Star Trek: The Original Series: Present Tense (The Janus Gate Book 1) - L.A. Graf

Title: Present Tense (The Janus Gate Book 1)
Author: L.A. Graf
Published: 2002
Chronological Period: 2266

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Review:
“Present Tense” by L.A. Graf is the first book in a trilogy of Star Trek Original Series novels entitled “The Janus Gate”. The story follows on from the events seen in the episode “The Naked Time” with their escape from the planet Psi-2000 resulting in them being flung several days back in time. In order to limit the contamination of the time line the Enterprise travels to an uninhabited world for an early rendezvous with a geological team that had dispatched prior to the events of the episode. However, upon arrival then soon discover that one of the survey teams are missing and something is draining away power from their equipment and has potentially caused previous older starships to crash. And so Kirk heads down to the planet alongside a new recruit named Chekov in order to help find the missing team and investigate the strange power drain.

To be honest I found this book to be a bit of a major surprise because the synopsis I read on the back cover bore no resemblance to what actually took place. I can only assume that at some point in the editing process half the plot was thrown out but somebody forgot to change the associated summary. Whilst it didn’t bother me too much there was still a mild sense of irritation present due to the fact that it felt like I had been mis-sold something.

The plot itself wasn’t anything new or different and it felt much like many other Star Trek stories but there was still enough adventure and fun involved to keep me engaged. As this is the first book in a series there is a fair amount of set up involved which did at times cause the pacing to suffer a little. However, there was still enough going on to ensure that I didn’t just skim over large sections of the novel. Quite simply, the plot itself is probably best described as an average but entertaining enough Star Trek adventure.

What I did really appreciate with the novel is in the fact that Graf has written a story which looks beyond the three main characters of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. A fair amount of the story is focussed on the “minor” crew such as Chekov, Uhura and Sulu which I enjoyed seeing. These characters are so often shunted off to the side but in this novel Graf has put them right in the centre of the action. She has also tried to enhance their personas so that whilst they do still feel like the characters we saw on the screen, they also felt a little bit more like complete individuals.

Overall, the plot in “Present Tense” felt like one we have seen many times before in Star Trek novels but it was still a fun, light read with the real plus point being its attempt at showcasing the “minor” crew. As it is a first novel in a series it can be a little slow in places but the mysteries introduced here have intrigued me and I am looking forward to seeing their resolutions.

Star Trek: The Original Series: Seasons of Light and Darkness - Michael A. Martin

Title: Seasons of Light and Darkness
Author: Michael A. Martin
Published: 2014
Chronological Period: 2254 & 2264 (Framing Story: 2285)

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Review:
“Seasons of Light and Darkness” by Michael A. Martin is an Original Series novella which focuses on part of Dr. McCoy’s life before he joined the Enterprise that was mentioned in the TV episode, “Friday's Child”. This period of his life is when he spent time on the planet Capella IV as part of time sent there to look at accessing a highly valued mineral. Whilst there he discovers that the natives have a rather warrior like ideology where people live and die by their own wits and it is wrong to interfere in that with medicine or other sciences. McCoy of course doesn’t appreciate this view point and must try to walk the line between his oath to Starfleet in regards to respecting other cultures and his oaths as a Doctor to try and save lives.

In addition to this main storyline there is also a framing story set in 2285 which focuses on McCoy trying to relate his own experiences to that of Kirk who was suffering from his time as a desk bound Admiral. This was actually one of things I didn’t really get with the novella to be honest. I saw the link between the two points but the story he tells just didn’t feel like something that McCoy would have only finally revealed at that point.

In regards to the Capella part of the story, well it was fun to follow and I found the titbits about Capellan culture rather interesting to follow. In addition McCoy felt in character and I appreciated that this novella was being used as a character piece rather than just trying to be a short version of standard Star Trek novels. Although I do have to say that whilst I did enjoy reading it I am not sure if really revealed anything new about the character.

Overall, this is a okay novella that acts an interesting character piece on McCoy. I do think the framing story didn’t work as well as it could have done and I am not sure if we really learned that much new about McCoy but I still enjoyed it and appreciated the way in which it reminded me of DeForest Kelly who created this great character.

Star Trek 1 - James Blish

Title: Star Trek 1
Author: James Blish
Published: 1967
Chronological Period: 2266

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Review:
“Star Trek 1” by James Blish was the first Star Trek novel ever released and is a collection of Original Series scripts adapted into short story form rather than being an original piece of work. The seven stories included in this collection are all from season one and are as follows:

Charlie's Law (Charlie X)
Dagger of the Mind
The Unreal McCoy (The Man Trap)
Balance of Terror
The Naked Time
Miri
The Conscience of the King

Reading this collection was an interesting experience for me as I was looking forward to reading the stories and refreshing my memories of the original episodes involved, especially as I felt these most of these were good episodes. To be honest, whilst the book did succeed in reminding me of the stories there were a few issues that affected my overall enjoyment of the collection.

