New Frontier, Book Two: Into the Void by Peter David
Blurb:
Roll Call: The Crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur:
Captain Mackenzie Calhoun: An unorthodox, decisive young captain who loves his crew and his ship, and loves testing their limits even more.
Commander Shelby: A woman of strong opinions and strong values, Shelby never hesitated to tell her captains when she thought they were wrong, and Mackenzie Calhoun won't be any exception.
Burgoyne 172: The chief engineer of the Excalibur, with the decisiveness of Calhoun, the strength of Shelby, and the gender of both. Burgoyne is a Hermat, and when s/he sets his/her sights on you, s/he isn't an easy...person...to refuse.
As the Thallonian Empire succumbs to violence and insurrection, the U.S.S. Excalibur prepares to launch on her humanitarian mission of mercy. But her departure is destined to be a memorable one, as Calhoun contends with an unexpected stowaway, a stormy relationship with his crew, and -- light-years away -- frightened refugees aboard a dying ship.
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My review from long, long ago:
A worthy continuation of House of Cards. Where character introduction and cuilding was on the forefront there, here the plot begins to thicken. Peter David is able to make you become attached to the characters despite you barely knew them. In addition, with Calhoun you get a Starfleet Captain you haven't really seen much in the newer series, a headstrong, rule-bending Captain in the vein of James T. Kirk.
A good deal of his crew doesn't fit into the usual SF scheme either, but he counter-points it with seemingly perfect Stafleet officers like Shelby and Selar. Together with House of Cards this novel forms a very convincing start into the New Frontier series.
Roll Call: The Crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur:
Captain Mackenzie Calhoun: An unorthodox, decisive young captain who loves his crew and his ship, and loves testing their limits even more.
Commander Shelby: A woman of strong opinions and strong values, Shelby never hesitated to tell her captains when she thought they were wrong, and Mackenzie Calhoun won't be any exception.
Burgoyne 172: The chief engineer of the Excalibur, with the decisiveness of Calhoun, the strength of Shelby, and the gender of both. Burgoyne is a Hermat, and when s/he sets his/her sights on you, s/he isn't an easy...person...to refuse.
As the Thallonian Empire succumbs to violence and insurrection, the U.S.S. Excalibur prepares to launch on her humanitarian mission of mercy. But her departure is destined to be a memorable one, as Calhoun contends with an unexpected stowaway, a stormy relationship with his crew, and -- light-years away -- frightened refugees aboard a dying ship.
--------------------------------
My review from long, long ago:
A worthy continuation of House of Cards. Where character introduction and cuilding was on the forefront there, here the plot begins to thicken. Peter David is able to make you become attached to the characters despite you barely knew them. In addition, with Calhoun you get a Starfleet Captain you haven't really seen much in the newer series, a headstrong, rule-bending Captain in the vein of James T. Kirk.
A good deal of his crew doesn't fit into the usual SF scheme either, but he counter-points it with seemingly perfect Stafleet officers like Shelby and Selar. Together with House of Cards this novel forms a very convincing start into the New Frontier series.
