mason felt like a self-insert character to me, but a lot of the book focuses on the crew of the enterprise so i could like it go. it's a standard star trek book with a standard star trek plot. a quick fine read.
this book meanders on until the last hundred pages where it remembers it needs to have a plot. switching behind both the present, and the past, then between rosie's, and helen's perspectives makes it hard to get a grip on the story, and really care about anything that's happening.
this is where the majority of the dog man movie plot comes from, and i can see why they choose this book to adapt. lil petey is adorable, and the story is well rounded even on its own. why are these children's books so good?
i can't believe a star trek book is my second five star rating, but this book deserves it. blame it on me being very connected to star trek media, but i found the plot interesting, and it griped me throughout the entire book. spock is my favourite character in trek, and i enjoyed exploring his relationship with sarek, and amanda. every part of the story flowed well together, and was tied up nice, and neatly by the end. the book had me crying at a few parts. it was amazing.
after seeing the dog man movie, i wanted to give the first book a quick read to compare. it's cute, for sure. i grew up with captain underpants, but i think this is just as good. the movie was great as well.
each star trek book author has their own voice, and their own interpretation of the characters, and how to write them, especially since you get access to the character's thoughts in a novelization like this. this author's voice took some time to get used to, specifically kirk. i understand he's a bit hot headed in the tv series, but having access to his thoughts makes him feel way more emotionally immature than i think the character is. i like how the stories are linked together, and happen chronologically, and this novelization saves the animated series from being a total dud. unfortunately it suffers from the same poor pacing issues the show has where so much exposition is cramed into the first 2/3 of the story that you only have 10 pages to resolve the plot at that point. i was happy to read this, and will read the others in the series if i come across them. hopefully the pacing issues can be fixed by then.
this is a weird, sexed-up version of a star trek plot where kirk, and bones leer at a lower officer. didn't like it at all. the twist made the plot more enjoyable, but the writing dragged on, and on.
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
i decided to start off this year with my longest star trek pocket book, and a good start it was. i'm obsessed with the original series' concept of the "five-year mission", and i'm always happy to expand on it. the novels do a good job of showing off more graphic action they never could have shown off in the television series. i love the novel's characterizations of all the characters, and especially mccoy. the story is a bit slow to start, and doesn't tie in together until around the halfway mark, but it's still enjoyable the whole way through.
this was february's book club for me, and not one i would have picked up on my own. there's nothing wrong with this book per say, it's a fine story although i find the author's voice bland, and repetitive. there's a lot of started, and stopped threads to the story, but it's pretty realistic to real life so it's find. unfortunately, i don't have much to say, it was a fine book.