Fire on High

Star Trek: New Frontier #6

by Peter David

On the planet Armista sits a nameless woman. High upon a mountain, she is cradling a weapon unlike anything the Armistans have ever seen. She rocks back and forth on her haunches, singing softly to herself. The weapon is her only companion on the planet, since everyone else is little piles of ash. A weapon that could destroy life on one planet could do so again.

Lieutenant Robin Lefler's mother died in a shuttle explosion ten years ago. So is the woman being held prisoner in Thallonian space really her? If it is, what is her connection to the mysterious woman holding a weapon that could doom entire worlds?

With the lives of billions at stake, Robin Lefler, Captain Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur must find the answers before time runs out for them and for the struggling remnants of the once-great Thallonian Empire.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

About the author

aka David Peters

Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billions of lives at risk!


PROMETHEANS' SONG

Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the USS Excalibur are still recovering from the clash with a powerful Redeemer starship, but the things on the Space Sector 221-G never give a break to the dashing crew in this new frontier...

...since a strange machine seems to be able to decimate billions of lives in an instant and the Excalibur may be the only chance to avoid a huge disaster.

Soleta never fear a challenge but she doesn't know if she truly the necessary skills to discover the mystery behind the insidious machine.

Also, Robin Lefler always thought that her mother had passed away...

...but it seems that that was a wrong situation...

...a strange woman appears in Lefler's life but is she really her mother?

And if so, is she truly who claims to be with a surprising connection to Star Trek: The Original Series?

A new frontier, a new crew, new threats!

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is with the ebook versions of this series that I have? Every single one has lines missing; this one, more so than the previous ones! Next time, I'll just get print versions.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent chapter from Peter David. Great series.

[David H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally making a return to this series for a few weeks off. It follows the previous book almost immediately (and we honestly spend more time with the planet of that book than I was expecting before we move on).

As before, I'm enjoying the characters, though Burgoyne continues to annoy me Really, making your hermaphrodite super promiscuous?. My favorite continues to be the science officer, Soleta, who had an incredibly hilarious chapter where she inadvertently acts as a relationship counselor for like 6 different characters. Who knew Vulcans could be so amusing? I really like the bit of extra stuff we got with Robin Lefler (aka Ashley Judd) and Commander Shelby's getting some nice characterization.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look, I know no one reads Star Trek novels for the quality of the prose (which along with the quality of the plots, characterisation, and pacing in the New Frontier series is close to nonexistent), but the sentence "It was as if the ship was a party, and she was the designated pooper thereof" is really just taking the piss.

[Rahul Chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disjointed since I took a couple of months break in between starting and finishing, but the nostalgia factor kept me engaged to the end.

[Sean Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The creature didn't really have time to have a full sense of its own existence before it didn't have an existence anymore."

I think this, taken from the opening chapter, sums up this entire novel, really.

"Calhoun, damn him, could afford to be flamboyant, daring, and heroic."

It's odd, because Calhoun's not all that heroic at all here. he just sits there, in command, using his mind now and then and not doing much of anything else. as Calhoun was always a very physical player in things, this adds something of a back-seat feel.

"if you marry him and he still doesn't know you're alive, then you have bigger problems than I could possibly solve."

Most of this book is taken up with relationship advice or discussions thereof. Morgan's entry is interesting but underused, the threat to the ship is something of a holdover from the first four titles and the race of beings that appear simply to put Calhoun in his place are little short of Deus Ex Machina with the deus perhaps converted to a nihil.

"Entering a realm that makes no sense? My dear Lieutenant, the technical
term for that is 'birth."

Still, we've got a few more characters, a heads-up on a new race of beings and a baby (or two) on the way. Things might just liven up yet.

[Dianah · Rating 3 out of 5]

First - take this book and #5 Martyr next to each other to see the main characters on the bridge together. Nicely done!

Second - the review:

I wondered how long it would take for the Robin Lefler character to get on my nerves. Answer? Book #6. I only vaguely remember her character on Next Gen, but I did remember thinking her "laws" were silly. Here we get her backstory and it's filled with teenagey angst that doesn't fit with her being a lieutenant in Starfleet. In fact, everything she does in this book has a kind of YA/sixteen-year-old feel to it.

The story is a bit muddled, but David's ability to tell an entertaining story trumps the faults. The "lover" on Ahmista is annoying and I think those scenes are very clunky. The latest chapter to the Selar/Burgoyne/McHenry saga was painfully predictable.

It's an enjoyable book, but I think you can speed read through it without missing anything of importance before going on to the next book.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this was one of the better ones of this series thusfar but that's not saying much. As much as I have enjoyed Peter David's Star Trek books this series has been underwhelming and too much like a soap opera and less like Star Trek. This one did not fall as far into that pit as its predecessors but still had some throw-up-in-your-mouth moments. Unfortunately the more annoying and invasive characters get the spotlight and the more interesting and fun characters are pushed to the side - with the one exception that Lefler featured more prominently this time around. Most characters seem to muddled in being too witty or sassy so not many stand out. It was all right and the sci-fi elements of the book were enjoyable but the relationship struggles were still there and annoyingly in the way.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: New Frontier 06 Fire on High by Peter David

4.0 Stars

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense

Medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a character led story. There's a plot, but it is motivated mostly by character interactions and conflicts. I couldn't have told you the possible conclusion...before we arrived at it.

