Re: Star Trek Q&A -- Appreciation Thread ****SPOILERS***
I just finished the book and loved it. Not quite up there with Q-Squared and I, Q, but still pretty damn good. Naturally, I loved every single reference to Q's various appearances in the books (even the small ones such as in New Frontier: Requiem and Missing in Action). Unless I'm mistaken, there were no references to John de Lancie's comic story "The Gift" (but then it conflicts with what was later established in "Family"), nor were there any references to "Spock versus Q" (although "Ah, the good ol' days before Surak-that's when your people really knew how to party" reminded me of the first production).
I greatly appreciate how the cameos across the galaxy were disbursed across the book, taking place in the future, instead of having each scene read at once when the spatial rifts open up. By spreading out these moments, the readers get a better feel of how galactic this event is without overwhelming them or derailing the pacing of the narration. Intermingled with this was Q's various adventures seen in the shows and books and how they interconnected with the greater story, which makes the narration all the more impressive.
I love the final sequences of the book. Beginning with the various experiences the away team encounter in a different reality, which leads to Picard's jumping across the various parallel universes a la Worf in "Parallel," (which felt like a mini-preview of Myriad Universes, including a continuation of the "Tapestry" track).
One question: On page 134, Picard makes reference to officers on various locations reporting encounters with Q, one of which being on Luna. Who is that person Picard is referring to?
IIRC, haven't the "Spock vs. Q" stories already been alluded to in a book...?
