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readbyfred's review against another edition
3.0
It was a good read, keeping my interest throughout. The book introduced the crew of Deep Space Station 47 - Vanguard Station - with Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise being secondary characters; characters who could have been replaced in the book by another Starship and another crew.
All in all a good read, but not enough for me to become "invested" in the artifact they found. This novel sets the stage for the other books in the series.
If you're looking for a good space battle, snippets of a discovery that has far reaching implications, and diplomatic drama this is the book for you.
All in all a good read, but not enough for me to become "invested" in the artifact they found. This novel sets the stage for the other books in the series.
If you're looking for a good space battle, snippets of a discovery that has far reaching implications, and diplomatic drama this is the book for you.
fbone's review against another edition
2.0
This book is mostly background info and character introduction. There's not much action but it does have enough mystery and intrigue to set the reader up for the next in the series. Several minor plot lines that involve personal relationships add to the sci-fi theme.
thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
The first book in a series set in a time very early in Kirk's captaincy of the Enterprise. The action is mostly set in a star base near the Klingon and Tholian border, and this is before the Organian treaty. While I enjoyed many aspects, it didn't all hang together.
The description of a major space battle was excellent. There are a lot of characters, and some of them fairly well drawn. It has a broader gender and species mix than a 60s television show. In fact this book reads like a television pilot - there is also a LOT of intrigue, and the station gangster seems a bit much. There is also a mystery here - and not enough said about that. Later books, I guess.
DS9 was visited by the Enterprise, so it makes sense to kick this one off with a visit by the Enterprise. This was early in Kirk's captaincy, and the references to "Pike's ship" were a nice fit. That said, the old series cast were a little... off. Kirk doesn't get his way. Scotty is outside his element, and quite off balance. Spock wasn't. Each loses out, in their way, to the new station personnel - and that doesn't feel right to me.
I have been writing a Star Trek role playing adventure set in this time period, so this is research, and I will read the other books. This series has several authors, and one goal was to "add geopolitical and cultural context" to the events of the series. I am hoping that means more than just cameos (such as Scotty's "green" beverage).
The description of a major space battle was excellent. There are a lot of characters, and some of them fairly well drawn. It has a broader gender and species mix than a 60s television show. In fact this book reads like a television pilot - there is also a LOT of intrigue, and the station gangster seems a bit much. There is also a mystery here - and not enough said about that. Later books, I guess.
DS9 was visited by the Enterprise, so it makes sense to kick this one off with a visit by the Enterprise. This was early in Kirk's captaincy, and the references to "Pike's ship" were a nice fit. That said, the old series cast were a little... off. Kirk doesn't get his way. Scotty is outside his element, and quite off balance. Spock wasn't. Each loses out, in their way, to the new station personnel - and that doesn't feel right to me.
I have been writing a Star Trek role playing adventure set in this time period, so this is research, and I will read the other books. This series has several authors, and one goal was to "add geopolitical and cultural context" to the events of the series. I am hoping that means more than just cameos (such as Scotty's "green" beverage).
rebecita's review against another edition
2.0
Well David Mack, you've got something here, but it isn't a novel. Harbinger reads like a fantastic new Star Trek TV pilot. There's plenty to hook viewers - short, punchy scenes, loads of world-building, promising arcs, explosions! And who cares if the story doesn't really hold together. But for 300 pages of print, there are flat out too many original characters introduced to keep track of, let alone care about who is sleeping with whom. (And, yes, they are ALL having illicit affairs. Did I mention the TV potential?)
I'm still not sure if this is a character driven novel with lame to nonexistent intrigue, or a thriller with flimsy characters. Either way, this adds up to... not a whole lot. I'm going to give the author the benefit of the doubt because his style here is very different from Sorrows of Empire. I THINK he's trying to give a nod to pulp cliches like heavy drinking, loose women, schemes that require you to suspend your disbelief, and underdog reporters. Unfortunately, his writing is not nearly snappy enough to pull this off.
Dealbreaker: I really want to believe you, male scifi writers, when you promise me the old boys club is no more. I mean, you don't titter over boobs in space anymore. You even write men with 23rd century feminism awkwardly inserted into thought bubbles. ("She's so brave! And they say women can't be captains!" "Boy, that new miniskirt uniform sure is hot! I mean demeaning! Really demeaning! Demeaning... and hot.") But every time I relax and think I just might have made it as part of your target audience, you go old school. Say, with some decidedly unenlightened girl on girl action. Ew. (If you must, you can read the entire offending scene excerpted here. It's pretty tame, though shameless in its violation of copyright laws, in that it is clearly lifted from the first 30 seconds of the lesbian porn David Mack watches when he has writers' block.)
