Legacies #2: Best Defense (Star Trek: The Original Series)

If I had to post a review of the second in the "Legacies" trilogy, it is that it is MUCH better than the first book was. The first book should have been titled "All about Una, or How I am superior to all other Star Trek Characters despite what you saw in The Cage"... Thankfully this book focused more on the people we actually are interested in, that is to say, if we are TOS fans. Now I don't mind them bringing in "Number One" from the cage at all; but what I don't like is the total perversion of her character that is made by these incessantly "mea culpa" authors who deem it essential that each new book introduce female characters that can literally wipe the ground with any male they encounter. The persistence in referring to Number One as "Una" ALWAYS will grate on my nerves. They could have given her any name to go with that title of "number one" but making it "Una" simply because she was "the BEST" (i.e. number one) in EVERYTHING is more than a stretch!Enough on the soapbox--and to the story--caution--some spoilers ahead. In this story we are taken to New Athens in the Centaurus system, where peace talks are to take place between the Klingon Empire and the Federation--and with the careful knowledge that those pesky Organians will be monitoring it... or so we'd suspect until all the fighting began. Number One, as we know, has vanished into the netherworld of whatever Universe the Transfer Key has taken her compadres from 18 years ago. (Why she waited 18 years to do anything does seem like a quantum leap in credibility).. Anyway, back at Centaurus, the traitorous double-agent who has now taken command of the Romulan ship that is hell-bent on destroying the peace talks, much to the chagrin of those pathetically weak-kneed males that this female champion of champions eventually bludgeons into her servitude. She has stolen the Transfer Key, and somehow or other has managed to figure out, or her engineer has, how to hook it up to their ship's drive mechanism. Now exactly how this woman has figured to take something as intricate as the device we learned about in the first book, and simply hook it up (a la cloaking device) to the ship's engines in a way that gives her all the capability that the giant slugs had, and she begins to orbit Centaurus and sabotage the peace talks by blinking out of existence, Gorkon, the Klingon head diplomat. Of course the enraged Klingons are convinced this was a Federation act of murder. Both a Klingon battle-cruiser, and the Starship Enterprise are summoned to the Centauran system to try to prevent escalation from ending up in an all out war. One other little detail complicates matters for the crew of the Enterprise: Joanna, Dr. McCoy's daughter is an intern at the New Athens University medical complex--and becomes inextricably entwined into events--much to the horror of her Dad, Leonard McCoy. Enough of all the storyline details, you get the picture. So why 4 stars for a story I gripe so much about with regard to characters? Because David Mack isn't nearly as overpowering with the incessant reminders of how superior the females are as the author of the first book, although with the death or disappearance of the Klingon captain... you got it, a female is first officer who assumes command. Now let me remind you that two of my favorite novels in TOS have women as the dominant characters, usually it's Uhura, because I am so partial to the entire crew of TOS. It is just that there is so much overkill the other way with these novels that it becomes predictable. If a new admiral is about to meet Kirk, 9 out of 10 chances it WILL be a woman. If a new enemy/villain seems to have stymied the whole Federation--look for that not-so gentler sex to be the mastermind. Still, in this story, you do get caught up in events with Sarek, Spock's Father who heads the Federation delegation on Centaurus, and who also is caught up in the frenzy of events when people start disappearing. All-in-all, the book is well written, and the story in and of itself is quite good--hence, 4 stars. I don't want to give away how THIS one ends, but suffice it to say that since there is yet another novel in the series, the only closure you get is some sort of resolution to the chaos that erupts when the Romulans reluctantly start to play hanky-panky with those peace talks, and all hell breaks loose.Which does beg the question: Amid all this violence (and yes it gets quite violent) where the heck are those peace-demanding Organians that everyone is so flustered about? Just employing a bit of Vulcan logic here: Why did this group of super-beings stop an interstellar conflict a year or so earlier (according to the timeline given) only to allow a near Interstellar Armageddon involving THREE star empires to run amok? But logic aside I enjoyed the read--in fact I read it much faster than that overbearing first novel. And I look forward to the ultimate closure of all these conflicts that have built up across this trilogy. I am curious to know how Number One (I refuse to call her Una--call it a bias of my own) will eventually get back (and we know she will) ... and what has happened to Gorkon, and several other key players whom I will not mention here, who were also seemingly zapped out of existence in the course of this novels play-out.Go ahead.. if you like Star Trek... you'll like it. It IS a good read.

I listened to this as an audio book as read by Robert Petkoff--regardless of what you might think of this particular book/plot, his performance is awesome. I will say that in this particular book I did get the sense that the author, David Mack, was purposely showcasing his vocabulary--as such there are a few french terms that suddenly pop up and seem a little out of place for Star Trek.Though the story begun in Captain to Captain is continued, this particular novel pivots slightly to focus more on two subplots: Sadira's theft of the Transfer Key and the Federation-Klingon peace talks. There's obviously more to it then that but I'd prefer not to ruin anything for prospective readers by saying more.Though in the beginning I did find myself asking, "What does this have to do with Una and the first book?" I came around when the events of this book made me kind of forget about Una until she popped up again (Sorry Number One!). The author took Sadira to a new level as a villain, so much so that you actually feel bad for the Romulans stuck with her. Mack also brings in Sarek, Amanda Grayson, and Joanna McCoy to plump up the cast, which is great because I love them all.Kirk and Spock are present as always but in this novel we see more of McCoy due to his daughter's presence and a little bit more of Chekov and Uhura.

