The Peacekeepers, by Gene DeWeese, is the second of the numbered TNG books. The plot begins with the Enterprise identifying a strange vessel which is completely self-enclosed and uniform in layout. Soon after Geordie and Data are lost (from the perspective of the rest of the crew) having been transported far away to some orbital station where they are regarded by the leader (who greets them) as “Builders”. The middle section of the novel is concerned with the Enterprise identifying the nature of the strange vessel – it appears to be designed for one-way transport to a series of dispersed outposts, whilst Geordie and Data discover more about the politics of their destination. The twist is that the outposts were designed by some ancient and presumably extinct race as a means of preventing other species from achieving space travel.
Comments: Considering that this novel was produced early on in the TNG series, it achieves an admirable representation of the characters. Although here, as in many other novels in the series, the emphasis on Data’s having, unbeknownst to himself, human characteristics, is laid on a bit thick.
Some criticism-lite: While the plot, as a concept and largely in practice, is good, there are quite a few points where it does less than well. The extended attempts by the rest of the crew to determine the fate of Data and Geordie feel extended. The background of the alien vessels is interesting, but having the facts revealed to the reader via a series of (practically speaking, not literally,) “oh I just remembered that…” from Data, as he recalls Ferengi rumours, is at best weak – being almost, but not quite, as bad as George Orwell’s having his protagonists read a book so that we find out the history of their world. The last part of the novel (in which some crew members are involved in a charade to prevent the recent events on the alien planet and habitat from precipitating into war), whilst necessary in some sense (so as to avoid what otherwise would appear to be an abrupt ending) felt tacked on, and in various ways significantly different to everything that comprises the earlier sections.
External links:
There’s a review by Siskoid, and not much more than a few tidbits over at MemoryAlpha and Beta.
