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Diabolus ex machina

(Star Trek: The Next Generation)

David Mack (Goodreads Author),

Wibke Sawatzki (Translator)

4.02 · Rating details · 1,333 ratings · 90 reviews

Im Zentrum der Galaxis taucht eine gewaltige Maschine auf, groß wie ein Planet, und niemand weiß, woher sie gekommen ist. Ganze Sternensysteme stürzt sie in ein riesiges Schwarzes Loch. Die Enterprise-Crew findet den wahren Zweck der Maschine heraus – und sie stellt eine Bedrohung allen Lebens in der Galaxis dar. Als die Zeit immer knapper wird, begreift Picard, dass es nu ...more

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Paperback, 380 pages

Published August 31st 2015 by Cross Cult (first published January 2013)

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Start your review of Diabolus ex machina (Star Trek TNG: Kalte Berechnung, #2)

Apr 06, 2014 Alejandro rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, star-trek, science-fiction, media-tie-in

This is the third and final novel in the book event Cold Equations from Star Trek: The Next Generation that supposedly to be about the return of Data and his quest to find a way to resurrect his daughter, Lal.

Okay, first of all... why the heck is doing Worf in the cover?! He does some stuff in the story and there is a relevant moment about his Starfleet career but that's all. Hardly a reason to be pictured on the cover.

Wesley Crusher should be on the cover since it's his triumphant return to the ...more

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Oct 26, 2018 Jerry rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A crazy adventure for Picard and crew...but a fun one!

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Oct 03, 2021 Sean Randall rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Of course, a galaxy-spanning threat. Nothing less would have served to conclude this rather exotic trilogy. yet it fit, because it truly felt like I was back on the Enterprise with Picard from TV as he had been. Yes, a new ship, and yes, new faces. But also some old ones: Data and Geordi were perfect, and even Picard and Crusher worked well on the page;a natural outgrowth of where the screen could have gone. It's a shame that so much of this will have to go in Coda, but I'm glad to have caught u ...more

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Nov 24, 2013 Carl Bussema rated it liked it · review of another edition

Why Worf is on the cover, I have no idea. They should have put WESLEY CRUSHER on the cover, because that's right kids, everyone's favorite Traveler is back!

And he's not bringing good news (duh). Turns out there's a machine at the center of the galaxy that's going to [science involving black holes] destroy the galaxy, soon. Aided by Wesley's ability to hyperwarp the ship, the Enterprise rushes out to investigate, and concludes that the machine was constructed by the same people who built V'Ger (S ...more

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May 23, 2012 Dan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tng, star-trek, e-books

The Body Electric was a satisfying conclusion to the Cold Equations trilogy. Each entry in this trilogy almost represents a different "genre" of novel. The first, The Persistence of Memory, is a black-ops thriller with a bit of personal memoir thrown in. Book two, Silent Weapons, is more of a political/action thriller, while The Body Electric brings a hard sci-fi element to the story. My favourite entry in the series was Silent Weapons, as I'm a sucker for the political stuff. But The Body Elect ...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Daniel Kukwa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek

I'm not sure what to think here. The elements of the story all reach for an epic scale not seen since "Star Trek - The Motion Picture". The prose is wonderful, and I positively breezed through this novel in a matter of hours. But in the end, it still feels slightly less than the sum of its parts. It feels as if it should be MORE epic, MORE emotional, MORE terrifying than it is...and the rather pat ending certainly works against it. To say nothing of dispensing with ALL the Typhon Pact shenanigan ...more

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Aug 09, 2015 Crystal Bensley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So David Mack might be my new fav Star Trek author- absolutely awesome epic stuff... Again!

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Sep 11, 2021 Yvette rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 19, 2016 C.T. Phipps rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek

There are two kinds of Star Trek fans: those who like Wesley Crusher and those who don't. I, for those who wish to know, am one of the former.

I was a wee lad of seven when Star Trek: The Next Generation first came on screen. Despite this, I watched it religiously and thought Wesley was the bomb. There was no reason not to like Wesley since, of course, a fourteen-year-old kid could do everything an adult could do but better. That was just common sense (at my age)!

