Ishmael

I love this book, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. It's a comfort re-read, sorely needed at the moment.

Yes, as other people will have noted, it's a mash up of an old Western (Here Comes the Brides) with the original Star Trek crew. It shouldn't work, but it does. It does even if you have no idea about Here Comes the Brides. It's a very human Star Trek story.

My original paper copy had some issues, so it was a pleasure to read on Kindle with the all the words, and in the correct order.

It's been a good number of years since I originally read this book, but I certainly enjoyed the re-read. And it was interesting reading it after so much more has been added to Star Trek lore, including all of the information about Klingons from TNG and DS9. In the thirty years since the book was originally published, we've also have technology revolutions which make a lot of the technical terminology look positively obsolete in the 21st century, no less the 23rd. But the story is charming, the retrospective look at Trek as it existed thirty years ago is amusing, the link to the “Here Come the Brides” TV show starring Mark Lenard (who played, among other roles, Spock's father, Sarek) is entertaining, and the occasional references to other Science Fiction properties gave me a few laugh-out-loud moments (such as a casual mention of Kastaberous, a clear reference to Doctor Who). Definitely a recommended book for those who enjoy the Star Trek novels published in the mid 80's.