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whatsbeckyreading's review against another edition
5.0
I've probably read this two dozen times since my teenage self picked it up, and I love it just as much today as I did all those years ago.
charitypink's review against another edition
5.0
One of the all-time best Star Trek books!! I know I've read this one over and over many times, and I love it even more each time!
curiiously's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
really super disappointed there was not more uhura in this one. several interesting spock kirk uhura chekov moments that had me kind of floored. cats! oh god oh fuck i love bards and storytelling themes
chamomiledaydreams's review against another edition
5.0
I wouldn't consider myself a Star Trek fan. My only previous exposure to this series was through cultural osmosis (hearing friends talking about it and seeing it referenced in games such as Wizard101). In fact, I only read this book in the first place, because my grandmother saw a Warrior cats book in my room and said, "Oh, so you like cats? Well, do I have the story for you."
Even so, I loved every minute of this novel, especially the bits with Evan Wilson. She is now my favorite Star Trek character (although I found out from a friend that she doesn't exist outside the semi-canon world of this novel). My experience while reading this novel was just, "Wow, Evan gives off major trans energy! Still, I'm probably reading too much into it..." But then, everything she did only strengthened this connection: her insistence on using preferred names for characters such as Brightspot; her complex relationship with height and how others perceive her; her decision to declare a proper Sivaoan name for herself; her role in the story as a trickster-like figure, which calls to mind genderfluid deities such as Loki. Her ship is even named after James T. Barry, for crying out loud! I don't know whether Janet Kagan did all of this on purpose, but I am thankful, nevertheless.
That being said, I would recommend this book to practically anyone, regardless of how well they know Star Trek. Janet Kagan is an amazing writer, and I wish there were more Star Trek books written by her for me to explore. (The way she imagines the culture of cat aliens... The naming conventions and all of the unique idioms they use... Warrior cats wishes they had this level of thoughtfulness and tenderness written into their world.)
However, interested readers might benefit from being aware that the plot revolves heavily around a pandemic (though I don't think the imagery was too graphic or horrifying). This marks the third time I've accidentally stumbled across plague literature in the past two years, and it leaves me feeling unbalanced every time. That's why I took a relatively long time to read this book, in addition to the small shape and print of my edition, which was a little hard on the eyes at times. Still, so long as you are prepared for the fictional plague, I'd say you that are all set to try this novel, regardless of how well you know your Star Trek lore.
Even so, I loved every minute of this novel, especially the bits with Evan Wilson. She is now my favorite Star Trek character (although I found out from a friend that she doesn't exist outside the semi-canon world of this novel). My experience while reading this novel was just, "Wow, Evan gives off major trans energy! Still, I'm probably reading too much into it..." But then, everything she did only strengthened this connection: her insistence on using preferred names for characters such as Brightspot; her complex relationship with height and how others perceive her; her decision to declare a proper Sivaoan name for herself; her role in the story as a trickster-like figure, which calls to mind genderfluid deities such as Loki. Her ship is even named after James T. Barry, for crying out loud! I don't know whether Janet Kagan did all of this on purpose, but I am thankful, nevertheless.
That being said, I would recommend this book to practically anyone, regardless of how well they know Star Trek. Janet Kagan is an amazing writer, and I wish there were more Star Trek books written by her for me to explore. (The way she imagines the culture of cat aliens... The naming conventions and all of the unique idioms they use... Warrior cats wishes they had this level of thoughtfulness and tenderness written into their world.)
