Treason

As soon as I finished JOHNNY GRUESOME, I immediately picked up the new Star Trek: New Frontiers novel, TREASON. As many have said before New Frontiers is the best Trek not on the big screen. It lives in the Next Generation universe, but has moved well beyond it into its own niche. I would even speculate that it is the longest running title not based on the various series. In any case, all of Peter David's Trek novels are fun reads and this one proved no exception. I was a little apprehensive to read this at first because of PAD's predilection for cliffhangers in this series, but luckily that was not completely the case. Yes, he does leave many plot threads dangling, but there is a solid ending.

For those unfamiliar with New Frontiers, the story is set in Thallonian space - a nominal ally of the Federation, but not part of it. It begins with the fall of the empire and follows the adventures of the USS EXCALIBUR. The captain is Mackenzie Calhoun or (M'k'n'zy of Calhoun in his native tounge) and the rest of the cast comes from TNG, DS9, and various novels. All of the characters are allowed to evolve, and in some cases, die. But despite this, PAD does try to give enough exposition to allow new readers to catch on. The books reflect PAD's wit and fast plotting. And almost all are excellent reads. (I didn't care for the god novels, but that's just me.)

Treason carries on the story with Robin Lefler expecting the birth of her child with the late Si Cwan and with the continued attempts by Dr. Soleta to cure her son Xy of his rapid aging. Much sturm und drang follows these characters and from there the fun ensues. TREASON is a worthy entry into the New Frontiers canon and worth a read for any Trek fan.