One of the great things about Star Trek novels is that they can fill in narrative gaps left between the different series. The Lost Era series aims to do just that, with this story featuring Captain Hikaru Sulu of the Excelsior. (Future novels will also bridge the 75-year gap between the Original Series films and Star Trek: The Next Generation.) Along with Sulu, this novel has its share of familiar faces, including Pavel Chekov, Janice Rand, Christine Chapel, Tuvok and Sulu's Security Chief, Leonard James Akaar, the grown-up Capellan delivered in the TOS episode "Friday's Child."

Martin and Mangels not only know their Star Trek history, they have crafted a compelling story featuring the Tholians and a host of new and interesting characters who, by the end of the novel, feel as at home in the Star Trek universe as their counterparts from the various series.

One aspect of Star Trek that I've always enjoyed is how the best episodes show political realities and the intricacies of diplomacy that are universal amongst both humans and other sentient beings. This book also delivers on that level. There's action and humor, plus it makes the reader contemplate how thorny the interactions between radically different types of beings can be.

Applying this kind of thinking to today's geopolitical climate and this book — like much of Star Trek — demonstrates the power of science fiction to give new perspectives on real-world problems.

[Paul]