The Janus Gate by L.A. Graf. Series in three parts: Present Tense, June 2002, Future Imperfect, also June 2002, and Past Prologue, July 2002.

After the events of "The Naked Time" episode on the TV series (first season) when the Enterprise was thrown back in time three days, the Enterprise returns to the planet Tlaoli to pick up a research team, rather than risk stumbling over themselves and damaging the timeline (oh, if they only knew). The geology team has been having trouble with instrument failure, and one of the three groups has gone missing while investigating a cave. When Captain Kirk goes down to the planet with a team to rescue them, he finds more trouble, and then disappears. Soon the problem is found: in a cave is a device, a "Janus Gate," that can send people through time, exchanging them with a future or past self. Spock and the rest of the crew must figure out how to restore Captain Kirk and their timeline before an alternate history where the Gorn defeat the Federation in the future comes to pass.

L.A. Graf, actually the writing team of Julia Ecklar and Karen Rose Cercone, writes a trilogy of books billed as "a bold new era for Star Trek storytelling!" where the five-year mission is reimagined through the eyes of the "below decks" crew. This set was part of the 2002 "relaunch" of Original Series novels after an absence of about a year. The set aims high, but badly misses the target.

First, some nitpicking. The advertising blurbs on the back are almost hilarously inaccurate. One wonders if the blurbs were written without actually looking at the plots, or if the books were rewritten and the blurbs not changed. Either way, what is on the back cover has almost nothing to do with what is inside the book. Truthfully, what is in the blurbs would likely have made for a better book than what actually appeared.

Then, there is the writing itself. While advertising indicated that characters often ignored would be featured, this does not actually happen. This is actually a typical Graf outing by Ecklar and Cercone, in that it features Chekov, Sulu and Uhura. In fact, two versions of Sulu and Chekov are here. The authors' fascination with security and Chekov as "tough guy" also are here as usual. The typical lack of writing aplomb is here as well.

Characters who were featured in one episode, like Carolyn Palamas, or Anne Mulhall, or Geologist Jaeger, as here, as well as frequent background characters like Transporter Chief Kyle. But they don't do anything much, except stand around in the background. The authors use their own characters, Cave Specialist Spanner and Security guard Yuki Smith, much more than the "below decks" characters. That part is annoying, as we just learn about the authors' favorites rather than characters we may already have some interest in learning more about their personalities and backgrounds. Ecklar and Cercone also pick up on Diane Carey's version of "teenage Kirk as rebel" and his prickly relationship with his StarFleet security man father, shown previously in several Carey novels.

That continutity with other books is a plus, although better points could have been used. So too could better storytelling. The three books feel horribly padded, as though the events could easily have been told in 400-500 pages rather than about 750. That might have produced just a two-book set but a set that was leaner, stronger, and not filled with as much filler as "they are going through the tunnel. They are still going through the tunnel. The tunnel is dark and difficult to crawl through." That's not an actual passage, but it will seem like one if you read these. There is just not enough plot here to sustain three books.

This was my last buy of an original series novel, and that was largely because of the poor quality of this release. I couldn't stomach any more tedium with characters that I love.

Fans of this blog would surely be interested in a book coming out this month. Titled "Voyages of the Imagination: The Definitive Star Trek Fiction Companion," and written by Jeff Ayers, it sets out to cover all forty years or professionally published Star Trek fiction, with pictures of the covers and interviews with the authors. Sounds like an interesting book.

Invasion: First Strike by Diane Carey (Star Trek #79, July 1996).

A Klingon ship witnesses, and barely survives, a crisis as mass in the solar system they are monitoring suddenly drops to nearly zero. When that happens, particles accelerate to light speed, and matter explodes. Able to shield themselves against the last bit of the mass drain, the ship survives to see a vessel emerge from a tear in the fabric of space. Klingon General Kellen beams aboard the ship, and sees creatures that are the stuff of nightmares. To fight these "demons," he decides to summon one of his own: Captain James T. Kirk.

The Klingon ship streaks to gather the Enterprise, which is engaged on a planet with a hostile group of Klingons. Several crewmen are killed and Spock is badly injured, when General Kellen calls a stop to the fighting. He leads the Enterprise back to the new ship, and is disappointed when Kirk does not immediately try to destroy it. Instead, Kirk tries to communicate with the ship, which claims to hold species who were driven from this part of the galaxy over 5000 years ago. Now, they want their space back....

This was the first book of a series, conceived by author Carey and Pocket Books editor John Ordover, to work across the various Star Trek series. This volume was issued first, followed by books with the crew of the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. The books sold well, and the process has been repeated several times.

This book is a normal Diane Carey book. There are those who like Carey's books. I am not among them. I find her writing style to be tedious, overwrought, and boring. Her tendency to dwell in the minds of some characters, in this book Captain Kirk, tends to make things move very slowly. We often seem to explore every single thought of Kirk through the whole sequence of events. Plus, a description is made, and then in the next chapter altered to make it a bit less dangerous. The science is played fast and loose. The whole process is frustrating to me.

For this and other reasons, this was the last of my consecutive run of Star Trek novels purchased. The frequency was diminishing, as publishing efforts were spread across four franchises. No longer was there a monthly novel, but instead three or four a year of the original characters, and others of the newer versions. I was more interested in the old characters, especially while the newer ones were still available on screen. Plus, too many of the books were of poor quality. Franchised stories can be frustrating. So, this ends my consecutive writing of reviews, posted here and repeated on Epinions whenever they are listed at that website.

I will post a few more reviews, of books not quite sequential as well as those from other series. The big run, however, is ended.

The Rings of Tautee by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Star Trek #78, May 1996).

Subspace waves are coming from the Tautee star system, home of a civilization capable of spaceflight but pre-warp technology. The Enterprise arrives to find rubble where planets and moons used to be. They also begin receiving a distress signal from amongst the rubble. A small group of Tauteeans is found, who have destroyed their system by means of a fusion power casting experiment. It is this experiment that still casts destructive waves through the system, and could in time destroy both Earth and Vulcan. With the help of the USS Farragut, but faced with four Klingon vessels convinced the system has been destroyed by a test of a new Federation superweapon, Kirk must find a way to rescue more survivors and stop the energy wave causing the rings of Tautee.

Smith and Rusch here write their first original series novel, but their third in the series overall after writing a Deep Space Nine novel under the name Sandy Schofield (which also involved destructive subspace waves). This book does little with the characters, but does keep some plot balls moving. Trouble is, we all know where this one is going. It uses the bag of cheap plot devices, such as key ship systems cutting out at inopportune moments, Kirk pushing everyone and everything to the limit, and a dispute over the Prime Directive. It seems like at each point, the writers decided to pull another card from the deck. "OK, insert a call from Scotty that the engines have failed." "Now, the Klingons show up and start making threats." It's all pretty by the book, the tired old book.

Nothing to see here. Just move along. For completists only.

Twilight's End by Jerry Oltion (Star Trek #77, January 1996).

The Enterprise is badly in need of resupply, but is once again called away to deal with an emergency. This time, it is to the planet Rimillia, a world with no rotation. The people living on this world have already moved from another when conditions worsened there, and now the atmosphere is again becoming too thin, oxygen levels dropping as trees have been cut down to make more living space on the thin strip that does support life. The Dumada have come up with a desperate plan: use hundreds of impulse engines to start the planet spinning again, as it did millions of years before. The problem is, part of the population that does not want the project to go forward. They have sabotagued some of the engines, and kidnapped the scientist in charge of the project. Captain Kirk and the crew must set things right, and rescue a civilization.

This is the first of a handful of Star Trek novels for Oltion, an honored science fiction writer both before and after his ST work. Oltion didn't need Star Trek to make his mark, but it probably made for a good paycheck and raised his profile among those less involved with the genre. Licensed titles can help in that.

Oltion deftly moves back and forth between the Enterprise crew, presenting each of them with some screen time, with the exception of Uhura. I am not sure if Oltion often has a problem writing women, or if it is just Uhura. We get a point of view of the other six Enterprise main characters in turn, and of course all are males. We switch back and forth every half-chapter or so between focus points, with Kirk, then McCoy, then Scotty, then Spock, and so on, giving us a look inside their head and how they view the action. This allows for more of a spread of the story than just using one point-of-view character. It is also more cinematic in approach, although some movies do focus on one character. So, in a way, it is more of a television approach.

The plot, involving the problem of getting a planet to rotate, the problems when it doesn't (only a ring of habitation, in perpetual twilight, is usable land that isn't too hot or too cold) and the problems involved with the first days of rotation are treated in fine science fiction fashion, with emphasis on the science. This is an involving book for true fans of science fiction, Star Trek fans or not.

