The Wife Speaks
Well I saw a couple of copies at my local Barnes and Noble so I will take that as a sign that the book has been released. Which is great since I read this as he was writing it and had to hold my tongue all this time. So there maybe spoilers in the comments section and I am warning you before hand that they are there.
So what did you thing of it?
• 
He heard me when I got to that point in the novel that you wonder if it’s a bad dream. I came down and asked him, “Are you serious? Did you really kill him?” “Yep.” came the reply. So he is really really dead.
OK, that’s a spoiler lol
I’ll have a guess before I get my hands on a copy on the book that it will be the end for (in order of prediction, not preference):
1. Xyon
2. Xy
3. Moke
4. Kebron
5. Calhouln
Then again, I’ve never been good at predictions.
Oh Man! I hope its not Calhoun.
He is my second favorite Trek character. Kirk being the first.
IMO, PAD is the only writer out there right now doing any real justice to the Kirk/Pike/Riker type of Trek characters…and Calhoun is certainly cut from the same mold…
We already lost one…hope don’t loose another…
I got the book last night, and read it cover to cover. For some reason, I seem to go through PAD books like a hot knife through butter to use a cliche. I apologize in advance for any mispellings of names to follow.
SPOILERS
Soleta is my favorite character, so I’m glad to see she has more of a role in this book than she did the last. Her stay on the Trident was great, but they were mostly the B-list characters (Kat Mueller has been upgraded to A-list in my opinion) of the series. I would have liked to see her interact more with Calhoun, Shelby, etc. though. And for the record, I love the whole her joining the Romulan thing, though I have no doubt PAD took a lot of heat from fanboys for this move.
I also thought Robin’s growth was well done. One question though, was that Morgan’s core consciousness in the holosuite at the end, or just a copy?
At first I was surprised that Si Cwan was killed off, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. After all, what else could you do with him? Between rescuing Kally, reforging the Thallion Empire/Protectorate, and marrying Robin, there’s not much more for him to do.
Btw, why was M’Ress upset about his death? My memory is a little fuzzy on their relationship. Didn’t he rescue her from Glau, or was it Janos? Were they lovers at some point?
It looks like Kally will be in charge of Thallion at the end. I’m interested to see how well she’ll do as a leader.
Oh, and I was so sure that Fhemus was going to turn out to be that fake-Kalinda’s other mate (since P-whats-his-name said they mate in threes). The whole “bombing plan before Tiraud was murdered” thing got me very suspicious, especially when he rejected Si Cwan’s evidence that Kalinda was an imposter. But he’s dead now, and since he didn’t turn into a tentacle monster, it would appear I my suspicions were unjustified.
And also, yes, I agree. A smart man surrounds himself with men who disagrees with him. I thought I knew someone who could use such advise, though I can’t remember who. Oh well, I’m sure it won’t matter. He can’t be anybody important.
So what’s next with the series? Any plans for future releases on the drawing board? Will Shelby got busted down to Ensign for hijaking the Trident? What’s up with Tania? (She first appeared in After the Fall, correct? Or is she some obscure character in Trek lore?) Can Soleta and Lucius refrain from killing each other? Will Xy find a cure? Will Kally get kidnapped again? Is Mac crazy, or will Moke turn into a thunder god, and why can’t it be both? Will Morgan go mad and take control over Excalibur? Will Kat ever have sex again? Will Robin find love after Cwan? Will Xyon develop an Oedipus complex and have Lyla take on Shelby’s form? Will Selar show emotion? Will I finally figure out how to pronounce “s/he”? Will the President of the Federation turn out to be a Sith Lord?
Unfortunately Amazon UK is in no hurry to send off the books. They still say it hasn`t been released yet.
And with my luck, after I finally finished the book, this thread will have dropped from the surface.
The more I read about this book, the more I am looking forward to it. Spoilers only whet my appetite :).
OH! OH! I have an idea! Would PAD perhaps be willing to do a contest post to give away a signed copy? (I can’t ever seem to get to the cons where you might be there signing copies!)
You could maybe have people post their number one best reasons-why-this-administration-sucks slogans and then draw the names from a hat?
