Picking up where Gods of Night left off. The story gets more complicated as the conflicts with the Borg increase. The Federation is preparing for all out war against the Borg, but have no idea where is will come from or how Borg Cubes will be involved. ( )

Picking up where Gods of Night left off, Captain Riker and the Titan have stumbled upon the Caeliar and are now trapped as another captain and crew was. Meanwhile, Captain Picard and Captain Dax have joined forces to investigate the area that the Borg may be using to enter the Alpha Quadrant. And back on Earth, President Bacco must convince every neighboring empire and alliance to help defend the quadrant against the Borg invasion.

Time is running out for the crew of the Titan, and not just in their fight against the Borg. Deanna's pregnancy is becoming more detrimental to her health. But she doesn't want help from the Caeliar even though they are far more advanced technologically. This part of the story bothers me a bit. Obviously, she's distraught and wanting to keep her baby at all costs. But wouldn't you check to see if the Caeliar had the technology to help heal her and keep the baby? I know she doesn't trust them. But if she's truly as desperate to keep her baby (as most women would be), you'd think she'd be willing to try anything. As a female reviewer, I obviously got hung up on this subplot and found myself siding with Troi from the beginning.

Captain Hernandez has gone through a lot of changes, mentally and physically. Her character has the most depth in this story, as the central storyline revolves mostly around her. She's intriguing and easy to sympathize with. I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes her next.

And, of course, on the frontlines of the invasion, the Borg are proving to be near impossible to combat. As the situation grows worse, tensions and suspense run high. And Mere Mortals ends on a major cliffhanger that left me on the edge of my seat. I'm eagerly awaiting the conclusion - Lost Souls, set to release in late November. Again, Star Trek fans, don't miss this crossover trilogy! ( )

If little happened in the first book of this trilogy, even less happened here. There's some decent (if occasionally heavy-handed) character work, but on the other hand, the Titan plotline goes nowhere, and Enterprise-E/Aventine one is ultimately pointless, livened up by an irrelevant fight sequence at the novel's very end. As usual, the strongest part of the novel are the flashback sequences-- the fates of Captain Hernandez and her fellow Columbia crewmates are very well done and quite chilling. The cameos by Nan Bacco and her supporting characters from Articles of the Federation are also quite welcome. What is done well in all of these books, however, is the overwhelming sense of menace and doom-- you can't help racing through to find out what happens next. Mack has always known how to construct a compelling narrative.