Oltion is not quite as smooth with characterization or dialogue, but there is no reason to complain in these departments. We have reasonable conversations, and the characters are not out of character. The only serious problem is after Sulu has been assigned to a botany problem, and Kirk, Spock and Scotty are all down on the planet. Uhura should be the conn officer, but instead it is Chekov in command on the bridge. That's a bit of a stretch, since Chekov is an Ensign. There is mention made of Dr. McCoy being the ranking officer, but not on the bridge. That's a bit of a stretch too, since McCoy is not in the usual line of command succession. However, this is a minor point.

Oltion has a good first Star Trek effort here, and a good SF novel. I can recommend it to fans of both.

The Captain's Daughter by Peter David (Star Trek #76, December 1995).

The Enterprise-B, captained by John Harriman, is called to Askalon Five by a repeating distress beacon. A team beams down to the planet to investigate the call, as sensors are having trouble getting through to the surface. Ensign Demora Sulu, on the away team, comes back as a berserker, naked and screaming, and attacks the captain. Harriman shoots her in self-defense, and Demora Sulu is dead.

The Ensign's father, Captain Hikaru Sulu, is devastated by her death. So is her godfather, Commander Pavel Chekov, who slugs Captain Harriman at the memorial service. But it is Captain Sulu, so soon after losing his mentor James T. Kirk, who struggles most with the situation. He recalls how he met Demora's mother, and raising the precocious young child. And, he decides he must do something to find out how she died on a deserted planet.

Peter David stories are always a gem. The plot is advanced bit by bit, something that will be important in Act III is revealed and introduced in Act I, and there is a crispness and light touch to the writing. The stories are well-constructed, the actions logical and human. It was soon after this that I stopped buying the Star Trek books, and a lot of it was because of the poor quality, though that's not a problem with this one.

Like all of David's books, this one is highly recommended.

First Frontier by Diane Carey and Dr. James I. Kirkland (Star Trek #75, August 1995).

The Enterprise is testing new shielding technology which takes the energy used against it and channels it through the warp drive, displacing it in time and space. Cool idea, which proves quite effective in weapons tests. Then they try it by going very close to a blue giant star, the hottest stars known. While in the star's outer corona, the Enterprise encounters a gravitational well, that throws them off course deeper into the star, and a quick maneuver pulls them out, but the observing starships are gone. In fact, subspace is quiet. Protocol says that starships encountering these conditions should proceed to StarFleet Command on Earth to rendezvous with any other available personnel.

Earth, rather than teeming with people and the very heart of the Federation, has no human life at all. Lush flora, and copious animal species, mostly reptiles, but no humans or humanoids. No satellites, no signs of advanced spacefaring culture. An alternate future? A dimensional gap? Romulans and Klingons are found, and then Vulcans, but no humans at all. With only one option left, Captain Kirk orders a trip to the planet of the Guardian of Forever. Time travel to the time of the dinosaurs ensues.

Dr. James Kirkland is a dinosaur paleontologist, now the most famous one in the world. His ideas were used in the book and then movie series "Jurassic Park," and have revolutionized the way we think about dinosaurs. Kirkland has demonstrated that birds are descended from dinosaurs, changed how we look at various specious called "raptors," and in general caused a great upheaval and new interest in the giant reptiles. I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Kirkland a few years ago, and then the privilege of shaking his hand after his incredible lecture. This is a guy who knows his dinos.

Kirkland provided most of the plot flow, of how dinosaurs could develop in a world where there was no asteroid hit in the Yucatan to wipe out the species. Much of what is good in this novel is a direct result of Kirkland's input. This novel is thick in plot and rich in dinosaur elements.

The weaknesses come from the writing of Diane Carey. The book carries the usual Carey faults, like overreliance on writing of the inside of someone's head. Thankfully, she sticks with one point of view, in this case Captain Kirk. And the preponderence of plot helps to keep the usual bellybutton-gazing down. Whining and whiny characters plus contrivences of plot are still here, but easier to ignore.

To give the story a more immediate feel, Kirk is ill and Dr McCoy does not have enough medication to keep him going for more than a week. Kirk is awfully active for someone so close to death, but it is all a plot device to make the timeline more crucial. Of course, the meteor strike is all the deadline one really needs, but when the crew first arrives they have no idea when that will actually take place. So an artificial deadline is provided. It's unnecessary and distracting, so like a Carey novel.

Spock is used frequently and fairly well, and Dr. McCoy is important to the story. Scotty gets a little time, but Sulu, Chekov and Uhura are used a bit but not much. It is really a Kirk with Spock story. In that way it plays a lot like many TV episodes. Also, this is a long book at 383 pages. It moves along at a much better clip than most Carey books, so it doesn't feel any longer than most of her 300 page works.

I recommend it, if only for the pairing of Star Trek and dinosaurs, and the strong contribution of Dr. Kirkland (good name to be part of Star Trek) to the story which makes it paleontologically correct. I could have done without the improvised orbital vehicle though. That felt like plot padding.

The Fearful Summons by Denny Martin Flinn (Star Trek #74, June 1995).

Captain Sulu and the Excelsior are cruising the frontier when a distress call comes. It is from a ship of Beta Prometheans, a trading race that controls most of the dilithium in the quadrant. The aliens say their ship is disabled, but when Sulu transports aboard with a repair crew, they are taken hostage. Ransom is demanded, but StarFleet and the Federation do not negotiate for hostages. While relations are at a standstill, Captain Kirk emerges from retirement to gather the old Enterprise crew to set off after their former shipmate.

Writer Flinn is one of the screenwriters of the movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (co-credited as writer with director Nicholas Meyer). Meyer spent twenty years on Broadway as a dancer and choreographer, then retired from the stage and became a writer. He wrote a couple of contemporary Sherlock Holmes novels, using Holmes' grandson as the protagonist. After the movie, he took this shot at writing a sequel of sorts.

The story never gets going, just plods along. The first third of the book is Sulu on the Excelsior with his crew, which should be new and fascinating to us. Instead, Flinn fails to develop anyone's character, instead introducing a Vulcan science officer/first officer and trying to develop and beginning Kirk/Spock relationship between them. It is as if the Excelsior is to be a copy of the Enterprise. Then, Sulu makes a rookie mistake and blunders into captivity. It was a hard plot twist to accept, given Sulu's experience in deep space.

We then spend an interminable amount of time on how old the former Enterprise crew is, especially James T. Kirk, who is the focus. There is a chapter that could be titled "Kirk Gets Lucky" for his rendezvous with a young Lieutennant. This just-graduated cadet ends up going along with the old dogs, whom Kirk gathers from various places. The process is quite tedious, and so is the sallying forth to Starbase 499 to find Sulu and crew. Kirk also makes a rookie mistake to prolong the story.

Flinn learned a bit of Trek lore in writing the movie script, but it seems just a bit. Ship captains are referred to as "commanders," a serious faux pas. The skipper of a ship is always a captain. Other terminology, both Star Trek and general naval, is botched. A bit more research, or better editing, was in order.

Of course, all turns out right in the end. But getting there is supposed to be half the fun, and if you make it all the way to the end of this book, you will be simply glad it's over. Nothing to see here, move along. Perhaps the strangest thing is, I have no idea what the title is saying. What summons? What is fearful about it? Does this mean the original faked distress call that lured the Excelsior to the fateful rendezvous? What was fearful about that? It makes no sense. Much like the greatest part of the book.

Recovery by J.M. Dillard (Star Trek #73, March 1995).

Admiral Kirk is sent to supervise the testing of the rescue ship U.S.S. Recovery, a completely automated vessel meant to evacuate planets and preserve life on stranded vessels. Kirk's recommendations have led to a number of changes in the vessel, and since he has been the project's biggest critic, he is assigned to assess it's performance.

Recovery is set for a simulation, to evacuate personnel, and to deal with an attack from drones, as well as respond to a situation where one shuttlecraft fires on another. The ship is huge, meant to be large enough to evacuate whole planets, and not to require a single human on the crew. Klingon, Romulan, and Tholian observers are invited to see this test run.

Then, something goes wrong (of course). Kirk changes the preprogrammed simulatin plans, then Recovery fires on the attacking shuttle and destroys it, then moves to attack the observing ships and heads for Tholian territory. Dr. Myron Shulman, the main planner of the ship, appears to have become unbalanced and accuses Kirk of attempting to sabotage the test. On the ship, Shulman begins to hunt the people on board and kill them, while Recovery refuses attempts to call in or out. It's up to Kirk to save the day, and friend Dr. McCoy on board the Recovery.

