Great action, complex plots, twists and turns galore!

This was a great story, full of swift changes, plans gone awry. With determined Pakleds, greedy Ferengi, honorable Ferengi(!), brutal Nausicans, along with Breen adversaries, there are plenty of corners for this story to bounce against. Not to mention a poor conflicted Vulcan! ( )

David Mack builds off a thread from the Star Trek: TNG episode “The Survivors” in his new novel Star Trek Titan: Fortune of War. In that episode, a being of unimaginable power in a moment of rage wiped out an entire species everywhere in existence. The powerful and warlike Husnock simply ceased to be. Now it is 20 years later and the search for their home planet and other remnants of their civilization, including their military technology, continues. A discovery by a federation research team may provide the key to unlocking the secrets of the Husnock. It is up to the crew of the Starship Titan to keep the technology and weapons of the Husnock from falling into the wrong hands as alien military and smugglers of various stripes are all in a race to find the weapons that could shift the balance of power in the galaxy.

Mack has a great command of the characters from throughout the Star Trek universe. The familiar characters feel like they’ve just stepped off the screen and he seamlessly integrates new characters alongside them. Titan Captain Christine Vale, who captains William Riker’s flagship, really gets a chance to shine in this book. Mack also gives prominent roles to aliens familiar to fans such as Pakleds, Ferengi, Nausicaans and the Breen. The Breen in particular are more fully fleshed out. They are painted as clever, ruthless and deadly adversaries.

The Starfleet crew races from location to location in an effort to either stay ahead of or halt the Breen. Mack keeps the stakes very high and the consequences serious. It is up to an outgunned and undermanned Titan crew to be smarter and braver than everyone else in the finest tradition of Star Trek stories. Mack is one of the best writers in the Star Trek universe and he delivers another book that is fast-paced, packed with action and full of excitement for newcomers as well as long-time fans.

The audio narration by Robert Petkoff is superb. He is one of my favorite narrators and his range of voices is more than up to the task of the multi-race, multi-character Star Trek universe. Along with spot-on voice characterization, his pace, inflection and interpretation of the action really bring the drama to life. Another excellent performance. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this audiobook from the publisher. ( )