Star Trek - The Covenant of the Crown

'I'm just an old country doctor, not a Prince Consort.'

But she chose not to listen.  Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.  It was not an innocent kiss, and to his own surprise, McCoy returned it.

I don't know whether it's a good or a bad sign to be moved to tears before you have even started reading the story.  By the time I had reached chapter one there was a distinct wetness to my eyes and a thought I want to know you.  What Howard Weinstein and David Gerrold wrote in the first pages of his book in 1981 I agreed with, hell, I could have written even though I am over 30 years removed.

I guess, in a way I was sad too, that I wasn't around to experience that zeitgeist first hand.  Yes I feel that too!  Yes, I agree!  Let's carry on that conversation!  But here I am, stuck outside of that time, interacting with a sentiment printed on pages over 30 years old.  Is that conversation finished?  Can we start that conversation again?

Perhaps I was just in an emotional mood when I started  The Covenant of the Crown by Howard Weinstein, or perhaps he just gave form to thoughts I was having at the time.  I had started to read another book, but I was struggling to stay engaged so I switched to something shorter that would require less commitment (I really couldn't handle My Enemy, My Ally last week!).  Howard Weinstein holds the accolade of being the youngest person to have written the story for a Star Trek episode; Weinstein penned The Pirates of Orion which was the first episode of the second season of the animated series.  Knowing this, I wondered what format his novel would take - I wasn't disappointed!

For me, The Covenant of the Crown (#4 Pocket, #23 Titan) (1981) was a quick read.  It isn't a challenging story nor is it particularly long, the book weighing in at 191 pages all in, but what it lacks in length it makes up in character.  Simply put, Weinstein knows what elements make a Star Trek episode and exactly how much of each ingredient is needed to make it feel right.  Of course, I'm not saying by any means there isn't a place for the longer novels too - the ones that could never be an episode, as you know I do more like them! - but it is satisfying to be reading what feels like a slightly expanded TV episode.

At it's simplest level The Covenant of the Crown is a coming of age story, a young crown princess must take up her father's mantle and return to the kingdom she has been exiled from in order to stop the war that has choked her home land for many years.  However, put this well worn storyline in the context of Star Trek and it takes on a different flavour.  For one thing, the Klingons are involved and are directly responsible for the initial destabilisation of the planet, although it could be argued they just added fuel to the smoldering fire of malcontent.  There is also a slight clash of ideologies - a crown princess whose dynasty is ordained by the gods of her people, a mystical power which she must exhibit in order to be ruler of her planet - at odds with the somewhat more scientific approach of characters like Spock who explains the phenomenon away, or McCoy who doesn't feel the responsibilities of tradition should rest on her young shoulders.

Age is very much a theme, there is the obvious coming of age theme as mentioned above, but also old age or at least the approach of it is explored via the character of McCoy.  McCoy is preoccupied with his age, he feels his age, he realises that he's turning a corner and there's no going back to his youthful self, both in body and mind.  McCoy is often used in the novels as a vessel to explore the theme of age, such as in Dreams of the Raven.  However during the course of this novel McCoy falls in love with the princess and she with him; McCoy loves her sensitivity, her sponge like ability to absorb information and the princess loves his compassion, his passions and his good ol' country doctor charms.  Both McCoy and the princess show bravery in their relationship, McCoy shows the bravery of age, of wisdom, which allows him to pull back from the relationship whereas the princess shows the bravery of youth, which allows her to pursue a relationship no matter the age gap or the social barriers.  By the end of the novel she has also aged, she realises that her duty to her people must come first and, reminiscent of Kirk's withdrawal from his love affair in the TOS episode 'Elaan of Troyius' in deference to duty.  That in itself is an interesting comparison, Weinstein asks just how do these very different, but very lonely men deal with turning away from love? 

McCoy and Spock and the princess (Kailyn) have a rough adventure on the surface of a dangerous planet in order to retrieve the 'crown of the covenant'.  It's pretty much a perfect episode planetside romp, shuttle disaster, hostile natives, deadly weather.  McCoy gets to cuddle the princess for warmth while Spock exhibits his super Vulcan resilience.  Couldn't help notice that Weinstein conveniently forgot that Vulcans (even half Vulcans) are pretty rubbish in the cold, he did remember that Klingons hate it though.  It was quite a nice touch to have the pursuing Klingons effectively dealt with by bad weather, although I did somehow find myself cheering for a Klingon romance that ultimately wasn't to be.

