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Rating: - Review of William Leisner's "Losing the Peace" [MINOR SPOILERS]
I am on the fence with "Losing the Peace." It is the first 'The Next Generation' novel to follow 2008's big 'Destiny' trilogy. It, in a nutshell, deals with the Picard and crew dealing with the aftermath of the novel 'Star Trek: Lost Souls'. Off hand, it would help if you've read the 'Destiny' trilogy, and while not necessary, the novel 'A Singular Destiny'. The Federation, to say the least, has seen better days and things are not as we've been accustomed to through all the television shows and novels - things are outright bad for the Federation, even worse than they were during the Dominion War. This novel does well to craft a true 'The Next Generation' novel; you have a conflict, a planet (or planets) and people in distress, the Enterprise is in the middle and Picard must figure out how to play by the rules while saving the day. There's not really a lesson or moral to the story, but in the end, there's a feeling of optimism that many 'Next Generation' stories have lacked over the past few years. Until the Epilogue, which casts a dark shadow over things and hints that the situation is going to get worse for Picard and the Enterprise before they get better.

The Good: Unlike many recent 'Next Generation' novels, this one really tones down on the big battles, the action, the Borg and big looming end-of-the-world threats and focuses more on the characters and how they're coping with this changed universe. This is what I enjoyed most about the novel. After so many novels that seemed, to be frank, out-of-character for 'The Next Generation' and like some fan-boy's wet dream, this one seemed more down-to-earth, dealing with character reflections and issues easily to relate to that didn't seem far fetched or science-fiction. The start of the novel felt a lot like the episode 'Family', with the crew back on Earth, dealing with family, loss, change and trying to move forward. The character of Commander Miranda Kadohata also really got to shine in the spotlight, giving a unique perspective to those serving and honoring their duties while struggling with their family obligations. Surprisingly, this was also a big novel for revealing the past of Beverly Crusher, who finally stands out and is given a proper novel and storyline.

The Bad: The novel lost my attention half-way through. After the start, the plot feels as if it's meandering and wandering. The Picard/Enterprise plot is simply dull and unengaging, while the Crusher/Pacifica plot is far more interesting and unique. I'd rather the novel had been more about Beverly Crusher and the present situation revealing parts of her past that we haven't seen than to see the focus split and spread too thin. By the end, it felt as if the Crusher focus waned and fizzled just as it was getting interesting. At the start, I thought La Forge was also going to finally get a great development moment, but he also is lost in the shuffle. What bore me as well was the return of the plot point we've seen in TNG novels of the past 2-3 years: Picard thinks he's right, he does what he wants, defies orders and evades consequences. We've seen this in 'Insurrection.' We've read this in all of the 'A Time To...' novels, in addition to the past 3-4 TNG novels dealing with the Borg. Enough. The Pacifica plot started out somewhat interesting until it turned into a watered-down abbreviated version of Star Trek: Insurrection. Also, I did not like that one of the main TNG-relaunch characters are (apparently) written out far too soon, just as they are getting interesting. By the end of the novel, I went from being engaged in the plot to disappointed and let down by it.

In all, average novel. I'd give it 2.5 stars if I could. It's not bad, but it's not as great as many are making it out to be. Having read a great deal of 'Star Trek' fiction, including TNG, this novel, as with the previous ones, leaves me missing the old days. The quality of the novels have gone from being episdoe/tv worthy, gripping, 'i can't believe no one thought of this before' to simply feeling like fan-fiction gone horribly wrong. I miss the dynamic 'TNG' used to have, even in the novels. I'm tired of these plots attempting to make Picard out to be another Kirk, always defying rules and orders. I dislike the 'common man' characters like Chen and some of the Pacifica characters that, I think, are supposed to be down-to-earth and relatable but just come off as annoying and seem entirely out of place. "Losing the Peace", along with many other TNG novels, have made 'The Next Generation' feel more like a running joke or fan-fiction experiment than something truly attention grabbing and gripping. Buy at your own discretion.

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