The Rift by Peter David (Star Trek #57, November 1991).

The Enterprise captained by Christopher Pike encounters a rift in space. They do some sensor readings and catalogue it, then move on to their scheduled starbase repair and medical update when a communication is received from within the rift. Taking the ship through the gap the crew, including a young Lieutennant Spock as well as Lt. Scott, encounters an advanced but insular civilization. They exchange information, but the Enterprise has only a few hours before the rift closes.

Some thirty-three years later, the Enterprise captained by Jim Kirk (sometime after the events of the movie Star Trek III) returns to the area of the rift to again make contact with the Calligar. On board is Commodore Jose Tyler, the navigator of that earlier Enterprise mission. Also aboard is Ambassador Fox, as well as Andorian and Tellarite representatives, plus Federation computer expert Dr. Richard Daystrom.

The conflict comes when a leader of the Calligar, who had been involved with Tyler during that earlier visit, announces her wishes to defect to the Federation. The Calligar decide to hold the visitor, including Spock and Scotty, until their citizen is returned. Kirk must figure out a way to resolve the situation, without losing any of his people.

Peter David is a long-time Star Trek fan with a real ear for the series, and a veteran comic book writer. His books are always funny, well-plotted, character-driven, and smart. This tome is no exception. An 80-page opening section on the Pike-era Enterprise is wonderful, and odd in that it comes right after Michael Jan Friedman's novel with some of the same themes. The final 190 pages are set in later times, after the death of David Marcus, and touch on themes of aging and self-image, as well as heroism.

David's stories are always funny, sometimes even laugh-out-loud funny. Most characters are witty and make little quips, as we often like to do in real life. Of course, characters in print don't have our live limitations. David returns to the Andorian-Tellarite byplay from the TV episode "Return to Babel" with a cool, collected Andorian representative and a blustering piggish Tellarite. For all that, the characters never lose their sense of self, or sacrifice their potential for heroism. The villains are fighting merely for what they think is right, and it just happens to be at odds with our heroes.

This is David's first original series novel, although he already had Next Generation material published and had written for DC's comic book series. He would write many more for all the Star Trek series, plus his own creation of Star Trek material under the "New Frontier" imprint. It's all good.

This in particular is an excellent novel. The characterizations are just right, and David uses a comic book writer's touch to bring together some continuity. It's rather deft, and quite well written. Most important, it's a good, action-packed story. Top-notch stuff.

Legacy by Michael Jan Friedman (Star Trek #56, August 1991).

A survey mission to Alpha Octavius Four seems like a pleasant diversion to a lush jungle planet, until a huge creature emerges from underground and gives Mr. Spock a poison sting. Dr. McCoy beams back up with the first officer, and shortly thereafter Captain Kirk is caught in a sinkhole with three crewmen. Sulu investigates with his team, but almost immediately the Enterprise is called away. The Beta Cabrini mining colony is under attack.

It turns out the colony has been invaded by a pirate named Dreen, of the Merkaan race. The Merkaans are sort of a cross between Orions and Ferengi, brutal marauders who take whatever they can get their hands on. While Spock served under Christopher Pike on the Enterprise, Pike defeated Dreen by subterfuge when he attempted a similar action in Federation territory. Now Spock must rise from his sickbed and deal with Dreen.

Friedman has written a good solid novel here, one with appeal to Star Trek fans and novices alike. The author uses a device to move Kirk off stage and have a stressed Spock face an old foe, but gives Kirk something to do in the meantime: survive, and keep his team alive as well. It plays well, and also gives Friedman a chance to shed some light on the old Enterprise crew from Spock's first tour. Pike, Dr. Boyce, Jose Tyler, and Number One among others show up here and get some book space, wonderful for such underused characters. Frideman uses his knowledge of Star Trek lore well.

Dreen also makes for a good villain. He's big, brutal, greedy, and none too bright, the antithesis of Spock. Unable to beat Dreen's three ships with just the Enterprise, Spock must resort to subterfuge, and with his condition cannot confront the man directly. This is a script Leonard Nimoy would have loved to play out. It works much better than Friedman's first ST novel, "Double, Double" which was #45 in the series. Oddly, Friedman appears again in just two books, at #58. He was undoubtedly a favorite of the editor at the time.

Spock gets the lead role here, with Kirk getting good scenes as well. Dr. McCoy is important in a supporting role. He gets nerve-pinched by Spock at a key time which we can all see coming but enjoy nonetheless. Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov are not strongly featured but their presence is felt. Even Mr. Leslie appears here.

It's a good book with a strong plot that will keep the pages turning. It is also involving for longtime Star Trek fans who will see many of their favorites used well. This is one of the best of the series.

Renegade by Gene DeWeese (Star Trek #55, June 1991).

After one hundred years as a colony, Chrellkan III is scheduled for independence from its mother world and neighbor, Chrellkan IV. But violence has erupted between the formerly peaceful worlds, and the Enterprise is dispatched to mediate the disputes. The Premier of the home world is full of wild accusations, as well as tape of atrocities, so Spock and McCoy are sent to beam down and investigate. Shortly after they arrive, hostilities break out, and they are reported killed. As violence escalates, and ship systems behave oddly, Kirk must find out the truth without his two most trusted advisors.

DeWeese does much better in his third original series novel, although the plot is still contrived. The story flows more smoothly, and the characters are generally quite believable. Lt. Finney is brought back from a TV episode to once again play a role, and the plot is similar to that show. But there is the new spin of Klingon involvement.

The novel plays like a decent episode of the television program. Kirk is the center of things on the bridge, and must depend on Scotty with Spock and McCoy absent. Spock and McCoy are on their own on the planet, and must find their own way out of the situation without the ship's resources. The whole thing builds to a solid climax, even if the ending is pretty easy to see.

This is also the final Original Series book to date by DeWeese. A book that combines original and Next Generation that he wrote in 2000-01 was just published in early 2005 as "Engines of Destiny." DeWeese, a former electronics engineer who once worked for NASA, is still writing.

A Flag Full of Stars by Brad Ferguson (Star Trek #54, April 1991).

In the time between the original TV series and the first Star Trek movie, Captain Kirk has been promoted to Admiral, and has moved from being a StarFleet troubleshooter to Chief of Operations, overseeing starship refits. The Enterprise is being readied for the command of new captain and Kirk protege' Will Decker. But an encounter with a Klingon scientist teaching on Earth causes Kirk to become embroiled in a sea of espionage and an arms race between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.

