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Star Trek: The Original Series #2
The Entropy Effect
The Starship Enterprise™ is summoned to transport a dangerous criminal to rehabilitation: the brilliant physicist, Dr. Georges Mordreaux, who is accused of promising to send people back in time, then killing them instead. But when a crazed Mordreaux escapes, he inexplicably bursts onto the bridge and murders Captain Kirk before the crew's eyes.
Now Spock must journey back in time to avert the disaster "before" it occurs. But more is at stake than Kirk's life. Mordreaux's experiments have thrown the universe into chaos, and Spock is fighting time itself to keep the very fabric of reality from unraveling.
Now Spock must journey back in time to avert the disaster "before" it occurs. But more is at stake than Kirk's life. Mordreaux's experiments have thrown the universe into chaos, and Spock is fighting time itself to keep the very fabric of reality from unraveling.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1981
About the author
Vonda N. McIntyre
147 books351 followersVonda Neel McIntyre was a U.S. science fiction author. She was one of the first successful graduates of the Clarion Science fiction writers workshop. She attended the workshop in 1970. By 1973 she had won her first Nebula Award, for the novelette "Of Mist, and Grass and Sand." This later became part of the novel Dreamsnake, which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. The novelette and novel both concern a female healer in a desolate primitivized venue. McIntyre's debut novel was The Exile Waiting which was published in 1975. Her novel Dreamsnake won the Nebula Award and Hugo Award for best novel in 1978 and her novel The Moon and the Sun won the Nebula in 1997. She has also written a number of Star Trek and Star Wars novels, including Enterprise: The First Adventure and The Entropy Effect. She wrote the novelizations of the films Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
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July 29, 2020what a fun book! time travel, singularities, convoluted plots, intrigue... not to mention mcintyre's original character, mandala flynn, who is an absolute treasure. can i get a book series about her? and all the other wonderful ladies mcintyre made up for this book?
also, check out the gloriousness that is sulu's mustache:
oh. my. goodness.
also, check out the gloriousness that is sulu's mustache:
oh. my. goodness.
May 19, 2010
Considering it's a Star Trek novel, Entropy Effect is by no means a bad book. I can't, in good conscience call it a particularly good book. It was like an oatmeal cookie. A quick snack. I probably would have preferred chocolate chip, but I was all out and, besides, I knew what I was getting when I reached for the oatmeal cookie and - I'm just making myself hungry at this point, so I'm going to drop the analogy.
Bottom line: It's short and decent, but I've read superior fanfiction online and for free.
Bottom line: It's short and decent, but I've read superior fanfiction online and for free.
August 28, 2015
For a tiny little book it sure packs a heck of wallop! It's a little slow to get going but once it hits its stride (by that I mean the events described in the summary come into play) it is ridiculous and very close to being nail biting.
Everything is weird from the word go. Spock and Kirk are weird with each other - I don't know where in the chronology this novel fits but I'm betting early days since both of them aren't quite as Best Friends Forever-y as they end up being yet - but it's not just them. We have Sulu hunting for a transfer (and growing a moustache and longer hair), Scott being incredibly irritable and feeling like he's being shut out. It's all just a mess and everything and everyone just feels weird. If this was a conscious decision it was very well played.
Things get a little bit Benny Hill once the main, wonderfully written and heartwrenching, tragedy takes place. Spock is leaping through time like crazy and meanwhile McCoy (McCoy! Scott meanwhile is extremely confused and hurt and justifiably so) has to command everything and cover Spock ('he's not prostrate with grief, he's sleeping') Holy cats!
It's a whirlwind I tell you. In that whirlwind we get the treats that are Security Chief Mandela Flynn (and her romance with Sulu, but on her own she is awesome and I love her), several non human security team members (all awesome and I love the thought that went into them. Neon especially, brief as she appeared. Not to say Snarl and Jenniver are also not badass because they are). And Captain Hunter of the boarder patrol, once again she's presented as an ex-fling of Kirk's but she also comes from a different background (culture and family and I'm not spoiling her family arrangements for you but she's aboriginal which is cool and there's a lovely bit where she flashes back to defending her right to wear a feather in her hair and it is awesome). There are lot of fierce ladies in this book. Original characters mostly (poor Uhura and Chapel get a bit of the shaft but when we do see them they are lovely).
It's a quick read and, I say again, one whirlwind of a book. I think I may be more relieved than Spock now that it's over.
Everything is weird from the word go. Spock and Kirk are weird with each other - I don't know where in the chronology this novel fits but I'm betting early days since both of them aren't quite as Best Friends Forever-y as they end up being yet - but it's not just them. We have Sulu hunting for a transfer (and growing a moustache and longer hair), Scott being incredibly irritable and feeling like he's being shut out. It's all just a mess and everything and everyone just feels weird. If this was a conscious decision it was very well played.
Things get a little bit Benny Hill once the main, wonderfully written and heartwrenching, tragedy takes place. Spock is leaping through time like crazy and meanwhile McCoy (McCoy! Scott meanwhile is extremely confused and hurt and justifiably so) has to command everything and cover Spock ('he's not prostrate with grief, he's sleeping') Holy cats!
It's a whirlwind I tell you. In that whirlwind we get the treats that are Security Chief Mandela Flynn (and her romance with Sulu, but on her own she is awesome and I love her), several non human security team members (all awesome and I love the thought that went into them. Neon especially, brief as she appeared. Not to say Snarl and Jenniver are also not badass because they are). And Captain Hunter of the boarder patrol, once again she's presented as an ex-fling of Kirk's but she also comes from a different background (culture and family and I'm not spoiling her family arrangements for you but she's aboriginal which is cool and there's a lovely bit where she flashes back to defending her right to wear a feather in her hair and it is awesome). There are lot of fierce ladies in this book. Original characters mostly (poor Uhura and Chapel get a bit of the shaft but when we do see them they are lovely).
It's a quick read and, I say again, one whirlwind of a book. I think I may be more relieved than Spock now that it's over.
March 6, 2012
The Entropy Effect was a diverting read that improved after a somewhat rocky beginning. By the end of the novel, original characters felt well-fleshed out, even if they didn't necessarily feel like they would have been a part of the original Enterprise crew. I enjoyed the way time-travel was handled in this book, even compared to how the original series handled it. There are consequences to all temporal actions, even beyond the mere rethreading of human history. For those who are interested in exploring the expanded universe of Trek, The Entropy Effect isn't a bad place to start.
May 23, 2017
Started a bit slowly but really picked up by the end.
April 11, 2024
There are SPOILERS in this review. Proceed with caution.
Within the first page you know you're in the hands of a master with this book. McIntryre writes such clean, clear prose I found myself completely transported to the Enterprise of TOS within a few paragraphs. I guess I should have expected no less from the person who would go on to write the novelizations of Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home movies - as well as having won Nebula and Hugo awards for her own fiction.
And what a time to join the crew of the Enterprise! This book came out in 1981, before Wrath of Khan would propel the original series crew front and center into popular culture again for the rest of the 80's. I love books written in this time period because it feels like there is often more room for the authors to interpret these characters or the world of Star Trek in general. There was just less cannon to work with, so I find these books are often filled with little nuggets of ideas that were later glossed over and retconned away. But more on that later.
Up front, we find the crew of the Enterprise in a very tense situation. For six weeks they have been in tight orbit around a singularity that appeared out of nowhere. The strain on the crew and the Enterprise are intense. The ship must be extremely close to the singularity for Spock to take the readings he needs, and that has put considerable stress the helmsmen of the Enterprise, including Mr. Sulu, to ensure that they are as close as possible without slipping into the singularity. This is made even harder because this close proximity has put a fantastic strain on the wrap engines, causing a regular loss of gravity and power.
