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Star Trek: Vanguard #5
Precipice
On a post-apocalyptic world in the Taurus Reach, undercover Starfleet Intelligence agent Cervantes Quinn finds an ancient Shedai conduit. Unfortunately, the Klingons have found it first and have sent an army to claim it.
331 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2009
About the author
David Mack
115 books641 followersDavid Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of 39 novels of science-fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies.
Beyond novels, Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for produced episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), games, and comic books.
Follow him on Twitter @davidalanmack or like his Facebook page.
Beyond novels, Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for produced episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), games, and comic books.
Follow him on Twitter @davidalanmack or like his Facebook page.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 22, 2023
Reading the Vanguard books has been a challenging process. I read "Harbinger" in 2017 and did not particularly love it. I then read "Summon the Thunder" and "Reap the Whirlwind" in 2020 and liked them even less. I waited yet again until 2022 to read "Open Secrets", and while I enjoyed that book more than the others, it still felt "mediocre" overall.
This book, however, breaks the "mediocre" streak and tells a really interesting story!
The best part about this book is the characters and the fun of the story. The previous installments have been so bleak and dark, this story was overall lots of fun to read. This book also focuses on the Shedai the least of all the books thus far, and I think that is what really works for me. The Shedai are uninteresting to me as villains, and the focus of the political factions and the inner workings of starfleet and Vanguard mixed in with the interpersonal dynamics work much better for me.
My favorite storyline followed Pennington and T'Prynn. Their dynamic on this book was humerous and their quest for information was just pure fun to read. When you couple this with the plotline of Quinn and Bridy Mac, the book just feels like nonstop adventure and intrigue. Plus, I was really rooting for Bridy Mac and Quinn to somehow end up together.
I also enjoyed what little happened on the Vanguard in this book, although it actually took a substantial step back in its own series.
What didn't work for me in this book was the Diego Reyes and the Klingons subplot. I really enjoyed reading about Reyes in previous installments, but here he was sidelined and when used, he was boring and felt out of place. Maybe this is all payoff for future books, but here it just felt unecessary.
Overall, this was an entertianing book. Nowhere near my favorites list, but certainly the best in this series, a step in the right direction, and the first to feel like a "great" book. I'll give it a 7.5 out of 10! Hopefully I enjoy the next three books just as much if not more!
This book, however, breaks the "mediocre" streak and tells a really interesting story!
The best part about this book is the characters and the fun of the story. The previous installments have been so bleak and dark, this story was overall lots of fun to read. This book also focuses on the Shedai the least of all the books thus far, and I think that is what really works for me. The Shedai are uninteresting to me as villains, and the focus of the political factions and the inner workings of starfleet and Vanguard mixed in with the interpersonal dynamics work much better for me.
My favorite storyline followed Pennington and T'Prynn. Their dynamic on this book was humerous and their quest for information was just pure fun to read. When you couple this with the plotline of Quinn and Bridy Mac, the book just feels like nonstop adventure and intrigue. Plus, I was really rooting for Bridy Mac and Quinn to somehow end up together.
I also enjoyed what little happened on the Vanguard in this book, although it actually took a substantial step back in its own series.
What didn't work for me in this book was the Diego Reyes and the Klingons subplot. I really enjoyed reading about Reyes in previous installments, but here he was sidelined and when used, he was boring and felt out of place. Maybe this is all payoff for future books, but here it just felt unecessary.
Overall, this was an entertianing book. Nowhere near my favorites list, but certainly the best in this series, a step in the right direction, and the first to feel like a "great" book. I'll give it a 7.5 out of 10! Hopefully I enjoy the next three books just as much if not more!
March 3, 2020
This was another excellent entry into the Vanguard series of Star Trek. I absolutely love this set of novels set during The Original Series and I believe that it really helps to flesh out that time frame in ways that many of the much older novels and stories do not. I am absolutely in-love with the mature Original Series, told by an adult for an adult audience. I always found the television show a bit immature and childish, whether that's a cultural artifact of the 1960s or something else, I do not know, but a more hard-hitting, pulse-pounding, over-arching story is highly appreciated. The characters are generally fun to follow. I love how the action goes from person to small ship to full-size ship to space station and everything in between. I love how the story flows from criminals to the common man to high-ranking officers.
If there is anything deficient character-wise, is that there's no high-minded idealist. Perhaps Jetanien, the Chelan ambassador, but he's almost a side-note in this story, and in previous novels, he's still very much functioning under a realpolitik version of his role in the Federation. There are seemingly no Picards in the 23rd.
That being said, I do find the idea of mercenaries, pirates, and criminals a bit jarring, as well as the references over and over to paychecks, payments, monetary transactions, etc. I am curious as to when the idea of a money-less Federation is supposed to have occurred, as even as early as Star Trek IV, Kirk mentions that there is no money in the 23rd Century; however, if one goes by these stories, such a change would have occurred within the last 10 to 15 years from that point, if at all. But, that's a nit-pick and does not detract from this story and/or the writing in any way.
Like many of the other reviewers here, I did find the change in Cervantes Quinn's character to be a bit of a shock. It's almost as if there are two Cervantes Quinns. Perhaps if he had started a bit younger and was a washed-up drunk in his 30s the transition to super-agent, fist-fighting master would not have been as noticeable...but as it stands I'm having a hard time picturing this lecherous old man, who's only in if for the money (for the most part), drinking himself to death, suddenly spending a few months with a punching bag and he's trim, in his prime, going toe-to-toe with trained assassins and leading an insurrection against the Klingons.
