Captain Pike visits the Captain's Table and tells the tale of whale tails in space. A race of space living whales that eat everything have taken over and Captain Pike must find a way to curb their expansion. This one was my favorite so far in this series. I still have the 1st two books in the series to go. ( )

The writing can be a little clunky, and even though Pike is an introspective guy, his voice didn't jump out as unique or Pike-ish. But it's close enough, and I absolutely adore space whales, plus there's some awesome sci-fi imagery they'd never have been able to put onscreen with a TV budget. Not only the whale ecology getting more and more complex, and the descriptions of exotic solar systems, but also some cool ideas like being able to see themselves on the viewscreen after a warp because they moved faster than their own light.

Like Pike, the alien characters are a big lackluster personality-wise. Yeoman Colt, the redhead from "The Cage," is a surprising standout though! I love her honesty, the fact that she's "cute" and "delicate" but actually smart, capable, kind of a badass, and valued for those things by the captain who doubted her at first. What's more, Colt came to Starfleet for new worlds and new civilizations, for adventure. She enjoys the two alien dudes flirting with her, but doesn't take it too seriously -- she admits to Pike they'll only be on the ship a few weeks and "that will be just about right." It's refreshing to see a woman with all those sides to her. (Number One had absolutely nothing to do though, and that's a crying shame. She could've been any random crewman.)

It's not high literature and it's not an emotional investment, but it was super fun to read, especially if you're curious about Pike and his crew, or if you like space whales. :D ( )