I suspect the older a Trek fan There are two kinds of Star Trek fans: those who like Wesley Crusher and those who don't. I, for those who wish to know, am one of the former.

I was a wee lad of seven when Star Trek: The Next Generation first came on screen. Despite this, I watched it religiously and thought Wesley was the bomb. There was no reason not to like Wesley since, of course, a fourteen-year-old kid could do everything an adult could do but better. That was just common sense (at my age)!

I suspect the older a Trek fan you were, the more irritating you found Wesley, at least until you reached your thirties when I suspected you found the whole idea of a Boy GeniusTM endearingly quaint. Whatever the case, Wesley Crusher is a character I'd love to read more about but has shown a peculiar (or perhaps not so peculiar given fan rage) absence from the literary Trek.

Still, it may surprise you I wanted to read this book before the others because I was so excited at the prospect of Wesley Crusher playing a significant role in this novel. I am very pleased with David Mack's interpretation of what the character would be like after fully coming into his powers as a Traveler. He's a combination of adult Will Wheaton and the arrogance his character displayed as a boy tempered with genuine wisdom.

The premise of The Body Electric is a great deal more space opera than usual, dealing with the kind of threat which makes Nomad or V'ger look comical. A massive machine is dumping massive number of planetoids and stars into a black hole. It's a mass murderer on a cosmic scale, every bit as evil and vile as the Borg. Wesley discovers this monster's existence and decides he needs to help of Captain Picard to stop it.

Tying into this story is Data 2.0's continued quest to find the immortal Flint. This takes him into confrontation with renegade A.I. who are presently holding said immortal prisoner. This book also marks the return of Rhea McAdams, a character I've always been intrigued by. Despite her being branded 'Data's love interest', I always felt she had a bigger role to play than the novels let her play.

The portrayal of Wesley Crusher, as mentioned, is extremely enjoyable. As a 'space-wizard' he's a very interesting character with powers that are simultaneously awe-inspiring but limited to teleportation. Nevertheless, you could use him as justification for all sorts of shenanigans and I hope we'll see him in future books. His conversation with his mother about not knowing 'what he was' (and how a seemingly normal human gained abilities such as is) was a particularly touching one.

Unfortunately, I can't say this particular novel hit me completely the right way. For one, Doctor Crusher continues to be deriding and antagonistic over her loved one's choices. Not only does she disapprove of Captain Picard's 'family first' attitude but openly calls into question her son's humanity. Her statement she's not going to abandon her post is wonderful but the fact she doesn't think about evacuating her son from the possible destruction of the galaxy (despite it being within her power) is horrifying.

I also wasn't particularly satisfied with the way this work ended. Without spoiling, I was a great fan of the way the Borg were dealt with in Destiny as well as the expansion on the Breen as more than just a race of space-suit-wearing bad guys.

Here, however, the Machine's actions are not informed by an accident (like the Borg) or dissent. The Machine is not ignorant of organics, like V'ger, it's just outright prejudiced against them. Like the Dominion, I don't believe the Machine race warrants the same level of compassion other beings do. They are willfully malicious in their genocide and I find their actions to be vile. The crews continued attempts to make peace are valid for Starfleet but the Machines are, in my mind, fundamentally awful people.

One element of the book I really did enjoy was the discussion of 'clone immortality' which has been forwarded by such fiction as the Sixth Day and Dollhouse. Indeed, the Vorta practice a form of it and I was surprised they weren't mentioned during the discussion. Basically, whether or not it's valid to keep creating perfect copies of yourself as a means of perpetuating you. The book comes down on the side this is dumb and not a from of immortality at all, which I agree with, but it's interesting to see a discussion on the unique science fiction concept at all.

In conclusion, I liked this book and enjoyed its epic stakes. I do, however, wish a few things had been changed.

8/10 ...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Sue rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Spoilers for the whole 3-book series contained below...