Speaking of, I do prefer this version of the Prime Directive over the one as presented in the Next Generation. Non-interference with allowed trade and protection status does seem a bit more realistic and actionable than completely ignoring. I also appreciate Diego Reyes' comment regarding that the Federation will triumph over the Klingon Empire due to trade and diplomacy over war and conquest.
Lastly, there are a bit too many references to contemporary culture with characters uttering phrases that belong in a 1990s action flick. And by too many, I mean any. No one in 2019 utters a phrase from 1719 when they and their friends and/or colleagues are about to embark on a project.
However, I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who's interested.
If there is anything deficient character-wise, is that there's no high-minded idealist. Perhaps Jetanien, the Chelan ambassador, but he's almost a side-note in this story, and in previous novels, he's still very much functioning under a realpolitik version of his role in the Federation. There are seemingly no Picards in the 23rd.
That being said, I do find the idea of mercenaries, pirates, and criminals a bit jarring, as well as the references over and over to paychecks, payments, monetary transactions, etc. I am curious as to when the idea of a money-less Federation is supposed to have occurred, as even as early as Star Trek IV, Kirk mentions that there is no money in the 23rd Century; however, if one goes by these stories, such a change would have occurred within the last 10 to 15 years from that point, if at all. But, that's a nit-pick and does not detract from this story and/or the writing in any way.
Like many of the other reviewers here, I did find the change in Cervantes Quinn's character to be a bit of a shock. It's almost as if there are two Cervantes Quinns. Perhaps if he had started a bit younger and was a washed-up drunk in his 30s the transition to super-agent, fist-fighting master would not have been as noticeable...but as it stands I'm having a hard time picturing this lecherous old man, who's only in if for the money (for the most part), drinking himself to death, suddenly spending a few months with a punching bag and he's trim, in his prime, going toe-to-toe with trained assassins and leading an insurrection against the Klingons.
Speaking of, I do prefer this version of the Prime Directive over the one as presented in the Next Generation. Non-interference with allowed trade and protection status does seem a bit more realistic and actionable than completely ignoring. I also appreciate Diego Reyes' comment regarding that the Federation will triumph over the Klingon Empire due to trade and diplomacy over war and conquest.
Lastly, there are a bit too many references to contemporary culture with characters uttering phrases that belong in a 1990s action flick. And by too many, I mean any. No one in 2019 utters a phrase from 1719 when they and their friends and/or colleagues are about to embark on a project.
However, I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who's interested.
June 21, 2010
Precipice is Mack's third entry in the Vanguard series and it's a pretty good one but I fear that the series may be running out of steam or that Mack is getting lazy.
My primary piece of evidence for this assertion is the unbelievable change in the Cervantes Quinn character. Quinn began literary life as a 50+, overweight, slovenly, perpetually soused ne'er-do-well along the lines of a Cyrano Jones ("The Trouble with Tribbles") or Harry Mudd ("Mudd's Women," "I, Mudd"). He was never comic relief and there is a series of events that make him change his ways and begin to act more responsibly but in Precipice that change has passed from believable to fantasy: He is now working for Starfleet Intelligence, he leads a guerilla war against the Klingons, and in a battle with a Shedai displays a physical prowess that rivals Orlando Bloom's Legolas in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" (another example of lazy story-telling).
I hope the next volume pares back on the super-heroics. If I wanted wuxia, I'd rent a Jet Li movie.
But it's still good brain candy and I still want to know the final resolution so I'll keep an eye out for book #6.
My primary piece of evidence for this assertion is the unbelievable change in the Cervantes Quinn character. Quinn began literary life as a 50+, overweight, slovenly, perpetually soused ne'er-do-well along the lines of a Cyrano Jones ("The Trouble with Tribbles") or Harry Mudd ("Mudd's Women," "I, Mudd"). He was never comic relief and there is a series of events that make him change his ways and begin to act more responsibly but in Precipice that change has passed from believable to fantasy: He is now working for Starfleet Intelligence, he leads a guerilla war against the Klingons, and in a battle with a Shedai displays a physical prowess that rivals Orlando Bloom's Legolas in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" (another example of lazy story-telling).
I hope the next volume pares back on the super-heroics. If I wanted wuxia, I'd rent a Jet Li movie.
But it's still good brain candy and I still want to know the final resolution so I'll keep an eye out for book #6.
September 25, 2011
Not bad as far as Star Trek novels go I suppose. The plotline was well thought out and executed. Decent care was spent on the details of the characters. Sadly I am not a devoted Trekkie, so I am letting this book go. Only one note of worth, it held its own in the Star Trek universe without one of the headline characters from the Enterprise. That alone might snare any reader to pick up other books by this author. =)
October 15, 2019
PRECIPICE is a book I picked up immediately after finishing OPEN SECRETS because I was fascinated by the idea of T'Prynn on the run and Diego Reyes having been captured by the Klingons. This book manages to resolve both of those plotlines but I was really much more interested in the story about Cervantes Quinn's guerilla war against the Klingons on a post-apocalyptic world. I really liked the revelation of his surprisingly dark and troubled past as well. It turns out mercenaries exist in the Federation. Who knew?
David Mack manages to insert some social commentary on the dangers of man-made climate change while also doing an Indiana Jones-style search for a Shedai relic. Chancellor Gorkon makes an appearance and that is a welcome expansion on a character I very much enjoyed. He's not a particularly nice man, threatening to murder Diego's girlfriend at one point, but he's after peace and that makes him "our" friend.
I kind of like the homages to the PRIVATE LITTLE WAR but I was a bit confused by the fact that Gorkon is so concerned about making a peace treaty now since the Organians have effectively enforced one already. There's time enough to let the ink dry on that because there's no way to actually wage war at present (which actually makes me wonder when the Organians backed off before The Undiscovered Country). If not, Chang's planned invasion of the Federation would have just been embarrassing.
