Cover art by Doug Drexler, depicting the scoutship USS Sagittarius being pursued by a Klingon cruiser

 At the edge of known space, at the borders of three great powers — the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the Tholian Assembly — lies the mysterious Taurus Reach, a region dominated by solar systems bearing the mark of having once been the seat of power for an ancient, immensely powerful, organizations. The Federation is eager to learn the Reach’s secrets, but given the immense power they may unearth, their investigation must be done largely in secret. Vanguard Station sits at the edge of the reach, but only a select few of its officers know its importance in administrating this top-secret project. Lives have already been lost, but this pandora’s box is only just beginning to spill out its contents — and they will change the lives of individuals aboard Vanguard and stagger the powers involved.

David Mack created the Vanguard series with this vast mystery already in mind, and in Reap the Whirlwind the drama skyrockets. The Federation’s secret is costing lives, and the awakened power is increasingly unpredictable and aggressive. Reap is easily the most eventful book in the series thus far, radically changing the destinies of several of Vanguard’s officers by book’s end. Commodore Diego Reyes commands most of the reader’s attention, as he struggles to keep a lid on a situation that proves more deadly by the day. Meanwhile, the resident agent of Starfleet Intelligence realizes her manipulations have consequences, both personally and professionally. Though there’s a fair bit of character development, the rise of the ‘Shedai’ and the havoc they wreak predominate the novel. Reap also introduces Dr. Carol Marcus, and given that ‘Clark Terrell’ is also present, it looks like this novel may tie-in to The Wrath of KHAAAAAAAAAAN! KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN! KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! 

Even though some of my favorite characters are being sorely absused, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.