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Rating: 
Summary: Ms. Graf must really like Checkov.
Review: Checkov has been a heroic character in many of Ms. Graf's writings. I find that refreshing, because he is young and the next generation. This novel is good, in the fact that Uhura must keep the group together, because Checkov gets sick, while they search for a missing science team. It is not that great in the fact that the Kirk/McCoy sections were usually tedious to read. Kirk and McCoy were underwater and yet they couldn't be pushed aside for Checkov and co. more interesting plot.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting ice adventure focusing on Chekov and Uhura
Review: I enjoyed Ice Trap, and recommend it for fans of the Original Series. Uhura and Chekov share the main storyline, and their adventure on an ice planet is suspenseful and exciting. There is a weaker subplot involving McCoy and Kirk, but still engaging. Especially worthwhile if you want a change of pace from the novels that always feature Kirk and Spock at the forefront.
Rating: 
Summary: Captain! Our suspension of disbelief is overloading!
Review: The authors who publish under the pseudonym L.A. Graf have turned out some of the best Original Series professional fiction available. "Ice Trap", unfortunately, is one of their worst collaborations. The characterizations are poor, the setting is highly derivative, and the writing is uneven and choppy.One of the reasons we read Original Series profic is that we love the characters. What a shame it is, then, that the most important characters in this book are portrayed so badly. I was embarrassed by Uhura's overt sexuality while on duty and annoyed by Chekov's neurotic whining, but Spock: poor Spock comes across as a pathetic bookworm who loves the sound of his own voice and who wouldn't lift a hand to save his own captain. The poor characterizations make it difficult for the reader to suspend disbelief long enough to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, the setting compounds the difficulty. The writers seem to have written this book as a tribute to Canada; the original characters are mostly Canadian, and the alien world, Nordstral, is astonishingly similar to northern Canada -- or to what a Californian might think Northern Canada was like if they'd never actually been there. It's as if they got everything from an outdated copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica. It's distracting and at times unintentionally hilarious: in one scene, a character swears there are no sailboats in Calgary, which might not have been as funny had I not been on a sailboat in Calgary at the time I read it. To top it all off, the writing is weak and very uneven. It's as if one writer contributed the A story, the other the B story, and both collaborated on the bridges. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. This is perhaps the weakest of the L.A. Graf collaborations. I don't recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Captain! Our suspension of disbelief is overloading!
Review: The authors who publish under the pseudonym L.A. Graf have turned out some of the best Original Series professional fiction available. "Ice Trap", unfortunately, is one of their worst collaborations. The characterizations are poor, the setting is highly derivative, and the writing is uneven and choppy. One of the reasons we read Original Series profic is that we love the characters. What a shame it is, then, that the most important characters in this book are portrayed so badly. I was embarrassed by Uhura's overt sexuality while on duty and annoyed by Chekov's neurotic whining, but Spock: poor Spock comes across as a pathetic bookworm who loves the sound of his own voice and who wouldn't lift a hand to save his own captain. The poor characterizations make it difficult for the reader to suspend disbelief long enough to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, the setting compounds the difficulty. The writers seem to have written this book as a tribute to Canada; the original characters are mostly Canadian, and the alien world, Nordstral, is astonishingly similar to northern Canada -- or to what a Californian might think Northern Canada was like if they'd never actually been there. It's as if they got everything from an outdated copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica. It's distracting and at times unintentionally hilarious: in one scene, a character swears there are no sailboats in Calgary, which might not have been as funny had I not been on a sailboat in Calgary at the time I read it. To top it all off, the writing is weak and very uneven. It's as if one writer contributed the A story, the other the B story, and both collaborated on the bridges. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. This is perhaps the weakest of the L.A. Graf collaborations. I don't recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book.
Review: This is an excellent addition to the "Star Trek" series of novels; it has plenty of action, plenty of drama, some interesting looks into the characters of Uhura, McCoy, and Chekov, and a good, not TOO horribly unsubtle ecological message at the end. The plot holds together fairly well, and moves very well. Not necessarily recomended for non-fans, but definitely worthwhile for any fan of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book.
Review: This is an excellent addition to the "Star Trek" series of novels; it has plenty of action, plenty of drama, some interesting looks into the characters of Uhura, McCoy, and Chekov, and a good, not TOO horribly unsubtle ecological message at the end. The plot holds together fairly well, and moves very well. Not necessarily recomended for non-fans, but definitely worthwhile for any fan of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good
Review: This is one of the good-but-not-too-spectacular novels. It has two major plotlines, one with Uhura and Chekov, the other with Kirk and McCoy. Poor Sulu doesn't even show up, all he has is dialogue (why does he always get the short end of the stick?) And Scotty and Spock are there for about five seconds! I found it really focused on Uhura, Chekov, and McCoy. The better storyline was Uhura's because of the descriptions of the aliens' culture. The story was tied up rather quickly, though, and right at the end I found what seems to be a plot hole concerning the plankton (I don't want to give anything away, you'll just have to read it!) Also - I can never decide in what time this book is set - in the original 5-year mission or somewhere in the movies? The cover and the use of flip-up communicators seem to indicate the first possibility, but uniforms and some ranks make a later setting more likely. Read it and decide for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good
Review: This is one of the good-but-not-too-spectacular novels. It has two major plotlines, one with Uhura and Chekov, the other with Kirk and McCoy. Poor Sulu doesn't even show up, all he has is dialogue (why does he always get the short end of the stick?) And Scotty and Spock are there for about five seconds! I found it really focused on Uhura, Chekov, and McCoy. The better storyline was Uhura's because of the descriptions of the aliens' culture. The story was tied up rather quickly, though, and right at the end I found what seems to be a plot hole concerning the plankton (I don't want to give anything away, you'll just have to read it!) Also - I can never decide in what time this book is set - in the original 5-year mission or somewhere in the movies? The cover and the use of flip-up communicators seem to indicate the first possibility, but uniforms and some ranks make a later setting more likely. Read it and decide for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Better than the icecapades
Review: This one really focuses on the 'little people' of star trek. While Kirk and Spock are an intergral part of the plot - the focus lands on Uhura and Chekov in one bad spot and McCoy in another. Good development of character and tension
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