The characterisation of Spock and McCoy's relationship is satisfying and more often than not funny.  Again Weinstein just gets it right.  They are satisfyingly antagonistic to each other, and without Kirk there they have to regulate themselves, or not as the case may be.

Kailyn (the princess) was actually a pretty tolerable female character - and I don't think that often.  She was a very well written female character and in a quite short story Weinstein creates a surprisingly deep and rounded protagonist.  She isn't trying to prove herself in opposition to men, she has to prove herself within her own boundaries, which actually turns out allows her to grow quickly and become more than equal to the men around her.  More female characters like her please!  Although her final actions are predictable (the story had to be resolved that way!) it still fit well and didn't seem shoehorned in.

For his part, Kirk remains on the Enterprise and so, takes a back seat (so to speak!) in this adventure.  Weinstein add a little back story to Kirk, giving him a history with the exiled king and the princess.  This same backstory effectively removes Kirk from being a potential love interest for Kailyn, which I'm not going to complain about.  Although McCoy is complaining about being old, it is Kirk who seems the most weighed down by time.  Kirk is very aware of the amount of time passing since the king went into exile, mainly by his urging and request, and very much seems to have the world on his shoulders. The storyline on the Enterprise takes an interesting turn when it is revealed that there is a Klingon spy and Kirk must find him before he can take any further action.

A further amusing subplot, involves a set of malfunctioning scales, just for a little humour to finish the book on!  Poor Chekov!

I think it's pretty obvious that I'm going to heartily recommend this book!  It honestly is worth the read, it will not take long and it really was enjoyable from beginning to end.  I really did like the pacing of the story, it didn't dwell too much on one thing and wasn't afraid to try to put a new spin on an old trope and make it work.

4/5 - Shine Bright Like a Diamond ~

Star Trek Legacies - Captain to Captain

"Right on schedule," Kirk observed.  "I always heard that she was known for her punctuality."
"You heard correctly, Captain," Spock said.  "In my experience, she is admirably precise in all matters."

Ok so, there's kind of a funny story to go with reading this one.  Well, I go away to visit the family for Christmas and then manage to not take a single book with me to their place because my bag with my life in got left at our place.  I was not amused to say the least.   Anyway, after Christmas we went shopping, there happened to be a Waterstone's book store, I went straight to the Scifi section (you know the drill)... and would you look at that, somehow I ended up buying the 50th Anniversary 'Legacies' trilogy.  Considering I have 127 books on their way to me by mail, my partner was not amused... but The Special 50th Anniversary Trilogy hunny!

Before I launch into the review proper, I'm going to clue you up on The Special 50th Anniversary Trilogy (I just like putting it in bold, I get kicks out of strange things) is.  As you can probably guess (unless you are a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fan) there are three books in this trilogy (not four)  and they are as follows:

Star Trek Legacies

Book 1 - Captain to Captain by Greg Cox

Book 2 - Best Defence by David Mack

Book 3 - Purgatory's Key by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

So, we've got a trilogy written by four different authors, not particularly unusual.  If Greg Cox sounds familiar, you may have read one of some of his many Star Trek novels, or you might have read my Child of Two Worlds review.  I've come across the names of the two other authors once or twice before but I don't think I've read anything by them.  I've got to admit, I'm a little disappointed that there are no female authors involved in this project, considering the number of female authors who have written Star Trek novels and how influential female fans have been to Star Trek generally.  Are there no active female authors in the Star Trek novel world at this point in time.  Sorry rambling again.  Anyway, Greg Cox writing the first novel can only be a good thing right?

The Legacies trilogy was initially released from June to August 2016 with the paperback releases running from July to September 2016, all ready for Star Trek's 50th anniversary in September.

For the cover art on all three books they have employed Alan Dingman and used the more 'photographic' or should I say 'photoshop' style for the covers.  I'd say the strongest cover of the three is 'Best Defence' while the weakest unfortunately is 'Captain to Captain'.  The three books are colour coded Captain to Captain is predominantly green, Best Defence is most definitely blue and, Purgatory's Key is... red.  Have you twigged yet?  The original colour for the command uniform was green, science is blue and red is operations / security; they have reflected the uniform colours in the colours of the books.

I have to admit, the cover didn't win me over immediately, although I was intrigued by Number One or 'Una' being on the front next to Kirk and Spock.  I was torn between getting the trilogy and a book with a prettier cover, but as you probably gathered, the trilogy won out in the end.  Probably because book two has a very pretty cover.  You'll notice on this one though, that Number One has got captain's braid on her sleeve, unsurprisingly Miss 'Number One in everything' got busy climbing the ranks in Starfleet.

