Spoilers TNG: Collateral Damage by David Mack Review Thread

David Mack used it in the "Cold Equations" novels. And Bashir and Sarina get quantum transceivers in his Section 31 novel, "Disavowed".

 

Thank you!

 

You did, in watching the Clock Noi refers to the Shelan's (The Suliban DTI Agents) communicator as an ansible

 

Rather, it was a beacon provided by Agent Noi, 31st-century tech. But yes, double-checking, I see that I did make several references to the ansible effect in WTC.

 

ansible technology was previously mentioned in Trek literature in the "Invasion!" DS9 volume, Time's Enemy, by the writing team of L.A. Graf

 

And I imported that book's character Heather Peterson into Watching the Clock and referenced her previous experience with ansibles.

 

groovy

 

I realise I am very late to this party. I bought the book some time ago and have been avoiding reading it as I'd found the later relaunch novels and the Typhon Pact/Prey/Destiny series etc...dull and uninteresting. I actively disliked the last Section 31 novel which I considered very poor compared to its predecessors. As it happened, I'd taken a decision only to buy novels in future which were set within their respective television/film times since those settings and people are the ones I want. I'm saying this because it does colour my perceptions of this book.

I bought this novel and the Coda trilogy simply because they were the end of the existing Litverse.

Found the Nausican bits tiresome at first but they improved distinctly as the novel went on and came to a satisfactory ending.

Hated the court plot. I didn't like Available Light (which made me feel that StarFleet needed their heads testing in allowing Louvois back in in the first place, never mind letting her deal with a case in which Picard was involved in Measure of a Man, and made Picard seem weak in not objecting immediately to her handling the case in MoaM) and to have her turn up again, with what appeared to be yet another unprofessional vendetta against Picard was just...meh.

I'd have liked the Okona subplot better if it hadn't been for the Wildman/Lavelle involvement which just felt to me like throwing in as many people as possible from various bits of the franchise to make the book attractive to as many people as possible. That's a personal dislike - I want a DS9 or TNG or a Voyager novel, I don't want overlaps and crossovers.

Despite what I've said, I like David Mack's writing. It's just sad he he's writing in an area that I don't like.

 

I mean... He was an accomplice to a conspiracy within the armed forces to coerce the legitimately-elected president into resigning at gunpoint.

No matter what kinds of mitigating circumstances might be brought up, that fact alone means that, well, it's really not possible to over-react. Whatever her personal feelings about Jean-Luc might have been, the vigor with which she pursued his prosecution was professionally legitimate.