This situation ratchets up the tension on Kirk, Sulu, Scotty and the rest of the crew as they wait for Spock to finish the work. Spock, meanwhile, has not slept for six weeks while he works to ensure that his analysis is completed as quickly as possible and that no errors are introduced by entrusting it to anyone else. He knows understanding why a singularity appeared out of nowhere is absolutely vital before it can happen again.
And this is a great first example of one of those weird in-between TOS and Wrath of Khan Star Trek fun facts that happen in these early novels. In these books, Spock in particular can do all sorts of things that just go unmentioned later on. Like in this case, staying up for six straight weeks to work. Apparently with a little daily meditation Vulcans can refresh their bodies in the same way humans do when they sleep. That's pretty cool - too bad this never, ever comes up again in Star Trek.
Now there is a limit to Spock's ability to stay awake, and when the book starts he's beginning to reach it. But in McIntryre's hands this fun fact becomes a very useful ticking clock throughout the rest of the book. Can Spock accomplish what he needs to before he must ultimately give into the need for sleep? This question is used expertly by McIntryre to keep upping the stakes throughout the novel and it reinforces the feeling we are joining an Enterprise crew that has been pushed to their breaking point.
Before Spock can complete his work however, the Enterprise is summoned by an Ultimate Override Command to proceed to the planet Aleph Prime at maximum warp. Here again is another fun fact I didn't know about. In this book, Starfleet officers react to the Ultimate Override Command in the same way they do later to the Prime Directive. Its a well established rule that they must follow. When any ship receives an Ultimate Override Command they must immediately drop what they are doing and follow the orders contained within it.
There are only three stated reasons to use the command; that a habitable Federation planet's sun is about to go nova and, therefore, must be evacuated, that a Federation planet is under threat of imminent invasion from a hostile force, or that there has been some kind of critical experimental failure that requires Starfleet's attention. Unfortunately the command they receive says nothing about which of these three options has triggered the order. As Kirk puts it they must leave "one mystery behind us, unsolved, in order to confront a second mystery, about which we know even less."
Now I'm totally hooked.
What happens next doesn't fail to disappoint, and I have to say for a 244 page book there is enough going on here that it I felt like I'd read a book twice as long. And I mean that in a good way. I'm shocked, in retrospect, how much plot, character development, and real mystery McIntryre jams into this story. Suffice to say, the crew of the Enterprise quickly find themselves squarely in a mystery surrounding Spock's old physics professor, possible tampering with the space time continuum, an obsessed prosecutor from Aleph Prime who nearly convinces Scotty to lead a mutiny, a love story between Sulu and the Chief of Security Mandela Flynn, as well as the death of Jim Kirk and Spock's revelation that the whole universe in on track to end in less than 100 years if nothing is done to stop it.
Honestly, I'm exhausted just writing all that down. Watching the crew of the Enterprise live through it, especially since they already start the book wiped out, makes for a tense, thrilling, and extremely satisfying read. This is especially true because this pervading sense of exhaustion leads to so much conflict among the crew, a requirement of great drama in my opinion.
I won't tell you how it all comes out but I will say that yes, there is a connection between the singularity and Spock's physics professor, there is some really tight time travel that happens, Sulu does fall in love, we learn his first name (which I'd never even thought about before) and he leaves the Enterprise (Shocking!), Jim Kirk really does die and we get to see Bones in charge of the Enterprise - long story, but wow, that guy should not lead a starship.
And speaking of failure, what's most fun about this book is how often people in it do fail. They fail to save each other from things right and left. Spock is regularly unable to save the day with his technobabble and a gizmo he works up at the last minute. Most shocking is the way the crew's trust in each other, in particular Scotty's trust in Spock and Bones, fails leading to some serious conflict and arguments that really show off some simmering jealousies and resentments I hadn't considered before.
Now yes, this is Star Trek so you just know no matter how crazy things get everything has to revert to the status quo by the credits, and this book does the same. However its handled in such a satisfying way that I really didn't mind once it all went down. Frankly, this book is like a handsome pocket watch that you admire not just because it keeps good time but also because it's so exquisitely crafted that you can't help but admire its fine details. If you're looking for a fun, rock solid TOS Star Trek adventure look no further. This is your book.
Bonus Thoughts:
Most of these old school Star Trek novels do a great job capturing the voices of the original cast and this one is no different. Every time Sulu had dialogue I could just hear George Takei saying it and every time Scotty had something to say the phonetic spelling in his dialogue just made his angry proclamations sound that much more like James Doohan. However, I have to admit this is the first Star Trek book I've read where I didn't hear Leonard Nimoy's voice when Spock was talking but Ethan Peck's from Strange New Worlds instead. In particular, there is a scene between Spock and Nurse Chapel that could have been right out of that show, and in addition to hearing Peck's voice in that scene I also heard Jess Bush as Nurse Chapel. I guess it was just a matter of time but as someone who has loved Star Trek novels for decades now it was kind of a jarring thing to realize.
Also, before I go, one other fun fact in this book that has (seemingly) been dropped by the current Trek cannon. Early on we find out that Spock's old physics professor, Dr. Mordreaux, has been found guilty of experimenting on intelligent beings (in this case some of the inhabitants of Aleph Prime). As punishment he's being sent to a Federation rehabilitation colony, of which they indicate that there are many, where those who commit serious crimes are reeducated. Yes, this is as sinister as it sounds. Mordreaux himself, backed up later by Spock, points out that while these rehabilitation colonies are often very successful in correcting a criminal's behavior it comes at the cost of removing big parts of their personality. In fact, Mordreaux makes clear that his brilliant mind would be gone entirely after going to the colony, leaving a well behaved, if dull, version of himself behind. Wow! That's some serious Clockwork Orange stuff going on in the Federation that I would never have suspected. No wonder that dark little idea has never some up again.
Within the first page you know you're in the hands of a master with this book. McIntryre writes such clean, clear prose I found myself completely transported to the Enterprise of TOS within a few paragraphs. I guess I should have expected no less from the person who would go on to write the novelizations of Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home movies - as well as having won Nebula and Hugo awards for her own fiction.
And what a time to join the crew of the Enterprise! This book came out in 1981, before Wrath of Khan would propel the original series crew front and center into popular culture again for the rest of the 80's. I love books written in this time period because it feels like there is often more room for the authors to interpret these characters or the world of Star Trek in general. There was just less cannon to work with, so I find these books are often filled with little nuggets of ideas that were later glossed over and retconned away. But more on that later.
Up front, we find the crew of the Enterprise in a very tense situation. For six weeks they have been in tight orbit around a singularity that appeared out of nowhere. The strain on the crew and the Enterprise are intense. The ship must be extremely close to the singularity for Spock to take the readings he needs, and that has put considerable stress the helmsmen of the Enterprise, including Mr. Sulu, to ensure that they are as close as possible without slipping into the singularity. This is made even harder because this close proximity has put a fantastic strain on the wrap engines, causing a regular loss of gravity and power.
This situation ratchets up the tension on Kirk, Sulu, Scotty and the rest of the crew as they wait for Spock to finish the work. Spock, meanwhile, has not slept for six weeks while he works to ensure that his analysis is completed as quickly as possible and that no errors are introduced by entrusting it to anyone else. He knows understanding why a singularity appeared out of nowhere is absolutely vital before it can happen again.
And this is a great first example of one of those weird in-between TOS and Wrath of Khan Star Trek fun facts that happen in these early novels. In these books, Spock in particular can do all sorts of things that just go unmentioned later on. Like in this case, staying up for six straight weeks to work. Apparently with a little daily meditation Vulcans can refresh their bodies in the same way humans do when they sleep. That's pretty cool - too bad this never, ever comes up again in Star Trek.
