A review by bookenjoyer555
The Captain's Oath by Christopher L. Bennett

adventurous hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

 

I loved this! There's a lovely warmth throughout this whole book, a sense of hope that's really refreshing-  problems are solved through diplomacy and empathy, wrongs are forgiven, people grow and learn mistakes and try to be better. It really highlights so much of what I love about Star Trek. 

 And it's clear Bennet loves the ST universe and its characters too- in this series of loosely connected vignettes, Bennet takes advantage of the boundless possibilities of the novel form- without the practical and budgetary restraints of the TV show, we are free to explore the galaxy and all its lifeforms at a much broader scope. 

 

Apart from the addition of cool aliens TOS didn't have the budget for, Bennet also makes an effort  to correct the lack of diversity in terms of gender, race, sexuality and disability, fitting right in with the inclusive and optimistic spirit of the book. 

 

I've seen some reviews complaining about characterisation of Kirk- but personally I felt like Bennet really nailed both him and all the other Star Trek characters who appear. None of them are reduced to stereotypes- Spock logical, McCoy brash, Kirk brave, but instead are written with actual depth and struggles. 

 All in all, this was a really fun read and def worth checking out if you're a fan of Kirk (which I certainly am!) If I have a complaint, it's that the nonlinear storyline at times was a little confusing, but it sorted itself pretty quickly so wasn't a massive drawback.