This was originally scheduled as a hardcover, second in a trilogy with the overarching title "The Lost Years" and this book was to follow J.M. Dillard's "The Lost Years" as the second book in the series. But a change in editors happened between that book and this, and the planned hardcover became subject to rewrites, and was issued as this paperback.

Ferguson has said that some of the fault was his, as he became ill and was late delivering the manuscript, and also that rewrites demanded cut the soul out of the book. Finally, Dillard did a rewrite, and the result was something of a pastiche. Ferguson has posted the manuscript he wrote in the Internet, but I could not find a current copy posted.

The book as printed is not very good. I cannot judge, having not seen Ferguson's manuscript, how much damage was done by the changes and what was present beforehand. The plot does not get going until 100 pages into the book, which wouldn't be so bad if this were a 400-page hardcover but is a bit late for a 250-page paperback. The villains of the piece, such as they are, are not very effective. The two Klingons on assignment on Earth as spies to observe the Klingon scholar G'dath are ruthless and brutal, but not terribly effective.

While having a positive Klingon character in G'dath was a nice change, his scenes were not written particularly well. His universe-changing invention was also not well thought out, and was eliminated pretty cheaply. Playing the Organian card gets old. And while the use of twice-seen character Kevin Riley as Kirk's chief of staff is a good touch, his character is too much of a cipher in both this novel and the previous one in this series. Even Kirk is pretty uninteresting.

There's just not much here to recommend this book. Characterizations were not well done; the writing, perhaps owing to the combining of two different styles, is unsatisfying. The plot is uninvolving. This book falls short in every area. And if you like the original crew, only Kirk gets more than a cameo appearence, and in truth G'dath and not Kirk is the central character. Spock appears not at all, and is merely mentioned in passing. He gets overused, but there is little else here.

Give this one a pass, unless you are a completist.

Ghost-Walker by Barbara Hambly (Star Trek #53, February 1991)

A strategically-located planet is again a point of contention between the Federation and the Klingons. Midgwis, home to the Midgwins, a peaceful bird-like race, is claimed by both and the Klingons have a leg up on a Federation that was slow to respond. But, there is growing evidence that the natives will have to be taken into account, even though they have no technology to speak of, not even agriculture, and starvation looms.

The Enterprise crew brings a new contact team to pursue relations, and Captain Kirk has fallen in love with Dr. Helen Jones, a member of the team. Jones must decide whether to forsake this great career advancement for love, and remain with the Enterprise, or stay on the planet.

She decides to stay on the Enterprise. And then, after an odd incident with the transporter, Kirk begins acting strange, very strange. And Jones is attacked. There is no word from the party on Midgwis. All over the ship, strange things keep happening....knocking sounds when no one is there, objects moved through no apparent means.

Hambly follows her odd but charming novel of five years earlier, "Ishmael," with another unusual and compelling entry in the Star Trek line of novels. It works as a ghost story, a character study, and a science fiction tale. Kirk, Spock, and Uhura are well used here.

Between the time of her first ST novel, when she was just starting out as a writer, and this book, when she was well established as a short story writer and occasional novelist, Hambly grew greatly in confidence. She takes more chances with the story and writing, and while it's not all successful it is interesting. In the hands of another writer this plot could quickly disintegrate into listless pabulum, but here it works. There are mystical elements but they are not overused. Scientific points have their use as well. And secondary characters have a real life, when we pass through their midst.

There was one small sign that this was the beginning of a low point in Trek novel history, and it was the naming of "Reilly," apparently supposed to be Kevin Riley from the TV series. The only reason to give the character that nonsensical name, as must have been done by the editor, is to further an editorial policy of not highlighting characters beyond the typical seven from the TV show. And that was a very bad sign.

Still, this is a fine book. It is well worthy of a read by Star Trek fans and non-fans alike.

Home is the Hunter by Dana Kramer-Rolls (Star Trek #52, December 1990).

The Federation is late to arrive at the planet Cragon V, and the Klingons have already gotten a foothold with the population. This isn't a good thing with the Organian Peace Treaty, as the Klingons thus have had time to establish themselves with the local populace. Nonetheless, Captain Kirk and his crew are sent to do their best to establish Federation relations with the people of Cragon. It's not easy, as the locals seem to have taken to the Klingons' aggressive ways.

The Enterprise crew gets in a bit of a tussle with the Klingons, and a native is hurt. Hostilities escalate to the ships in orbit until suddenly, just like over Organia, the controls become too hot to handle. It seems that Weyland, the "god" of the planet, has returned. And he's not happy.

After the fighting, one Enterprise crewman, Lt. Garrovick, is dead, and three are missing. Sulu, Chekov and Scotty are nowhere to be found. As it happens, Weyland has transported each of them to a different era of Earth's past, a time apt to their cultural heritage, and inherently very dangerous. Sulu is in feudal Japan, Scotty in Scotland at the time of Bonny Prince Charley as the Scots fought for independence against England, and Chekov in World War II Russia in the Siege of Stalingrad.

The crewmen must fight for their lives, and Kirk must figure out how to convince Weyland to return them to their proper time and place. Before anyone else ends up dead.

It's an interesting plot, and gives feature roles to supporting players, so this is a different sort of Star Trek book. It would have played well as a TV episode, but with all the period costumes and guest stars would have been extremely expensive to produce. But it certainly would have looked cool. The author is obviously a student of history.

And actually, author Kramer-Rolls is apparently many things. Not a prolific novelist, she has written a couple of short stories, often woman-oriented. Which makes it surprising that she does little with Uhura except give her a few funny lines. Chapel doesn't appear at all, except in a brief reference. Apparently the author is not impressed with the Enterprise women. Kramer-Rolls is also a professed "witch" and writer in "neo-Pagan" circles, and author of a few books on cats. Make of that whatever you will.

Another odd bit is the cover, which has pictures of Scotty, Chekov, and....Kirk. Why Kirk and not Sulu? Or why not Sulu also? An odd artistic choice.

At any rate, it's an interesting book, more for devotees of Star Trek characters of historical-reference novels, rather than of the "world" and trappings of Star Trek. Most of the action is set in the past. The book reads very well.

Enemy Unseen by V. E. Mitchell (Star Trek #51, October 1990).

