F/SF

All I can ever say about Diane Duane's Star Trek novels is "more, please."

This is actually a reread from decades ago. Back in the day, this was my favorite of the two because I loved the Romulan history chapters so much. This time I slogged painfully through those same chapters. I’m not sure what changed. (Me, obviously.) Three stars because I still liked it even though I slogged in places. ( )

This one keeps growing on me over time. ( )

I found this book very interesting and I enjoyed it. However it is not for everyone. And not every "Star Trek" fan either. Taking place back during the time of the original Enterprise (in the original universe) with Doctor McCoy, it is a deep dive into the history and culture of the Romulans.

It starts off in the "present" and draws the reader in and keeps them guessing for a while wondering what is going on. Then it alternates between the present and "history" chapters. While necessary, the history sections do feel like a history lesson than a experience. But as I said, without them the reader would be wondering about the choices the characters make. There are some surprise characters, and how McCoy gets away is very unique. It also gives more details with regard to the first contact the Federation has with the Romulans. And this seems to be different than most other accounts.

One comes away with a different feel of the Romulans after reading this book (like any culture they have their good and bad points). But as I said, it is not for everyone. ( )