This is the fourth book in the "Lost Years" trilogy. Yes, that sentence calls for an explanation. "Lost Years" was a planned three-book series to look at the time period between the end of the original TV show and the first movie. J.M. Dillard was to write the first book, Brad Ferguson the second, and Irene Kress the third. Dillard's book, simply titled "The Lost Years," was published as a hardcover without apparent incident. Ferguson's book, "A Flag Full of Stars," was delayed, then published as a paperback rather than a hardcover. It was also extensively rewritten by an uncredited Dillard, with an in-between draft by Gene DeWeese. Ferguson estimates that 7% of his book is in the published version. Kress' book was rejected and never seen. The next "Lost Years" book turned out to be a story by L.A. Graf (pseudonym for Julia Ecklar and Karen Rose Cercone) titled "Traitor Winds," followed by this volume by Dillard.

The book itself is all right, but suffers the problems common to a J.M. Dillard novel. At 277 pages, it is incredibly padded and tedious. A good editor could go through and judiciously remove the passages that are filled with "She looked at Kirk and thought about how..." and "He was transfixed with the image of...." and so on that do not add anything to the plot, the story, or the characters. A good editor could take this and pull out a tight, thrilling 200 page tale. But that's not this book.

This book concentrates on Dillard' versions of Admiral Kirk and Kevin Riley, StarFleet officer and his aide. This sets up Kirk's push for the Enterprise that occurs just before the beginning of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Riley's diplomatic career in the novels, and Dr. McCoy's "drafting" back into StarFleet, as well as some scenes showing Spock back on Vulcan. Other than a quick bit with Scotty, that is all the Enterprise crew we see, except for a few broad references. Mostly, we see a few characters Dillard has previously introduced in the series, plus a few more dreamed up for this book. There is nothing wrong with those characters, other than being rather two-dimesionally portrayed. But one wonders if Uhura, Sulu and Chekov couldn't have been brought along for the ride somehow.

The problem with this book is just Dillard. She is so slow to develop a story, and so clumsy at revealing a motivation, that the book often slows to a crawl. In a Dillard book, everything that can go wrong for the characters usually will, and then some, so there is always some suspense. Getting there can be very slow.

The Better Man by Howard Weinstein (Star Trek #72, December 1994).

The Enterprise is called to the planet Empyrea, to take up the cause of a treaty. The Federation maintains an observatory on Empyrea, due to its proximity to a stellar phenomenon. But Empyrea is a colony of genetically engineered people, who are striving for perfection and do not want the "pollution" of imperfect people. There is great general feeling on the planet to let the treaty expire and have the Federation haul the astronomers and equipment away, and withdraw from all contact. Captain Kirk is sent to secure a renewal of the treaty.

Federation Ambassador Mark Rousseau, a former starship captain and childhood friend of Dr. McCoy, is sent to negotiate. The Captain notices hard feelings between the Doctor and the Ambassador and probes to find out why. When they arrive at Empyrea, the governmental President turns out to be an old friend of McCoy from his earlier time there, and she names him the father of her child. Trouble is, this is a crime on Empyrea, to birth a child with "impure" genealogy. If the people find out, young Anna could even be sentenced to death.

As tensions mount, the planet is politically split, McCoy tries a risky procedure on Anna, the power source for the observatory is sabotagued, and then the Doctor is kidnapped. Everything seems to be falling apart as events reach their climax.

Weinstein writes very personal stories with a science fiction background. While there may be technobabble present, his stories are always about the people in them. This one is mostly about Dr. Leonard McCoy, the Enterprise's chief medical officer. McCoy is popular with several of Star Trek's authors, perhaps because of his irascible nature coupled with the caring of a physician. He is a remarkably deep and rich character, handled correctly. It is through and around him that the story plays out.

McCoy gets the most play, though Spock and Scotty are also important to the plot. The story is set during the "second five-year mission" that lies between the first and second movies, and Spock's willingness to unbend a bit is given play here, as is Scotty as curmudgeon. It works for both. Chekov gets a few good moments, but Uhura is used little and Sulu not at all. They fare a bit better than Captain Kirk, who is out of character for much of the book. William Shatner would not have liked this script at all, and would very likely have been unable to play it, being virtually incapable of not being the center of attention.

This is Weinstein's sixth Star Trek novel, and to date his last. He seems to have almost disappeared from book writing at all, producing virtually nothing for some 10 years. That's a shame, because he is a very capable writer. His name used to be all over Star Trek, from novels to comic books. Perhaps we shall see him on the shelves once again.

Crossroad by Barbara Hambly (Star Trek #71, September 1994).

In a rarely-explored region of space called the Crossroad, near the Crossroad nebula, the Enterprise is monitoring the developing civilization on Tau Lyra, the Enterprise encounters a ship where none should be. The starship is very similar to the Enterprise, apparently of Federation design, but with no insignia or external lights, and heavily shielded with a technology beyond any known. The crew is in serious trouble, and though they warn the Enterprise off they are beamed aboard when their lives are in the balance.

The crew of the ship numbers but six, including a Klingon and an Orion. The captain of this crew is a humanoid of unknown race. A Vulcan adolescent and a human are in great need of medical help and are taken directly to sickbay. The others, who decline to explain the circumstances of their condition except to offer reasons obviously not true, are confined to the brig. They escape, and use the computer system to take over the ship. These strange people warn of a greater danger, from someone who can control minds. When another ship appears, Captain Kirk must separate the truth from the lies, and decide whom to trust.

Hambly, penning her third (and so far final) Star Trek novel, writes odd little stories based on what could be called "mind games," which is often a dangerous area for Star Trek. Many of the very worst episodes of the TV series concerned the mental arena, as this is often static by nature. "Next Generation" most often broke down when entering this territory, and "Star Trek: Voyager" spent so much time with existentialist storytelling that many fans, such as me, finally gave it up as unwatchable. Yet Hambly, here as before, makes it work with interesting storytelling.

Hambly's previous Star Trek books are "Ishmael" (ST #22), an odd marrying of Star Trek with the show "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," and "Ghost-Walker," about another alien with mind powers. Both were odd, but with such good writing that the story held together. This is also the case here. It becomes obvious early on that the strange visitors must be from the future, yet Hambly maintains suspense anyway. Then, when the pursuers from a ruthless future StarFleet show up, Hambly keeps the destruction that such a 250-year advance in technology at bay by raising the specter of changing history that usually faces our heroes. Here, the invaders must be careful not to change anything that could affect their own future existence.

Kirk and Spock are the main characters here, with Uhura and Chekov little used. Hambly uses a lot of her own characters, and gives quite a bit of time to Nurse Chapel, specifically on deciding her future as the five-year mission draws to a close. Part of the transition of Chapel to a doctor in time for the first movie has a foundation laid here. McCoy, Scotty and Sulu are used mostly to advance the plot, but do get something to do.

Hambly is gifted at creating and showing us vivid characters that we can almost instantly care about. She fleshes out Captain Arios and young Sharnas quickly, invents a decidedly non-Utopian Federation future, and provides us with a lot to digest. She goes too far at times, inventing so much that it is hard to drink up at one gulp. But it's a lot of fun.

Fans will find well-drawn characters, plenty of action, suspense, and a twist at the end that keeps surprises coming. This book is good for Star Trek fans, and those who are not fans will also find plenty of interest here. This is not a book for Trekkies only.

Traitor Winds by L.A. Graf (Star Trek #70, June 1994).

In the time period after the original TV show but before the first movie, Admiral Kirk is in charge of a diplomatic negotiation with the Romulans. Waiting and hoping for reassignment to a refitted Enterprise, Sulu is a test pilot, and Uhura a StarFleet Academy lecturer in communications. Chekov has gone to the Security Academy, trying to build up his resume' for command. Scott is overseeing the Enterprise refit, while McCoy is in semiretirement.

Things seem to be going well for everyone, even if Chekov is under a lot of pressure in school again, trying something new. Then an old Enterprise physician, Dr. Mark Piper, gives Chekov an offer to work on disruptor research with a captured Klingon weapon. Soon, Piper confides to Chekov that he suspects one of his lab techs is an industrail spy. The confrontation turns deadly, and when both the disruptor and the plans for the cloaking device that is on the shuttle Sulu is test-flying disappear, the old Enterprise crew becomes hunted.