As Spock leaves to attend a physics conference on Vulcan, the Enterprise is given a diplomatic assignment. They will transport representatives of the Kaldorni, plus a Federation mediator, to a site where the claims to a colony planet will be decided. Preliminary negotiations will begin along the way. But things seem to keep going wrong. First, the Federation ambassador's wife is an old fling from Kirk's past. Then, the Kaldorni prove difficult to negotiate with, owing partly to culture differences. And then, orders to change course keep being issued by officers, but they have no recollection of giving such orders. And then one of the diplomats is murdered.

Victoria Mitchell has written four Star Trek books, including another one in the Original Series line, one for Next Generation, and a StarFleet Academy teen book. She has also written a couple other licensed property books as well, though she appears to have no original works of her own. This book has the feel of an average original series episode, with a bit of Next Generation (Spock on a field trip?) thrown in.

It's not a bad idea to move Spock off stage for a bit, especially since he has been such a major character in the last few books, but the reason given is simply a convenience. I can't even see how it is important to the story. The narrative would function just as well with Spock in it. His stand-in as first officer, a Commander Patrick Kelly who is Kirk's friend from the Academy, shows some promise as a character but is given little to do. The same with Tenaida, a Deltan science officer who serves mainly as Spock's thematic replacement here. Jenara Whitehorse, a half-human/half-Deltan character, seems to function as the "Mary Sue," the author putting herself into the story. Must see if author Mitchell has issues with her mother....

The story is big on plot, but low on characterization. And the plot is not so much plot as "happenings." Things happen, with a limited rhyme or reason. Motivations and characters are spelled out in simple terms by author's passages, not revealed with craft through dialogue and situations. The writing here is rather amateurish. This reads a bit like a children's book, with the straight-ahead thrust of action. And it's really a lot like reading a script for one of the many TV episodes where the Enterprise ferried diplomats to and fro.

Mitchell places all the events on board the Enterprise. This would have been a really cheap episode to film, aside from guest stars. Given the broad form of a book to work with, she limits herself to imaginings much like what we have all seen before. No great leaps here, just a bit of a look at the Kaldorni culture, and some material on Deltans, but not much beyond what has been written previously.

In short, it's really not a good book. Not that it's bad, but far from the best of its genre. For completists only.

Prime Directive by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. (Star Trek Hardcover, September 1990)

James Kirk is an outcast, and has resigned from StarFleet in disgrace. So have the rest of the bridge crew, now considered pariahs on all worlds within Federation influence. A world has been destroyed because of their actions, because of breaking the Prime Directive, also known as StarFleet General Order #1.

Or is that not the case?

The novel begins with the outcast Kirk trying to work using a disguise and an assumed name, but he is found out. The episodes are a nice way of fleshing out the captain's character, difficult to do in the novels at best. After showing the new situation, the next section of the 400-page plus book shifts to tell what happened on Talin IV, a first-contact situation on an emerging world. The planet is destroyed by a nuclear holocaust, ostensibly due to interference in violation of the Prime Directive.

Kirk and his crew must get back to the planet to find evidence that will prove their innocence. They go alone or in pairs, making passage as best as they can. Only Scotty has escaped disgrace, and he is trying to repair the ruined Enterprise and get it into spaceworthy shape. They'll need it.

The Reeves-Stevenses are now prolific Star Trek writers, but at this point they had produced only one ST book, "Memory Prime" which is #42 in the series. They had written a few science fiction novels previously, but most of their career still lay ahead. This book was part of what helped make their reputation. It led to a number of other ST novels, including many writing from William Shatner's plot outlines. They have also branched out into TV writing, working for "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World" as well as the final season of "Star Trek: Enterprise."

This novel, while an involving story, also shows off the writers' weak points. The plot is very implausible. It is written at the end of the original five-year mission, and yet the crew is not given a chance to defend themselves when disaster strikes? After the ship is destroyed, it takes four months to rebuild it, and then a bit later when it returns to Earth it undergoes a refit before the first movie takes place?

There is also the problem of a deus ex machina introduced to resolve the plot near the end. There is no warning of such a thing, a new factor is simply introduced. The story is nowhere near a "play-fair" mystery, and suffers a jarring climax due to this poor dramatic construction. It doesn't help that the Reeves-Stevenses are merely competent writers. The dialogue is OK, but not particularly crisp, and the appeal of the story is merely emotional, and does not reach deeper. This is melodrama.

It's not a bad story, but it's no great work.

Doctor's Orders by Diane Duane (Star Trek #50, June 1990).

Veteran Star Trek novelist Diane Duane was tapped to write the 50th book in the series, and came up with another outstanding outing, with a memorable feat of leaving Dr. McCoy in command of the Enterprise, and then plunging the ship into a life-and-death struggle. A double-meaning in a title, indeed.

The Enterprise is sent to the newly discovered world colloquially christened "Flyspeck," rather off the beaten path, but inhabited by three sentient species, a rarity in the galaxy. A survey team has made preliminary contact, but our heroes must make a more thorough survey and invite the planet's inhabitants into the Federation.

As the work progresses, McCoy protests once too often and Captain Kirk designates the conn to the Doctor, beaming down to the planet himself. And the Captain promptly vanishes. Then, the Klingons show up. Under StarFleet regulations, the Doctor can only be officially relieved by the ship's commander, lost on the planet's surface. So McCoy must gambit with the Klingon forces while conducting a search for the Captain.

Once again, Duane deftly weaves together a story that has an involving plot and fully realized characters, both the established series heroes and those of her own design. A bit disappointing that her Horta, Lt. Naraht, does not show up here, but there is plenty to like. Duane has a special gift for creating truly alien alien creatures, and the inhabitants of Flyspeck certainly fit the bill. The protoplasmic Ornae, the treelike Lahit, and the ephemeral ;At are all very odd, seem fully real within the structure of the novel, and would be absolutely impossible to capture on TV or a movie screen.

Duane has a special gift for characters that gives strength and individuality to each of the people she writes, not robbing or demeaning one in order to build up another. This is a strength few writers have, and those lesser scribes must invent conflict by pitting characters against each other by painting one or more in a poorer light. Duane continually avoids that failing, even if her Klingons seem a bit too agreeable for normality. And yet, good reasons are given for their behavior. The only characters who fare badly here are Orion pirates, and they are never actually onstage.

This book is as superb as all Duane's novels, and comes highly recommended for all fans of science fiction and fantasy. A former nurse, Duane writes sensible medical jargon and situations, and also does well with astronomical and military venues. She remains my favorite Star Trek writer, and one of my favorites in all genres.

