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lucyatoz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Collateral Damage by David Mack is a novel in the stable of books for Star Trek: The Next Generation. The story has two narratives taking place in the same book. The first centres around a legal hearing of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, featuring the shady and convert Section 31 and the organisation's downfall with resulted in the forced removal and death of a Federation President.
Alongside this is the story of Agonist, and his handler, Expositor, who is in the middle of selling a super-weapon, when he is surprised by a band of Nausicaa's. The U.S.S. Enterprise, under the leadership of Commander Worf, arrests Agonist, which results in a mission to save an outlying community when they are attacked by the Nausicaa's, who lost their land during the Borg invasion, and want someone to pay.
I borrowed a copy of this novel from my local library and listened to it on Spotify. I read this for prompt 36, has futuristic technology, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
Alongside this is the story of Agonist, and his handler, Expositor, who is in the middle of selling a super-weapon, when he is surprised by a band of Nausicaa's. The U.S.S. Enterprise, under the leadership of Commander Worf, arrests Agonist, which results in a mission to save an outlying community when they are attacked by the Nausicaa's, who lost their land during the Borg invasion, and want someone to pay.
I borrowed a copy of this novel from my local library and listened to it on Spotify. I read this for prompt 36, has futuristic technology, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
vingilot's review against another edition
5.0
David Mack does it again! Maybe for the last time?
This could be it, the last book in the novel continuity. New series are coming out post nemesis, and they will change everything. And while we knew this could happen, some of us never thought it would after Enterprise got canceled.
New books will be written yes, but we will likely never again see the total freedom that the book universe had to write their own story as we have seen the last 15 years, and what a journey it has been. The books gave us the climax to all the borg build up the shows never gave us. It gave us fantastic new characters like President Nannieta Bacco, and extensions of existing characters like Dulmur and Lucksly of the Department of Temporal Investigations. It gave us the Typhon pact, finally a real counterpart to the federation. One that was not even just an evil version, but a real alternative. Arguably all this started in the A Time To Series, and it ends here.
It is quite a tale, after the disclosure and disbanding of Section 31 in Control, the federation faces a crisis of conscience. The paradise it made was seemingly held up by a nightmare. This will have repercussions for all its citizens, even some of our favourite ones. Like Picard, who is standing trial for his apparent involvement in this conspiracy, the tension is actually there. While I do not think any reader would think he was actually going to be locked up, however with the continuity being rapped up he surely could end up in forced retirement. The trial is believable, unlike some portrayed on screen. It kept me on the edge of my seat, even though it is technically the B plot.
The A plot is about a species that is oft forgotten, the Nausicans. The novels do what hey do best again, expand on the lore. No longer are they mindless brutes, they have a legitimate grievance with the federation. Their world was destroyed by the Borg, and the federation never bothered to look into them... Now with very few Nausicans left, there is an extremist faction fighting for a new place to call home. I cannot blame them for their struggle, but the means they use are problematic to say the least. It is incredibly interesting to find yourself sympathetic with a race that was before just treated as mindless brutes.
This book could serve as the perfect capstone of the novel continuity, I say could because it is not absolutely clear if it will. There is one more book announced in this continuity, but it is a voyager book, and barring timeskips that will take place years before this one. Beyond that there are also rumors about something else being in the works, I trust the source since it is one of the authors, but it could be canceled.
regardless, this book's ending deliberately mirrors another ending, and it was done remarkably well. I believe this was written as a probable ending, but I certainly would not complain if we get more wrap up later on. In short, an excellent read!
This could be it, the last book in the novel continuity. New series are coming out post nemesis, and they will change everything. And while we knew this could happen, some of us never thought it would after Enterprise got canceled.
New books will be written yes, but we will likely never again see the total freedom that the book universe had to write their own story as we have seen the last 15 years, and what a journey it has been. The books gave us the climax to all the borg build up the shows never gave us. It gave us fantastic new characters like President Nannieta Bacco, and extensions of existing characters like Dulmur and Lucksly of the Department of Temporal Investigations. It gave us the Typhon pact, finally a real counterpart to the federation. One that was not even just an evil version, but a real alternative. Arguably all this started in the A Time To Series, and it ends here.