This is the third outing of the "Lost Years" series, following the original "Lost Years" book written by J.M. Dillard that appeared in hardcover, then "A Flag Full of Stars" cover-credited to Brad Ferguson but extensively rewritten by Dillard and very similar to the first in tone. This book changes the tone of the series in a way that is refreshing, but at the same time has some annoying problems.

Graf, actually the writing team of Julia Ecklar and Karen Rose Cercone, (L.A. Graf is reportedly an acronym for "let's all get rich and famous) writes a novel much the same as the others under this pseudonym. The focus is on Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura, the younger members of the bridge crew. Most of the action focuses on these three, with Kirk, McCoy and Scott as supporting characters. Spock, by this time deep into the study of logic on Vulcan and the Kolinahr, does not appear. The time frame appears to be getting very near to the time of the first movie, perhaps a year before that event. The primary hull, or saucer section, is on Earth for repairs while the secondary hull, or engineering section, is in orbit in drydock and figures greatly as a setting for the action.

This is a good book for getting all the characters into the act, as all six of our heroes who appear have plenty to do, even if the three youngest get most of the attention. There is also the appearance of other crew members, like Chapel, M'Benga, Rand, and more. The use of Piper is a nice touch, even if the writers are quite nasty to him.

There's a lot to gripe about here, though. The flow of the book is typical Graf work, a suspense novel that depends a lot on what is going on inside the characters' heads without a great deal of dialogue. The plots of these books vary, but the general flow is much the same. Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura, especially Chekov, get into mortal peril and must escape. Chekov takes a frightful beating and is badly hurt, and must struggle to complete the mission while in tremendous pain. Sulu does some daredevil stuff, and Uhura worries about everyone when not acting like a Pollyanna. After you read a couple of Graf novels, they become very predictable. This would be the last original series novel for a while, however. Graf would next novelize the "Voyager" series premiere, then write a couple of Deep Space Nine novels before returning to the original.

One of the problems with this novel, as well as others published under this name, is the number of improbable things that happen within it. The events do not seem to flow naturally, but instead unfold as they must to bring about the writers' plot. This is a common problem with fiction, as writers have difficulty bringing about the events they wish to present. It brings to mind the mention by Lewis Carroll of "believing six impossible things before breakfast." People act in strange ways, do strange things, all in the name of a plot. If the book is good enough, disbelief can be suspended. That's a problem here.

Ecklar and Cercone are simply not good enough writers to bring this off. This, like other books written as Graf, is not bad but not really good. The action and suspense may be enough to keep your interest, and if you like other books written by the same writers there is a good chance you will like this one. But I can't recommend it to anyone not already part of Star Trek fandom.

The Patrian Transgression by Simon Hawke (Star Trek #69, April 1994).

The Enterprise is sent on a mission to Patria as that world is considering Federation membership. In a pleasant surprise, the diplomat the Enterprise carries is an old friend of Captain Kirk's from Starfleet Academy, who has gone into the diplomatic service. The planet of Patria is peaceful, and the mission appears to be simple and straightforward.

When the ship arrives, soon it is discovered that things are anything but peaceful. A rebel faction has been protesting against the government, and now they have gotten energy weapons, beyond the Patrian technology. A capture of some weapons shows there must be a Klingon supplier. Obviously, the Klingons are trying to destabilize the government for their own ends. Now the Captain and his crew join forces with the Patrian police to track down the rebels.

However, once again it happens that things are not as they seem. Kirk is passed word that it is not the rebels who are using Klingon weapons and Spock surmises that the Patrian police have officers who are telepathic....and are authorized to shoot first and ask no questions at all, when they find someone contemplating a serious crime. I can think of some people now who would be interested in that.

Kirk, Spock and the crew of the Enterprise must uncover the truth, and find out just what the true threat is to Patrian society and to themselves. As the situation gets more and more dire, inventiveness and quick action will be required to make this mission a success.

Hawke here writes the best Star Trek novel in some time. It has a clever plot with plenty of twists and turns to hold reader interest, and reveals characters by dialogue rather than the lazy man's (or woman's) method of sitting inside a character's head for pages on end. The language level is that of a young adult novel, not terribly challenging, but the crisp dialogue and solid plot will keep the pages turning. This is a good book.

Kirk and Dr. McCoy are the featured characters, and by a clever twist it is McCoy who gets the love interest this time. Kirk, Spock and McCoy are solidly in character. Scotty is well-done as well, although the author makes the mistake of thinking Mr. Scott is happy filling the command chair, when all Trekkers know Scotty is always dying to get back to the engine room.

Sulu and Uhura get little to do here, and there isn't much play for Chekov although he gets to go on the landing party. Chekov is also referred to as the "helmsman," although he is the navigator at the TV-era time. This is an example of the few minor mistakes. A bit of better editing would have helped.

The writing is solid from Page 1 to the end. Hawke manages to turn some Star Trek conventions on their ear, and keep some going in a wink at the reader. The diplomat is a friend, but still ends up at odds with Kirk. The diplomat has a beautiful assistant...who falls for McCoy. At the end, it is Kirk's ingenuity that saves the day. It all would have made for a solid TV episode, or a decent movie. As it is, it's a good book.

This tome will be a good book for any Star Trek fan, and would also be a good read for those who are not conversant with the show. It's a good, solid story.

Firestorm by L.A. Graf (Star Trek #68, January 1994).

The Enterprise is called to the planet Rakatan, where a Federation geological team is investigating a world rife with volcanic activity. One member of the team thinks she has found evidence of a life form in the volcanoes themselves. That is the ostensible reason the Enterprise was called, but the real reason is a mining operation by a group from the planet Elas that is interfering with the volcanic research.

Kirk and crew have dealt with Elasians before, in a manner not always satisfactory. The arrogant Elasians stress their claim to the planet, and say they are mining dilithium, although the geologists doubt the existence of large dilithium deposits. While their technology is not impressive, the Elasian men are physically imposing, and the women are strong-willed and haughty. Hand-to-hand combat is inadvisable.

Since the Elasians are a strongly matriarchial culture, Uhura is chosen to be the one to head up the landing party. It is difficult for the Elasians to conceive of a man in charge. Uhura, Chekov and Sulu beam down to the planet to negotiate with the Elasians and settle the disputes between them and the geologists. That doesn't go well, but the importance of that dispute soon begins to pale beside the rumbling volcano. And when an Elasian armada shows up, to interfere with the pullout of Enterprise personnel from the planet, the exercise becomes a test of survival skills and grit.

This book is a sequel of sorts to the third-season episode "Elaan of Troyius," in which the female leader of Elas, named Elaan, was to be married to the male ruler of neighboring planet Troyius to cement a treaty between the two peoples. This became difficult because the Elasian ruler was a "barbarian" with poor manners, a trait important to the people of Troyius. When the murderous Dohlman Elas nearly killed the Troyian ambassador, Kirk stepped in for the etiquette lessons. He soon found the true power of the Elasian women was that when their tears fell on a man, he became completely subject to her will and forced to follow her orders completely.

L.A Graf is the pseudonym of the writing team of Julia Ecklar and Karen Rose Cercone. This book, like the previous two produced by this team, features Uhura and Chekov, and like the previous one features Sulu. Chekov is an obvious favorite of this writing pair, especially in his incarnation as security chief in the time period after the first movie. The setting for the novel is the often-proposed "second five-year mission" to have taken place between the first and second movies. We are five years after the first encounter with the Elasians, and the Dohlman who had enslaved Kirk with her tears has died.

While Elaan is dead, her heir is her younger sister, not yet old enough to cry the tears that will bind men to her unquestioningly. The official rule is by her aunt, the Crown Regent. Yet, Israi (the young Dohlman) has a retinue of men who swear loyalty to her, in spite of the lack of biochemical coercion. The book, like the episode, never explains if the tears are a trait common to all Elasian women, or just the royal family.

The Enterprise can easily outgun anything the Elasians have, so plot contrivances must be made to make the crew vulnerable. The magnetic currents on the planet itself, plus a late ploy involving an electromagnetic net by the Crown Regent serve to put the humans at the mercy of the much larger and stronger Elasians. Chekov plays tough guy, as "Graf" always has him do. Much of the focus of the narrative is on Chekov, with a secondary focus on Uhura. This has become the typical modus operandi for the Graf writing team. Kirk and Spock come in at the end to save the day.

Uhura gets to stand on her own here and lead, but this clever idea is not used to best effect. We find out little more about Uhura's character. The novel is mostly built around suspense, also a hallmark of Graf books. The problem is, the constant ratcheting up of the circumstances seems false. The volcano is huge, larger than Olympus Mons on Mars, and looms over all the action.