However, interested readers might benefit from being aware that the plot revolves heavily around a pandemic (though I don't think the imagery was too graphic or horrifying). This marks the third time I've accidentally stumbled across plague literature in the past two years, and it leaves me feeling unbalanced every time. That's why I took a relatively long time to read this book, in addition to the small shape and print of my edition, which was a little hard on the eyes at times. Still, so long as you are prepared for the fictional plague, I'd say you that are all set to try this novel, regardless of how well you know your Star Trek lore.
gps1138's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this return to TOS. I used to read Trek novels all the time, and I don't really know when/why I stopped. This is a classic Roddenberry era story. Cat people, a killer virus, and Uhura saves the day with a song. (Not exactly, but close enough.) There is great sci-fi anthropology and a planet with an unpronounceable name. There is a new character, a female doctor, who is a classic Mary Sue, and I don't care. It is perhaps longer than it needs to be to tell the story, but this was old-school fun and makes me want to revisit some of my favorites like Kobayashi Maru and Enterprise.
gunstreet's review against another edition
DNF about 2/3 of the way through. I was disappointed by how little Uhura featured in this, considering the title, and it was by far the driest of the Trek books I've read so far. Although I did enjoy the worldbuilding and some of the OCs, and parts of the book were quite funny, Dr Wilson featured a little too heavily (and felt a little too Mary Sue) for me to care too much about it. We already have a Mary Sue, and that's Spock! If I wanted to read a book that was more about OCs than the main crew, I could read a non-Trek sci-fi novel.
tasharobinson's review against another edition
4.0
As many people have noted in reviews, this book is just the apotheosis of Mary Sue-dom. You could literally hand this book to a fandom newbie to explain the Mary Sue / Gary Stu phenomenon to them. While many of the Star Trek original-series characters (especially Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and Chekov) get plenty of face-time here, the center of the narrative is new character Evan Wilson, a brilliant doctor who's also a talented hand-to-hand fighter, an inspired anthropologist and first-contact expert, and a tremendous problem-solver. She's so good at programming that her skills challenge Spock! She's so good at engineering that she creates a delightful puzzle for Scotty that takes all his skills to deal with — and he doesn't realize she did it on purpose! She's so good at piloting, she doesn't even need a guidance system! She's so good at bedside-mannering, she even intimidates McCoy! She's so good at — it doesn't matter what it is, she's so good at it that everyone's impressed into obedience, and by the end of the book, Kirk is a little in love with her, Spock has taken her up as a personal challenge, and everyone else is just singing her praises.
And I don't care. I find this book so much fun. Partially that's because of some really efficient but creative world-building and problem-posing. When an entire race of catlike people fall prey to a nasty pandemic, Uhura tries to track down their ancestors through subtle symbolic cues found in their songs. But even when she finds the homeworld they can't talk about, their distant kin won't discuss them or their disease, and the Enterprise crew has to figure out why.
I never got very deeply into Star Trek novels (in spite of reading all the James Blish episode adaptations as a teenager), and I blame Janet Kagan, because this is one of the first ones I picked up as a teenager, and it spoke so clearly to my interests — first-contact novel, cat people, outsized and colorful characters, lively brisk writing, a really enjoyable kick-ass lady lead — that the other Trek novels I tried largely seemed dull by comparison. This is a remarkably self-indulgent book that reads like extremely professional fan fiction. And there's nothing wrong with that. I periodically pick it up and re-read it in an afternoon just for that sense of sheer self-indulgence.
And I don't care. I find this book so much fun. Partially that's because of some really efficient but creative world-building and problem-posing. When an entire race of catlike people fall prey to a nasty pandemic, Uhura tries to track down their ancestors through subtle symbolic cues found in their songs. But even when she finds the homeworld they can't talk about, their distant kin won't discuss them or their disease, and the Enterprise crew has to figure out why.
I never got very deeply into Star Trek novels (in spite of reading all the James Blish episode adaptations as a teenager), and I blame Janet Kagan, because this is one of the first ones I picked up as a teenager, and it spoke so clearly to my interests — first-contact novel, cat people, outsized and colorful characters, lively brisk writing, a really enjoyable kick-ass lady lead — that the other Trek novels I tried largely seemed dull by comparison. This is a remarkably self-indulgent book that reads like extremely professional fan fiction. And there's nothing wrong with that. I periodically pick it up and re-read it in an afternoon just for that sense of sheer self-indulgence.
graff_fuller's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a longer story, but the author set a good pace for the characters and the plot.
