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From: hector@princeton.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: new Star Trek books
Message-ID: <147@princeton.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 28-Nov-83 07:29:46 EST
Article-I.D.: princeto.147
Posted: Mon Nov 28 07:29:46 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 29-Nov-83 06:05:52 EST
References: <428@aplvax.UUCP>
Organization: Princeton Univ. EECS
Lines: 50

In-reply-to: your article <428@aplvax.UUCP>

***NOTE*** Change return path!  Reply to ...ulysses!princeton!flakey!stewart

Eric:

Say what?  You thought the Phoenix books were rank?  I found them absolutely
terrific, and as true to the spirit of S.T. -- i.e., what the series should
have been, not what it sometimes was -- as any novel could be.  I did think 
the same authors' (Marshak & Culbreath) other 2 S.T. novels, the Pocket Books
ones, *were* rank, mostly because they played around with major changes to
Spock's character.  Those are the only 2 published novels to be set between
the first and second movies, and I have the feeling that Gene wouldn't have
agreed with the assumptions they made.

The Phoenix novels... the first, more so... took on some of the real faults
that the series had, and worked them through.  The question of the Prime
Directive (what Prime Directive?  I didn't see any Prime Directive, did you,
Spock?) of non-interference was dealt with for the first time in print;
the second-rate episode "The Enterprise Incident" finally made itself worth-
while by providing a familiar Romulan with understandable motivations; and
Kirk and Spock finally met an enemy of the same caliber as themselves.
If you have superheroes -- and S.T. does -- you NEED super-villains.  Omne
was that.
 
As for the new pair of novels, I've only read 'Mutiny on the Enterprise'.  
I was not very impressed.  For one thing, the resolution was absolutely 
obvious from the moment what's-her-name's powers are revealed.  For
another, the plot is just a little too contrived, too improbable.  I can
accept the character and her powers -- that's fine -- as long as the
rest of the story is caused by the implications of those powers.  However,
the negotiations are going on entirely independently beforehand, and
then along she comes, the deus-ex-machina who just happens to have the
perfect (and staggeringly unlikely) talent to turn the situation around.
Nope, that's making things too easy on all concerned.
 
I'm looking forward to reading the other new novel very much, though --
if you say it compares with the Phoenix books, I'll probably find it
as excellent as you had initially hoped it would be.
 
  
                        I'm new to the net.  Send lots of mail, ok?
                        Remember the path that this came by is NOT the
                        one to reply by... it's a long story.
 
                        Stewart W.

                        ...{ulysses,allegra,harpo}!princeton!flakey!stewart