Star Trek: The First Adventure - author Vonda N.  McIntyre
                     Grafton paperbacks

Though I used to be a great fan of the original Star Trek series,
I must admit that as the years have passed, it has slipped in my
personal popularity stakes, being overtaken by all the other
series (yes, Alex, even Voyager, despite the infuriating
Janeway!). This is partly to do with the fact that I always found
James T. Kirk one of the most annoying men in SF literature.
Spock - lovely man. McCoy - a great character. Scotty - loves his
engines. Kirk - a womaniser, who thinks he's God's gift!

So, when my dog-walking friend Jean loaned me this book, the
untold story of Captain Kirk's first mission, I inwardly groaned.
I had a book at home about Q that I was dying to read but now I
had to read one about Kirk. But she told me it was one of her
all-time favourite Star Trek books so I knuckled down to read it.
It took several false starts before I finally got into it, and
then, as you've probably guessed, I found it hard to put down.

After Kirk had been injured in battle at Ghioghe and his friend
Gary Mitchell almost killed, he blamed himself. The fact that he
has now been given the reward of his first starship command, the
Enterprise, seems wrong to Jim. Besides which, he and Gary had
always planned to serve together on a ship and now Gary lies in a
hospital regeneration tank, floating in green goo which will help
him recover.

So Kirk's normal enthusiasm at his first command is in shadow,
partly by Gary's ill-health, partly due to the break-up of his
romance with Carol Marcus. Kirk offers to give up the command and
get a desk job so they can be together but she knows that she
couldn't ask him to do that for her, nor can she spend the rest of
her life saying goodbye to him as he heads off on missions, never
knowing if or when he will be coming back.

So Kirk and I were equally unenthusiastic about his first command,
and some of his crew weren't particularly happy to see him on the
ship either. Sulu is looking for an immediate transfer, Scotty is
suspicious of this new 'lad', Spock is as sorry as a Vulcan can be
to lose Captain Pike, the previous captain.  When Kirk discovers
that his first mission is to 'nursemaid' a group of performers -
the Warp Speed Classic Vaudeville Company - from one starbase to
another as they give their displays, he is horrified. He'd rather
be out there, in deep space, being heroic. But as you'll probably
imagine, he gets his chance soon enough.

The book started slowly but once I got into it, I got thoroughly
involved in the characters and lives of the different vaudeville
performers and especially liked the bioengineered flying horse,
Athene. Neither Kirk nor I was bored by how the story progressed
and I think that you'll enjoy it too. (I still don't like Kirk
though!)

                                              Sue




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