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Diabolus ex machina
(Star Trek: The Next Generation)
by
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)

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
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

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
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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
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

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
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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
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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 ...more
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 ...more

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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
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

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

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

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

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

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.
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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
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

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

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.
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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 :)
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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
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topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Star Trek Reads: CE3: The Body Electric | 1 | 14 | Mar 17, 2013 12:35PM | |
Goodreads Librari...: Please fix | 6 | 207 | Dec 28, 2012 09:42AM |
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
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
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