Rating: 
Summary: Paradigm shift...
Review: I first read this when I was young and stupid, and my reaction was something along the lines of 'Yeah, yeah. Next,' and little else. And, for a long while, that was how I left it, even when I began to reread the novels on a whim -- I mean, for crying out loud, let's face it. The 'description' of the plot on the back cover leaves a lot to be desired. So does the cover, for that matter. Thus it was only recently, when persuaded by my sister to give it another chance, that I at last discovered just how good this novel is. Nearly everything in here is perfect. The alien 'menace,' the Kreel, are not seen on the TV series, but David brings them to life with a gleeful enthusiasm, painting them in a humorous light at first that makes them a little difficult to take seriously. As the book goes on, however, we see that these aliens aren't just your typical ignorant phaser-toting race, and things begin to take on a darker tone as one particular Kreel begins to lay his plans. I'm sure we're all aware here of the general populace's famously publicized despisal of Wesley Crusher, something to which I never personally subscribed. David doesn't seem to, either, and he uses this book to show us a very different side of Wesley. When he learns that a close friend is dying of a brutally painful, irreversible disease, Wesley begins his own 'search for the cure,' refusing to believe that it's hopeless. I know that many of us out there who have lost loved ones to cancer or other incurable diseases know just how it feels. But Wesley's search degenerates into an obsessive compulsion, robbing him of much more than sleep as he pours more and more of himself into what others see as a hopeless cause. All of you out there who sneer at this character because he's so perfect, so smart, all of you need to read this book. Wesley literally begins to come apart at the seams. It was in this characterization that I felt Peter David touched the threshold of brilliance. The final scene, where Picard gently confronts Wesley about his role in the affairs that have unfolded, is nothing short of incredible. You can see the thread of Wesley's sanity unravelling almost before your eyes, and his exchange with Picard leads to a breakdown the likes of which you have never seen. Overwhelmingly emotional, and very tenderly handled by David, who finishes off this marvelous effort with one last wink in the reader's direction. Absolutely outstanding.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent read with a somewhat weak ending.
Review: I was fully expecting to give this book a five star rating; it was one of the most enjoyable reads of all the Next Generation books I've yet read. Unfortunately, the ending was rather weak, and somewhat out of sync with the rest of the story; a story as lighthearted as this one shouldn't have had such a downer of an ending. But the ending wasn't terrible; it just didn't live up to the rest of the story, and cost it one star. It's still an excellent story, even with a less-than stellar ending.
In general, this story was somewhat reminiscent in style of some of the best of the Original Series episodes, like "Trouble With Tribbles", "A Piece Of The Action", and "Shore Leave", in which a significant amount of humor is added to the mix, without sacrificing any of the action or drama of the storyline. The plot moves well, is not implausible, and the characterizations are handled with a deft touch. A very enjoyable book.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent, but hard to take seriously
Review: I've read reviews that say this was intended as a humor story, and Trek certainly has some gems in that category... But I still had problems taking this book seriously even as a humor story. My problem is that it's obvious that the author didn't know the characters very well yet at this point. While Peter David has brought to us some of the absolute best titles in Trek literature, this was his first attempt at it, and it shows. It seems that he took the "bible" descriptions of the characters and charicatured them, to the point sometimes of being just plain silly. No need to talk about the plot since that's done in other reviews. It was interesting, but the end was yet again a charicature of some Trek episodes, bringing a silly and overdone anticlimax to what could have been a rather formidable force. I'm a collector, and one day I will read every Trek title put out by Pocket Books. If you're like me, then read this and enjoy it as much as you can. If you're looking for quality Trek storytelling, this may be one worth passing over.
Rating:
Summary: Decent, but hard to take seriously
Review: I've read reviews that say this was intended as a humor story, and Trek certainly has some gems in that category... But I still had problems taking this book seriously even as a humor story. My problem is that it's obvious that the author didn't know the characters very well yet at this point. While Peter David has brought to us some of the absolute best titles in Trek literature, this was his first attempt at it, and it shows. It seems that he took the "bible" descriptions of the characters and charicatured them, to the point sometimes of being just plain silly. No need to talk about the plot since that's done in other reviews. It was interesting, but the end was yet again a charicature of some Trek episodes, bringing a silly and overdone anticlimax to what could have been a rather formidable force. I'm a collector, and one day I will read every Trek title put out by Pocket Books. If you're like me, then read this and enjoy it as much as you can. If you're looking for quality Trek storytelling, this may be one worth passing over.