Loved the Saler & Burgoyne 172's relationship. In some ways we are talking about two middle schooler's in emotional states. One is hyper detached, and the other is HYPER attached. You pick who's who at the different situations that they interact in. It's hilarious.

Soleta's counselor position was laugh out loud. And when each party came to her for advice...I was in stiches. So funny, especially for a Vulcan. Ha!

Shelby trying to gauge how other people think she acts on the bridge...is SO middle school. Like passing notes with "If you like me, check yes or no.

Morgan and Roblin Lefler...her daughter, was really interesting to witness. But, I did get frustrated with Robin...and the way she acted. Again, it felt like middle schoolers at this emotional state, and not Starfleet Officers. I was not mad about it, since most Starfleet Officers are not like this...and we've already established that the USS Excaliber is a ship of misfits (that we love).

Captain MacKenzie Calhoun was in the story, but not the focal point of this narrative. I like him, and I missed his interactions, but he still had some epic moments...even though the shift was towards other characters.

The Prometheans are a part of the story, but not as much as I thought they'd be (TBH).

I was engaged for most all of the book, and by the end...I felt we had had a huge adventure. Really interested in see what happens, next and how our characters will grow from here...since there has already been heaps of growth with most of them.

Next us is, Star Trek: Double Helix 01 Infection by John Gregory Betancourt.

I know I don't have to start at this book, but I want to not have what happened when I read part of a series...and then spoiled some things when reading the main part of the series. There's a method to my madness.

[Andy Stjohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

NF #6: Fire on High by Peter David

This was definitely a better book than the 5th. As I have said many times on here, I had a lot of major issues with the 5th NF book, mainly because of Burgoyne as they felt very Quagmire from Family Guy like and was sexually harassing Selar. Also, they were reinforcing a bunch of harmful stereotypes about LGBTQ people by portraying them as promiscuous and creepy.

Anyway, this book was a step up, but it didn’t knock my socks off. The mystery of Morgan Primus was interesting as you were made to believe she was the woman on the planet with the weapon. When she was revealed to be immortal, it was an interesting twist and I hope it somehow ties into Flint the Immortal, as he suffers from the same problem. Overall, the stuff at the beginning with Soleta felt very TOS like as I would imagine something like the machine she encountered being in TOS. It just gave off that vibe.

The biggest part of the book I didn’t like was that it felt too soap opera like. I’m 100% fine with Trek portraying romances, but they seemed to care more about it then their acutal duties. It felt very high school like with it. But the one thing I’ve liked so far about NF is the sense of continuity. If feels like one never very ending story and previous events acutally have an impact on the characters. Having read so many of the numbered Star Trek books, it’s nice to feel this for a change. I love solo episodes but it’s nice to feel like things are serialized and have an impact. Anyways, I rate this book 7/10

[Rose Charpentier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would get five stars if some of the plotting had been done better. There’s just a few too many plot contrivances and character conflicts that resolve themselves a little too quickly for what is clearly the reason that they need to for the story to progress the way the author wants it to.

However, I really liked this edition to the series. Probably better than the last book, Martyr. For starters, the humor in it is top notch. I do not tend to laugh out loud while reading, but there were multiple times in this book where I giggled uncontrollably as some of the banter. It was refreshing to read something that wasn’t overly serious, honestly.

The addition of the character of Morgan was also refreshing. While some of the plotting behind her character seemed a bit forced, I did like her personality quite a bit and hope she is featured more upcoming stories.

The continuation of the plotline between Burgy and Selar from Martyr is… interesting. I am unsure how to feel about it. But I think I’ll become more sure as the series progresses.

Needless to say, not my favorite edition to the series, but also not my least favorite. I will definitely be picking up book #7 in the near future!

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entry in the series is easily one of the strongest yet. It opens with a bold, high-concept premise straight out of classic science fiction: a woman living alone on a planet, deeply in love with a powerful and sentient weapon that's searching for a vessel to contain its consciousness. I may not have every detail exactly right, but that’s the general idea - and it’s a catchy one.

From there, we’re quickly brought back aboard the Excalibur and into the lives of its crew, who remain as compelling as ever. Peter David continues to excel at crafting distinct, memorable characters, and I found myself equally invested in each subplot woven throughout the story.

David’s ability to blend traditional Star Trek adventure with a concept that feels larger-than-life is a testament to his skill as a writer. The balance between character-driven moments and big sci-fi ideas is handled masterfully.

