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Reviewer : KTasay
Ave Rating : 3.0000 for 76 reviews
Title : Deep Domain Rating : 3
Writers : Howard Weinstein Year : 1987
Review : Decent story, but plot was thin. I could pretty much guess what was going to happen throughout. Just why the main race (Akkalla) was listed as a UFP Member remained a big question as they hadn't even managed to reach the technology level of basic spaceflight. But dealing with saving an ecology gives it a boost in my list, so 3 out of 5.
Title : Demons Rating : 4
Writers : J.M. Dillard Year : 1986
Review : Good characterizations, decent plot.
Title : Rules of Engagement Rating : 4
Writers : Peter Morwood Year : 1990
Review : Another 'Klingon wanting revenge against Kirk' plot. Better than many, but not up to Kahn's level.
Title : Star Trek Concordance Rating : 5
Writers : Bjo Trimble Year : 1976
Review : One of the best reference books for the early years of Star Trek!
Title : Black Fire Rating : 4
Writers : Sonni Cooper Year : 1983
Review : Nice read. Perhaps the Alternate Universe Spock leaked through on this one?
Title : Crisis on Centaurus Rating : 4
Writers : Brad Ferguson Year : 1986
Review : Nice insight on a rarely-used Federation Member world. Some great use of technology also - antimatter as a terrorist weapon.
Title : Star Trek Star Charts: The Complete Atlas of Star Trek Rating : 5
Writers : Geoffrey Mandel Year : 2002
Review : Excellent reference! Although not perfect in placement of some stars, it is without doubt the best to date. Planet classes and galactic coordinate descriptions alone make it a good resource to have.
Title : Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Rating : 4
Writers : Vonda N. McIntyre Year : 1982
Review : Excellent adaptation of the movie. Follows very accurately with numerous character-specific insights on the side.
Title : Star Trek: The Motion Picture Rating : 5
Writers : Gene Roddenberry Year : 1979
Review : As it was written by Gene it follows the movie very well! As with all books however it adds an extra layer of detail that could not be portrayed on film - descriptions of V'Ger for example.
Title : The Computers of Star Trek Rating : 4
Writers : Lois Gresh, Robert Weinberg Year : 1999
Review : Very technical, but still written in a way that most can comprehend it.
Title : The Prometheus Design Rating : 0
Writers : Myrna Culbreath, Sondra Marshak Year : 1982
Review : Yes it is dark, but I panned it for reasons of characterization. It has Vulcans acting emotionally - even if it is supposedly under alien influence. All-knowing, and all-powerful extra-galactic aliens treating everyone else as experimental animals. In short, read a book about Q - it's far more entertaining.
Title : Timetrap Rating : 3
Writers : David Dvorkin Year : 1988
Review : Decent book if you like temporal themes.
Title : The Klingon Gambit Rating : 2
Writers : Robert E. Vardeman Year : 1981
Review : Overall a bit predictable, but a decent plot. In a rather unique twist Kirk figures out the problem facing the Enterprise before Spock.
Title : The Covenant of the Crown Rating : 3
Writers : Howard Weinstein Year : 1981
Review : Very nice book. No real space battles or serious fighting for a change, just a nice plot about returning a planet's royalty to end a civil war.
Title : The Rift Rating : 4
Writers : Peter David Year : 1991
Review : Rather humerous in parts, very nice surprise at the end.
Title : Yesterday's Son Rating : 4
Writers : A.C. Crispin Year : 1983
Review : A decent book overall. Spock and Kirk use the Guardian of Forever to recover Spock's newly discovered, long-lost son. Troubles come about as he tries to fit in with the crew, and with a flawed ideal of what his father was like.
Title : The Wounded Sky Rating : 1
Writers : Diane Duane Year : 1983
Review : Normally I like The Duane novels, but this one was terrible. Characterizations weren't bad overall - other than adding a large number of new alien UFP races which only added to the confusing plot. The story itself was very technical and hard to follow with numerous "dream-like" sequences, ending in an inane climax.
