Rating: 
Summary: L.A. Graf as strong on character as science this time around
Review: "War Dragons" by L.A. Graf, fast becoming my favorite Star Trek writer(s), focuses on Captains Kirk and Sulu as they tell the story of two pivotal encounters with a new race of beings. The Nykkus and Anjiri are somewhat reminiscent of the sentient dinosaurs of Harry Harrison's Eden trilogy, but then of course there is the fact that the communication of lizards is primarily non-verbal in nature, so both tales are grounded in science, which is always one of the strengths of a L.A. Graf Star Trek novel. The problematic elements of the saurian language also gives Uhura a nice opportunity to show a Communications Officer is more than a glorified futuristic telephone operator and the entire idea of gender/intelligence being based on how warm eggs are incubated is quite fascinating to a scientific neophyte such as myself. This Star Trek novel is more thoughtful and more intelligent than most. The strength of "War Dragons" is in the parallel characterization of both Kirk and Sulu at the beginning of their careers as captains. There have been a few attempts in Star Trek novels to go back to the time when Kirk was still trying to figure out what to do with a Vulcan First Officer, and this is one of the better efforts along those lines. Then there is also the fact that he has Hikaru Sulu as his new helmsman. Similarly, albeit twenty years down the road, Sulu has to establish himself on the Excelsior while needing the help of his mentor to stave off a war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The writers do a nice job of having the two different narrative threads, told by different characters about events twenty years apart, come together in the "present" to complete the story. I am especially appreciate of their giving Sulu equal billing in this story, which they certainly did not have to do, but which results in "War Dragons" being very much about being a captain, with all the attendant concerns about leadership. Consequently, if you admire Kirk and/or Sulu in particular, you will want to read this novel. "The Captain's Table" is not a traditional series, such as the "Invasion" set, where all the volumes are connected by the same narrative thread. Here the connection is the simple conceit that there is a magic bar, available only to the captains of starships, where the strictures of time and place do not apply, and where these kindred souls gather together to swap yarns. In practical terms the most important consequence of this is that each narrative has to be told in the first person, which requires the writers to capture the essence of each captain in the narration as well as the dialogue. But while the novel ends with Jean-Luc Picard about to launch into his own story, there is neither a compelling or immediate need to find out what happens next. Final note: the book also has Michael Jan Friedman's biographical sketches of James T. Kirk and Hiraku Sulu.
Rating:
Summary: L.A. Graf as strong on character as science this time around
Review: "War Dragons" by L.A. Graf, fast becoming my favorite Star Trek writer(s), focuses on Captains Kirk and Sulu as they tell the story of two pivotal encounters with a new race of beings. The Nykkus and Anjiri are somewhat reminiscent of the sentient dinosaurs of Harry Harrison's Eden trilogy, but then of course there is the fact that the communication of lizards is primarily non-verbal in nature, so both tales are grounded in science, which is always one of the strengths of a L.A. Graf Star Trek novel. The problematic elements of the saurian language also gives Uhura a nice opportunity to show a Communications Officer is more than a glorified futuristic telephone operator and the entire idea of gender/intelligence being based on how warm eggs are incubated is quite fascinating to a scientific neophyte such as myself. This Star Trek novel is more thoughtful and more intelligent than most. The strength of "War Dragons" is in the parallel characterization of both Kirk and Sulu at the beginning of their careers as captains. There have been a few attempts in Star Trek novels to go back to the time when Kirk was still trying to figure out what to do with a Vulcan First Officer, and this is one of the better efforts along those lines. Then there is also the fact that he has Hikaru Sulu as his new helmsman. Similarly, albeit twenty years down the road, Sulu has to establish himself on the Excelsior while needing the help of his mentor to stave off a war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The writers do a nice job of having the two different narrative threads, told by different characters about events twenty years apart, come together in the "present" to complete the story. I am especially appreciate of their giving Sulu equal billing in this story, which they certainly did not have to do, but which results in "War Dragons" being very much about being a captain, with all the attendant concerns about leadership. Consequently, if you admire Kirk and/or Sulu in particular, you will want to read this novel. "The Captain's Table" is not a traditional series, such as the "Invasion" set, where all the volumes are connected by the same narrative thread. Here the connection is the simple conceit that there is a magic bar, available only to the captains of starships, where the strictures of time and place do not apply, and where these kindred souls gather together to swap yarns. In practical terms the most important consequence of this is that each narrative has to be told in the first person, which requires the writers to capture the essence of each captain in the narration as well as the dialogue. But while the novel ends with Jean-Luc Picard about to launch into his own story, there is neither a compelling or immediate need to find out what happens next. Final note: the book also has Michael Jan Friedman's biographical sketches of James T. Kirk and Hiraku Sulu.