If I had one minor critique, it’s that I wish the story stood more on its own, rather than leaning so heavily on the events of the previous two books. That said, it’s a small issue in the context of such a strong entry.

I’m genuinely excited to see where this crew goes next and what kind of adventure finds them.

[A.J. Blanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book six, Fire on High (FOH), was an almost complete 180 from Martyr. With only a few exceptions, FOH genuinely felt like a classic Trek story. Mystery, adventure, science-fictiony stuff, mild character development... not bad at all.

Having said that however, this was a story of great buildup with relatively unsatisfying payoff. To avoid spoilers, I'll liken it to the climax of the movie Contact. While I generally enjoyed the movie, I think most can agree that it could've ended better, except this time there's a rather lazy deus ex machina involved. That's FOH in a nutshell for me, and I'll throw in the somewhat ridiculous explanation of Robin Lefler's mother for good measure.

Overall, I'd still recommend the second NF omnibus; Prometheans, but only if you've read the first four.

[Vic Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always with this series I enjoy the character work. I do feel as if the storyline is lagging a little, and I feel that a lot of this comes down to the lack of originality in a lot of this plotline. We've seen something like this before a hundred times with Trek. They're doing something slightly different - but not different enough to make me super excited. Even Calhoun's character has a lot of similarities to Archer which makes it less fresh for me. In writing this I am well aware that New Frontier came out first and I'm beginning to think it might have had some effect on the characterisations in Enterprise. Still, that doesn't improve my enjoyment of the series - only my appreciation for it. If that makes sense. :)

[John Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mysterious new character joins the excalibur crew, refuses to tell them what her deal is for a few chapters, then spills the beans and immediately jumps into the big finale. Like the previous books, it feels like a middle chapter was cut out, where if the reader had just spent more time with the characters they might get more out of the finale. Maybe throw out a flashback chapter of what her life was like before she got in her present situation? I liked the book, I just feel like it wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been. Part of me wonders if I just have different sensibilities than the people making the books, but no, I truly do think these books would work better with a higher page count. Anyway like usual I had fun and I look forward to seeing where the series goes.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 1 out of 5]

As much as I love Star Trek, I am really struggling with this series... and with my goal of reading all the Trek novels I can get my hands on.

The problem, I think, is that I just don't care about any of the characters. There's a small number I'm indifferent to, and the others I actively dislike. I was so close to giving this book two stars, on the grounds that it hardly had any Calhoun in it and was therefore automatically two hundred percent less insufferable. But I can't get past the soap opera ending, or Commander Shelby actually pulling aside an officer to question them about whether the crew thinks she has a crush on the captain. How old are these people?! I compare it to TNG, for example, which was crewed by adults, and the difference is fucking baffling.

[Xavier Marturet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fine adventure. Maybe the part of the adventure is lighter than the previous books, and there 's a big dose of love and relationships.
I understand the sentimental relationships is an important part of the saga, and I admit there is a big and original ending. I really celebrate it.
But this time I missed more chapters full of action, adventure and mistery.
I see a lot of fun references for other characters out of the Star Trek Universe, and this is something I really like of the Peter David stories.
And Morgan is a new good character for the saga.
A good novel, but not the best of New Frontier.

[Ty G. Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six books in and I've noticed something is lacking. I wish Peter David did a better job of combining character and plot. The pattern emerging is sparse story and heavy character beats through most of the book. Then for the last few chapters things get exciting an wraps up the story. It'll get a bit tedious if it continues throughout the series. I do love how he bleeds elements from one book into the next though.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is really coming together for me now. So many of the earlier pulp elements (like the captain having a "knack" for sensing danger) are gone, as is much of the horniness. Instead, this reads like one of Peter David comics: fast pacing with lots of weird ideas all at once. Like his comics, it also always leaves some delicious plot thread flapping about, taunting you to read the next book right away.

For a while, this seemed like really stupid fanfic, but now I finally get it!

[John Calderón · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great original characters

Great characters, following in the spirit of the great Star Trek original character, Next generation and more. Peter David did a great job on developing stories and characters with incredible depth.

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book in the series so far. The Prometheans make for a very interesting adversary for the crew of the Excalibur, and the discovery of Lefler’s mother and her search for these beings was very compelling.

[Thorsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Netter Star Trek Roman außerhalb des Canon.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with a sketchier plot than previous entries but much stronger on character development and crisp dialogue than story.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I thought that the 1st half was slow. Ended Very Good!

[S.J. Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting payoff of threads and a twist on some old concepts.

4/5 A bit wobbly on the landing, but my investment is still very much intact.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to put down series
Did not like Shelby in the Next Gen series, but I love her here

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the bridge crew’s mother seems to be alive after thought to be dead for 10 years. She is quickly added to the mix in an interesting way. Definitely recommended

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Star Trek book

Part of series by Peter David, this high energy, amusing, and quick paced story will keep you engrossed. I enjoyed the series.

[Josh Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun. Kind of junk-foody. Very comic-booky.