This one is okay. Not great. The story is a good idea, but gets rather confusing. It constantly references events from other novels without explaining them, but will fully explain a canon event from the TV series. Like "Indistinguishable from Magic," it's as if the goal was to throw as many past characters into one story as possible, no matter their origin. Q even shows up for a split second at the beginning of the book, which gave me hope f Spoilers for the whole 3-book series contained below...

This one is okay. Not great. The story is a good idea, but gets rather confusing. It constantly references events from other novels without explaining them, but will fully explain a canon event from the TV series. Like "Indistinguishable from Magic," it's as if the goal was to throw as many past characters into one story as possible, no matter their origin. Q even shows up for a split second at the beginning of the book, which gave me hope for some much-needed humor and snark throughout the story. But then he flashes back to the Continuum and we don't hear from him again.

I'll be honest that I don't care for the resurrection of Data in this trilogy - it just feels cheap. And many of his actions and choices have seemed very single-minded, selfish, and out of character to me. Sure, you can come up with some strange story-based explanation, (he has Noonien's memories, so maybe that's influencing his behavior, blah blah), but I just think it comes down to the fact that he's not written well. In fact, many of the characters we know from the series speak and act out of character.

And along those lines, too many of the characters are speaking with current colloquial slang. Yes, we get that from Geordi every now and then on the show, but Starfleet officers don't general say "what's up?" and "gonna." It seems out of place for the tone of the show, ship, and universe, and it takes me out of the story when I come across it (but not as much as the author's pet words, like "mien").

And then there's the Picard family story. In the first 2 novels, he's clearly wondering how much longer he'll be captaining the Enterprise and he's talking to Beverly about retirement, but in this book, he tells Worf that he's not going anywhere any time soon. Don't create a story obstacle and then ignore it because it's no longer convenient!

The Cold Equations stories were good ideas. But it comes down to the fact that they're, unfortunately, just not very well-written, IMO. ...more

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Jun 09, 2013 Glenn Crouch rated it liked it · review of another edition

Maybe I've come to expect too much from Mr Mack, but I think compared to the other books of his that I have read, this one didn't really come up to the standard I've come to expect.

Plus being a 3rd book in a trilogy, after I really enjoyed the 2nd book, this one just didn't have the intrigue and I found the resolution a bit disappointing even a bit anti-climatic.

It could be that the "enemy" in this story was just "too big" - I don't know - but I was really growing to like the "new" Data in the p ...more

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Sep 09, 2021 Nicolas rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek

I don't think this Data revival was really necessary. Regardless, the Data/Lal story takes a back seat here for a Wesley story that REEEEAAAALLLYY wasn't necessary. I like modern Trek, but this trilogy wasn't what I was looking for.

For more on the Next Gen crew, tune in to Howe's Things: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep... ...more

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Jan 05, 2016 Derkanus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Summary: Wesley Crusher, Traveller, pops in to the center of the galaxy to visit some old buddies that live there, only to find a massive, planet-sized Machine using artificial wormholes to pull planets and their ENTIRE STAR SYSTEMS from their proper place in the cosmos and chuck them into Abaddon, the super-massive black hole in the center of the galaxy. Wes calls all his fellow Travellers together, hoping they can band together and save the galaxy, but they nope right the fuck out of there; th ...more

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Aug 06, 2020 Brian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This trilogy was the perfect soothing balm after the bitter disappointments of Picard and Discovery. I've been making my way through the relaunch novels here and there in completely random order, but every time David Mack is on the docket I am not disappointed.

This was a grand morality exploration and "work out our differences" story in the most epic scale imaginable, and told exceedingly well with masterful prose and a return of almost all the TNG characters you know and love (minus Riker and T ...more

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Dec 23, 2021 Claire rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 16, 2017 Christopher Lutz rated it liked it · review of another edition

Probably the weakest of the three books of this trilogy. Much like a serialized TV show, this trilogy was really three separate stories with a loose arc connecting them: the return of Data and his quest to resurrect his android daughter. This storyline is wrapped up as the Enterprise crew faces a massive machine capable of ending all life in the galaxy, created by the same race of machines referenced on Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It was a good story, but not nearly as entertaining as the sec ...more

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Apr 24, 2022 Charles A. Arceneaux rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great reading!

