Star Trek: Picard: To Defy Fate by Dayton Ward
Synopsis:
2401: Just weeks after defeating a devastating joint attack by rogue Changelings and remnants of the Borg Collective, Starfleet and the Federation face a long period of recovery that requires replacing lost personnel and ships. While touring the U.S.S. Titan-A, which is just beginning an extensive repair-and-refit process that will take nearly a year to complete, newly promoted Captain Seven of Nine and her first officer, Commander Raffi Musiker, experience a bizarre temporal event which renders them both unconscious and sends Seven into a deep coma.
In the aftermath of this inexplicable attack, Admirals Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher are surprised by the appearance of Crusher’s son, Wesley. Now a Traveler capable of traversing through all of space and time, he warns them that forces he cannot identify are working to disrupt time for unknown and potentially catastrophic reasons. Reality as they know it is in jeopardy and, despite their initial best efforts, the effects are not contained but instead continue to escalate.
Picard, Crusher, and Musiker join Wesley in hunting through time to stop whoever or whatever seems hellbent on rewriting history. But what is their unknown adversary’s ultimate objective? Left unchecked, their efforts might well erase from existence those Picard and his friends hold most dear. What could justify attempting to defy fate itself?
Review:
To Defy Fate is set just after the series finale of Picard. Those of us fans who were hoping for a new series spin off can at least be placated by new stories set in this exciting future. Traveler Wesley arrives to investigate temporal incursions and realities begin changing. Both Guinan and Seven of Nine are targeted, individuals who are known to be sensitive to time manipulation.
This fun and fast-paced story includes a lot of familiar characters from across the Star Trek universe. And author Dayton Ward is always spot on with fleshing out characters and a solid plot. This newest release is a must-read for fans of Picard. I’m a huge fan of time travel stories, when done well. Plus, the family dynamic of Beverly, Picard, Wesley and Jack – made for a poignant moment as well. The climactic suspense kept me engaged and the various subplots came together wonderfully. Plenty of fun surprises and an unpredictable mystery weave into this impressive novel.