Being the first book in a trilogy, Cox has a lot more play in how complex a story he can create.  Being a planned trilogy he doesn't have to worry about wrapping the story up in one episode, and certainly doesn't have to worry about tying up any lose ends or returning the universe back to the status quo by the time he types his last word.  This kind of freedom cuts both ways for Cox who has the opportunity to play with a character he really seems to love and get on with but consequently seems to spend a little too much time on her.

Captain to Captain (2016) revolves around a secret, a secret that only the captains of the Enterprise and their trusted first officers have knowledge of.  The secret is a key which has been concealed even from Starfleet and kept on the Starship Enterprise since the time of Captain Robert April (the 'first' Captain of the Enterprise) through to Captain James T Kirk (the 'third' Captain of the Enterprise).  The 'key' is a device that can open a door to another dimension from which a race of technologically advanced but hideously paranoid and genocidal 'slugs' hail.

The officer who first led the mission which ended with sending the 'slugs' back to their dimension and acquisition of this mysterious key?  None other than 'Number One' or 'Una', who is of course Majel Roddenberry's (nee Barrett) character in the original pilot.  In Captain to Captain, Number One is back now as 'Captain Una', on track to being promoted to Commodore Una, she has to act fast to undo mistakes of the past before she is stuck behind a desk and new territorial lines are drawn which may put the Libros system deep in Klingon territory.  Captain Una takes a well considered risk and steals the key from a secret compartment in Kirk's quarters and escapes from the Enterprise and into the Libros system, slingshotting herself around a sun to give herself the edge over a pursuing Enterprise.  At this point I expected some cooky timetravel escapade, but instead I was forced into a walk down memory lane which felt like it was never going to end.   Una's 'adventure' is actually her recollection of the first away mission she lead, which of course went hideously wrong.  For all intents and purposes it really shouldn't have gone wrong, Una is apparently an incredibly able and intelligent Illyrian, but... she's also remarkably dull.  I rather liked Cox's rendition of her in Child of Two Worlds where she is competent and no nonsense, but here she seems stricken with ISS and a strange psychosis where she keeps reminding herself (and us) that she's number one in everything, aside from critical thinking.  Perhaps I'm just suffering from 'Number One' over exposure, since about 80% of the book over concerns itself with her.  Kirk and Spock are on the cover just to reassure us that they will have a part to play eventually.  I have to admit, I don't find young Una a very compelling protagonist.  ANYWAY long story short, her away mission crew get transported into an alternate dimension by the horrible slug people, the secret item is the key for unlocking the stargate device that could bring them home.  Unfortunately, at the time she was unable to manipulate the machinery to bring them back (and she was explicitly told not to by the good slug person), but now, in a nice link to the episode 'Mirror Mirror' and her excellent memory she is confident that she can bring them back, if they are even alive.  After an incredibly protracted sojourn in the past, we return to the present to follow Una again and watch her cock up again until she finally meets up with a waiting Kirk & Spock who finally get some action.   

Predictably, although she can manipulate the machinery, the arrival of the Klingons gives her little time to locate her crew members to bring them back, so she goes into the desolate alternate universe to find them, hoping to bring them back to the right location in 30 days and have Kirk and Spock operate the machinery and bring them home.  Of course, the Klingons are now swarming the place and coming back to the planet seems almost impossible.

Kirk and Spock are then left to their own devices to escape the Klingons, which they do, but not before their ship is irreparably damaged and only get saved by the Enterprise in the nick of time.

Kirk and Spock seal the Key back into the new safe in the Enterprise, and finally let McCoy in on the secret, since not trusting your crew mates /  friends is what got everyone in this mess in the first place.

There's a plot twist right at the end, clearly marked with flashing neon signs.  It's incredibly contrived and irritating.

End of Book 1.

Number One is kind of a problematic character, in that she's this super confident, super able officer and she has apparently always been this way but suffers from the author's attempt to make her young and inexperienced - think what Vonda N McIntyre did to the crew in her abomination 'The First Adventure'.  It was quite surprising actually because Cox's treatment of Number One in Child of Two Worlds was really strong and a really nice expansion of the character.  Cox obviously has a love for the character of Number One and I can see his enthusiasm, but... I can't feel it.  It's unusual but, I didn't dislike the character but I felt a little confused over what she actually was.  Oh sure, I know she's an Illyrian, I know she's outrageously competent, I know she prefers trousers to skirts but I don't know why she has to keep confirming her competence.  I don't think she's arrogant, she just knows she's the best and it's true, but then why does she have to confirm her actions or her intentions or her abilities over and over again with internal dialogue like 'because I'm Number One'?  Is she actually nervous? Neurotic?

