By BWilliams / 12:51, 17 November 2003 / Reviews - Books

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In 1997 Peter David created an all-new series of STAR TREK adventures entitled NEW FRONTIER. Set in the same time frame as THE NEXT GENERATION, DEEP SPACE NINE, and VOYAGER, the NEW FRONTIER series have featured the adventures of Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, Commander Elizabeth Shelby, and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur. Two other familiar faces to NEXT GENERATION fans - Dr. Selar and Lt. Robin Lefler - joined the crew, along with an interesting and eclectic mix of original characters for a new series of adventures and exploration. Through the series, the Excalibur crew has experienced life, death, destruction, time travel, and in-depth looks into the human soul. With the NEW FRONTIER, David has created a series that has garnered fan acclaim over the past six years.

The new novel GODS ABOVE continues in that same vein, this time spotlighting one of the younger crewmembers, Mark McHenry. The novel picks up just after the conclusion of the events of the previous novel, BEING HUMAN, released in 2001, and finds McHenry involved in the fight for his life. He's just learned that his bloodline can be traced back to Apollo's involvement with Carolyn Palamas (from the Original Series episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?"), and the beings that have called McHenry out to be a god also demand that the crews of the Excalibur and the Trident bow before them. Their refusal results in an all-out attack on both the Excalibur and the Trident, along with numerous casualties and injuries, among them McHenry and Morgan Primus Lefler, Robin's mother returned from the dead.

The only thing is, they're not really dead, at least to them. McHenry's spirit floats around the Excalibur, attempting to convince the crew that he's not dead, a la THE SIXTH SENSE and TNG's "The Next Phase," and there's only one person who can see him, a childlike being named Moke. The spirit of Morgan Primus Lefler, however, has infiltrated the ship's computer, and it's about to drive Robin Lefler crazy. Like the mythical phoenix and the Terminator both rising from the ashes, Morgan keeps coming back again and again. One thing I'll give to Peter David: if he's borrowing from different sources, he borrows well.

The attack also leaves Mackenzie Calhoun licking his wounds and coming to terms for the first time with something he'd rather not deal with: wounded pride. Up to this point we have seen Calhoun handle things on his own from Xenex to his off-and-on career in Starfleet. But it takes this one incident to get him to realize that he can't do it alone anymore, that he's got to rely on his wife Elizabeth Shelby, the crews of the Excalibur and the Trident, and Starfleet itself to recover from this feeling of vulnerability and bounce back again.

David weaves each of the multiple plots and subplots with such ease, it's amazing how he keeps this well-oiled machine called NEW FRONTIER running smoothly after six years. And with the appearance of a certain classic cast member during the story, David raises the ante in an enjoyable tale.

It soon becomes a race to confront the Danterian "gods" responsible for the attack on the Excelsior and to learn the secret of the mysterious "ambrosia" that allows those who indulge to experience complete freedom. At the same time, it also becomes a race against time for Mark McHenry to escape his nebulous void and return to the living.

It really is hard to go any further in analyzing GODS ABOVE, because Peter David produces such a rich story full with character detail, thought, background, and action. He's just like that with all of his novels, whether it is STAR TREK, or his original trilogy SIR APROPOS OF NOTHING. GODS ABOVE showcases Peter David at his best. And it's very safe to say that this story has not seen the end just yet. While we had to wait two years for this latest installment, it was worth the wait.

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