To Reign in Hell : The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh (Eugenics Wars)

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Story--Compelling and Tragic
Review: A few years ago author Greg Cox brilliantly depicted Khan's backstory in the two volumes of his bestselling "The Eugenics Wars" novels. Now Cox has done it again as he wraps up his ambitious triptych with the exceptional new novel "To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh".

Greg Cox grabs your attention on the opening page and sets the stage for the enthralling and tragic tale of Khan's years on Ceti Alpha V. Cox has once again chosen to use a framing story around flashbacks, the same storytelling technique he used so effectively in his previous Kahn novels. In "To Reign in Hell", however, Cox wisely keeps the framing story very simple and allows Kahn himself to tell the tale.

Set immediately after the conclusion of "Star Trek: The Voyage Home", Kirk, burdened by guilt and seeking answers travels back to Ceti Alpha V accompanied by Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Sulu. Hidden on the planet they discover a journal kept by Kahn that chronicles the fifteen years that Kahn, Marla McIvers and Kahn's genetically engineered followers spent on the doomed planet. The exiles struggle for survival is poignantly and graphically depicted as the fledgling colony endures a constant stream of tragic disappointment, and bitterness and sorrow ultimately chip away at Khan's sanity.

With "To Reign in Hell" Greg Cox has skillfully taken the small amount of material established in "Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn" and spun a spellbinding and heartbreaking tale that manages to clarify all sorts of continuity inconsistencies and a myriad of small details such as why Kahn's hand is covered with a glove. In the face of everything Khan maintains his arrogance. Cox absolutely nails the character, which comes as no surprise, after all he knows him intimately by now. It would have been quite easy for Khan's personality to overshadow the story but it never does. Kahn's ruthlessness and sense of superiority is nicely balanced by the other characters, especially that of his wife Lieutenant Marla McIvers.

The tone and pacing of the plot is perfect and I particularly enjoyed the classical references scattered effectively throughout the story. We all know how Khan's story ends, but despite that the compelling narrative draws you in and keeps the reader mesmerized allowing the ironic twist at the end to come as a complete surprise. The end also ties in very nicely with "The Eugenics Wars" novels although it is not necessary to have read those volumes to completely enjoy and appreciate the story Cox tells in "To Reign in Hell".

"To Reign in Hell" is a phenomenal story in and of itself and an extraordinary conclusion to the saga of Kahn Noonien Singh that Cox began with "The Eugenics Wars".


Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: Agree with all the reviews written so far.

Now how about getting Ricardo Montalban to read the audio version of this book?

To hear Khan again.......................

Classic



Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Star Trek book!
Review: I was hooked on this novel when I read the first chapter in the review section. It shows us what happened to Khan and his followers after landing on the planet he was exiled. I was going to wait for the paperback; however after seeing the cover on this one it was too hard to pass up. I wish there were more Star Trek books like this one. The novel should have been released with the movie; Wrath of Khan in 1982. If only there were more exceptional gems like this one. It shows the endurance of this legendary film. Only in Star Trek can a film well over twenty years old generate enough interest to make a superior three part series.

I have to say at first I was dissapointed in the pacing of Greg's first triology in the Q series; he completed a few years back. The Khan set of books, and this one is supposedly the last, is paced very well and keeps you reading until the end.
Khan is a tragic character in the Shakespere tradition. Under the right set of circumstances he might have been a great leader. His arrogance and pride got in the way and makes him a classic tragic figure.