What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Trek: The Original Series
A Contest of Principles
An epic new
Star Trek
saga by
New York Times
best-selling author Greg Cox set during the original five-year mission!
The planet Vok is holding its first free elections after years of oppressive military rule. Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise have been dispatched by Starfleet to serve as impartial observers, but remaining neutral proves a challenge, as Kirk confronts a tangled web of scandal, conspiracy, and assassination plots - with the stability of an entire sector at stake.
To make matters worse, Dr. Leonard McCoy has vanished while on a mission of mercy to Braco, a nearby planet only a system away. With Kirk unable to abandon his vital mission on Vok to hunt for his friend, it’s up to First Officer Spock and Christine Chapel to lead a team in search of the missing doctor, even if it means risking whatever fate befell McCoy.
Unknown to his friends and crewmates, however, McCoy has been spirited away to another world, Ozalor, where he’s expected to find a cure for a mysterious ailment plaguing a member of the planet’s ruling family. Torn between his Hippocratic oath and his desire to escape, McCoy finds himself at the center of deadly palace intrigues - and a struggle for power that may ultimately consume all three worlds!
The planet Vok is holding its first free elections after years of oppressive military rule. Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise have been dispatched by Starfleet to serve as impartial observers, but remaining neutral proves a challenge, as Kirk confronts a tangled web of scandal, conspiracy, and assassination plots - with the stability of an entire sector at stake.
To make matters worse, Dr. Leonard McCoy has vanished while on a mission of mercy to Braco, a nearby planet only a system away. With Kirk unable to abandon his vital mission on Vok to hunt for his friend, it’s up to First Officer Spock and Christine Chapel to lead a team in search of the missing doctor, even if it means risking whatever fate befell McCoy.
Unknown to his friends and crewmates, however, McCoy has been spirited away to another world, Ozalor, where he’s expected to find a cure for a mysterious ailment plaguing a member of the planet’s ruling family. Torn between his Hippocratic oath and his desire to escape, McCoy finds himself at the center of deadly palace intrigues - and a struggle for power that may ultimately consume all three worlds!
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2020
104 people are currently reading
325 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
November 12, 2020
Considering the background and atmosphere of the American election of 2020, this novel's parable-feel is most appropriate, and it's what "Star Trek" does best. It's also a very busy book, and I have to say I was less engaged with the Spock/Chapel plot line than I was with the other two...but it all comes together at the conclusion in satisfying fashion. It also contains just the right amount of fanwank to cause an appropriate squee or two at key moments in the story.
September 26, 2021
I picked up A CONTEST OF PRINCIPLES because I had heard it was a surprisingly topical Star Trek book. Apparently, this was more a happy accident than anything else as while 2016's election was controversial, it was in no way shape or form as controversial as 2020's election was.
Thus, Greg Cox's book about the U.S.S Enterprise serving as election observers was not meant to be QUITE as topical as it turned out to be. I personally think Star Trek should be topical and recommend people pick up this book. It may or may not agree with your politics but I think all Star Trek fans should agree, at a base, that democracy=good and that everyone should vote their principles.
The book isn't limited to the story about Kirk trying to save democracy on an alien planet in a contested election, though. It also has some very interesting side stories with McCoy and Spock getting their own chances to shy. McCoy becomes something of a Rasputin figure as a foreign healer that is kidnapped to treat an alien monarch's child and immediately becomes the target of evil nobles who worry about his influence over the family. Yes, I'm very much on Rasputin's side in that particular bit of Russian history and wish French courts had ruled against his murderers as his daughter wished.
I also like Spock having to deal with the kind of people who are utterly illogical in their actions as long as it is fighting their equivalent of the War on Terror. Just seeing Spock's considerable patience tried as people continue to make stupid move after stupid move because they refuse to listen to reason was a sadly all too realistic storyline. I also liked a joke they made about Spock formerly sporting a beard but it proving controversial.
I think the book is perhaps a little too forgiving to the General after he orders his followers to disrupt the election and engage in what amounts to terrorism. Perhaps I'm just sick of politicians inciting violence and getting away with not even a slap on the wrist but the full support of their followers even in defeat.
All in all, fantastic book.
Thus, Greg Cox's book about the U.S.S Enterprise serving as election observers was not meant to be QUITE as topical as it turned out to be. I personally think Star Trek should be topical and recommend people pick up this book. It may or may not agree with your politics but I think all Star Trek fans should agree, at a base, that democracy=good and that everyone should vote their principles.
The book isn't limited to the story about Kirk trying to save democracy on an alien planet in a contested election, though. It also has some very interesting side stories with McCoy and Spock getting their own chances to shy. McCoy becomes something of a Rasputin figure as a foreign healer that is kidnapped to treat an alien monarch's child and immediately becomes the target of evil nobles who worry about his influence over the family. Yes, I'm very much on Rasputin's side in that particular bit of Russian history and wish French courts had ruled against his murderers as his daughter wished.
I also like Spock having to deal with the kind of people who are utterly illogical in their actions as long as it is fighting their equivalent of the War on Terror. Just seeing Spock's considerable patience tried as people continue to make stupid move after stupid move because they refuse to listen to reason was a sadly all too realistic storyline. I also liked a joke they made about Spock formerly sporting a beard but it proving controversial.
I think the book is perhaps a little too forgiving to the General after he orders his followers to disrupt the election and engage in what amounts to terrorism. Perhaps I'm just sick of politicians inciting violence and getting away with not even a slap on the wrist but the full support of their followers even in defeat.
All in all, fantastic book.
March 12, 2021
Nice Star Trek TOS episode with some nice twists, legendary references and an intrigued plot. It was like going back to the TV series.
November 10, 2020
Requested to be official observers at a planetary presidential election, the 'Enterprise' crew must keep the peace after the attempted assassination of one of the candidates. During this time of crisis, Dr. McCoy is kidnapped while on a medical emergency mission and Spock follows in hot pursuit.
Cox's novel is, as ever, well written and holds firm to the principles and characterisations portrayed in the 'Star Trek' series.
Cox's novel is, as ever, well written and holds firm to the principles and characterisations portrayed in the 'Star Trek' series.
May 6, 2021
This story was why Greg Cox is one of my fave ST authors. This story could easily have been a ST episode. The pacing was very well, a planets elections in jeopardy, McCoy kidnapped, lots of twists and our heroes come out on top through all of this. Loved it from beginning to end. I highly recommend it.
