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.