Now there is a limit to Spock's ability to stay awake, and when the book starts he's beginning to reach it. But in McIntryre's hands this fun fact becomes a very useful ticking clock throughout the rest of the book. Can Spock accomplish what he needs to before he must ultimately give into the need for sleep? This question is used expertly by McIntryre to keep upping the stakes throughout the novel and it reinforces the feeling we are joining an Enterprise crew that has been pushed to their breaking point.
Before Spock can complete his work however, the Enterprise is summoned by an Ultimate Override Command to proceed to the planet Aleph Prime at maximum warp. Here again is another fun fact I didn't know about. In this book, Starfleet officers react to the Ultimate Override Command in the same way they do later to the Prime Directive. Its a well established rule that they must follow. When any ship receives an Ultimate Override Command they must immediately drop what they are doing and follow the orders contained within it.
There are only three stated reasons to use the command; that a habitable Federation planet's sun is about to go nova and, therefore, must be evacuated, that a Federation planet is under threat of imminent invasion from a hostile force, or that there has been some kind of critical experimental failure that requires Starfleet's attention. Unfortunately the command they receive says nothing about which of these three options has triggered the order. As Kirk puts it they must leave "one mystery behind us, unsolved, in order to confront a second mystery, about which we know even less."
Now I'm totally hooked.
What happens next doesn't fail to disappoint, and I have to say for a 244 page book there is enough going on here that it I felt like I'd read a book twice as long. And I mean that in a good way. I'm shocked, in retrospect, how much plot, character development, and real mystery McIntryre jams into this story. Suffice to say, the crew of the Enterprise quickly find themselves squarely in a mystery surrounding Spock's old physics professor, possible tampering with the space time continuum, an obsessed prosecutor from Aleph Prime who nearly convinces Scotty to lead a mutiny, a love story between Sulu and the Chief of Security Mandela Flynn, as well as the death of Jim Kirk and Spock's revelation that the whole universe in on track to end in less than 100 years if nothing is done to stop it.
Honestly, I'm exhausted just writing all that down. Watching the crew of the Enterprise live through it, especially since they already start the book wiped out, makes for a tense, thrilling, and extremely satisfying read. This is especially true because this pervading sense of exhaustion leads to so much conflict among the crew, a requirement of great drama in my opinion.
I won't tell you how it all comes out but I will say that yes, there is a connection between the singularity and Spock's physics professor, there is some really tight time travel that happens, Sulu does fall in love, we learn his first name (which I'd never even thought about before) and he leaves the Enterprise (Shocking!), Jim Kirk really does die and we get to see Bones in charge of the Enterprise - long story, but wow, that guy should not lead a starship.
And speaking of failure, what's most fun about this book is how often people in it do fail. They fail to save each other from things right and left. Spock is regularly unable to save the day with his technobabble and a gizmo he works up at the last minute. Most shocking is the way the crew's trust in each other, in particular Scotty's trust in Spock and Bones, fails leading to some serious conflict and arguments that really show off some simmering jealousies and resentments I hadn't considered before.
Now yes, this is Star Trek so you just know no matter how crazy things get everything has to revert to the status quo by the credits, and this book does the same. However its handled in such a satisfying way that I really didn't mind once it all went down. Frankly, this book is like a handsome pocket watch that you admire not just because it keeps good time but also because it's so exquisitely crafted that you can't help but admire its fine details. If you're looking for a fun, rock solid TOS Star Trek adventure look no further. This is your book.
Bonus Thoughts:
Most of these old school Star Trek novels do a great job capturing the voices of the original cast and this one is no different. Every time Sulu had dialogue I could just hear George Takei saying it and every time Scotty had something to say the phonetic spelling in his dialogue just made his angry proclamations sound that much more like James Doohan. However, I have to admit this is the first Star Trek book I've read where I didn't hear Leonard Nimoy's voice when Spock was talking but Ethan Peck's from Strange New Worlds instead. In particular, there is a scene between Spock and Nurse Chapel that could have been right out of that show, and in addition to hearing Peck's voice in that scene I also heard Jess Bush as Nurse Chapel. I guess it was just a matter of time but as someone who has loved Star Trek novels for decades now it was kind of a jarring thing to realize.
Also, before I go, one other fun fact in this book that has (seemingly) been dropped by the current Trek cannon. Early on we find out that Spock's old physics professor, Dr. Mordreaux, has been found guilty of experimenting on intelligent beings (in this case some of the inhabitants of Aleph Prime). As punishment he's being sent to a Federation rehabilitation colony, of which they indicate that there are many, where those who commit serious crimes are reeducated. Yes, this is as sinister as it sounds. Mordreaux himself, backed up later by Spock, points out that while these rehabilitation colonies are often very successful in correcting a criminal's behavior it comes at the cost of removing big parts of their personality. In fact, Mordreaux makes clear that his brilliant mind would be gone entirely after going to the colony, leaving a well behaved, if dull, version of himself behind. Wow! That's some serious Clockwork Orange stuff going on in the Federation that I would never have suspected. No wonder that dark little idea has never some up again.
December 13, 2017
I finished this one because it's so short- I might not have had the patience to slog through a longer version of this book.
What we have here is a time-travel-paradox book. We the readers pretty much know this going in because of the book blurb.
What you'll need to know: Vonda McIntye apparently really, really likes Sulu. If you look up older versions of this book you'll see a rather silly picture of him with long hair and a droopy mustache, which seems to be her version of an ideal Sulu. He gets a romantic partner in this book. However, McIntyre's Sulu seems to have a lot of self-doubt and his storyline really doesn't involve what's happening in the rest of the book except obliquely.
Spock is the other main character in this book. He ends up needing to set straight a timeline gone awry. It's one of those what-if books. What if Kirk gets killed- how will Spock save him and restore the rightful timeline?
I used to eat these tie-in books up when I was younger. I loved reading new adventures about my favorite characters. As I've gotten older, though, I'm starting to notice that the authors writing these books sometimes have really different ideas about characters than I do. Sulu's mustache, for example. In this book, Scotty's kind of a jealous jerk. McCoy is kind of abrasive, too. This stuff bothers me now because I'm less able to just accept what an author throws at me than I used to be.
For a time travel book, this took an awfully long time to get to the actual time travel. The future version of the person Spock must stop decided to send his "friends" back into the past pretty much because these friends thought it would be cool, as far as I can tell. When I read this motivation for time travel initially, I thought it must be the explanation of someone who's deluded and that these friends were really master manipulators. Well, no. By the end of the book we find that it's really just a bunch of people who thought it would be cool to travel back in time, without any thought for how that might affect the time-space continuum. Lamest reason for a Star Trek time travel caper ever.
While the author did a decent job of establishing tension in the first part of the book, by the last part it felt like she was just trying to finish up within her required page count- see above for an example. I ended up disappointed in this one, which is too bad, because I'm fond of Vonda McIntyre as an author. This is one of her lesser efforts and isn't on par with the novels she wrote to tie in with the Star Trek movies II and III.
What we have here is a time-travel-paradox book. We the readers pretty much know this going in because of the book blurb.
What you'll need to know: Vonda McIntye apparently really, really likes Sulu. If you look up older versions of this book you'll see a rather silly picture of him with long hair and a droopy mustache, which seems to be her version of an ideal Sulu. He gets a romantic partner in this book. However, McIntyre's Sulu seems to have a lot of self-doubt and his storyline really doesn't involve what's happening in the rest of the book except obliquely.
Spock is the other main character in this book. He ends up needing to set straight a timeline gone awry. It's one of those what-if books. What if Kirk gets killed- how will Spock save him and restore the rightful timeline?