What? I’m serious! (Heck even little ol’ conservative me would come up with one, Book ‘ho that I am!)
Oh please, oh please! 😀
BTW, I’m planning on BUYING a copy for sure, I wasn’t looking for a freebie, just a signed copy!!
Great! Been loking forwarsd to this!
I’m really hoping to “see” Meyer and Boyajian in this one, it’s been too long!
The interplay between Cwan and Kebron is one of the main things which sold me on the series in the first place. But there’s lots more to enjoy, and Kebron can be a lot of fun – relatively speaking – on his own, too, so it ought to all work out.
Wasn’t Tania the other cadet from Worf’s academy series? Has Ambassador Worf made an appearance yet?
Your right, Eric, she was!
And no Ambassador Worf in the book. Picard had a brief cameo though (I think).
I’m getting it today right after work!
Awesome. According to Amazon, it looked like it had been released despite the 2/28 release date. Since I just finished Outbound Flight, I’m ready for more tales in The New Frontier.
I just picked up my copy at the Barnes & Noble in Paramus, and the information/help guy showed me it was listed on the computer with the release date of today (the 23rd). He even had to go in the back and unpack one of the boxes to find it, but the book is there, so if anybody doesn’t see it on the shelf yet, make sure you ask.
1I noticed last week that Amazon had posted the book for sale even though the release date was different. I hurried to the local B&N and was told that they would sell it on the release date. I then hurried home, ordered it from Amazon and got it one day before the supposed B&N release date.
It’s a great read, but then again, so are all the NF books!
I have to disagree. Only the NF books by Peter David are great reads.
Okay I read the first comment about someone dying and scrolled all the way down. I’ve been waiting and waiting for this book! I’m ordering it from BN or Amazon.com in a matter of moments! The hardest thing for me is the wait between books! I have only 3 favorite authors..and luckily PAD is one of them. You’ve had me since Imazdi. hehe
Has After The Fall come out in paperback yet?
I see that Fallen Angel IDW #3 is due out next week and it says “3 of 5” on the list. Only 5 issues? PLEASE…say it ain’t so!!!
“Has After The Fall come out in paperback yet?”
According to Amazon it was released 11/29/05
I just finished the book. (Actually got me to stop playing WoW, which shows how good it is)Its a good book, but I found that earlier titles had more dry humor in them. Thats something this book is lacking.
Greg, After the Fall is indeed out in paperback. With any luck, you’ll find it next to the hardcover of Missing in Action in your bookstore.
At least I’m not the only one that was thinking “did he really do it?!” And to have Q and Q2 show up at the end, that was great.
Speaking of Peter and Star Trek, the latest Previews has a nice surprise: Titan Books will publish The Trials of James T. Kirk, originally published by DC.
Just finished it about an hour ago!
It was awesome, and I am NEVER disappointed with a Peter David book, New Frontier series included!
I was shocked at the death of you know who, I was really suprised. Soleta was cool, I was wondering if you were going to include the events that happened in ST Nemesis! Hehe. Also Q at the end with his son at the pond was cool. So they were the ones that were the 3rd person narrator, I was wondering what that was all about.
Overall a GREAT addition to an already OUTSTANDING series!
Now I just want the next installement….
Just finished the book myself, and when you get to… ahem… THAT scene, I kinda had the same reaction as most of us. “Okay, there’s no way they… oh, don’t lift it up, don’t- AWW, MAN! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?”
I will note that while we have many different plot threads that are ripe for follow-up (I’m personally most interested in seeing what Soleta does now that she’s got both a mate and a new purpose), the one that seems really intriguing is the introduction of Q into the New Frontier stories. The idea of Q going against Calhoun sounds… fun.
I’m also keeping a tiny torch lit for the most miniscule of possibilities that somehow, someway Si Cwan will return. After all, they DID bring back Spock…
MiA was Stone-and-Anvil-level work — not quite Vendetta or Q-Squared, but a sign that such heights are by no means out of reach.
