Reviews

Oblivion's Gate by David Mack

crankyoldnerd's review

5.0

So the old 'pocket books' line of star trek novels had a problem, and that problem was new canon was being introduced and the things that were done in the series here were now very diverged from what was happening in shows like Discovery and Picard.

They could have handled it badly like Disney did, can it all and act like it never happened. Or they could release this three series thing and wrap it up (a little too) neatly by bringing back some bad guys from the TNG series and taking them to the extreme.

It's a pretty mind boggling three book series, we take a number of elements from multiple series and mix them up and create one heck of a ride that at the end wraps up all the inconsistencies introduced over the years of no star trek outside the books and the new years of TV shows, especially Picard, and ta-da.

It's a fun adventure, and it was interesting how they wrapped it up so well with elements from the series, the movies, and the episodes from Discovery/Picard even.

gjwilder's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

gingerreader99's review

5.0

Simply phenomenal. Let's start off with the fact that David Mack having written so many Trek novels effortlessly characterizes the cast we know and love, and their reactions to the impending....well end. Aside from that between Ward, Swallow and now Mack the three authors have tied up the Trek lit verse in a way that I think is just about as perfect as can get. A heartwrenching, explosive, blaze of glory that will be hard pressed to be topped. Seriously I'd like to see another big series end in this fashion as successfully as this. The epilogue was also a nice touch.

I'm gonna mark it for spoilers following this point .

So Troi and Tasha's deaths broke me. Troi and Riker communicating in the final seconds of her life tore me to shreds. Not to mention Riker not really getting to say goodbye to Jean-Luc at the end of it all.

I had been teetering on the edge of becoming a complete mess since Siskos death, but before I could even begin to recover more and more of the big names continued to fall, and some in such a painful way having had no blaze of glory of their own. LaForges end straight up shocked me too.

In the end it was a satisfying ending with (other reviewers disagree apparently) what I consider to be a very hopeful ending and one that is as Trek as can be. As Benny Russel sets out to explore new worlds and new stories of our heroes on the final frontier

darylreads's review

medium-paced

4.0

judenoseinabook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Well, my emotions took a beating!  Not sure what to say that wont be a spoiler for others. Had to finish it as didn't  think I could bear to put it down and not know how it ended.
More time mechanics in this one but less than the 1st in the series. Just had to ignore all that and go with the story. Also I think it was too long.  I can see why the authors wrote this series, there is an explanation at the end, BUT.........

jecamp86's review

3.0

This novel was difficult to get through for a couple of reasons. It’s a long novel and it’s very dark. There’s not really any hope to be found. I’m also not sure I was looking for any but maybe I was looking for it in my heart. The second reason it was so difficult was because we KNOW it’s the end of a grand journey that in a way started 34 years ago and renewed 20 years ago to fill a void left by the absence of Trek on TV which was done marvelously for the most part. This is the end and being honest after seeing the return of Trek on TV it almost feels like the end of my fandom of new Trek material. This saddens me as TNG came out a year after I was born and it will always be my go to series.
I am glad the writers set the terms for their end rather than the current heads running Trek as this felt respectful of things that existed before and gave us a conclusion albeit not a happy one.
On a final note, I want to thank the authors for giving us this universe of Trek to enjoy and explore. LLAP

octavia_cade's review

adventurous slow-paced

2.5

I think that sometimes you read a book, and you can appreciate the effort, the organisation, and the intent behind it, and still just not find it that interesting. I did not find this that interesting. It wasn't awful. It was better than the first book in the series. I just... I don't care about alternate universes, or alternate timelines, or convoluted plots that are more interested in moving parts than in characters. So many people died in this, in so many supposedly thrilling death scenes, but the overall emotional effect wasn't there for me. I was overdosed on drama, and by the end I did not care. My overwhelming feeling, on reading the final lines, was "This book is about 150 pages too long."

The trilogy's a giant reset button for the Star Trek universe. I get it, I do. But there are Trek books that I will read again, primarily for their character work. This book - this series - I won't be reading it again. Once is enough. 

cwsawyer's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This was really good, wild and apocalyptic. And then, at that very very end, it’s something more, surprisingly so and it becomes a great story. 

jonfucius's review

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This trilogy absolutely crushed me, but I’m also elated to see how Dayton Ward, James Swallow, and David Mack stuck the landing and closed a chapter of Star Trek stories that are just as vital and relevant as the live action stories.

justafaerietayle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Mental illness