Oh, and we’ll split them up into different threads, to minimize spoilerage, but heck, it’s been a few months, it should be safe…
Oh, and we’ll split them up into different threads, to minimize spoilerage, but heck, it’s been a few months, it should be safe…
• 
Loved it – one of the few books that I regretted putting down at all, but conversely, one that ended at the end, with a satisfying conclusion to the main story.
The characterisations were spot on, and the evolution of Mac and Eppy made you genuinely care about what was happening to them.
Oh, and it made me laugh out loud at several points, which, I’m convinced, made the other people in the cafe opposite work — where I read most of it during lunch hours — entirely sure that I’m not quite sane.
As with all of Mr. David’s work that I have read (primarily in the Star Trek universe) ‘Stone and Anvil’ left me satisfied in the extreme. Unlike Mr. Barnett I never hapen to be in a public place while reading. But I sure would like to catch the looks on peoples faces when I get posessed with spontaneous laughter. So often has Mr. David’s sense of humor in his writing struck me so fiercely that I begin to wonder if libraries will discontinue his works due to the noise.
Go get the books. Read them in bed next to your significant other and count how many times he/she says “What?”
Salutations,
Mitch
OK, again, lets start off with I loved it. But, there was one minor complaint, to be honest. The Arthurian imagery (Mac running around ‘wielding’ the Excalibur) was a bit too in your face- its came up several times, and by the end of the book, felt tired.
Other than that, the discovery of Mac and Eppy’s previous history, as well as Janos’, made the whole book a great read. I must say, Mr. David, you willingness to remove main characters from the story has always been something I admired about your writing. Xyon (although I think he’ll be back), McHenry, now Janos (admittedly more minor than the others, but still).
The exploration of Jellico’s character was also a big plus in this book, as well as his tortured history with Mac. I’ve always felt kind of sorry for him throughout the series, and the events of this just reinforced that.
Looking forward to the next one in the series…
The whole entire flash backs into the Academy days of Mac and Shelby were priceless and great! Also about the humor in these NF books is sooo great! I laugh at loud all the time and its AWESOME how he does it! NF are the only books that make me laugh out loud! VERY GOOD!
There are certain scenes I can reread and still laugh at every time. Picard’s line about not seeing himself running a school for “gifted youngsters” will always bring a smile to my face. But I was puzzled by a number of things. How has Gellico went from Captain to admiral while Picard still languishes as a captain? Just on seniority alone it would seem that Picard should not be taking orders from Gellico.
The Academy story was killer, your use of even more recognizeable characters from Next Gen history is perfect, from Jellicho to Boothby you nail em every time.
You are spoiling your long time fans with your little in jokes, from Mary Jane, in the Spider-Man novel, commenting how much the Little girl in “Interview with a Vampire” gives her the creeps, to Betty in the Hulk with her Jennifer Connelly comment, now Picard and his inability to run a “School for Gifted Children”. I can’t wait to see what cross-genre connections will be made next.
I know authors hate to hear this , but I felt it was worth mentioning I live in Fairfield County, CT. We are overloaded in the general area with Borders, WaldenBooks, and Barnes & Nobles and I had to special order all 3 of these books. I know you don’t have much control over the Publishers push on these books, but please let them know we are doing our part to try and get them on the store shelves.
Thanks again!
At first, when I saw that the book was part new stuff and part flashback I told myself I was going to HATE the flashback stuff. Hate, hate, hate it.
Truth be told, I find Calhoun and Shelby to be the more frustrating, and thus, more annoying characters in the series.
However, I gave it a chance and it soon brought back memories of the Star Trek: Academy series, more specifically (of course) PAD’s Worf arc. And that, my friends, was a good thing.
So, yeah, I liked it. I liked it a lot. And now…I want more NF.
It’s been a while since I read it, but I loved reading it, especially the line Calhoun says upon hearing the Enterprise is coming to reel him in and Burgy says “didn’t you mean Grozit?” and Calhoun’s reply.
And good lord, seeing Calhoun’s interactions with Jellico makes me wonder just what he’s going to put Admiral Janeway through.
