Crossover

I've read (and loved) much of Michael Jan Friedman's Star Trek work, and I know he understands the characters....but there were parts of this novel which just did not work for me. Some of the characters felt off, particularly McCoy, but its also one of those situations where you have to ask yourself "Is this an instance of my just not liking what an established character is doing, or are they truly acting out of character?" I'm honestly not sure. I've been thinking about this book a lot even before I finished it and I suppose that makes it more of a success than other books I've read.

Kinda silly. Romulans inept. The TOS characters sounding/acting like caricatures of themselves. Too much luck. Too much bloodshed. But I like Spock's students. And Beverly's cameo is pretty cool ('if anyone could make tough decisions, it was her'). I am glad that I read it, and look forward to the next. (And, tbh, finishing the box that I inherited from my brother and moving it along.)

"Surak teaches us to find order in chaos. He does not teach us to try to eliminate chaos or impose order onto it. And the reasons are not simply ethical, because a complex system--whether a biological entity, or a society, or even a language--must remain diverse. It must remain open to change or it will die."

In this novel, Friedman has three former members of the original Enterprise becoming involved with the Captain of the current Enterprise.

When Spock is captured with a group of Romulans interested in learning the way of Surak, Starfleet Command is concerned over the knowledge that Spock would be able to give to the Romulans so Picard is tasked with, somehow, extricating Spock from the hands of the Romulans without giving away who he was and as a guide, they sent along an extremely crotchety Admiral McCoy who sees Picard as a weakling as he negotiates a deal. Meanwhile, Captain Scott also hears about Spock's capture and he also decides to do something about it. Surely with all these forces working in his favour, it's only a matter of show more time before Spock is freed. Surely...

Friedman is a decent author and for the most part he captures the rather disparate natures of the characters though I felt that Dr McCoy's anger was over the top given both his rank and his main occupation in Starfleet. show less

A quaint little story with the feel of the old Star Trek but set in the world of the new. There are so many implausibilities and lantern-hangings that it can't really be taken seriously, but then that was always the charm of proper 1960s Star Trek.

A quaint little story with the feel of the old Star Trek but set in the world of the new. There are so many implausibilities and lantern-hangings that it can't really be taken seriously, but then that was always the charm of proper 1960s Star Trek.

A fascinating Star Trek crossover book, set in the "Next Generation" time, where Spock has been captured in the Romulan Empire while leading the Unification movement to reunite the Vulcans and their sundered cousins, the Romulans. An aged McCoy (145) takes over the effort to rescue Spock when he decides that Picard is too hesitant. Scotty is also a major player here, in a fascinating and well-conceived blending of the first two editions of the Star Trek concept.

Friedman is prolific, but, like many other writers in this genre, he leaves me a little disappointed. (Not disappointed enough to stop buying what he writes just because his name is on it ...)