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.