I think my current craze for Star Trek: TOS may be exhausted in under a month, but I saw this on the library shelves and couldn't resist. Didn't expect much, and therefore wasn't disappointed with what is basically published fan fiction, in which neither the characters or the story actually belong to Dayton Ward. He builds on the original episode well enough, but his treatment of Kirk et al is rather flat. Only Spock's dialogue sounded 'authentic' to me - the captain is reduced to 'snapping' orders and Scotty reminded me more of O'Brien from DS9, but kudos for the ripped shirt scene ('You were overdue for that to happen, weren't you?" McCoy asked.) Also, the secondary, 'original' characters smacked of political correctness (as with the redistribution of power aboard the Enterprise), yet none of them were in the slightest bit convincing. Christine Rideout, for instance, is the Huang Zhong's chief engineer 'with a quick wit and sense of humour sharp enough to cut diamonds', sadly limited to a naff sign-off ('Rideout ... riding out'). What I could forgive in the extras, however, was woefully lacking in the lead cast, too.

So if you want to imagine an episode of the original Star Trek without the humour and camp special effects, Dayton Ward is your man. He delivers an evenly paced if predictable adventure and knows his Trek trivia. For those who prefer the interplay between Kirk, Spock and Bones over technobabble and intergalactic diplomacy, this novelisation is sadly lacking in smartass dialogue. ( )