<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Really Well Done!
Review: From the reviews I've seen and the people I've talked to, you either love this book or you hate it, I am among the former; I loved it! My favorite original Trek episode was 'The Enterprise Incident' and I liked the character of the Romulan Commander. However, I always felt that she and Spock had to meet again, and while other novels like 'Blackfire' and 'Dwellers In the Crusible' broached the idea, none came up with such a unique idea to make it happen. I think the Romulan Commander got a bad shake. This story makes up for it!
Rating: 
Summary: Tale of Romulan time tampering turns out average
Review: In "Killing Time," the Romulans have hatched a time tampering scheme where an alternate universe is created in which the Federation was founded and primarily ran, not by Earth, but by Vulcan. This, of course, is all part of a Romulan plot to undermine the Federation's strength and thus, build the Romulan Empire. Although the premise of the story is promising, as the story progresses the plot seems to become uninspired and the storyline fails to have very compelling "twists and turns" which you'd like to see in Trek (as well as most other fiction for that matter). Furthermore, I did not think the development of the characters "Captain Spock" and "Ensign Kirk" were as satisfying as they could have been. "Killing Time" does provide an interesting "version" of the Romulan Commander from the Classic Trek episode - "The Enterprise Incident". I say a "version" because I believe different Trek novels have had varying treatments of her fate after that episode. For the most part I wouldn't recommend this novel unless you are a Romulan die-hard. While not terrible, I'd give it about a 4 on a scale of ten, which is why I gave it 2 stars. If you're looking for a good classic Trek novel on time travel (and the Klingons as well) I'd suggest Star Trek (#40 Timetrap).
Rating:
Summary: Tale of Romulan time tampering turns out average
Review: In "Killing Time," the Romulans have hatched a time tampering scheme where an alternate universe is created in which the Federation was founded and primarily ran, not by Earth, but by Vulcan. This, of course, is all part of a Romulan plot to undermine the Federation's strength and thus, build the Romulan Empire. Although the premise of the story is promising, as the story progresses the plot seems to become uninspired and the storyline fails to have very compelling "twists and turns" which you'd like to see in Trek (as well as most other fiction for that matter). Furthermore, I did not think the development of the characters "Captain Spock" and "Ensign Kirk" were as satisfying as they could have been. "Killing Time" does provide an interesting "version" of the Romulan Commander from the Classic Trek episode - "The Enterprise Incident". I say a "version" because I believe different Trek novels have had varying treatments of her fate after that episode. For the most part I wouldn't recommend this novel unless you are a Romulan die-hard. While not terrible, I'd give it about a 4 on a scale of ten, which is why I gave it 2 stars. If you're looking for a good classic Trek novel on time travel (and the Klingons as well) I'd suggest Star Trek (#40 Timetrap).
Rating: 
Summary: Not so great - for a Star Trek fan
Review: It seems to me that the Star Trek books are generally of a rather low level - actually, a disappointment for a fan of the magnificent TV series. In this perspective, Della Van Hise's book isn't actually the worst. If you're a Star Trek fan, it's absolutely worth reading. Just don't expect the kind of enjoyment you're getting from the TV series. The book deals with a kind of reality distortion. You may find it interesting to see some familiar Star Trek characters in somewhat unusual situations. I don't want to tell you any more right know, just read and see for yourself. If you're not a fan of Star Trek, my guess is that this book is nothing for you. A person not familiar with Star Trek background would probably find it just boring.
Rating:
Summary: This "censored" Trek novel is a good read!
Review: The reason this book is out of print (and so few fans have read it) is because it was yanked off the market for being "in bad taste" around the time that Roddenberry began cracking down on Trek novels that he personally didn't like. (In the mid-1980s. See chapter 17 of his biography, "Star Trek Creator," for more on that aspect of Trek history.) At any rate, the very idea of a censored Star Trek novel was so intriguing to me, I just had to track down a copy and read it! The plot opens with a number of Enterprise crewpersons having some very disturbing dreams. In the case of Kirk and Spock, they both have the same dream, in which Spock is captain of a starship that's not the Enterprise, and Kirk is a young ensign aboard that same ship. As it turns out, the dreams are really bleed-throughs from another universe that was created by Romulan time-tampering. The Romulans, in an attempt to go back and change history in a way that would eliminate the Federation, have created Second History -- and it's not stable. On a deep subconscious level, many people in Second History are still linked to First History (the original timeline) and, in cases where their roles are not the same in both worlds, the disparity is causing insanity. And its spreading. If the original timeline is not restored soon, the whole universe is in danger of going mad. What might be offensive to some people is that Ensign Kirk of Second History is a pretty messed-up character. He's a bitter young man who gets into fights with other crewmembers, has spent some time in prison (although, it is pointed out, the evidence used to convict him was was circumstantial and he maintains his innocence), and was drafted into the Fleet against his will. (The draft is one of the differences that Second History introduces.) He's also misusing a dream suppressant drug to try and stop the nightmares. This is certainly not the way we want to see Our Hero portrayed -- but then again, it fits the plot. I mean, if the Romulans really want to put the Federation out of commission, wouldn't it make sense to get the highly-competent James T. Kirk out of the picture? Besides, we've seen Kirk acting "weird" before under various alien influences, so why would this scenario be any worse? There's also an element of "there but for the grace of God go I" in this story, making us realize that, given the wrong circumstances, anybody's life can take a bad turn. And it can also be righted again. Eventually, the Second History versions of Kirk and Spock figure out what's happened. (A nice touch is that this is accomplished by a mindmeld that taps into the deep friendship between them in First History, which still links them on the subconscious level.) Ensign Kirk quits the drug cold turkey, gets his life together, and helps Spock try to figure out a way to save the universe. To tell you any more would be a spoiler, except to say that this book is well worth reading --- that is, if you can find a copy.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time on this turkey!
Review: Unless, like me, you are stubbornly determined to read every Star Trek novel ever published (in which case you have my condolences for sharing my unfortunate compulsion) there is no reason to waste your time with this book. It is a bad story, badly written. Granted, it is not the WORST Star Trek novel I've ever read; it is not, for instance, anywhere near as bad as "Spock, Messiah", nor even quite as bad as James Blish's "Spock Must Die", or Sandra Marshak's "Triangle" (Original Series #9). But it is a poorly conceived story, handling the concepts of time-travel and alternate time-lines as badly as I've ever seen them handled; the characterizations are mostly poor and one-dimensional, the dialogue is stilted and awkward, and (sorry if I'm being overly picky here) authors who don't know the difference between "illegible" and "inarticulate" (as in, "an illegible cry tightened his throat",) (pg 66) shouldn't be published, and editors who don't know enough to fix that mistake shouldn't be in the business either.
<< 1 >>
| 
