Finally had some time to read this one. It continues the trend of the Picard novels being more consistently good than the show itself. The show teased all kinds of cool ideas and had interesting characters, which it left underexplored. Thankfully, the books have picked up on many of those ideas (the synth ban, Rios' history, what actually happened during the Romulan evacuation) and now we finally get Seven's history as a Fenris Ranger. And it did not disappoint.
I was sorely disappointed when the novelverse was supplanted by Picard's version of what happened to Seven after Voyager returned. I loved Beyer's Voyager relaunch (Voyager being my favorite Trek).. While I love where Seven ended in Picard, I was a bit mad that they created an intriguing backstory involving these super cool sounding Fenris Rangers just to discard the premise (except to namecheck it occasionally). Also, I was saddened by Icheb's brutal death. I had hoped that since Picard went there with Seven's backstory, the show would also give more background on the Fenris Rangers. Alas, the show did not.
I absolutely love the way this story handled Seven. Seeing her get rejected by the Federation at the beginning was a gut punch. It's a far cry from what the Voyager relaunch did with her. But unlike in the show, the painful events lead into a strong story. David Mack skillfully connects the dots from the Seven we see at the end of Voyager to the Seven we see in Stardust City Rag. I don't fault the episode for introducing such a different iteration of Seven, after all it had been over two decades since Endgame. But it's nice to see the journey that led to these changes.
I was afraid that I would be disappointed by the Fenris Rangers. I had a nagging suspicion that if they were ever explored, it would be like what Star Wars did with the Knights of Ren. They were introduced in The Force Awakens nut by the time they appeared in Rise of Skywalker, they were generic lightsaber-wielding off-brand Sith wannabes. Thankfully, the Fenris Rangers are a well-developed organization with a clear mission and well-developed characters. They aren't quite police and aren't entirely vigilantes (as of yet in the time period covered). It's really great to see an alternative to Starfleet get so well-developed and to have characters articulate reasons why they joined that organization rather than Starfleet. However, I was also impressed with how well Seven's refusal to join Starfleet at this time, still felt like a logical step to where she ends up at the end of Picard.
Being a huge Voyager (and Prodigy as a natural extension) fan, I can't neglect to mention how much I loved the way this book dealt with Admiral Janeway. I was not expecting her to be as prominent of a character as she is. And I really didn't expect the Prodigy tie-in. I love how well this integrates the elements of both shows. The best part,though, is how the story portrays Seven and Janeway's conflict. They both make strong points and while it tests their friendship, they do not have a huge falling out or anything.
The Prodigy elements did lead to a strange quirk in the way I visualized things: For most of the book I imagined events as if they were live-action, but for all the scenes set on the Dauntless, my imagination switched to Prodigy-style animation. Not sure what to make of that... Perhaps it's because Mr. Mack captured the voices of Tysses and Noum so well that it just evoked an episode of Prodigy.
Overall, this was another amazing installment in the Picard novel series. I am by no means a Picard hater. I quite enjoyed seasons 1 and 3 and though that season 2 had it's moments. However, much like all the Picard novels to date, this book really elevates the material seen in screen and takes up what could have otherwise been some missed opportunities. Since we won't be getting any more Voyager relaunch novels, I'm happy to say that what we did get in it's place is just as compelling a story even if it goes in the opposite direction with Seven (as on-screen cannon dictated).
I was sorely disappointed when the novelverse was supplanted by Picard's version of what happened to Seven after Voyager returned. I loved Beyer's Voyager relaunch (Voyager being my favorite Trek).. While I love where Seven ended in Picard, I was a bit mad that they created an intriguing backstory involving these super cool sounding Fenris Rangers just to discard the premise (except to namecheck it occasionally). Also, I was saddened by Icheb's brutal death. I had hoped that since Picard went there with Seven's backstory, the show would also give more background on the Fenris Rangers. Alas, the show did not.
I absolutely love the way this story handled Seven. Seeing her get rejected by the Federation at the beginning was a gut punch. It's a far cry from what the Voyager relaunch did with her. But unlike in the show, the painful events lead into a strong story. David Mack skillfully connects the dots from the Seven we see at the end of Voyager to the Seven we see in Stardust City Rag. I don't fault the episode for introducing such a different iteration of Seven, after all it had been over two decades since Endgame. But it's nice to see the journey that led to these changes.
I was afraid that I would be disappointed by the Fenris Rangers. I had a nagging suspicion that if they were ever explored, it would be like what Star Wars did with the Knights of Ren. They were introduced in The Force Awakens nut by the time they appeared in Rise of Skywalker, they were generic lightsaber-wielding off-brand Sith wannabes. Thankfully, the Fenris Rangers are a well-developed organization with a clear mission and well-developed characters. They aren't quite police and aren't entirely vigilantes (as of yet in the time period covered). It's really great to see an alternative to Starfleet get so well-developed and to have characters articulate reasons why they joined that organization rather than Starfleet. However, I was also impressed with how well Seven's refusal to join Starfleet at this time, still felt like a logical step to where she ends up at the end of Picard.
Being a huge Voyager (and Prodigy as a natural extension) fan, I can't neglect to mention how much I loved the way this book dealt with Admiral Janeway. I was not expecting her to be as prominent of a character as she is. And I really didn't expect the Prodigy tie-in. I love how well this integrates the elements of both shows. The best part,though, is how the story portrays Seven and Janeway's conflict. They both make strong points and while it tests their friendship, they do not have a huge falling out or anything.
The Prodigy elements did lead to a strange quirk in the way I visualized things: For most of the book I imagined events as if they were live-action, but for all the scenes set on the Dauntless, my imagination switched to Prodigy-style animation. Not sure what to make of that... Perhaps it's because Mr. Mack captured the voices of Tysses and Noum so well that it just evoked an episode of Prodigy.
Overall, this was another amazing installment in the Picard novel series. I am by no means a Picard hater. I quite enjoyed seasons 1 and 3 and though that season 2 had it's moments. However, much like all the Picard novels to date, this book really elevates the material seen in screen and takes up what could have otherwise been some missed opportunities. Since we won't be getting any more Voyager relaunch novels, I'm happy to say that what we did get in it's place is just as compelling a story even if it goes in the opposite direction with Seven (as on-screen cannon dictated).
I hardly have time these days to enjoy reading anymore, and my to-read pile is huge. This book will find its way on there, I mean it's David Mack writing Star Trek. But that will be a few months down the road.
