by Christopher L. Bennett

Pocket Books, out now

Vulcan’s future is threatened as Travis Mayweather has to face up to his past…

The continuation of the Enterprise timeline has now reached 2165 with Archer an admiral, T’Pol the captain of the Endeavour, and Malcolm Reed in charge of the USS Pioneer. For those who’ve not kept up with the range, it began with a rewriting of These Are the Voyages (perhaps the single most hated episode of the franchise, although I’m sure there are plenty of contenders) to make sense of Trip Tucker’s “death” – he’s actually gone undercover for Section 31.

But in Bennett’s latest novel, it’s Tucker’s original expertise that is called upon as he, Reed and Mayweather face the Ware – the people behind the automated repair facility encountered in the episodes Minefield and Dead Stop. The problem of course is that the Ware use the brains of captives to power their technology – so how do you stop them without killing those people? The plotline allows Bennett to discuss some of the moral imperatives guiding the Federation – and how they appear to people who’ve not encountered them before.

The other thread is based around the Kir’Shara, and the apparent discovery that the writings of Surak that Archer and co. found in series 4 of the TV show are a forgery. Some familiar faces from the Star Trek TV and literary universe turn up as Jonathan Archer has to play the diplomatic game even as an old enemy reappears. (And yet again, one of the surprises of the book is given away on the back cover…!)

Bennett creates some strong dramatic and action sequences, as well as examining questions of truth and faith – and throwing in some Easter eggs for those who enjoyed Space: 1999 (Bergmann’s suit fails!) while those lost on Vulcan appear to have stepped across from a certain 1966 Doctor Who story!

Verdict: Bennett’s story is told on a wide canvas, and he keeps the reader thoroughly engaged. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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