Cast No Shadow

Star Trek: The Original Series

by James Swallow

Seven years have passed since a catastrophic explosion on the Klingon moon Praxis touched off a chain of events that would result in the assassination of the reformist High Chancellor Gorkon, and the eventual creation of the historic Khitomer Accords. Now, as part of the ongoing efforts to undo the disastrous fallout from the destruction of Praxis and with the help of aid supplies from the United Federation of Planets, reconstruction is in progress, and after years of slow going hindered by political pressures and old prejudices, headway is at last being made. But the peace process begun by the Khitomer Accords is still fragile just as the deadly plans of what is believed to be a hard-line Klingon isolationist group violently come to fruition.

Yet the group thought responsible for the deadly attack has been dormant for decades, and its known modus operandi doesn’t match up to the manner of the strike. And further investigation leads to an unexpected revelation connected to the Gorkon conspiracy of 2293, and in particular one disgraced and very familiar Starfleet lieutenant….

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Star Trek Original Series, Ebooks, Fiction, Novels

360 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2011

About the author

James Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty-five books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television.

DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.

Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.

For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow

Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.

You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

With each Star Trek novel that I read, it becomes abundantly clear that I hardly know much about the series.
Having first dived into the show when they were all added to Netflix a few years ago, I've only seen most of the series and films just the once.

This brilliantly written character piece follows the character Valeris and serves as a direct sequel to The Undiscovered Country.
Whilst another prominent figure in this story has only appeared in various books and comics so that confused me at first.

Swallow certainly exceeds in exploring a character from just the one movie.
But these novels are clearly aimed at Trekies and I'm unfortunately just going to have to bow out from reading them.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

More and more these days, Star Trek novels tease me, offering great promise in the opening chapters but slowly falling back into the limitations of tie-in fiction in the waning pages.

With the franchise effectively rebooted by the movie series, it would seem the books could pretty much take some greater risks these days, exploring some new corners of the universe and offering up some compelling stories about the characters both major and minor we've met over the course of four decades.

And for the first hundred pages of "Cast No Shadow," I really felt like James Swallow was going to do just that. The story is set seven years after the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.. When Klingon ship yards are attacked by a terrorist vessel that is linked to the conspiracy from the earlier film, the only connection to the group involved is the disgraced Valeris. Serving out consecutive life terms for her role in the events surrounding Gorkon's death, Valeris is given the opportunity to wipe the slate clean legally.

Up to this point, Swallow's story is a compelling one as he weaves in not only a lot of classic Trek history but incorporates some of the elements from the DS9 reboot. The exploration of the implications of what Spock did to Valeris and how it has affected them both in the years since it one of the most compelling and interesting aspects of the opening chapters. Even the psychiatrist sent to study and try and understand Valeris is interesting, at first.

It's once Valeris agrees to be part of the mission to stop the terrorist cell from attacking again that things suddenly become less compelling. "Cast No Shadow" then falls into the standards tropes of the bulk of the tie-in Trek universe and makes the last two-thirds of the novel not nearly as interesting as they could be. There are a few flashbacks to how Valeris got tied into the group that offer some insight into the character and her growth, but they aren't enough to rescue the novel from being something of a disappointment.

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Cast No Shadow" was excellent. I think I enjoyed it so much because it was directly tied into one of my favorite Star Trek movies- Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country.

It has been seven years since the explosion of the Praxis moon and the signing of the Khitomer Accords. Both Captain Kirk and Chancellor Gorkon are no longer living. The Accords have ushered in an uneasy peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. But, obviously, not all are happy with this situation. An unknown terrorist group uses a superweapon to annihilate a Klingon space station. The Klingon's lay blame at the feet of a hard-line Klingon family.

But, Lt. Miller of Starfleet Intelligence thinks otherwise. After consulting with Major Vaugh also of SI, they speak with Ambassador Spock who gives them a rather unique resolution to how to proceed. As the leads seem to tie into the Gorkon assassination and require a detailed knowledge not only of the Klingons but of that entire sordid affair- Spock's surprise "helper" turns out to be none other than disgraced Starfleet Lt (well FORMER now) Valeris. The female Vulcan from the movie. The one Spock forcibly mind-melded with.

