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Title: Past Prologue: The Janus Gate Book Three [of Three](Star Trek The Original Series) by L.A. Graf ISBN: 0-7434-4596-1 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 July, 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.86 (7 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Not a bad book.
Comment: But not without its flaws, the largest of which is that the rear cover blurb is totally inaccurate, so if you might be inclined to pick up this book in order to see some in-depth background on the experiences that young James Kirk had on Tarsus IV (a tie-in to the original series episode, "The Conscience of the King") don't. The point in his past that Kirk is sent back to is a completely different one, one that does NOT form a tie-in to any episode. If I had to guess, I'd guess that the original plan was to tie in to Tarsus IV, and that original plot synopsis is what the rear cover blurb was based on, and then in the course of writing, the details were changed. Perhaps the creator of that episode objected to the use of their concept; who knows?
Of course, another flaw is that this book is not a complete story by itself; it is a story fragment relatively meaningless without books one and two of the series, so don't start with this one. And the third major flaw is that the concepts of time paradoxes are handled in a somewhat dubious way; but that's almost a given in the genre. It's nearly impossible to handle temporal paradoxes in a way that DOES make sense.
On the good side, the basic plot is fairly interesting (if illogical), there are some interesting tie-ins with various episodes from the original series which are handled quite well, and the characterization is smoothly handled and interesting.
As a whole, I'd say that the trilogy is worth reading for any fan of the original Star Trek series, but don't expect perfection. There are better Star Trek stories to be had, but there are far, far more worse ones.
Rating: 4
Summary: Timely Return To Form
Comment: The final book in this time travel trilogy is another excellent effort from Graf who has restored my faith that people can still write exciting Star Trek adventures instead of the usual soap opera stuff that plagues much of the modern material. Here we have an interesting story that delves further into Kirk's past, including his relationship with his father, but never loses sight of the overall plot. How easy it would have been for this to become a "Next Generation" or "Voyager" style story with the characters "getting in touch with their feelings" and all "having a group hug" - but no, this is a serious story, and thankfully the author allows the characters to resolve the drama in an adult fashion. The overall conclusion to the Janus Gate side of the story back on Tlaoli IV is also brilliant, although a bit convoluted at times (*but then most time travel stories are !!!), and again I must praise the author for the way she cleverly brings it all together at the end. On a side note I must add my voice to the other readers who have complained about the synopsis that Pocket Books has provided for each of these novels. Only book two contained a synopsis that was remotely close to the actual story of the novel, while book one and three in fact were a load of garbage. Do the publishers actually read the books ?!! And if so who is responsible for the totally inaccurate synopsis writing ?!! Maybe the readers would like to start a letter writing campaign to Pocket Books to ensure that consumers are actually getting what they pay for when they buy a book instead of something completely different !!! Anyway at least this was one of the really worthwhile titles, and one of the better series of Star Trek books, regardless of the lousy synopsis on the back cover. A thoroughly enjoyable read which I would recommend to anyone, and I only hope Kevin Ryan's "Errand of Vengeance" trilogy will prove to be as good.
Rating: 4
Summary: Actually 4.5 stars- excellent book
Comment: This is the best book of the three, but the Janus Gate sucking the power out of the Scheenag is a bit obvious. Uhura does an awesome job commanding the Enterprise, and the twist at the end is very good. However, the back of the book once again had nothing to do with the story, and I was disappointed that the authors decided not to use Tarsus IV. (Kirk had a bad life at 14-Gaxx and then Tarsus IV)
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Title: River of Blood (Star Trek The Original Series: Errand of Vengeance, Book 3) by Kevin Ryan ISBN: 0743446003 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Killing Blow: Errand of Vengeance Book Two (Star Trek The Original Series) by Kevin Ryan ISBN: 074344602X Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Edge of the Sword: Errand of Vengeance Book One (Star Trek The Original Series) by Kevin Ryan ISBN: 0743445988 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Brave and the Bold, Book 1 (Star Trek) by Keith R.A. DeCandido ISBN: 0743419227 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 26 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Vulcan's Heart (Star Trek) by Susan Shwartz ISBN: 0671015451 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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