The Pandora Principle by Carolyn Clowes (Star Trek #49, April 1990)

In the time between the first two Star Trek movies, the Enterprise encounters a Romulan Bird of Prey drifting over the Neutral Zone. Investigation reveals the Romulan crew dead, with no one of command rank aboard, and a new model of a cloaking device that would be able to be used while in warp or while firing weapons. Captain Kirk receives orders to bring the ship all the way into Earth, so it can be examined by the Federations' greatest experts.

And then something goes wrong. A box is opened, and like Pandora, a great evil is let out (although perhaps a Trojan horse would be a better analogy). In the ensuing events, Kirk is trapped deep below StarFleet headquarters in a secret installation, and Spock must command the Enterprise on a mission into Romulan territory to identify the source of a great plague, before Earth is destroyed and war breaks out with the Romulan Empire.

The book is very well-written, and it comes as a surprise that this is apparently the only novel that Clowes has ever written. She may have written at least one Star Trek short story, but information is sketchy. "Pandora" is a very enjoyable book that serves as something of a prequel to "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."

This is also a rare find in that this story gives a leading role to Saavik, Spock's young Vulcan/Romulan student who plays a major role in ST II and III, but a minor one in ST IV and has not appeared since. Even novels and comic books do not usually depict Saavik. Clowes takes the background given her by Vonda McIntyre in the Star Trek II novelization, as a hybrid growing up on a (mostly) abandoned Romulan colony named Hellguard, with a hardscrabble existence, found by a Vulcan team including Spock. Mr. Spock then took responsibility for her upbringing and education.

That storyline was cut from ST II's movie script, although the Spock/Saavik relationship was shown but never explained. Clowes takes that plot point and expands on it, reviving Saavik as McIntyre's "wild child" but making Spock her father figure who tames her for Vulcan society and introduces her to StarFleet. He also answers her incessant questions, which is their bond: insatiable curiosity.

Clowes does something unusual in leaving Kirk off-stage for most of the book, and giving him little to do. Admiral Nogura also becomes a key character, and there is setup for Kirk being an admiral again and accepting an Earth assignment.

It's a fine book, more for Star Trek fans than non-fans. But that includes fans of the second movie.

Rules of Engagement by Peter Norwood (Star Trek #48)

No full review this time, because I can't find my copy of the book. Sad, really. I can tell you that Peter Norwood is novelist Diane Duane's husband, and has often kibbitzed with her on her own novels. Presumably, she did the same on his. Here is the book's blurb:
"A sudden revolution on the planet Dekkanar brings Captain Kirk and the Enterprise running to evacuate Federation personnel trapped there. But their orders from Starfleet are quite clear: the Enterprise is to assist in the evacuation, no more. No weapons are to be displayed, no shields raised, no shots fired.

Meanwhile, halfway across the galaxy, an experimental Klingon warship sets forth on a mission of its own, a warship with hidden -- and heretofore undreamed of -- capabilities, commanded by a warrior who will stop at nothing to bring glory to his Empire -- and restore his own lost honor.

The Klingon ship's destination? The planet Dekkanar..."

I hope to find the book later, and place my review here. But to keep things in order, I wanted to establish the space.

I have added a "tip jar" to the links section on the left. If you find this website helpful and/or informative, the author would appreciate a contribution in any amount. Thanks!

The Kobayashi Maru by Julia Ecklar (Star Trek #47, December 1989).

The shuttlecraft carrying Kirk, McCoy, Scott, Sulu and Chekov is disabled and adrift. There is little to do but wait for rescue and care for their injuries. As time passes, McCoy listens to each of the officers describe how they tackled the simulation known to StarFleet command cadets as the Kobayashi Maru. The test is as much about revealing character as managing a crisis. And some face death more nobly than others.

Julia Ecklar is one-half of the writing team that uses the pseudonym "L.A. Graf" and has written many Star Trek novels, but this is her first ST novel. It's an interesting change-of-pace feature, with the framing story of the shuttle incident and the problems it offers juxtaposed against the Academy stories of four Enterprise officers. The novel is set between the first two Star Trek movies, in the often-proposed "second five-year mission" and provides retroactive continuity for that second movie. Such as, how did McCoy know Kirk's story?

Kirk tells his story first, and little new detail is revealed here. Kirk makes a clever but rather obvious adjustment to the programming of the simulator, on his third try at the scenario, and manages to save the ship. Chekov does not take defeat very well, and his story also includes the next simulation of the Russian and his cadet class, when the young man learns much. Sulu's story is entertwined with his 103-year old great-grandfather, and is very poignant. Scott comes up with a solution to the problem worthy of an engineer. Never let it be said a Scotsman did not go down fighting.

The book is rather interesting, and provides depth to the characters involved. It is a story that would work well as a television episode, and it is perhaps surprising no one thought of using such a plot. It goes well, with more emphasis on character than plot, and moves along quite quickly.

The cover painting is a bit off-putting, as the perspective is poor. The Scott face looks OK, but Kirk and Sulu do not fare as well.

Nice writing, and a different approach to the Star Trek novel.

The Cry of the Onlies by Judy Klass (Star Trek #46, October 1989).

The world of Boaco Six has recently seen the overthrow of a dictatorship, and the Enterprise is sent to see if relations can be established with the new government. This is especially important since a key pharmaceutical substance can be found in plentiful supply on that world. Even more, Federation ally Boaco Eight could be in trouble if Romulan or Klingon interests, as rumored, gain a foothold on its near neighbor.

Things seem to be going well until a prototype ship attacks a Boaco Six envoy's ship and destroys it. The Federation is blamed, and Captain Kirk and his crew must get to the bottom of the causes. Doing so takes them through a gauntlet of past decisions, for better and worse. Dealing with their past may be as difficult as dealing with the present.

This is Klass' first and only Star Trek novel, and her only published novel to date. She has written s-f short stories, but is not well-regarded enough to get cover billing on magazines like "Asimov's." Klass has also published books of poetry, and written movie scripts. She is apparently well known in the New York writers' scene. If this novel is indicative of her work, I'd avoid the rest.

The main story itself, of the planet wracked by an insurrection against a totalitarian government tolerated by the Federation, is passable if not overly compelling. It seems to indicate a mistrust of governmental power in general by the author. StarFleet and the Federation in general seem to be either unwise or incompetent, although the Enterprise crew are all right. But only Kirk, Spock and McCoy really get any time here, and their characters are not handled all that well.