I might return later for a more complete commentary on this novel, but I have been wanting to nitpick about one thing for a while. In Martyr, Shelby tells Calhoun that before him, she had only ‘been’ with 1/2 of a guy, when she was at a party, got tired of being a virgin, and had a rather unsuccessful attempt at breaching her warp core (so to speak). In Stone and Anvil, I think it’s pretty clear that she and Wexler were involved sexually. Whatdya say, PAD? 😉 Was that poor bášŧárd Wex that forgettable?
Fantastic. Read it all over again. Can’t wait for the next NF books. Can’t wait to find out if Calhoun & shelby are going to have a child of their own. And if so, how is the child going to be raised knowing that both parents are captains with their own ship. Can’t wait how PAD will weave this into a story.
Is there a possibility that 3-4 NF books will be released in a year? It’s torture to wait 1-2 years for NF books to come out. 🙁
I loved it! I’m actually really glad that I have a PDA, ’cause as soon as I saw it I snapped it up!
(It’s not out at all over in Australia yet, but when it comes out I’m getting the hard copy too…)
Of course I loved it. I sit up like a dog and beg for every NF book. And like a dog, I devour them way too quickly.
You assembled a crew that was bizarre and I came to adore them. Now they are dropping off one by one…..What’s up with that?
But as long as there is a story about Excaliber and her crew, I will definately be reading it.
Another great read. Although I enjoyed Gods Above a little more, Stone and Anvil was a page turner. And the little in-jokes always make me laugh.
I actually just read this book yesterday, so my thoughts are fresh…I’d been waiting for it to come back in to my local Chapters store, and then I debated whether or not I should wait till the paperback came out.
Am I ever glad I didn’t wait! I enjoyed this book, like all of PAD’s Star Trek work, immensely. And I especially liked the little twist at the end, when we found out who was REALLY in charge. I was disappointed they couldn’t save Janos, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he turns back up somewhere, a few books down the line. On the plus side, I’m glad that Gleau character is gone. He really wasn’t all that endearing.
I can’t wait for the next NF novel. Soon, please? Very Soon?
Oh my favorite was Detective Kebron trying to defend poor Janos. I’m sorry Janos had to go (as the only British … after a fashion… character on the ship although i wouldnt want other NF readers to think we’re all always “off to the races” etc) I’ll miss him. And the battle scene against the beasties in the end was fantastic. Great suspense and finally some away team action! And the fact that Calhoun couldnt read before he started school was a very good piece of the story, and brought to the fore that adult illiteracy (a problem being tackled hard by the government here in the UK) should never stop you from persevering and reaching your goals, you just have to carry on and learn.
Thanks again PAD
PS I forgot to put this in my previous comment…
“To the brave crew and passengers of the Koybashi Maru….sucks to be you.”
When I read that on the dedication page, I didn’t understand what PAD was trying to put across…until Calhoun’s fourth year at the Academy. That was great! I think that dedication line was the best line in the book.
One of the best of the series, but I’m disappointed that we won’t get to see more of Ensign Janos.
(recycling from my post to the mailing list)
…”Heisenberg, I don’t need uncertainty from you right now,” Shelby
said.
I’m still cracking up.
That said, other than the random feeling of being in a Mary-Sue fanfic (an exceptionally well-written and enjoyable one, to be sure) I love every bit of all the books. Keep ’em coming. Preferably one a year or so instead of 2 or 3 at once and then bupkiss for years until the next batch.
Iloved it. The book ruined my weekend. I could not stop reading it. Thinking about poor Janos, made me realize another reason why I prefer NF to regular Trek Novels. Peter can change things from the status quo as to all of the regular characters. The future is limitless.
Now where is my monthly NF comic?
Quite a while ago I wrote my review of “Stone and Anvil” and I am hoping nobody minds that I am posting it here too.
I left the text unchanged.
Just to be safe: The text contains spoilers.
“Once Burned” is still my all time favourite book but this one comes pretty close. It is New Frontier at its best and a lot is going on in this novel. There is so much I can write about, where do I start best?