December 14, 2020
This one is fine but does not have anything very memorable or special in its story.
March 5, 2021
Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise are ordered to the planet Vok, where the government there is holding its first democratic elections after a long period of authoritarian military rule. The Federation has been invited to watch over the elections as non-aligned observers, and ensure that the computer-based voting system proceeds without controversy or tampering. The outcome of the election will have broad repercussions for nearby systems as well. Vok has territorial eyes set on the planet Braco, viewed as their ancestral home. But the nearby planet of Ozalor also contests Braco as their own, and generations of animosity has now built up between the worlds. Adding to the eggshells that the crew of the Enterprise must step among, Ozalor maintains a fiercely isolationist policy, maintaining no diplomatic ties to the Federation, and keeping memory of last encounters turned hostile and deadly.
While Kirk visits Vok with Federation representatives to oversee the election, news of contagious disease outbreak on Braco draws Dr. McCoy, Nurse Chapel and a security guard to that nearby world via shuttle. It’s a trap! (Oh, sorry, that’s Star Wars) Ambushed upon arrival, Dr. McCoy is secreted off Braco by a majordomo to the royal family of Ozalor. The Princess of that planet is afflicted by a mysterious disease and McCoy has been kidnapped to help treat her. Spock meets up with Nurse Chapel and the security officer on Braco to investigate the doctor’s disappearance, but faces resistance from the controlling government there, who is eager to blame a political dissident group on their planet for the kidnapping. On Ozalor, McCoy tries to help his VIP patient,, despite the circumstances of his enlistment, but discovers himself then plunged into the machinations of the royal court.
The older mass-market paperback Star Trek novels stuck to the episodic format of the television series, with one major plot line and setting, plus a lighter, B side-plot somehow worked in. The newer novels have felt more expansive in scope, and A Contest of Principles continues that trend, with Enterprise crew members dealing with situations on not just one alien world, or two, but three. Each setting with its own cast of supporting characters and cultures.
Vok feels akin to present-day Earth, the US more specifically given our own recent election turmoils and polarizing partisanship. Braco bears resemblance to many other alien worlds of Star Trek where political differences have created a break-off group labelled terrorist, and the ruling factions thus increased the militarism of their police and security in response. Braco seems headed down that path of authoritarianism from which Vok is just now trying to move on from. However, whereas Vok directed the militarism externally to their enemies on Ozalor, Braco is now directing its militarism internally upon a population caught in the middle of the Vok-Ozalor feud, and thereby divided. With politics of a feudal monarchy, Ozalor feels the most different, almost like a culture from a fantasy novel. The healer/advisor to the court who is able to treat the Princess’ agony through seeming magic augments this fantasy vibe.
These three settings and the interconnected plot threads of each do work perfectly when writing Star Trek: The Original Series, because of the trio of characters that lead it: Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. This has become the standard to the detriment of what stories could be done with a larger batch of the crew, or a different subset other than that expected trio. For the TV show, the actors playing those characters were the top-billed, indeed the only ones mentioned in the opening credits. But too often the media-tie in creations of Star Trek have then chosen to also just focus on those three.
I do get it, the charisma between the three are a large part of what made The Original Series work, made it beloved. They make a perfect trio, balanced and complimentary to buffer against the harshness or weakness that any of those individuals have on their own. Writers keep returning to Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, because it’s a classic team and it works. But for these newer Star Trek books, I still hope for broadening beyond that easy, familiar setup of the primary three.
A Contest of Principles does put a bit of a spin on the trio in the sense that it is not putting them together to work off one another, but rather separating them and forcing them to manage as their pure, unadulterated selves, each unguided and untempered by their two friends. So while I may wish to see one of the secondary characters featured more than those three, again, at least we can see them manage on their own. On the other hand, Cox did the same recently with The Antares Maelstrom, and it could get old fast.
Cox does a great job writing each of the three leads, effectively capturing their voice and mannerisms. They act exactly as one would expect them to during the period in which the novel is set, the final year of the Enterprise’s original five-year mission under Kirk. They each are given a challenge and setting that most ideally plays off in opposition to their character traits as well. Kirk is a man of action, but is now placed in a role where he is to observe, severely limited in how much action he can take. Spock, of course a Vulcan of logic, is left to deal with a corrupt and illogical security force, and forced to turn to the arts of diplomacy that (at this point in his life at least) lie with his father Sarek, not he the scientist. McCoy is put up against a magician whose powers he can’t quite explain, to cure a disease that is not responding as his medical knowledge suggests it should.
Though this all may not then be particularly original, Cox writes it engagingly well. McCoy and Spock’s chapters I particularly found entertaining. Spock makes acquaintance with an animal/pet that is humorous and endearing. And, who doesn’t enjoy curmudgeon, but gold-hearted, McCoy chew some scenery? I’m less of a Kirk fan, but those who are will surely find familiar joy with his third of the story.
Thankfully this does work for the novel, as other parts of it succeed less well. The new characters are as one-dimensional as primary characters are able to be in media-tie in novels. The stakes can’t really be high for a crew we all know are going to be fine. But, those created just for this could contain greater depth. There isn’t much nuance to those on Braco or Ozalor, and they behave rather stereotypically. The characters on Vok do have far more nuance, to create intrigues of scandal and conspiracies, and something beyond clear-cut heroes/villains in the election. However, that gain becomes hampered by dialogue that can come across as corny. That issue of dialogue also represents the one negative that crept into the otherwise well-written Enterprise characters, with Kirk. I know Kirk has used the term ‘mister’ in his lines on the show (e.g. “you better think twice about that, mister!”) but when written it looks extra silly; Cox employs it often. The start of the novel went slower for me due to the dialogue writing of those secondary characters, but once more of the action started up I was able to get into the story and enjoy this as a decent Trek novel after all.
Recent Star Trek novels have also upped, or expanded, things in the theme department. A Contest of Principles, which takes its title from a quote regarding politics, of course is all about the themes of politics, comparing them across three unique situations/worlds. When I first read the summary of this regarding the elections and a pandemic disease outbreak I wondered how Cox managed to get things so right! The pandemic outbreak angle of course ends up being a lure for McCoy only, but the similarities between the recent US elections that were going on as this book was published in November are likely not coincidence. Many of course saw the capital riots coming – given they were announced and long-stirred-up, of course. I feel as though the situation on Vok wrapped up a bit too easily and neatly for realism, but nonetheless the look into politics there vis-a-vis our reality is a useful endeavor, as are those ‘contests of principles’ explored on the other two planets.
