The Children of Kings

This "episode" of Star Trek rings true to the previous body of work, yet manages to add an exciting adventure that doesn't rework too much of the old conflicts - and that's a huge challenge for any author. So why not five stars? Well, the plot's a bit predictable if you think about it. So don't analyze, just enjoy the ride.

If you like the orginal pilot. If you alway wished that that Pike's crew were fleshed out. This story is for you. The original crew has so much to tell. The original crew was like an unfinished story. There is so much untold. There is so much more to be said. I am not one that a book can keep me interested in,so I usually do no finish books. I become bored. However this book was finished in two days.I enjoyed it. I am not a Trekie. I am a big fan of the original Star Trek which mean Captain Pike's time. Please David Stern write more or Pike's adventures.

When Captain Pike and the crew of the Enterprise investigate a distress call from a remote station, they find the Federation base destroyed with no survivors. According to the sensor readings, Klingons attack the outpost. And while most of the crew is quick to condemn them, there are a few who question the findings. Soon, another distress call lures the Enterprise to an Orion ship, but it lies within Klingon space. And tensions could lead to war. This early crew of the Enterprise are young and still getting to know each other. The camaraderie has yet to be developed, and Stern does an excellent job of introducing them all. The most well-known characters - Spock and Pike don't get as much "face-time" as others. But I wasn't disappointed. The story mostly revolved around the Orions and the Enterprise's doctor, and in true Trek form, gave us moral dilemmas on top of everything else. Fast-paced and incredibly engaging, The Children of Kings is a fascinating look at the Pike era as well as a deeper focus on the Orions. Combining drama, action, and intrigue, this story won me over quickly. This Star Trek fan was completely satisfied and impressed.

As a big fan of all things old school Trek (Classic TOS, New/Retro TOS, Classic Movie Era, Enterprise), I had been looking forward to checking out "The Children of Kings" by author David Stern. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed this book, and it was so cool to read a novel where Pike and crew are handled/written well and believable, as well as a plot line that is, well, fun to read about! "Children" is what I consider the so called cowboy diplomacy of the Old School Trek at it's peak: You as the reader riding shotgun alongside Captain Pike, Number One, Mr. Spock (who we are introduced to as a young Lieutenant Spock, Dr. Boyce, Ensign/Yeoman Colt, and the other members that might have comprised the first crew of the Enterprise as they unravel a mystery, and then take action where and if needed, phasers pew pewing. Add in a research station kept under the radar, political agenda maneuvering, Klingons both for and against the research (and certain factions w/in Starfleet), the Orion Pirate clans, and the Enterprise crew stuck right in the middle of all the action and goings on, and you have yourself an adventure. The cover depicts Jeffrey Hunter as Capt. Pike and Leonard Nimoy as Spock rather then new actors Bruce Greenwood and Zachary Quinto as the characters. Not a problem, as I enjoy all the incarnations of Old School Trek. The cover made it plainly obvious that this was to be considered a TOS Prime Universe adventure as opposed to the Altered TOS History as presented in the 2009 Trek film, so at least I knew as the reader the exact era and time line the book was to be set in. However...I kept picturing the original actors in the Star Trek 11/New Movie uniforms. Go figure. Hey, it all worked out in the imagination. Dave Sterns "Children of Kings" is a good adventure read with plenty of political sort of intrigue and some medical research thrown in to further the action and entice the reader with the background and main plots. I also liked the glimpse at Number One, Pikes second in command, and all the main characters were explored, with a few good secondary ones to round out the roster. Lt. Hardin of the Security detachment was one secondary that stood out to me. Happy reading, long live Old School Trek in all it's eras and incarnations! w00t!