Maybe with the cliffhanger at the end of “Gods Above”. When Gleau was found dead, looking like being mauled by an animal, and I learned that Janos is the main suspect, I thought, it can`t have been him. I smiled when Kebron started his train of thought, stepping in the shoes of Dixon Hill and other famous detectives. As a rule, the main suspect is not the killer, it must be someone else. What I learned is that I underestimated PAD again: Soon it wasn`t a murder mystery any more. But the question of why Janos did this and later the question how to save him touched and involved me even more than a relatively simple murder mystery would have done.
After I read “Gods Above” I thought, maybe I will be able to like this Kebron. I certainly did! It was touching how much he believed in his friend Janos and kept looking for answers, even if they seemed overly phantastic. But like him, I more and more had to admit to myself, that Janos indeed killed Gleau. That left me to hope that he was indeed not responsible for his actions and that he can be saved. Kebron never gave up, never surrendered. I could also see that although Kebron matured, this is also the old Kebron we knew before. I especially saw that when he was backing up his captain on the bridge, silent but very powerful. I had to smile. Although I have never been a fan of the old Kebron, it was good to see that he is still part of him.
Who also never gave up and never surrendered was Calhoun. I couldn`t help it, I had to compare this situation with what we could read in Challenger. The backgrounds are different but the problem behind them is very similar: The question if a captain should hand over a crewman charged with an offence that will result in his certain execution without a fight, even if ordered to, even if he is sure that the punishment is wrong, even if he is sure that there either will be no trial at all or his crewman won`t get a fair hearing. Should he sacrifice him anyway in the interest of peace with these people? I hope “Exodus” won`t be the end of the story because I want so see that Keller will fight for his crewman, that he will look for an answer that saves his crewman and the future relationship with the Blood. I want to see a Keller I can also respect in future, I want to see him to be as caring and dedicated as Calhoun was here. Calhoun`s crew is his family, his tribe. This was mentioned again in this book and he most definitely proved it again. Another factor could be that he had been there were Janos was. He nearly killed a woman when he was ill in “Restoration”. His xenexian killer instincts are certainly not as strong as a Mugato`s but they are definitely stronger than a human`s. He knows what it means to lose control and to have to live with what he did.
I hoped until the very end that Janos will be saved. I like him and would have loved it to have him around in future. But that was first of all my emotional reaction. Trying to look at it objectively, I think this bittersweet end is much more appropriate than a happy end would have been. What is important is, Calhoun did everything he could. It was so close but he failed. Janos is alive but will never be part of his crew again. I loved the conversation between Calhoun and Shelby when they watched Janos becoming a member of this animal tribe. Calhoun found his place, his family. It was good to see that Janos has a good chance to belong as well although he has lost so much.
I think it is touching that M`Ress and Janos were lovers. I was surprised when I learned that, but that was only my initial reaction. It makes so much sense. Also, his love must have been very strong if it drove Janos to do what he did. This makes what happened to him even more tragic.
I kept wondering all the time how guilty Gleau really was and it became obvious now that M`Ress was right. I still think she could have handled the situation better but Gleau was revealed to be the creep he seemed to be, especially in “Gods Above”. Nevertheless, I don`t regret it that I tried all the time to be fair and see the situation from his point of view. But the problem is, he obviously lied and hid his full abilities, using them with no regards for others. I don`t regret it that he is dead and this solution makes M`Ress much more likeable. It is probably the ideal way to end this story looking at NF as a whole.
This brings me to the Selelvians, their abilities and how they misused them in this book. It had been a very long time since I watched most TOS episodes but is it not punishable by death to set foot on Talos IV because of the strong mental abilities these beings have? Keeping this in mind and how these people manipulated the Federation, I wonder what will happen next. Of course there should be a thorough investigation under conditions that minimize the danger of further manipulations but if there will be indeed evidence that this is not an isolated incident and maybe that they joined the Federation under false pretences, they should be expelled. We know from “Restoration” that handing over prisoners knowing that they will be executed is not unheard of. But handing them over knowing that there will be no fair trial or even no trial at all before the execution, it seems that is going too far – even for Jellico, which surprised me a bit. OK, I have a very bad opinion of him and maybe should have known better, but anyway, it was indeed a surprise that he seemed to help Calhoun, although he certainly was clever enough not to do so openly. At least Jellico has his limits, which is good. After “Cold Wars” I had my doubts.
