The Book Nook: "Star Trek: Shadows on the Sun" (Michael Jan Friedman)

A large portion of my personal library consists of Star Trek books and novels, so I felt it was appropriate to review one of them.

The Enterprise has been assigned the mission of delivering two diplomats to the world of Ssan in order to defuse a civil war. It's a planet that Dr. McCoy had hoped to never return to after a traumatic incident during his early career.

Adding to his discomfort is the fact that the two diplomats... one is his ex-wife, and the other is the man she left McCoy for...

This is one of the best Star Trek novels I've read. It really helped to flesh out the character of McCoy- especially the details behind his failed marriage that drove him into Starfleet. He really is the protagonist of this story, and it's wonderful to see him get some attention from writers. His ex-wife, and her new husband are also interesting and engaging, while lending some nice touches to the dramatic portions to the story. The head assassin is also a well thought out and crafted character that isn't just a cookie cutter villain- but is a complex character with understandable motivations- even if you don't necessarily agree with them.

"Star Trek: Shadows on the Sun" moves quickly and smoothly from drama to humour to action, with ease. I lost track of time while reading this novel, as I was able to just sink into the story.

While it's not "canon", "Star Trek: Shadows of the Sun" is still an enjoyable, fulfilling and emotional read. If you're a Star Trek fan, I'd recommend reading it. I'm giving it a "Good".

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