Star Trek: Vanguard: Storming Heaven [Mass Market Paperback]

I spent the last several months longing for this book and I was not disappointed in the least. Storming Heaven was the epic conclusion that such an epic series deserved. Vanguard hasn't merely been good Star Trek, it has been good science fiction; beyond even being a work of science fiction, it has been a wonderful story about consequences and redemption that kept me reading for the characters as much as the story itself.

I think what I enjoyed most about this conclusion is that although most characters got what they deserved, some of the wonderfully developed good guys met undeserved tragic ends. I've read many books where authors won't kill off beloved characters out of what I imagine to be emotional attachment or a desire to use them again. However, in Storming Heaven I was grateful for the realism of heroic characters dying while doing heroic things with one in particular dying alongside those he was attempting to save thus making a worthless sacrifice. As saddened as I was by that particular loss, I was struck by the realism of soldiers who sometimes die knowing their nobility was in vain. In fact, I was shocked that more key characters didn't die.

Another highlight about Storming Heaven was the moral conundrum between Dr Marcus, Ming Xiong and their Vault colleagues. I was struck, not only by how well the issues about enslavement, incarceration without trial, and weapons of mass destruction were executed, but also how relevant these topics are to readers. David Mack made me think about my stance in regards to these issues, especially with Carol Marcus' statement, "Inside every cynic is a disappointed idealist."

David Mack's action sequences didn't disappoint, as usual. The final Taurus Reach showdown was as long and dynamic as I was hoping for after reading the series.

I am very satisfied with Storming heaven and Vanguard itself. I'm glad I followed David Mack's recommendation that I read these. As much as I wish I could see more of these beloved characters, I'm thoroughly satisfied with the conclusion to their story.

"Vanguard: Storming Heaven" is the eighth and final book (seven novels and a collection of short stories) set in the period of the original Star Trek about a Federation space station in the mysterious Taurus Reach far beyond the Federation's boundaries. The series has been fascinating, and has suffered only because of the lengthy period between publication (on the average about a year between books, in one case almost two years).

This has had the drawback of making it difficult to remember the story arc when a new book arrives. Fortunately the concluding novel fills in a lot of information right at the start, easing that problem.

Another difficulty is anachronism, if the Taurus Reach is so important, why no mentions of it in other Star Trek offerings? This book also mitigates that unavoidable weakness. A handful of previous Star Trek characters have been in the series, and more are in the final book. Carol Marcus, former lover of Captain James Kirk, and whose research plays a pivotable role in the film "The Wrath of Khan", is not only in both of the final two books, we learn exactly how she ended up on the research station where Khan tried to steal her work. There's even an explanation for why the planet Khan was stranded on by Kirk in the original series episode "Space Seed" suffered a disaster.

Best of all, Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise play small but important roles in the final days of the Vanguard station.

It's sad this series couldn't just continue forever, but if it had to end, "Storming Heaven" is a good ending.

Let me start out by saying this is my first ever review on amazon. This is the first time I have felt the need to do so. I picked up Harbinger when it was first released, hoping for a descent TOS story featuring the crew of the Enterprise. I enjoy the it immensely, as it felt like a breath of fresh air that Trek literature tremendously needed. My initial disappointment in the fairly small role the Enterprise crew played in the first novel was fleeting as I began to feel a connection to the characters in the story that I rarely felt in other ST literature. I have enjoyed every Star Trek Vanguard release, and while some were stronger than others, I felt it was, and still is the best Star Trek literature on the market (along with various other David Mack novels/series). That being said - the ending to this book, this series, was one of the most pulse pounding, moving, and satisfying conclusions to any series I have ever read or watched. Maybe my opinion of it is so high to to my abject disappoint over the conclusion of the sci-fi video game franchise Mass Effect. Whether that is a factor in my utter adoration of this finale or not, I cannot recommend this series highly enough to any Star Trek fan or individual interested in an epic, character driven space opera with its fair share of everything that makes science fiction great. Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, and David Mack, and Marco Palmieri have outdone themselves. Thank you, gentlemen.