I used to eat these tie-in books up when I was younger. I loved reading new adventures about my favorite characters. As I've gotten older, though, I'm starting to notice that the authors writing these books sometimes have really different ideas about characters than I do. Sulu's mustache, for example. In this book, Scotty's kind of a jealous jerk. McCoy is kind of abrasive, too. This stuff bothers me now because I'm less able to just accept what an author throws at me than I used to be.
For a time travel book, this took an awfully long time to get to the actual time travel. The future version of the person Spock must stop decided to send his "friends" back into the past pretty much because these friends thought it would be cool, as far as I can tell. When I read this motivation for time travel initially, I thought it must be the explanation of someone who's deluded and that these friends were really master manipulators. Well, no. By the end of the book we find that it's really just a bunch of people who thought it would be cool to travel back in time, without any thought for how that might affect the time-space continuum. Lamest reason for a Star Trek time travel caper ever.
While the author did a decent job of establishing tension in the first part of the book, by the last part it felt like she was just trying to finish up within her required page count- see above for an example. I ended up disappointed in this one, which is too bad, because I'm fond of Vonda McIntyre as an author. This is one of her lesser efforts and isn't on par with the novels she wrote to tie in with the Star Trek movies II and III.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2018
When it was originally published in the summer of 1981 Vonda McIntyre's book represented something of a new frontier (if you'll forgive my use of the phrase) in the Star Trek franchise. Though the second entry in Pocket Books's series of Star Trek novels, it was the first original story they published (the first book was the novelization of
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
). As such, it represented an effort to develop the franchise, rather than the more half-hearted adaptations of the Bantam Books series in the 1970s.
If the series's editors wanted to use the first original novel to set expectations, it is difficult to imagine choosing a better book than this one. McIntyre's novel opens by setting the stakes, as while studying a naked singularity that suddenly appeared in a warp lane, Spock discovers that the universe has only a century remaining before its demise. Before he can verify his data, the Enterprise is summoned to a nearby planet to transport a dangerous prisoner for rehabilitation. The prisoner turns out to be Spock's old physics instructor, Georges Mordreaux, who was convicted of murder after the disappearance of several people, all of whom Mordreaux claims had been sent back into the past. Though skeptical of Mordreaux's claims, Spock investigates Mordreauxs claim after the physicist suddenly appears on the bridge and kills Captain Kirk — all while supposedly detained in a guarded and shielded room on the ship.
As this description illustrates, McIntyre's novel is not short on plot. Yet it is her characterization that is the strongest part of the book, as she develops both the familiar figures from the show (most notably Hikaru Sulu, which started a welcome and long-overdue trend of giving the secondary characters background and depth — and even first names in a few cases) and her original creations into plausible and well-rounded people. The mystery itself adds to the book, as it helps keep the reader engaged until its last pages. And while some of the logic in the story may not hold up well, the book overall makes for a great read, one that set a high bar for the novels in the series that followed.
If the series's editors wanted to use the first original novel to set expectations, it is difficult to imagine choosing a better book than this one. McIntyre's novel opens by setting the stakes, as while studying a naked singularity that suddenly appeared in a warp lane, Spock discovers that the universe has only a century remaining before its demise. Before he can verify his data, the Enterprise is summoned to a nearby planet to transport a dangerous prisoner for rehabilitation. The prisoner turns out to be Spock's old physics instructor, Georges Mordreaux, who was convicted of murder after the disappearance of several people, all of whom Mordreaux claims had been sent back into the past. Though skeptical of Mordreaux's claims, Spock investigates Mordreauxs claim after the physicist suddenly appears on the bridge and kills Captain Kirk — all while supposedly detained in a guarded and shielded room on the ship.
As this description illustrates, McIntyre's novel is not short on plot. Yet it is her characterization that is the strongest part of the book, as she develops both the familiar figures from the show (most notably Hikaru Sulu, which started a welcome and long-overdue trend of giving the secondary characters background and depth — and even first names in a few cases) and her original creations into plausible and well-rounded people. The mystery itself adds to the book, as it helps keep the reader engaged until its last pages. And while some of the logic in the story may not hold up well, the book overall makes for a great read, one that set a high bar for the novels in the series that followed.
June 19, 2019
3.5 stars. Good time travel story featuring ST TOS cast, with Spock as the lead, as he investigates disturbances in the time/space continuum originating from a singularity with mysterious origins. There are some great scenes where an exhausted, harrowed Spock plagued by failure after failure verges on the edge of despair.
July 25, 2022
*** 3.5 STARS ***
July 20, 2021
What an awesome story! LOVED it! All the well-known Star Trek Original characters were there and what a creative , exciting story! Couldn’t put the book down! Highly recommend it, of course. Looking forward to reading more of this author’s books.
March 25, 2014
A little break from all these picture books seems to be in order, so let's go with something completely different:
The Entropy Effect
by Vonda N. McIntyre, which is #2 in the Pocket Books line of Star Trek novels.
The Enterprise has been in orbit of a singularity for six weeks, Mr. Spock making careful observations of this unusual phenomenon, when they are called away to Aleph Prime by an ultimate override command--to be used only in the most dire of situations.
They arrive to find no great emergency at all. Instead, they're asked to transport a criminal a short distance to a rehabilitation facility. Captain Kirk would have angrily refused, but Spock asks him to accede to this request. It seems that the criminal in question is a scientist of Spock's acquaintance, and there's something fishy about the situation. Spock's investigation uncovers a threat to the entire universe, which he must handle covertly, if he can.
The Entropy Effect focuses on a few characters only: Spock, McCoy, Kirk, and Sulu, plus Mandala Flynn and Hunter, characters original to the novel. The bulk of the novel follows Spock as he deals with the situation, but it takes time to give us some insight into the others, as well. Importantly, in Trek history, it is in this novel that Sulu is given his name, Hikaru (which wouldn't be officially confirmed until a decade later, in The Undiscovered Country), and promised a promotion to lieutenant commander.
The original characters are the high point of the novel. Flynn and the security officers under her command are each interesting: Flynn's desire to prove herself is admirable; Jenniver's difficulties fitting in inspire sympathy; Neon's unusual language (consisting only of nouns) and Snnanagfashtalli's loyalty to Jenniver each merit a mention, as well. Hunter, Kirk's past love, is of little import to the plot, but she does add some needed variety. She has a child, and is part of a nontraditional family arrangement--it's good to show that humans, too, are diverse. There are as many ways to live as there are people on the Earth, and space travel doesn't do anything to simplify that.
Is it odd that each of the characters I identified as being of particular interest is female? Early Trek is certainly a story of men, and this novel, for all its focus on Spock, does somewhat counterbalance that.
The Entropy Effect's plot eventually revolves around time travel, and it's handled fairly well, in a Star Trek sort of way. It's shown to be difficult and far from consequence-free, and there's a bit of suspense as we wonder how (though--let's be honest--not if) Spock will manage his task.
All told, The Entropy Effect is an average book: not great, but fun enough to read once. I understand that several of the original characters show up in other Trek novels; I'll look forward to reading those, some day.
The Enterprise has been in orbit of a singularity for six weeks, Mr. Spock making careful observations of this unusual phenomenon, when they are called away to Aleph Prime by an ultimate override command--to be used only in the most dire of situations.
They arrive to find no great emergency at all. Instead, they're asked to transport a criminal a short distance to a rehabilitation facility. Captain Kirk would have angrily refused, but Spock asks him to accede to this request. It seems that the criminal in question is a scientist of Spock's acquaintance, and there's something fishy about the situation. Spock's investigation uncovers a threat to the entire universe, which he must handle covertly, if he can.
