by Christopher L. Bennett

Pocket Books, out now

Why is James T. Kirk such a bogeyman for the Department of Temporal Investigations. Is it because of his 17 transgressions… or should that really be 18?

A follow-up to Chris Bennett’s mind-bending Watching the Clock, this story explains the origins of the DTI, and the way in which its mission altered during the latter part of the 23rd Century. The story plays out in two timeframes: the 24th Century “present” and 2266-2275, during and after James T. Kirk’s first five-year mission in the U.S.S. Enterprise.

As with the first book, Bennett tries to make sense of the varying different methods of time travel and its consequences as seen in canonical Trek (the time travel stories from the novels do get a passing mention). There are many discrepancies caused by differing production teams and their needs, and Bennett successfully charts a path through the science while still keeping the reader entertained with an enjoyable story.

Some stories that you might not think have a time travel or quantum physics basis are pulled into that category in this book (if I remember rightly, based on the original, not the Remastered versions of the episodes: some of the “improvements” in those negate the bases on which Bennett theorises), and there are some very intriguing ideas, and alternate realities, postulated.

Verdict: You need to concentrate, but as with all Bennett’s work, Forgotten History rewards careful reading.  7/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order Forgotten History from Amazon.co.uk

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