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Star Trek: The Original Series #10
Web of the Romulans
Ravaged by a killer virus, the Romulans enter Canara, where the only antidote can be found. Desperate, they incite a victorious U.S.S. EnterpriseTM attack on one of their vessels, but Kirk discoves their ruse.
Meanwhile the central computer has fallen in love with him, severely crippling the Starship EnterpriseTM. Somehow Kirk must overcome the lovesick computer and bring the antidote to the Romulans, before the galaxy crashes over the brink of war.
Hardcover
First published June 1, 1983
About the author
M.S. Murdock
13 books9 followersMelinda Seabrooke Murdock (born 30 April 1947; age 70) is a Star Trek novelist, author of Pocket TOS #10: "Web of the Romulans". Murdock has also contributed a series of novels to the Buck Rogers line.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
September 22, 2021
This is a competent TOS adventure. It's a little slow and wordy; it could have been improved by a cut of ten or fifteen percent, and it uses a couple of too-familiar tropes, like the Starfleet Admiral who goes nuts and has to be help in check, and the malfunctioning computer putting the Enterprise at risk (this time it falls in love with Kirk, which does have its funny moments), but overall it's a fun entertainment. There's a nice resolution to a crisis via diplomacy rather than by photon-fire, and the Romulans seem quite well portrayed. There's not much in the way of any diversity (it's definitely where no -man- has gone etc.), but it's a nice, typical Trek from Stardate 36880.5...or thereabouts. With a nifty cover by Boris Vallejo.
August 28, 2016
Good...but not great.
August 31, 2011
An extremely slow story with only a few positives to recommend it and a number of glaring negatives. First, the positives:
The writing was a bit over the top at times, but was generally good. The characters were well drawn--the characters we know acted like themselves and the characters we didn't seemed better than two-dimensional--and the plot was fairly believable. No glaring scientific impossibilities (though at one point Kirk has the Enterprise go from one side of a planet to the other at Warp 1. Faster than light speed to travel halfway around a planet?).
The negatives:
Sexist even for the early eighties when it was written. First, all of the people in charge (including the Starfleet head council) are all men. The women in this story were: Uhura whose main scene had her looking "fragile" in her bathrobe; a yeoman (seq. Wikipedia "a rating usually with secretarial, clerical, payroll or other administrative duties"--in other words the secretary who brings the boss reports to sign when she's not delivering his coffee) in the botany lab (what was she doing there? filing plants?) who is bullied by her male superior; a centurion second-in-command who isn't loyal to the Romulan Empire or inclined to command like the Romulan men, but she's loyal to her commanding officer, whom she's in love with and only feels fulfilled when ; a lieutenant helmsman who gets two or three lines, none of which add anything to the situation; and finally, the Enterprise computer who was programmed by female jokers (really?) to act like she's "in love" with Captain Kirk, but who actually acts like a stereotypical (i.e. not realistic) 12 year old spoiled brat with a crush. Blech. It was like the author was trying to be as sexist as the worst of TOS--even though she was writing after the women's liberation movement of the seventies.
Slow. It was more than half way through before there was an actual crisis or conflict. Not much in the way of suspense.
Crazy Admiral Award. Why are there so many crazy Starfleet admirals? Does the pressure just get to be too much? And why, if you have a crazy admiral bent on going to war just because he's a fanatic, would you put him anywhere near the front lines? Why not send him to Utopia Planitia where he can't do much harm. Better yet, send him to a hospital.
The writing was a bit over the top at times, but was generally good. The characters were well drawn--the characters we know acted like themselves and the characters we didn't seemed better than two-dimensional--and the plot was fairly believable. No glaring scientific impossibilities (though at one point Kirk has the Enterprise go from one side of a planet to the other at Warp 1. Faster than light speed to travel halfway around a planet?).
