep psychological wound. It would be two-dimensional writing to portray Picard as someone who would react exactly the same way to a huge invasion by the Borg as he would to any other danger. Yes, what you describe is what he's "supposed to be," but the Borg tore him apart, shattered his sense of identity, and though he put himself together again, there's still a big Locutus-shaped crack remaining. So it's not as easy to be who he's supposed to be when the Borg are hammering at that weak spot in his psyche. Especially when he's just committed to starting a family, something that's bound to throw his sense of identity into flux.

That was the whole point of Picard's behavior in this trilogy. Yes, it was drastically out of character for him, but there was a very good reason why it was. He was failing to behave the way Jean-Luc Picard would ideally behave, and that was exactly the problem he had to resolve. And he needed his friends and fellow officers to help him do that.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

I finally got a copy in a Border's express today, so by the end of the weekend, I should be done. I can also click on all of the spoiler buttons.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

Finished the book yesterday, great end to a fucking amazing trilogy. A big win and lose at the same time for the Federation. And all the revelations really make sense and correct some of what was bothering me about the Borg since the introduction of the Queen.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

Well, I can accept that he cracked. Maybe I'm being too tough on the guy, I just kind of assumed that he had dealt more fully with these issues in First Contact and later in Resistance, Before Dishonor, Greater Than the Sum and the 1st two Destiny books.
I still would have liked to have seen him take a slightly more proactive role in what was going on, but it isn't a huge deal.

I am happy that this dark period of Picard's life seems to be over though.
 
Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls - Discuss/Grade

destro said:
Well, I can accept that he cracked. Maybe I'm being too tough on the guy, I just kind of assumed that he had dealt more fully with these issues in First Contact and later in Resistance, Before Dishonor, Greater Than the Sum and the 1st two Destiny books.
I still would have liked to have seen him take a slightly more proactive role in what was going on, but it isn't a huge deal.

I am happy that this dark period of Picard's life seems to be over though.
Click to expand...

I think what we get with Picard is a man who has just been pushed and pushed and pushed, and now that he's actually trying to move on with his life in a big way all hell rains down on not only him but the whole of everything he's worked for.

Picard's issue, even in the series, has been his tendency to internalize a lot of what's going on with him and his life. And eventually there's not room left, there's nothing left to do but say "I'm done, I can't do it anymore".
 
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