I'm still not sure if this is a character driven novel with lame to nonexistent intrigue, or a thriller with flimsy characters. Either way, this adds up to... not a whole lot. I'm going to give the author the benefit of the doubt because his style here is very different from Sorrows of Empire. I THINK he's trying to give a nod to pulp cliches like heavy drinking, loose women, schemes that require you to suspend your disbelief, and underdog reporters. Unfortunately, his writing is not nearly snappy enough to pull this off.
Dealbreaker: I really want to believe you, male scifi writers, when you promise me the old boys club is no more. I mean, you don't titter over boobs in space anymore. You even write men with 23rd century feminism awkwardly inserted into thought bubbles. ("She's so brave! And they say women can't be captains!" "Boy, that new miniskirt uniform sure is hot! I mean demeaning! Really demeaning! Demeaning... and hot.") But every time I relax and think I just might have made it as part of your target audience, you go old school. Say, with some decidedly unenlightened girl on girl action. Ew. (If you must, you can read the entire offending scene excerpted here. It's pretty tame, though shameless in its violation of copyright laws, in that it is clearly lifted from the first 30 seconds of the lesbian porn David Mack watches when he has writers' block.)
thetarantulalounge's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A subreddit of nerds recently lamented the end of The Expanse – both the nine-book series and the tv show.
Someone in the subreddit helpfully mentioned that if readers like ancient foreboding space tech in the vein of The Expanse’s protomolecule or the Halo’s Forerunners, they might enjoy the Star Trek: Vanguard series of books set in the time of the original Star Trek tv series.
The whole Vanguard series was on sale on Kobo, so I bought them based on that recommendation. At the time the whole series was only $8 total.
Book one in the Vanguard series is Harbinger. It centers around the hastily-assembled space station called…Vanguard. The Federation (the Star Trek people) set it up right in the middle of space between Klingons and a mysterious species called the Tholians. On its face, the location of Vanguard is an effort to avert intergalactic war. However, the situation is more complex than it seems!
Fortunately, the U.S.S. Enterprise shows up to help! Kirk, Spock and the rest of the gang are there to make sense of things. However, Kirk & Co. aren’t the stars of this episode. It’s more of an ensemble cast of both new and familiar characters. My favorite new (to me) character was a schlubby low-level criminal with the fantastic moniker of Quinn Cervantes. (QUINN CERVANTES!) He’s not a Han Solo type. There’s none of that roguish charm. He’s just a cynical failure. Something about his drive to survive is compelling, though.
Other characters fall flat. While this book was published in 2005, the writing and characterization feel more like an action movie from the late 1980s or mid 1990s. While author David Mack makes sure to include diverse species of humans of international backgrounds, they all feel the same.
Maybe that doesn’t matter, though. Escapism may be the appeal of this series. That’s why I chose to read Harbinger in the middle of Omicron and a orientation at a new job. If you’re looking for some bedtime reading that isn’t Literature, consider checking this out from the library. If not, don’t worry. I’ll keep reviewing the series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
toryp's review against another edition
4.0
great, though mostly for that scene with the Bombay, for Pennington and Quinn
bdplume's review against another edition
4.0
Very good, and also quite interesting. It was especially nice to see important characters from different walks of life: a lawyer, a reporter, and ambassador, a smuggler, a Commodore, and a few others. It's just a nice departure from the typical bridge crew deal.
The only problem is that it was tough to keep up with all the new characters...and that's not a fault with the writing but the nature of a story about a space station and its several assigned vessels.
The only problem is that it was tough to keep up with all the new characters...and that's not a fault with the writing but the nature of a story about a space station and its several assigned vessels.
alis3e6e8's review
4.0
In my quest to read my star trek novels, this was definitely one of the best, plot and character wise, but it just wasn't a Star Trek book. It was a very good sci-fi with some cameos from the Enterprise. Not that I'm complaining, I'm a sucker for space operas and flawed characters like the many we see in Harbinger, but the tone, much darker than the original series, was somewhat harsh when remembering Kirk once fought a lizard in a tarzan costume.
Nevertheless, this is probably one of the most accessible titles in the saga exactly because of the reasons above. The character were complex and the plot much intriguing.
Addition touch of a f/f relationship? *chef's kiss*
Will definitely be reading the sequel.
Nevertheless, this is probably one of the most accessible titles in the saga exactly because of the reasons above. The character were complex and the plot much intriguing.
Addition touch of a f/f relationship? *chef's kiss*
Will definitely be reading the sequel.
yoshi83's review
4.0
This book is still great all these years later. Be advised that the ebook does not have the Vanguard diagrams like the paper copy, so if you are choosing between versions, I would pick the paper one.