I do not want to give away any of the reveals, and there many, but I just loved how our crew (of the Entereprise) dealt with the problems at hand, and how tried to correct/understand the situation.
Learning the native language of the cat like race, and how differently they saw and learned things.
This proceeds throughout the story, and at each time, the crew made mistakes/misunderstood the facts, but still progressed in knowledge.
Loved how Lt. Uhura was used in the story. This is the second book (in so many) that had her character front and center (which I appreciated).
Of course, our trio (Kirk, Spock and McCoy) was great, but they were separated for most of the story.
There is a character name Evan Wilson...which got a LOT of the storytime, which I enjoyed immensely. If you did not like her, then you may not like the novel, but I loved her as a character.
The story is a really interesting one, and one that the reader will look back upon, and enjoy as time goes by (at least it feels this way, the night after I finished it). I keep thinking about the cat race and their history and how I wish we could have more from them in the future...which I believe we will. Fingers crossed.
Also, there is reveal at the end of the book that through me for a loop...and I do hope that we revisit IT in future stories, too.
Great novel, not just a great Star Trek novel, but a great novel. I hope, whoever you are that are reading this review...desire to read this book...and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have.
I do not want to give away any of the reveals, and there many, but I just loved how our crew (of the Entereprise) dealt with the problems at hand, and how tried to correct/understand the situation.
Learning the native language of the cat like race, and how differently they saw and learned things.
This proceeds throughout the story, and at each time, the crew made mistakes/misunderstood the facts, but still progressed in knowledge.
Loved how Lt. Uhura was used in the story. This is the second book (in so many) that had her character front and center (which I appreciated).
Of course, our trio (Kirk, Spock and McCoy) was great, but they were separated for most of the story.
There is a character name Evan Wilson...which got a LOT of the storytime, which I enjoyed immensely. If you did not like her, then you may not like the novel, but I loved her as a character.
The story is a really interesting one, and one that the reader will look back upon, and enjoy as time goes by (at least it feels this way, the night after I finished it). I keep thinking about the cat race and their history and how I wish we could have more from them in the future...which I believe we will. Fingers crossed.
Also, there is reveal at the end of the book that through me for a loop...and I do hope that we revisit IT in future stories, too.
Great novel, not just a great Star Trek novel, but a great novel. I hope, whoever you are that are reading this review...desire to read this book...and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have.
marirene's review against another edition
4.0
I've not read other Star Trek books, so I can't compare it to others. As a standalone sci fi book I think it did what sci fi does best and that's bringing us just out of ourselves enough to have much needed perspective on our actions, thoughts, values and prejudices. I like the voice with which the author wrote the characters. Enough so that I searched around to see what else she'd authored and sadly it's not much.
archergal's review against another edition
3.0
Human-sized talking cats with prehensile tales who can sing and who revere bards; a deadly disease that even McCoy can't cure; a hyper-capable outsider in the crew who may not be who she seems; and a pretty pitch-perfect rendering of the ST:TOS crew. These are the elements of this story.
I picked this up because I'm still a ST:TOS fan, and I'd seen it recommended in a File770 comment. It's pretty good at depicting the original characters. As another reviewer say, it's got a pretty serious Mary Sue problem, but the character in question is charming enough that I can't really feel very bothered. And I've always enjoyed trickster stories.
It's breezy and reasonably enjoyable to read. It has an exceptionally cheerful view of human society and the alien society we meet.
And Uhura did get short shrift after the first bit.
I picked this up because I'm still a ST:TOS fan, and I'd seen it recommended in a File770 comment. It's pretty good at depicting the original characters. As another reviewer say, it's got a pretty serious Mary Sue problem, but the character in question is charming enough that I can't really feel very bothered. And I've always enjoyed trickster stories.
It's breezy and reasonably enjoyable to read. It has an exceptionally cheerful view of human society and the alien society we meet.
And Uhura did get short shrift after the first bit.