Rating: 
Summary: Great storytelling, great story.
Review: At first, I was not sure how readable this book would be with two captains telling a story from two different perspectives. They take turns alternating between the "distant past"; the beginning of Kirk's five year mission and the "recent past"; Sulu taking command of his own ship. However, the method worked very well. The book was not only readable, but exciting and action packed. Its returns to the "present", the bar where the captains sit and tell their story, were not overused and made good transitions from one part of the story to another.The story never became disjointed. I always like when the books tie up loose ends that the series left open, and this book answered many questions about Kirk's first days of command. This is a must read for all Trek fans and especially the fans of the original series.
Rating:
Summary: A two prospective story that ravels into one
Review: Great! This book was great! I usally don't like TOS stories, but I did like this one. I liked the fact that it had both Sulu and Kirk's prospectives of their tale that weaves into one story. I thought it was very well executed. And added plus, you get to know Sulu's crew. (Sulu's doctor almost seemed Spock like.) I recommend this story if you want a story with big beasts, space fights, and Tuvok. (He sqirmed his way into this tale ^_^)
Rating: 
Summary: A slow moving journey.
Review: I am an avid reader of Star Trek novels. I found this one to be slow moving and hard to follow. The novel shifted scenes frequently and being told from 2 points of view seemed confusing to me. Not a bad book but also not one that I would recommend to a first time Star Trek reader.
Rating:
Summary: A good read.
Review: I enjoyed the rare character interplay in this book. It was closer to the feel of the movies than the original series.
Rating:
Summary: A Neat Concept -- An Okay Story
Review: I enjoyed this book mainly because it contained a detailed, first-person account from James T. Kirk himself. It was also nice to hear from Hikaru Sulu as well, but I've never really been that fascinated with him. My favorite part of the book was reading Kirk's account of working with Spock in the beginning, before they became such close friends. I also liked the large part that Uhura played, and the praise she received from both captains. I didn't care much for the Anjiri and Nykkus, though. They really weren't much of an adversary. Looking forward to the next book in the series, though!
Rating:
Summary: Great read!!
Review: I enjoyed this book, particularly how it was written in first person. I hope Trek will continue this style in future books.
Rating:
Summary: The Beginning of a Hopefully Better Series
Review: I found myself wanting to read a series of books for a change, instead of single titles ... so as I was walking through my bookstore, I happened upon The Captain's Table series. This looked like the ultimate in Star Trek reading. The series has six books total, all evolving around a different captain. This seems like a treat for those people who like to read about Star Trek. Book One, "War Dragons", was a decent title in itself, however, it lacked something that it needed to become an excellent book. I enjoyed the way this book started by skipping back and forth through time between the original Starship Enterprise and the U.S.S. Excelsior. I also enjoyed the way it managed to give personal insight from the minds of both James T. Kirk and Hikaru Sulu. Little things that happened throughout the story were also added bonuses, such as a cameo appearance by Tuvok from Star Trek: Voyager. I also enjoyed the detail that the author used in describing the Nykkus and the Anjiri. However, there are only two complaints I have about this book. Not complaints, really, just critic opinions. I believe that the author took too long to explain certain things, which at times, made the story line drag out a bit. I noticed this especially during the start of the book. I honestly do not recall ever having as much of a problem beginning a new book as I did this one. The other thing I saw about this book that somewhat bothered me was the lack of participation that Mister Spock and Doctor McCoy had in this story. I know this book was supposed to evolve around Kirk and Sulu, but from a title taking place around the basis of the original Star Trek, I would have thought the rest of the crew would play a vital role. Perhaps this is not a big deal, and I am simply being a bit picky. Either way, that is my opinion. Overall, this was a generic title, and a very decent book. It deserves a basic 3 stars. L.A. Graf is an excellent author. I look forward to reading book two, "Dujonian's Hoard", which I already have sitting on my book shelf...
Rating:
Summary: Worthy of a Captain
Review: I just finished the first two books in the Captain's Table series and found them to be a great addition to the Star Trek series. "War Dragons" gives you two for one action from both Capitain Kirk's point of view as well as Capitain Sulu. The action was great, along with introduce a few new wrinkles to our scientific knowledge that was clearly missing from the New Frontier series books (5 & 6). Welcome aboard to this new series! -- David Hess
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