What follows is an excellent "sequel" of sorts to the movie. Vaughn and Miller, accompanied by a press-ganged Valeris, work with a Klingon Intelligence officer named Major Kaj attempt to figure out who these terrorists are, while fighting against both Starfleet and Klingon prejudices. I would say more but that would be spoilers.

The story is excellent. One of the best Star Trek stories I've read. I especially liked the fact that it provides a closing out of the Undiscovered Country story. The Intelligence aspect of Starfleet was interesting to read about. The interactions with and between the Klingons was rather fun and in keeping with the relations between Starfleet and the Klingons at the time. If you enjoyed the movie or are just a Star Trek fan- don't miss this excellent story. While it helps to have watched the movie, it is not a requirement. These events are tied into that plot but are removed by several years and tied into the characters of Valeris and General Igdar of the Klingon Empire. Thus, even without having watched the movie the events are well explained and it will not hamper your appreciation of this excellent tale. However, for those who did enjoy the movie, the chapters that give a background into Valeris are instrumental in finding out about her story. Why she hated Klingons, why she had an issue with the Vulcans and, to me, the fascinating background of how she met Admiral Cartwright. It explains quite a bit and gives the movie a great deal of nuance.

James Swallow has written a great Star Trek book. One that fans and newbies will enjoy. It's a great story and has a lot of intrigue and action. But for those with a bent towards the movie-this is a gem! Highly recommended.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seven years after her complicity in the murder of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon, disgraced Starfleet Lieutenant Valeris is released from the Penal Stockade on Jaros II to provide assistance in an ongoing investigation by her former mentor Spock. A threat to the fragile peace has links to her cover code name in the Gorkon conspiracy and Spock offers Valeris removal to a remote Vulcan colony if she initiates contact with the underground terrorists.

Swallow's 'Cast No Shadow' does not try to apologise for Valeris' actions, but does provide a context for her behaviour. Interestingly, this information is peeled back layer by layer in a regressive series of flashbacks, going back to the root cause of her emotional responses. The novel points the way effectively to the future of the Federation and Klingon Alliance by showing a growing respect between the Starfleet and Klingon operatives and provides some closure to the story of Spock's fallen protege.

[Infosifter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this novel, it is very useful to rewatch Star Trek VI. Otherwise some of the details won't be as meaningful as they could be.

[Oz Trekkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply one of the best Novels I have read, Star Trek or otherwise. Fantastic story

[David Agranoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better Trek novels and I like that it was independent of any of the shows or traditional starship settings. This was a spy novel set in the trek universe and tied to the events of Trek IV, it features a starring role for Valries( played in the movie by Kim Cattrell) It does have a few characters have become key figures in the Titan and DS9 novels.

The novel does start off slow for me, by the end I thought it was probably best Trek novel I have read that has been written in the 21st century. (Still think Federation is the best trek novel) Swallow does an excellent job of timing the non-linear aspects of the back story into the unraveling of the plot. Well Done.

With Spock on the cover some might be upset the elder Vulcan doesn't play a bigger role. Whatever the book makes up for this with lots of great Captain Sulu action.

[JD Snowhawk Couch · Rating 5 out of 5]

James swollow wrote this book and he done a great job this is one of the best Star trek novels I have ever read and I read all of them including and ebook and this knocks them all out of the running in this Authors mind brilliant work JD Couch

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great examination of Valeris as a character, an early Elias Vaughn, and the book is very suspenseful. Well-written with no real boring parts.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Trek: The Original Story (TOS) Post Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country - Cast No Shadow by James Swallow

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense

Medium-paced

Plot or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes

4.5 Stars 

I've got to say, the Star Trek novels that I've recently been reading have be FIRE 🔥. I wouldn't say that...if it wasn't true.

This novel followed shortly after (about a month) Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country, which I wastn't able read...since it was released on January 1st, 1992. This was the first time...that the novelization was released AFTER the movie was released in theaters (Dec. 6th, 1991). For all the movies (that I can remember), like Star Trek V: The Final Frontier's novelization was published on June 1st, 1989, and the movie was released on June 9th, 1989, and I'd always read the novelizations BEFORE watching the movies. I read the novel in 8 days. I was prepared.

This novel is SO good.

It captures the central characters in the narrative of what happened in the movie/novelization of Star Trek VI...and fills in the blanks for the Vulcan antagonist, Valeris. 

The growth that happens within this book for ALL the characters is amazing.