There is also the matter of the mishmash of former TV episodes. "Miri" and "Requiem for Methuselah" plus a smidge of "Dagger of the Mind" are all grafted onto a reasonable story. A main character is killed offstage for no good dramatic reason. Old plot points are brought up, possibly to provide tension, but there is no payoff. The characters of Jahn (Miri) and Flint (Requiem) seem to be present just to provide counterpoints for Kirk. And the Romulans and Klingons are not worthy foes at all, but more ineffectual and ruthless despots.

It is all really poorly written. Descriptions are given of events and emotions that could be portrayed much better by dialogue, and situations which seem to be in the narrative for no other reason than to advance the plot or please the writer herself. There is no value here, nothing to enhance the characters, no meat. This is easily the worst Star Trek novel since some of the early efforts in the series. How this got past the editors is a bit of a mystery, especially with the rollback on published original series novels to just a few a year, with emphasis being put on the new Next Generation series.

It's a bad book. Leave it on the shelf. Run away, far away.

The Lost Years by J.M. Dillard (hardcover #2, 1989, reprinted in paperback in October 1990).

The five year mission is over and the starship Enterprise returns to Earth. It all seems anticlimatic to the command crew, as in "now what?" Captain Kirk wants another ship while he waits for the Enterprise refit, Spock wants to be Kirk's first officer, and McCoy wants to return to his beloved Natira and catalog the Fabrini medical knowledge, seen in "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" (original series episode).

Nobody gets quite what they want. Kirk is promoted to admiral, with the promise that he will be a travelling troubleshooter, not a deskbound paper-pusher. Spock, denied service with his closest friend, returns to Vulcan. And McCoy finds his beloved has wed another. Again the threesome is faced with the question, "Now what?"

The "what" is a circumstance that brings them together in the swirling Romulan plot on the planet Djana, and a Vulcan's attempt to take the katra of a Vulcan "mind-master" to the Romulan homeworld to reteach them the old mind powers of the ancient Vulcans. Uhura and Sarek are kidnapped, Kevin Riley becomes Kirk's aide, Spock becomes engaged again, and McCoy also finds a "girlfriend." The threads all come together at the end for a riveting conclusion.

This was to be the first book of an ambitious project at Pocket Books: a three-book hardcover series detailing the "Lost Years," the years between the end of the original five-year mission and the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the first movie. Dillard's book was to be followed a few months later by Brad Ferguson's "A Flag Full of Stars," and then Irene Kress' "The War Virus." Didn't happen.

This book, of course, was published. Ferguson's manuscript was rewritten by at least one and probably several other writers, and eventually published as a paperback. Ferguson estimates the book, listing him as author, is about 7% his. It is said that Dillard did much of the rewrite. Kress' book never appeared. She has no Star Trek novels published, at least under that name. Two other titles on the same theme, "Traitor Winds" (by L.A. Graf) and "Recovery" (by Dillard) were later published.

This book gets off to a very slow start, but the plot eventually gets rolling and becomes quite interesting. You have to be patient to get to that point, though. Dillard is not a writer who will wow you with her wordsmithing, or impress you with characterization. Her strength is plotting. The storyline is good, if you can get through the first 1/3 of the book.

While this book (and the ones that followed) were supposed to feature the in-between story, it's really about Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Uhura is just here to advance the plot, and Scotty, Sulu and Chekov are mentioned only in passing. It may be that their stories were planned for the other books, but they appear here only briefly.

The characterizations are OK, nothing off-note here, but you won't really get any insights into the characters. It's more of the same, the Big Three being put through there paces. Dillard's pet security crew, Thomson, Sanger and the gang, appear here but again mostly just show their incompetence. They get promotions too, but if someone else showed this level of ineptitude StarFleet would bounce them. Of course, it's important to get the plot moving.

All in all, it's a good book. A bit too long, as the first 100 pages could have been tightened to 50-60 without sacrificing anything, but having the room of a hardcover encourages such laziness. The middle and end are well done.

Not a bad entry in the Star Trek book universe, although we've seen better.

Double, Double by Michael Jan Friedman (Star Trek #45, April, 1989).

The U.S.S. Hood picks up a distress signal from Exo III, the last known location of famed scientist Roger Korby. Investigating, as good StarFleet ships do, the Hood is informed that Korby has died, but there are amazing discoveries down on the planet. Could a landing party come down?

Meantime, the Enterprise and Captain Kirk are aiding a civilization on the planet T'Nufo, where a meteor swarm is headed. The ship's weapons can destroy some but not all of the meteors, so the population in the affected area must be evacuated. Kirk saves the life of a young man...which bonds the fellow to him for a one-year period. So, he has to come along for the ride, or he will commit ritual suicide since he has been rejected. At least one of the crewmen can speak his language a little.

But the planet Exo III is where an ancient civilization has left behind the means to craft android duplicates of humans, complete with their memories. And the last template left on the machine was...Captain Kirk. But this is a Kirk programmed with a mission to replace humans with androids, and also with an irrational hatred of Mr. Spock. And the android Kirk decides to take over the Enterprise, and from there the Federation itself.

Taking up where the original series episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of" left off, the first ST novel by Friedman sets off at a merry pace and builds suspense along the way. Friedman has written many, many more since, but this was his first outing. It's a pretty good effort. Friedman is a competent writer rather than a lyrical one, but he does a good job of building a feeling of impending doom. We know that Kirk will triumph, of course, but we do wonder how at times.

In the original first-season episode, Nurse Chapel was introduced. She was Dr. Korby's fiance, and when the ship gets a distress call from Korby, Chapel and Kirk beam down to meet him. They find a few scientists and a strange apparatus. Korby surprises Kirk by having him captured, and strapped into the machine, which creates an android duplicate of him. Kirk, seeing what was happening, impresses into his duplicate feelings of antipathy toward First Officer Spock, stressing the phrase "I'm sick of your half-breed interference, Mr. Spock!" It is this phrase that reveals the imposter, and gives Spock the information to destroy the android and not the original. The outpost is then destroyed and all the androids (for even Korby is an android) are believed destroyed. Chapel is now freed to vicariously love Mr. Spock, a continuing theme of the original series.

But Friedman postulates that one android was away from the site at the time, and escaped destruction. This android uses the machine to make a duplicate of the last android made, which was Kirk. This new Kirk takes charge, discovers the problem that exposed him before, and sets out to fulfill Dr. Korby's vision with his own twist: a fixation on the Enterprise. Well, after all, this is Kirk.

The book is plot-heavy, and long on suspense, but short on characterization. If you are not familiar with the characters, Friedman does not take long to introduce you, he simply barrels along. This is not a good first novel to read if you are not knowledgable about Star Trek in general and the original series in particular.

