Harbinger

The first book in a series set in a time very early in Kirk's captaincy of the Enterprise. The action is mostly set in a star base near the Klingon and Tholian border, and this is before the Organian treaty. While I enjoyed many aspects, it didn't all hang together.

The description of a major space battle was excellent. There are a lot of characters, and some of them fairly well drawn. It has a broader gender and species mix than a 60s television show. In fact this book reads like a television pilot - there is also a LOT of intrigue, and the station gangster seems a bit much. There is also a mystery here - and not enough said about that. Later books, I guess.

DS9 was visited by the Enterprise, so it makes sense to kick this one off with a visit by the Enterprise. This was early in Kirk's captaincy, and the references to "Pike's ship" were a nice fit. That said, the old series cast were a little... off. Kirk doesn't get his way. Scotty is outside his element, and quite off balance. Spock wasn't. Each loses out, in their way, to the new station personnel - and that doesn't feel right to me.

I have been writing a Star Trek role playing adventure set in this time period, so this is research, and I will read the other books. This series has several authors, and one goal was to "add geopolitical and cultural context" to the events of the series. I am hoping that means more than just cameos (such as Scotty's "green" beverage).