World Famous Comics: Before Dishonor (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Before Dishonor (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
By: Peter David Publisher: Star Trek Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Star Trek Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 416 Publication Date: October 30, 2007
Product Description: An enemy so intractable that it cannot be reasoned with. The entire race thinks with one mind and strives toward one purpose: to add our biological distinctiveness to their own and wipe out individuality, to make every living thing Borg.
In over two centuries, the Federation has never encountered a greater threat. Twice Starfleet assembled and threw countless starships to stand against them. The Borg were stopped, the price paid in blood. Humanity breathed a sigh of relief, assuming it was safe. And with the destruction of the transwarp conduits, the Federation believed that the killing blow had finally been struck against the Borg.
Driven to the point of extinction, the Borg continue to fight for their very existence, for their culture. They will not be denied. They must not be stopped. The old rules and assumptions regarding how the Collective should act have been dismissed. Now the Borg kill first, assimilate later.
When the Enterprise manages to thwart them once again, the Borg turn inward. The dark places that even the drones never realized existed are turned outward against the enemy they have never been able to defeat. What is revealed is the thing that no one believed the Borg could do.
A pleasant surprise, overall I seldom read Star Trek: The Next Generation novels, but I snap up the Voyager ones. I bought this book after discovering that Seven of Nine and Kathryn Janeway were among its lead characters, and I must say that it's been a pleasant surprise. I've never cared for Peter David's writing style, but he's done a good job of presenting these two Trek women without jarring my Voyager fan sensibilities in any major way.
The plot is a familiar and relatively simple one. The Borg are on the move again, this time after the Federation believes they've been destroyed. Picard has to defy Starfleet in order to save the galaxy from the Borg, and one Voyager character has to risk everything in order to save the life (or at least the soul, anyway?) of another. Standard stuff, yes; but written with good pacing, decent characterization, and genuine humor.
Now for a spoiler that I need to mention in order to finish my review. Stop reading, please, if you don't want to be spoiled.
If Admiral Janeway had met her "end" passively, or (even worse) had been rescued by anyone else without taking action to save herself and others, I would have come away from this book's ending furious. I liked what the author did, though, in resolving Janeway's situation. She "died" a hero, and that's just how it should be.
Before Dishonor Before Dishonor is perhaps one of the best Trek books that has been read in a while that stimulates the mind, and brings a fan of Trek back in sync with the series end. If you're a Voyager fan (like me) this book does little to reconnect with Christie Golden's relaunch novels and takes a course on it's own. But it has the greatest and terrifying story I have ever read or seen on the any of the Trek series with the Borg- their new evolution and their new Queen! I thought that Janeway went out in style- but it was not emotional or detailed after her departure and David did not do much in showing details with the Voyager crew. This is more related to The Next Generation's relaunch after Nemesis than Voyager's. Overall it had a terrifying story with the Borg and their new type of evolution scared the hell out of me. This book re-introduces us to the Doomsday Machine which is terrifying, yet power and their confrontation of the Borg. If you're into the Borg, and want to read Janeway's fate, than this is the novel for you!
Peter, Peter, Peter... As a long time fan of Peter Davids comic and novel work, I was really looking forward to this book. The characterizations are pretty spot-on, and the book moves at a brisk pace.
But Peteryou did not do right by Janeway. You did not do right by Seven of Nine.
I recall seeing Star Trek: Nemesis, and the huge cheer that went up in the theater when Admiral Janeway appeared on screen (I think it was the only good feedback the audience gave.) Sadly, it just seemed like all Mr. David had was contempt for the Voyager characters in this novel.
Waste of time..skip it This review will be short..no storylines or character descriptions. This book ain't worth the paper it's printed on.
I read the reviews and bought this book hoping for the best. It was a complete crapfest.
Seriously, trust the Amazon reviewers and skip it.
Good book! Well written Mr. David. The book was definately a page turner in everyway. I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter. The idea of the Enterprise crew not meshing togther like a well oiled machine is an interesting storyline. How does Jean-Luc deal with an inexperienced and unloyal senior staff? Good book, I look forward to the next one from Mr. David.
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