Title : Mutiny on the Enterprise Rating : 1
Writers : Robert E. Vardeman Year : 1983
Review : Poor characterization, weak plot. Give this one a miss.
Title : Web of the Romulans Rating : 4
Writers : M.S. Murdock Year : 1983
Review : A good read. Characterizations are fairly accurate, plot is decent. Gives some good insight to the Romulan Empire.
Title : Triangle Rating : 0
Writers : Myrna Culbreath, Sondra Marshak Year : 1983
Review : One of the worst Trek books I've ever had the misfortune to read. A sappy soap opera or romance novel in Trek format. If you like Romance novels you may like it, but otherwise skip this one.
Title : The Abode of Life Rating : 5
Writers : Lee Correy Year : 1982
Review : Excellent book! No major battles, but a super example of First Contact.
Title : The Entropy Effect Rating : 3
Writers : Vonda N. McIntyre Year : 1981
Review : Yet again the Enterprise saves the Universe from distructin. Plot holds interest better than many others of similar nature, characterizations are good, not too technical.
Title : The Trellisane Confrontation Rating : 3
Writers : David Dvorkin Year : 1984
Review : Kirk doesn't save the day single-handedly for a change! This book has two loosely related plots: the primary one with the Klingons trying to start a war between neighboring planets, and the other where the Enterprise is taken over by criminals. Characterizations are pretty true to form, a few issues on the 'technical' side, but overall a good read.
Title : The Final Reflection Rating : 5
Writers : John M. Ford Year : 1984
Review : Excellent book. Of of the best I've read so far. Sheds new insights on the Klingons giving an early indication to the alliance that would occur by the TNG era.
Title : Mindshadow Rating : 3
Writers : J.M. Dillard Year : 1986
Review : Overall not bad. Yet another Romulan Plot to take over a planet, Spock finds out the answer, but is injured before he can reveal the truth. He must then recover his memory to save the planet before the Romulans finish.
Title : Uhura's Song Rating : 4
Writers : Janet Kagan Year : 1985
Review : Very nice story. A peaceful species is being threatened, Uhura and a noted Federation musician use music to communicate with them.
Title : Uhura's Song Rating : 4
Writers : Janet Kagan Year : 1985
Review : Wrong review above... An alien race is dying from an unknown disease, and it threatens to spread to others in the UFP! Uhura must use clues from a friend's music to find the cure.
Title : The Vulcan Academy Murders Rating : 3
Writers : Jean Lorrah Year : 1984
Review : A tale of jealousy and murder - on Vulcan?! Nice plot, but a bit transparent.
Title : Corona Rating : 2
Writers : Greg Bear Year : 1984
Review : Alien takeover... rather dark, but overall not too bad.
Title : Ishmael Rating : 4
Writers : Barbara Hambly Year : 1985
Review : Very decent story. Spock, with amnesia; is trapped in Earth's past and must foil a Klingon plot.
Title : The Entropy Effect Rating : 3
Writers : Vonda McIntyre Year : 2006
Review : (re-print of the original book) Yet again the Enterprise saves the Universe from distruction. Plot holds interest better than many others of similar nature, characterizations are good, not too technical.
Title : Killing Time Rating : 2
Writers : Della Van Hise Year : 1985
Review : Romulan plot involving time travel. Spock is now Captain, and Kirk is a mere Ensign. Overall not bad, if a bit predictable at times.
Title : Dwellers in the Crucible Rating : 4
Writers : Margaret Wander Bonanno Year : 1985
Review : Yet another Romulan plot to cause political dissent within the Federation. Decent characterization, interesting story, overall pretty good read.
Title : Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Rating : 3
Writers : Vonda N. McIntyre Year : 1984
Review : Follows the movie fairly well, and adds in a few interesting details about Savvik.
