Rating: 
Summary: A little-known gem
Review: When I was younger I was a big fan of the ST:TOS and ST:TNG series of novels. But if you read these series for any length of time you soon come to realize that most of these books are poorly written crap."The Kobayashi Maru," however, is a hidden gem that stands the test of time. I own about 40 Star Trek novels and this is the only one I've read more than once. I recently read it for a third time after many years and it's still as good as I remember. What makes this book so special is that it relies on character rather than plot to keep you entertained. Whereas most Star Trek books assume everybody knows about the characters and concentrate on interesting plot twists, this book goes behind the larger than life heroic aspect of the original crew and examines them as real people with real hopes and dreams and fears. The book is broken into four flashbacks of how Kirk, Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov each managed in their own way to beat the Starfleet Academy's Kobayashi Maru combat simulation, the so called "impossible scenario," framed within the present day story of a shuttlecraft problem. What makes these stories so charming is that they each show something special about the four characters, who really come to life in new ways when we see them as cadets, but still ring true as the people we know them as in the "present" as Enterprise crewmembers. This book is true quality, and well worth buying even for casual fans of Trek.
Rating:
Summary: Life-altering decisions
Review: While waiting for the Enterprise to rescue their severely damaged shuttlecraft, Kirk, Chekov, Sulu, and Scotty describe their experiences taking the Kobayashi Maru test, as taken by Lt. Saavik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This is a very interesting book. We've known for years that Kirk "passed" the Kobayashi Maru by reprogramming the computer, but the other stories were even more surprising: Chekov surrenders and evacuates his crew before setting his ship to self-destruct, much as Kirk & co. would do with the Enterprise in Star Trek III. Sulu absolutely refuses to cross the Neutral Zone, knowing that the Klingons would take it as an act of war and destroy his ship. And Scotty's story drives home the point that you should never send a devout engineer to do a captain's job. The stories they tell are personal, touching, and very heartwarming.
Rating:
Summary: Life-altering decisions
Review: While waiting for the Enterprise to rescue their severely damaged shuttlecraft, Kirk, Chekov, Sulu, and Scotty describe their experiences taking the Kobayashi Maru test, as taken by Lt. Saavik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This is a very interesting book. We've known for years that Kirk "passed" the Kobayashi Maru by reprogramming the computer, but the other stories were even more surprising: Chekov surrenders and evacuates his crew before setting his ship to self-destruct, much as Kirk & co. would do with the Enterprise in Star Trek III. Sulu absolutely refuses to cross the Neutral Zone, knowing that the Klingons would take it as an act of war and destroy his ship. And Scotty's story drives home the point that you should never send a devout engineer to do a captain's job. The stories they tell are personal, touching, and very heartwarming.
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