Download or read book A Rock and a Hard Place written by Peter David and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2000-09-22 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Under the best circumstances, terraforming is a tough, dangerous task that pits the hardiest of pioneers against an unforgiving environment. When the terraformers on the planet Paradise fall behind schedule, commander Riker is given temporary leave from the U.S.S. Enterprise™ and sent to assist. Riker's replacement on the Starship Enterprise is a volatile officer named Stone whose behavior soon raises questions about his ability and his judgment. Meanwhile, Commander Riker has become enmeshed in a life and struggle with Paradise's brutal landscape. However, he soon learns that not all of the planet's dangers are natural in origin -- as he comes face to face with Paradise's greatest danger and most hideous secret.