Nerds That Geek Book Review - 'Star Trek: Destiny' #2 - 'Mere Mortals'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

I am, and always will be a huge fan of Star Trek. While its message of hope and tolerance continues to captivate me, this storied franchise can at times be a little goody-goody. 

It is understandable why, we have yet to see such peace in our lifetime and conflict is something we most certainly understand.  Which is why it is refreshing from time to time to see the good people of the Federation go through hard times so we can see how this utopian society will deal with the bad that is out there. But when it comes to the second book in the Star Trek: Destiny trilogy by David Mack, he does the unthinkable and puts the people of the Federation on the brink of extermination. 

Mere Mortals picks up immediately after Gods of Night with the Enterprise stumbling across a great discovery in the Azure Nebula. It turns out that this nebula is where the Borg have been launching attacks upon the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, by making use of the Nebulas's dense clouds to mask the subspace conduit they travel through, and it is here where Captain Jean-Luc Picard believes Starfleet can make a stand. This discovery gives the Federation some breathing room and time to plan a counter offensive. They plan to put together an armada of ships that will destroy the Borg staging ground once the Aventine or Enterprise find its exact location, but it may not be enough. There are too many conduits to explore and the Borg could appear at any moment, and Picard knows that when they do, it will be the end of the Federation and all known life. 

What separates this book from so many other Star Trek stories, is the incredible amount of detail that David provides when it comes to the aftermath of space battle. We have seen sickbays filled to the brim with injured officers before, often times in the midst of combat or immediately right after, but Mister Mack holds nothing back and provides us with a stunning amount of gory detail in this story, even down to what kind of surgery is performed, the lives that are lost and the horrible fashion in which they die.  It is a fine reminder that space is a dangerous place and despite the perfect nature of the Federation, there are still beings out there willing to harm and willing to take a life. 

But what matters most here, is the sheer suspense that builds as the story progresses. Page after page we know that the Borg will be coming and that the fight will be the stuff of legend, and it leaves the reader as uneasy as the characters. In fact this book takes us deep inside Jean-Luc Picard's mind, for the first time showing us exactly what he really knows about the Borg and truly how much he fears them. This is a book that exudes desperation, fear and panic but never in an over the top or ridiculous fashion. If Gods of Night was the simmering pot of water, everything in Mere Mortals brings it to a boil, leaving you ready to see just how explosive the story will end in the third book, Lost Souls.  

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