Star Trek: The Next Generation: Indistinguishable from Magic, by David A. McIntee
After the USS Enterprise discovers an old Starfleet ship missing for two hundred years, Geordi La Forge decides to join the crew of the USS Challenger and further investigate the mystery. Joining Geordi on the Challenger are the familiar faces of Guinan, Nog, Captain Montgomery Scott, and a couple other surprising additions. But the arrival of old enemies threatens the Challenger and her crew. And subsequently, the crew uncovers an even larger mystery and a technology so advanced that from the surface looks indistinguishable from magic.
This latest Star Trek installment refreshingly focuses on exploration and technology. And of course, personal interactions and dynamics are a strongpoint of the story as well. The Star Trek universe is continually moving forward thanks to the novels. So, this was a great opportunity to reminisce about older Next Generation episodes, with references to several favorites. Yet the characters are not stagnate and have changed quite a bit over the years, leading to some fun and surprising outcomes. Though the story only briefly involves the Next Generation’s Enterprise crew, so I’m not really sure why this was entitled as a Next Generation novel. The only Next Generation regulars that were major players in the story were Geordi and Guinan. But thankfully, the same spirit of adventure and discovery that made the Next Generation great is present here.
With plenty of suspense, danger, and mystery, this is one Star Trek fans will not want to miss. The initial story of the found ship is only the tip of the iceberg in this impressive adventure. Taking surprising twists and turns, I was captivated till the very end. Advanced technology, time travel, alien life forms, and going “where no one has gone before” – this latest novel has it all. I hope the series continues in a similar vein.
I’ve been enjoying the ST novels as well, I still think the Destiny Trilogy should have been made into a trilogy of movies, screw the reboot, the Borg Mass Invasion was wild and should be filmed or drawn. Overall liked this book except what happens to one character.