We learned that although the Selelvians are members of the Federation, they have their own warships. Allyn Gibson made an interesting point when he pointed out that we know from “The Rift” (I really have to read that book one day) that Andorians and Tellarites have warships. And of course the Danteri. I always had been under the impression that when you join the Federation, you lose your own military because it is absorbed into Starfleet. Now it is obvious to me that member worlds can have their own spacefleet independent of Starfleet. I am glad that I finally realized that because now I feel much better about it that Bajor will join as well and should be able to keep its militia. But I digress…
I found it interesting that you can also achieve a high level of mind control and manipulation just by using drugs and it seems some form of hypnosis. What was the biggest surprise in the whole book was the true identity of this gribble who turned out to be the real villain. When it first appeared I was smiling and thinking “how cute” and suddenly this cute fluffy being with legs turned into the real monster of this book. I had to laugh about the irony that the Klingons once exterminated the Tribbles. They must have seen them as foes who deserved it. And now the main adversary is a genetically manipulated Tribble. Marvellous! And then Janos used the gribble as a snack, similar to Dr. Phlox lizard food. At that point I nearly dropped the book. Sometimes I really love PAD`s sense of humour!
PAD could easily continue this story, giving Calhoun another mission from Admiral Nechayev so that he goes after the dangerous people the gribble worked with. I agree that these people are a potential threat to the Federation, something they can`t ignore. Not to mention that after “Double or Nothing” I would love to read more stories of this kind. (I only have read “A little Getaway” yet, but the rest of the stories in “No Limits” will follow now).
I love speculating and after reading this book I wonder if this might lead to something else: a body for Morgan Lefler. I was laughing when PAD made his remark about putting a H for hologram on her forehead (Red Dwarf), but also Rimmer eventually got his hard light holographic body. And as I already mentioned, there is Rommie in Andromeda. Anyway, on top of an unusual captain and an unusual bridge crew, the Excalibur now also has an unusual computer with character. In the past, talking to a computer was usually boring. On the Excalibur, that is no longer the case. I find her very refreshing and can see the advantages a sentient computer like her has. Although I agree with her, that she is not really an AI, but something unique. But it should also be very interesting should she one day really disagree with her captain and refuse important orders.
The other main thread in “Stone and Anvil” is a flashback, showing the history of Calhoun`s start of his career, from when Picard convinced him to join Starfleet Academy and when he actually did so. From watching TV I didn`t have the best opinion of what cadets are taught when it is about honor, obeying orders and leadership abilities. I very much dislike the idea of elite cadets and the emphasis of obeying orders without questioning them. I was shocked that even older cadets are seen as superior officers who have the right to give orders to younger students. Even when it is obvious that they are abusing their powers and bullying, people are supposed to obey. Of course what Calhoun did was neither wise nor right but I also thought, good, it is about time someone teaches these bullies a lesson! I detest bullies and if you ask me, they got what they deserved.
This is of course the incident that was already mentioned in “Once Burned”. PAD continues to describe Calhoun`s difficult but also very educational time (not only about learning facts but learning to adapt in this society) on the Academy. I was also waiting for Calhoun`s talk with Boothby PAD mentioned but instead he wrote about Shelby`s discussion with him. He summarized very accurately what was obvious to me when I read the book (but also before): They were not ready yet for a permanent relationship. In that connection, PAD repeated one scene from the NF comic, “Double Time”, with Calhoun and Shelby in bed and he instinctively came to the same conclusion. Although nothing what happened here surprised me, it didn`t take anything away from my enjoyment of that part of the book. Being a big fan of that relationship, it was touching and interesting to see how both of them grew, matured until they eventually became a married couple. But it was also obvious, that Calhoun and Shelby are still learning, still growing – as it should be. Nobody is perfect and there is always room for improvement.
By the way, I hope one day we will find out where these intense dreams and/or visions come from we could already see in “Martyr” and “Restoration”. I am sure they are result of their close relationship but they have a very psionic feel.
I read some comments that Shelby`s relationship with Wexler doesn`t fit to what had been said before in NF. Unfortunately I can`t find that part now but if I remember correctly, PAD was talking about Shelby`s relationships AFTER she and Calhoun separated.
