by David Mack

Gallery Books, out now

When tragedy strikes the planet the Enterprise is visiting with a diplomatic mission, Kirk is the only one who can save the day.

We’ve waited 10 years for this book – one of the quartet of Kelvin-verse novels commissioned and written in the wake of the 2009 movie that were halted very late in the day – and it doesn’t disappoint. As Mack points out in his afterword, it’s somewhat different from his usual Star Trek style – his normal speed and impetus are dialled up to 11, and at times it reminds me more of his original Dark Arts trilogy.

It’s also a story that very definitely is set in the Kelvin-verse: this is a younger Jim Kirk than we saw in the TV series, and the relationships between the crew members is very different. Star Trek Beyond may have been the nearest that these films came to recreating the 1960s show, but even then it has its marked differences, and Mack gets the essence of Star Trek into his story in a similar way. In particular, Mack captures Chris Pine and Karl Urban’s delivery as Kirk and McCoy, as well as the captain’s impetuosity. It links neatly into one of the original series’ most well-regarded episodes (as well as aspects created for the early movies), dealing with an issue that the most recent films have simply ignored.

Verdict: It’s good to have this officially part of the canon at last – a fun, quick read. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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