The Entropy Effect

This was the second novel in the Timescape/Pocket Book series of original Star Trek that continued for a long time. This one is from 1981 and I believe is the first Trek novel published after the novelization of the Star Trek the Motion Picture film which despite its problems gave a brand new and continuing life to the franchise. Vonda McIntyre was a good choice - a well regarded author with several award winning stories. I have not read a lot of Trek novels although I have picked up about 3 dozen of them in recent years (most still unread) and generally enjoy them but have also run across a couple stinkers, especially in some of the badly written early ones prior to this. This one strikes me as one of the better ones. The focus show more characters here are Sulu, Spock, Kirk and to a slightly lesser extent McCoy. We learn for the first time what Sulu's first name is and get inside of his head and emotions - his part of the story is done well. Kirk as a character sometimes seemed a little "off" to me and Spock and McCoy seemed to be handled fairly well.

Two new strong female characters play large parts in the story and I thought were presented extremely well. The story goes along at a rather leisurely pace for quite a while, setting things up that we wouldn't expect, digging into characters, and then it runs, and it runs hard. I'm not rating this against great novels and literature - rating it for what it is - some well written entertainment that I think any Star Trek fan would enjoy. The story was reportedly developed from a screenplay McIntyre wrote for the series as a teenager.

About halfway through, maybe sooner, I was getting this deja vu like feeling that this was familiar. I may have read this in the early 80's when it was a newish novel. show less

When it was originally published in the summer of 1981 Vonda McIntyre's book represented something of a new frontier (if you'll forgive my use of the phrase) in the Star Trek franchise. Though the second entry in Pocket Books's series of Star Trek novels, it was the first original story they published (the first book was the novelization of [b:Star Trek: The Motion Picture|1697363|Star Trek I The Motion Picture (Star Trek TOS Movie Novelizations, #1)|Gene Roddenberry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1187060297s/1697363.jpg|1694340]). As such, it represented an effort to develop the franchise, rather than the more half-hearted adaptations of the Bantam Books series in the 1970s.

If the series's editors wanted to use the first original show more novel to set expectations, it is difficult to imagine choosing a better book than this one. McIntyre's novel opens by setting the stakes, as while studying a naked singularity that suddenly appeared in a warp lane, Spock discovers that the universe has only a century remaining before its demise. Before he can verify his data, the Enterprise is summoned to a nearby planet to transport a dangerous prisoner for rehabilitation. The prisoner turns out to be Spock's old physics instructor, Georges Mordreaux, who was convicted of murder after the disappearance of several people, all of whom Mordreaux claims had been sent back into the past. Though skeptical of Mordreaux's claims, Spock investigates Mordreauxs claim after the physicist suddenly appears on the bridge and kills Captain Kirk — all while supposedly detained in a guarded and shielded room on the ship.

As this description illustrates, McIntyre's novel is not short on plot. Yet it is her characterization that is the strongest part of the book, as she develops both the familiar figures from the show (most notably Hikaru Sulu, which started a welcome and long-overdue trend of giving the secondary characters background and depth — and even first names in a few cases) and her original creations into plausible and well-rounded people. The mystery itself adds to the book, as it helps keep the reader engaged until its last pages. And while some of the logic in the story may not hold up well, the book overall makes for a great read, one that set a high bar for the novels in the series that followed. show less

I haven't frequently read Star Dreck novels in many years, but in recent months I've periodically read or reread a few when I was too tired to read anything more challenging, and The Entropy Effect always fascinated me a little.

Partly because it's a temporal chaos story (more than a time travel story); partly because author Vonda McIntyre's characterization of several key characters, especially Spock and Scotty, is so off that she may have been interpreting them as she saw fit rather than feeling obligated to replicate the television series' characterizations. But really, the main reason it's fascinated me, ever since I read it as a child, is the tragedy: a mad scientist murders Kirk in front of the crew, for no apparent reason, with an show more illegal brain-crushing weapon said to be used only by terrorists.