It feels a lot like we've been here before, because this book is similar in tone and theme to the other books by L.A. Graf. If you read along in the series chronologically, this book seems repetitive and derivative as it takes on the same shape as "Deathcount" and "Ice Trap." It was as though the authors said, "OK, now let's do Ice Trap but with fire instead!" The throw-in of a race previously on Star Trek is just to make the book slightly different. It doesn't work for me.

I also get the feeling the authors dislike geologists. The scientists observing the planet are obtuse, wrapped up only in what they are doing and distrustful of others, even in their own group, and are used in much the same way as "red shirts" in most Trek adventures. It is difficult to get a feeling for any of the characters as people, and they seem one-dimensional, rarely even rising to the level of two-dimensional. The characters exist simply to further the plot.

There is some suspense here, and the focus on Sulu, Uhura and Chekov instead of Kirk and Spock is often refreshing. It's just that no new ground is covered.

The Great Starship Race by Diane Carey (Star Trek #67, October 1993).

The starship Hood discovers an as-yet undiscovered alien race at the far reaches of the galaxy, the Rey. The people are very friendly, and excited to become part of the grouping of races that make up the Federation. To get into the swing of things, they decide to have a party: or, more specifically, a race, a sort of rally with spaceships and a difficult to follow course.

Things are going well, although the four StarFleet ships entered in the race must agree to be powered down to make things fair. Then, a Romulan ship shows up requesting entry into the race. To Captain Kirk's chagrin, the Romulans are allowed into the party. Now, Kirk knows the race won't be fun anymore. At first, the Romulan motives are unclear. As the race unfolds, and their sinister plan becomes apparent, Kirk must race against time and the limitations of his own ship to save a planet from destruction.

Yet another novel from Diane Carey, and by now regular readers know what they are going to get. Carey, as someone who sails for leisure, tends to emphasize the naval aspects of the Enterprise. She is very knowledgeable about the sea and always works that into the books. The idea of a race, at sea, is probably one she has been a participant in many times. The checkpoints that are hard to find are an interesting plot point, and make the race more difficult and more about sailing prowess than sheer speed.

We also get the weak points of Carey the writer here, as the plot doesn't hold up well to scrutiny, and there are great stretches where nothing happens except inside the character's heads. Think of it as a "chick book" in science fiction form. There's an awful lot of pondering, and straining, and just plain-old emotion. For the reader, there's a lot of tedium, waiting for the writer to get back to the story. The characters do not gently reveal themselves by their actions, as happens in books by good writers, but instead the prose beats us over the head with their feelings inside of their minds. Over, and over, and over again.

The idea of a friendly new race is a good one, although their "secret" is one that you will guess a page or two after they first appear. It takes everyone else a while, though. As Dr. McCoy says, "They're antelope," creatures that were first-order consumers rather than predators. Carey, no biologist, doesn't cast this exactly right either, emphasizing the skittishness of deer and other plant-eaters, and not the nobility and courage.

I am not sure why the StarFleet ships have to be physically powered down. Why can't they just agree not to go above Warp 5, and use alternate sensors for the race? Why physically alter the ships? I know, it's important to the plot. When you have to start asking questions like that, it's a bad sign. It is a problem a book can overcome, but not if there are too many other problems.

All told, the book is interesting, and has enough good points to be worth a read. But be warned ahead of time that the book is about 20% too long. What took Carey a little over 300 pages to write, would have taken another writer, say Gene DeWeese, about 225 pages. It feels padded. For a summer beach book, that may not be a bad thing.

From the Depths by Victor Milan (Star Trek #66, August 1993).

The Enterprise must cut short its shore leave on Starbase 23 to take Federation Commissioner Wayne to Okeanos, a planet with a hot climate and little land surface, to settle a dispute between two species of inhabitants. The species are engaging in rather open warfare, and one side is being egged on by the Klingons. The situation quickly gets even more complicated when a floating city is obliterated, and Captain Kirk is blamed.

Victor Milan wrote only this one Star Trek book, but he is a very prolific author under his own name, in collaboration with others particular fellow Star Trek author Robert Vardeman, and under a number of pseudonyms including Richard Austin, Robert Baron, and James Axler. His 1985 novel "The Cybernetic Samurai" won a Prometheus Award. So, this was no newcomer to the science fiction field.

Milan uses Captain Kirk as his focus character, paying some but not a lot of attention to the other Star Trek regulars as well as using Lt. Kyle. He uses a great many characters of his own creation, including the genetically modified humans of Okeanos, refugees from Earth in the era of Khan Noonian Singh, who encountered the Enterprise crew both in the original series and the second movie. Milan also ties the Klingon Kain, the main antagonist of the book, to Kirk's past. The idea of genetically engineered humans to do the bidding of Khan and his ilk is not much of a stretch, nor is their leaving Earth in search of sanctuary. A bit convenient for the plot, perhaps, but not a big stretch. Kain is more of an implant, but acceptable.

It is in the human refugees, or "vairs" (for genetic variants) as they call themselves, that Milan inserts his politics. Every writer has his or her own point of view, and Milan is a staunch libertarian, distrustful of government. So are his creations here, and of course they are right, at least in the context of the book. The transplanted humans have no central government, and each takes care of his own and works together as they wish. It makes for a society that Ayn Rand would have liked.

Politics aside, Milan creates a very interesting alien culture. The interlocking floating residences that can form a city on the surface, or submerge if attacked, are quite imaginative. The people in that society are interesting as well, and become quite involved with the Enterprise crew. It is they who are the true heart of the book.

The other main character is a government official, Commissioner Moriah Wayne. Since she is with the government, she must be bad, but this character is a bit hard to believe. That she could have achieved such a high position with so many psychological problems, just beginning with a seemingly bipolar personality disorder, is hard to believe for someone in the 23rd century. She rapidly swings back and forth from verbally abusive to desperately seeking the approval of authority figures. While many may have this problem, few rise to such power, and hopefully fewer will in a future as Utopian as the world of the Federation.

While there are some nice science fiction touches, there are also some glaring errors. There is a nicely realistic (for the most part) treatment of the differing gravities of different worlds, although it is inconsistent, at one point the planet is reported as having an atmosphere of "20% oxygen" and Dr. McCoy questions that as low. Well, it's the same as on Earth, Bones. There are other errors as well, but that is the most glaring.

So, it is a flawed book, with science errors and rampant politicking. All that can be excused, however, because this is also a rip-roaring adventure. A lot happens here, and the excitement starts in the prologue. You, the reader, may or may not be able to put aside any beliefs of the author you may not share, or suspend disbelief long enough to look past the errors in the volume. If you can, you will read an enjoyable adventure yarn. Recommended for thrill-seekers and libertarians especially.

Shadows on the Sun by Michael Jan Friedman. (Star Trek hardcover, 1993)

Following the events of the movie Star Trek VI, the Enterprise is heading home for ship and crew to be retired. A message comes in, sending the fabled group on one last mission. On the planet Ssani, hostilities have broken out. The cult of assassins, long official but now illegal, has decided to fight back, and is killing off the leaders of society. The Enterprise is sent to negotiate a settlement, because Dr. McCoy served there briefly during his residency, during the first war, and is familiar with the situation.

To help, a pair of Federation negotiators are added to the crew. It just happens that they are Dr. McCoy's ex-wife Jocelyn and her husband. When a beamdown meeting goes badly and Jocelyn along with Captain Kirk are captured by the assassins, McCoy risks everything to save them, because he may be the only one who can.

The book is divided into three parts: "McCoy," which provides the setup to the saga and background information, "Ssan," which tells the story of McCoy's previous time on Ssan, and "Jocelyn," which gives the story's resolution. It manages to weave the "present" and the past, to give the whole tale and shed light on the life of one Dr. Leonard McCoy.

On the TV show, we were given some hints to McCoy's past, but not many. One episode was supposed to have been titled "Joanna" and featured McCoy's long-lost daughter from whom he had been separated by the divorce, but the script was changed. Still, fans have taken that bit of information and made it part of the tapestry of the series. It has helped to add depth to the doctor's character. He often seems to hate space, but we understand that it was the pain of his divorce that drove him to the stars. It has happened many times before.

Friedman is a competent writer, and he writes to his strengths here. He is best at writing conversation, character interaction. Much of the book is told in that way, as people chat among themselves. There is plot, but the focus is on the characters. Many things happen in the course of this book, but we are given a chance to care about the people to whom they happen.