To see Spock deal with his involvement with Valeris, and what he did at the end of that movie/novelization is so perfectly revealed and explored.

Also, this is the first time (I believe) that we meet Lt. Elias Vaughn in the timeline. I've met him before, since I've read a LOT (around twenty novels that he's in), and I've just looked...there are SO many more novels that this character shares the pages with our favourite heroes.

The Kriosians are a part of this story in a VERY impactful way. More than I thought they'd be (but I was NOT disappointed). The two times that they've appeared in the TV series were in The Next Generation - S5:E21 The Perfect Mate, and then Enterprise - S2:E11 Precious Cargo.

I hope that they appear in more of the novels of Star Trek. They have a great history, with LOTS of struggles.

This is also a Spook story. The many different agencies (some not aligned with a race/world power, but because of ideology (which in some ways is even more dangerous) are seen in this story. 

I learned so much in this story. I, like Lt. Elias Vaughn...felt the same way about Valeris. I can also say, that I concur with his assessment at the end of the novel, too. 

The way that this narrative end it...makes me hopeful for more in this storyline.

My next Star Trek novel...would've been the Enterprise B era, with The Captain's Daughter by Peter David, but I have already read it (gave it 4.25 Stars).

So...I will be picking up...the Lost Era novel, Serpents Among the Ruins by David R. George III.

[Nicky2910 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the very prominent depiction of Spock on the cover, there's little of him physically in this novel - so don't be deceived by appearances. Rather, Cast No Shadow is on the one hand a rather fast espionage-thriller, featuring Elias Vaughn on his first... well... assignment as a field operative for Starfleet Intelligence is too strong a word since he shouldered himself more or less into this mission, and on the other hand Valeris' journey to reconciliation with who she is and what she's done. Being that the book deals with events between the TOS-movies and TNG, I'd rather have seen it labelled under the "Lost Era"-subtitle.

The plot starts 7 years after Star Trek: VI with a devastating explosion near a starbase where relief-deliveries are transferred from Federation ships to Klingon vessels. Klingons are quick to blame a renegade clan within the Empire but there is circumstantial evidence that points in another direction - a group called the Thorn, basically a bunch of freedom fighters from a world called Krios (TNG's "The Mind's Eye", "The Perfect Mate") which was annected and stripmined by the Klingons. Which in turn leads to Valeris because the Thorn were involved in the assassination of Gorkon. Starfleet dispatches a team to work with the Klingons to solve the mystery - but not everyone is willing to listen.

Besides the obvious motivation to kill as many Tyrants (Kriosian for Klingons), they also try to put a wedge between the Empire and the Federation - aiming not only for Klingons but also for Starfleet relief vessels. The rather fragile Khitomer Accords are even more put in danger by power-hungry generals and (to a lesser degree) officers who aren't willing to follow up on leads. Vaughn, believing himself ready for something greater than just data-analysis, joins seasoned Starfleet Intelligence officer Darius Miller in a mission to discover what really happened - and finds himself in command of said mission (including juggling a Klingon intelligence officer and the traitor Valeris, not to speak of a very short timeframe to find the next bomb, the next target and to prevent the unspeakable from happening) when Miller gets killed. Jack Ryan, any one? This part of the novel is quite straight-forward as Vaughn learns that there is no mere black and white, especially in intelligence operations, but many shades of grey in between.

The conspiracy against Gorkon certainly gets a bit fleshed out as well - a bit of Chang's background (including Shakespeare quotes), Cartwright's background and eventual fate, even the Romulan ambassador finally gets what he's got coming. I also enjoyed the rather short appearance by Endeavour and Sulu - I'm not too fond of that character but from what I've been reading especially in the Lost Era now his crew could be quite interesting.

But the part I've been really looking forward to (Klingon internal politics have become stale and repetitive, after all - and of course, at the end, what truely happened is covered up) was Valeris. In TUC she came across as aloof, determined and cooly logical - and honestly, I could see a Vulcan arrive at the decision that an alliance with Klingons is to the Federation's detriment. After all, by the beginning of TUC the Empire was on the verge of total collapse, so the question of why help them, why not let them die, why expend the ressources, why risk opening yourself up, is valid. Unfortunately, though, this novel goes down another road. It uses the childhood trauma-device, coupled with nice father-issues, combines the emotions these 2 elicit with Vulcan repression - and gets deep-seated unrealized hatred and prejudice against Klingons as a species as a result. Not that this makes for a bad story, not at all, but it sort of diminishes her superiority, her cool arrogance in TUC. I guess I'd expect more from a Vulcan than those "common" underlying issues.

