Home is the Hunter (Star Trek, No 52)

Rating:
Summary: Home is the Hunter Star Trek no 52
Review: "Home is the Hunter" is truly one of the better written Star Trek numbered novels. The premise: The Enterprise is dispatched to Cragon V in order to compete with the Klingons over mineral rights. (One side note, this being a pre-warp culture, why were they there?). Once the Enterprise arrives they discover that the Klingons have been there for sometime and have been giving the locals some weapons and combat training. They also discover that they have to wait for the world leader, Weyland to get a decision as to who gets the mineral rights. Weyland himself is an interesting creature. Since this classic trek novel was published in October of 1990, the author obviously had been watching Star Trek The Next Generation and has come up with a creature who seems to be of the Q Continuum, but without blatantly stating he is. While on the planet, Captain Kirk, his crew and the Klingons finally meet with Weyland. The meeting doesn't go well for either side and they decide to depart. A skirmish begins between the opposing sides and an innocent child is killed along with a one of the Starfleet officers. Thus begets Weyland's reasoning behind disabling both the Enterprise and the Klingon vessel. He also hurls three of Captain Kirk's crew into the past. Scotty finds himself in Scotland in the year 1746. Sulu is in Japan in the year 1600 and Chekov is in Russia in the year 1942. Along with Scotty, Chekov and Sulu being thrown back in time, there is a very good story going on between Kirk and the Klingons. The Klingons seemed slightly out of character for Klingons. But not to worry, their characterizations only go slightly off the trail as far as how they are perceived as a culture.

As stated above, this is a wonderfully well written and thought out novel. The only odd thing about this is the author him or herself. It seems out of all of the Star Trek novels written, this seems to be the only one with this individuals name on it. Such a shame, she or he writes very well. Thank you once again to Chapulina R for the reading suggestion.

Rating:
Summary: Amusing Trek
Review: Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov are transported by a Q-like being back into their respective nations' pasts, while Kirk must team up with an unpleasant Klingon. Sulu's story is particularly touching as he discovers romance back in 1600. Kramer-Rolls gives us an entertaining Trek yarn, one that should be enjoyed by most Trek fans.

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre to above-average.
Review: This book probably ought to rate three and a half stars; three seems a bit low, but four would definitely be too high.

The "main" plot, involving Kirk, the Klingons, and the apparent member of the Q continuum "Weyland", is obviously simply a frame hastily put together to justify the basic concept of the book, which is to put Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov back in time at key points of their own ancestral histories; Chekov meets Stalin during WWII; Scotty meets Bonnie Prince Charlie during the rebellion, and Sulu is in Japan during the Samurai period (1600). The time travel concept was reasonably well handled (although the author missed a WONDERFUL opportunity by not additionally having McCoy set back in the American south during the Civil War; the others, particularly Chekov, got to confront some of the ugliness of their own romanticized heritage, and that would have been a doozy) but nothing spectacular. The writing in general is likewise competent but not outstanding.

A perfectly acceptably enjoyable read, but nothing more.