The Entropy Effect focuses on a few characters only: Spock, McCoy, Kirk, and Sulu, plus Mandala Flynn and Hunter, characters original to the novel. The bulk of the novel follows Spock as he deals with the situation, but it takes time to give us some insight into the others, as well. Importantly, in Trek history, it is in this novel that Sulu is given his name, Hikaru (which wouldn't be officially confirmed until a decade later, in The Undiscovered Country), and promised a promotion to lieutenant commander.
The original characters are the high point of the novel. Flynn and the security officers under her command are each interesting: Flynn's desire to prove herself is admirable; Jenniver's difficulties fitting in inspire sympathy; Neon's unusual language (consisting only of nouns) and Snnanagfashtalli's loyalty to Jenniver each merit a mention, as well. Hunter, Kirk's past love, is of little import to the plot, but she does add some needed variety. She has a child, and is part of a nontraditional family arrangement--it's good to show that humans, too, are diverse. There are as many ways to live as there are people on the Earth, and space travel doesn't do anything to simplify that.
Is it odd that each of the characters I identified as being of particular interest is female? Early Trek is certainly a story of men, and this novel, for all its focus on Spock, does somewhat counterbalance that.
The Entropy Effect's plot eventually revolves around time travel, and it's handled fairly well, in a Star Trek sort of way. It's shown to be difficult and far from consequence-free, and there's a bit of suspense as we wonder how (though--let's be honest--not if) Spock will manage his task.
All told, The Entropy Effect is an average book: not great, but fun enough to read once. I understand that several of the original characters show up in other Trek novels; I'll look forward to reading those, some day.
February 28, 2016
First, I'll just say that the 1981 edition with Mustache Sulu is superior to the "Let's pretend this isn't Spock mindmelding with a Horta" cover from 2006. Which is terrifically distracting if you know the context. Second, I'll say that this first unique paracanonical novel in the Star Trek Pocket Books series as an example of its genre totally earns the 4 stars I've awarded it. This was a great pick for the first in the series following the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. McIntyre does a fantastic job pacing the character-driven action in a way that feels like the best of the TOS episodes, with a genuinely interesting sci-fi plot based around time travel and its paradoxes (Trek does love its time travel). She also introduces just the right amount of tantalizing creative backstory--the purview of Star Trek fiction authors. For example, doesn't it ring somehow true that the Kirk we know would be drawn to and yet deeply conflicted about the possibility of joining a "partnership family"? I won't give anything away, but I think this creative element was handled sensitively all the way through to the end, in what we do see happen--and what we don't. (Points to McIntyre for being polyamory-positive.) Finally, I'll note that McIntyre's novelization of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock--which I discovered on sale for 50-cents in the withdrawn books section of my library as a 7th-grader--was my first introduction to Trek and the beginning of what has turned out to be, thus far, a fairly durable and enjoyable obsession. Now reading her as an adult, I'm gratified to see that I wasn't just haphazardly smitten with Trek love as a pre-teen--I can see now that I was also pulled in by good writing, writing good enough to make me curious about who and what else inhabited the Trek universe. And here we are today, almost twenty years later.
November 2, 2023
The Entropy Effect by Vonda N. McIntyre
Challenging, dark, informative, reflective, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0 ⭐
This is the second time I've read this book. The first time was a LONG time ago...so this reread was to see IF the rating I gave it the first time would stand up...to the current batch of Star Trek books that I've been reading. Good news, it has.
4 Stars on first go around, and again this time.
The main characters fromt he Enterprise were Spock, Kirk, Sulu, Scotty and Bones.
Captain Hunter of the USS Aerfen was a good addition, which brought us perspective and into the personal life of Captain Kirk.
The two other main characters were Ian Braithewaite and Dr. George Mordeaux.
This story deals with time and the what happens when someone interferes with the natural progression of time.
Spock is the on character that this story could not do without. His steadfastness and courage makes this story work. His vulcanness and his humanness (put together), makes this character such a great one in this story.
From the first time I read this book to even now...I have not forgotten how powerful this story is. I have often woken up and thought about the paradox, and sometimes have been pulled away from other thoughts to think about this premise.
This was a great story, and Vonda N. McInyre wrote is perfectly.
If you've read it, please look me up...I'd love to talk to you about it.
If you haven't read it, this is your time. Do it!
#BucketListathon2023
Challenging, dark, informative, reflective, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0 ⭐
This is the second time I've read this book. The first time was a LONG time ago...so this reread was to see IF the rating I gave it the first time would stand up...to the current batch of Star Trek books that I've been reading. Good news, it has.
4 Stars on first go around, and again this time.
The main characters fromt he Enterprise were Spock, Kirk, Sulu, Scotty and Bones.
Captain Hunter of the USS Aerfen was a good addition, which brought us perspective and into the personal life of Captain Kirk.
The two other main characters were Ian Braithewaite and Dr. George Mordeaux.
This story deals with time and the what happens when someone interferes with the natural progression of time.
Spock is the on character that this story could not do without. His steadfastness and courage makes this story work. His vulcanness and his humanness (put together), makes this character such a great one in this story.
From the first time I read this book to even now...I have not forgotten how powerful this story is. I have often woken up and thought about the paradox, and sometimes have been pulled away from other thoughts to think about this premise.
This was a great story, and Vonda N. McInyre wrote is perfectly.
If you've read it, please look me up...I'd love to talk to you about it.
If you haven't read it, this is your time. Do it!
#BucketListathon2023
December 13, 2017
I pulled Vonda N. McIntyre’s The Entropy Effect from my Star Trek shelf. I’ve read it several times but not recently. I’m sure when I first read when I was thirteen, I loved it. Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy—the whole gang is there so how could it disappoint? It’s certainly not as entertaining to read now but it’s not a bad book to have in your Star Trek collection.
The Enterprise has been assigned to study a singularity that had mysteriously popped into existence and the whole crew is on edge, balanced somewhere between boredom and worry. Just as Mr. Spock is finishing his observations, Captain Kirk receives an ultimate override command and is ordered to Aleph Prime, a mining colony. Once there, he has to take custody of once brilliant, but now dangerously insane, Dr. Georges Mordreaux. His presence on the ship creates havoc and disaster and only Spock (with Dr. McCoy’s help) can save the day.
This is kind of your typical Star Trek book. It starts out very slowly and the plot takes well over 50 pages to really kick into high gear. There’s a bit too much touchy-feely-shippy stuff going on between two couples and I’m not all that interested in it. I also think it’s unrealistic that Spock would not include Scotty in the “need to know” details of all the time-traveling. Spock’s time-traveling device needed to tap into the warp engines to work and letting the head of engineering in on the top secret details would have made a whole lot more sense than making Dr. McCoy the little helper. I realize the author kept Scotty in the dark in order to add to the sense of chaos and impending disaster, but it wasn’t a decision Spock likely would have made.
The Enterprise has been assigned to study a singularity that had mysteriously popped into existence and the whole crew is on edge, balanced somewhere between boredom and worry. Just as Mr. Spock is finishing his observations, Captain Kirk receives an ultimate override command and is ordered to Aleph Prime, a mining colony. Once there, he has to take custody of once brilliant, but now dangerously insane, Dr. Georges Mordreaux. His presence on the ship creates havoc and disaster and only Spock (with Dr. McCoy’s help) can save the day.
This is kind of your typical Star Trek book. It starts out very slowly and the plot takes well over 50 pages to really kick into high gear. There’s a bit too much touchy-feely-shippy stuff going on between two couples and I’m not all that interested in it. I also think it’s unrealistic that Spock would not include Scotty in the “need to know” details of all the time-traveling. Spock’s time-traveling device needed to tap into the warp engines to work and letting the head of engineering in on the top secret details would have made a whole lot more sense than making Dr. McCoy the little helper. I realize the author kept Scotty in the dark in order to add to the sense of chaos and impending disaster, but it wasn’t a decision Spock likely would have made.
