Scan barcode
A review by julieannasbooks
A Choice of Catastrophes by Michael Schuster
3.0
Star Trek: A Choice of Catastrophes is an original series novel that mainly follows Dr. McCoy. After returning from a mission to deliver medical supplies, and while nearing planet Mu Arigulon, The Enterprise begins to undergo a series of strange events. It starts with power failures, then excessive turbulence. Then, one by one, several people onboard enter comas with no explanation. Dr. McCoy is unsure of the root cause, and while he searches for answers, he finds himself plagued by something brewing inside.
Over time I've collected quite a few Star Trek novels (mostly TOS), and this book was the first one I came across (and the first one I'm reading).
In theory, this book was an interesting mesh of a plot-based story that was also character-focused. While trying to solve the many problems and health crises faced on The Enterprise, Dr. McCoy slowly falls into a battle with his own inner thoughts and emotions that gets to him more over time. In this part of the story, we learn about his personal history and how he found his way to The Enterprise, and his unresolved problems that return to haunt him endlessly. The main problem I found was that despite this focus, none of the characters in this book really drive the plot. Much of Dr. McCoy's emotions are telling more than showing, as we read his inner monologues and that's as far as we see in terms of what he's going through mentally and emotionally. For an action-based plot this style of writing would make more sense, but for something that was so character-centric, it didn't have the same effect.
Regardless of its execution, the story still was pretty interesting, and this book covers a pretty full cast of characters while covering the complexity of the plot all at once. I can't compare A Choice of Catastrophes to other Trek novels as this is my first one, but this book definitely has me interested in what the rest of the Star Trek books have to offer.
Over time I've collected quite a few Star Trek novels (mostly TOS), and this book was the first one I came across (and the first one I'm reading).
In theory, this book was an interesting mesh of a plot-based story that was also character-focused. While trying to solve the many problems and health crises faced on The Enterprise, Dr. McCoy slowly falls into a battle with his own inner thoughts and emotions that gets to him more over time. In this part of the story, we learn about his personal history and how he found his way to The Enterprise, and his unresolved problems that return to haunt him endlessly. The main problem I found was that despite this focus, none of the characters in this book really drive the plot. Much of Dr. McCoy's emotions are telling more than showing, as we read his inner monologues and that's as far as we see in terms of what he's going through mentally and emotionally. For an action-based plot this style of writing would make more sense, but for something that was so character-centric, it didn't have the same effect.
Regardless of its execution, the story still was pretty interesting, and this book covers a pretty full cast of characters while covering the complexity of the plot all at once. I can't compare A Choice of Catastrophes to other Trek novels as this is my first one, but this book definitely has me interested in what the rest of the Star Trek books have to offer.