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Summary: Feline Intelligence and Good Writing Unite
Review: One of my top-5 favorite original series novels! I've already worn out 2 copies!Janet Kagan paints a very complete picture of two different alien worlds - one at risk and the other, if it can be found, with the potential for an answer. This book gives you a chance to see interesting aspects of Uhura's, Chekov's and Spock's characters. Like all the best Star Trek stories, it lets us examine our personalities and prejudices through the alien species. This isn't just a serious story. There are some wonderful scenes - singing "The Volga Boatman", fun with spicy food, fighting saber tooth tigers, calling Scotty on the communicator just to hear his accent, Spock's eyebrow and more. Janet Kagan is a wonderful writer and her other books (non Star Trek) are also worth reading.
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Summary: Takes Trek somewhere wonderful, with great guest characters
Review: Set against an epidemic reminiscent of Earth's own AIDS crisis, Janet Kagan's imaginative story about a house divided against itself takes the original crew on an adventure not quite like any other. Lt. Uhura plays a major part in both the setup and the action; Mr. Scott is moved to take command matters into his own hands on behalf of friends new (from the planet Sivao) and old (the missing command bridge crew members). A doctor who isn't named McCoy "bedevils" Spock well beyond the point of "fascination." Captain Kirk falls for the female chief of an alien culture -- although not in his usual fashion -- and Mr. Chekov provides an unexpected but crucial bit of information toward the eventual success of the mission. The book feels like a lost episode, or a movie begging to be made; the interchange of cultures, customs and beings can hardly fail to please a fan of the original series.
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Summary: A great Star Trek book.
Review: Society is cruel. There are people who just look at you and move away. This story tells of a society like that. The people here are cats, and they have the greatest memories, they remebered and hated their relatives that they cast out 2000 years ago. Their relatives are now dying and it will take all the effort the Enterprise has to save them. Uhura is the heroine in this novel. She helps the Enterprise find the origin planet of the outcasts, and helps to get the cure from the origin species. I really enjoyed this book, Uhura is such a wonderful and strong character.
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Summary: One of my favourites
Review: The Enterprise crew are searching for the cure to a devastating disease. First they have to find the planet that may have the cure through ancient songs and legends. Then they make First Contact with the inhabitants and must get to know them and earn their trust. Finally they undertake a ritual Walk through deep forest to get the information they need. The writing in general is great and the descriptions are excellent. The core of the book is the character interaction and dialogue. That is fantastic, with great wit and humour and insight, by the characters and the author. This book reaches the level of what I consider to be the funniest scene in all of Trek, TV, movies and books, and it achieves it by wit - that and a wonderful mental image. The closest modern equivalent in style would probably be DeCandido's Diplomatic Implausibility. If you enjoyed that you may want to consider this as well.
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Summary: Masterfully woven
Review: This book definitely bears reading and re-reading (I think I'm about due for another go-around). The thing that really impresses me is the way she weaves in all these little details that seem like they're just background (you hardly notice them the first time), but they're actually vitally important and the key to solving the whole problem. I love the language in this book. I still say "tell me how it happened."
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Summary: This book is incredible!
Review: This book made it onto my all time favorite list, years ago. I have read it and reread it! The characters are richly developed, both the new and the old. We see new sides to all our old friends that are totally in-character. I almost think Janet Kagan must be an animal behaviourist, so clearly did she capture the more subtle mannerisms of the cat people. I noticed new things aboutmy own cats after reading this book. You know a science fiction book is well written if it shows you something about the real world. I even named my new calico kitten "Brightspot", in honor of the character she so resembles in looks and personality. This book was wonderful!
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Summary: One of my all-time favorites!
Review: This book ranks in the top 10 with all the books I've ever read, not just Star Trek. (And I've read a LOT.) I can literally re-read it more than once a year, and still not get bored. I love the Eeiauoans (probably spelled that wrong, even after reading this book at least 10 time to date) as a people, and never tire of hearing about their customs and lifestyle. "Tail-Kinker to Ennien" has got to be one of the neatest 'not-main' Star Trek characters I've ever read about. =) This book always leaves me wishing I could visit Sivao or Eeiaou...
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Summary: Soooooooooooooo good! Read it, you'll love it!
Review: This book was so good, I felt like hugging it at the end. Also, this book is most likely the main idea for so many of the star trek books that deal with the main characters having to undergo an "age of ascention" ritual (for lack of a better word, sorry, Klingon fans)to achieve a particular status that will solve their problems. It has a refreshing alien spieces, much more interesting than the "human" aliens('sept for the Romulans, of course), but, I must admit that I'm slightly partial, since I love cats. Humorous at some times, this is a book that goes beyond star trek. It's sad, touching, funny, about characters that are couragous, believable, and sometimes stubborn. A unique view of beings that denied their past,or tried to hide it, and how they finally, after millenia, reunite and come to terms with themselves.This book delivers all that without being profound or preachy. I don't have a single "favorite" trek book, because there are so many good ones, so I have a list:Janet Kagan,for "Uhura's Song" (drama/adventure);John M. Ford,for "How Much For Just the Planet?" (hilairious comedy); Diane Duane, for all her books; J.M. Dillard, for "Demons" and "Bloodthirst" (thriller/suspense); A.C. Crispen,for "Yesterday's Son" and "A Time For Yesterday"; and Gene Deweese, for all his books. These authors are all good writers, so check them out. And one last comment: "Uhura's Song" was Ms. Kagan's first book, and it is monumentally better than some other trek authors' books. Some author who have been writing for more than ten years, and are still writing, like Peter David (urrgh!). Why didn't Pocket Books ask Ms. Kagan to write more trek novels?
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Summary: Classic Trek Fanfiction -- excellent!
Review: This book was written in the days when Star Trek novels were written by fans for the love of the show, not the money, and it shows. A plague is sweeping the Federation, and the only hope for a cure lies on a perhaps-mythical planet; the only clue to find the planet lies in the legends of its daughter colony. The strongest themes of the story include communication (and miscommunication) between cultures, and adulthood rites (and when to claim your own adulthood despite those who say you oughtn't). Serious pursuers of the fanfic genre, beware: the original character of Doctor Evan Wilson skates perilously close to being a "Mary Sue" (a self-insertion of an idealized form of the author) but is charming and hardworking in the grand tradition of Star Trek's occasional guest stars. Other characters featured prominently are Uhura and Chekov as well as the omnipresent Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.
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Summary: A truly incredible Trek!
Review: This has to be my favorite Star Trek book. At 373 pages and really tiny print, it may seem super-long, but every tiny part of it is worth it. Even non-Trekkies could enjoy it, though they'd miss some inside humor. The way the Eeiauoans' and Sivaoans' cultures are developed is absolutely marvelous. I feel I could go to one of their worlds and be able to live and commmunicate just fine. Character development is awesome. Uhura is definitely the main character, though she doesn't dominate everything. Kirk and Spock do their jobs, and so do McCoy, Scotty, and everyone else. You get a real sense of the crew working as a team. Also, I just fell in love with Brightspot and Jinx. They were so fantastically done that I felt like they were real! And Dr. Evan Wilson - well, let's just say that she is one of the most funny, tough, smart, and coolest people ever. I loved the plot twists, especially with regard to the "children" and the ending was mysterious. I would buy a sequel in a millisecond! Definitely rated in my top ten books ever (not just Trek!).
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