Kobayashi Maru

The adventures of the first starship Enterprise continue in the latest novel sequel to a TV series that ended too soon. And in the tradition of that series, a blank spot in the rest of the Star Trek universe has been filled in. The Koybayashi Maru was first referred to in the beginning of the film "The Wrath of Khan" as part of a Starfleet cadet training exercise. A freighter in trouble lures the trainee crew into an ambush. This book brings us the original ambush. The Romulans are preparing war against Earth and the new Coalition of Planets, the forerunner of the Federation. Their secret weapon is a device that allows them to take control of other ships, first Klingon, later others. Using captured Klingon ships, they are on the verge of provoking the Coalition into war with the Klingons, but for Jonathan Archer and his crew, who figure out the deception. Meanwhile, the officially dead Trip Tucker is actually alive in Romulan space trying to stop their efforts to develop a much faster warp engine. It's good have Trip back, and in true secret within secret spy style we still don't know if the apparent Vulcan renegade Sopek is a double agent or a triple agent. And when you get to the end, you need to read the sequel as soon as possible...because the Romulan War (referred to in the original TV series) is here. Sadly though, it seems the sequel, called simply "The Romulan War", won't be published until October next year. One wishes the publishers of Star Trek books could bunch their connected series a little better.

Was a very good book. Fits in good with other series of the Star Trek line.

When Captain Jonathan Archer is ordered to border patrol against pirates, he soon grows bored and frustrated with the assignment. But Archer knows the Romulans are up to something. After an attack from the Klingons that the government disavows, Archer must investigate and discover the truth behind the Romulans' agenda. But when odds are stacked against Archer and the Enterprise, what will he choose to do in an unwinnable scenario? Star Trek fans will automatically remember that back in his academy days, Kirk changed the rules of the Kobayashi Maru test in order to win the no-win scenario. Here is a look at what happened with that fateful circumstance and what leads up to the eventual Earth-Romulan War. While Archer is off making tough choices that could affect the entire coalition, Commander Trip Tucker is deep undercover posing as a Romulan trying to make sure Warp 7 technology doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Of course, danger constantly surrounds everything Trip does. And this storyline is by far the most exciting. But T'Pol makes some out-of-character choices in a strange subplot that doesn't do much to forward the story, other than let you know there's still that spark between the two and that Trip is dedicated to his mission. Kobayashi Maru has plenty of action, suspense, political intrigue, and drama to appease any Star Trek fan. But the exciting climax at the end of the novel is the legendary account that we've all been waiting to hear, where Archer must make the toughest decision of his career. And it was a situation that I found myself considering for quite a while after finishing the book!

Here we're treated to an explanation of Star Trek's infamous no-win situation known as the Kobayashi Maru. This really was a great Star Trek novel. I don't find myself using 'great' with many Trek novels these days that seem rather fan-fictionish, and this book has its moments, but it is also a cut above the rest. First, you should probably read the previous Enterprise book, 'The Good That Men Do' because this book is pretty much a sequel to that novel. Yes, in a way, I do think you'll be lost if you try to read this without reading TGTMD simply because many of the plots and characters started in that novel carry over into this one. That being said, this novel is a setup for another Trek historical event never explored -- The Romulan War. The Bad: The novel did have some sour points that hold it back. First, a rather slow start. Second, thought it's a big part of the novel, I was nearly bored to tears with the Romulan/Espionage plot. It felt somewhat out of place until the final chapters when the authors stitched the various plots together into one. Secondly, there were a few points in the book that were distracting due to the authors attempt to show the progress/advancement of the universe with their usual homosexual characters. I have no issue with the fact that in the future, there are homosexuals, but when the authors attempt to pack the novel with moments such as a homosexual Klingon couple (really?), one of Trip's brothers being gay, and other moments ... it was just distracting and forced. Also, the book is titled 'Kobayashi Maru' after a ship that appears in the novel and a scene that pretty much explains the whole no-win situation. As with a lot of Trek novels these days, I felt the scenes leading up to the big 'reveal' were exciting, interesting and ... then the final scene just left me going 'That's it?' The 'Kobayashi Maru' is only a small part of the novel and in some way, I felt the title is a bit misleading as if believed the only way to get people to pick up the novel is to hype it as being part of Trek's big (unseen) moments. The Good: I liked that the novel was very character-driven. We see a lot of attention given to T'Pol, mostly good though I did believe some of her actions were out of character even for her. The best part of the book isn't the whole Kobayashi Maru situation; it's the events surrounding it that lead to the beginnings of the Romulan War. I enjoyed seeing the Columbia NX-02 having such a large role (even if it was left ambiguous with the Columbia playing a large role in the upcoming 'Destiny' 3-part novel series). Overall, this was a really fast-paced and interesting novel, probably one of the best Trek novels that really left me wondering where this series is about to go. In all, a very good book. Don't judge it by its cover or title (another nit-picky complaint but it's very obvious that the back of the cover is pixelated ... really, why the cheap production values?). Check this novel out, you won't be di

Now this is how you write a sequel, unlike Feaful Symmetry. The story flows and the characters are well written. I could not put it down. Questions are answered and the action is all there too! I can't think of anything that was missing. So skip Fearful Symmetry and go right to Kobayashi Maru!