If you are into learning more about the history of Captain Picard, this is a good book to read.Gauntlet picks up shortly after the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel "Valiant". In Gauntlet, Captain Picard has to deal with various issues, including other captains who doubt that he merits the command of a starship, new crewmembers, and a Starfleet Admiral who is determined to force him out of the captain's chair of the Stargazer.Gauntlet is a faced paced novel that will hold the interest of any Star Trek lover.