SPOILERS
And yeah… Cwan getting scragged shocked me. I liked it.
slainte,
ls
Great book PAD, like others I still can’t quite believe you killed Si Cwan off. Better still it was such an unexpected way for him to die. Of the three major deaths in Star Trek (Kirk, Spock and Data) only one worked very well (Spock), and the other two were badly mishandled. Si Cwan’s death fits into the Spock category as it was shocking, unexpected and sad.
My only minor criticism would be that the story tied into Nemesis, and that film is something I’d prefer to forget all about. Sadly, all of the Trek books of late have been connected in some way to Nemesis so there’s been no escaping it!
I have to ask the annoying question now: When do we get the next book? I get through PAD books so quickly I don’t think I’ve ever had one last more than a few days! That’s not a criticism either, the books always grip me so completely I can’t put them down!
MORE !! MORE !!
Awesome book as always…any chance of getting the Starfleet Acadmey books reprinted as one book for those of us that cant find them anymore ? Or maybe added in the back of the next NF book ? BTW, when is that coming out ? 🙂
Sadly, photoboy, if the writers are going to be at all serious about their craft, “Nemesucks” is going to have to be reflected. Since it was filmed (unfortunately), it must therefore be canon, and the Reman assassination of the entire Romulan Senate is something that’s going to affect the stellar-political structure of the entire Alpha Quadrant. (Yes, “stellar-political” is a clumsy term, but at this hour, it’s the best adjustment of “geopolitical” I could come up with.)
I hope I get to read this book soon – until I get a better job, I can’t afford to buy books, so I have to wait and see if the local library is going to pick up a copy… 🙁
I found MIA at Borders on Saturday and picked it up. Can’t wait to dig into it!
-Joe
How about Astropolictical? (see above)
I think this latest book in the seris was much more enjoyable than “After the fall” It seemed to have more plot and it didn’t end with a ‘to be continued’ cliffhanger. (Which will make the next year’s wait for another book a bit more bearable.)
I have noticed some repetive writing (I can remember three times in this novel when someone’s movements are noted as remarkable because the “usually sensitive senses of [such-and-such] didn’t pick them up. (Which is also used as a line a few more time in the rest of the seris which I’ve been reading to my wife recently.) But overall, I enjoyed this work immensely.
My predictions:
Shelby will be demoted to Captain (perhaps of the Trident? esp. if Kat’s culpability in the murder comes out.) McHenry will return as Tania’s lover (they were together at the academy…)
Moke seems fated for a classic becoming-of-evil-age-and-destroy-all-who-loved-me-like-other-teenagers-would-when-they-get-in-bad-moods-if-they-had-this-phenomenal-cosmic-power-in-this-itty-bitty-little-living-space. But I’m hoping it won’t be that predictable.
However, maybe with so many god-like-powers around the Excalibur, Xy can be “snapped ‘n’ cured.”
Any change Robin was newly pregnant before her husband died?
I still haven`t got the book 🙁 but some people asked about what will be out next and when. The information I got from Psi Phi and the Trek BBS is of course subject to change but this is what is planned for now:
January and February 2007:
Mirror Universe (which is the umbrella title): A two trade paperback series with three full novels in each volume. Book 1 is edited by Margaret Clark and includes Enterprise, TOS and TNG novels; Book 2 is edited by Marco Palmieri and includes DS9, Voyager and NF novels.
Margaret Clark (editor): Enterprise tale (title TBA) by Mike Sussman with Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore + TOS tale (title TBA) by David Mack + TNG tale (title TBA) by Greg Cox. (February 07)
Marco Palmieri (editor): Voyager tale (title TBA) by Keith R.A. DeCandido + NF tale (title TBA) by Peter David + DS9 tale (title TBA) by Sarah Shaw. (March 07)
Later in 2007 three TNG novels will be out which are part of the program celebrating its 20th anniversary. The third novel, a paperback, is written by PAD. I can`t remember where it was posted but this is the announcement I kept in my personal book list:
Peter David is writing a Star Trek: The Next Generation novel featuring the Borg, with his mission being to make the Borg not suck. David said you cannot reason with them, they do not have a plan, and there is no Queen. He described the Borg as a race of Terminators that will kick ášš and be taking names.
Sounds great 🙂
Keeping in mind Shelby`s history I am hoping that the book is at least part NF, too. “Double or Nothing” was labelled as TNG and is at least half NF, maybe it will happen again?
