Food of the gods

I finished the next Star Trek universe installment of “The New Frontier” series by Peter David. Gods Above is really a continuation of the story from the previous book, Being Human. The Excalibur has been severely damaged in battle with life forms that purport to be the ancient gods of Greece, Rome, Norse, Native Americans, and other pantheons, and two familiar crew members are dead, or are they.

The book covers the weeks taken to repair the Excalibur and return to duty. The body of one crewmember, thought to be immortal, was destroyed while trying to protect another crew member from the vengeance of the gods, but she may still not be dead. The very special crew member she tried to protect, a descendant of the gods themselves and responsible for Calhoun rejecting the gods’ proposal, lies in sick bay with a hole in his chest and no life signs. However his body shows no sign of degradation or even a definite cause of death. He appears to be stuck in between seconds. This all came about because of a battle with the gods of old that started when Captain Calhoun declined to entertain bringing their gift of ambrosia to the Federation and launching a new golden age. All the gods wanted was a little prayer, some sacrifices, and adulation. Really, is that too much to ask? After their rejection by Calhoun the gods move on to set up shop on a nearby world with a population that embraces the calming, strengthening, health improving, life extending properties of the ambrosia. The real questions are what do the gods really want, and how do you fight something that can pass as a god and draws power from worship itself?