I loved the part of the book describing Calhoun`s solution of the Kobayashi Maru simulation. It was so very much in character! When I first heard Calhoun blew the Maru up, my reaction was “what?” But the way he explained it, it makes so much sense. I am surprised that Shelby didn`t see that when he did so during the interview. I think the insecurities that later led to her personal crisis were already visible here.
What I found fascinating was Janos origin story. I never would have guessed that Calhoun was so much involved in it, that he even gave him his name. He was indeed a very special individual and I will miss him in NF.
I am so glad that I still have more NF to read, namely the stories in “No Limits” written by other authors than Peter David!
A great read. What really got me was the ending. Though it made me a little sad, it was appropriate. It would have been easy to just have a cop-out ending but PAD went with what made sense. Fantastic.
Loved the book but after laughing had to exmplain the Heisenberg Principle to my wife at 3 AM. I think I owe Mr. H an apology at some point.
I loved Stone and Anvil, as I have adored every other NF book. The reason I found this one so enjoyable was the development of the Mac and Eppy relationship by further delving into their past – it added another layer onto what is now an intricate and well woved relationship. (God – have you EVER tried to explain NF to someone who hasn’t read it? Impossible!) I also liked the fleshing out of Mac’s relationship with Necheyev. We know he’s worked for her in a covert way (Section 31?) in the past, but until now, we haven’t seen that relationship in any great detail other than Necheyev siding with Picard to post Mac on the Excalibur. It is rewarding to see that now paying off. Also thought Stone and Anvil shows how much Peter David respects his characters – Spock is on the Trident for the whole book and yet we only see him in one scene. Any other ST writer would have had him in a main story arc, but not David. A class act!
I read Stone & Anvil, A Knight Life, No Limits, and Gods Above all in the period of 2 weeks.
The most frustrating things about them (with No Limits being a minor part of it): You can skip the entire chapters of the books, and read from chapter 20 on and find out who did what and how the solution presents itself and fixes the whole story.
They follow the Trek formula to a T which is really unfortunate : everything leads up to the last 5 minutes where the solution is presented to the cast as pure luck allowing them to save the day. I’m really tired of the iq levels of these cast member dropping below 15 during the whole time the problem is there up until the life support fails or there’s a phaser to their head when adreniline(sp?) causes the fog to clear their mind and the solution to present itself.
I was so frustrated with Knight Life and Stone & Anvil when I reached the end I was seriously ready to stop reading any further PAD books at all. Only by reading so many PAD books at one time did I realize this was a common occurance.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a solution to the problem at the moment. Just an observation.
And while I liked the comment about Picard not having any desire to run a school for gifted youngsters, I found the comment about running a level 1 diagnostic to be also hilarious.
I don’t normally post, I just enjoy reading what everyone else has to say, but I am motivated today. I started reading NF on a whim and have not put them down. The latest installment just adds to the richness of this new series. I thought the academy flashbacks were priceless, especially the Kobayashi Maru sequence. To be honest I was not pleased to see Shelby in the books, mainly due to her presence in TNG series. I did not like her character and thought she would detract from the stories, but her interaction with Mac has made her a wonderful addition. My wife wonders about me sometimes because I will start laughing at Kebron or something someone mutters. The Picard line about gifted and talented youngsters was hilarious. I tried to explain it to her because she’s seen X-men, but she still didn’t get it. Keep up the wonderful writing and go for a TV show!!! I’ve rambled enough.
*spoilers below*
I read Gods Above and Stone and Anvil a while back, so what changed between them and Being Human kind of blended together, so I’ll just post a single comment on them. First of all, liked the books, as I like almost all of PADs stuff, these books kind of started me worrying (sp?) though. PAD changed so much, with McHenry’s departure, Morgan’s change, Soleta’s difficulties, and Kebron’s metamorphosis, I’m worried that it will change the flavor of the books to the point of not likeing the mix of characters as much.
*shrugs* I will keep reading them, but it may become a sense of, “I’ve bought all of these before, I might as well keep going,” rather then actually salivating, waiting for the next installment. I know that change is part of the reason that PAD started writing NF, instead of the mainstream trek series, but it’s still worrying me. I hope it’s causeless