By William Leisner

Pocket Books, out now

The Enterprise is on a scientific mission when a first contact goes wrong – but it seems as if Kirk and crew may have made new allies…

And that really is all you need to know about the book going in. Don’t read the back cover which details the plot beyond the two-thirds mark of the book, undermining William Leisner’s careful building up of evidence to make both the crew of the Enterprise and the reader question some of what’s going on.

Leisner tells a solid Star Trek story that could fit easily into what’s on screen during a putative fourth season – Arex and M’Ress are aboard, as are Chekov and Uhura – with a good handle particularly on Jim Kirk, and his desire to see the best in a situation when possible. There’s some good banter between Spock and McCoy, and Leisner knows when the situation demands that the two of them drop the wordplay and focus on the task at hand.

The worldbuilding for the Domain Defense Corps and the Goeg works well, although some of their geopolitics gets a bit convoluted at times. Racism, glass ceilings and the plight of those regarded as inferior are all addressed but not in a way that the reader feels smashed over the head with lectures.

Verdict: An enjoyable original series standalone adventure. 8/10

Paul Simpson