Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin are back for the second installment in what's being called the "Enterprise" relaunch. Their first story ret-conned the events of "These Are the Voyages" in a satisfying, interesting way and set up the "Enterprise" to tell the story of the long-alluded and long-anticipated "Romulan War."

"Kobayahi Maru" is the story of the opening salvo of the war and the events leading up to hostilities between the Planetary Coalition and the Romulans.

It all sounds exciting.

Too bad, "Kobayahi Maru" is one of the most disappointing novels from the "Trek" line in a while. The story is simply trying to have too many irons in the fire all at once and seemingly goes no where for pages on end. And even when it does introduce a new plot thread, familiarity with the history of the "Trek" universe negates any real driving suspense since the twists and turns then become telegraphed. In the end, it's more a matter of waiting for the eventual and known outcome without any of the usual "maybe it was different than you originally thought" points that drove the previous entry in this series.

I've heard this novel serves as a starting point for events in the "Star Trek: Destiny" series. Maybe after I get to those novels, this one will be better. Until then, it's a disappointment. ( )

When Captain Jonathan Archer is ordered to border patrol against pirates, he soon grows bored and frustrated with the assignment. But Archer knows the Romulans are up to something. After an attack from the Klingons that the government disavows, Archer must investigate and discover the truth behind the Romulans' agenda. But when odds are stacked against Archer and the Enterprise, what will he choose to do in an unwinnable scenario?

Star Trek fans will automatically remember that back in his academy days, Kirk changed the rules of the Kobayashi Maru test in order to win the no-win scenario. Here is a look at what happened with that fateful circumstance and what leads up to the eventual Earth-Romulan War.

While Archer is off making tough choices that could affect the entire coalition, Commander Trip Tucker is deep undercover posing as a Romulan trying to make sure Warp 7 technology doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Of course, danger constantly surrounds everything Trip does. And this storyline is by far the most exciting. But T'Pol makes some out-of-character choices in a strange subplot that doesn't do much to forward the story, other than let you know there's still that spark between the two and that Trip is dedicated to his mission.

Kobayashi Maru has plenty of action, suspense, political intrigue, and drama to appease any Star Trek fan. But the exciting climax at the end of the novel is the legendary account that we've all been waiting to hear, where Archer must make the toughest decision of his career. And it was a situation that I found myself considering for quite a while after finishing the book! ( )

A great way to keep the Enterprise series going and to tie into the other series, especially The Original Series, where we first heard of the Kobayashi Maru test. Now we know where the idea for that test came from. We also find out for "the first time" just what nasties the Romulans are. ( )