A Contest of Principles is going to work well for any fans of Star Trek, but it’s probably not one I’d strongly recommend for general readers who don’t care about the series. But for the fans of these stories and this crew, let’s just get some more of the other characters, please?
While Kirk visits Vok with Federation representatives to oversee the election, news of contagious disease outbreak on Braco draws Dr. McCoy, Nurse Chapel and a security guard to that nearby world via shuttle. It’s a trap! (Oh, sorry, that’s Star Wars) Ambushed upon arrival, Dr. McCoy is secreted off Braco by a majordomo to the royal family of Ozalor. The Princess of that planet is afflicted by a mysterious disease and McCoy has been kidnapped to help treat her. Spock meets up with Nurse Chapel and the security officer on Braco to investigate the doctor’s disappearance, but faces resistance from the controlling government there, who is eager to blame a political dissident group on their planet for the kidnapping. On Ozalor, McCoy tries to help his VIP patient,, despite the circumstances of his enlistment, but discovers himself then plunged into the machinations of the royal court.
The older mass-market paperback Star Trek novels stuck to the episodic format of the television series, with one major plot line and setting, plus a lighter, B side-plot somehow worked in. The newer novels have felt more expansive in scope, and A Contest of Principles continues that trend, with Enterprise crew members dealing with situations on not just one alien world, or two, but three. Each setting with its own cast of supporting characters and cultures.
Vok feels akin to present-day Earth, the US more specifically given our own recent election turmoils and polarizing partisanship. Braco bears resemblance to many other alien worlds of Star Trek where political differences have created a break-off group labelled terrorist, and the ruling factions thus increased the militarism of their police and security in response. Braco seems headed down that path of authoritarianism from which Vok is just now trying to move on from. However, whereas Vok directed the militarism externally to their enemies on Ozalor, Braco is now directing its militarism internally upon a population caught in the middle of the Vok-Ozalor feud, and thereby divided. With politics of a feudal monarchy, Ozalor feels the most different, almost like a culture from a fantasy novel. The healer/advisor to the court who is able to treat the Princess’ agony through seeming magic augments this fantasy vibe.
These three settings and the interconnected plot threads of each do work perfectly when writing Star Trek: The Original Series, because of the trio of characters that lead it: Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. This has become the standard to the detriment of what stories could be done with a larger batch of the crew, or a different subset other than that expected trio. For the TV show, the actors playing those characters were the top-billed, indeed the only ones mentioned in the opening credits. But too often the media-tie in creations of Star Trek have then chosen to also just focus on those three.
I do get it, the charisma between the three are a large part of what made The Original Series work, made it beloved. They make a perfect trio, balanced and complimentary to buffer against the harshness or weakness that any of those individuals have on their own. Writers keep returning to Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, because it’s a classic team and it works. But for these newer Star Trek books, I still hope for broadening beyond that easy, familiar setup of the primary three.
A Contest of Principles does put a bit of a spin on the trio in the sense that it is not putting them together to work off one another, but rather separating them and forcing them to manage as their pure, unadulterated selves, each unguided and untempered by their two friends. So while I may wish to see one of the secondary characters featured more than those three, again, at least we can see them manage on their own. On the other hand, Cox did the same recently with The Antares Maelstrom, and it could get old fast.
Cox does a great job writing each of the three leads, effectively capturing their voice and mannerisms. They act exactly as one would expect them to during the period in which the novel is set, the final year of the Enterprise’s original five-year mission under Kirk. They each are given a challenge and setting that most ideally plays off in opposition to their character traits as well. Kirk is a man of action, but is now placed in a role where he is to observe, severely limited in how much action he can take. Spock, of course a Vulcan of logic, is left to deal with a corrupt and illogical security force, and forced to turn to the arts of diplomacy that (at this point in his life at least) lie with his father Sarek, not he the scientist. McCoy is put up against a magician whose powers he can’t quite explain, to cure a disease that is not responding as his medical knowledge suggests it should.
Though this all may not then be particularly original, Cox writes it engagingly well. McCoy and Spock’s chapters I particularly found entertaining. Spock makes acquaintance with an animal/pet that is humorous and endearing. And, who doesn’t enjoy curmudgeon, but gold-hearted, McCoy chew some scenery? I’m less of a Kirk fan, but those who are will surely find familiar joy with his third of the story.
Thankfully this does work for the novel, as other parts of it succeed less well. The new characters are as one-dimensional as primary characters are able to be in media-tie in novels. The stakes can’t really be high for a crew we all know are going to be fine. But, those created just for this could contain greater depth. There isn’t much nuance to those on Braco or Ozalor, and they behave rather stereotypically. The characters on Vok do have far more nuance, to create intrigues of scandal and conspiracies, and something beyond clear-cut heroes/villains in the election. However, that gain becomes hampered by dialogue that can come across as corny. That issue of dialogue also represents the one negative that crept into the otherwise well-written Enterprise characters, with Kirk. I know Kirk has used the term ‘mister’ in his lines on the show (e.g. “you better think twice about that, mister!”) but when written it looks extra silly; Cox employs it often. The start of the novel went slower for me due to the dialogue writing of those secondary characters, but once more of the action started up I was able to get into the story and enjoy this as a decent Trek novel after all.
Recent Star Trek novels have also upped, or expanded, things in the theme department. A Contest of Principles, which takes its title from a quote regarding politics, of course is all about the themes of politics, comparing them across three unique situations/worlds. When I first read the summary of this regarding the elections and a pandemic disease outbreak I wondered how Cox managed to get things so right! The pandemic outbreak angle of course ends up being a lure for McCoy only, but the similarities between the recent US elections that were going on as this book was published in November are likely not coincidence. Many of course saw the capital riots coming – given they were announced and long-stirred-up, of course. I feel as though the situation on Vok wrapped up a bit too easily and neatly for realism, but nonetheless the look into politics there vis-a-vis our reality is a useful endeavor, as are those ‘contests of principles’ explored on the other two planets.
A Contest of Principles is going to work well for any fans of Star Trek, but it’s probably not one I’d strongly recommend for general readers who don’t care about the series. But for the fans of these stories and this crew, let’s just get some more of the other characters, please?