I agree that if you are going to use Number One for any length of time then you've got to do something to the character to bring her down to earth, but even with her slight neurosis and hideously stupid mistakes she remains unrelateable - which is a problem when 3/4 of the book concerns itself with her.  Although her idiosyncrasies and illogical actions were at times frustrating, she doesn't spoil the book, I just got the feeling that there was a better was to express her or perhaps a better way for the events to unfold.  Perhaps, for example, it isn't her leading the landing party and she has to fix other people's mistakes but it's too far down the pan for even her outstanding abilities.

I don't want to give too much of the idea that she's a bad character, you might have less of a problem with her than I do, and certainly it's not a bad story by any means. It's just a little weak at times, which I can only really attribute to the prolonged section in the middle with Una (formerly Number One)... and then the prolonged section in Enterprise's 'present' with Una.  I'm Una'd out! 

Pretty much the only interaction with the TOS crew is between Kirk and Spock, McCoy is pretty much written out Captain to Captain pretty early on and other characters are just bit parts.  Even so, characterisation is both good and bad in equal measure.  In the first part of the book, before the story jumps backwards to Number One's first away mission, nothing really jumps out at you as being inconsistent.  Again the focus is on Captain Una and not on the Enterprise crew, interaction is limited to Kirk and Spock exchanging furtive glances and shutting down McCoy's enquiries.  The final section of the book (post Una's departure) details Kirk and Spock's escape was fast paced but also had the most lapses in the characters of Kirk and Spock:

"I think I've had enough of you piloting, no offence"
Spock gave him a bemused look.  "If I had feelings they would be hurt."
"Somehow I doubt that."

Yeah, that face you're pulling?  That's my face too.  I'll make sure we're on the same page with an emoji - 😒 .  The less said about that stirling dialogue the better, yes?

Some reviews I've read for this novel have been glowing, others less so.  For me personally, it was OK, middling, worth reading but nothing special.  I'm still looking forward to the rest of the trilogy though because the story is interesting and I'm also looking forward to seeing what the other three writers are going to bring to the table.  First books in a trilogy are always pretty difficult for writers, especially when they are only writing the first volume, and while I don't agree with other reviewers that the instalment can stand alone, it's merits aren't completely dependant on a follow on story.

3/5 - Time to change pilots.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!  FYI, I'm in a good, rested mood, I'm not just being mean!  EDIT: Also, I can't seem to spell... ahh well, all fixed!

Star Trek - The Kobayashi Maru

"It was a no-win situation," Kirk told him.  "No matter what you did, or how hard you tried, you always lost.  All the possible decisions were wrong."

The Kobayashi Maru (1989) (#30 Titan, #47 Pocket) is by Julia Ecklar of L A GRAF fame.  This novel however, is one of her earliest works, some three years before her first outing as L A GRAF (Ice Trap - 1992).  The writing in this novel is pretty strong, confident and well considered and takes on a slightly unusual format.  The structure of the narrative is separated between the events that Kirk, McCoy, Sulu, Chekov, and Scotty experiencing in the present and their (with the exclusion of McCoy) memories of the Starfleet Academy test they took as cadets.

As many of you will no doubt know, the Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable simulation which command cadets were required to undertake as part of their training.  One cadet would be selected to be captain of a constitution class starship and they would be backed up by their 'crew' of classmates as bridge crew and engineering etc.  The simulation would present the cadets with a problem, while patrolling the space on the boarder of the Klingon neutral zone, they would receive a distress signal/communication from a freighter within the neutral zone.  The cadet captain would have to make decisions against rapidly diminishing odds of success; the computer compensating for a cadet's successes with even more overpowering odds.  The Kobayashi Maru simulation is a no-win situation.

The novel begins with a shuttle accident due to a 'gravitational mine', Sulu and Kirk are injured, while McCoy, Chekov and Scotty are unscathed.  The shuttle is irreparably damaged, and aside from minor repairs in order to keep themselves alive, they must wait until Spock, in command of the Enterprise, finds them.  This is no easy task as their communications are down and the distortions in this area of space would prevent Enterprise from finding them with any ease.

