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.