By the way, I want to mention again that 2007 is NF`s 10th anniversary. I hope it will be celebrated at Pocket Books, the same as the Star Trek TV series.
Just got mine from Amazon yesterday. So far so good. I had a hard time putting it down last night.
And the cover is just amazing. Probably one of my all time favorite Star Trek novel covers.
I just finished it and I must agree with all of you it was excellent. I did enjoy the interplay between Cwan and Kebron, but I am curious to see where everything goes from here. I’m sure it has been mentioned before and I just missed it, but is there any talk at turning this serious into a show? I know the shows have not done great lately, but I think a new captain like Calhoun would be great for the franchise. What do y’all think? Also, should we take the last chapter as forshadowing for the next book? Either way, it was AWESOME!!! Now, the post reading high will wear off and depression will set in until the next one comes out. Have a great one all!
just want to say thank you for another New Frontier book!
Thanks for screwing with my sleep patterns yet again, Mr. David.
I just finished MiA today, and I really liked it, but it seems to me as time has gone on and the cast has grown that we’ve gotten less and less focus on the core Excalibur cast. While this isn’t to say that this is necessarily a bad think because I love having more focus on Kat Mueller, Hash, and other, I also missed seeing Kebron in MiA. He was in it a little bit, but the focus was on different characters.
Anyway, is there any word as to whether or not there are going to be any more New Frontier books? That Q appearance at the end made me drool over a confrontation between Q and Mac. How awesome would that be?
BTW, I do have to say that the part with Keesala getting his reminded me a lot of the partin Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy when the Heart of Gold turns one of the missiles into a whale which then crashes on Magrathea.
OK, I had to write. You may not get to see this post, but at least I’ll have the satisfaction of getting this out. Over the last 10 years or so, you’ve become one of my favorite authors. I read constantly but generally keep my reading to science fiction/fantasy/horror with a few detective mysteries thrown in now and then. And I have to add, though I am a long time Trek fan from the old days, I DO NOT read any of the other Star Trek novels. I’ve never been interested. I tried occasionally, but nothing ever really grabbed me. But a friend handed me the New Frontier books many many years ago and I was blown away. Your writing is far superior to anything else I’v ever read in the ST novel universe. That aside, I was totally stunned and thrilled by MIA. I couldn’t put it down. It’s been a real long time since a book affected me the way MIA did. When I finished I almost felt like the Kathy Bates character in Misery. If I had you here I’d probably whack your ankles with a sledgehammer and make you re-write the Cwan storyline. Killing Cwan totally pìššëd me off. I’m still pìššëd. Besides the fact that he was one the best written characters I’ve ever read, he deserved a much better death than losing his life because he “slipped” and then getting his head cut off by that coward. But that “minor” part aside, this was without question the best New Frontier book of the lot. I was genuinely upset by parts of it and completely thrilled by others. The women….Robin, Shelby, Kat, and Soleta…it seemed to me that you intentionally brought all of these women to the forefront of the storyline and really breathed fire into them. It was simply magnificent. That said, I’ll end my post here. You’re an incredible writer Peter. I wish I had the chance to have read your Hukl storylines many years ago. I use to collect the entire Marvel comic universe many many years ago, back when Claremont and Byrne was doing the X-Men and Miller was doing Daredevil. Even before that actually. But I probably would have really enjoyed your writing on the Hulk. Maybe I’ll go hunt them down on Ebay. Take care.
The weekly e-mail from eReader had ST: MIA as its big plug of the week. If I wasn’t already waiting for it from the library, I’d buy it. (I’ve read all but 3 novels and the collection on my palm pilot.)
A friend in the USA told me that MIA is definitely his favourite NF book.
Living in Britain, I am still waiting and I found out that British fans in general are still waiting. I have been in town yesterday and couldn`t find the book anywhere. Amazon UK hasn`t got it yet either and my comic shop told me, the book is extremely late but they have been told from their US supplier that the book is on its way. They expect it any day now and promised me to send me an email as soon as it arrives.