It is an enjoyable book. And it would have made a decent movie, if someone had decided to some time ago. But for now, all we can do is read.

Vulcan's Glory by D.C. Fontana (Star Trek #44, February 1989).

Spock of Vulcan has just been promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and posted to the Enterprise as third-in-command and Science Officer. He will report to Captain Christopher Pike. First, he must go to Vulcan and tend to business with his father, and with his betrothed.

The Enterprise has been ordered to the planet Areta, site of a nuclear holocaust that is rebuilding its civilization. The factions on the planet are wary of each other, and have lost much of their former technology, but Pike had accomplished an earlier mission to help groups establish trade relations between a nomadic tribe and a group of city-dwellers. He will return to try and monitor and perhaps strengthen those relations, to help the planet recover. While en route, the ship is diverted to follow a lead on the lost gem called Vulcan's Glory, a huge emerald that became a symbol of the planet from ancient times. It was lost in an ill-fated space mission hundreds of years before, and Vulcan highly values its return. Spock and the other Vulcan crew members are greatly interested in the recovery of the Glory. Especially after someone, who must be a Vulcan, begins killing for it.....

Dorothy Fontana is one of the original Star Trek series writers, and wrote many acclaimed episodes, most especially "Journey to Babel" which introduced Spock's parents Sarek and Amanda. Fontana wrote for other science fiction series as well, and westerns before that. As one of the few women working in TV during the 1960s, Fontana often came to be writing about the emotional side of characters. Here, she returns to the character she wrote so often before, Spock.

The story explores a young Spock, just coming into his own as a StarFleet officer. He is buffeted on all sides by a new commander, a father who will not speak to him, a betrothed whom he does not love. He finds a woman who cares for him, but of course things cannot work out. Also here in his first tour on the Enterprise is Scotty, though he is used mostly for comic relief. We are also shown the workings of the Enterprise under Captain Pike, Kirk's predecessor, and given a logical explanation for the name of "Number One," the female first officer.

Some quibbles must exist. Given that the crew members still react a bit stiffly to Spock in Kirk's day, that there could be 7 Vulcans on board when Spock is first stationed there seems unlikely. Also, the stories do not quite join together. There is no special reason they must, but it is dramatically satisfying when they do. Instead, the three plot threads remain pretty much separate, merely intersecting.

All in all, I liked the book. I do think it could have been better. It's definitely worth a look for Star Trek fans, as well as Spock fans.

The Final Nexus by Gene DeWeese (Star Trek #43, December 1988)

Gravitational turbulence begins to appear across the galaxy, of the type encountered before by the Enterprise (Chain of Attack, ST #32) that led to the discovery of a "gate" to another part of the galaxy, or perhaps even another galaxy entirely. These gates seems to be associated with an abject, irrational fear on the part of people near the openings when they spontaneously appear. The Enterprise is diverted to investigate.

The Enterprise also encounters the fear-causing presence, and the paranoia it brings. Mr. Spock feels the presence in his mind, and comes to the conclusion that it belongs to a sentient entity. But just how, or why, it causes this fear is unknown. One thing is sure: these gates will have to be controlled, before one opens up in an inhabited area.

Gene DeWeese writes a sequel to his earlier novel in his second Star Trek novel outing. DeWeese had also written the second book of the Next Generation novel series, released not long before. DeWeese is a rather prolific author, in genres from science fiction to mystery to romance, often with a pseudonym, but his stuff is usually just workmanlike, not often inspired. He's sort of a generic writer. The story is engaging enough, and DeWeese writes short chapters that often end in cliffhangers (at least in Nexus) to keep the pages turning, but there is little or no inspiration here. No flow or sweep to the writing, just words on a page.

As is often the case, Spock becomes a deux ex machina in the story. Spock is easily the most featured character, and in fact the story resolution is impossible without him. The other characters make appearences, and nice things are said about Captain Kirk, for one, but we don't get to read about them doing much of anything. The other featured character is Commander Ansfield, a fiftyish woman and first officer of another ship who becomes a key in the plot, but for most of the book she simply stands around and has little to do. Most of her part could easily have been given to Dr. McCoy without losing anything. Ansfield is apparently based on a friend of DeWeese, and even her name is used.

The book does introduce two alien species of some interest, but there is little to be learned about either here. They seem simply to function as part of the plot, and have no other existence or use outside of the book itself. As with his previous book, I am simply not impressed.

Memory Prime by Gar and Judith Reeves-Stevens (Star Trek #42, October 1988)

A Vulcan on a lawless planet is approached to take on a contract to kill someone. On the Enterprise, Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy surprise Mr. Spock with the news that the Enterprise will be ferrying scientists to the Nobel and Z. Magnees Prize ceremonies, to be held on the new Federation library computer planet, Memory Prime.

Then everything begins to fall apart. Commodore Wolfe comes on board the Enterprise and takes Spock into custody. An tragedy is narrowly averted during a tour of the engine room. On Memory Prime, a sort of martial law is declared and administrator Mira Romaine is at a loss. Finally, all concerned figure out that one of the Prize nominees is marked for death. But which one?

This book serves as a sequel to one of the poorest TV episodes, "The Lights of Zetar," and also as the first book by the Reeves-Stevens couple, the first of many in a career that has also seen them become staff writers for the final season of Enterprise. They have become William Shatner's collaborators on his Star Trek novels as well.

"Zetar" featured Mira Romaine as a technician going to Memory Alpha, travelling on the Enterprise to set up the new data at the Federation library. She fell in love with Scotty, and became "possessed" by disembodied creatures bent on destruction for some reason. The episode was one of the poorly-filmed group from the third season. It was written by puppeteer Shari Lewis and her husband Jeremy Tarcher. The book is much better.

The authors have put together a serviceable first effort, with some first-time writer mistakes but an overall good story. It plays a lot like an episode, although longer, and could be adapted into a screenplay for the movie series to gain a better story than the movies have had recently. Of course, technology has jumped ahead of the ideas presented here. With the World-Wide web and delocalized information storage, such a facility as Memory Prime would likely be unnecessary. Of course, several other facilities are mentioned, so these could be interpreted as sites of "servers" like we know today.

The new stuff here are the Pathfinders, computer intelligences of a type postulated once or twice on the series (most particularly on Next Generation) and interfacers, humans outfitted with leads so that they can directly communicate with the Pathfinders. They are the only "enhanced" humans allowed in the Federation. It is an interfacer featured on the book cover with Spock, in one of the most misleading covers of the series.

