Book review
Written by David Mack
Pocket Books paperback
Release date Out now

Can anyone stop the Borg from totally annihilating the Federation?

David Mack's epic trilogy reaches a climax in this utterly gripping tale, which demands that you read it from cover to cover without a break if at all possible. All the various plotlines that have been seeded through the first two volumes collide, with four Captains from across Starfleet's history working together to find a way to deal with the Borg.

After 20 years, we finally discover the origin of the Borg, and it's suitably galaxy-spanning. Astute readers of the first two volumes will guess some of it, but Mack has a number of surprises up his sleeve, not least the way in which their origins are used in the final battle.

As with the first two books, we get to see far more than simply the derring-do of the various Starship crews. Little vignettes demonstrate the chilling inexorability of the Borg invasion far better than pages after pages of Starship battles ever could, with the odd throwaway line providing fodder for plenty of spin-off material set simultaneously should anyone ever want to create a new collection of short stories.

The personal stories of the various command crews aren't neglected either, with Will Riker's decisions haunting him, and Jean-Luc Picard finally coming to terms with parts of his past. Patrick Holm

VERDICT: 9/10
It's a cliché to say things will never be the same after this or that story, but on this occasion, it's absolutely true.

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