A review by jersy
Die Andere Seite by Michael Jan Friedman
3.0
This is a decent Star Trek story and if there is something objectively wrong with it, I didn't catch it. The writing can be a little close to clunky on some occasions, but it wasn't that often and aside from the typical "you remember that thing from the show?" moments that a lot of ST books I have read tend to have, none of them drew me out of the story.
That said, if this will be a favourite or just meh depends on the type of star trek stories you enjoy. It was a diplomacy and action story, heavily relying on (but not being limited by) the crossover elements of TNG and TOS.
I don't adore the TOS cast as I do Picards crew, but they were all interestingly portrayed and I enjoyed them being there. It has some TNG elements I really like, e.g. Guidance by Guinan, Picard being annoyed by someone and also explored an alien culture a little further. The parts with Spock were the most interesting for me.
Still, my favourite ST episodes / stories are about interpersonal stuff, exploring concepts or putting the crew in weird situations. I don't dislike the interracial conflicts, but they're not my favourites and while I think this is a well done version of it, it didn't do enough to blow me away. It was fun, but there wasn't much that lets this story stand out from other star trek stories, be it episodes or books, at least for me.
That said, if this will be a favourite or just meh depends on the type of star trek stories you enjoy. It was a diplomacy and action story, heavily relying on (but not being limited by) the crossover elements of TNG and TOS.
I don't adore the TOS cast as I do Picards crew, but they were all interestingly portrayed and I enjoyed them being there. It has some TNG elements I really like, e.g. Guidance by Guinan, Picard being annoyed by someone and also explored an alien culture a little further. The parts with Spock were the most interesting for me.
Still, my favourite ST episodes / stories are about interpersonal stuff, exploring concepts or putting the crew in weird situations. I don't dislike the interracial conflicts, but they're not my favourites and while I think this is a well done version of it, it didn't do enough to blow me away. It was fun, but there wasn't much that lets this story stand out from other star trek stories, be it episodes or books, at least for me.