Title : Rihannsu Book 1 : My Enemy, My Ally Rating : 5
Writers : Diane Duane Year : 1984
Review : Excellent book. Romulans working together with the Federation to prevent war for a change. Very good characterizations!
Title : The Tears of the Singers Rating : 4
Writers : Melinda Snodgrass Year : 1984
Review : Excellent book. Uhura uses music to save an intelligent species.
Title : Shadow Lord Rating : 4
Writers : Laurence Yep Year : 1985
Review : Good book! Somewhat primitive culture struggling to improve, but factions start a civil war to prevent it. Fairly accurate characterizations.
Title : Pawns and Symbols Rating : 4
Writers : Majliss Larson Year : 1985
Review : Decent story around the Klingon Empire. Some elements don't quite fit with other established Klingon histories, but taken on it's own (perhaps as an alternate history) it is a pretty good read.
Title : Dreadnought! Rating : 4
Writers : Diane Carey Year : 1986
Review : Very good story from the first person perspective of a Command trainee thrust into the middle of a coup. In many ways her tale parallels characters on the Enterprise which made this tale even more interesting.
Title : Battlestations! Rating : 2
Writers : Diane Carey Year : 1986
Review : A half-effective continuation of "Dreadnought". The plot itself is truly implausible, but the characterizations of the characters was done fairly well (even if they would fail a Mary Sue litmus test).
Title : Chain of Attack Rating : 2
Writers : Gene DeWeese Year : 1987
Review : The Enterprise gets transported by an unexplained 'gate' to a completely different galaxy (or part of our galaxy - it isn't really clear), where they help stop a centuries-old war. But then the warring parties turn on the Enterprise. Not too bad of a story, but it had very weak points when dealing with basic astrophysics and Treknology.
Title : Dreams of the Raven Rating : 1
Writers : Carmen Carter Year : 1987
Review : Just how much damage can a ship take and still remain spaceworthy? Even Scotty's remarkable skills are taxed beyond limits in this book. There is also a serious technical fault in having the ship limp back to base at impulse (a trip which took a few hours at warp took only over a week by impulse??!!?? Does the author even know how fast Warp Speed is?) All in all, barring the technical errors the plot was OK.
Title : Rihannsu Book 2 : The Romulan Way Rating : 3
Writers : Diane Duane, Peter Morwood Year : 1987
Review : One part history of the Romulan/Vulcan schism, and the other a decent story involving McCoy as a prisoner on Romulus. The McCoy plot is a bit thin with several weak areas, and the History has a lot of depth. Overall it was a very good read.
Title : How Much for Just the Planet? Rating : 1
Writers : John M. Ford Year : 1987
Review : A rather weak attempt at Trek humor. Very poor characterizations.
Title : Bloodthirst Rating : 1
Writers : J.M. Dillard Year : 1987
Review : A poor attempt at a vampire thriller using Trek for it's setting. Characterizations were not very good, and the plot contained a lot of very weak sections.
Title : The IDIC Epidemic Rating : 2
Writers : Jean Lorrah Year : 1988
Review : Better than some, but worse than others. Some characterizations were off, as were some elements of 'treknology'. The concept for the book was ok, but it was carried off rather thin; there are several plot holes and inconsistencies.
Title : Vulcan's Glory Rating : 3
Writers : D.C. Fontana Year : 1989
Review : Murder/mystery involving Spock's first assignment on the Enterprise. A few nice surprises, and sideline with a young (and talented) Lt. Scott getting into trouble. Decent story. There were a few items that didn't quite fit too well (including the antagonist's history), but overall it held my interest.
Title : The Final Nexus Rating : 4
Writers : Gene DeWeese Year : 1988
Review : A follow-up to "Chain of Attack" (TOS 32), has the same anomaly spreading across explored space. The Enterprise must re-enter the 'nexus' and find a way to stop it. This story is a vast improvement from "Chain of Attack". Overall a good tale which held my interest.