For example, my favourite episode in this collection, “Balance of Terror” just feels downright flat and uninspiring. The novelization is badly missing the Romulan Commander’s point of view which really added to the story. In addition I just didn’t like how the entire crew, even Kirk to an extent decided they were going to distrust Spock. Basically my favourite episode on TV turned out to be least favourite in this collection. To be fair to Blish he was constrained by the short story length and he was working with the shooting scripts which at times varied quite a bit from what we finally see on the screen. Therefore I do understand why there would be some issues but readers should still be aware that there are some differences, some of which do weaken the stories.

However, it isn’t all bad and there are two stories in particular where I think Blish has actually added some really good elements. The first of these is within “The Unreal McCoy” (AKA The Man Trap) where Kirk knows realises that there is no way his officer would have eaten a strange alien root. In the actual episode everyone just seems to assume the redshirt is an idiot and doesn’t worry about it. The second was “Miri” which has been enhanced by the removal of silly sections like the planet being an “exact duplicate of Earth” and enhanced by some supplemental information on the virus itself. Whilst it could get a little bit dry at times it helped to ensure that things made a bit more sense and it would therefore have been nice for some of this explanation to have made it over into the episode.

Overall, this was a competent attempt at capturing the Star Trek episodes at a time when VCRs and DVDs weren't around. Some of the stories are enhanced and some are weakened by the adaptations but they were all readable in their own way and still highlight the fun of the Star Trek series. On a personal point, one thing this collection did highlight to me is how much the actors themselves really helped develop and enhance both the character interactions and stories.

Star Trek: Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: Tower of Babel - Christopher L. Bennett

Title: Rise of the Federation: Tower of Babel
Author: Christopher L. Bennett
Published: 2014
Chronological Period: 2163 - 2164

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Review:
“Tower of Babel” by Christopher L. Bennett is the second novel in the “Birth of the Federation” series which continues the adventures of the crew from Star Trek Enterprise. I thoroughly enjoyed Bennett’s previous novel in the series and therefore I had been looking forward to this from the moment I heard about the release date.

The story picks up where “A Choice of Futures” finished off with the fledgling Federation still trying to understand what it really wants to be in the galaxy. This is highlighted by a presidential election which is being fought between two factions who have very different views on what the Federation’s future should entail. With this election in the background, Admiral Archer is undertaking negotiations to bring the Rigel system into the Federation although his attempts are being hampered by an alliance of criminals including Orions and Malurians who are determined to ensure the Federation fails.

Without doubt this is one of the busiest Star Trek books I have read in a while, there really is a lot going on and my summary above only briefly touches on it all. There are multiple plotlines on the go and Bennett has managed to find a role for pretty much every main character from the series which was nice to see. I was quite impressed that I didn’t actually feel lost at all even with so much going on, Bennett manages to blend all the pieces together into a well-paced, coherent and entertaining story. The only minor downside in utilising a wide array of characters and plotlines is that the novel felt like it was missing a powerful central plot that would have made me really care. Don’t get me wrong, it was still fun and entertaining but it just didn’t draw me in as much as other books have.

This was only a minor fault to be honest and it was easily overshadowed by some other elements of the novel such as the way in which Bennett has tried to create some depth to the villains. So often we get treated to a one dimensional villain but in this book we get some rounded characters whose motives and actions can be understood on some level if not necessarily agreed with. In addition, he has continued to flesh out some of the other minor characters such as Sam Kirk and Valeria Williams so that they interest me almost as much as the regular crew from the TV series.

One interesting observation I had about this book and in “A Choice of Futures” was the way in which various aspects of the plot relate to episodes of both the Enterprise and Original series. What I liked about this is that it was done in a manner which adds to the story and feels completely natural. I know some people don’t like “continuity porn” and I admit in the past I have seen links to various TV episodes that look forced and very much in your face, but with this series of novels Bennett has managed to seamlessly blend the various continuity points into the plot so this it should still make sense and be enjoyable for people who don’t know every TV episode.

Overall, “Tower of Babel” was another enjoyable novel in the Rise of the Federation series and it is always nice to return to this neglected era of Star Trek history. Bennett has done a good job in keeping the light burning for the Enterprise series and I am looking forward to seeing where we go next.

The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition - Ira Steven Behr

Title: The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
Author: Ira Steven Behr
Published: 1995

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Review:
"The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition" by Ira Steven Behr is a rather short book which basically lists the various Ferengi Rules of Acquisition that have so far been revealed via the various mediums of Star Trek. That is basically it; this is quite simply a list with zero commentary on the rules beyond an amusing little introduction from Quark.

Yes some of the rules did make me laugh and smile but to be honest I think you can find them all listed for free on various websites and get the same amusement without handing over any hard earned cash. We don’t even get to enjoy some new rules created to fill up the holes in the list never yet touched, these are all rules that you will probably have heard before if you are a Trek fan of some description.

The sad fact is that my favourite bit of the book was the introduction and I just wish that Behr had maybe tried to include some commentary from Quark for each of the rules. This would have added so much more to the book and helped to ensure I didn’t feel like I was being exploited in handing over my money for a list. I suppose it is ironic that this rather weak cash grab of a book is exactly the type of thing Quark would have loved!