January 18, 2023
Not particularly exciting. Rather boring. It's a good book just more directed at politics than any space exploration which is fine if that is what you are looking for.
December 25, 2023
Consistently entertaining Star Trek novel that handles three interlinked plot lines with ease.
April 24, 2022
Simply outstanding.
June 7, 2022
For some reason, this novel is being viewed by The Storygraph as a Non-Fiction book. It did not allow me to answer the following questions, so I will provide them, here:
Plot- or character-driven? Plot,
Strong character development? Yes,
Loveable characters? Yes,
Diverse cast of characters? Yes,
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25 ⭐
I've been on a Science Fiction binge...of all different kinds of series. I also just bought a month subscription of Paramount+ for the express purpose of watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (binged all episode currently released, 1-5 and am truly happy.
So, I decided to pick up this The Original Seris (TOS) story...to scratch that itch in reading format. So happy that I did.
Chief John Kyle is the Transporter operator (which I liked), and Dr. M'Benga is mentioned too. I really love this franchise.
About the story, it is framed by what will happen to the crew at the end of its first 5 year mission is completed.Starfleet plants an observer in their midst to see if if would be better to spread the crew throughout Starfleet to uplift the entire organization OR to keep them together? Great question and one that people in the workplace have to deal with all the time.
The A plot is also a timely story for the time period that this book was release (2020) dealing with a contentious election process within our own country...and having an outside observer organization (United Federation of Planets) oversee the election of a outside system...to make sure the elections are fair.
There are lots of twists and turns...and often you do not really know who is in the right...which mimics real life. Sometimes decisions are black and white, but there are also times where what seems like the right thing to do, really isn't.
The B plot reminded me of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the influence of Wormtongue. It wasn't exactly the same, but there was a LOT of similarities.
Overall, this was a great adventure...and I cannot wait to jump back into this world for more.
Plot- or character-driven? Plot,
Strong character development? Yes,
Loveable characters? Yes,
Diverse cast of characters? Yes,
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25 ⭐
I've been on a Science Fiction binge...of all different kinds of series. I also just bought a month subscription of Paramount+ for the express purpose of watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (binged all episode currently released, 1-5 and am truly happy.
So, I decided to pick up this The Original Seris (TOS) story...to scratch that itch in reading format. So happy that I did.
Chief John Kyle is the Transporter operator (which I liked), and Dr. M'Benga is mentioned too. I really love this franchise.
About the story, it is framed by what will happen to the crew at the end of its first 5 year mission is completed.Starfleet plants an observer in their midst to see if if would be better to spread the crew throughout Starfleet to uplift the entire organization OR to keep them together? Great question and one that people in the workplace have to deal with all the time.
The A plot is also a timely story for the time period that this book was release (2020) dealing with a contentious election process within our own country...and having an outside observer organization (United Federation of Planets) oversee the election of a outside system...to make sure the elections are fair.
There are lots of twists and turns...and often you do not really know who is in the right...which mimics real life. Sometimes decisions are black and white, but there are also times where what seems like the right thing to do, really isn't.
The B plot reminded me of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the influence of Wormtongue. It wasn't exactly the same, but there was a LOT of similarities.
Overall, this was a great adventure...and I cannot wait to jump back into this world for more.
January 6, 2021
Not bad but not very good. The splitting of the characters for 3 relatively separate plots was more Doctor Who then Star Trek. Fewer references to old episodes than in the last few years which is a positive. I just yearn for the old days of Star Trek books where at least half the time, you had stories trying to be bigger in scope than a typical TV episode. The Voyager line has tried that the last decade with mixed success but the majority of other Star Trek novels are either mediocre or bad. I keep reading as a Trek fanatic but I don’t know how much longer I can support this line unless they kick it up a notch soon.
November 29, 2020
I am not a fan of TOS but this is the second TOS novel I have loved. The characters are great and fun and everything I remember from the movies and not the TV series.
February 18, 2023
Very well told story of TOS. I found the story , well, fun. It was an enjoyable read with all my favorite characters. Highly recommended for all TOS fans.
June 23, 2021
How many stars means “Meh”?
The characterizations here were not quite what I hope for in a Trek novel. Spock in particular was quite one-note.
I believe the plot was meant to broadly reflect recent political upheaval in a certain western nation, and that did not endear the book to me.
The word that kept coming to mind for the writing was clunky. I think I actually winced a few times at some of the phrasing. (I lost count of the number of times various officious characters said “See that you do.”) Two plot elements threw me right out of the story: first, why didn't Chekov use the phaser rifle from his presumably superior angle on high ground instead of throwing it down to Kirk? I know why it would have been done that way in an episode-- Bill would have complained that the Captain needed to be the one who saved the day, but I didn't see a reason for it in in a novel. Second, why did Spock need a piece of alien technology to communicate with the princess when he was mind-melding with her? He can feel her pain, and have a chat with the healer who has invaded her mind, but not communicate with her without the local version of an EarPod?
The quality of classic Trek novels has been wildly uneven since the first one was published in 1970, so I shouldn't be surprised the current crop disappoints me more often than not. I don't even attempt to read them all any more. Sometimes the cover blurb alone is enough to warn me off.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2021
I picked this book up due to Greg Cox's reputation as a good Trek writer, and the overall good reviews the book had. This is my first experience with Greg's writing, and I can honestly say I liked his style for the most part; the characters seemed like themselves and the technobabble was fairly on point.
What I wasn't crazy about was the plot of this book, especially the political themes. They just weren't very interesting or engaging to me. I've been a trekker for a quite a while, so I know all too well that politics has been a part of ST since the beginning. Here it was just so blatant and lazy that I ended up putting the book down for extended periods of time. Is it really too much to ask for some subtlety in writing, or maybe presenting complex situations from an objective point of view as to promote discussion... like some of the best episodes were?
Admittedly it's a pretty silly thing to criticize, but plots like this have rarely held my interest, and it seems this still holds true. I'm glad I'm in the minority about this one though! I was looking for a another decent standalone Trek story following Agents of Influence and Latter Fire and thought I'd found it; sadly A Contest of Principals was not able to scratch that particular itch.
What I wasn't crazy about was the plot of this book, especially the political themes. They just weren't very interesting or engaging to me. I've been a trekker for a quite a while, so I know all too well that politics has been a part of ST since the beginning. Here it was just so blatant and lazy that I ended up putting the book down for extended periods of time. Is it really too much to ask for some subtlety in writing, or maybe presenting complex situations from an objective point of view as to promote discussion... like some of the best episodes were?