Pondering this I wonder why her dissatisfaction was aimed solely at the Klingons - and not at her father and the Federation in general that he represented. After all, while the violence with which she was confronted might have been horrific, what really did her in were her father's actions... putting a treaty before his family, deciding to negotiate from a position of apparent weakness (by not going in in a heavily fortified ship in the first place).

On the other hand, she gets played by every side, I guess. Cartwright knew what happened on that planet when she was a child - and exploited that ruthlessly. Tancreda took note of the fact that every male Valeris cast in a paternal role took the side of "the greater good" instead of supporting or even listening to her... and tried to influence Valeris in that direction in her sessions at the penal colony. Given that Tancreda (along with Cartwright - see Perry's "Cloak") also belongs to Section 31, who knows what her purpose in doing so was? Perhaps positioning Valeris in a mission against Spock whose politics oppose Section 31's?

What remains is a deeply troubled character. I am not sure whether her nonchalance at the end stems from her still not regretting anything or from her being still stunned at the realization of the emotional roots for her deeds that the mindmeld with Rein uncovered (which I'm leaning towards). I'm happy that Swallow deliberately left this unresolved so that the reader can choose for themselves and, in this case, didn't take the easy way out in redeeming her by a heroic and/or self-sacrificing act. There's no black and white, again. But perhaps she can find peace for herself at some point.

One of the most disturbing scenes in TUC is the forced mindmeld Spock uses on Valeris. And while Cast No Shadow doesn't diminish the brutality it emphasizes its use as a last resort and the fact that a mindmeld, even an unwilling one, is a two-way street. Even though, Spock (and in this novel Valeris) is the instigator of the meld, he is not untouched by it. It was necessary, back then and here, but not without consequences with which everyone involved has to deal... some better than others. It's a fine line between excuse and explanation of the act that Swallow draws here. One I can live with.

One throwaway-line worth mentioning alludes to the destruction of the Enterprise-A in one of Shatner's novels. Nice nod to continuity here.

There are quite a few plotthreads that could be followed up on in a sequel. By my account at the end of the novel, Valeris is just in her mid-forties. So who knows what the future will bring?

Cast No Shadow, in any case, had an exceptional premise with its first very exciting 100 or so pages, then it tapered off a bit. I was sad to see Miller go but it was necessary to throw Vaughn into the deep end - being a mentor certainly doesn't bode well for a character... And, of course, the IMO overemotionalization of Valeris' motivations did not quite meet my expectations. In the end, what remains is a fun ride, sprinkled with Klingon politics, conspiracies and a bit of a glimpse behind the facade. Entertaining - but not outstanding. 7/10

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A typical - in the best sense of the word - Star Trek novel: Sensation, destruction (or nearly) on cosmic scale, aliens, heroes, fighting, technology, heroics and space...
Peopled by knwon and unknown characters against a background of high inter-species politics which is never a good sign.
The writer puts a lot of effort into explaining why things happen, including events of the past, long ago but not forgotten.
Though James Swallow needs no introduction with sci-fi lovers, this book is a gain a masterpiece that can be enjoyed by seasoned trekkies and newbies alike. Some knowledge of previous events in the Star Trek universe is - as always - a plus.
There is a clear beginning with events leading up to a clear ending but the author still leaves plenty of room for a sequel or at least use the main characters in new adventures.

[Vic Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

great start. if only it weren't so boring

[Shane Stanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literary Treks Ep. 367

Read if you love Star Trek VI.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 4 out of 5]