There really isn’t much more for me to add to this review as there isn’t really that much for me to comment on. I can’t really recommend anyone buy it as there are plenty of resources online where you can find these rules for free. Personally, I just hope that “Legends of the Ferengi” another book by Behr adds a little bit more to the Ferengi mythos than this book did.

Star Trek: Vanguard: Open Secrets - Dayton Ward

Title: Open Secrets
Author: Dayton Ward
Published: 2007
Chronological Period: 2266 (Framing Story: 2267)

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Review:
“Open Secrets” by Dayton Ward is the 4th novel in the Star Trek Vanguard series which continues the various plotlines kicked off in the previous novels. A prime focus of the narrative in this book is the investigation and trial of the station’s commander, Commodore Reyes who was arrested at the end of the previous book for allowing classified information to be published by a reporter. In addition, the reader gets to the follow the further deterioration of relations with the Klingon and Tholian Empires, the ongoing search for information on the Shedai technology and the fallout of T’Prynn’s mental breakdown which results in her return to Vulcan.

This book is another enjoyable chapter in the Vanguard series although it didn’t wow me as much as its predecessor, “Reap The Whirlwind”. The storyline developments were interesting and the characters continue to entertain me but there were just no real surprises or twists involved. Everything pretty much progressed as you would expect and there were no elements there that really struck me as being gripping or memorable.

One of the real issues I had with the novel however is in regards to the pacing which at times reduced my reading progress to a slow slog. I think the basic problem was that the novel is overly wordy at times to the point of distraction. Ward is basically using 20 words when 10 would have sufficed and for some reason the editing process has failed to rectify this. It is a shame as some competent editing could have dealt rather easily with this issue to ensure the pacing was better.

A nice element to the story is in regards to Ward’s ability to link various events into the wider Star Trek universe. I enjoyed seeing both the tie in to the Original Series in regards to the peace between the Klingons and Federation that was imposed by the Organians and the inclusion of Carol Marcus’ involvement with Shedai technology that hints at the future Genesis project seen in Star Trek II. Sometimes I think these links to the wider universe can be rather brutally shoehorned into a novel but with “Open Secrets” it all felt rather natural and subtle which I did appreciate.

Overall, this is a novel which competently continues the plots started in the previous Vanguard novels but doesn’t really provide any genuinely memorable or exciting parts. For fans of the series there is more than enough here to provide some entertainment but when you hold it up against the previous novel it seems rather lacking.

Star Trek: Vanguard: Reap The Whirlwind - David Mack

Title: Reap The Whirlwind
Author: David Mack
Published: 2007
Chronological Period: 2266

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Review:
“Reap The Whirlwind” by David Mack is the 3rd novel in the Star Trek Vanguard series and it really highlights how these novels are getting better and better. The novel is full of engaging philosophical and moral dilemmas set amongst a thoroughly engrossing and enjoyable space adventure. Simply put, I believe this novel and the series in general is proving to be Star Trek at its very best.

The story itself picks up several weeks after the events of the previous novel, “Summon The Thunder”. The ancient and powerful alien race known as The Shedai continue to awaken throughout the Taurus Reach and are continuing to threaten the various Federation colonies that have spread across the region. The crew of Starbase 47 and its various support ships continue to try and protect these colonies from both the Shedai and the Klingons with whom tensions have continued to rise. However, trying to keep the information on the Shedai a secret is proving a strain, especially when one of the leaders of these new colonies turns out to be Commodore Reyes’ ex-wife.

Mack has really ratcheted up the tension in this book which helps to turn the book into a addictive page turner as the reader. This tension is expertly released via various exciting action sequences that don’t pull any punches as the body count continues to rise due to the dangers of the Taurus Reach. All of this is supported by some really wonderful characters that continue to grow as they face various challenges, both personally as an individual and professionally as a member of Starfleet etc. I now really feel for these characters and can’t help but feel for them as they are forced to face the wide ranging consequences that have resulted from their actions in both this and previous books.

What I also have enjoyed about the book is that Mack has continued to try and give the reader differing viewpoints to that of our usual Federation heroes. We get to see things from the view of the Klingons, Tholians and now even the Shedai themselves which provides so many interesting layers to the story. Seeing things from the Shedai’s position in particular was a clever move as it manages to give this potentially super powerful enemy a real face that the reader can try and understand and opens up future avenues to explore in greater detail as the series progresses.

I have finally come to the conclusion that none of the Vanguard novels are going to have any real standalone stories that would make me recommend the book as an individual read. Yes, there are two superbly enjoyable central plots to this novel, the first being around the colony being set up by Commodore Reyes wife and the scouting mission being undertaken by the USS Sagittarius but neither of them would mean much to a reader who doesn’t know the overall storyline. Basically, if you haven’t read the previous book in the series and/or don’t plan to read the next ones then I wouldn’t waste your time picking this novel up.

Overall, this is another fun and entertaining book in the Vanguard series which now has me well and truly hooked. If you have enjoyed the previous books then you are really going to be thrilled by this book.