Title : Double, Double Rating : 3
Writers : Michael Jan Friedman Year : 1989
Review : A continuation of the TOS episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of", another android double of Kirk is created and takes command of the Enterprise after tricking the real Kirk. Overall not a bad book. A few inconsistencies with canon, but well within reasonable bounds. Characterizations are quite well done.
Title : The Cry of the Onlies Rating : 4
Writers : Judy Klass Year : 1989
Review : Combines two TOS episodes in a new story which could have stood on it's own, albeit rather short. The Diplomatic Mission to Boaco Six is disrupted by a stolen Starfleet prototype vessel. The 'thieves' are two of the 'Onlies' from "Miri". The Enterprise is sent to pick up Flint from "Requiem for Methusela" who helped design part of the vessel. All in all an excellent continuation of the two epsiodes. Characterization was very good for the most part, and treknology is not over-used.
Title : Doctor's Orders Rating : 3
Writers : Diane Duane Year : 1990
Review : Just the thought of "Captain Bones" brings a smirk, and there were several nice comic moments in the story, in particular when dealing with the Klingon Captain. One of the key elements of the story proved to be a major sticking point for me however. When Spock returned and McCoy tried to turn command over to him, Spock indicated that it was not possible since Kirk left him in command, only Kirk could therefore 'relieve' him of that command. Leaving a non-command officer as Captain in an emergency only endangers the ship and crew. While overall the story was decent, that one point kept nagging at me.
Title : Ghost Walker Rating : 3
Writers : Barbara Hambly Year : 1991
Review : For a Trek mystery story it was a fairly decent story. The start of the book was a bit slow, but by mid-way it picked up and held my interest very well. From a technical standpoint, the descriptions of several locations on the Enterprise as well as layout could have been much better. One of the devices which became 'key' to part of the plot was somewhat unbelievable - not that it existed, but that such a small device could cover such a vast area of the ship. Depictions of the main characters was very well done, nothing seriously out of character. All in all, I'd say this one one of the better Trek mysteries.
Title : A Flag Full of Stars Rating : 4
Writers : Brad Ferguson Year : 1991
Review : This book had several 'inspirational' moments; the 1701's 'saucer' lifting off into orbit and docking with the engineering hull, the 1970's era Space Shuttle Enterprise finally reaching space, and a several moving passages about the 1969 moon landing. All of those serve to raise an otherwise drab story into something worth reading. The 'main' story however is full of eyebrow raising elements. I can willingly suspend my disbelief on a Klingon living as an immigrant in New York - and ...more This book had several 'inspirational' moments; the 1701's 'saucer' lifting off into orbit and docking with the engineering hull, the 1970's era Space Shuttle Enterprise finally reaching space, and a several moving passages about the 1969 moon landing. All of those serve to raise an otherwise drab story into something worth reading. The 'main' story however is full of eyebrow raising elements. I can willingly suspend my disbelief on a Klingon living as an immigrant in New York - and people's reaction to him. However his "invention", which has only a fragmentary description of what it actually does is the weakest element of the whole tale - and unfortunately it's a key element for that plot to work. It is the only part of this story which prevents it from being a perfect 5 in my opinion
Title : Death Count Rating : 0
Writers : L.A. Graf Year : 1992
Review : There was so many things wrong with this book it's hard to know where to start. The primary problem was the whole Andorian vs Orion plot - which was the basis for the book itself. To believe the plot could work means you would have to believe that the Andorians aren't part of the Federation! Another major point is the amount of damage the Enterprise (and Chekov) takes, yet both still continued to perform amazing feats (Chekov in particular...). All in all, I can't say this was the worst Trek book I've read, but it's certainly in the bottom 5.
Title : Sanctuary Rating : 2
Writers : John Vornholt Year : 1992
Review : Spock, McCoy and Kirk get stranded on a planet - again. Their alien captors do provide a somewhat creepy protagonist, and there were several parts of the story which I enjoyed - but overall for me there were more 'nit-picky' elements that detracted from the story.