It is quite a tale, after the disclosure and disbanding of Section 31 in Control, the federation faces a crisis of conscience. The paradise it made was seemingly held up by a nightmare. This will have repercussions for all its citizens, even some of our favourite ones. Like Picard, who is standing trial for his apparent involvement in this conspiracy, the tension is actually there. While I do not think any reader would think he was actually going to be locked up, however with the continuity being rapped up he surely could end up in forced retirement. The trial is believable, unlike some portrayed on screen. It kept me on the edge of my seat, even though it is technically the B plot.
The A plot is about a species that is oft forgotten, the Nausicans. The novels do what hey do best again, expand on the lore. No longer are they mindless brutes, they have a legitimate grievance with the federation. Their world was destroyed by the Borg, and the federation never bothered to look into them... Now with very few Nausicans left, there is an extremist faction fighting for a new place to call home. I cannot blame them for their struggle, but the means they use are problematic to say the least. It is incredibly interesting to find yourself sympathetic with a race that was before just treated as mindless brutes.
This book could serve as the perfect capstone of the novel continuity, I say could because it is not absolutely clear if it will. There is one more book announced in this continuity, but it is a voyager book, and barring timeskips that will take place years before this one. Beyond that there are also rumors about something else being in the works, I trust the source since it is one of the authors, but it could be canceled.
regardless, this book's ending deliberately mirrors another ending, and it was done remarkably well. I believe this was written as a probable ending, but I certainly would not complain if we get more wrap up later on. In short, an excellent read!
happentobeshort's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I read a spoiler and with 20% or so left in the book I decided to not finish it because that spoiler just soured me about the ending. Also, the MASSIVE Brooklyn 99 references were annoying me so much. Not one, not two, but FOUR WHOLE CHARACTERS NAMED AFTER THE MAIN B99 CHARACTERS. Really took me out of it. However I did enjoy it overall, even if it was trope heavy and kinda predictable.
sblackone's review against another edition
4.0
Good book, but some details made my eyes roll
Overall this is a good book and a worthy finale to the series. There is a lot to like here. The Tezwa story thread that was started many years ago finally has a conclusion. Along the way there is some gripping action and courtroom drama in two separate story lines. Worf gets a chance to shine as a captain and negotiator. Even the often obnoxious is interesting. His parts are told in first person and somehow that POV shift works. Of the secondary characters Šmrhová stands out.
The conclusion of the legal story is maybe a bit too convenient.. But all in all it still works.
I'm a bit torn between 3 1/2 and 4 stars. It's not outstanding, but I consider it above average as far as ST books are concerned. But there are some minor issues that took me out of the story in certain moments.
First, in the climax of one of the story lines Starfleet Intelligence agents. This may be suspenseful, but it's not very credible.
Also related to SI, I don't think the author actually meant to imply that, but that's how it can come across.
Second, at the end of the legal story line Picard and Zife are accused of felony murder? Excuse me!? Felony murder? That's an absolutely insane and unjust legal doctrine that only really exists in the United States. Under the felony murder rule, someone can be charged for a crime they had no intent to commit and/or had no knowledge of if they participate in the events surrounding it. It has been abolished in basically all other Anglo-Saxon countries decades ago, although some of them still have similar ideas in their legal codes. Even then they usually require a lot more intent or foresight than the US. I can excuse that the overall legal system shown is mostly a copy of the American one - the copying is far too direct, but despite all its many flaws it makes for good drama. But not this. There was no reason for this other than myopia and ignorance.
For real world examples, someone was sentenced to life in prison for lending his car to some friends who robbed someone who then was killed in the process. That murder was not planned and even if the guy had knowledge of the robbery he couldn't know about the killing. In several cases people were charged with the murder of an accomplice when that person was in fact killed by police or a home owner. In another case a shoplifter was sentenced because the security guard catching and handcuffing him died of a heart attack. How is this justice?
IMO Picard could probably be charged with being part of the coup in some capacity. Although he technically only set it into motion and let others make the decisions, he had to be aware of what they were likely going to do. In any case he certainly never intended for Zife to die and thus can't be guilty of murder.
Felony murder would never be part of a truly just and properly thought out legal system. It's a historical artifact and a controversial idea that is disputed even among American legal scholars. It has no place whatsoever in Star Trek. It also didn't have to be included into the story for it it work since there were plenty of other charges.