One of Friedman's weaknesses, however, is giving true depth to his characters. He is able to create recognizable people, but not to make them truly three-dimensional. McCoy never emerges as a whole person, only one consumed by his work. Perhaps that is all there is to him, but when Kirk says, "he doesn't really have any hobbies," it seems very sad and odd. Certainly none were really revealed during the TV show, but couldn't "research" have been part of it? We are often told that McCoy was a force in StarFleet Medical, and he spent a lot of time on the show researching this virus or that disease.

There's really not a lot about anyone else. We learn the story behind McCoy's failed marriage, and it is a sad and all-too-common one, but there's not that much there. Everyone pretty much reacts to McCoy here. That's fine, as the book is supposed to focus on the doctor, but he doesn't come off as well as he should.

It's a good book, for a character study of Dr. McCoy, but I prefer Diane Duane's "Doctor's Orders" for the same purpose. Not bad, could have been better.

Windows on a Lost World by V.E. Mitchell (Star Trek #65, June 1993).

The Enterprise takes an archaeological team to the planet Careta IV, where signs of an ancient civilization have been found. The site promises to be a big find, and excites the scientists with the scope of the ruins. Soon a puzzle develops. Areas of the planet are resistant to scans, and scans from orbit are different from tricorder readings taken on the ground. A shielded area is found, and when unearthed contains a large artifact that looks oddly like a window (hence the name of the book). It is when people go through the odd devices and disappear that confusion starts.

The crew and scientists are apparently gone, but new crab-like creatures have appeared on other parts of the planet. When Spock discovers that these creatures have the same mass as the missing people, work begins to find a way to recover the changed humanoids.

Mitchell writes her second original series novel here, after a poor debut on #51, "Enemy Unseen." That was a poorly written effort, and things have improved here on the newer book. But there are still holes. Spock is also used this time, after being written out of the earlier book, as he and Kirk get most of the attention.

There is an attempt to use "real science" here, especially regarding archaeology, and with references to the physics of motion. However, some very important physics is not used, the science of scaling. To size creatures built like crabs up to the mass of humans would not create creatures that are people-sized but scuttle about like crabs, but would instead be beings that could not move due to their own weight. Higher mass requires sturdier support, which is why giant-sized insects are not real. As strength doubles, weight quadruples, until the creature collapses under its own mass. Elephants have those large, thick feet for a reason. If you were a crab, walking on pincers would be impossible.

The other point which becomes difficult to manage suspension of disbelief is when the alien device converts humanoids into the aliens, because it does not accept that thinking creatures could be any besides its own species. So if any creature wandered into the device by mistake, it would be converted into a crabby patty? Seems unlikely. Yet we have to accept that to make the story work. It's a bit too much.

There are things to like here. The look into a very alien race, extremely xenophobic, patterned after the Aztecs, is interesting. The usage of contentious scientists is a relief from the usual maniacal officials. And putting Captain Kirk into a difficult situation makes for good drama. But these touches are buried under mediocre writing. Mitchell still has not learned to tie the threads of her story together. The craft of writing seems to elude her.

There is some good stuff here, but not enough that I feel good about recommending this book.

The Starship Trap by Mel Gilden (Star Trek #64, April 1993).

The Enterprise crew is enjoying shore leave at Starbase 23 when called out on a mission. The reason for the mission galls Captain Kirk: they are ferrying a member of the Federation Council from one location to another. Annoying at having crew R&R interrupted for a stint as a cruise liner, Kirk is then surprised when a Klingon ship arrives to accuse the Federation of attacking Klingon vessels, and more surprised when Councilor Kent intimates that he knows something about the disappearence of the ships.

At their destination, Starbase 12, Kirk is ordered to take the Enterprise to investigate the disappearence of ships, which turns out to be not just Klingons, but Federation ships as well as Romulans. He is also ordered to take along Kent's aide, Helen Payton, as an observer. Kent is anti-Starfleet, and these moves are aimed at appeasing him. The first stop is to Professor Omen, noted weapons developer.

Omen turns out to know more than he lets on, and the encounter sends Kirk and the Enterprise crew on a strange journey that requires all their resources just to survive the experience, let alone triumph over a powerful adversary. And all the while, Payton records the events, watching for a fatal slip-up.

Mel Gilden is a fairly prolific author of youth-oriented fiction, especially science fiction. He also wrote a Next Generation novel, as well as a couple of kid-themed Deep Space Nine books. Gilden has also written many other books and short stories. He has an extensive publishing history.

In this book, Gilden chooses to write from the viewpoint of Captain Kirk. We see all the action from Kirk's perspective, and are privy to the thoughts inside his head. This is an interesting choice, as Kirk is the most-explored character in the original Star Trek universe, and only Spock comes close. There is little new territory to mine here, but as an author used to writing for a young audience, Gilden is used to focusing on the story's main character with a tight beam. Kirk is certainly the main character here, with a tightness that would make William Shatner proud.

There is an art mistake on the book's cover. Kirk and Payton are pictured, but Payton is drawn in an Enterprise uniform although she is not of StarFleet. As a civilian, she would not be wearing the uniform. She is pictured with the "enhancement chip" that she uses for recording, although it appears larger in the picture than the text seems to indicate. This may simply be a matter of perspective.

In an interesting twist, Kirk is presented with a beautiful woman on board who is renedered unreachable, as Payton is involved with Commodore Fevere of Starbase 12. Thus our lecherous Captain must deal with a woman on a person-to-person basis, something rarely seen during the TV series, or the movies for that matter. It makes for an odd dynamic in the story, but provides a different sort of dramatic tension.

The characters are generally well-handled. Kirk is always the toughest to bring out, and his POV status gives him center stage at all times. This is done with mixed results, but the outcome is not bad. Of the others, only Spock and Dr. McCoy get a lot of time "on stage," and they are competently handled. Their function as Kirk's "Greek chorus" is utilized here.

It is the original characters of Payton, Omen and Kent that carry much of the plot, and by design must fade from view afterwards. Gilden does an interesting job here of feinting with the official (Kent) as villain, then removing him from the stage for most of the action. Thus a Star Trek cliche' is largely avoided, though not completely. However, the return to the Starbase at the end provides a long coda to the story, extending it well past the climax. That is a questionable dramatic decision. One must also question the staging of much of the novel inside Kirk's head, as it makes for slow story development at times.

All in all, not bad, and certainly readable by even younger readers. However, the writing style is simply not good or distinctive enough to make this book stand out. It's OK, nothing more.

Shell Game by Melissa Crandall (Star Trek #63, February 1993)

Near the Romulan Neutral Zone, the Enterprise encounters a large object moving on impulse power, no life signs aboard. Further investigation reveals it to be a Romulan space station, the first of its kind, and apparently empty. New regulations discourage captains from leading landing parties, to Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Lt. Chekov, and three security guards beam over to take a look. Soon, the power of the landing party's gear and the starship begin to wane, and the explorers start to see little hints of movement in their peripheral vision. They must find the cause of the power drain before it takes their lives.

Set between Star Trek original movies I and II, with Chekov as Security Chief but in the semi-formal red uniforms, this is something of a Star Trek ghost story. An eerie space station with minimal power and long empty corridors, where eventually dead bodies, dead Romulan bodies, are found evokes spookiness. Crandall uses this to some effect, but about 3/4 of the way through when she does the "reveal" of the cause (which has already been telegraphed several pages before) the book becomes a race against the clock. This is stressed even more when a Romulan ship shows up a couple of chapters later to amp up the tension. The theme is therefore lost.

The plot itself is not bad, though it is also not particularly noteworthy. A Romulan space station is an interesting idea, and an abandoned site does make for a moody setting for a story. Crandall doesn't do that much with the idea, at least not as much as a superior writer might have. There are a number of editing problems, such as nagging misspellings, and a paragraph that gets repeated in the middle of the book. Details, but bothersome details.

Crandall makes a decent enough first effort, but this was apparently her only ST novel. She wrote a couple of other licensed product books, for Earth 2 and Quantum Leap, but seems to have little other output. She may have written under another name, and Melissa Linbacher/Limbacher is listed as an alternate name for her at amazon.com for some reason, but I dont' really know.

The title is a curiousity as well. I have no idea what a "Shell Game" has to do with the plot of this book. Perhaps I am being obtuse, but I see no relationship here. At any rate, I'll listen to one of Scotty's ghost stories anytime, but Crandall's need a little work.

Death Count by L.A. Graf (Star Trek #62, November 1992).