The was as usual full of twists and turns, which of course is the best of reading a Star Trek Novel. This one there was a Universe at stake, life and death for everyone if things went wrong! Bring two of Star Trek’ familiar characters, Wesley Crusher and Commander Data was a pleasant touch. The plot was intense and luckily resolved with a great outcome. Well worth the reading!

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Jun 26, 2018 Scott Williams rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

For me, this book is reminiscent of the TNG TV series. The universe is at stake and Data and Wesley manage to save it. David Mack does a great job with high stakes suspense. It’s just a very entertaining read.

My one criticism would be that Wesley sometimes sounds more like Wil Wheaton than Wesley Crusher.

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Jun 28, 2018 Megan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: time-travel, book-club, syfy, 2018

This was my favorite of the trilogy. I enjoyed getting to learn more about the lives of the Travelers, which I have always found interesting, and was fun to watch two cultures arguing about the value of something when the definition of value differs so vastly between them. Plus, who doesn't appreciate a plot line that includes character development in an AI. ...more

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Aug 21, 2017 Sheryl rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

3rd time I've read the series

Know I'll come back for a fourth visit. To really understand Data and his father, look no further. It was also great to see the rest of the TNG family, including Wesley together again.

Anytime I see anything TNG by the author, I just click BUY. ...more

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Jan 14, 2018 Dan Kostelec rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A great conclusion

I’m loving the continuing adventures of the Starship Enterprise and her crew. Data’s ongoing story is beautiful and tragic, and one I look forward to keep reading as the Star Trek expanded universe continues.

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Nov 30, 2018 Tourma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

While the third installment of this trilogy started slow, the conclusion was both surprising and fulfilling. Definitely read the first two first, but this is a good conclusion.

I've got a lot of catching up to do Star Trek-wise. This series got me interested. ...more

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Dec 21, 2021 F. William Davis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A fresh solution to a common trek/scifi trope. An artificial intelligence on a mission that will adversely affect all of organic life, a fun and classic idea, but this adventure doesn't end with a Kirk-type paradox that puts the AI into a self contradictory shutdown. ...more

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Sep 23, 2018 Jennifer Freeman marked it as to-read · review of another edition

No idea why worf is on the front cover, but a good read.

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Feb 26, 2019 Enrico Patrizi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: theeclectivecollective

The book trilogy that makes nemesis's mess with Data right. Thanks for bringing me some closure :) ...more

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Apr 23, 2019 omiczech rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek

After the Borg were defeated, what greater threat could be created? A galaxy killer! Beware of a doomsday machine with help of fanatical androids.

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Jun 07, 2020 Doreen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Needless to say... I love it!!!

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Mar 17, 2021 Rick Berry rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Not great. Data is a superhero for some reason and the stakes of the plot were absurdly high. I’d rather read a simpler, more mundane tale like Masks.

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Apr 27, 2021 Annette rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Good. Not great.

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Feb 02, 2016 Nicky2910 rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: genre_sci-fi, star-trek, series_tng, subseries_relaunch, author_david-mack, 2012, subseries_cold-equations