Pennington and T'Prynn's bonding was an interesting part of the novel. It's interesting how Pennington really is kind of a disgusting pig and that attitude lasts until the 23rd century rather than being something that is evolved past. His wife was probably right to divorce him and that's kind of sad but fits the more "realistic" element of Vanguard's humans. Kudos, also, for T'Prynn suffering some real consequences. I've felt that heroes get off with slaps on the wrist in Star Trek way too often as, honestly, everyone but Wesley should have been expelled and probably him too in The First Duty.
I was impressed with the tie-in to the more interesting concepts of THE FINAL FRONTIER. Unlike virtually every other Star Trek fan, I actually enjoyed the concepts of that movie. I think Sybok is a fascinating character who should have at least a book or two mentioned about him. He doesn't make an appearance but Nimbus III does. I love Nimbus III as the whole idea of "Fallout planet" is something that I really enjoyed in Star Trek Online. Seeing how it gets created in this book is a lot more exciting than I think some people would have felt.
All in all, a solid piece of entertainment if not quite as good as REAP THE WHIRLWIND. 4/5
David Mack manages to insert some social commentary on the dangers of man-made climate change while also doing an Indiana Jones-style search for a Shedai relic. Chancellor Gorkon makes an appearance and that is a welcome expansion on a character I very much enjoyed. He's not a particularly nice man, threatening to murder Diego's girlfriend at one point, but he's after peace and that makes him "our" friend.
I kind of like the homages to the PRIVATE LITTLE WAR but I was a bit confused by the fact that Gorkon is so concerned about making a peace treaty now since the Organians have effectively enforced one already. There's time enough to let the ink dry on that because there's no way to actually wage war at present (which actually makes me wonder when the Organians backed off before The Undiscovered Country). If not, Chang's planned invasion of the Federation would have just been embarrassing.
Pennington and T'Prynn's bonding was an interesting part of the novel. It's interesting how Pennington really is kind of a disgusting pig and that attitude lasts until the 23rd century rather than being something that is evolved past. His wife was probably right to divorce him and that's kind of sad but fits the more "realistic" element of Vanguard's humans. Kudos, also, for T'Prynn suffering some real consequences. I've felt that heroes get off with slaps on the wrist in Star Trek way too often as, honestly, everyone but Wesley should have been expelled and probably him too in The First Duty.
I was impressed with the tie-in to the more interesting concepts of THE FINAL FRONTIER. Unlike virtually every other Star Trek fan, I actually enjoyed the concepts of that movie. I think Sybok is a fascinating character who should have at least a book or two mentioned about him. He doesn't make an appearance but Nimbus III does. I love Nimbus III as the whole idea of "Fallout planet" is something that I really enjoyed in Star Trek Online. Seeing how it gets created in this book is a lot more exciting than I think some people would have felt.
All in all, a solid piece of entertainment if not quite as good as REAP THE WHIRLWIND. 4/5
September 7, 2014
Although Precipice was an exiting and easy reading experience, it didn't quite meet my expectations. Open Secrets might not have been as fast paced, it was a much more introspective book which I find I prefer. Again, as its predecessor, Precipice is quite neatly divided into a few different plotthreads which only come together at the end. So I am going to follow this division in this review.
* T'Prynn and Pennington
T'Prynn isn't really a likeable character for me. Then again, I'm not sure whether she's even meant to be. Her motivations to leave Vulcan (and essentially escape a court-martial) are, as Pennington points out, quite selfish. She wants to find evidence that could, if not exonerate her completely, then at least get her back into the good graces of Starfleet. Of course, she's great at what she does. She has listening devices everywhere, can turn simple ships into well protected advanced observation vessels, reveal information (such as that Reyes's alive) etc. She's a kick-ass spy, she's still as driven as before, if perhaps not quite as malevolent... and she still moves among those shades of grey that, I guess, define spy work.
Right now, I'm not sure whether T'Prynn has gained something as a character from the loss of her fiancé's katra... perhaps a bit more focus, perhaps a bit of a restored moral compass, but she lost something as well which was quite nicely portrayed when she found she couldn't play the piano as she did back in Reap the Whirlwind. The technique's surely still there, but there's more to playing an instrument than the mere mechanics. It always has been an outlet to her internal struggle, her emotions - and since that's over, the soul of her play is gone, too.
Pennington remains quite uninteresting as a character. Why does he join T'Prynn? Curiosity? The need for a story which he doesn't write in the end anyway? As much as he might have been the slighted character in the beginning of the series, he's just boring now, I'm afraid.
* Quinn, Bridy Mac
First of all, I'd have loved to have seen Quinn's transition into Starfleet Intelligence. Other than that, his background story that got introduced here, was a rather generic tragic-hero one. His way of thinking out of the box fits in with spy-work, I guess, so it wasn't too much of a leap. On the other hand turning Quinn from the drunk unfit man into superfit guerilla-fighter - that's a bit of a stretch, even if we haven't heard from him in a year (since he didn't appear in Open Secrets). Bridy Mac remained too much in the background - how did she get roped into spywork? How did she cope with what happened on Jinoteur? I think both characters suffer a bit from the time jumps in this book and the last.
What happens on the planet, though, with the Klingons, the Shedai, Zett... that works really well, is suitably colorful and horrifying, and it advances the story.
* Reyes, diplomacy...
