Sarek

Star Trek: Sarek written by A.C.Crispin is a book about the life of one of the most revered characters in the Star Trek genre... Sarek, spock father and an ambassador of the Federation. For being a book about a Vulcan, you would think this book would be void of emothion... far from this case, indeed. This book runs the full gambit of human emotion, you'll cry, laugh, be heartbroken and happy. This book's time frame is after the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, as Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson, is dying and Spock returns to Vulcan where he meets his father Sarek and they get reacquainted, so to speak, making for some very interesting reading.Of course, the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew aren't too far away from this epic tale... no sir, as Captain Kirk's last surviving relative has become a pawn in the battle to divide the Federation. The Klingon Empire, you can always count on them, are the kidnappers with the Federation's distruction not too far behind.There is action-adventure in this story, love and loyality. There is an enemy more insidious and more dangerous than any faced to this point. The characteriztions are spot-on with a well-fleshed out dialog making for a very quick, fast read. You will get engrossed with this tale and will not want to put the book down til the end.You can always tell when you have an excellent Trek Book in your hands... the pages seem to fly by... this is the case with this book. This book fills in some of the spotiness between Spock and Sarek whick were until now only circumspect.

When people ask me about the qualities that make the original Star Trek series so appealing, my response is, "characters and cultures." The primary story lines were about sentient beings who found themselves in complex situations and where the gadgetry and weaponry played only secondary roles. Granted, Kirk was a Napoleanic character, but that is a characteristic that early starship captains would have to possess. The other characters were so well-defined that even the lesser roles are as well-known as the main three. We were introduced to the Vulcans, Romulans and Klingons, similar species, but all with exaggerated human characteristics. The Vulcans, a superhuman race with logic and ethics taken to an extreme, the warlike Klingons who nevertheless possess a strict code of honor and the Romulans, for whom deceitful plotting is an art form. This tale, which is set in the time immediately after the movie, "The Undiscovered Country" is based largely on a growing movement among humans to keep Earth for the humans. It turns out that it is another plot hatched by a secretive race who have interacted with Sarek and the Federation for many years. Once again, we are led through many of the subtle cultural backgrounds of the Vulcans, Klingons and Romulans. We are along as many of the journal entries of Spock's mother Amanda are read, as we learn a great deal more of the Vulcan culture as well as the origin of the rift between Spock and his father. Klingon honor, mating rituals and marriage rites are also explored, as we are exposed to more of what that complex race uses to guide their lives and rules of succession. The Romulan capacity for long-term plotting is exposed once again, although we do see how their honor is such that they are willing to sacrifice themselves to aid others. This is one of my favorite Star Trek books because it does rely on characters and shows us so much of the nonhuman cultures. The plot is well-defined and moves along rather quickly as the staid diplomat Sarek proves himself capable of being much more, including a spy.

I have read over 150 Star Trek books and this one is my favorite. It is full of fun and adventure. It delves deep into the character of Sarek and the difficulties he faces. A side plot goes into the character of Peter Kirk, Captain Kirk's nephew. This is a very humorous book and is written in the spirit of Star Trek. A must read for Star Trek book fans!

I liked this book. It was a well written treatment of the original series characters set immediately following Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country. The additional characters were all excellent. Truly I would have loved to see this as a movie, but alas it would never come to pass now that both Mark Lenard, and Deforest Kelley are gone... The most interesting thing about this book, has to be the insight into Spock's father, Sarek. You read about motivations, and actions that shaped Spock. You have direct insight into why Sarek married a human. And you see more of the vulcan culture. A truly engrossing read!

Much above the level of most other Star Trek books. Strong, compelling characters (Valdyr, Peter Kirk and, of course, Spock and Sarek) and a great plot. Really nice love stories (both the one in the past and the present). I didn't expect much from this book but I really loved it. Read it!