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Regrettably, this is one of three novels I know of for a media franchise where the editor did not prevent the author from using the text to work out the author's infatuation with a male character. Here it probably happened because MacIntyre disguised it well enough for it to be permitted: a female security officer who pretty obviously represents the author sleeps with Sulu. At least it was handled more tastefully than in other cases (an earlier Star Trek novel by another author, and a certain Doctor Who novel). I therefore didn't mind continuing the book despite the author's self-indulgence; I just lost some respect for MacIntyre, who otherwise might be the best writer in the entire Star Trek book franchise. (I consistently regret, much more than this unfortunate spectacle, that MacIntyre didn't write more novels for Star Trek.) show less

Man, the quality just jumps when we get to the Pocket series, even including Joe Haldeman's entry—or maybe it's my taste. One thing's for sure, previous novels have taken a very 1950s attitude towards sex and marriage, whereas here Kirk is considering joining a polyamorous family (!) There's also some nice alien crewmembers. The longer format really gives it a lot more oomph.

One of the earliest and best Star trek novels, in which Kirk is killed in a horrifying fashion by an escaped madman. Spock, in the efforts to track down the madman and discover why this happened, discovers that the killer has set into motion an experiment that will throw the entire universe into a deadly time warp in less than a century. With the aid of an earlier, sane time-travelling edition of the killer, Spock discovers that Kirk's death must be prevented in order to save the universe. An enthralling, well-constructed story, given added impact by McIntyre's careful studies of character motivations and the freedom to study them in new situations that is afforded her by time travel. Sulu, in particular, is well-handled here. But all show more the characters, and a few new ones, are dealt with intelligently and humanely. show less

A little break from all these picture books seems to be in order, so let's go with something completely different: The Entropy Effect by Vonda N. McIntyre, which is #2 in the Pocket Books line of Star Trek novels.

The Enterprise has been in orbit of a singularity for six weeks, Mr. Spock making careful observations of this unusual phenomenon, when they are called away to Aleph Prime by an ultimate override command--to be used only in the most dire of situations.

They arrive to find no great emergency at all. Instead, they're asked to transport a criminal a short distance to a rehabilitation facility. Captain Kirk would have angrily refused, but Spock asks him to accede to this request. It seems that the criminal in question is a scientist show more of Spock's acquaintance, and there's something fishy about the situation. Spock's investigation uncovers a threat to the entire universe, which he must handle covertly, if he can.

The Entropy Effect focuses on a few characters only: Spock, McCoy, Kirk, and Sulu, plus Mandala Flynn and Hunter, characters original to the novel. The bulk of the novel follows Spock as he deals with the situation, but it takes time to give us some insight into the others, as well. Importantly, in Trek history, it is in this novel that Sulu is given his name, Hikaru (which wouldn't be officially confirmed until a decade later, in The Undiscovered Country), and promised a promotion to lieutenant commander.

The original characters are the high point of the novel. Flynn and the security officers under her command are each interesting: Flynn's desire to prove herself is admirable; Jenniver's difficulties fitting in inspire sympathy; Neon's unusual language (consisting only of nouns) and Snnanagfashtalli's loyalty to Jenniver each merit a mention, as well. Hunter, Kirk's past love, is of little import to the plot, but she does add some needed variety. She has a child, and is part of a nontraditional family arrangement--it's good to show that humans, too, are diverse. There are as many ways to live as there are people on the Earth, and space travel doesn't do anything to simplify that.

Is it odd that each of the characters I identified as being of particular interest is female? Early Trek is certainly a story of men, and this novel, for all its focus on Spock, does somewhat counterbalance that.

The Entropy Effect's plot eventually revolves around time travel, and it's handled fairly well, in a Star Trek sort of way. It's shown to be difficult and far from consequence-free, and there's a bit of suspense as we wonder how (though--let's be honest--not if) Spock will manage his task.

All told, The Entropy Effect is an average book: not great, but fun enough to read once. I understand that several of the original characters show up in other Trek novels; I'll look forward to reading those, some day. show less

Excellent! Complex, thoughtful and unbound Trek.

This early Trek novel (1981!) captures the TOS crew and ship, and is unbound by all the details of film and subsequent novels. McIntyre is free to create excellent characters and situations, a thoughtful puzzle and more. Not the first time I've read this one - and probably won't be the last.