Their situation reminds them of the no-win scenario 'The Kobayashi Maru', which was kept a secret from class to class.  McCoy, who is the only one of the group to have not taken a test (having not gone into the command academy, being a medical officer) is intrigued and encourages everyone to recount their experiences of the simulation.  Two of the stories are told very well, one of them is a little bit long winded and one is a little... stereotyped.

Kirk is injured during the initial accident, seriously damaging his knee, which keeps him essentially immobile for much of the duration of the 'present time' story.  His story is the first told and one of the better ones.  Essentially Kirk in his youth was not unlike Kirk in the present, he has never and will never believe in a no-win scenario.  Having failed the scenario in under five minutes, he refuses to be beaten and throws himself into study of famous tacticians, captains and battles.  He tries again, but again fails (though he believes he was marginally better this time), and one of the instructors takes pity on him, telling him he is the only one to have taken the scenario twice and that The Kobayashi Maru test was unbeatable.  This infuriates Kirk, he doesn't believe that it can't be beaten so commits himself to fervent study.  After a fateful conversation, he comes to the conclusion that if the program cheats, then he should be able to cheat also and reprogrammes the simulation to 'even the odds'.  In fact, he adjusts the scenario so that when he introduces himself, the Klingons recognise him and help him recover the Kobayashi Maru.  At the end of the test, Kirk is dangerously close to being reprimanded, however his solution is finally recognised as brilliant and 'creative thinking'.  Kirk's solution is simple - he bends the laws of the universe to his own will, much like he does in his later adventures.  I'll hazard a reference to the 'Romance' of Killing Time, in any reality, Kirk must captain the Enterprise, Spock must be at his side and if this balance is upset, reality itself will bend to accommodate it.  Kirk must prevail.

Back in the present time, McCoy is amused and comments that he should have guessed that would have been Kirk's solution; Chekov is shocked and a little hurt that his hero cheated the test.  Sulu who is badly injured and rendered immobile remembers Chekov's solution.  Chekov begrudgingly recounts his solution.  Unlike Kirk's story, the actual events of Chekov's Kobayashi Maru experience are not the focus, but lay the foundation for Chekov's solution to a second, new cadet training scenario.  Chekov's solution was to blow up his ship's four antimatter drives, destroying the attacking Klingon forces, but also killing his crew which he had admittedly attempted to save by evacuating them (he reasons that capture by the Klingons would be a worse fate than death).  Another effect of the detonation would be that that area of space would be a virtual communications black hole, the Federation would not be able to operate in or observe the area.  Chekov is unrepentant however, and his attitude soon sets him up for a fall, there is a lesson to be learnt.   The majority of Chekov's narrative is concerned with a 'survival test', in which the cadets are confined on a station and are told that there is one assassin (they are not told who), and that they have to survive.  Chekov (who idolises Kirk) is determined to be the best and to be the last one standing and through cunning and deception ensures that, when faced with falling at the final hurdle, ensures that everybody else falls with him.  The instructor announces that all the cadets have failed this scenario, and that there was only ever one cadet to pass, James T Kirk, because he realised he could beat the scenario by securing an important area and only allowing people in if they gave up their weapons.  As such, nobody 'died' because of his intelligence and charisma, his 'command'.  Chekov's 'Kobayashi Maru' story disappointing to me, because, firstly, he seems a little out of character.  I mean, I know he's Russian but please, he acts like the stereotypical KGB agent, suspicious, paranoid, ruthless, unable to understand people who do not think in a Russian way (whatever that means).  Secondly, his only purpose seems to be to make Kirk shine even brighter, this is highlighted by Chekov's account following directly after Kirk's and the references to Kirk's achievements within it.  I don't really recognise Chekov, even when compared with 'Ice Trap', so I'd hazard a guess that Ecklar's hand was in the Kirk/McCoy adventure than Chekov and Uhura's.

Returning once again to the present time, while Scotty is in the process of jury-rigging a device that will save them from danger and hopefully attract the attention of the Enterprise, the four men in the shuttle listen to Sulu's experiences as a cadet.  He warns them that unlike Kirk and Chekov's tales, his is not amusing.  Much of Sulu's account is concerned with events leading up to taking the test itself: starting at the command academy, the decline of his great grandfather's health, learning philosophy and responsibility.  Sulu learns the burden of choice, of command and the value of life (the death of his great grandfather).  His own solution to the Kobayashi Maru is to not enter the neutral zone to investigate the distress call, and to continue to his original destination, thus completing the simulation without conflict; he narrowly avoids mutiny in the process.  Sulu's story is probably the most touching, and I think one of the most in character.  Sulu is certainly portrayed as the most wise and emotionally mature.  Kirk, Chekov and Scotty all approach their simulations as a game to be beaten, whereas Sulu approaches it with wisdom and makes the toughest command decision, to preserve his ship and the lives of his crew, even risking mutiny in doing so.