The negatives:
Sexist even for the early eighties when it was written. First, all of the people in charge (including the Starfleet head council) are all men. The women in this story were: Uhura whose main scene had her looking "fragile" in her bathrobe; a yeoman (seq. Wikipedia "a rating usually with secretarial, clerical, payroll or other administrative duties"--in other words the secretary who brings the boss reports to sign when she's not delivering his coffee) in the botany lab (what was she doing there? filing plants?) who is bullied by her male superior; a centurion second-in-command who isn't loyal to the Romulan Empire or inclined to command like the Romulan men, but she's loyal to her commanding officer, whom she's in love with and only feels fulfilled when ; a lieutenant helmsman who gets two or three lines, none of which add anything to the situation; and finally, the Enterprise computer who was programmed by female jokers (really?) to act like she's "in love" with Captain Kirk, but who actually acts like a stereotypical (i.e. not realistic) 12 year old spoiled brat with a crush. Blech. It was like the author was trying to be as sexist as the worst of TOS--even though she was writing after the women's liberation movement of the seventies.
Slow. It was more than half way through before there was an actual crisis or conflict. Not much in the way of suspense.
Crazy Admiral Award. Why are there so many crazy Starfleet admirals? Does the pressure just get to be too much? And why, if you have a crazy admiral bent on going to war just because he's a fanatic, would you put him anywhere near the front lines? Why not send him to Utopia Planitia where he can't do much harm. Better yet, send him to a hospital.
June 7, 2020
Too many feel good and overused Star Trek trappings and plot developments gave me a feeling of deja vu that I've read this story before, despite the fact that I never have. The only part I really enjoyed was a short technical addendum by Spock, warning of the tendency of humans to push off responsibilities they are uncomfortable with to machines and the need for more human oversight of ship computer systems, stating that computers make "good tools, but poor masters".
February 24, 2023
I don't know...I mean...it seemed clunkily written and confused.
So, per the back, the Romulans are suffering from an Empire-wide plague which they have no real cure for and so they are planning on invading the Federation to seize the planet which contains the main ingredient in the cure. However, if you didn't read the back of the book, you would have no idea that this was the plot until about page 150 or so. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, we spend a lot of time with the Romulans and their plotting and planning, but we never learn this basic fact, which seems like bad story-telling. If this were to be a secret story element, then we should have been kept in the dark along with the crew of the Enterprise and/or the Federation at large...but, the back of the book destroys that idea.
And, of course, Kirky Sue shows up and solves all the problems...when the leader of the planet the Romulans want is prepared to destroy their entire planet rather than surrender, Kirk brings up the idea of selling it to them...and the leader says "Great idea!"...when the Romulan leader is ready to seize the items (it's grain, uh I mean, gran) if they won't give it to them, Kirk brings up the idea of buying it...and the leader says "Great idea!" And of course, Bonesy Sue is able to find a better cure for the Romulans using the grain, uh I mean, gran, after scribbling down something on a bar napkin. A disease, we find out, has killed of an entire 1/3 of the population of the Romulan Empire by this point...but McCoy's shower thoughts are more powerful than the resources of an entire empire. Also, it seems like that much of a population die off would have drastic consequences for the balance of power in the Galaxy, but nah, it's all good...we have a cure now, so...
And, there's an evil Starfleet Admiral who wants war with the Romulans no matter what the cost...and the computer has a weird malfunction that makes it act as if it were in love with Kirk...which is really more played for laughs and/or a minor inconvenience and has nothing to do with the plot or story
So, per the back, the Romulans are suffering from an Empire-wide plague which they have no real cure for and so they are planning on invading the Federation to seize the planet which contains the main ingredient in the cure. However, if you didn't read the back of the book, you would have no idea that this was the plot until about page 150 or so. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, we spend a lot of time with the Romulans and their plotting and planning, but we never learn this basic fact, which seems like bad story-telling. If this were to be a secret story element, then we should have been kept in the dark along with the crew of the Enterprise and/or the Federation at large...but, the back of the book destroys that idea.