Maybe it seems weird that I am spending such a long time on this point compared to otherwise short review, but it's not too much to ask that some more thought is put into all the implications and that the society shown is a bit more international beyond superficial flavor. After all the Federation is a society several hundred years in the future. It's supposed to be represent all of Earth. Never mind other planets. No Vulcan would consider felony murder logical. It's also supposed to be better than us. At least as an ideal, even if it's doesn't always happen in practice (like DS9 treated humans compared to TNG). It can't just be 21st century America in space.
This isn't entirely isolated either. There is a trend in some of the recent ST books where they seem too contemporary at times. Sometimes it's merely the way characters talk, but I can usually overlook that. You can find plenty of phrases or idioms that are a bit too contemporary in this book too. But in other cases like this it just becomes too much and I have to put down the book for a bit. The first season of TNG went too far with the futuristic weirdness, but now the pendulum has swung too far into the other direction.
Overall this is a good book and a worthy finale to the series. There is a lot to like here. The Tezwa story thread that was started many years ago finally has a conclusion. Along the way there is some gripping action and courtroom drama in two separate story lines. Worf gets a chance to shine as a captain and negotiator. Even the often obnoxious
Spoiler
OkonaThe conclusion of the legal story is maybe a bit too convenient.
Spoiler
There are consequences, but they are not actually bad. Picard never really wanted to be an admiral anyways. So in a sense it's even a rewardI'm a bit torn between 3 1/2 and 4 stars. It's not outstanding, but I consider it above average as far as ST books are concerned. But there are some minor issues that took me out of the story in certain moments.
First, in the climax of one of the story lines Starfleet Intelligence agents
Spoiler
are prepared to blow up a station with tens of thousands of civilians in order to save Earth. It makes sense to consider this in light of the lives at stake, but the ease with which they give this order is more reminiscent of Section 31 than even SI (compared to regular Starfleet)Also related to SI,
Spoiler
the existence of black sites is dealt with way too casually and basically treated as normal fact of life. These are supposed to be bad. Even intelligence agencies aren't supposed to simply disappear people.Second, at the end of the legal story line Picard and Zife are accused of felony murder? Excuse me!? Felony murder? That's an absolutely insane and unjust legal doctrine that only really exists in the United States. Under the felony murder rule, someone can be charged for a crime they had no intent to commit and/or had no knowledge of if they participate in the events surrounding it. It has been abolished in basically all other Anglo-Saxon countries decades ago, although some of them still have similar ideas in their legal codes. Even then they usually require a lot more intent or foresight than the US. I can excuse that the overall legal system shown is mostly a copy of the American one - the copying is far too direct, but despite all its many flaws it makes for good drama. But not this. There was no reason for this other than myopia and ignorance.
For real world examples, someone was sentenced to life in prison for lending his car to some friends who robbed someone who then was killed in the process. That murder was not planned and even if the guy had knowledge of the robbery he couldn't know about the killing. In several cases people were charged with the murder of an accomplice when that person was in fact killed by police or a home owner. In another case a shoplifter was sentenced because the security guard catching and handcuffing him died of a heart attack. How is this justice?
IMO Picard could probably be charged with being part of the coup in some capacity. Although he technically only set it into motion and let others make the decisions, he had to be aware of what they were likely going to do. In any case he certainly never intended for Zife to die and thus can't be guilty of murder.
Felony murder would never be part of a truly just and properly thought out legal system. It's a historical artifact and a controversial idea that is disputed even among American legal scholars. It has no place whatsoever in Star Trek. It also didn't have to be included into the story for it it work since there were plenty of other charges.
Maybe it seems weird that I am spending such a long time on this point compared to otherwise short review, but it's not too much to ask that some more thought is put into all the implications and that the society shown is a bit more international beyond superficial flavor. After all the Federation is a society several hundred years in the future. It's supposed to be represent all of Earth. Never mind other planets. No Vulcan would consider felony murder logical. It's also supposed to be better than us. At least as an ideal, even if it's doesn't always happen in practice (like DS9 treated humans compared to TNG). It can't just be 21st century America in space.