Andorian scientist Muav Haslev has disappeared, and tensions are high between the Andorians and the Orions, suspected in his absence. War between the societies looms, and the Enterprise is in the middle of it. First, an incident on a space station involves Lt. Chekov. Then, shore leave is cut short as the ship and its crew are ordered to the Orion/Andorian border. When sabotage and deaths begin happening on the ship, it becomes apparent that an unwelcome passenger has made his way onto the Enterprise.

Julia Ecklar and Karen Cercone, writing under the pseudonym L.A. Graf, have written a solid novel here. Most novel outings, like the TV series and movies, center on Kirk, Spock and McCoy. This book features Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura, with the others in a supporting role, and is timely after the previous work that did just the opposite. Lots of plot and not much characterization here, as we mostly cover previously shown character traits.

Uhura is on-stage but not really given a lot to do other than be a supportive friend. Sulu's short attention span, boundless energy, and peerless piloting skills are all given play. But it is truly Chekov that one or both of the writing team likes, and the more mature version of security chief at the time period of the original Star Trek movie, rather than the young mop-haired navigator of TV fame.

The plot is involving. An Andorian scientist doing research in areas of weaponry, denied funding on Andor, is missing and reportedly is working for the Orions. This is the first depiction (as far as I know, there may be fan fiction) of Orions beyond pirates and slave girls. This book shows an Orion Empire with a functioning, if martial, government. It is actually refreshing to have Orions used rather than Klingons, the race that would normally be used in such an instance. A bit too much is made, however, of the home planet having "two Earth gravities," making the Orions much stronger than humans. That in itself is not such a bad thing, but the double gravity would make for gerat differences in structure, more than are shown here. The gravity would also affect the women as well as the men, and so the lithe and lithsome slave girls would actually be quite stocky and not as appealing to the average human. A difference of, say, 25% in gravity would be more realistic. Of course, these are the quibbles of a physicist.

The plot is quite involving, with hidden identities, unexplained power surgers, and lots of action. There is a somewhat misguided subplot with a group of "Federation auditors," of the same ilk of paper-pushers that have often bedeviled Captain Kirk, but this time they serve a plot purpose as fodder for the title death count. It's not easy to feel sorry for an unfeeling, pushy auditor who buys the farm, though.

The writing style here, as with other Graf books, is competent though not inspiring. The characterizations are thin but there is lots of plot and action, even if some of it is implausible. As has been shown recently, implausible plots and thin writing are not a barrier to writing a bestseller. It's not great literature, but it is involving and the excitement will keep the pages turning.

Best Destiny by Diane Carey, Star Trek Hardcover #5, 1992.

Captain James T. Kirk is preparing to retire, following the events of Star Trek VI. So is most of the rest of the crew, willingly or not. A tragic event on the planet Faramond leads Kirk to recall a previous trip to Faramond, when he was a teenager. A bitter, troubled, sixteen year old Jim Kirk went on a trip to Faramond with his father on the original starship Enterprise, with the original crew including legendary Captain Robert April. Only that trip didn't go quite as planned, either.

As a few of the crew, including Captain April, Commander George Kirk, and young Jim Kirk, take a Starfleet "cutter" (in pre-shuttlecraft days) to look at a spectacular trinary star on the way to Faramond, they are waylaid by a group of pirates who emerge from the magnetic field of the star and take ships by surprise, then pillage them. But they haven't reckoned with the guts and smarts of a highly trained crew, nor a particularly resourceful teenager.

Carey's novel, the first after a four-year layoff while she and co-plotter/husband Gregory Brodeur worked on a trilogy of American Civil War historical novels, is a look at the history of James T. Kirk and how he came to be who he is. A comparison is made in the foreword, and hinted at through the novel, of Kirk being much like Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant. Grant was a failure at nearly everything he tried, except being a commander of men and armies. This novel tries to take the same tack with Kirk.

Also a sequel of sorts to "Final Frontier," Carey's earlier novel about the first voyage of the starship Enterprise with the original crew, including Captain Robert April, who was in the first drafts of the TV series material by Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry eventually changed the name of his captain to Christopher Pike, then after the first pilot didn't sell he named the man James T. Kirk. Pike was used later in the series, but April was not, although the character surfaced in the animated series of the 1970s. April has always been taken by fans to be the original captain of the Enterprise.

April returns along with helmsman Carlos Florida, security man Drake Reed, and George Kirk himself, although Kirk is not April's first officer in this story as he was in the first one. However, for the voyage, April puts Kirk in command of the cutter, and this is where credulity begins to be stretched. The captain putting someone else in command of a flight, when he is right there? Possible, I suppose, but not practical. It would thoroughly confuse the command structure, as it does at one plot point, so I suppose that was why. But it's a cheap story gimmick, and doesn't add anything to the story.

Captain April was used to much greater effect in the previous book. Here, he does little more than spout platitudes. I'd still like to see a book where April is used well, instead of delegating his authority to someone else. Just why is the guy a captain, anyway? Carey tells us about it, but she doesn't use any of her 400 pages here showing us why Robert April is a great captain.

That Kirk could have had a misspent youth is not a great stretch, although my own imagination has always had it a bit differently. I can stretch it to include this plot, but in fact there is not much plot here. This is often a problem with Carey's books, that there is a seed of a plot, then lots of soul-searching and characters telling each other about their feelings. It is a commonly used technique in soap operas, and can be used well in the theater, but it gets tedious in this long hardcover form. I was struggling to get through to the end of the book, rather than excited to keep turning the pages as one should be in a suspenseful tome.

This was a low period for Star Trek novels, with the Next Generation series in full bloom and Deep Space 9 on the way, and corporate attention striking down nearly all threads of creativity in the companion properties. This one is certainly not a good example of the genre. It's not really a bad book, but it's certainly not of good quality.

Sanctuary by John Vornholt (Star Trek #61, September 1992).

The Enterprise is pursuing the pirate Auk Rex, fleeing in a small but fast ship just able to keep ahead of the starship. Unable to shake the larger craft, the pirate heads for an uncharted region of space. It is rumored to be the location of the planet Sanctuary, supposed place of safety for the fleeing. The smaller craft can travel to the planet's surface, so Kirk, Spock and McCoy take a shuttlecraft to follow the pirate to the ground.

Once on the planet, Kirk and company find that Sanctuary makes a very effective prison...no one is ever, ever allowed to leave. That includes those that want to leave, so the Federation crew is effectively stuck, as a defensive screen prevents them from flying out, or Scotty from beaming them up or even communicating with them. It is up to Kirk, Spock and McCoy to find a way out, or spend the rest of their lives on their new home.

John Vornholt writes his first original series Star Trek novel here, after a couple cracks at the Next Generation crew. It's not a bad story, pretty interesting, playing a lot like some of the later TV episodes with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy down on a planet for almost the whole time, and little focus on the ship aside from a few scenes on Scotty's troubles with keeping the Enterprise there long enough to rescue the lost crew, wangling with the bounty hunters in orbit there, and trying to find a solution.

But this book, like so many TV episodes, is about the Big Three. The characters are handled reasonably well, but we get nothing new here. The story has no real depth to it. The most interesting aspect is the planet itself and its keeper, the Senites. An androgynous race, their method of procreation is a mystery until the heroes stumble onto it and become quite horrified. The situation provides the needed impetus to inspire the escape by a quite primitive means. It's quite ingenious, actually, and is the second most interesting part of the book.

Vornholt has been quite a prolific author, mostly for licensed books. He has written a number of Next Generation novels, as well as Babylon 5, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Dinotopia (no, really, Dinotopia). Vornholt also wrote other kid-oriented fare such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Spider-Man books. He wrote the adaptations for the Next Generation cast movies. He wrote just one other ST original series book, #82, Mind Meld.

The story is something of a romp, an excuse to put the characters through their paces. There is no special style here, nothing to make the book stand out. A couple of good ideas here, but generally this is just a time-passer, a book to read if you like the genre and have some time to kill, as it could be had cheaply. Get it from the library.

Ice Trap by L.A. Graf (Star Trek #60, July 1992).

The Enterprise is called to Nordstral, an icy planet with a friendly native population and rich ocean life that is being harvested by a pharmaceutical corporation for its medicinal properties. But the planet is now wracked by strong magnetic storms and icequakes, and help is needed to find a stranded rescue team.

Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy take to a submarine to investigate underwater the causes of an odd mental illness befalling the human workers, while Lt. Cmdr. Uhura and Lt. Chekov patrol the ice sheet to find the missing rescue team. Both teams get into far, far more than they bargained for, as conditions rapidly worsen. McCoy experiences the mental illness close-up, while Uhura and Chekov find that not all the natives are friendly.