First of all, I became a huge Reyes-fan with Open Secrets (or rather with his actions in Reap the Whirlwind), so it's always good to see him. Second, I enjoyed this first, if ill-conceived, attempt of Gorkon's at negotiating a peace between the major powers in the Taurus Reach. I wonder, though, how he could perceive that a peace negotiated at gun-point could even work. Neither Reyes nor the Tholian were there voluntarily, neither of them are capable of making decisions... so, how could Gorkon think that this would work? At least Gorkon was noble enough to set them free at the end - even though Reyes was wanted by the Klingons. I'd have loved to see how Reyes got on Ganz's ship, though. And where did Ganz (and/or the Klingons) get the empty artifact from?
Also very interesting are the beginnings of the negotiations on Nimbus III. I'm looking forward to reading more about that since only at the end of Precipice all 3 representatives were finally present. I'd love to know, though, how Jetanien justified his absence from Vanguard, given that the situation there is rather volatile.
* on Vanguard
Up until the theft of the artifact this was perhaps the most boring facet of Precipice. I liked that Desai was moving on - even if Jackson remained quite 2-dimensional, a placeholder if you will... and we as readers of course know that Reyes isn't dead. Desai's reaction when T'Prynn told her that Reyes was alive was interesting on quite a few levels: shock, disbelief - one can't help but wonder if it's because of the fact that he's alive or that T'Prynn is the one who found out, a certain kind of guilt - well, she was in bed with someone else when she heard etc. What I don't get, though, is how anyone can think that Reyes would collude with the enemy... even Desai wasn't sure. Hello? It's one thing to reveal a huge coverup, it's a quite different thing to work with a known enemy. It shouldn't have needed a second thought that Reyes was not voluntarily staying with the Klingons and was somehow threatened into revealing security details of the Vault.
The Shedai mystery comes to the forefront in the last pages again. That was some seriously good stuff, using the second artifact, the attack by the Wanderer etc. That's where Mack excels... action, surprising twists and turns... He knows how to advance a plot and to shock his readers. But he isn't a master of the quiet times, of introspection and these are what Precipice, and especially the parts on Vanguard, is lacking.
Sidenotes:
* allusions to previous novels such as "The Vulcan Academy Murders", Big Bang Theory, Star Wars (the Skylla) etc.
* There were some mistakes with the set dates in the book - for example right at the beginning: One day the Tholian gets captured, and while the title says only 1 days passed, Reyes said a week passed since Ezthrene was introduced. The same applies to the too short timeframe the Myrdoniae-artifact was investigated on Vanguard... a bit off-putting I thought. If you use exact dates, then use them correctly.
Well, Precipice certainly ups the ante again plotwise. Now that (nearly) everyone is back on Vanguard and the various plotthreads once again intertwine I'm looking forward to a complex and exciting series finale... only 2 novels and 1 anthology left to go after all.
* T'Prynn and Pennington
T'Prynn isn't really a likeable character for me. Then again, I'm not sure whether she's even meant to be. Her motivations to leave Vulcan (and essentially escape a court-martial) are, as Pennington points out, quite selfish. She wants to find evidence that could, if not exonerate her completely, then at least get her back into the good graces of Starfleet. Of course, she's great at what she does. She has listening devices everywhere, can turn simple ships into well protected advanced observation vessels, reveal information (such as that Reyes's alive) etc. She's a kick-ass spy, she's still as driven as before, if perhaps not quite as malevolent... and she still moves among those shades of grey that, I guess, define spy work.
Right now, I'm not sure whether T'Prynn has gained something as a character from the loss of her fiancé's katra... perhaps a bit more focus, perhaps a bit of a restored moral compass, but she lost something as well which was quite nicely portrayed when she found she couldn't play the piano as she did back in Reap the Whirlwind. The technique's surely still there, but there's more to playing an instrument than the mere mechanics. It always has been an outlet to her internal struggle, her emotions - and since that's over, the soul of her play is gone, too.
Pennington remains quite uninteresting as a character. Why does he join T'Prynn? Curiosity? The need for a story which he doesn't write in the end anyway? As much as he might have been the slighted character in the beginning of the series, he's just boring now, I'm afraid.
* Quinn, Bridy Mac
First of all, I'd have loved to have seen Quinn's transition into Starfleet Intelligence. Other than that, his background story that got introduced here, was a rather generic tragic-hero one. His way of thinking out of the box fits in with spy-work, I guess, so it wasn't too much of a leap. On the other hand turning Quinn from the drunk unfit man into superfit guerilla-fighter - that's a bit of a stretch, even if we haven't heard from him in a year (since he didn't appear in Open Secrets). Bridy Mac remained too much in the background - how did she get roped into spywork? How did she cope with what happened on Jinoteur? I think both characters suffer a bit from the time jumps in this book and the last.
What happens on the planet, though, with the Klingons, the Shedai, Zett... that works really well, is suitably colorful and horrifying, and it advances the story.
* Reyes, diplomacy...
First of all, I became a huge Reyes-fan with Open Secrets (or rather with his actions in Reap the Whirlwind), so it's always good to see him. Second, I enjoyed this first, if ill-conceived, attempt of Gorkon's at negotiating a peace between the major powers in the Taurus Reach. I wonder, though, how he could perceive that a peace negotiated at gun-point could even work. Neither Reyes nor the Tholian were there voluntarily, neither of them are capable of making decisions... so, how could Gorkon think that this would work? At least Gorkon was noble enough to set them free at the end - even though Reyes was wanted by the Klingons. I'd have loved to see how Reyes got on Ganz's ship, though. And where did Ganz (and/or the Klingons) get the empty artifact from?