Title : Firestorm Rating : 2
Writers : L.A. Graf Year : 1994
Review : The Elasians return! Not one of my favorite Trek aliens to start with, but at least the author portrayed their egotism very well - bonus points for that. Just how Chekov could survive all the injuries he received is certainly not believable though - negative points.
Title : Invasion! 1 : First Strike Rating : 2
Writers : Diane Carey Year : 1996
Review : Starts somewhat confusing, but builds some atmosphere. The change in venue to the "ground war" was rather pointless; meant only to highlight the Klingon General character's status, but giving Spock the critical injury was a meaningless sub-plot. The saving grace of the book is in the descriptions of the alien creatures and their ship. Characterizations were fairly good, but "Treknology" was rather mediocre.
Title : The Joy Machine Rating : 2
Writers : James Gunn Year : 1996
Review : This book has elements pulled from several other Trek stories recombined into a new one. That of course has been done on other occasions - and done better in some cases. The question the book tries to make is if people deserve to have everything they want most? This was also questioned in TOS: "The Menagerie", "Shore Leave", "This Side of Paradise", "Who Mourns for Adonais", and likely others. Computers controlling a civilization has also featured in many episodes, most notably "Return of the Archons" and "For The World Is Hollow, And I Have Touched The Sky". It should be noted that the outline of this story was intended to be a televised episode, and it would have been better in that venue or as a short story instead of a full novel.
Title : Mudd in Your Eye Rating : 2
Writers : Jerry Oltion Year : 1997
Review : Yet another computer-run civilization. At least this time it wasn't Kirk that broke the Prime Directive to put it back in what the rest of the universe would consider "normal". Characterizations were somewhat flat, and the plot dragged on in places, but overall it was far better than some other Trek books.
Title : Mind Meld Rating : 3
Writers : John Vornholt Year : 1997
Review : A decent read overall. Would have been better if the Vulcan mating ceremony had been included, and a bit more of the side-plot with the Romulans (unless that was intended to be covered in a future separate book...), but it's something I'd read again.
Title : Heart of the Sun Rating : 2
Writers : George Zebrowski, Pamela Sargent Year : 1997
Review : The plot had some potential, but IMHO the author fumbled the ball. An isolationist colony + an unknown alien technology = Instant conflict! The Enterprise just happens to be there on a separate (but very derived) reason when the alien is discovered and investigates. Unfortunately that's where the implausible alien technology is introduced, and things begin to break down. Either the author forgot a few things, or he wanted the readers to conveniently forget certain elements. At one point sensors can't scan within an alien craft, then they can; communications don't work, then they do... Still a decent overall book, but could have been much better.
Title : Assignment: Eternity Rating : 2
Writers : Greg Cox Year : 1998
Review : While it was nice to have another book about Gary Seven and Roberta, the overall premise of the book was too implausible. I never could believe that his 'advanced alien technology' would allow him to have contact with beings in other times, let alone time-travel! It would (and nearly did) destroy everything the aliens (I.E. Aegis) had tried to create by having people like Seven.
Title : My Brother's Keeper: Book 1: Republic Rating : 4
Writers : Michael Jan Friedman Year : 1999
Review : Nice flashback story. Much better 'Cadet Kirk' history than some other books, though some plot elements were a bit weak it still stands up well.
Title : My Brother's Keeper: Book 2: Constitution Rating : 2
Writers : Michael Jan Friedman Year : 1999
Review : Overall a decent sequel to the first book. However it was quite a stretch of the imagination to believe that the Constitution's Captain would put a new 2nd officer in temporary command. As for the plot itself (a variation on the colony-in-distress scenario), a bit overdone and Kirk's frequent reliance on boarding parties was very tedious by the end.