'Best Defense' was not as good as the first novel in this new trilogy...plain and simple. Sure, it was action packed and it was faithful to the first book, 'Captain to Captain', but it suffered from what so many other Star Trek novels suffered....there was too much going on. It shifted from the alternate universe to Centaurus (where McCoy's daughter was) to the Tiburonian to the Romulan ship to the Klingon / Vulcan peace talks..and more. There was just too much going on to be invested in any one part of the book...which, for me, made it less intense and exciting than the first novel.All in all, it wasn't a bad book, but just scattered. What I had hoped I would learn more about was the alternate universe, where Captain Una was, but because of all of the other things going on, there just wasn't time.How could it have been a bit better? I am not sure...perhaps the entire story line with Joanna McCoy and the Tiburonian could have been eliminated, and the story with Sarek and the Klingons could have been simplified as well. This would have left more time to focus on the alternate universe.If you read the first one, you have to read this, and you will, of course, read the final installment when it comes out. But just be aware that this one may not excite you as much as the first one.

This is a fine follow-up to "Captain To Captain", usually, the second book of a trilogy is the weakest link; that isn't the case here. This book is a fine story in its own right, and suffers only very slightly from the "has no beginning, has no conclusion" syndrome that it common to middle books. Yes, those of us who read the first book have to be given redundant background information so that those who haven't won't be totally lost, and yes, it ends without finishing. But the background information is only marginally irritating, and the ending comes at a reasonable break-point. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the conclusion to the series, but this book is worth reading all by itself.

David Mack has succeeded in writing a trilogy that can please the long-time, tried and true ORIGINAL Star Trek fan. He has included characters from various Star Trek episodes and books in such a way to makebit feel right and honest. The action is constant and keeps one anxious to getvto the next page. Each book hascended with something that makes you want to immediately start on the next part of the story. Thanks, Mr. Mack for writing an exciting, fast moving series that shows there will never be an end to the stories that can be told about Captain Kirk and the Enterprise without having to make it become a Star Wars knockoff like the new movies.

This episode is very exciting and entertaining. It was hard for me to stop reading. Multiple events take place keeping the emotions high.One tng though: I didn't know the story does not end with this book. The end is resolved in book 3. Gotta buy it!

Great character development beyond what is known from TOS.

Best Defence is the middle novel of the Legacies trilogy and written by David Mack. The style is subtly different to the previous book and it was interesting to compare the way the two authors wrote and made me wonder if the needs of the overall story were parceled out in terms of the strength of the writers. So without getting too spoiler heavy the mysterious artefact protected through decades by the Captains and First Officers of the Enterprise is out in the wild, the Romulans and Klingons are in play and elements outside of the Federation are eager to see Klingon/Federation talks in the shadow of the Organians utterly fail.As the Enterprise and Captain Una continue to clean up their own mess the delegations led by Sarek and Gorkon meet to discuss a peace treaty on the planet of Centaurus, the home at this time of one Joanna McCoy. Kirk and company have their work cut out for them as delegates mysteriously vanish and agents of chaos are ready to strike. Una stranded in the alternate universe has to understand her new world and find those who have been exiled here before her not forgetting the native Jatohr who will not be too pleased to see her again. To rescue her crew and so many other including the Usilde may be impossible but one thing is for sure the Jatohr invasion forces can not be allowed to enter into our universe no matter what the cost.Best Defense was a riveting read, more action in this second novel of the series and always a delight to see Klingons and Romulans full on and of course Gorkon and Sarek serious points plus Amanda and Joanna bonus points galore. Kudos to David in creating the alternate universe, we still have a lot to learn about the world of the Jatohr but one thing for sure, it's alien.The first two novels of Legacies have not disappointed, the bar has been set high for Purgatory's Key.

I will post exactly the same advice for the 2 other books of this trilogy. The scenario was very well thought and the depth of the story, the pleasure to go along this very long and breath taking story across the 3 books and leaving with our favorite characters Kirk, Spock, McCoy and all the crew, and also some returning character from the very first episode of the legendary serie, makes this opus a fantastic tribute to the 50th Anniversary. A great pleasure to read, a difficulty not to read it in one treat!

I really enjoy any Trek story lately. All the authors of the various novels write in ways that appeal directly to me. But David Mack just brings something else, an extra quality. This writer describes so much action that it's like watching a film. And he gives characters and technology from this era a real shine that the tv show never got close too. The tv show made it appear that 7 characters ran the entire ship, he doesn't change what has been seen on tv, he supplements it, adding layers and depth and keeps the futuristic feel that the tv show lost as our modern technology caught up and over took 23rd century Starfleet. (Except for the warp drive. And transporters.)(And phasers).