April 20, 2018
Classic Alternate Timeline story where Kirk is killed by a future version of a mad professor – who was also Spock’s mentor (ofc) – and Spock trying to rectify it for the good of the universe (no seriously if he doesn't the universe collapses in a hundred years.
It's tried and true trek storytelling done to death since death. I liked it, although the two main antagonists - the Mad Scientist and the Overzealous attorney are very cartoonish.
Some notes I had:
- Georges Mordeaux is such a late 70s early 80s name for a villain either in trek or DC comics.
- Captain Kirk turned down an extended polyamorous relationship *three times* and of course it was true love.
- Sulu’s hair and mustache are long on a dare.
- Spock once got drunk, though doesn’t admit it
- There are Beard repressors
- "Hypermorphic Botulism"
- This is not an Uhura or Chekov book.
- Hikaru has a crisis of where he should be and if he should start a relationship with the Security Chief.
- All the redshirts are interesting here and not a variation of “1960s-I-have-cop-show-background”
- It's partly played off as a bad dream, sort of a la Donnie Darko, and Spock is the only one with the whole story.
- “He’s worked himself right into a fit of the vapors.”
-Kirk sitting by Spock’s bedside when he's recovering
- Jim once grew a moustache but it was brick red.
It's tried and true trek storytelling done to death since death. I liked it, although the two main antagonists - the Mad Scientist and the Overzealous attorney are very cartoonish.
Some notes I had:
- Georges Mordeaux is such a late 70s early 80s name for a villain either in trek or DC comics.
- Captain Kirk turned down an extended polyamorous relationship *three times* and of course it was true love.
- Sulu’s hair and mustache are long on a dare.
- Spock once got drunk, though doesn’t admit it
- There are Beard repressors
- "Hypermorphic Botulism"
- This is not an Uhura or Chekov book.
- Hikaru has a crisis of where he should be and if he should start a relationship with the Security Chief.
- All the redshirts are interesting here and not a variation of “1960s-I-have-cop-show-background”
- It's partly played off as a bad dream, sort of a la Donnie Darko, and Spock is the only one with the whole story.
- “He’s worked himself right into a fit of the vapors.”
-Kirk sitting by Spock’s bedside when he's recovering
- Jim once grew a moustache but it was brick red.
November 17, 2009
Read the whole thing in one day sitting by the water. Whenever I put it down to get some Diet Coke or take a bathroom break, I spent the whole time wondering what would happen next. That's my idea of perfect vacation reading.
April 17, 2016
This is not Star Trek fiction as I'm used to reading it. Despite that, I enjoyed the story and the writing, though I wasn't expecting that much profanity.
June 12, 2020
4.5 Stars
This is the first Star Trek novel I've read after buying several already for my kindle. I started with this one because its the first original Trek novel published by Pocket books and also it was recommended on several trek sites. I've never read Vonda McIntyre's other work before or even heard of her outside of trek. After this book, I definitely want to read her award winning works.
The basic plot of Entropy Effect is that there is Dr. Mordreaux who is charged with a serious crime of sending people back in time to their death, (loses a half star because I'm not sure exactly what it all meant when you reach the end. minor quibble though.) and the Enterprise is tasked with with bringing the man to a rehab faclity. Its not something the Enterprise is designed for however and that's where things start to carry off in different directions and has catastrophic consequences for the universe.
So its a story based on time travel, something i'm a big fan but there's two things that set this book apart and set a standard for Trek novels. The first being, the characters feel very life like and also you feel like Spock/Jim Kirk/Bones and the rest of the crew have real emotional depth to them. I imagine its hard to do a story where characters die and you have to bring them back by the end and make it feel like its tense and important. The author succeeds here. Ms. McIntyre also infuses the crew with a cast of original characters, Mandala Flynn being one of my favorites, really her entire security crew is wonderful. Ian Braithwhite is annoying lawyer done very well.
There's also the fact that Ms. McIntyre gave Mr. Sulu a first name; Hikaru which was used in the films. Speaking of Mr. Sulu, he also has a mustache and long hair. His relationship with Mandala Flynn is a highlight for me as well.
Another thing that struck me was how strong and interesting all the women in this book are.. it shouldn't be surprising given the author, but Star Trek TOS wasn't exactly known for strong important parts for women. You had uhura who basically all she did was relay information and look pretty. Other guest stars propped up the men. In Entropy effect, every woman character is strong, independent and can take charge. There's Mandala Flynn, the security chief and Mr. Sulu love interest. Captain Hunter has a past relationship with Jim Kirk that is explored. She plays a later role in questioning McCoy. There's even a bit towards the end of the book where a human woman uses the Vulcan nerve pinch!
The quibbles i have with the book are minor like i said; it takes awhile to set up in service of character building and the plot becomes convoluted by the end that you don't even care why it all happened in the first place. But its still an excellent book that takes the science and relationships seriously and doesn't even try to claim that Time travel is clean. Mistakes are always going to be made even when you stitch up the wound, blood still might leak out.
Highly recommended.
This is the first Star Trek novel I've read after buying several already for my kindle. I started with this one because its the first original Trek novel published by Pocket books and also it was recommended on several trek sites. I've never read Vonda McIntyre's other work before or even heard of her outside of trek. After this book, I definitely want to read her award winning works.
The basic plot of Entropy Effect is that there is Dr. Mordreaux who is charged with a serious crime of sending people back in time to their death, (loses a half star because I'm not sure exactly what it all meant when you reach the end. minor quibble though.) and the Enterprise is tasked with with bringing the man to a rehab faclity. Its not something the Enterprise is designed for however and that's where things start to carry off in different directions and has catastrophic consequences for the universe.
So its a story based on time travel, something i'm a big fan but there's two things that set this book apart and set a standard for Trek novels. The first being, the characters feel very life like and also you feel like Spock/Jim Kirk/Bones and the rest of the crew have real emotional depth to them. I imagine its hard to do a story where characters die and you have to bring them back by the end and make it feel like its tense and important. The author succeeds here. Ms. McIntyre also infuses the crew with a cast of original characters, Mandala Flynn being one of my favorites, really her entire security crew is wonderful. Ian Braithwhite is annoying lawyer done very well.
There's also the fact that Ms. McIntyre gave Mr. Sulu a first name; Hikaru which was used in the films. Speaking of Mr. Sulu, he also has a mustache and long hair. His relationship with Mandala Flynn is a highlight for me as well.
Another thing that struck me was how strong and interesting all the women in this book are.. it shouldn't be surprising given the author, but Star Trek TOS wasn't exactly known for strong important parts for women. You had uhura who basically all she did was relay information and look pretty. Other guest stars propped up the men. In Entropy effect, every woman character is strong, independent and can take charge. There's Mandala Flynn, the security chief and Mr. Sulu love interest. Captain Hunter has a past relationship with Jim Kirk that is explored. She plays a later role in questioning McCoy. There's even a bit towards the end of the book where a human woman uses the Vulcan nerve pinch!
The quibbles i have with the book are minor like i said; it takes awhile to set up in service of character building and the plot becomes convoluted by the end that you don't even care why it all happened in the first place. But its still an excellent book that takes the science and relationships seriously and doesn't even try to claim that Time travel is clean. Mistakes are always going to be made even when you stitch up the wound, blood still might leak out.
Highly recommended.
September 10, 2022
Review 9/10/22: Mystery. Intrigue. Time Travel. The possibility of the end of the universe. McIntyre's books has little bit of it all.
