A review by reeshadovahsil
The Abode of Life by Lee Correy, G. Harry Stine
3.0
It's not good. But it is a quick and easy read. I flew threw it in a few hours. 2.5 stars if I had the option.
There are a myriad of problems with the plot, from the hilariously named Mercans (GEE I WONDER WHAT THAT COULD STAND FOR) to an overexaggerated version of Spock's typical pedantry to Kirk making the shockingly selfish and career-ending decision of risking supernova of a people's star on a half-assed attempt to stabilize it—without their permission or request—to sexism so ingrained that women are admittedly FORGOTTEN to be mentioned. Whoopsie! I forgot you girls existed, sorry!
But Star Trek TOS was full of Kirk making crappy decisions, Spock being intentionally pedantic for the giggles, and women being discriminated against (though admittedly not usually forgotten to exist). So as annoying as it all is, it's similar to one of the original episodes in many ways.
It also isn't very exciting and doesn't follow a typical plot. There's no real climax, no twists, very little action, and the new characters aren't developed at all—to the point where their names could be interchanged and I don't think we'd notice. But I didn't mind all that for an easy, mindless read on a Sunday afternoon.
One thing that was spot on? Spock and McCoy hounding each other over nothing in the last two pages. And maybe that's the crux of my feeling about this one: In spite of, or perhaps because of, all this book's truly terrible flaws, it felt kind of nostalgic.
Very happy to not read anything by this author ever again, though.
There are a myriad of problems with the plot, from the hilariously named Mercans (GEE I WONDER WHAT THAT COULD STAND FOR) to an overexaggerated version of Spock's typical pedantry to Kirk making the shockingly selfish and career-ending decision of risking supernova of a people's star on a half-assed attempt to stabilize it—without their permission or request—to sexism so ingrained that women are admittedly FORGOTTEN to be mentioned. Whoopsie! I forgot you girls existed, sorry!
But Star Trek TOS was full of Kirk making crappy decisions, Spock being intentionally pedantic for the giggles, and women being discriminated against (though admittedly not usually forgotten to exist). So as annoying as it all is, it's similar to one of the original episodes in many ways.
It also isn't very exciting and doesn't follow a typical plot. There's no real climax, no twists, very little action, and the new characters aren't developed at all—to the point where their names could be interchanged and I don't think we'd notice. But I didn't mind all that for an easy, mindless read on a Sunday afternoon.
One thing that was spot on? Spock and McCoy hounding each other over nothing in the last two pages. And maybe that's the crux of my feeling about this one: In spite of, or perhaps because of, all this book's truly terrible flaws, it felt kind of nostalgic.
Very happy to not read anything by this author ever again, though.