Scotty is injured while outside the shuttle, but he manages to do the necessary work and returns to the others.  After his injuries are tended to, he tells his story.  Scotty didn't want to be in command school, he would much rather be in the engineering section, however he was pressured by his family into command.  His engineering designs catch the eye of an instructor, who realises that Scotty is wasted in command.  Scotty is asked a question, if he could be transferred to the engineering section in such a way that his family would accept it, would he transfer.  Scotty answers that yes, he would.  Scotty soon finds himself in the simulation's command chair, and destroys multiple Klingon ships, however, the computer always generates more, in a final attempt Scotty uses 'Perera's Field Theory' into action, destroying fifteen war dragons in pursuit.  After the simulation ends, he is questioned by the admirals and instructors who had been watching.  Essentially, Scotty had used an obsolete theory, but the computer's calculations had allowed it to happen.  Scotty realised that the computer would calculate 'Perera's Field Theory' as correct, and used its error to try to beat the simulation.  It is later revealed during this exposition that Scotty was the engineer that proved the theory incorrect, and he did so at the tender age of sixteen.  At this revelation, the admirals realise he is wasted in command, and transfer him back to the engineering decision.  Essentially, Scotty's story highlights Scotty as a genius, but as a fish out of water when it came to command academy.

With all the tales told, the five men await their fates in the shuttle.  They realise that, although they managed to save themselves from one danger, the Enterprise has not seen them.  Kirk, who has been strangely passive throughout the present day narrative (mainly due to injury) struggles to accept that this is the end.  Even as he gives into exhaustion he maintains he doesn't believe in a no-win scenario.  Waking suddenly, he reveals he has a plan, and the crew coax the last life out of the shuttle's circuits and Kirk brings the best out of his crew, pushing them to their limits.  Kirk's plan works and they are spotted by the Enterprise.  The resulting scenes of reunion are strangely satisfying, they gave me the warm and fuzzies!  Spock welcomes them back to the Enterprise and helps Kirk away from the shuttle; the end is quite tender and sweet, wistful almost as Kirk thinks on the experience in the shuttle and the lessons learnt as cadets.

Sorry! That 'summary' was longer than I meant it to be, I've left the 'present day' story vague, so I haven't spoiled too much (hopefully).

I really enjoyed this book, it was for the most part satisfying and gave me the wonderful fuzzy feeling on finishing it, but it isn't without problems.  Stylistically it's pleasant to read, the framing narrative is well developed and interesting on its own, and the character development is pretty good; shouldn't it be scoring higher than a 3/5?  Ecklar is good, but she's no Greg Cox or John Vornholt, and ultimately, 'The Kobayashi Maru' is very, very safe.  If you read Vornholt's 'Sanctuary', there is a massive amount of world building and scores of new characters introduced, but the 'The Kobayashi Maru' is just so much more limited.  There is also a sense of claustrophobia in the narratives, the framing narrative is within the confines of a failing shuttle, Kirk, Scotty and Sulu's stories take place almost exclusively in the confines of the academy and Chekov's story again takes place in a confined space.  I'm not sure whether the sense of claustrophobia is deliberate or not, or whether the circumstances of the framing narrative had an effect on Ecklar's depiction of the simulations.

I did really enjoy the character development, and it was interesting to see Kirk 'out of action' as it were until the end.  Funnily enough, even though McCoy had no story to tell, his development and actions in the framing narrative were really insightful.  I'm sure Ecklar wrote the Kirk/McCoy narrative in Ice Trap.  The one complaint I do have however, is how Chekov is portrayed, I think he's pretty out of character, especially in his simulation story.  I get the feeling Ecklar didn't know what to do with him, so she relied heavily on a Russian agent / KGB characterisation which was pretty shallow.  Chekov's story really seems to be there to highlight how awesome Kirk is, and to give an extra titbit of information about Kirk's other performances at the academy.

If you've read this far, well done!  You can probably guess that I'm going to recommend this book to pretty much everyone!

3/5 - I don't believe in a no-win situation.

P.S.  It got me thinking - what would I do in a Kobayashi Maru situation?  What would you do?