While Mr. Spock is completing a scientific study of a naked singularity which had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, the Enterprise receives an Ultimate override command. Spock's initial findings are most disturbing. If his calculations are correct the appearance of the singularity signals more chaos to come and...the end of the universe in less than a century. The override command cuts his research short. Ultimate is reserved for only the most dire of circumstances--a sun going nova, an invasion, a critical experimental failure, or unclassified: danger never before encountered. The command directs Kirk to take his ship at maximum warp to Aleph Prime. But when they arrive, nothing seems to be amiss--except brilliant physicist, Dr. Georges Mordreaux, a former teacher of their own Mr. Spock, is being held as a murderer. He is accused of having perpetrated a murderous confidence game, promising to send people back in time and then killing them instead. The Enterprise has been diverted to transport him to the nearest penal rehabilitation colony. But it appears that someone other than Ian Braithewaite, Aleph Primes's chief prosecutor, sent the message.
Kirk is furious that the Ultimate has been misused and is ready to leave Ian Braithwaite to wait for the official prisoner transport when Spock urges him to take on the assignment. He knows that something is not right. The man he once knew could never have killed anyone and he wants time to talk with Mordreaux and get his side of the story. Before that can happen, a crazed doctor--having somehow escaped the quarters surrounded by a force field and security personnel--bursts onto the bridge, kills Captain Kirk and his new Security Chief Mandala Flynn, and promptly disappears into the turbo lift. Mordreaux is later found in the secured quarters and the guards swear he could not have gotten out.
Once Spock is able to confer with the prisoner, he realizes that he must journey through time--not only to save his captain, but to save the universe itself. Dr. Modreaux's experiments have warped time itself and the longer the warp exists the worse the stress of entropy is for those on the Enterprise as well as everything in the universe. Spock leaves McCoy--the only other officer who's in on the secret--in command and this also leaves a disgruntled Scotty open to Ian Braithwaite's bizarre theories of conspiracy. So Spock and McCoy are working on an even shorter time limit--if Scotty and Braithwaite put a stop to Spock's time travels, there won't be any time left for anyone.
This is one of the first Star Trek novels I ever read. It came in a boxed set of the first six published by Pocket Books and found under the Christmas tree when I was twelve. That started me on a long journey of Star Trek and science fiction novel reading. And I loved those first six books (well--five of them, anyway. Let's not talk about The Prometheus Design, okay?).
Upon this reading, I was initially a bit disgruntled that my Star Trek characters weren't behaving properly. And then I thought it over. First, from the cover picture, it appears that this takes place after The Motion Picture. I'm going to guess not too long after. The crew has just gotten back together after Kirk had been riding a desk job for Starfleet HQ. They're still settling back in with one another. Second, we've got that whole entropy thing going on that is screwing things up more and more the longer it goes on. It shouldn't be a surprise that this is putting stress on everybody and so there would be some weirdness. BUT I still think McIntyre made some mistakes.
As soon as Kirk knew that the Ultimate override command was no longer in effect, he should have briefed his senior officers. Scotty, as third in command after Spock, should have been included. Since this was McIntyre's first book in the Star Trek universe, I don't know if she was just not well-versed in how these people work together OR if she was relying on the weirdness of the effects of entropy to explain everything OR if she felt she needed the disgruntled Scotty sub-plot to help move things along. Regardless, it's just a bit off. I'm also a bit perturbed at the short shrift Uhura, Chekov, and Nurse Chapel receive--they pretty much have walk-on parts
On the plus side, this is a fun adventure with some very moving moments. Spock's distress when he repeatedly comes "this" close to stopping Mordreax. McCoy's grief. Even Scotty's bafflement at being left out of things (even though I don't think McIntyre should have left him out--his reactions are definitely relatable). I also loved (both the first time I read it and now) that the spotlight was on Sulu. This is one of the first (if not the first) Star Trek novels to feature a character beyond Kirk, Spock & McCoy in a major sub-plot. Sulu gets a first name, some back history, and a love interest (no debates here on the nature of that love interest and how it fits in with later revelations on the character). And the creation of Mandala Flynn and the other new security personnel as well as Captain Hunter was truly inspired. Strong characters--both strong women and strong non-humanoid species--that I would have loved to see more of.
As a mystery--and I do consider it a bit of one--it is a how-dunnit rather than a who-dunnit. Spock must figure out how Mordreaux was able to kill the captain and the security chief without having left his secure cabin. And then he has to figure out how to stop him from doing it in the first place. A good Star Trek adventure all around. I gave it ★★★ and 1/2 when I first read it forty-ish years ago and I see no reason to change my rating now. [rounded up here)
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
Previous brief notes:
Loved the fact that this one focused so much on Sulu. He gets so little attention in most stories (and on screen). (three and a half stars, actually)
While Mr. Spock is completing a scientific study of a naked singularity which had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, the Enterprise receives an Ultimate override command. Spock's initial findings are most disturbing. If his calculations are correct the appearance of the singularity signals more chaos to come and...the end of the universe in less than a century. The override command cuts his research short. Ultimate is reserved for only the most dire of circumstances--a sun going nova, an invasion, a critical experimental failure, or unclassified: danger never before encountered. The command directs Kirk to take his ship at maximum warp to Aleph Prime. But when they arrive, nothing seems to be amiss--except brilliant physicist, Dr. Georges Mordreaux, a former teacher of their own Mr. Spock, is being held as a murderer. He is accused of having perpetrated a murderous confidence game, promising to send people back in time and then killing them instead. The Enterprise has been diverted to transport him to the nearest penal rehabilitation colony. But it appears that someone other than Ian Braithewaite, Aleph Primes's chief prosecutor, sent the message.
Kirk is furious that the Ultimate has been misused and is ready to leave Ian Braithwaite to wait for the official prisoner transport when Spock urges him to take on the assignment. He knows that something is not right. The man he once knew could never have killed anyone and he wants time to talk with Mordreaux and get his side of the story. Before that can happen, a crazed doctor--having somehow escaped the quarters surrounded by a force field and security personnel--bursts onto the bridge, kills Captain Kirk and his new Security Chief Mandala Flynn, and promptly disappears into the turbo lift. Mordreaux is later found in the secured quarters and the guards swear he could not have gotten out.
Once Spock is able to confer with the prisoner, he realizes that he must journey through time--not only to save his captain, but to save the universe itself. Dr. Modreaux's experiments have warped time itself and the longer the warp exists the worse the stress of entropy is for those on the Enterprise as well as everything in the universe. Spock leaves McCoy--the only other officer who's in on the secret--in command and this also leaves a disgruntled Scotty open to Ian Braithwaite's bizarre theories of conspiracy. So Spock and McCoy are working on an even shorter time limit--if Scotty and Braithwaite put a stop to Spock's time travels, there won't be any time left for anyone.
This is one of the first Star Trek novels I ever read. It came in a boxed set of the first six published by Pocket Books and found under the Christmas tree when I was twelve. That started me on a long journey of Star Trek and science fiction novel reading. And I loved those first six books (well--five of them, anyway. Let's not talk about The Prometheus Design, okay?).
Upon this reading, I was initially a bit disgruntled that my Star Trek characters weren't behaving properly. And then I thought it over. First, from the cover picture, it appears that this takes place after The Motion Picture. I'm going to guess not too long after. The crew has just gotten back together after Kirk had been riding a desk job for Starfleet HQ. They're still settling back in with one another. Second, we've got that whole entropy thing going on that is screwing things up more and more the longer it goes on. It shouldn't be a surprise that this is putting stress on everybody and so there would be some weirdness. BUT I still think McIntyre made some mistakes.