Rating:
Summary: STNG #5 - Survivors - A very good beginning for Peter David!
Review: Keeping in mind that this was Peter David's first venture into the Star Trek universe, I thought this was a very good beginning for him. This is of course when one considers the prolific nature of how many Star Trek books this outstanding author has written. Peter David's style of writing, from this very first STNG novel of his to his latest, has always been quite fluid with superb plot detail and as always, a healthy amount of humor which other Star Trek novels sometimes lack. While I agree with other reviewers in that the conclusion to this novel is a bit off when compared to the rest of it, overall, this novel gave Star Trek readers but the first taste of many extraordinary adventures in Gene Roddenberry's universe by this author! The premise: This is also where Peter David first introduces the Kreel, a warlike race that he has briefly visited many times since. Here, the Kreel have happened upon powerful alien weapons and they decide to use these weapons on their blood enemies, everybody's favorite enemy, the Klingons. Captain Picard and the Enterprise are called in to hopefully mediate a truce between these two bitter enemies and hopefully discover the nature of the powerful weapons discovered by the Kreel. What follows, is as I said above, an excellent first adventure in the twenty fourth century by one of Star Trek's premier authors, Peter David. I highly recommend this novel to any and all fans of Star Trek and the Star Trek novels for you will certainly not be disappointed by this fine trek offering. {ssintrepid}
Rating:
Summary: STNG #5 - Survivors - A very good beginning for Peter David!
Review: Keeping in mind that this was Peter David's first venture into the Star Trek universe, I thought this was a very good beginning for him. This is of course when one considers the prolific nature of how many Star Trek books this outstanding author has written. Peter David's style of writing, from this very first STNG novel of his to his latest, has always been quite fluid with superb plot detail and as always, a healthy amount of humor which other Star Trek novels sometimes lack. While I agree with other reviewers in that the conclusion to this novel is a bit off when compared to the rest of it, overall, this novel gave Star Trek readers but the first taste of many extraordinary adventures in Gene Roddenberry's universe by this author! The premise: This is also where Peter David first introduces the Kreel, a warlike race that he has briefly visited many times since. Here, the Kreel have happened upon powerful alien weapons and they decide to use these weapons on their blood enemies, everybody's favorite enemy, the Klingons. Captain Picard and the Enterprise are called in to hopefully mediate a truce between these two bitter enemies and hopefully discover the nature of the powerful weapons discovered by the Kreel. What follows, is as I said above, an excellent first adventure in the twenty fourth century by one of Star Trek's premier authors, Peter David. I highly recommend this novel to any and all fans of Star Trek and the Star Trek novels for you will certainly not be disappointed by this fine trek offering. {ssintrepid}
Rating:
Summary: Lots of Fun
Review: Of the all Star Trek novels I have read, this stands as one of my personal favorites. The other really good ones are also by Peter David, `Vendetta' and `Q-in-Law', the former being the Borg movie they should have made instead of that piece of trash, First Contact. Strike Zone deals very simply with the Federation rushing to settle a dispute between the Klingons and a new race known as the Kreel. For over a century the Kreel have been nipping at the heels of the Klingons, who see them as parasites. Except now the Kreel have found a stockpile of fearsome weapons and are now taking it to the Klingons. The Enterprise is ordered to intercede and act as mediators between the two waring nations before the rip themselves apart. David has an uncanny grasp of the Next Generation characters and presents them as we enjoy them most. Picard is the stolid no-nonsense captain, Riker the dashing hero with a quick wit, Data as the often perplexed android. It also presents Next Generation's least liked character, Wesley Crusher, in a vulnerable light. Speaking for myself, I liked the character and it was the writers' fault that Wil Weaten became a casualty of the series. Strike Zone is decidedly light reading, and rarely serious. It also does something rare in anything Trek-the characters change, especially Wesley Crusher, and not the same person they were at the beginning of the story.
Rating:
Summary: Early Next Generation Work by Peter David ...
