Mission to Horatius (Star Trek)

Rating:
Summary: Like a double-length episode of the original series
Review: As "Mission to Horatius" was the very first Star Trek "tie-in" novel, this sturdy little hardback reprint is worth checking out for historical interest alone. But if you cut it a bit of slack and forgive some of the overly broad plotting and comedy, it actually does a fair job of providing a few hours of genuine entertainment. It certainly delivers the flavor of the original show, before countless Trek novels had added layers of subtle characterization and other levels of sophistication to the original mythos. Not that those latter improvements are bad, but it was nice to read a story that, aside from the longer length, felt just like an original Trek episode. Fun, and worth seeking out.

Rating:
Summary: Like a double-length episode of the original series
Review: As "Mission to Horatius" was the very first Star Trek "tie-in" novel, this sturdy little hardback reprint is worth checking out for historical interest alone. But if you cut it a bit of slack and forgive some of the overly broad plotting and comedy, it actually does a fair job of providing a few hours of genuine entertainment. It certainly delivers the flavor of the original show, before countless Trek novels had added layers of subtle characterization and other levels of sophistication to the original mythos. Not that those latter improvements are bad, but it was nice to read a story that, aside from the longer length, felt just like an original Trek episode. Fun, and worth seeking out.

Rating:
Summary: Reynolds trusts his young audience, and it pays off
Review: First, let's get one thing straight. Mission To Horatius _is_ a children's book. As such, it must be reviewed and discussed in that context - to criticize it for not appealing to adults is simply unfair.

I don't know any children who have read the book recently - I do remember that my own reactions, back in 1970 at the age of 7, were quite positive. The book has a well developed plot, and Reynolds was smart enough to realize that he could throw in some good subplots without losing his young readers. The main situation is plausible enough within the world of the original Star Trek: the Federation has received a distress call from a solar system in an unexplored part of the galaxy, and the Enterprise goes there to find out what is going on. Along the way, the captain and crew encounter three different cultures, various perils and dangers, etc.

Some sacrifices must be made when writing a children's tale, and characterization suffers somewhat here. Readers will search in vain here for any explorations of Spock's Vulcan heritage, Kirk's legendary love life, as well as more fundamental aspects of Trek culture (Klingons, Romulans, etc). I don't know what Reynolds' personal background is, but I suspect that he was in the armed forces at some point - the characters act considerably more "military" than in the TV series (e.g., Kirk's manner toward junior officers).

Adults may find parts of the book unintentionally hilarious - the idea of using LSD as a tranquilizer, for instance. On the other hand, there are parts which are clever even by adult standards - the perilous situation in which the chief shaman places the crew is particularly so.

Which brings up another point - Reynolds, even though writing for children, is not afraid to use words like "shaman", "Teutonic", "theocracy", etc. He trusts his readers to either know what these mean, or to get a dictionary or ask an adult, or to simply figure out their meaning from the context. He's right to do so, of course.

If you're an adult considering reading Mission To Horatius, you'll probably find it a pleasant enough trip down memory lane, if you were a fan of the original Trek series as I was; but in all honesty, you probably won't get terribly excited about the book unless you read it already as a child and want to revisit it. If you haven't figured it out yet, though, I'd highly recommend this book for kids.

Rating:
Summary: I never saw it before
Review: I consider myself to be a bit of a connoisseur of children's literature, and this little gem grabbed me by the throat. I had never read it before, since it was out of print for a long time, but as a great fan of fanfiction I wanted to check it out.

The book takes place on an ordinary day on the Enterprise, the crew afflicted with deep space-boredom, when they are sent out to investigate the Horatius star system, which houses three different worlds. One is a replica of Nazism, one has rejected all technology, and one is dominated by a dope-dealing cult.

All are dealt with tastefully, with some definite funny moments in the mix, such as our heroes facing down a tribal medicine man. A subplot weaves its way until the end, concerning Sulu's pet rat, who escapes. Eventually Bones cures the crew of their boredom using Mickey the Rat...

If you are looking for a pleasant Trek read, very reminiscent of the original series episodes, then pick this book up! You won't be disappointed--though keep in mind that it IS a kid's book.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting read for one of the original stories.
Review: I gave this book three stars mainly because it is a "classic" as far as it's vintage goes. I love the original series of Star Trek and so was intrigued when I saw this book offered. It is simply written, rather ponderous in the way it was written, and at times made me think I was reading a children's book. However, on the other hand I was glad I was given the opportunity to read it and add it to my almost complete collection of original Star Trek books. I have been extremely disappointed that it seems the books written for this period are quickly being replaced by all the others. I am disheartened by the lack of books now offered for the original series. I hope they will not be phased out but all inquiries about the possibility of new books coming out have gone unanswered as of the writing of this review. I remember when two books per month came out for the original series. Now we are lucky if we get two in a year. PLEASE! Do not drop the original series. . .!

Rating:
Summary: Know what you're buying!
Review: I have seen this book advertised as the "lost" Star Trek novel. I never lost it; I still have my copy from 1968. I was 10 at the time. In short, you should know that this was and is intended as a children's book!

It is an interesting curio, but not really Star Trek

Rating:
Summary: Back again after all these years...
Review: This is a reprint of the very first Star Trek book I ever bought, and it thrills me to see it back in print. I was about 11 when I bought the book and was mezmerized by the story. It is a wonderfully worthwhile book, worth reading at any age. Let it do for you what it did for me, which was take me into space for the first time and kept me going back for more. The only thing that would've made the book better is if there had been more of them.

Rating:
Summary: Yes, It's Kids Book, But.............
Review: When I saw that this book was again in print I had a feeling of both gladness and nostalgia. I still have my original copy purchased many years ago. I agree with one other reviewer who stated that the author must have been in the military as it surely does show in this book. And if you stop to think about it, the idea of cloning as far as a science fiction topic has been around a lot longer than some realize as this work clearly shows. This work also presents some very "adult" ideas. One of it's very obvious messages is the ugliness of political divisivness combined with a statement aganst racial oppresion. If this is "only" a kid's book then I am glad that I as a kid read (and enjoyed) it and would like my kids (and now my grandkids) to read it as well. Lessons about moral courage and being true to one's convictions are sorely needed and this work presents these ideals very well.

Rating:
Summary: This one takes you all the way back!
Review: You can't get any more classic Trek than this. I read it for the first time over 32 years ago at the age of ten. Back then I thought it was thrilling but as I reread it last night (I read a lot faster than I used to) I found it to be refreshingly simple. Not a lot of tecnobabble (sp) just a typical Star Trek story complete with morals even an ten year old can fail to grasp. Mission to Horatius is far from the best Trek book you will ever read, but if you loved the show as a child this book can take back in time. After all, when was the last time you read a book with pictures in it.