And, of course, Kirky Sue shows up and solves all the problems...when the leader of the planet the Romulans want is prepared to destroy their entire planet rather than surrender, Kirk brings up the idea of selling it to them...and the leader says "Great idea!"...when the Romulan leader is ready to seize the items (it's grain, uh I mean, gran) if they won't give it to them, Kirk brings up the idea of buying it...and the leader says "Great idea!" And of course, Bonesy Sue is able to find a better cure for the Romulans using the grain, uh I mean, gran, after scribbling down something on a bar napkin. A disease, we find out, has killed of an entire 1/3 of the population of the Romulan Empire by this point...but McCoy's shower thoughts are more powerful than the resources of an entire empire. Also, it seems like that much of a population die off would have drastic consequences for the balance of power in the Galaxy, but nah, it's all good...we have a cure now, so...
And, there's an evil Starfleet Admiral who wants war with the Romulans no matter what the cost...and the computer has a weird malfunction that makes it act as if it were in love with Kirk...which is really more played for laughs and/or a minor inconvenience and has nothing to do with the plot or story
December 25, 2022
‚Er fragte sich zum hundertsten Mal, warum es so unmöglich war, in Frieden zu leben, warum er dieses Spiel des Kriegs sogar genießen konnte. Der Konflikt, das Messen der Intelligenz, die Erregung … es war so leicht, die Tatsache zu verdrängen, dass dabei Leben auf dem Spiel stand, und einfach das Spiel zu spielen, wie es ein kleiner Junge mit einem Spielzeug-Raumschiff tat. Es war unanständig – und leicht. Macht vibrierte ihm unter den Fingern. Das Schiff war ein Arsenal, das sekundenschnell ganze Zivilisationen vernichten konnte. Kein Mensch sollte andere Menschen beherrschen, und doch war das Befehlen sein Beruf – und so leicht zu missbrauchen. Wenn doch nur aller Kampf, alle Gefahren und alle Macht in einen nützlichen, zumindest aber harmlosen Zeitvertreib verwandelt werden könnten! Wenn die Menschen vielleicht von der Wiege an gelehrt würden, Schach zu spielen … doch dann würde das Spiel zur letzten Wirklichkeit werden.‘
January 29, 2017
Web of the Romulans by M.S. Murdock is competently written, fun trip into the universe of classic Star Trek. All your favorite characters are there, along with those dangerously sexy Romulans, a computer smitten with Captain Kirk, and a Star Fleet Admiral gone rogue. At a little over 200 pages, it’s a fast-paced and a satisfying adventure aboard the Enterprise.
The Romulans are being killed off by a deadly virus. Captain Kirk and crew are at the mercy of the whims of Countess, the ship’s computer, who thinks it is in love with Kirk, calls him “sweetheart” and will follow only his commands. Back at Star Fleet command, there’s an Admiral fixated on destroying the Romulans and making himself a war hero. They all meet in space above the planet Canara, where a Romulan commander was sent on a desperate mission to help his Empire seize medicine they need to survive.
There’s not a lot to say about this book. Obviously, it’s geared to Trekkies. (I know there was a rather cataclysmic debate in the late 1980s/1990s of Trekkie vs. Trekker; I’m a proud Trekkie.) If you’re familiar with the mythology of the show (and like it), then you may enjoy this book. Conversely, if you know nothing about Star Trek, then don’t bother. The author assumes you’ll know about Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans and the background stories of the various characters who appear. This book was also written to take place after a specific episode (“Tomorrow is Yesterday”) and other episodes in which Romulans and the crew of the Enterprise battled wits are alluded to. When I read books based on television characters I love, my biggest concern is not the plot, but the characters. Will they “sound” right? In this case, Murdock is spot-on with his portrayals of Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Spock. Their dialogue seems appropriate for each character. The Romulans, an elegant warrior race distantly related to Vulcans, also come across as believable.
The plot is enjoyable and there are some tense moments, even though I know everything will be fine in the end. The ship’s computer, with its intense love for Kirk, provides some comedy as well, even though I thought tv show Spock would have solved the problem of the love-sick computer much quicker.