The plot is solid, the dialouge a little stiff but similar to many TV episodes (might sound better spoken) and the story resolution is a bit convoluted, but does bring things to a satisfying conclusion. It's not high art, but it is a fun read.

Spock's World by Diane Duane (Star Trek hardcover #1, 1988)

Vulcan is one of the founding members of the Federation (one of four, according to another source). But there is a movement on Vulcan to pull the planet out of the Federation, and to close it to outworlders. The referendum issue, to be voted on by the entire planet, would close the borders of the world and recall all Vulcan personnel elsewhere, whether in StarFleet or anywhere else. Those who do not return, would be declared non-citizens.

Due to the importance of the issue, a series of speakers are scheduled to present arguments on both sides of the issue prior to the voting. Among those to speak are Captain James T. Kirk, Doctor Leonard McCoy, and first officer Spock of the Enterprise, the planet's most famous son. Also recalled are ambassador to Earth Sarek and his wife, Amanda Grayson, Spock's parents. To complicate things, Sarek has been asked to speak in favor of the resolution to withdraw from the Federation.

This is the first hardcover published by Pocket Books, a sign of how successful the publishing series had become. Between the improving quality of the books themselves and the greater interest in Star Trek brought about by the movies and the Next Generation TV series, book sales were going well, and the extra-length paperbacks were morphed into actual hardcovers. There was, arguably, another hardcover that came first, a 1968 book in a "Hardy Boys" type format, which is admirably discussed at Steve Roby's website dealing with Trek publications: http://www.well.com/~sjroby/lcars/

Duane is always at home with the Star Trek characters, and writes deftly and superbly. Her dialogue and situations are so wonderful that you will hardly notice this book has almost no action in it. The plot, as it stands, is about a series of debates on a legislative issue! There is certainly tension here, but no physical action. This would not play as a TV episode or a movie. But it makes an excellent book, and a wonderful use of the printed medium.

The chapters alternate between "Enterprise" and "Vulcan," with scenes in the here-and-now juxtaposed with chapters showing vignettes from the history of Vulcan, from its prehistory to the recent days. One chapter deals with Surak (with a lot of similarities to Ghandi, appropriately enough) and another with the appointing of Sarek to his ambassador's post and meeting with Amanda.

In the hands of another writer, this would be a slow and boring book. With Duane doing the wordsmithing, it's a pleasure from cover to cover.

The Three-Minute Universe by Barbara Paul (Star Trek #41, August 1988).

Captain Kirk addresses a meeting of officers in the briefing room and begins by announcing, "The universe is on fire." A new heat source, so strong it is even devouring suns, has been detected. The Enterprise must investigate. Once there, instruments give astonishing data: a "rip" has opened, and a universe in the early stages of formation, approximately three minutes old, has begun bleeding over into the Star Trek universe. Kirk and crew must find out how the rip was opened, and more importantly, how to repair it.

The cause is soon found. The Sackers, a race so repugnent of all senses that human races avoid them at all costs, have found a way to open the door between universes. They have wiped out an entire civilization, and the whole galaxy may follow. Their ship is more powerful than the Enterprise, so Kirk must find a way to communicate with the Sackers and get them to heal the rift....if even they can.

Barbara Paul is a science fiction and mystery writer of some note, and this is her only Star Trek book to date. On her website, www.barbarapaul.com, she reports that the book was actually much easier to write than her usual fiction, because of the depth needed for the submission in plot and tone that made the actual writing flow very quickly. Her intent, she says, was simply to write a rip-roaring adventure for the old Enterprise crew. At that, she has succeeded.

The Sackers are an interesting new race, with bodies that are repulsive to humanoid races, and an odor that inspires waves of nausea. They also radiate great heat, so that contact with one causes severe burns. And yet, the familiar seven crew members must establish communications with them on a one-to-one basis.

Paul uses the "Magnificent Seven," Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov, to good effect. Each gets some "screen time" for character development, and acts in character. The speech patterns are good, and Paul also writes in dialect for Scott and Chekov. Those two characters provide much of the humor, which balances the seriousness of the plot and situation. Uhura gets a nicely featured role involving a childhood fear of fire, and Spock gets a chance to be in a situation where he does not have all the answers, a nice change.

The author makes use of a rather cheap device to make the villains, the Sackers, sympathetic, but it is effective. The book itself is well-written and plotted. It's a good book even for those who are not Star Trek fans, but fans of the series will appreciate it even more. 1988 was a good year for ST novels, and this is an excellent entry in the series.

Timetrap by David Dvorkin (Star Trek #40, June 1988)

The Enterprise is en route to Starbase 17 for much-needed repairs and rest, when Uhura picks up a distress call. Oddly, the call is from a Klingon vessel, in Federation space. Kirk wants to know what a Klingon ship is doing in Federation space, so the Enterprise diverts to the signal. The area is near Tholian space, where the Enterprise had attempted a rescue of the ship Defiant and Captain Kirk had become lost in a dimensional rift some years ago, in the episode "The Tholian Web."

Kirk beams over to the Klingon ship with a security team, and then the Klingon ship vanishes in a blinding flash. To Spock's eyes, the Captain has vanished with the ship, although there is no wreckage to indicate an explosion, and the energy signature does not match the earlier dimensional rift.

Meanwhile, Kirk regains conciousness in a Klingon medical ward. He is told that he has come 100 years into the future, and is now in the world of "New Klingons," who have formed an alliance with the Federation. But, there's a catch. History says it was Kirk himself, 100 years earlier, who was aboard the Klingon flagship that addressed the Federation fleet and began the years of peace. So, he must prepare to make that moment happen, as the Klingons prepare to travel back in time.

To prepare, Kirk's liasion is a Klingon historian, Kalrind. She becomes Kirk's guide and also his lover, another in a long line of "space babes." Once the jump is made, Kirk faces the task of convincing his friends that the Klingons are sincere, even though they will not allow him to beam over to his ship and talk face-to-face.

"Timetrap" is Dvorkin's second ST novel, following "The Trellisane Confrontation," ST #14. Unlike A.C. Crispin, who improved from her first to second book, Dvorkin seems to have gone backwards. This effort is much less successful than his last. Most of our time is spent with Kirk, and most of the rest with Spock. This reveals some weaknesses, as Kirk is the most difficult character to capture in a book. Dvorkin's dialogue is not smooth, and sounds rough to the reader's "ear." The plot is telegraphed well in advance to the alert reader, as is the conclusion. I was able to discern where the book was going before I was even halfway through. Dvorkin also tries to keep some things from the reader to keep the suspense, but his weak setups lead to even weaker payoffs.