Also very interesting are the beginnings of the negotiations on Nimbus III. I'm looking forward to reading more about that since only at the end of Precipice all 3 representatives were finally present. I'd love to know, though, how Jetanien justified his absence from Vanguard, given that the situation there is rather volatile.
* on Vanguard
Up until the theft of the artifact this was perhaps the most boring facet of Precipice. I liked that Desai was moving on - even if Jackson remained quite 2-dimensional, a placeholder if you will... and we as readers of course know that Reyes isn't dead. Desai's reaction when T'Prynn told her that Reyes was alive was interesting on quite a few levels: shock, disbelief - one can't help but wonder if it's because of the fact that he's alive or that T'Prynn is the one who found out, a certain kind of guilt - well, she was in bed with someone else when she heard etc. What I don't get, though, is how anyone can think that Reyes would collude with the enemy... even Desai wasn't sure. Hello? It's one thing to reveal a huge coverup, it's a quite different thing to work with a known enemy. It shouldn't have needed a second thought that Reyes was not voluntarily staying with the Klingons and was somehow threatened into revealing security details of the Vault.
The Shedai mystery comes to the forefront in the last pages again. That was some seriously good stuff, using the second artifact, the attack by the Wanderer etc. That's where Mack excels... action, surprising twists and turns... He knows how to advance a plot and to shock his readers. But he isn't a master of the quiet times, of introspection and these are what Precipice, and especially the parts on Vanguard, is lacking.
Sidenotes:
* allusions to previous novels such as "The Vulcan Academy Murders", Big Bang Theory, Star Wars (the Skylla) etc.
* There were some mistakes with the set dates in the book - for example right at the beginning: One day the Tholian gets captured, and while the title says only 1 days passed, Reyes said a week passed since Ezthrene was introduced. The same applies to the too short timeframe the Myrdoniae-artifact was investigated on Vanguard... a bit off-putting I thought. If you use exact dates, then use them correctly.
Well, Precipice certainly ups the ante again plotwise. Now that (nearly) everyone is back on Vanguard and the various plotthreads once again intertwine I'm looking forward to a complex and exciting series finale... only 2 novels and 1 anthology left to go after all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2019
In typical David Mack fashion, the story in Precipice builds slowly in a chronological sequence of events. But after a while, the dates don't seem to matter much (at least to me).
Like Deep Space Nine, this book courses through multiple story arcs and a couple of interludes. But unlike his counterpart, Mack managed to keep things running at a pace that wouldn't bore you to bits and gradually tie everything together. Many of the scenes (especially towards the end) seemed tailor made for the big screen.
Like Deep Space Nine, this book courses through multiple story arcs and a couple of interludes. But unlike his counterpart, Mack managed to keep things running at a pace that wouldn't bore you to bits and gradually tie everything together. Many of the scenes (especially towards the end) seemed tailor made for the big screen.
May 20, 2017
The story of the Vanguard space station continues. The peace in the Taurus Reach is still on a razors edge. The finding of and understand the Shedai technology goes on. Plots are moved forward, characters evolve and another fun Star Trek novel is finished. OK, I do love Star Trek!
May 2, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyable - several of the story lines are resolved, and in a satisfying way - and the ending is excellent. The drama intensifies and as good as this series has been, it seems to be getting even better - highly recommended.
September 18, 2021
Linkages to Dr. M'benga's backstory. Mentions of USS Enterprise actions in early stages of Kirk's captaincy. Admiral Nogura also cited here. Implications / pointers to Carol Marcus's Genesis work is found in the Taurus Reach metagenome.
March 13, 2022
It grinds on
The story grinds on. Finally some resolution of subplots, but others are slogging on.
As I mentioned in reviews of earlier volumes of this series, I am not a fan of this storyline.
The story grinds on. Finally some resolution of subplots, but others are slogging on.
As I mentioned in reviews of earlier volumes of this series, I am not a fan of this storyline.
August 25, 2022
Man, the scope of Vanguard keeps getting bigger and bigger. I love how sprawling it is. This is a year in the life of all of our characters, basically. It’s fun!
I don’t like Cervantes Quinn’s Southern accent. I want him to be more like Rios.
I don’t like Cervantes Quinn’s Southern accent. I want him to be more like Rios.
September 7, 2023
A good page-turning adventure
My first Vanguard novel and now I want to read more, preferably from the beginning. A very enjoyable story with a good pace, plenty of action and lots of details sitting things up we see I later movies and TV shows. Can happily recommend.
My first Vanguard novel and now I want to read more, preferably from the beginning. A very enjoyable story with a good pace, plenty of action and lots of details sitting things up we see I later movies and TV shows. Can happily recommend.
May 14, 2020
I simply couldn't put it down! Ties so much of the wider Trek universe together, plus a rip-roaring tale and loads of character evolution. Loved it. Best book of the series so far!
August 8, 2022
The fifth entry into the Vanguard series; moderate pacing the first 2/3 of the book, then it rapidly speeds up to the climax.
December 7, 2015
Perhaps my expectations were unduly high after "Reap the Whirlwind", but "Precipice" seemed to skid along the same plateau traversed by "Open Secrets".
The Shedai plot seems stalled at the moment, with attention refocused on the Klingons after the events of the last installment. Try as I might, I found myself quickly losing interest in the "mysterious" Mirdonyae artefact and the game of ping-pong the Federation and Klingons were playing with it. Thankfully, Mack rarely disappoints with his character writing, and that manages to largely cover any shortcomings in the overall plot.