As soon as Kirk knew that the Ultimate override command was no longer in effect, he should have briefed his senior officers. Scotty, as third in command after Spock, should have been included. Since this was McIntyre's first book in the Star Trek universe, I don't know if she was just not well-versed in how these people work together OR if she was relying on the weirdness of the effects of entropy to explain everything OR if she felt she needed the disgruntled Scotty sub-plot to help move things along. Regardless, it's just a bit off. I'm also a bit perturbed at the short shrift Uhura, Chekov, and Nurse Chapel receive--they pretty much have walk-on parts
On the plus side, this is a fun adventure with some very moving moments. Spock's distress when he repeatedly comes "this" close to stopping Mordreax. McCoy's grief. Even Scotty's bafflement at being left out of things (even though I don't think McIntyre should have left him out--his reactions are definitely relatable). I also loved (both the first time I read it and now) that the spotlight was on Sulu. This is one of the first (if not the first) Star Trek novels to feature a character beyond Kirk, Spock & McCoy in a major sub-plot. Sulu gets a first name, some back history, and a love interest (no debates here on the nature of that love interest and how it fits in with later revelations on the character). And the creation of Mandala Flynn and the other new security personnel as well as Captain Hunter was truly inspired. Strong characters--both strong women and strong non-humanoid species--that I would have loved to see more of.
As a mystery--and I do consider it a bit of one--it is a how-dunnit rather than a who-dunnit. Spock must figure out how Mordreaux was able to kill the captain and the security chief without having left his secure cabin. And then he has to figure out how to stop him from doing it in the first place. A good Star Trek adventure all around. I gave it ★★★ and 1/2 when I first read it forty-ish years ago and I see no reason to change my rating now. [rounded up here)
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
Previous brief notes:
Loved the fact that this one focused so much on Sulu. He gets so little attention in most stories (and on screen). (three and a half stars, actually)
Read
July 27, 2023I sometimes distrust earlier Trek novels, but this one was surprisingly good and a nice convalescent read— it has the two elements I seek in a Star Trek novel: a sci-fi idea and a decent engagement with our characters. The sci-fi idea here about time travel and singularities is solid— even more so when you consider that this book was written long before the current wave of pop culture time steam lit.
The authors knows and loves Those Old Scientists. Her new characters are fun and don’t take over the book; they’re there to play with everyone else, not Mary Sue all over the place. Mr. Sulu gets special attention here with ambition, long hair, a mustache, and a redheaded woman for a lover. Mr. Scott is maybe a little more cranky and mistrustful than usual, but it works. McCoy and Kirk fit nicely in the flow and are in character. And harder to pull off: Mr. Spock is himself consistently.
The authors knows and loves Those Old Scientists. Her new characters are fun and don’t take over the book; they’re there to play with everyone else, not Mary Sue all over the place. Mr. Sulu gets special attention here with ambition, long hair, a mustache, and a redheaded woman for a lover. Mr. Scott is maybe a little more cranky and mistrustful than usual, but it works. McCoy and Kirk fit nicely in the flow and are in character. And harder to pull off: Mr. Spock is himself consistently.
October 1, 2020
This one was quite fun, definitely one of the better early Star Trek novels. Lots of new and interesting characters that I truly would like to see again, plus a Sulu side-story that had me worried for a while!
The time travel was just convoluted enough to be fun, and even the main original character that comes across clearly as the author's avatar was likable rather than insufferable, as is often the case.
It always startles me how much free love is written into the Star Trek universe in these early novels, far more than we ever get hint of in any series or film. I'd like to see more of these human love enclaves casually referenced in the canon, rather than only ever hearing of "unconventional" romantic arrangements as "normal" within other species, while humans look on in horror, as if nothing but monogamy had ever occurred to them.
But I digress. My point is, this novel is one of the good ones for early Trek stories. I'd read it again for sure.
The time travel was just convoluted enough to be fun, and even the main original character that comes across clearly as the author's avatar was likable rather than insufferable, as is often the case.
It always startles me how much free love is written into the Star Trek universe in these early novels, far more than we ever get hint of in any series or film. I'd like to see more of these human love enclaves casually referenced in the canon, rather than only ever hearing of "unconventional" romantic arrangements as "normal" within other species, while humans look on in horror, as if nothing but monogamy had ever occurred to them.
But I digress. My point is, this novel is one of the good ones for early Trek stories. I'd read it again for sure.
October 13, 2022
The original Star Trek holds a lot of nostalgia for me, and I'm always up for some good ol' time travel, so this was fun! There was nothing very memorable about the plot, though, and I probably wouldn't read it again.
A couple things that disappointed me:
- A brief sexual scene (not detailed) between unmarried people.
- Kirk saying he was tired of being a captain. (Come on! Any fan of the show/movies could tell you that Kirk loved the Enterprise more than anything.)
A couple things that disappointed me:
- A brief sexual scene (not detailed) between unmarried people.
- Kirk saying he was tired of being a captain. (Come on! Any fan of the show/movies could tell you that Kirk loved the Enterprise more than anything.)
March 19, 2023
It’s a terrible thing to say but it’s great to read a Trek novel by a writer who knows what they’re doing. Foster and Blish’s novelisations of episodes were competent and managed (especially in Foster’s case) to really make the stories feel fresh and interesting. Of the 70’s Trek novels, I really only felt that a couple of the writers had a proper mix of their own writing and the Trek mythos. McIntyre, a seasoned author already by this time, understands the show brilliantly and manages to create a story that works on its own merits and also as a Trek novel. This is a great, fun read.
April 5, 2019
I wasn’t really excited about one more StarTrek the me travel story and about 2/3rds through, it seemed like it was going to be the same as most time travel stories. The end, however, is a bit unique. I will admit that I enjoyed this old TOS based story.
May 16, 2019
Eh - it was ok, but I hate time travel - especially this type. It was fun seeing weird aliens as members of security - the tv show certainly didn't have the budget for that. Edited to say: Oh seeing "sexy Sulu" was equally fun. :)
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January 4, 2023A very fast and captivating read. I especially admire the smooth changes in POVs, sometimes mid-paragraph. The characters, both from the original series and the author's own, had great voices, with one glaring exception: Sulu's out-of-character heterosexuality.
December 11, 2023
colorful OC's that were fun but pulled too much focus, plus a main plot that dragged on longer than it held interest
May 18, 2023
The Enterprise is ordered to transport criminal Dr Georges Mordreax to rehabilitation, but he escapes and kills Captain Kirk. But soon Spock realises he must take action to prevent that death occurring.
An entertaining re-read.
An entertaining re-read.
December 20, 2022
Well, there’s another item I can cross off the Great Geek Checklist: Read a Star Trek Tie-In Novel. Check—and my chances of getting laid are once again reduced! ;-)
This wasn’t at all bad. It was pretty well-written; there was a nice subplot with Sulu (though McIntyre gives him a truly dreadful-sounding new hairstyle that I kept hoping would somehow figure into the plot—but it DIDN’T); and there was a SUPREMELY gay Kirk/Spock moment toward the end that made me giggle with glee. However, the time travel plot was a bit convoluted in my opinion, and it resolved itself rather too quickly—I’ve seen the same sort of story done better. Still, if more tie-in novels were this good, I might actually read them.
Or maybe not. In truth, I don’t think I really want to read derivative works unless there are sexy bits in ’em. I AM SHALLOW OKAY.
This wasn’t at all bad. It was pretty well-written; there was a nice subplot with Sulu (though McIntyre gives him a truly dreadful-sounding new hairstyle that I kept hoping would somehow figure into the plot—but it DIDN’T); and there was a SUPREMELY gay Kirk/Spock moment toward the end that made me giggle with glee. However, the time travel plot was a bit convoluted in my opinion, and it resolved itself rather too quickly—I’ve seen the same sort of story done better. Still, if more tie-in novels were this good, I might actually read them.
Or maybe not. In truth, I don’t think I really want to read derivative works unless there are sexy bits in ’em. I AM SHALLOW OKAY.
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