Admittedly it's a pretty silly thing to criticize, but plots like this have rarely held my interest, and it seems this still holds true. I'm glad I'm in the minority about this one though! I was looking for a another decent standalone Trek story following Agents of Influence and Latter Fire and thought I'd found it; sadly A Contest of Principals was not able to scratch that particular itch.
February 13, 2021
Good star trek novel from Greg Cox story was good I'm not a big fan of politics but the story was interesting to see which of the three alien races would win the election. The McCoy storyline was good where you think that he's on braco but you find out he's on the planet ozalor and that he has to cure a princess and you know that McCoy will try and find a way to get off the planet. Greg Cox got the characters spot on as he does with all the original series novels he has written overall very good novel
June 9, 2021
Rarely does a book cause me to become angry at the publisher, not just the author. There are books that speak to us and tell us more about society or the narrator. This one tells us something about ourselves, namely, that we’ve reached a place where we just say “shut up and take my money,” or “put Kirk, Spock, and McCoy on the cover and I’ll buy it and read it.”
March 9, 2022
Story was fine, disappointed in some of the writing
I've read other works by Cox and have enjoyed them, more or less. The problem I had with this one was the constant use by supposedly alien cultures of American and British styled idioms and colloquialisms. Just kept taking me out of the story which was taking place on three different planets. The story, otherwise, was fair.
I've read other works by Cox and have enjoyed them, more or less. The problem I had with this one was the constant use by supposedly alien cultures of American and British styled idioms and colloquialisms. Just kept taking me out of the story which was taking place on three different planets. The story, otherwise, was fair.
November 19, 2020
A great Star Trek Adventure in the Original Series tradition. Would have made a good movie.
December 18, 2020
Brilliant Review to Come! :D
May 20, 2025
Greg Cox is one of the better Star Trek authors out there, known for telling solid stories and being very good at tying disparate parts of Trek lore together. This book is an example of the former, showcasing Kirk, Spock and McCoy dealing with three separate but related worlds and the sociopolitical turmoil on each.
This book came out in 2020 and I can only speculate that it was LARGELY inspired by the chaos of the first Trump presidency and the MAGA movement, as Kirk must oversee a fair election on the planet Vok, with one candidate being progressive and the other the former planetary dictator with an extremely militant, violent and bullying voter base. Spock and Nurse Chapel, looking for a missing Dr. McCoy, are caught on another world in the middle between a zealous law enforcement agency and a zealous terrorist group, with both sides being paranoid in the extreme. And McCoy is kidnapped to a 3rd planet to treat an ill princess who is under the influence of a telepathic healer with a nasty political agenda.
The story is solid. The focus is on the big 3 main characters plus Chapel, whereas Scotty, Sulu, Uhura and Chekov are barely there save for a few moments now and again. There are occasional laughs, especially from Spock who is forced into situations requiring him to lie and lie like there's no tomorrow. And of course, the book hits home because of its parallels to our real world troubles here in the United States - even more so at the time of my reading and review (May of 2025).
That last part is the biggest problem with the book, however, as we're back in the nightmare of Trump and MAGA all over again, but worse. One of the things that has always made Star Trek great is telling stories about issues that we live with in the real present. But the real present is currently so awful, it was hard to enjoy so much heavy focus on the various hostile characters our heroes are subjected to. Maybe this would have made easier reading a few years ago when Biden took office, but right now? As much as we need to fight fascism in the real world, we also need some escape from it too. And while good Trek should be more than merely just escapist fiction, right now we could use a little more of it. It's not Cox's fault - four years ago, after Trump lost re-election, who knew he'd be back in power again??
So while it's maybe just a matter of bad timing on my part to read this book when I did (on audio, which means no skimming over emotinally difficult passages), especially since I didn't read the blurb before beginning, I can't bring myself to rate this book higher. To be fair, however, there IS one other reason for rating this book just 3 stars, and this one is TOTALLY on Cox. The three planets are inhabited by humanoid aliens, none of whom are in the Federation and have very little to do with it. And yet, somehow, characters on all 3 planets have a remarkable grasp of Earth human idiom and figures of speech, and frequently use it. (An alien journalist makes frequent use of the word "scoop", for instance.) This is VERY jarring and takes one right out of the book. Alien humanoids who have no involvement with the Federation should NOT TALK LIKE EARTH PEOPLE. If they were in the UFP and had long history of relations with Earth, I could see some of our casual lingo leaking into their culture. But not to the degree Cox uses it, and every time he used it I wished I could go back to when he was working on the novel and tell him to STOP.
So, between the emotional burden and the jarring use of language, I can't say this is Greg Cox's best work in my opinion. But, I will say this: his missing the bullseye is still a lot better than the best efforts of a great many other Trek authors, and I fully intend to read more of his work in the future. But I won't be keeping the audiobook for this one, nor will I seek it out in print. It's worth reading once, but only once.
This book came out in 2020 and I can only speculate that it was LARGELY inspired by the chaos of the first Trump presidency and the MAGA movement, as Kirk must oversee a fair election on the planet Vok, with one candidate being progressive and the other the former planetary dictator with an extremely militant, violent and bullying voter base. Spock and Nurse Chapel, looking for a missing Dr. McCoy, are caught on another world in the middle between a zealous law enforcement agency and a zealous terrorist group, with both sides being paranoid in the extreme. And McCoy is kidnapped to a 3rd planet to treat an ill princess who is under the influence of a telepathic healer with a nasty political agenda.
The story is solid. The focus is on the big 3 main characters plus Chapel, whereas Scotty, Sulu, Uhura and Chekov are barely there save for a few moments now and again. There are occasional laughs, especially from Spock who is forced into situations requiring him to lie and lie like there's no tomorrow. And of course, the book hits home because of its parallels to our real world troubles here in the United States - even more so at the time of my reading and review (May of 2025).
That last part is the biggest problem with the book, however, as we're back in the nightmare of Trump and MAGA all over again, but worse. One of the things that has always made Star Trek great is telling stories about issues that we live with in the real present. But the real present is currently so awful, it was hard to enjoy so much heavy focus on the various hostile characters our heroes are subjected to. Maybe this would have made easier reading a few years ago when Biden took office, but right now? As much as we need to fight fascism in the real world, we also need some escape from it too. And while good Trek should be more than merely just escapist fiction, right now we could use a little more of it. It's not Cox's fault - four years ago, after Trump lost re-election, who knew he'd be back in power again??