There is a neat option at Amazon.com I have been using, reading excerpts. MIA will probably not be able to replace “Once Burned” as my top favourite book but I enjoyed what I have read so far very much. My appetite is growing with each morsel I can find 🙂
It is my Birthday at the end of March. Hopefully I can give it to myself as a Birthday present, at least :).
I just finished the book, read it all in one night. It was… great. It actually had a sense of finality to me. (I hope I’m wrong, I can see about 1000 threads that could be followed up, and yes, a Mac/Q confrontation would be awesome.)
Si Cwan’s death was shocking, surprising, and right. He was a great warrior that deserved better, but it seemed right that *everytime* can’t can a superhuman escape attempt. And there was something different about this scene. Something that I immediatly knew it wasn’t a fake out, that he was dead.
Farewell Si Cwan.
So… When’s the next book?
By the way, I’m not pleased about Si Cwan — or some other events over the last few books — but it’s your sandbox and you make it so dámņ entertaining, so what the hëll. (Sorry for the cursing).
It’s past midnight in my windy, cold city in Alberta; yet I find myself wide awake for how powerful the ending to MIA was. I have a bit of a lull in my student teaching round and decided to stop at a local bookstore today to finally pick up a copy of MIA. As is the usual case for me with a new PAD NF book, I read it in the course of a few hours. I have so much I could say on this book; for the sake of brevity I will confine my remarks to two important things: Robin’s learning of her husband’s death and the motif of women finding their own inner power and strength.
The image of Si Cwan’s head, presented to Robin, is entirely unexpected as it’s the first time I’ve noted a NF book delve into the Gothic genre. This scene reminds me somewhat of the scene in Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, where Emily finds the wax figure behind the curtain in terms of terror and the heroine feeling emotionally disconnected. But unlike the traditional Gothic heroine, Robin is able to use her disconnection to attempt to avenge her husband’s death.
The motif of women finding their own inner power and strength was extremely well-done. Soleta works through her issues of belonging, at first without success. She tries to find her power and strength in opposition to her crew (all men, it seems) who mutiny against her. But as Kat, Shelby and Robin realise during their drunken conversation, their true inner power and strength does not come from being in opposition to the men who sometimes anger them. Rather, it comes from relying on the resources they possess within themselves, one of which is the love and affection they share with the men in their lives. Another resource is the relationships these women share with each other. They lend each other their strength.
When Soleta is able to begin something of a relationship with Lucius (I am curious where that will end up) she is able to begin to find peace. It seems by the novel’s end, by helping Robin and Kalinda, Soleta finds a purpose for herself. Robin will help advise Kalinda now that Kalinda is the leader. Kat and Shelby help Robin go back home. Kat lends her strength to Robin by killing Fhermus. I think the best example of how the women in the novel find their strength through love is the end scene with Robin and Kalinda. Kalinda is simultaneously in the presence of Robin and Si Cwan, both of whom help her find her own strength to carry forward in her life.
Thank you, PAD, for another excellent book. I look forward to the next NF adventure.
I was finally able to track down a copy of MIA a few weeks ago and I’ve limited myself to only reading it at night. Well this morning I woke up and couldn’t take it any more so I zoomed throught the rest of it as fast as my eyes could move. WOW. I was more than impressed with the interaction of the secondary characters and I’m in awe of your ability to make people like Hash come to life in my mind just as easily as if he’d been a main character throughout the entire series.
Thanks for another great book and I can’t wait to see what you’ve got planned next.
I finally finished it two nights ago. Wow. Great book. Can’t wait for the next. At first I thought it was ruined for me because I read something to the effect of “I can’t believe he killed him” somewhere (I thought it was here, but can’t seem to find it), and thought that this was Calhoun, which I thought would’ve effectively ended the series’ appeal. I see now that it was not Calhoun, though I was nevertheless shocked at who was killed. Can’t wait to see where this goes with Robin and Kalinda. I thought the last scene wasn’t necessary, and I wasn’t sure what it meant (Q caused the situation with the Teuthis and Bolgar? Their universe is a jellyfish? Or was the jellyfish just a visual metaphor, like the way station and Civil War settings in which the Continuum appeared in those two Voyager episodes?) Great job, Peter!