Review: Peter David's Strike Zone is another early Next Generation novel that hits the mark. It's about a diplomatic mission gone wrong between the Kreel and the Klingons. In this one the Klingon representative is very short and diminutive; in contrast to his power on his home world. Worf has a brief romance with his daughter and I have to wonder; was this book published before his romance with the Romulan/Klingon woman who had his son Alexander? The Kreel make the Klingons sound prestigious in comparison. The only thing the Kreel would like to do is assassinate the Klingon diplomat and his honor guard. The B plot in this one is where Wesley Crusher is attempting to find a cure to a fatal disease. A friend aboard the Enterprise of his is stricken and it appears he may be manipulating the crew members with physic powers to find a cure. I remember reading this one close to fifteen years ago and it still is a good novel you can pick up again for a second time. That's the good thing about Peter David's books..they are to read at least twice. The thing I noticed with all the book rebooting of all the book series. Data is gone. At least as a member of the Enterprise crew for a long time or until the next film. Riker will be captain of the Titian with Troi possibly at his side. All the good and interesting characters from Next Gen are going to other places and the crew isn't going to be the same again. I'd like to see some real character development with first officer Madden. It's was revealed in the DVD edition of "Nemesis" that he's a bit different from Riker. How much so we'll have to see in the new book series next year.
Rating:
Summary: Early Next Generation Work by Peter David ...
Review: Peter David's Strike Zone is another early Next Generation novel that hits the mark. It's about a diplomatic mission gone wrong between the Kreel and the Klingons. In this one the Klingon representative is very short and diminutive; in contrast to his power on his home world. Worf has a brief romance with his daughter and I have to wonder; was this book published before his romance with the Romulan/Klingon woman who had his son Alexander? The Kreel make the Klingons sound prestigious in comparison. The only thing the Kreel would like to do is assassinate the Klingon diplomat and his honor guard. The B plot in this one is where Wesley Crusher is attempting to find a cure to a fatal disease. A friend aboard the Enterprise of his is stricken and it appears he may be manipulating the crew members with physic powers to find a cure. I remember reading this one close to fifteen years ago and it still is a good novel you can pick up again for a second time. That's the good thing about Peter David's books..they are to read at least twice. The thing I noticed with all the book rebooting of all the book series. Data is gone. At least as a member of the Enterprise crew for a long time or until the next film. Riker will be captain of the Titian with Troi possibly at his side. All the good and interesting characters from Next Gen are going to other places and the crew isn't going to be the same again. I'd like to see some real character development with first officer Madden. It's was revealed in the DVD edition of "Nemesis" that he's a bit different from Riker. How much so we'll have to see in the new book series next year.
Rating:
Summary: ST: TNG Strike Zone
Review: Star Trek: The Next Generation Strike Zone written by Peter David is an early work in the TREK universe. This book introduces the Kreel as a rather primative race that has the ability to get into space, but they savange for what they have rather than invent. The Kreel come to find a rather advanced catche of weapons only to use them on their blood enemies the Klingons. Peter David tells a convincing story as the Klingons and Kreel begin to realize that these weapons could only lead to extinction of both races and call upon the Federation to act as go between to institute a peace treaty. This early work of David's gets the characters right as Picard works his way through the lot given him as mediator and provider of transportation to both Klingon and Kreel parties sent aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. The Klingons send the Honorable Korby as their ambassador the Kreel send Aneel but Aneel has plans of his own. You can never just trust a Kreel. There is another story within these pages. The story of the "Brain Trust" Wesley Crusher is insightful as he works to find a cure for the Rot which affects his friend Jaan, who is a Selelvian. The Selelvian are a long-lived species that look like elves, but they are subject to a genetic disease and Wesley puts all of his ardor into finding a cure. The book shows Wesley in a light that when he finally realizes that he can't know everything and Jean-Luc Picard is there for him. I thought that to a a tender moment for Picard who didn't like children but came to Wesley's side in the time of need. The book has twists and turns and a rather big ending as the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are being tested by a higher power. This early work of Peter David was entertaining and kept my interest till the end. I gave this book a solid 4 star rating for a good story with a bang-up ending. The characters had interplay and the characteriztions were spot-on making for an enjoyable read. If you're a fan of Peter David's writing then this early work is a must read. There is set up for later works by David as he writes about the TREK universe.
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