So while it's maybe just a matter of bad timing on my part to read this book when I did (on audio, which means no skimming over emotinally difficult passages), especially since I didn't read the blurb before beginning, I can't bring myself to rate this book higher. To be fair, however, there IS one other reason for rating this book just 3 stars, and this one is TOTALLY on Cox. The three planets are inhabited by humanoid aliens, none of whom are in the Federation and have very little to do with it. And yet, somehow, characters on all 3 planets have a remarkable grasp of Earth human idiom and figures of speech, and frequently use it. (An alien journalist makes frequent use of the word "scoop", for instance.) This is VERY jarring and takes one right out of the book. Alien humanoids who have no involvement with the Federation should NOT TALK LIKE EARTH PEOPLE. If they were in the UFP and had long history of relations with Earth, I could see some of our casual lingo leaking into their culture. But not to the degree Cox uses it, and every time he used it I wished I could go back to when he was working on the novel and tell him to STOP.
So, between the emotional burden and the jarring use of language, I can't say this is Greg Cox's best work in my opinion. But, I will say this: his missing the bullseye is still a lot better than the best efforts of a great many other Trek authors, and I fully intend to read more of his work in the future. But I won't be keeping the audiobook for this one, nor will I seek it out in print. It's worth reading once, but only once.
June 15, 2025
Here’s a few notes I jotted down while reading the book:
“A Contest of Principles” is an excellent title for this book, firstly because of an important planetary election that is at the heart of the story (and what is an election but a contest of principles?) and secondly because of a situation that our good doctor, Leonard McCoy finds himself in. Without going into spoiler territory one faction wants to send him back to the Enterprise for reasons that may be genuine or merely self serving and the opposition wants to keep him where he is also for reasons that may be genuine or self serving and meanwhile McCoy isn’t sure whether staying or going represents the best ethical choice either. Lots of good quandaries to ponder.
While written before Trump’s second term, but because it’s “political”, I had found myself in the beginning trying to parse in knee-jerk fashion the planetary election with current real world events, which is just plain silly (especially as the opposing candidates seem to come direct from Central Casting with no modifications: a liberal professor and a conservative military general. Yawn.) Thankfully as the book went on, resemblances to any American election went straight out the window.
The novel focuses on three worlds: Ozalor, Vok and Braco. Ozalor is the planet “hosting” McCoy, Vok is the planet holding the election, and then there is Braco, the planet the other two have a long standing interest in. Now here’s the odd thing about Braco: to describe a citizen or an object endemic to the planet one uses the term “Bracon” which for some reason my brain translates into “Bacon” for a split second which is highly annoying and occasionally draws me out of the narrative with the desire for a snack.
All things considered, the setting is made a little too complicated by spreading tensions out between three planets in neighboring solar systems. All three planets held at one time three interstellar civilizations until a “tragic event” (aka war between the planets) bombed them back into pre-warp days for generations. Now they are again warp capable and the Enterprise is stuck in the middle (like you didn’t see THAT coming). Things would have been better if the setting were just simply one planet, with three nation-states contending with each other.
Usually with a Greg Cox TOS Trek novel, I can usually almost hear the actors speaking their lines right away, but in this novel we were well into it before that kind of ‘imagination theatre’ took place. This does not make Contest a bad novel, merely slightly disappointing. Despite this, Cox keeps the story running at an interesting pace and manages to throw in some decent twists in the plot. Another thing I enjoyed was dry humor employed in the novel. My two favorite bits was the name of the massive orbiting supercomputer created to tabulate the votes cast worldwide (“Vok Populi”) and (this is a bit of a paraphrase) the narrative remark that “Spock becoming a connoisseur of captivity”
“A Contest of Principles” is an excellent title for this book, firstly because of an important planetary election that is at the heart of the story (and what is an election but a contest of principles?) and secondly because of a situation that our good doctor, Leonard McCoy finds himself in. Without going into spoiler territory one faction wants to send him back to the Enterprise for reasons that may be genuine or merely self serving and the opposition wants to keep him where he is also for reasons that may be genuine or self serving and meanwhile McCoy isn’t sure whether staying or going represents the best ethical choice either. Lots of good quandaries to ponder.
While written before Trump’s second term, but because it’s “political”, I had found myself in the beginning trying to parse in knee-jerk fashion the planetary election with current real world events, which is just plain silly (especially as the opposing candidates seem to come direct from Central Casting with no modifications: a liberal professor and a conservative military general. Yawn.) Thankfully as the book went on, resemblances to any American election went straight out the window.
The novel focuses on three worlds: Ozalor, Vok and Braco. Ozalor is the planet “hosting” McCoy, Vok is the planet holding the election, and then there is Braco, the planet the other two have a long standing interest in. Now here’s the odd thing about Braco: to describe a citizen or an object endemic to the planet one uses the term “Bracon” which for some reason my brain translates into “Bacon” for a split second which is highly annoying and occasionally draws me out of the narrative with the desire for a snack.
All things considered, the setting is made a little too complicated by spreading tensions out between three planets in neighboring solar systems. All three planets held at one time three interstellar civilizations until a “tragic event” (aka war between the planets) bombed them back into pre-warp days for generations. Now they are again warp capable and the Enterprise is stuck in the middle (like you didn’t see THAT coming). Things would have been better if the setting were just simply one planet, with three nation-states contending with each other.
Usually with a Greg Cox TOS Trek novel, I can usually almost hear the actors speaking their lines right away, but in this novel we were well into it before that kind of ‘imagination theatre’ took place. This does not make Contest a bad novel, merely slightly disappointing. Despite this, Cox keeps the story running at an interesting pace and manages to throw in some decent twists in the plot. Another thing I enjoyed was dry humor employed in the novel. My two favorite bits was the name of the massive orbiting supercomputer created to tabulate the votes cast worldwide (“Vok Populi”) and (this is a bit of a paraphrase) the narrative remark that “Spock becoming a connoisseur of captivity”
August 20, 2021
Uh-oh! Politics are abound in this latest Star Trek book by Greg Cox. Is that a good or bad thing?