Title : My Brother's Keeper: Book 3: Enterprise Rating : 3
Writers : Michael Jan Friedman Year : 1999
Review : Good ending to the trilogy. Plausibly explains how the main crew members came together, and could even serve to reveal how Klingons came to have 'bumpy heads'! There were of course some elements that were quite a stretch of the imagination, but overall it worked.
Title : New Earth: Belle Terre Rating : 3
Writers : Dean Wesley Smith, Diane Carrey Year : 2000
Review : The overall plot was a bit weak, and I found it somewhat unbelievable that Spock couldn't come up with a way to get the second moon on a path that didn't rely every ship to follow and adjust it's course every few minutes. Characterization was well done and followed nicely with the first book. Overall a good follow-up to Wagon Train to the Stars.
Title : New Earth: Rough Trails Rating : 2
Writers : L.A. Graf Year : 2000
Review : If this book was an independent story it would be decent, but as a 3rd book in the New Earth series, it was mediocre at best. The plot contradicts many elements established by book 2 (Belle Terre), which indicates the author was given only a rough outline of the previous book to use when writing.
Title : New Earth: Wagon Train to the Stars Rating : 4
Writers : Diane Carey Year : 2000
Review : Very nice story. Shows the difficulty involved with leading a convoy composed of random ships of all sizes and functions on a very long journey. OF course there is the typical dangers of internal strife among the crew, and encounters with a new enemy who doesn't want the settlers to reach their destination.
Title : New Earth: The Flaming Arrow Rating : 2
Writers : Jerry Oltion, Kathy Oltion Year : 2000
Review : What started out as a decent plot was fatally let down by mistakes by the authors. Characterizations were mediocre, and the 'treknology' was feeble - the Oltion's obviously didn't feel the need to look up even the basics of stellar distances. As a stand-alone novel this would score much higher, but as part of the New Earth series it falls flat.
Title : New Earth: Thin Air Rating : 3
Writers : Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch Year : 2000
Review : A vast improvement on books 3 and 4 in the series! Characterizations were pretty good for the most part, and even the treknology which was the downfall of the previous two books was done well.
Title : New Earth: Challenger Rating : 4
Writers : Diane Carey Year : 2000
Review : Characterizations were well done, and although the concept of building a ship out of scrap left over from tens of non-compatible ships is a bit far-fetched, by the end I was believing it. Would have been nice if they could have found the 'missing ship' from book 2, but otherwise a decent ending to the series.
Title : Rihannsu Book 3 : Swordhunt Rating : 2
Writers : Diane Duane Year : 2000
Review : Being the third book in the Rihannsu series it does follow the previous two, however unlike the others this one can't stand on it's own - the whole book is just building toward a climax that is 'to be continued'. Without the next book(s) in the series this one is just an unfinished story.
Title : Rihannsu Book 4 : Honor Blade Rating : 2
Writers : Diane Duane Year : 2000
Review : For the fourth in the series it was much like the third! Continuation of the buildup to a climax that has yet to be finished. There are a few minor battles, but otherwise (as with book 3) it's an unfinished story.
Title : Probe Rating : 3
Writers : Margaret wander Bonanno Year : 1992
Review : Decent story, but it requires a little stretch of the imagination to believe that the Borg existed over 300 thousand years before first encountering the Federation. Otherwise a nice continuation of "Voyage Home".
Title : Star Trek: Nemesis Rating : 3
Writers : J.M. Dillard Year : 2002
Review : As with all books based on movies this one follows the plot very well, however unlike some of the others it doesn't provide much additional material, (insight on what characters may be thinking, background information, descriptions of setting, etc...). For that lack it drops the score to merely average.
Title : Rihannsu Book 5 : The Empty Chair Rating : 5
Writers : Diane Duane Year : 2006
Review : A very long read, but worth it! After the series lagged a bit with the middle books, it returned to a good story for the end.

© Graham & Ian Kennedy Page views : 70,009 Last updated : 28 Mar 2024