Web of the Romulans is fun jaunt back into the universe of classic Star Trek. It’s more action/adventure than science-fiction (there are other, much more complex and sci-fi ST books out there), but it’s worth a read if you’re either feeling nostalgic or are a new fan.
The Romulans are being killed off by a deadly virus. Captain Kirk and crew are at the mercy of the whims of Countess, the ship’s computer, who thinks it is in love with Kirk, calls him “sweetheart” and will follow only his commands. Back at Star Fleet command, there’s an Admiral fixated on destroying the Romulans and making himself a war hero. They all meet in space above the planet Canara, where a Romulan commander was sent on a desperate mission to help his Empire seize medicine they need to survive.
There’s not a lot to say about this book. Obviously, it’s geared to Trekkies. (I know there was a rather cataclysmic debate in the late 1980s/1990s of Trekkie vs. Trekker; I’m a proud Trekkie.) If you’re familiar with the mythology of the show (and like it), then you may enjoy this book. Conversely, if you know nothing about Star Trek, then don’t bother. The author assumes you’ll know about Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans and the background stories of the various characters who appear. This book was also written to take place after a specific episode (“Tomorrow is Yesterday”) and other episodes in which Romulans and the crew of the Enterprise battled wits are alluded to. When I read books based on television characters I love, my biggest concern is not the plot, but the characters. Will they “sound” right? In this case, Murdock is spot-on with his portrayals of Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Spock. Their dialogue seems appropriate for each character. The Romulans, an elegant warrior race distantly related to Vulcans, also come across as believable.
The plot is enjoyable and there are some tense moments, even though I know everything will be fine in the end. The ship’s computer, with its intense love for Kirk, provides some comedy as well, even though I thought tv show Spock would have solved the problem of the love-sick computer much quicker.
Web of the Romulans is fun jaunt back into the universe of classic Star Trek. It’s more action/adventure than science-fiction (there are other, much more complex and sci-fi ST books out there), but it’s worth a read if you’re either feeling nostalgic or are a new fan.
April 10, 2025
En realidad 3.75, no llega a cuatro. Ha empezado muy bien, pero pasada la mitad han empezado a ocurrir sinsentidos y reacciones precipitadas de los personajes.
Sin embargo, en general lo he disfrutado mucho, he fangirleado y me he reído a carcajadas. Muy fan de la computadora seductora (y ya he hecho una rima).
Sin embargo, en general lo he disfrutado mucho, he fangirleado y me he reído a carcajadas. Muy fan de la computadora seductora (y ya he hecho una rima).
May 28, 2022
I've been having trouble getting into books lately so I decided just to listen to something just for fun. This was an interesting story that felt like an episode of the original series.
Note: This is an abridged audio drama version.
Note: This is an abridged audio drama version.
March 31, 2026
This isn't a bad story, probably on a par with an average episode of the original series. The audiobook seems abridged - I don't believe you can fit a 188-page novel into 88 minutes. Having George Takei as the narrator, with a couple of cameos from Leonard Nimoy, is a big plus. I think I will read the novel to get the full story.
December 26, 2021
A solid adventure based on the original TV series. M S Murdock captures the relationships between Kirk, Spock and McCoy very well, and there is some tension in the scenes involving the Romulans. We don't learn anything new, but then we're not supposed to. This is like an extra episode in the vein of the show, and it's easy to imagine Shatner, Nimoy and Kelly speaking the lines as written.
September 2, 2022
Tonally inconsistent and quite silly, but not terrible.
April 28, 2018
Very nice book that still holds its own. I always liked the old Romulans, much more than the Klingons. Unfortunatly they were dropped by the TV series in favour of the latter. Here we still have the political intrigues, the honorable Romulan Commander and the peaceful solution. Not actually new stuff, but hey - they churned out those novels on a monthly basis. Very nice read. Would have made a good episode.