The writing team that is L.A. Graf would write a succession of the next few Original Series novels, following this one with #62, 68 and 70. Julia Ecklar and Karen Rose Cercone teamed for the first time on this book, and would go on to write a number of other books for the Star Trek universe as well as other science fiction series. Ecklar had previously published a solo effort as ST #47, "The Kobayashi Maru." Ecklar is an accomplished singer and songwriter, mostly in the realm of "filksongs," science-fiction type folk music. Cercone is also a writer of American historical fiction.

This book is written as a suspense novel, with the stakes continually raised in peril for the main characters. We feature four here, as Spock, Scott and Sulu remain on the ship but form the rescue party at the close of the book. Spock, logically, stays aboard the ship rather than go down to an ice planet since he is from a desert world. A lot more reasonable than his adventure on Zarabeth's planet in the TV episode.

Our authors maintain a feeling of desperation and tension throughout the book. The styling is reminiscent of the contemporary TV series "24" as time is the enemy, and the situation continues to get worse and worse until it is finally resolved. Kirk and McCoy face danger under the sea, and aboard ship as a madman tries to kill McCoy. Uhura and Chekov are chased by a native determined to rid this world of humans. Madness is a common theme in the book.

If you like the action and suspense of "24" and the like, you will probably like this book. I find such writing and film work tedious, and far too wearing. I did not like the book, but fans of the genre very well might. The writing style is neither exceptional nor poor, but there is little in the way of characterization here, and plot is mostly sacrificed for tension. The best character bits are McCoy's, and we see a bit of how he views his Captain and friend. Chekov gets lots of attention here, mostly as a worry-wart, but Uhura is not well used and that is disappointing with two female authors. You would think the only female main character would get better use.

It's not great, it's not bad. I am middle of the road here.

Probe, nee' Music of the Spheres, by Margaret Wander Bonanno (and J.M. Dillard, and Gene DeWeese), 1992.

The powerful probe that threatened the Earth in Star Trek IV is back, and it is again up to the Enterprise to fend it off. All this, just when it seemed the Romulan Empire was ready to negotiate peace, after the death of the Praetor led to a leadership shakeup. A meeting in the Neutral Zone coupled with a joint archaeological venture at the same site had raised hopes, but obstinancy by the Romulan diplomat had seemed to scuttle all hopes, even before the probe returned. And now, that power threatens everyone.

This is one of the most star-crossed books ever published in the Star Trek universe. It started life as "Music of the Spheres," a novel written by Margaret Wander Bonanno that was to be another hardcover book in the Star Trek line. Bonanno wrote a novel that incorporated the probe from the then-recent movie, music in the Star Trek universe, a Romulan peace initiative, and her characters from an earlier novel, "Dwellers in the Crucible," which was an attempt to examine a Kirk-Spock relationship between two female characters. Cleante al-Faisal and T'Shael, the stars of the earlier book, were main characters here: al-Faisal as an archaelogist leading the Federation team, and T'Shael as a translator for the negotiations.

By this time, however, Paramount and Pocket books had decided that the little industry of ST books must stay beholden to the video franchise, and not use much in the way of non-canonical characters, and definitely never reuse characters from novel to novel. Certainly such characters should not be used in lead roles.

According to Bonanno, there were also objections raised to the length of her title (essentially the same as that of her earlier best-seller) and other things. The former kibosh on identifying things as sequels, however, no longer seemed to be a concern, as her book was billed from the beginning as a sequel to ST IV. Bonanno attempted rewrites, but could never come up with a version acceptable to officials. The manuscript was passed in time to writer Jeanne Dillard for rewrites, then finally to Gene DeWeese for the same purpose. Bonanno estimates that of her original, seven per cent remained. Cleante and T'Shael were combined into one new female character (which was a bit unwieldy) and situations and some character names were changed.

The resulting novel is still a pretty good book, but the execution is clumsy. There are changes in writing style, sometimes from page to page. The plot, which essentially survives, flows reasonably well but goes by fits and starts. The book as published has a poor flow. Bonanno offered to do a final rewrite, but the book had already been delayed twice and a decision was made to publish it as it stood. Another rewrite by the original author may have helped, or may have just made it even more jumbled.

Thankfully, we can read how the book was originally written. Bonanno has posted a link to a zip file of the original manuscript on her website: http://www.margaretwanderbonanno.com/bio.htm

You can download the book from there, and read for yourself.

The Disinherited by Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman and Bob Greenberger (Star Trek #59, May 1992).

Uhura is sent on a mission with another starship to contact an alien race with a different way of communication, and the Enterprise is called to investigate attacks on colonies that have caused heavy losses of life and property. The incidents are near the Gorn territories, but no connection has been found. When the attackers strike again, the Enterprise must confront a smaller, more maneuverable foe that can strike quickly and cause heavy damage.

This tome by a trio of writers at times shows the effects of too many hands (abrupt scene changes, first Commodore Wesley is on the ship, then all of a sudden he's on the planet) but since all three are good writers with a strong background in Star Trek, the book works very well. David's often-humorous approach, Friedman's straight-ahead storytelling, and Greenberger's encyclopedic knowledge of the source material blend together to make a book that if not seamless, is certainly entertaining.

Uhura gets a chance to shine in another environment, using her communication skills to interpret the wishes of an alien race. It is a role that would be filled by Couselor Troi on Next Generation, but this story show that Uhura would have worked well in the role if the original series' stories had been written that way. Uhura is also able to uncover the key fact that links the stories together, and reveals the truth behind the identities of the raiders.

The story also features the early days of Chekov aboard the Enterprise, to excellent effect. Some other stories have had Chekov on board since the beginning of the five-year mission, simply behind the scenes when we do not see him during the first season. The coming-aboard after his Academy graduation is much more sensible, and makes for a good story as he must fit in with his new shipmates.

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, and Sulu also get good moments here. The book was clearly written to feature Uhura and Chekov, but not to slight the other characters. That goal is accomplished with strong character bits for all, from Sulu's enthusiasm to McCoy's curmudgeon exterior, to Spock's always logical input. As always, Captain Kirk is the glue that holds it all together. It's a story that works on many levels.

For the first few chapters, the switch between scenes (and writers) is a bit stiff, but becomes much smoother as the book continues.

This book is a real page-turner, and it can be enjoyed by a variety of readers.

Faces of Fire by Michael Jan Friedman (Star Trek #58)

The Enterprise is called to Alpha Malurian Six to stem the tide leading to civil war there, and ferries Ambassador Farquhar there to work with the two contentious sides. Before that, however, Kirk stops by terraforming colony Beta Canzandia Three, as the small group there needs physicals and resupply. The Ambassador fights the Captain's decision.

Since a key piece of equipment is not performing as expected, Mr. Spock stays behind at the colony and the rest of the crew go on to the diplomatic assignment. The ship hasn't been gone very long when a Klingon vessel arrives and takes the colonists prisoner. Left uncaptured are Spock, and the children of the colony.

At the Malurian world, the situation has worsened and bloodshed seems imminent. Kirk and Scotty go undercover to find out the causes of the dispute, and Kirk comes up with an ingenious solution to the problem. Getting back to the colony, the crew finds Klingons preparing to leave the planet, and the aftermath of their visit. Spock, with help from the children, has thwarted the Klingons, but a price has been paid.

Fire is a recurring theme in this book, from the Klingon proverb that provides the title, to the tests the characters undergo, to the blaze that marks the story's climax, or actually just after the climax. Author Friedman uses the theme without beating it to death, a deft accomplishment by a now-veteran storyteller. Friedman's stories are often a bit stiff, his characters somewhat formulaic, but those shortcomings are minor and in the background here. The story and writing are well-handled.

The biggest hook of the story is the status of "prequel" to the Star Trek II-IV movie arc. Friedman introduces Dr. Carol Marcus as a colonist and botanist of the terraformers, a precursor to her "Genesis effect" creation in Star Trek II. Also introduced is her son David, here 10, who is also Kirk's son although he doesn't know it. We also see the Klingon Kruge, the main villain of Star Trek III played by Christopher Lloyd.

We get a nice introduction to these characters in the Star Trek canon, but also a continuity glitch: David's existence is revealed here to McCoy, Spock, and finally Kirk, although none of them appear to have any knowledge of it when he appears in the movie. It would have made some sense for Spock to find out, and maybe even McCoy, but to have Kirk know stretches credulity for the movie reaction, even given William Shatner's penchant for overacting and the ten-year gap in the timeline between meetings.

For all that, it's a good story, and a page-turner to read. This one is mostly for fans of the Star Trek series or movies, but it could be an entertaining read for general science fiction fans.