Quinn (who was conspicuously absent from the previous book) makes a welcome return, albeit slightly far-fetched. I can get behind the unexpected recruitment into Starfleet Intelligence, especially as it's a catalyst to some wonderful character backstory moments with Bridy in his beloved Rocinante. What stretched credulity for me was the over-the-top heroics on display in the denouement as Quinn races to rescue his partner. Reading this conjured up images of Legolas in the Lord of the Ring and Hobbit movies, effortlessly defying the laws of physics with his Elven ways.
T'Prynn's character is finally reinstated to some level of normalcy after spending Book 4 in a catatonic stupor. The initially bizarre and awkward relationship with Pennington is fleshed out into something more believable, although it still doesn't come close to matching the bromance chemistry Quinn had with the reporter.
Reyes' storyline is steered in a rather intriguing direction, although I'm still not sure what I think of it. Mack's attempt to bridge Klingon history into the events of ST:VI is largely successful, and there's a lot of fun to be had as a fan reading about early Gorkon's attempts at peacemaking.
The events on Vanguard proved significantly less interesting this time around. After going to such pains to emphasise the Vault's security in the first book, the heist of the artefact seems ridiculously easy. Xiong, Marcus, Nogura and Jetanien are all sidelined to bit players in this volume - but that's OK, perhaps with the exception of Jetanien who I really missed.
With so many balls in the air from the previous book, Mack wrangled the most important ones and evolved the plot in some interesting directions. Nevertheless, it lacks the momentum of previous Mack volumes.
The Shedai plot seems stalled at the moment, with attention refocused on the Klingons after the events of the last installment. Try as I might, I found myself quickly losing interest in the "mysterious" Mirdonyae artefact and the game of ping-pong the Federation and Klingons were playing with it. Thankfully, Mack rarely disappoints with his character writing, and that manages to largely cover any shortcomings in the overall plot.
Quinn (who was conspicuously absent from the previous book) makes a welcome return, albeit slightly far-fetched. I can get behind the unexpected recruitment into Starfleet Intelligence, especially as it's a catalyst to some wonderful character backstory moments with Bridy in his beloved Rocinante. What stretched credulity for me was the over-the-top heroics on display in the denouement as Quinn races to rescue his partner. Reading this conjured up images of Legolas in the Lord of the Ring and Hobbit movies, effortlessly defying the laws of physics with his Elven ways.
T'Prynn's character is finally reinstated to some level of normalcy after spending Book 4 in a catatonic stupor. The initially bizarre and awkward relationship with Pennington is fleshed out into something more believable, although it still doesn't come close to matching the bromance chemistry Quinn had with the reporter.
Reyes' storyline is steered in a rather intriguing direction, although I'm still not sure what I think of it. Mack's attempt to bridge Klingon history into the events of ST:VI is largely successful, and there's a lot of fun to be had as a fan reading about early Gorkon's attempts at peacemaking.
The events on Vanguard proved significantly less interesting this time around. After going to such pains to emphasise the Vault's security in the first book, the heist of the artefact seems ridiculously easy. Xiong, Marcus, Nogura and Jetanien are all sidelined to bit players in this volume - but that's OK, perhaps with the exception of Jetanien who I really missed.
With so many balls in the air from the previous book, Mack wrangled the most important ones and evolved the plot in some interesting directions. Nevertheless, it lacks the momentum of previous Mack volumes.
April 8, 2016
“Precipice” by David Mack is the 5th novel in the Star Trek Vanguard series. As always with the Vanguard novels there are a several plotlines to follow but they all focus in some way around the Taurus Reach and the various interactions between the Federation, Klingons, Tholians and Shedai.
On the whole, this is another enjoyable episode in the Vanguard series of novels. Mack’s writing is competent and the pacing is much improved from what I noted in the previous novel, “Open Secrets”. In addition, Mack expertly manages the now quite considerable number of plotlines so that I never once found myself getting lost or confused. One minor issue I do have is that I feel the progression of the overall story is now being limited by the sheer number of plotlines involved. Don’t get me wrong, we do still get some forward movement but the series just seems to be losing momentum as the plotlines increase in both quantity and complexity.
One thing, I am split on in regards to this novel is Cervantes Quinn. I have always enjoyed this loveable rogue so it was nice to see him take a more prominent role in this novel but the evolution of his character seemed a bit far-fetched. I can just about accept his recruitment into Starfleet as in the previous books we have seen him slowly begin to act in a more responsible manner but that doesn’t explain how he also appears to have become some sort of super-agent.
Overall, this is a novel which does a good job at continuing the Vanguard saga. The overall forward momentum of the series is suffering a little due to the quantity of plotlines involved but there is still enough progression here to ensure that readers of the series won’t be disappointed.
On the whole, this is another enjoyable episode in the Vanguard series of novels. Mack’s writing is competent and the pacing is much improved from what I noted in the previous novel, “Open Secrets”. In addition, Mack expertly manages the now quite considerable number of plotlines so that I never once found myself getting lost or confused. One minor issue I do have is that I feel the progression of the overall story is now being limited by the sheer number of plotlines involved. Don’t get me wrong, we do still get some forward movement but the series just seems to be losing momentum as the plotlines increase in both quantity and complexity.
One thing, I am split on in regards to this novel is Cervantes Quinn. I have always enjoyed this loveable rogue so it was nice to see him take a more prominent role in this novel but the evolution of his character seemed a bit far-fetched. I can just about accept his recruitment into Starfleet as in the previous books we have seen him slowly begin to act in a more responsible manner but that doesn’t explain how he also appears to have become some sort of super-agent.
Overall, this is a novel which does a good job at continuing the Vanguard saga. The overall forward momentum of the series is suffering a little due to the quantity of plotlines involved but there is still enough progression here to ensure that readers of the series won’t be disappointed.
