Wounded Sky

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Summary: A Diane Duane Classic!
Review: This book was two "firsts" for me: the first Star Trek novel I ever read, and my first introduction to Diane Duane's writing. Let me tell you, it set the standard very high. Ms. Duane has a feel for the original Trek characters I have rarely seen matched (especially Dr. McCoy!). She gets inside them like they were her own characters but still maintains the integrity of what we have seen onscreen. Her new characters are vivid and well-drawn, the mindsets of the aliens truly unique. (Including one young cat-being that has no understanding of time besides "now.") Ms. Duane's main "guest star," the alien scientist K'tl'k, is as memorable a character as she's ever written.
But even better is her completely original plot. The *Enterprise* and her crew have been selected to test the first-ever star drive that has the capacity to travel to new galaxies, through an inversion process that takes them (briefly) into a completely different dimension. But what at first seems like a simple process instead begins to break down all the barriers between the mental and the physical, between this world and the next.
The story becomes almost metaphysical from this point on, where the characters have nothing to rely on but what is at the core of their being. Yet there is still a srong current of scientific plausability, if not probability, that keeps the story solid and more-than-readable. The physics and ethics theories presented are fascinating even for the "science-challenged" and the plot is a true page-turner.
I highly recommend this book; even if you are not a Star Trek fan, there is plenty here to fully satisfy any fan of Ms. Duane. One of her very best!

Rating:
Summary: New to Star Trek? Start with this book!
Review: This is the first of a series of Star Trek books that Ms. Duane has written, and it introduces a completely new dimension to the characters we've come to know through the Original Series. What do I mean by that? Simply put, Ms. Duane's exquisite prose allows the heros to jump right off the page and become quite real. We get to see how Kirk really feels about his staff, or how crotchety yet caring McCoy is with the crew; we see how talented Uhura, Sulu and Chekov can be -- but were never given the chance during each episode. Above all, we are given incredible insight into how the crew of the Enterprise pulls together during a mind-boggling crisis. Want to read the best TV Episode that never was? This is the one. Trust me, you'll be hooked!