I originally penned this review on Amazon in 2013 for a Star Trek (The Original Series) novel that had come out just that year. It was a pretty good old-school ride.
A good “episode” of Star Trek
(4 stars out of 5)
As much as I have enjoyed other series like TNG and DS9, there is something still undeniably fun about revisiting the five year mission of the original crew. This book does a good job of doing just that, creating a storyline that feels very much like something out of the 1960s TV series.
The biggest strength of the book is its character development. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Mister Scott, and the supporting cast act, speak, and otherwise behave the way they should; Leisner seems very aware of making the characters behave as we would expect them to rather than imposing his own personalities on them as some authors do. Everyone feels familiar, and there are no real moments when one is likely to say “he would never say that!” If there is any quibble with characterization, it’s mostly nitpicking.
The story also does a lot of other things well. The storyline and pacing are generally good, with fair bits of action, drama, and intrigue. The evolution of the story builds toward a good endgame that ends appropriately. The book also does a good job along the way of nods and winks to some of the rich history of Trek without being too ham-handed about it, including references to a few TOS episodes and some pre-TOS history. Even Robert April and Jonathan Archer get passing mention, and there is at least one use of technology straight out of the the TV series “Enterprise.”
The story is not without faults, although not all of that is the author’s doing. The most egregious flaw, in my opinion, is that the back of the book gives away too much. This is a rich story that works best if you know very little, but the back of the book acts as a synopsis rather than a teaser. The aliens of the story, meanwhile, are (notwithstanding the author’s attempt to create some cultural differences) awfully humanesque in their mannerisms and the universal translator works flawlessly from the first time Kirk and Co. interact with them. Of course, this is Star Trek we’re talking about here, so this is consistent with what we would have seen in so many TOS episodes. Just know that you’ll be bringing your usual suspension of disbelief to this novel much as you did with the TV show proper.
One more note about the writing — it’s OK. Star Trek books won’t usually be confused with Asimov or Heinlein so I don’t expect a Grand Master of science fiction, and indeed Leisner does a good, if not great, job in his actual execution. The writing is at times sharp and at other times gets a bit simple and falls into some literary traps. I got a bit tired of reading about every character smiling broadly by the end of the novel, for example. This, though, is pretty much par for the course in my past experience with most Trek novels and overall Leisner deserves credit for doing most of the big things well.
In short, this is pretty much the kind of book that a TOS fan would reasonably hope for. It’s got a good premise, a layered plot, and good characters, all built around decent writing and a respect for the source material. Definitely worth a read.