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Cold Equations: The Body Electric by David Mack Plot:Wesley, now a Traveler in his own right, discovers a terrifying machine at the galaxy's core, a machine which creates random wormholes and pulls entire star systems through it to feed a massive black hole. Neither the other Travelers nor Q can offer a solution, so he asks Picard for help in this crisis which could change, and destroy in the longterm, the whole galaxy.Meanwhile, Data is faced with a terrible choi Star Trek: The Next Generation: Cold Equations: The Body Electric by David Mack Plot:Wesley, now a Traveler in his own right, discovers a terrifying machine at the galaxy's core, a machine which creates random wormholes and pulls entire star systems through it to feed a massive black hole. Neither the other Travelers nor Q can offer a solution, so he asks Picard for help in this crisis which could change, and destroy in the longterm, the whole galaxy.Meanwhile, Data is faced with a terrible choice in his quest to resurrect his daughter.Review:I expected a bit more of this final part, to be honest. Again, it was a page-turner, but it wasn't as emotionally engaging as I had hoped.The main adversary wasn't really terrifying to me in an emotional sense because, even with his record, Mack wouldn't destroy subspace and thus render any further stories moot. To me, the impact of the destroyed worlds got a bit reduced by the multitude of death and destruction in Destiny. So, the only question was who he'd sacrifice to sacrifice the situation. Somehow I feared it would be Data, but fortunately it wasn't. *g* But I wouldn't have put it passed him to shock us readers by such a move. The rest of the machine-plot contained a bit too much technobabble for my taste, and I'm just happy that there wasn't some kind of deus-ex-machina solution, i.e. Wesley hyper-warping the thing to another galaxy or into the blackhole etc. but a solutions that satisfied both sides.I enjoyed seeing Wesley again, and I loved the scene with Q, but I was a bit perplexed by the crew's nonchalant reaction to him. I mean it's not every day a being like a Traveller pops in unannounced. Of course, I don't know if he made any appearance in another relaunch novel, but I got the impression that no one has seen him since that Riker/Troi-wedding visit-fiasco. So I'd have loved to see a scene with him being introduced to Rene and dealing with Picard being his stepfather. And it kind of bothered me that the rest of the crew called him Wesley or Wes (Smrhova), despite their knowing him for little more than a day (at least, that was my take on the timetable in this book after Wes warps the E-E to the machine). It's a bit the same issue I had with the crew and Data's interaction in Silent Weapons.On to Data whose part was to me the most interesting one - small wonder, since I only picked up this trilogy because of what the cover for part 1 suggested would happen. Was there really any question as to whom he would sacrifice, given the choice between Rhea and Vaslovik (sorry, he'll always be Vaslovik to me *g*)? Of course, I'd have loved to see them be together, after all Data deserves a loving partner as much as anyone. But this was his chance to bring his daughter back to life - and maybe prevent any future offspring from suffering from the same flaws. And I think any parent would choose like that. I was surprised, though, that Vaslovik found it within himself to still help Data. What a loss it would have been if sacrificing Rhea had also robbed Data of his most heartfelt wish.As emotional and heart-wrenching as this situation was, I feel kind of cheated that Lal's return's just got dealt with in the epilogue. As I said, to me Data and his mission were the glue that held this trilogy together - so I'd have loved to see this reunion in more detail. And actually I'd have loved if this had happened on the Enterprise with Data and Lal being among friends happy for them.As for Data torturing Vaslovik... Even if it was apparently mainly for show (though, what kind of "secrets" did Vaslovik reveal?), he still inflicted injuries and submitted to being blackmailed - though, he must have known that doing so doesn't necessarily save Rhea. Or did this play into his hand in questioning Vaslovik after all?On another note: Didn't Picard and Beverly agree on 3 or 4 more years at maximum on the Enterprise in Silent Weapons? Then why does Picard tell Worf that the wait for Picard to leave the Enterprise (and therefore to Worf's own command) could be a long one? OTOH, I definitely didn't get that "ready to settle down"-vibe from Picard any more which is kind of strange shift when it was so strong still in Silent Weapons.Finally, I'm looking forward to what's in store next for especially Data and Lal. But it's kind of funny that all 3 most senior officers of the TV-series now have children. I can already see the next generation of Enterprise officers forming. *g*As for this trilogy, to me the highlight definitely was Soong's sacrificing himself for Data. Unfortunately, the following parts didn't quite live up to the emotional impact of this moment. But Mack at least accomplished something: He got me interested in TNG-novels again, especially by leaving Data's future open.

~~

review originally written in 2012 ...more

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About David Mack

David Mack

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David Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 36 novels of science-fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies.

Beyond novels, Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for produced episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), games, and comic books.

Follow him on Twitter @davidalanmack or like his Facebook page. ...more