The Enterprise has been assigned babysitting duty of the planet Vok’s first election in a generation, which will have a big impact on the other two planets in the sector, Ozalor and Braco. Along with the help of Ambassador Dare, Kirk beams down to get the lay of the land and meets the candidates involved: a former general who is tied to the old ways and the other is a doctor who wants to look toward a brighter future, not the terrible authoritarian past. The election will be tabulated using a state of the art computer satellite called VP-One.
While Kirk is playing diplomat, the Enterprise receives an emergency request from Braco. Dr. McCoy, Nurse Chapel, and Lt. Levine are dispatched to investigate and try to render help. Of course, things don’t go as planned and Dr. McCoy gets kidnapped.
As the book cover suggests (at least for this version) the three main stars of the series are front and center. Except, we do get to see other characters, like security personnel, shine. The aforementioned Nurse gets a lot of screen time as she helps Spock try to track down leads to saving the ship’s CMO. The only thing, though, is that I had wished that the other crew members that we’ve come to love had gotten more to do than what they got.
The three main stories are handle with great care from Mr. Cox as they all have connections to one another. I found myself following along with each turn of a page and wanting to know what was going to happen next.
Science fiction is at its best when it’s making connections to the real world and giving warnings that need to be heeded. The political landscape right now needed to be examined like what Cox does with this story. It’s sad that it has come to this, but it had to be done nevertheless.
Like the book I read before this one, Crisis of Consciousness, I love the Star Trek tales that involve trips with the mind no matter how short or long they are. While I don’t want to spoil anything, it will suffice to say that Spock does take a little trip.
Being a fan of Mr. Cox’s wonderful The Weight of Worlds I found this one to be equally as good. The author weaves a story that, while some of the supporting cast aren’t featured a lot, gives us a ride that one wished wouldn’t end.
The Enterprise has been assigned babysitting duty of the planet Vok’s first election in a generation, which will have a big impact on the other two planets in the sector, Ozalor and Braco. Along with the help of Ambassador Dare, Kirk beams down to get the lay of the land and meets the candidates involved: a former general who is tied to the old ways and the other is a doctor who wants to look toward a brighter future, not the terrible authoritarian past. The election will be tabulated using a state of the art computer satellite called VP-One.
While Kirk is playing diplomat, the Enterprise receives an emergency request from Braco. Dr. McCoy, Nurse Chapel, and Lt. Levine are dispatched to investigate and try to render help. Of course, things don’t go as planned and Dr. McCoy gets kidnapped.
As the book cover suggests (at least for this version) the three main stars of the series are front and center. Except, we do get to see other characters, like security personnel, shine. The aforementioned Nurse gets a lot of screen time as she helps Spock try to track down leads to saving the ship’s CMO. The only thing, though, is that I had wished that the other crew members that we’ve come to love had gotten more to do than what they got.
The three main stories are handle with great care from Mr. Cox as they all have connections to one another. I found myself following along with each turn of a page and wanting to know what was going to happen next.
Science fiction is at its best when it’s making connections to the real world and giving warnings that need to be heeded. The political landscape right now needed to be examined like what Cox does with this story. It’s sad that it has come to this, but it had to be done nevertheless.
Like the book I read before this one, Crisis of Consciousness, I love the Star Trek tales that involve trips with the mind no matter how short or long they are. While I don’t want to spoil anything, it will suffice to say that Spock does take a little trip.
Being a fan of Mr. Cox’s wonderful The Weight of Worlds I found this one to be equally as good. The author weaves a story that, while some of the supporting cast aren’t featured a lot, gives us a ride that one wished wouldn’t end.
March 19, 2025
This novel from 2020 occurs towards the end of the original five year mission. No earlier books are necessary to follow this tale.
The Enterprise is dispatched to a world to ensure that a fair election occurs, for the first time in that planet's history, between an academic and a military man. McCoy is called to a nearby planet to render medical aide and is kidnapped, taken to a third world to assist someone quietly. Spock and Chapel go in search of McCoy on the second world and are kidnapped by the rebels of that world.
This is a classic tale split in into three: Kirk has to oversee the election, McCoy has to escape his kidnappers on the world he is on, while Spock and Chapel are trying to get away from the rebels on their world. Writer Cox tells his tale by giving each story a chapter, leaving off at crucial point to make the reader want to continue reading. He had me.
As with all stories written this way, one tale is more interesting than the other, and that was the McCoy tale. Seeing the doctor isolated from the Enterprise trying to assist a patient while trying to escape was highly engaging. Kirk having to play diplomat was also a solid read, as I felt he wanted to take a more physical approach the election, but could not. Spock and Chapel, though true to their characters, was a very basic tale. It went where I thought it would, and hurried through their story to find out what was happening to McCoy or Kirk.
This is a solid Trek read that any fan of the franchise would enjoy. I've enjoyed all from Cox's Trek tales and look forward to reading more of them in the future.
The Enterprise is dispatched to a world to ensure that a fair election occurs, for the first time in that planet's history, between an academic and a military man. McCoy is called to a nearby planet to render medical aide and is kidnapped, taken to a third world to assist someone quietly. Spock and Chapel go in search of McCoy on the second world and are kidnapped by the rebels of that world.
This is a classic tale split in into three: Kirk has to oversee the election, McCoy has to escape his kidnappers on the world he is on, while Spock and Chapel are trying to get away from the rebels on their world. Writer Cox tells his tale by giving each story a chapter, leaving off at crucial point to make the reader want to continue reading. He had me.
As with all stories written this way, one tale is more interesting than the other, and that was the McCoy tale. Seeing the doctor isolated from the Enterprise trying to assist a patient while trying to escape was highly engaging. Kirk having to play diplomat was also a solid read, as I felt he wanted to take a more physical approach the election, but could not. Spock and Chapel, though true to their characters, was a very basic tale. It went where I thought it would, and hurried through their story to find out what was happening to McCoy or Kirk.
This is a solid Trek read that any fan of the franchise would enjoy. I've enjoyed all from Cox's Trek tales and look forward to reading more of them in the future.
August 28, 2024
The main storyline of this novel is about a planetary election where the Federation has been brought in as the independent observers. I have to say that although I enjoyed this story it is easily the weakest of the three storylines. I really enjoyed the storyline that follows McCoy which I feel could have made a great book on it's own with a little more padding out. The storyline following Spock and Chapel was also really interesting and a lot of fun.
