A Risk That Paid Off

I understand there was some trepidation over 'giving' Peter David's New Frontier characters to others to write, but after reading the stories contained in this anthology, I believe there was no need to worry. That these were stories written *prior* to the characters' becoming a team on Excalibur did, I suppose, lessen the pressure, but still, it was a task that couldn't have been done without minding the 'future' David's already written. Each author picked a character and wrote a story - and each did so with flair, not some little humor, plenty of continuity, and an obvious love of the New Frontier universe in the first place.

I noticed one or two errors that smacked of haste in putting this book together, but those in no way diminished the overall enjoyment of it. Go ahead and buy this book - and then test your mettle at next year's Shore Leave convention by getting as many authors as you can to autograph the thing!

Peter David is a great Star Trek novelist

And this book is a testimony to that earned "greatness" and was sheer pleasure to read, not to mention own. Even though I grew up with the Original Series Star Trek, I also came to love TNG as well and, later, VOYAGER and ENTERPRISE as well as any other novel incarnations of Star Trek. Being an avid fan of sci-fi in general, however, it would be an injustice on my part not to mention the many other old and new sci-fi works that both led me to Star Trek and which have forever forged my love for all sci-fi works: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", "Foundation", "2001", "2010", "Rendezvous with Rama", "Ringworld", all the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" books, as well as books as new to the genre as "Advent of the Corps" and others.

a jewel

After reading Ilsa J. Bick's Well of Souls, just a terrific and griping book, I was inspired to find more of her work. Whoever said that her story in this anthology about Morgan Primus got him choked up is right on. "Alice, on the Edge of Night" just shines, and Bick's ability to get into the heads of her characters and make you care about them is truly amazing. She has a deft command of language and phrasing that left me gasping. Other people have griped about her writing, but I find it refreshing and captivating. I hope to see more by her in the Trek universe. Several reviewers at the Well of Souls website mentioned having her do a series. That's a good idea.
Other terrific stories: David Mack's Kebron story, Sherman's story about an adolescent Si Cwan, and, of course, Peter David's tale of Calhoun's and Shelby's honeymoon.
Please, someone -- do this again. With these writers. Please.