June 30, 2018
Ever since I first watched it in reruns, I felt that the Romulans were the orphan stepchildren of the original Star Trek. Appearing in just two episodes, supposedly they were shunted aside in favor of the Klingons for the simple reason that the makeup for the latter was cheaper. Nevertheless, their first appearance (the superb "Balance of Terror") hinted at a long involvement with the Federation that went unexplored, which made them a promising source of material for authors when the original novels started rolling out in earnest in the 1980s.
Though M. S. Murdoch's novel wasn't the first in the Pocket Books series to include Romulans (a few were included in Sonni Cooper's Black Fire, published six months previously), it was the first in which the Romulans served as the main antagonists. When the novel begins theirs is an empire in crisis, ravaged by a plague that is decimating the population. Faced with their destruction, the Romulans embark on an audacious plan designed to obtain the cure from he nearest available source — a planet on the Federation side of the Neutral Zone.
As the first book to utilize the Romulans as the main antagonists, Murdoch has a good deal of latitude, and it testifies to her restraint that she doesn't overdo it. Her Romulans are true to their depiction in the original series, and point to the rich possibilities that would be developed profitably by subsequent authors and in subsequent series. Yet this is offset by her incorporation of a subplot in which the Enterprise's computer falling in love with Jim Kirk, creating chaos aboard the ship as a result. While such a contrivance is necessary for the plot, the silliness of the concept Murdoch uses (which originated in a story she wrote for a fanzine in the previous decade) detracts from the gravity of the situation facing both the Romulans and the Federation, and might have been better saved for a novel lighter in tone
Though M. S. Murdoch's novel wasn't the first in the Pocket Books series to include Romulans (a few were included in Sonni Cooper's Black Fire, published six months previously), it was the first in which the Romulans served as the main antagonists. When the novel begins theirs is an empire in crisis, ravaged by a plague that is decimating the population. Faced with their destruction, the Romulans embark on an audacious plan designed to obtain the cure from he nearest available source — a planet on the Federation side of the Neutral Zone.
As the first book to utilize the Romulans as the main antagonists, Murdoch has a good deal of latitude, and it testifies to her restraint that she doesn't overdo it. Her Romulans are true to their depiction in the original series, and point to the rich possibilities that would be developed profitably by subsequent authors and in subsequent series. Yet this is offset by her incorporation of a subplot in which the Enterprise's computer falling in love with Jim Kirk, creating chaos aboard the ship as a result. While such a contrivance is necessary for the plot, the silliness of the concept Murdoch uses (which originated in a story she wrote for a fanzine in the previous decade) detracts from the gravity of the situation facing both the Romulans and the Federation, and might have been better saved for a novel lighter in tone
October 1, 2017
This story is set during the original five year mission. The Romulan Empire is being devastated by a disease and the close cure is in the Federation. The Romulans cross into Federation territory and try to buy and threaten the people of Canara. It takes Jim Kirk and his crew to avert a war and get the medicine that the Romulans need. During this the computer, after maintenance decides that it is in love with Kirk and almost destroys the ship before the crew can regain control.
Overall this is a good story. It is kind of funny that the computer fixates on Kirk and of course in doing so irritated Mr. Spock. I did kind of enjoy watching Spock get just a little more annoyed with each system failure. The are some intense scenes when an Admiral decides he is going to start a war with the Romulans so he can achieve the glory that has so long eluded him. The man really needs to be confined. However things work out and once again Kirk and his crew save the day as well as an entire race of people. They also make some friends along the way.
Overall this is a good story. It is kind of funny that the computer fixates on Kirk and of course in doing so irritated Mr. Spock. I did kind of enjoy watching Spock get just a little more annoyed with each system failure. The are some intense scenes when an Admiral decides he is going to start a war with the Romulans so he can achieve the glory that has so long eluded him. The man really needs to be confined. However things work out and once again Kirk and his crew save the day as well as an entire race of people. They also make some friends along the way.
July 5, 2010
(book review) Those rascally Romulans are at it again...
Why has a cloaked but unmoving Romulan vessel ventured into Federation space? Is an obsessed Star Fleet admiral truly hell-bent on starting a war? Can a Romulan fleet really be massing on the other side of the Neutral Zone for any purpose other than an invasion?? And how can James Kirk and his crew stop any of this when the ENTERPRISE main computer has taken over the ship?? You can only find the answers when you become entangled in...The Web Of The Romulans!
(audio book review) No time to read in your favorite genre? You can listen to this audio novel in only one hour and twenty-eight minutes! Narrated by George Takei (aka Mr. Sulu) and Leonard Nimoy (aka Mr. Spock), it's the perfect way to spend your sci-fi afternoon or evening, or get your latest Star Trek fix. And it has a pretty good plot as well.
Why has a cloaked but unmoving Romulan vessel ventured into Federation space? Is an obsessed Star Fleet admiral truly hell-bent on starting a war? Can a Romulan fleet really be massing on the other side of the Neutral Zone for any purpose other than an invasion?? And how can James Kirk and his crew stop any of this when the ENTERPRISE main computer has taken over the ship?? You can only find the answers when you become entangled in...The Web Of The Romulans!
(audio book review) No time to read in your favorite genre? You can listen to this audio novel in only one hour and twenty-eight minutes! Narrated by George Takei (aka Mr. Sulu) and Leonard Nimoy (aka Mr. Spock), it's the perfect way to spend your sci-fi afternoon or evening, or get your latest Star Trek fix. And it has a pretty good plot as well.
October 8, 2018
An attack on the planet Canara by the Romulans appears to be the first stage of a wider incursion of Federation space.
Kirk faces off against a Romulan commander and soon comes to realise that there are wider implications and the attack on Canara has ulterior motives.
M.S. Murdock's novel captures the feeling of an episode and shows the Romulans to be a worthy adversary of the Federation.
Kirk faces off against a Romulan commander and soon comes to realise that there are wider implications and the attack on Canara has ulterior motives.
M.S. Murdock's novel captures the feeling of an episode and shows the Romulans to be a worthy adversary of the Federation.
June 27, 2012
Classic Star Trek. Not flawless, but pretty good.
Kirk has to figure out motives of the Romulans to prevent galactic war. Other federation persons are on his side, but a rogue federation admiral must be thwarted to keep peace.
Kirk has to figure out motives of the Romulans to prevent galactic war. Other federation persons are on his side, but a rogue federation admiral must be thwarted to keep peace.
May 12, 2015
1992 grade B+
Classic Trek
Classic Trek
July 30, 2017
Not a bad book, but some details from the trek universe were off. It was a good story and it had some good twists and turns.
March 24, 2020
Now this is perfect Star Trek reading! This has a couple of footnotes, as do the early Pocket novels, but it's not drowning in them like previous books I've read.
The Enterprise is having computer problems, again, with the ship's system in love with him, to the point that it's causing trouble that endangers the crew at level. Naturally this is the time the ship is ordered to the Neutral Zone because a lone ship has crossed the border. This vessel is part of a larger scheme by the Praetor which is not revealed until the last quarter of the novel. The captain of this Romulan ship is S'Talon is a fantastic antagonistic--smart, loyal, and commanding. He recalls all the elegance and style of Mark Lenard from the classic episode "Balance of Terror."
The tension is wonderful, with each side always skirting the edge of war without firing a shot--that's the type of tension I like in Star Trek; there doesn't have to be phasers blazing to make the story exciting.
My only dislike was the lovesick computer; been there done that. Luckily, this is solved about a third of the way into the novel.
This was a great Trek novel and it raises the bar on the other books I'll read.
The Enterprise is having computer problems, again, with the ship's system in love with him, to the point that it's causing trouble that endangers the crew at level. Naturally this is the time the ship is ordered to the Neutral Zone because a lone ship has crossed the border. This vessel is part of a larger scheme by the Praetor which is not revealed until the last quarter of the novel. The captain of this Romulan ship is S'Talon is a fantastic antagonistic--smart, loyal, and commanding. He recalls all the elegance and style of Mark Lenard from the classic episode "Balance of Terror."
The tension is wonderful, with each side always skirting the edge of war without firing a shot--that's the type of tension I like in Star Trek; there doesn't have to be phasers blazing to make the story exciting.
My only dislike was the lovesick computer; been there done that. Luckily, this is solved about a third of the way into the novel.
This was a great Trek novel and it raises the bar on the other books I'll read.
December 1, 2018
This isn't a half bad novel... on the other hand it is half bad. The part dealing with the Romulans and Romulan culture is quite interesting, it shows them as you would imagine, a military people full of backstabbers and some honorable ones there in the mix as well.
The bad part comes from the part of the plot dealing with the Enterprise computer that is in love with Kirk because the programmers at the last check-up thought that would be a fun idea. It isn't really, particularly because the computer is not only in love, but is also jealous and vindictive perpetuating all the worst stereotypes of the "crazy woman" in the mode of Fatal Attraction or something like that.
All in all it's a fun novel to read, not the best ever, but if you like Romulans this is a good place to go to and get some in depth knowledge. I must warn you, that if you are sensitive about these things there is a whole battle at warp speed, which is clearly ridiculous.
The bad part comes from the part of the plot dealing with the Enterprise computer that is in love with Kirk because the programmers at the last check-up thought that would be a fun idea. It isn't really, particularly because the computer is not only in love, but is also jealous and vindictive perpetuating all the worst stereotypes of the "crazy woman" in the mode of Fatal Attraction or something like that.
All in all it's a fun novel to read, not the best ever, but if you like Romulans this is a good place to go to and get some in depth knowledge. I must warn you, that if you are sensitive about these things there is a whole battle at warp speed, which is clearly ridiculous.
January 24, 2021
3.5 stars if I had the option. The first half of this book is pretty dry and slow-going, but it isn't offensive or bad per se. It picks up midway and becomes respectably rich storytelling, with several different plot threads all going at once.
It certainly has its flaws, with lots of casual sexism (always somehow sadder when it comes from a writer who is a woman), one-dimensional villains, and odd errors. For instance, I was thrown out of the story pretty hard at one point when a Romulan was described as "red-faced" with embarrassment. Quite a feat for a being whose blood is green!
But our crew is in character for the most part—which sounds like the bare minimum, but in these earlier Star Trek books, it's truly a huge plus—and the maleffected computer is amusing at times. Speaking of the altered computer, I did enjoy that the author took a little something silly from an episode and let it weave throughout another story.
Overall, it was a decent read.
It certainly has its flaws, with lots of casual sexism (always somehow sadder when it comes from a writer who is a woman), one-dimensional villains, and odd errors. For instance, I was thrown out of the story pretty hard at one point when a Romulan was described as "red-faced" with embarrassment. Quite a feat for a being whose blood is green!
But our crew is in character for the most part—which sounds like the bare minimum, but in these earlier Star Trek books, it's truly a huge plus—and the maleffected computer is amusing at times. Speaking of the altered computer, I did enjoy that the author took a little something silly from an episode and let it weave throughout another story.
Overall, it was a decent read.
February 26, 2024
This is a classic type story. That could have played out on the tv series.
Always nice, when reading these. As you can picture the main characters. Moving and speaking.
From seeing them on the original show.
Like some of the episodes this one has a multi layer. Plot by the Romulan empire.
A dangerous disease racing through their people.
They will not ask for aid. They will take what they need to survive.
Yet they also can not survive starting an open war.
So it is move, counter move. Getting the federation looking in one area.
While they prepare to strike in another.
Along with their needs. Some political intrigue and deceptions. Between the Romulans and themselves.
Political and military agendas looking to clash.
Add to that a high ranking federation officer. That is so certain the Romulans want war.
He is ready to initiate the first strike against them.
With the Enterprise caught somewhere in the middle.
Always nice, when reading these. As you can picture the main characters. Moving and speaking.
From seeing them on the original show.
Like some of the episodes this one has a multi layer. Plot by the Romulan empire.
A dangerous disease racing through their people.
They will not ask for aid. They will take what they need to survive.
Yet they also can not survive starting an open war.
So it is move, counter move. Getting the federation looking in one area.
While they prepare to strike in another.
Along with their needs. Some political intrigue and deceptions. Between the Romulans and themselves.
Political and military agendas looking to clash.
Add to that a high ranking federation officer. That is so certain the Romulans want war.
He is ready to initiate the first strike against them.
With the Enterprise caught somewhere in the middle.
May 3, 2018
This was really entertaining! A stand-off between the Federation and the Romulans, sparked by medical emergency, and war is only prevented by the actions of good people on both sides, working against the war-mongers of their own people. I can't say that it has a particularly happy ending, as it's infused with the understanding that one instance of cooperation does not a peace treaty make, and the status quo of distrust and conflict remains primarily unshaken, but it's the small moments of hope I guess. Unfortunately, the tension and really fine character work (the Romulan hero of the piece is outstanding) is hampered by a truly silly subplot, in which the computer of the Enterprise falls in love with Kirk - it's as bad as it sounds.
March 26, 2023
Another good episode of a loved TV series. The only note I have is that the Romulan Empire, despite the troubles portrayed in the novel, seems a lot smaller here than in any other portrayal. They seem to only have one fleet, with some decoys. Their warship production seems to rely completely on the Klingons. And the upper echelons of their command structure seem very insular. This is different that all previous depictions I have watched or read. That being said, it made the Romulans seem at times like a totally different adversary than the "big bad" we're used to. Still a fun read that included all the campy-ness of the original series.
October 11, 2023
This is a story full of Romulan intrigue and plotting. The blurb makes mention of a virus, but that's not made clear in the story until near the end. In short, the Romulans are up to something and the USS Enterprise has to patrol the boarders, but have a problem in that the ship's computer has fallen in love with Kirk. It felt like it was blindingly clear that there was so little story that the thing with the computer was added just for something to happen. However, that was resolved quite quickly and then the end stuff happened.
The book was easy enough to get through, though the opening few chapters focus purely on the Romulans with no reference as to why I should care.
The book was easy enough to get through, though the opening few chapters focus purely on the Romulans with no reference as to why I should care.
June 3, 2019
I enjoyed this Star Trek novel, but I did find myself getting restless while reading it. The plot reminded a lot of a couple episodes, which of course move faster. I did like the plot though. It was interesting to see the crew face two unconnected problems at one time. Also, the story was split pretty evenly between the Romulans, Star Fleet officials, and the crew of the Enterprise, so it gave different perspectives. The computer plot was funny, and the Romulan plot was intense. It was an interesting balance.
January 8, 2026
90% of an excellent book, still very enjoyable. Hopelessly dragged by the "computer problem" storyline in the middle, it would have been one of the best so far without it.
Still, a great political Trek story with well-developed characters, creative depiction of the Romulans, and adequate participation from the Enterprise big three. Nothing really there for any of the secondary Enterprise officers, but six or more interesting incidentals mostly make up for it. A good template for using the novel-length to play a longer game than what you can get in a single show.
Still, a great political Trek story with well-developed characters, creative depiction of the Romulans, and adequate participation from the Enterprise big three. Nothing really there for any of the secondary Enterprise officers, but six or more interesting incidentals mostly make up for it. A good template for using the novel-length to play a longer game than what you can get in a single show.
February 18, 2019
Listened to the abridged audiobook that I came across - yeah, the whole computer falling in love with Kirk, rather silly... but at the same time, totally give credit to the author for trying it. Just felt like it took guts to do it, but then, hey, I might be totally over thinking it. Anyway, the Romulan aspect was good - they needed help, so the Enterprise helps the ones that understand this, all while trying to not start a potential Federation-Romulan war.
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