It wasn't a very good read. The plot device of Klingons is given some credence by the appearence in the then-current Next Generation of Worf, but it falls short of expectations. Dvorkin later wrote a Next Generation novel, and has written other SF books as well as mysteries.

Time for Yesterday by A.C. Crispin (Star Trek #39, April 1988).

Admiral Kirk is summoned to the office of Admiral Morrow. Spock is there also. There is a problem. Waves of time have caught several stars, causing them to age suddenly. One has gone nova, others have started pouring out excess radiation giving signs of explosion or expansion into red giants. Several ships and inhabited planets are caught in the way, necessitating rescue operations. Dr. McCoy is on one of the affected ships.

But the cause is the troubling part. The Guardian of Forever, the time portal discovered by the Enterprise crew some years ago, is emanating the waves of time. The StarFleet personnel stationed on the planet do not respond, and must be presumed dead at this time. Since Kirk and crew are the ones who have dealt with the Guardian before, they are the logical team to tackle this project now.

Spock tells the admiral that there is one individual who has been able to directly influence the Guardian before: his son, Zar. But Zar is thousands of years in the past on the world Sarpeidon, the place of his birth and subsequent death. Kirk, Spock and McCoy had encountered him once before, when Romulans had tried to use the Guardian to change history and wipe out the Federation. Zar had been pulled back from the past then, and communicated telepathically with the sentient machine. Perhaps another powerful telepath could do the same.

D'berahan, a member of the telepathic Marishal race, is taken to the Guardian to attempt contact. But communicating with the powerful force of the Guardian shocks the small being, causing her to retreat into herself. Now, the only choice they have is to travel back in time to reach Zar. But Zar has troubles of his own, including an impending battle that may spell the end of his attempts to bring civilization to Sarpeidon.

And that only scratches the surface of the plot. Crispin went all-out with this story, checking in at just over 300 pages in paperback format. This book follows her first best-selling Star Trek novel, "Yesterday's Son" (Star Trek #11), the first paperback in the series to hit the best-seller lists. Both books act as sequels to the original series episode "All Our Yesterdays," when Kirk, Spock and McCoy inadvertently travelled into the past of the planet Sarpeidon, and Spock had an encounter with a woman named Zarabeth. That there was a physical relationship was never confirmed in the episode, but the possibility was left open. Crispin then posited the existence of a son.

The first book became popular largely due to the interest generated by the news of Spock having a son, reading about a Vulcan without Vulcan training, one with emotions. This was a Vulcan who could fall in love! It was especially popular with female fans.

This sequel is a better book, as Crispin by 1988 had become a better writer. The first book had been her first published novel. Now, she had written other tie-ins for franchises such as Star Wars and V, and begun working on her own series. This book reflects the added experience, and is simply bursting at the seams with plot.

There are a number of weaknesses here as well. The concentration is largely on Zar and secondarily Kirk, with a full helping of McCoy. The secondary characters are given some work to do, especially Uhura, but not a lot. The biggest part of the book is concerned with Zar's adventures as a tribal chieftain on a cold planet. Surrounded by enemies, he must gain whatever advantages he can by diplomacy before setting off for battle. And this must be settled before going to communicate with the Guardian. Crispin's characterizations of her own characters are fine, her Enterprise characters are a bit weak, especially Kirk, and Zar is still too strong a character. He can do too many things. It weakens the book.

The setting is just before the Star Trek II movie, and the cover uses the red uniforms from that time. Kirk is an admiral beginning to feel his age, McCoy is teaching, Spock is an Academy instructor, the rest are mostly teaching except for Chekov off on the Reliant. The crew is gathered for the mission by Admiral Morrow at Kirk's request, a theme that occurs often in the movies.

It's not a bad book, but it's not a great one. The overflowing of plot points may help you overlook the weaknesses.

The IDIC Epidemic by Jean Lorrah (Star Trek #38, February 1988).

Transporting a group of Vulcan revolutionaries to a colony planet (the antagonists from Lorrah's earlier novel, "The Vulcan Academy Murders") the Enterprise is quickly called back to Vulcan for a mercy mission. They must take some Vulcan medical specialists to the planet Nisus, a colony designed to be infinite diversity in infinite combinations set to practice. Scientists have gathered from all over the galaxy to work and live there among many species, both of the Federation and from other places, including a Klingon and some Orions.

The plague on Nisus is an agressive virus, which is even more dangerous because it seems to mutate every time it infects someone of mixed race. And there are a lot of beings of mixed race on Nisus, a true "melting pot." Spock's parents Spock and Amanda are on board as well, on their way to a conference but halted by the disease-ridden world. Care is taken on the beamdown of personnel, but the Enterprise is exposed, and Amanda is infected. Spock must go into isolation to prevent further mutation of the virus. McCoy is down on the planet and hard at work. Then, the renegade Vulcans seize engineering. And on top of it all, the dam that provides the reservoir for the planet's community is about to burst under the spring thaw.

Lorrah writes a very eventful book that keeps the pages turning with brief chapters (about 5-7 pages each) and dense plotting. This book has far more plot and less character development than her first effort. Lorrah makes great use of the characters she has honed from years of writing fan fiction, including Vulcan healer Sorel, his human partner Daniel Corrigan, and their circle of friends and colleagues. These characters are picked up directly from V.A.Murders and placed here, mere seconds after the end of the other book.

Lorrah also takes time to develop the Klingon Korsal, an engineer and not a fighter. He has two sons by a Starfleet officer, who left Nisus to go back into space. Korsal has remarried an Orion woman on Nisus and continued his residence. Korsal faces a crisis when it is found that he and his sons are immune to the plague, due to their Klingon blood. Should this be reported back to the Empire, for possible use as a weapon?

The action is fast, and your interest will be held by this volume. ST fans will see that Lorrah spends almost no time on the series' supporting characters (Sulu and Chekov get one bit of business, near the book's beginning) and more focus on the author's own characters. This would be part of the reason for the upcoming directive to focus the novels more on the original series characters.

This book was also part of the upswing in sales, brought about in no small part by the presence of the Next Generation series, in its first season. The character of Worf and John M. Ford's depictions of Klingons in his novels appear to have equal infulence in the creation of Korsal. This is a good book set in the Star Trek universe, but not focused directly on the seven main characters.