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graff_fuller's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book has SO much good in it, but it also frustrated me in SO many ways...too.
Overall...I enjoyed the story.
The Sackers were an interesting "foe", but the eventual culmination of the story showed then for who they REALLY were.
I loved the interactions with the Sackers...once the story got going. I started to, the fully understood what was going on...and how Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise was going to find a equitable resolution to their problem.
There is a deeper conversation going on in this story. Our prejudices and how we deal with people/cultures that we do not understand (nor really WANT to). We all do it...and in this story (like a LOT of Star Trek stories) exposes our hypocracies and gets us to look at the world from a different angle...so that we can fix these errors and become better people.
This story is sometimes heavy handed, but overall it was a good novel to read...and it has made me look at how I "pre-judge" people/cultures...and compare them with ours. Hopefully I will do that better, after having read this story.
Overall...I enjoyed the story.
The Sackers were an interesting "foe", but the eventual culmination of the story showed then for who they REALLY were.
I loved the interactions with the Sackers...once the story got going. I started to, the fully understood what was going on...and how Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise was going to find a equitable resolution to their problem.
There is a deeper conversation going on in this story. Our prejudices and how we deal with people/cultures that we do not understand (nor really WANT to). We all do it...and in this story (like a LOT of Star Trek stories) exposes our hypocracies and gets us to look at the world from a different angle...so that we can fix these errors and become better people.
This story is sometimes heavy handed, but overall it was a good novel to read...and it has made me look at how I "pre-judge" people/cultures...and compare them with ours. Hopefully I will do that better, after having read this story.
vesper1931's review
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Sackers, deadly to touch, and the appearance and smell makes them hated throughout the universe. But the universe is on fire and they have stolen the device to stop it. The Enterprise is sent to save the universe.
An entertaining re-read
An entertaining re-read
ferrisscottr's review
4.0
Usually I read a Star Trek book in order to spend time with great characters that I love with great worldbuilding. Because of the writers and story, they usually even out to a three star read. And there are times that a three star read is what I'm looking for - I have a few hours and want a palette cleanser. This book however had above average writing and a really interesting plot...solid four star book.
Plot: The Sackers, a race of beings that are shunned and abhorred, do something unthinkable which will soon bring about the end of the Universe. It's up to Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to stop it. Action and chaos ensure.
And a good time was had by all. Recommended for most and highly recommended for Star Trek fans.
Plot: The Sackers, a race of beings that are shunned and abhorred, do something unthinkable which will soon bring about the end of the Universe. It's up to Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to stop it. Action and chaos ensure.
And a good time was had by all. Recommended for most and highly recommended for Star Trek fans.
maddox22's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kixfan's review
5.0
One of my favorites of the pocketbooks collection. It's funny and quite entertaining. Even has some semi-scary moments. It's a great book to start with if you're not sure which Star Trek book you want to read first.
markk's review
2.0
"The galaxy is on fire." With these words, James Kirk summarizes the latest threat the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise is forced to address: an expanding wave of heat that has already annihilated an entire solar system, including the home world of the Zirgosians. Their investigation takes them to the remaining Zirgosian colony, where they find a massive spaceship in orbit controlled by the "Sackers," a species so physically repulsive that sentient beings cannot stand to be in their presence. The crew soon discovers that the Sackers are at the center of the mystery, with a plan that effectively holds the entire universe hostage unless their demands are met.
Barbara Paul's novel offers readers what is many respects a textbook Star Trek story: the crew faces a seemingly insurmountable challenge, then proceeds to save the day through a mixture of intuitive psychology and teamwork. It's an interesting tale both for the species she introduces and the unusual combination of Kirk, Scotty, Uhura, and Chekov working to deal with the situation in which they find themselves. Yet too much of the novel comes across as contrived, with the Sacker threat both epically dangerous yet in the end ridiculously easy to resolve. Squaring the difference between these two contrasts might have made for a truly excellent Star Trek novel, but as it is the book's strengths can't quite overcome its flaws.
Barbara Paul's novel offers readers what is many respects a textbook Star Trek story: the crew faces a seemingly insurmountable challenge, then proceeds to save the day through a mixture of intuitive psychology and teamwork. It's an interesting tale both for the species she introduces and the unusual combination of Kirk, Scotty, Uhura, and Chekov working to deal with the situation in which they find themselves. Yet too much of the novel comes across as contrived, with the Sacker threat both epically dangerous yet in the end ridiculously easy to resolve. Squaring the difference between these two contrasts might have made for a truly excellent Star Trek novel, but as it is the book's strengths can't quite overcome its flaws.
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