One thing that I thought was a little odd was that the Federation was brought in to be independent observers and Kirk keeps mentioning that they have to be fair and hands off showing no preference for candidates. This is all great but the Federation is clearly not just observing they are running the election, providing all the technology behind it and even announcing the vote. There isn't a chance in hell an outsider observer would ever have as much control over an election as we see here.
There is a few good scenes of hand to hand action and some great new characters. I saw one of the major twists coming from a mile off but I didn't guess the motivation behind it. There are some really great twists and turns and the Palace intrigue was very well done.
One thing that I thought was a little odd was that the Federation was brought in to be independent observers and Kirk keeps mentioning that they have to be fair and hands off showing no preference for candidates. This is all great but the Federation is clearly not just observing they are running the election, providing all the technology behind it and even announcing the vote. There isn't a chance in hell an outsider observer would ever have as much control over an election as we see here.
There is a few good scenes of hand to hand action and some great new characters. I saw one of the major twists coming from a mile off but I didn't guess the motivation behind it. There are some really great twists and turns and the Palace intrigue was very well done.
March 16, 2021
It is very rare for an author as established as Greg Cox is in the Star Trek fiction to miss but with "A Contest of Principles" he does and badly. The book deals with multiple plots beginning with the crew of the Enterprise observing a presidential election at the planet Vok which has been generations since one has gone through. Meanwhile on neighboring Braco, Dr. McCoy is kidnapped while on a mercy medical mission and spirited away to neighboring Ozalor eventually leaving Spock to figure out what happened to the doctor while navigating the politics of that world.
Cox tries his hardest at times to make this book in some ways a play on America as it approached the 2020 election and while the allegories are there along w/ a couple of nods to Discovery this book fails simply because of plots that never exactly unite and stories that at times are almost beyond predictable and boring. The characters on Vok, Braco & Ozalor are at times done as over the top and make these already complex plots even harder to follow. Overall, while the book does come up w/ a unique way to send the crew off on a 2nd 5 year mission this book is a must read only for the fans and a huge disappointment.
Cox tries his hardest at times to make this book in some ways a play on America as it approached the 2020 election and while the allegories are there along w/ a couple of nods to Discovery this book fails simply because of plots that never exactly unite and stories that at times are almost beyond predictable and boring. The characters on Vok, Braco & Ozalor are at times done as over the top and make these already complex plots even harder to follow. Overall, while the book does come up w/ a unique way to send the crew off on a 2nd 5 year mission this book is a must read only for the fans and a huge disappointment.
December 20, 2021
Here's the deal, I don't like the Original Series, I can't stand Kirk. I also wanted to finish reading this book before 2022, so I stayed up till 1 listening to it.
With all of that out of the way I thought this book was a bit disappointing, but okay. I think Cox should have just focused on two storylines and not three. Even though I like Spock, I felt his storyline was not needed and he could have stayed on the Enterprise for the entirety of the novel. Kirk and the election storyline was my personal favorite and could have played a more center role instead of becoming an afterthought just a few chapters in. The whole Ozalor, sick Princess, Dr. McCoy storyline was boring to me and should not have become such a long drawn out side/main story. In many ways Cox made the cast of the Original Series a little more interesting for me and more palatable, and Robert Petkoff as the narrator for the audiobook did a great job, but this whole book could have been a 100 pages shorter.
With all of that out of the way I thought this book was a bit disappointing, but okay. I think Cox should have just focused on two storylines and not three. Even though I like Spock, I felt his storyline was not needed and he could have stayed on the Enterprise for the entirety of the novel. Kirk and the election storyline was my personal favorite and could have played a more center role instead of becoming an afterthought just a few chapters in. The whole Ozalor, sick Princess, Dr. McCoy storyline was boring to me and should not have become such a long drawn out side/main story. In many ways Cox made the cast of the Original Series a little more interesting for me and more palatable, and Robert Petkoff as the narrator for the audiobook did a great job, but this whole book could have been a 100 pages shorter.
May 15, 2022
Enjoying my slow catch up with the prose adventures of my favourite Enterprise crew. This one turned out to be quite topical to when it was published. I expect the timing was intentional but no one could have predicted just how relevant it would be.
Reading a Star Trek story is like visiting old friends and this one wasn't an exception. The three separate story arcs resolve nicely, though the B & C plots aren't quite as connected to the A plot as I'd like, and the author has clearly worked hard to catch the spirit of the Star Trek universe and its characters.
I would have preferred to see a little more from more of the secondary characters as well - Chekov, Scotty, Sulu, and Uhura really weren't much more than part of the scenery - but we spent more time with Chapel than normal.
A final note, and no spoilers here, I think the epilogue was completely unnecessary and came across as page-count filler rather than putting a bow around any loose ends.
Reading a Star Trek story is like visiting old friends and this one wasn't an exception. The three separate story arcs resolve nicely, though the B & C plots aren't quite as connected to the A plot as I'd like, and the author has clearly worked hard to catch the spirit of the Star Trek universe and its characters.
I would have preferred to see a little more from more of the secondary characters as well - Chekov, Scotty, Sulu, and Uhura really weren't much more than part of the scenery - but we spent more time with Chapel than normal.
A final note, and no spoilers here, I think the epilogue was completely unnecessary and came across as page-count filler rather than putting a bow around any loose ends.
June 18, 2023
My first time with this author, but i dont think my last as i have just seen a list of his other books and there are some characters there that i have enjoyed from other authors.
So this is a Star Trek novel. Anyone who has read my previous reviews might remember that from time to time i will read a Star Trek novel as i grew up watching the TV series and all the movies. I like to drop by and visit with these old friends from time to time.
For me this one was nothing outstanding. A good, solid adventure with the original cast. Some intrigue, some action, some good old fashioned Star Trek. The three mains, Kirk, Spock and McCoy, all go off on their own little adventures that eventually intersecting. Alls well that ends well.
I relate it to the kid that moved out and has come back for a good home cooked meal.
So this is a Star Trek novel. Anyone who has read my previous reviews might remember that from time to time i will read a Star Trek novel as i grew up watching the TV series and all the movies. I like to drop by and visit with these old friends from time to time.
For me this one was nothing outstanding. A good, solid adventure with the original cast. Some intrigue, some action, some good old fashioned Star Trek. The three mains, Kirk, Spock and McCoy, all go off on their own little adventures that eventually intersecting. Alls well that ends well.
I relate it to the kid that moved out and has come back for a good home cooked meal.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews