Rating: 
Summary: Good installment in the Shatner Star Trek series
Review: "Captain's Peril" is seventh is the excellent Star Trek novel series by William Shatner and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, a series that began with "Ashes of Eden" and centers - at least in part - around the premise that Kirk did not meet his final end as portrayed in the movie "Star Trek: Generations," but rather he was resurrected, events surrounding this of which are detailed in the second novel in the series, "The Return." This novel, as are all the others with the exception of the bulk of "Ashes of Eden" takes place contemporaneously with the events of the Star Trek universe at large, with each successive novel in the series incorporating events portrayed in the various television series and movies (several throwaway lines in this novel hint at events depicted in the currently on-going series "Enterprise" with references to Archer and T'Pol). Having said that though, it is not necessary for one to have read the preceding novels in this series, though they may shed some light on a few brief references to what has gone before. In previous novels of the series James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, and others have dealt with issues ranging from conspiracies within Starfleet to the Borg to villains from the alternate universe first depicted The Original Series episode "Mirror, Mirror." This one starts off with (aside from a prologue set during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor) with Picard and Kirk taking a vacation to Bajor. The two friends sought to combine their mutual interests, the vacation starting out with some orbital skydiving, which would take the pair to a Bajoran archaeological dig along the shores of an inland sea in the desert, the researchers there investigating a sunken ancient city, one that was covered by waters released thanks to Cardassian efforts (depicted in the prologue). The vacation does not go off as planned; first they almost die during the orbital skydiving thanks to faulty equipment, leaving them miles away from their landing zone next to the dig and without hope to be rescued before possibly dying of thirst or exposure. To pass the time Kirk describes to Picard events he faced very early as captain of the Enterprise, less than six months into its first five year mission. This story is told throughout the course of the novel and I found it quite engaging, showing how Kirk and Spock became friends, how Kirk grew into the role of captain, and what the Enterprise was like in the transitional period between Pike and Kirk having command of the ship. The story tied into a surprising degree with events in the story and was capped at the end of the book by a riveting and chilling epilogue, one which begs to be followed up by the authors in future works. Kirk and Picard are rescued by one of the archaeologists, but they find that he wasn't out looking for them; he was out seeking a murderer! One of the foremost scientists at the camp had been murdered and no one there knows who did it or why. Much of the novel details Picard's and Kirk's efforts to solve this crime and bring the murderer to justice. The camp is completely cut off from the outside world, with no communications, miles from nowhere in the desert wilderness, Kirk and Picard lacking any weapons or access to sophisticated technology, many in the camp openly hostile to their presence, several with ample motive and opportunity to have committed the murder; the two captains have their work cut out for them. I found the murder investigation a bit less riveting than Kirk's tale of his early days as captain. While by no means bad - it was interesting in that it had a lot to do with Bajoran history and particularly Bajoran religion - I found it at times confusing. Matters weren't helped much by the fact I had trouble sometimes keeping track of the various archaeologists and others at the camp. This is not to say that they were all alike, as some were quite distinct, but enough were similar and there names sort of ended up blending together for me. I still liked it, just didn't find it as effective as the second plot line, the one set in the past. A good book, it didn't have quite the epic scope as earlier books in this series and I sort of liked that (though the plotline relayed through Kirk's tale has much broader implications in the future if the authors chose to explore it). All in all though a very good read, one I would recommend (though there were other books in the series that were better); certainly I would read it if you liked others in this series.
Rating: 
Summary: Good story but intro into another
Review: A good story. Kirk and Picard vacation together on Bajor first planning to arrive by doing a plantary orbital skydive and then assist with an archaeological dig in progress. Problems already start on the dive down and get worse as the leader of the dig is killed before their arrival and of course Kirk and Picard get in the middle of everything risking their lives. But during the quiet periods Kirk tells Picard of his first major assignment and of the start of his and Spock's freindship (about 40% of the book). The main story gets resolved well but the story Kirk tells does not because I think it is the intro to his next book coming out. For those that have not followed the original Star Trek from the begining and throughout. Kirk is still around in the new Start Trek time frame because he disappeared in some kind of time thread and was thought dead for around 75 years and was brought back by Picard in the movie and latered seemingly died but was returned to life (a book by Shatner). Spock (an ambassador at large) is still alive since Vulcans have very long life spans; McCoy is a very old admiral having had 100 plus repacements and grafts; Scotty is still around having locked himself in a perpetual loop on his ship's transporter when his ship was trapped and he was much later released by Gordie on the Star Trek Next Generation.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic novel!
Review: Bill Shatner is one of the greatest Trek authors to date. His unique and singular ability to capture the essence of Star Trek is, no doubt, due to his legendary involvement with the franchise from the very beginning. This novel is no exception. The action is intense, the plot aggressive and engulfing, the characters alive and true. This was my first Trek novel by Shatner, but I will definitely read the others.
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner from Shatner
Review: CAPTAIN'S PERIL is an excellent read, recommended to Star Trek fans that, like me, still think that the book series was in comatose state, until Shatner started writing his outstanding trilogies with the Reeves-Stevens. To negative people who put their feelings here, do you really want the worst Star Trek books ever written? Try "Windows on a Lost World", "The Rings of Tautee" or any Voyager...
Rating:
Summary: Captain Kirk and the Temple of Bajor
Review: Captains James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard choose to go on a working vacation on Bajor. The vacation centers on an archeological dig taking place in the ancient sunken city of Bar'trila, which had been lost for millennia and only recently rediscovered. Thirty years ago, under Cardassian occupation, the Valor Ocean had been tapped to flood the valley. Plummeting from outer space in environmentally controlled jumpsuits equipped with force field, Kirk and Picard fall to Bajor like comets, literally burning through the planet's atmosphere. To Kirk, this is all great fun. The problem is, the suits were supplied by Quark, who is known to cut a corner or two. Kirk's suit develops a problem and while dealing with that problem, he remembers an early encounter he had at the beginning of his career as a starship captain new to Enterprise and knew to the Vulcan way of thinking posed by Spock. Surviving the fall to Bajor, despite the fact that Kirk tried to use the almost suicidal K'Thale Deployment, invented by a Klingon who became a one-armed Klingon as a result, both captains hike toward the dig site only to find that one of the archeological party has been murdered. Even as Picard and Kirk go into action to access the problem and begin damage control, the dig team lets both captains know that they and the Federation are unwelcome on the site. Shortly after that, Picard becomes a casualty. Kirk continues pressing the investigation, solving the problems in the present that tie into Bajoran religious history, and re-evaluating his past encounter while getting to know Spock. William Shatner, with co-authors Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, has written two other trilogies expanding the life and conquests of Captain James Tiberius Kirk of Enterprise, a role that Shatner breathed life into during the original Star Trek series and the movies that followed. The Reeves-Stevens collaborations as well as individual works outside the Trek universe have included stand-alone science fiction novels (SHIFTER, NIGHTFEEDERS, NIGHTEYES), horror novels (BLOODSHIFT), and military thrillers (ICEFIRE, QUICKSILVER), and numerous scripts for television series and animated series. CAPTAIN'S PERIL offers a slam-bang action beginning that is bound to score big with the crossover fans of science fiction and extreme sports. The intro of the planetdive comes directly after an intriguing Cardassian plot to bury the ancient city of Bar'trila, which had only recently been rediscovered. From there, the story springboards in the early days aboard Enterprise when the Spock/Kirk relationship was still quite volatile because of misunderstandings on both sides. The action, narrative flow, and comradely conversation between Kirk and Picard are well done, making the pages turn quick and clean as the reader is drawn into the mystery of the murdered archeologist at Bar'trila and the ancient Bajoran legend of the Five Brothers. Unfortunately, the mystery and the legend elements that are set up so well in the course of the story are solved so simplistically that readers may feel a tad disappointed. The build-up was great, and the solutions were neat, but the journey getting there was lacking and over much too soon. The Spock/Kirk early days had a nice feel to them, but none of those scenes showed anything that longtime readers haven't seen before. Overall, CAPTAIN'S PERIL is a good quick read, recommended to hardcore Trek fans and readers who like to visit those universes on regular excursions.
Rating:
Summary: After Her Death
Review: For all of those that have negative reviews about this book, please take into consideration that this is the first book he has written in the, so far, 7-book series after his wife commited suicide. I'm sure there were enough distractions while trying to commit this book for publication. Please understand that in spite of what he has gone through the past couple of years, this book is equal to stand up alone in the series. After all, not every story or adventure in the Star Trek universe is full throttle. Just like life, there are high points, low points, excitement, and commonality. We'd all be burned out and tired of life if the pace was constant. There are always possibilities.
Rating:
Summary: Shatner does it again!
Review: For all those people that wrote a poor review on this book...shame on you. You must've been reading this under the influence. His writing style keeps you interested. He even turned what should have been a boring walk through the desert into a page turner. Great job! Keep them coming!
Rating: 
Summary: Sick Of Shatner & Kirk.....
Review: Having been a Star Trek fan/reader since the beginning, I've finally had enough of Kirk (and Shatner's writing thereof). It's been a long time since I read an original Trek story I liked, and Shatner's writing is lacking the warmth and depth of character that I used to enjoy in Trek novels. I know that all the Trek TV series are on-going stories of the characters but why do so many of these novels have to be series (trilogies, etc.)? Other than just for pulling in more money. I've wasted plenty of time (and book money) on 1st volumes.... It's time to move on.... Where have all the stand-alone science fiction novels gone?
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: Having read this novel in the span of 4hrs, I have to say it was on the most enjoyable Star Trek books that I have read in a very long time. The jumping back and forth between Kirk's and Picard's adventure and then Kirk on the ENTERPRISE in the first 5 months of him taking command, had me wanting more with him and Spock, it was fun to read about Kirk and how he thought of Spock before the two of them became the legendary friends that they will become.
Rating:
Summary: A murder-mystery/trip to the past with Kirk...
Review: I happen to have enjoyed 'Captain's Peril' quite a bit. While it failed to be as gripping or as all-out entertaining as Shatner/Reeves-Stevens' last outing in 'Preserver', I still found it to be different, and entertaining overall. Within 'Captain's Peril' are two separate stories that aren't as connected as the authors would like us believe. Still, I enjoyed both tales. The story begins as Kirk has strong-armed Picard into taking a joint archaeolgical-vacation on the planet Bajor. It starts off with a perilous Orbital Skydive where one of the 'Suits' rented by Quark on DS9 seems to be a shade past its warranty and fails on Kirk. His quick thinking, combined with Picards resourcefulness saves him, but in the process it uncovers the memory of Kirk on the original Enterprise just shortly after he took over as captain. Spock has requested a transfer, forcing Kirk to think that his 1st officer thinks of him as incompetant. Soon an emergency call from Starfleet forces them to the Mandylion Rift for a very interesting 'Challenge'. Before anything ever happens of course, the action returns us back to the present where Kirk & Picard find themselves trapped in the Bajoran desert, wondering if they will survive long enough to find the ancient dig they were originally expecting to visit. To make a long story short, they make it (was there ANY doubt?) and stumble quickly upon a murder. The stage is now set for both captains to solve this incident, meeting opposition at every turn, and interrupted by Kirk's memory of his original 5-year mission and some interesting conversations with Spock, who is busy trying to figure out Kirk (and humans in general). Personally I found the background story from years past to be more entertaining than the murder/mystery in the Bajoran desert involving a possible Cardassian/Lost Bajoran Orb cover-up. I found myself wondering what exactly was going to happen next to Kirk and crew in the Mandylion Rift and the 'Challenge' facing them than who the murderer was. Although I also enjoyed a very interesting debate between Kirk & Picard over the merits of the Prime Directive. Overall I liked the story, but felt that jumping in between the two stories ultimately distracted me from the entire tale as a whole--BUT I enjoyed it enough to look forward to 'Captain's Blood' which is mentioned at the end of the story along with a teaser of just what may be in store for us in the next chapter of the saga of James T. Kirk in the world of Next Generation Star Trek. Not bad--but not great, either.
| 