October 9, 2014
Phew, David Mack managed to sidestep some of the more egregious absurdities of the previous entry in the series. Precipice is certainly an enjoyable little pulpy space opera romp. The politics on the titular Federation station take a back seat to some exciting antics on a nearby planet. Mack also pared down the cast to the few characters that were truly interesting. There are still names I've read before that I don't remember or care about, but the main players get a lot done and it's fun the whole way through.
One gripe, there's a situation about 3/4ths the way through that relies pretty heavily on the tired old damsel in distress trope. Naturally, the damsel is a character who has shown competence and experience, making her capture somewhat improbable. Also naturally, her captivity prompts heroic action from her male companion. Granted, shortly after releasing her, she saves his life in turn, but in comparison, their actions do not seem equitable.
It's a bit of an problematic morass for Mack to have stepped into. Especially considering most of the female characters in Vanguard have been pretty solid. It's an unfortunately easy 'default' to use, but just serves to make the female character seem weak. As soon as she's captured she turns into a background decoration until the guy saves her.
Otherwise, however, I was quite impressed, especially considering the rocky start the series has had so far. My hopes have brightened considerably.
One gripe, there's a situation about 3/4ths the way through that relies pretty heavily on the tired old damsel in distress trope. Naturally, the damsel is a character who has shown competence and experience, making her capture somewhat improbable. Also naturally, her captivity prompts heroic action from her male companion. Granted, shortly after releasing her, she saves his life in turn, but in comparison, their actions do not seem equitable.
It's a bit of an problematic morass for Mack to have stepped into. Especially considering most of the female characters in Vanguard have been pretty solid. It's an unfortunately easy 'default' to use, but just serves to make the female character seem weak. As soon as she's captured she turns into a background decoration until the guy saves her.
Otherwise, however, I was quite impressed, especially considering the rocky start the series has had so far. My hopes have brightened considerably.
January 3, 2013
This book would have been pretty good as a stand-alone or as the first of the series, but there are several points at which it fails gloriously to remain consistent with what has been established in the prior books of the series, mostly in terms of characterization. Cervantes Quinn as futuristic James Bond-style action hero? Please. Granted, there were hand-waving gestures made at rationalizing the change; he wasn't COMPLETELY incompetent in the last book, and the claim here is that he was previously incompetent only because he was a drunk, and now he's sober. I still don't buy it. Diego Reyes gives sensitive tactical information to the Klingons and to the Orion crime boss Gantz, the former to protect the life of a lover and the latter for his own convenience? I just don't buy it. Maybe the former, certainly not the latter. No, this book has simply failed to accept what had been previously established as the personalities of the characters. As such, while the story was fun, IT DIDN'T WORK. If you're going to write in a shared universe that has characters with personalities previously established, you have to work within those parameters. There is room for character development, but that is different from simply ignoring what has gone before. There was not sufficiently gradual progress toward these changes.
April 3, 2024
Adventurous, challenging, emotional, hopeful, inspiring, mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.
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
4.25 ⭐
This story keeps being riveting. This book in particular was a real page turner. It continued to bring the established story to life, while changing the POVs often enough to make the reader desire to know what was happening in the diverse storylines. That, and the short chapters made it incredibly easy to keep reading.
The idea of using captured Shedai makes me uneasy, but in the end (the last book), I hope there is a good explanation to why it was important. At the moment I feel like living off of slave labor (even though the Shedai have killed countless numbers of people (of all races...seeing us as insignificant, but USING them also doesn't feel right IMO.
Not sure I like where Commodore Reyes has ended up. Frustrated with THAT conclusion (of the book, not the series). I do believe that Starfleet was fair and equitable with T'Prynn and Pennington.
When you decide to "take a stand", you should always be willing to suffer the consequences (either the winnings, or the losses).
All in all, this was a lot of fun reading. Cannot wait to pick up the next book.
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
4.25 ⭐
This story keeps being riveting. This book in particular was a real page turner. It continued to bring the established story to life, while changing the POVs often enough to make the reader desire to know what was happening in the diverse storylines. That, and the short chapters made it incredibly easy to keep reading.
The idea of using captured Shedai makes me uneasy, but in the end (the last book), I hope there is a good explanation to why it was important. At the moment I feel like living off of slave labor (even though the Shedai have killed countless numbers of people (of all races...seeing us as insignificant, but USING them also doesn't feel right IMO.
Not sure I like where Commodore Reyes has ended up. Frustrated with THAT conclusion (of the book, not the series). I do believe that Starfleet was fair and equitable with T'Prynn and Pennington.
When you decide to "take a stand", you should always be willing to suffer the consequences (either the winnings, or the losses).
All in all, this was a lot of fun reading. Cannot wait to pick up the next book.
January 25, 2017
The series is becoming so good I might need a break so I can have a life, otherwise I might miss my upcoming wedding!
Precipice the fifth book of the Vanguard series is different again, but still fast paced with enough mystery, action and plot threads to keep one interested. Sadly this series is becoming too hard to review since I don't want to give out any spoilers, but needless to say this is a worthy follow up to Open Secrets.
Some readers may find it strange about the development of one particular character, but I think that was sort of teased by Mack's third entry into Vanguard; Reap the Whirlwind. Plus is story time we haven't seen this character for a year.
If you haven't read the previous Vanguard books then why pick this up? To get maximum enjoyment start at the beginning.
Precipice the fifth book of the Vanguard series is different again, but still fast paced with enough mystery, action and plot threads to keep one interested. Sadly this series is becoming too hard to review since I don't want to give out any spoilers, but needless to say this is a worthy follow up to Open Secrets.