There seems to be a theme brewing within the Star Trek novels especially this year regarding follow-ups to characters we haven't seen in a while. In "Cast No Shadow", James Swallow revisits the tale Gorkon assassination plot that is the crux of the events in Star Trek VI. For this story we revisit the story of Lt. Valeris & find out not only how she was involved in the plot but we also learn that 7 years after the fact the group of terrorists that were behind the plot are back. In order to do so, Swallow brings back some familiar faces in what is now Lt. Elias Vaughn as well as uses the Excelsior crew to facilitate this matter. The story though is Valeris's alone as we see both Klingon & Starfleet Intelligence struggle with finding ways to stop the terrorists from striking again. What's a bit unique is the use of flashbacks to both 2293, 2287 & 2270 which are skillfully placed in the story & actually serve to advance it along. There's also a very rare reference to the Section 31 which hasn't been done all that much. Plot-wise things are easy to follow & for a piece set at the turn of the 24th century the reactions & politics brought up very easily make this fit in as a nice piece of background in that missing era between Kirk's death in Generations to Picard's era.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Swallow made a great impression on me with his "Doctor Who" work, in books and on audio...and he follows it up with an excellent "Star Trek" novel. It's another exciting, tension-filled look into that nebulous era between the end of "Star Trek VI" and the beginning of "The Next Generation"...and it answers some interesting questions about the final fate of the traitor Valeris. Its best quality is the groundwork it lays surrounding the basis of the Federation/Klingon alliance -- convincing, realistic, messy, and worthwhile. As good a description for the novel itself, as well as the political situation it relates.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cast No Shadow is an interesting story, and it fills in a few gaps in a period of Star Trek history that is interesting to explore. It provides motivations for Valeris's actions in Star Trek VI, but a little unsatisfactorily in my opinion. All in all, a somewhat by-the-numbers Trek adventure that I feel missed an opportunity to be much, much more.

Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2011/10/c...

[Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quote from Cast No Shadow (Star Trek) by James Swallow: "Things like justice and fairness were not natural forces in the universe, they were artificial constructs of sentient beings – and they needed to be applied with ruthless intent, or else meant nothing." I like that one.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved best lost era book to date.

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Trek writers like to look for unresolved threads between the movies and the TV episodes and fill in the blanks. This particular tale takes place seven years after Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and the signing of the Khitomer Accords.

In the wake of the destruction of the Praxis moon, a massive explosion rocks the relief efforts, a clear act of sabotage against the Klingon Empire. Because a Federation vessel was lost in the disaster, the Klingon High Command grudgingly allows the Federation to send a ship, the Excelsior, with Captain Hikaru Sulu in command. Starfleet Intelligence analyst Elias Vaughn uncovers evidence that he believes contradicts the official Klingon story of the explosion and that ties the saboteurs to deceased Starfleet Admiral Lance Cartwright. Sulu manages to get Vaughn assigned to the Excelsior and the ship then travels to a high security prison and takes custody of disgraced Starfleet officer Valeris, who was part of Cartwright's conspiracy. Vaughn believes she may have information pertinent to the investigation.

Valeris intrigued many Star Trek fans. As an apprentice of Spock, she was the subject of a lot of speculation. I think that many viewers wanted to know more of her story and even to find ways to redeem her character. James Swallow's novel gives him the chance to do just that. We learn a lot more about Valeris' background and her fluctuating motivations. During the course of the tale, the reader is not always sure whether Valeris will do the right thing or if she has more nefarious plans up her sleeve. In the end, the backstory Swallow assigns to Valeris may be a bit perfunctory, but the character remains complex in the moment.

Eventually the plot finds Valeris, Vaughn and a Klingon intelligence agent named Kaj fighting for survival deep in Klingon territory. There is a lot of action, most of it relatively entertaining. Swallow seems to be one of those authors who looks for progressively impossible situations to throw at his protagonists into before either rescuing them or killing them off. The story may be a bit plot heavy, but the book is long enough that Swallow also gets to spend some time with his main characters and flesh them out.

This book winds up as a solid, if not exceptional, addition to the Star Trek universe. Its greatest contribution proves to be allowing us to spend more time with the enigmatic character of Valeris and to understand her just a little bit better. I especially enjoyed the denouement where we get a sense of what Valeris' fate may be after this adventure.

On a side note, its worth mentioning that Spock appears in this book only very briefly. Don't let the cover fool you into thinking this is primarily a Spock story.

[Robert D · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story takes place seven years after the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. An unidentified attacker uses an isolytic weapon against a Federation/Klingon space dock resulting in loss of life and material. One lone data analyst traces a transmission using code words from the time of Admiral Cartwright's conspiracy with General Chang. But everyone is pointing as a defunct Klingon House as the culprits. Valeris is the only former conspirator still alive, and in prison.