This isn't entirely isolated either. There is a trend in some of the recent ST books where they seem too contemporary at times. Sometimes it's merely the way characters talk, but I can usually overlook that. You can find plenty of phrases or idioms that are a bit too contemporary in this book too. But in other cases like this it just becomes too much and I have to put down the book for a bit. The first season of TNG went too far with the futuristic weirdness, but now the pendulum has swung too far into the other direction.
cami5ado's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed both the threads of Picard's trial and Worf's time commanding the Enterprise dealing with some very serious stuff. The only minor detail that bothered me was some background characters with some very familiar pop culture names that took me out of the immersion for a few serious scenes.
feeona's review against another edition
3.0
Star Trek Bücher fesseln mich einfach immer wieder. Auch "Kollateralschaden" war wieder sehr spannend und leicht zu lesen. Die Story ist etwas zweigeteilt, der Part mit dem Prozess gegen Picard war irgendwie von der Relevanz nicht so gut eingebunden, am Ende hat es sich auch sehr leicht aufgelöst, während es am Anfang noch groß aufgebauscht wurde. Trotzdem habe ich mich gefreut Picard, Beverly und die anderen alten Enterprise Mitglieder wiederzutreffen.
madisonreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jbrooxd's review against another edition
4.0
Good story. I expected more on the Picard front, but that was really only a small portion of the book. The rest was devoted to the Enterprise's efforts to save a planet and Starfleet Intelligence trying to keep Worf and the crew out of their business while a group of Nausicaans rampaged through the galaxy. Some great, funny moments. I enjoyed Riker's scenes as well as Worf's solution to the Nausicaan situation. His substitute second in command while LaForge was off ship was also terrific.
There's a LOT going on here and the point of view changes often. I wish this had been formatted to better clue the reader into what was going on in each section. I didn't like having to read a few paragraphs to know which part of the story we had moved to. This was especially problematic in the first person sections. This has been done SO well in other novels; someone missed the boat here by not making that more clear.
There's a LOT going on here and the point of view changes often. I wish this had been formatted to better clue the reader into what was going on in each section. I didn't like having to read a few paragraphs to know which part of the story we had moved to. This was especially problematic in the first person sections. This has been done SO well in other novels; someone missed the boat here by not making that more clear.
frakalot's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It was a satisfying account of the events that follow Picard's trial for alleged crimes... events that we observed across many previous novels. Mack handles the emotions of the people involved expertly and I often felt like I was in the room observing like a fly on the wall.
Typical for me, l enjoyed the Enterprise investigations much more thoroughly than the political aspects. Without leaning into spoilers we catch up with at least two unexpected characters, familiar from TV Trek, and it is quite a lot of fun.
We also explore a species mostly familiar by name and appearance only, a species close to Picard's heart in a very specific sense. We learn much more about them and their home planet.
I loved the book. I only have a single criticism and it relates to the last time we see Aneta Šmrhová. Why David, why? Haha. But otherwise thank you for another sensational story!
Typical for me, l enjoyed the Enterprise investigations much more thoroughly than the political aspects. Without leaning into spoilers we catch up with at least two unexpected characters, familiar from TV Trek, and it is quite a lot of fun.
We also explore a species mostly familiar by name and appearance only, a species close to Picard's heart in a very specific sense. We learn much more about them and their home planet.
I loved the book. I only have a single criticism and it relates to the last time we see Aneta Šmrhová. Why David, why? Haha. But otherwise thank you for another sensational story!
libraryofrick180107's review against another edition
5.0
Book Review - Star Trek The Next Generation Collateral Damage by David Mack
Continuing the adventures of Captain Jean Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, this book follows on from the previous book Available Light (which I read in July whilst on holiday). This book is also linked to the Section 31 story Control (which I have not read, but have every intention of reading as soon as possible). I won't spoil the story for those of you who like or love Star Trek books, but this book reveals how Captain Jean Luc Picard was involved in some very serious events in previous books.
While he is back on Earth, the USS Enterprise under the command of Commander Worf is investigating some thefts and hostage situations.
All in all this book reminded me of a plot for a longer episode.
Definitely a book I would happily read again and I am now looking forward to the next book.
5*
*****
Continuing the adventures of Captain Jean Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, this book follows on from the previous book Available Light (which I read in July whilst on holiday). This book is also linked to the Section 31 story Control (which I have not read, but have every intention of reading as soon as possible). I won't spoil the story for those of you who like or love Star Trek books, but this book reveals how Captain Jean Luc Picard was involved in some very serious events in previous books.
While he is back on Earth, the USS Enterprise under the command of Commander Worf is investigating some thefts and hostage situations.
All in all this book reminded me of a plot for a longer episode.
Definitely a book I would happily read again and I am now looking forward to the next book.
5*
*****