Some readers may find it strange about the development of one particular character, but I think that was sort of teased by Mack's third entry into Vanguard; Reap the Whirlwind. Plus is story time we haven't seen this character for a year.
If you haven't read the previous Vanguard books then why pick this up? To get maximum enjoyment start at the beginning.
January 14, 2022
While the Reports of Commodore Reyes' death turn out to have been greatly exaggerated, he is still in deep trouble, as are the rest of the Vanguard Crew.
Reyes is alive, but in the hands of a rather unusual Klingon by the name of Gorkon, a man who will go down in history, but not quite yet. While he seems to expect the impossible from Reyes, the Vanguard crew continues their respective investigations, and two seperate groups of rather special operatives work to find information on the Shadaai, and protect the Taurus Reach.
Just another great read. The vanguard series continues to add known characters from star trek history, and it is awesome to see a glimpse of what brought Gorkon to ask for federation help as the post praxis klingon chancellor
If you have not read this series and are reading these reviews please stop, and pick it up!
Reyes is alive, but in the hands of a rather unusual Klingon by the name of Gorkon, a man who will go down in history, but not quite yet. While he seems to expect the impossible from Reyes, the Vanguard crew continues their respective investigations, and two seperate groups of rather special operatives work to find information on the Shadaai, and protect the Taurus Reach.
Just another great read. The vanguard series continues to add known characters from star trek history, and it is awesome to see a glimpse of what brought Gorkon to ask for federation help as the post praxis klingon chancellor
If you have not read this series and are reading these reviews please stop, and pick it up!
January 10, 2015
5th book of the series: the overall plot is still going strong, but I'm still soft on some of the main personalities. Diego Reyes, I don't feel that I have a grasp on him like I do for most of the others.
I admit to feeling lost on the identity of the several Shedai personalities roaming about. I know that one or more is/are hunting some other(s), but I couldn't tell you which was which.
The morphing of Cervantes Quinn-- ne'er do well, tramp merchant-- into a guerrilla fighter, I could handle. His super-melee-powers, that seemed a long stretch.
I do like that events from the Original Series are mentioned as background, with their consequences sometimes tumbling into this region of space. This is done well, grounding it in the Trek setting.
I admit to feeling lost on the identity of the several Shedai personalities roaming about. I know that one or more is/are hunting some other(s), but I couldn't tell you which was which.
The morphing of Cervantes Quinn-- ne'er do well, tramp merchant-- into a guerrilla fighter, I could handle. His super-melee-powers, that seemed a long stretch.
I do like that events from the Original Series are mentioned as background, with their consequences sometimes tumbling into this region of space. This is done well, grounding it in the Trek setting.
June 15, 2015
I've been loving the Vanguard series thus far ..... DS9 concept meets the Kirk days meets spy fiction meets scientific/medical inquiry (think Sector General series). This has been a great series and I'm disappointed it will be ending for me after just a few more books. While I'm sure it's "sequel series" (The Seekers series) will be just as fun and well-written ..... but I still don't want this fun to be over! The writers on this series have done a fantastic job ..... I just wish the "last book" was available in softcover and not just for the e-reader audience. :-( *hint, hint, publisher people* Thanks to all these hardworking authors for a well-done series thus far. Bravo!
June 21, 2017
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the other Vanguard books I've read to date. I'm not sure why.
It had probably the most action of any book in the series so far, and it was definitely more of a page-turner than, say, "Reap the Whirlwind." I think ultimately what took some of the edge off of this one, for me, was how neatly all the various plotlines tied together. It just didn't seem quite messy enough.
I still enjoyed it, and like most of David Mack's Star Trek work it was well-crafted and fun to read. I think my relative enjoyment of the other four Vanguard books over this one just comes down to personal taste.
It had probably the most action of any book in the series so far, and it was definitely more of a page-turner than, say, "Reap the Whirlwind." I think ultimately what took some of the edge off of this one, for me, was how neatly all the various plotlines tied together. It just didn't seem quite messy enough.
I still enjoyed it, and like most of David Mack's Star Trek work it was well-crafted and fun to read. I think my relative enjoyment of the other four Vanguard books over this one just comes down to personal taste.
January 24, 2012
I love the way the writers and editors behind the Vanguard books managed to fit a suspenseful space opera full of entertaining new characters into a corner of the established Star Trek universe - relatives of the Tholians, where Project Genesis gets its start ... The writing is skillful, and the many characters all are vivid, even the ones who are just on the page briefly. The story continues to build in interesting new ways, and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.
February 18, 2013
Started slow, and had just a few too many nods/references to Star Wars and Blade Runner (specifically dialog and creature names), which were a major distraction. Fortunately, the story kicks into high gear by the final third of the book, and finishes with a bang! Overall, it's been a terrific series thus far...
Read
September 7, 2014Still going strong!
I feel awful that it took me several months to continue with the Vanguard series, but it was like coming home once I did. I'm telling you all that this isn't just a great Star Trek book series, it is also great sci fi! I doubt we'll ever see it, but I would love to see this made into a TV or movie series. Honestly, just read these books.
I feel awful that it took me several months to continue with the Vanguard series, but it was like coming home once I did. I'm telling you all that this isn't just a great Star Trek book series, it is also great sci fi! I doubt we'll ever see it, but I would love to see this made into a TV or movie series. Honestly, just read these books.
July 30, 2021
Much tighter structure than the last Vanguard novel put out by Mack. I still have a nagging grievance that the books are not living up to a certain potential, but can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the mandate of tie-in novels, as the writing to publication period is very short. They lack real depth, a three dimensionality. Felt formulaic.
Still, a decent read. 3.5 stars.
Still, a decent read. 3.5 stars.
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