The plot is pretty straightforwards as the few intelligence operators have to buck the system and do the mission on their own. There's a lot of flashback chapters concentrating on Valeris's past. the new conspirators are just that, a new introduction on a minor villain, surprise, being used by a rather obvious major villain.

This book centers on what happened to Valeris. The majority of characters are new. Spock has a brief cameo as does Captain Sulu. If you are expecting a book using any of the old familiar characters as some of the main characters you will be disappointing.

[Ann Feutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story takes place 7 years after the events of Star Trek VI: Undiscovered Country.

There is a terrorist attack at the Klingon ship yards and it takes us back to Valeris, who is serving out her sentence. James Swallow touches on the damages caused by the forced mind meld between Spock and Valeris. He does so in a compelling and respectful way. I also liked the Betazed who served as Valeris's therapist (although her side of the plot got a little confusing as the book progressed.)

I liked Swallow's use of carefully placed flashbacks throughout the book that gave us more insight into how Valeris came to view the Klingons the way that she did. He also did some good work with his action/tension scenes. It was also nice seeing Sulu and Spock (and a little bit of Kirk too.)

I do feel there were times when the story dragged on a bit, but overall, I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Valeris and the Thorn better.

[Peter Rydén · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jag trodde, trots bokens baksida, att det skulle vara mer av Spock - han syntes ändå i förgrunden på bokens omslag. Men fokus låg istället på den unge Elias Vaughn samt på Valeris, vilket självklart inte var fel. Elias Vaughn känner jag igen från andra böcker som utspelar sig senare i hans liv, i DS9-eran, så det var självklart roligt att läsa om en period som formade hans liv så monumentalt. Valeris känsloliv var spännande att ta del av och hennes interaktioner med klingonernas säkerhetspolis Kaj var underbara.

Boken var en nagelbitare och väl skriven. Jag är nöjd med Swallows tidigare material som i huvudsak varit av novellkaraktär och jag är benägen att ge ett högt betyg även denna gång.

[Richard Borbridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a postlude to Undiscovered Country, it does a good job diving deeper into the imperial aspects of Klingon culture and considering the motivations behind the Praxis conspiracy. However, it's curious as a Star Trek book - firmly rooted, but carried by entirely new characters (with the exception of a brief cameo by Spock and Sulu, and the two hours we spent getting to know Lt. Valeris back in 1991). The story lies somewhere between a good adventure simply set in Roddenberry's universe, and a deeper thought-piece for Trekkers of questions we might not have considered from the other side of the Klingon-Federation border.

[Ronald]

WOW, this was one of the BEST Star Trek books I've read to date! After watching Undiscovered Country, I did wonder what happened to Valeris, what events would need to pass for a Vulcan to commit murder? No spoilers but this is a must read. I was hoping Valeris would be recruited to Star Fleet or Klingon intelligence to work along with Val or Vaughn. Who knows what the future holds for T'leris now? (lil) spoiler!

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love most Star Trek books but this was just a long and convoluted Valeris redemption story. Apparently the original conspiracy to keep the Federation and Klingons at each others throats is still in effect and various operatives are working on it for both sides. There's even mention of Section 31, though it's not really clear what their involvement is. Annoyingly despite the cover, Spock only briefly appears in the beginning.

[Andrew Alvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. Swallow weaved an epic story following on from definitely one of the best Trek movies made, a film rife with amazing talent that the writer manages to convey into both returning heroes, villains and even building a few fresh and interesting characters along the way.

Funny how some things that may not have been seen a loose ends were now tied up here and in such a bloody impressive manner!

I salute thee, Jsmes Swallow 🫡

[David Bondelevitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally like the Spock books, and was glad to see the Valeris character, as I hoped the book would explain her character more. Unfortunately, as one of the other reviewers wrote, the first part of the book is interesting but falls apart in the last third. It’s a shame, it was a good concept for a book.

[Carmilla Choate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Star Trek novel I quite enjoyed. It borrows heavily from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in setup and plot so it may be worthwhile to watch or read that first but I'm sure it reads fine without. For those familiar with Elias Vaughan, it's really fun to see him as a fresh faced greenie in way over his head on his very first mission.

[Mrs L.A. Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questions answered

I always wondered what happened to Valeris. And the consequences of that mind meld....Here the story is told. For me the consequences for Spock are left unexplored but the new characters we meet are well drawn, and I warmed to Kaj, and want to meet her again.