Thursday, October 15, 2015

Star Trek: The Rings of Time by Greg Cox

The Rings of Time. (Star Trek: The Original Series). Greg Cox. Based on the TV series created by Gene Roddenberry. 2012. Pocket Books. Pages: 304. [Source: Bought.]

Cover image
 
This was rather interesting. I liked it, and I got to learn about some of Star Trek history.
 
In this adventure, you're introduced to a crew of four original characters - Colonel Shaun Christopher, son of US Force Captain John Christopher (which we've met in the The Original Series episode "Tomorrow is Yesterday"), Alice Fontana, Dr. Marcus O'Herlihy, and Zoe Querez . Throughout the novel, you switch back and forth between Shaun's point of view and Kirk's.
 
It was an engaging read, and it had quite a few laugh-worthy moments. But there are a few things I didn't like about it.
 
In the 23rd Century, it seems the need to swear has disappeared almost entirely. There's only a few times where words that have been said have ever jumped to the PG-13 level (such as in the movies, and books). In The Rings of Time, because it jumps between the 23rd and 21st Centuries, you go from having calm waters (in terms of expletives), to an almost raging river in 2020. Fontana is definitely the most vocal in that respect, but thankfully she never uttered (or the author never revealed) anything that would have made me flinch if I was watching it on TV.
 
The second thing that got me was the fact that Kirk gave into temptation when he was locked in an airlock with Zoe. As you can suspect, they got a little handsy, so I skipped the scene. Thankfully, it wasn't very long. Really, Greg?! We didn't need to see that!
 
In the end, all I could do was facepalm with a sigh, because its Kirk we're talking about. The most notorious ladies man of the Star Trek franchise. This is why I prefer Picard over Kirk.
 
I enjoyed the novel because of the suspense most of all. I love a good tense adventure. There was certainly a lot of Spock in the novel, which I liked because, you know, I'm a big Spock fangirl. Again, I wished it was a little longer, but it can't be helped - I didn't write it! lol.
 
The Rings of Time gives a brief peek into the life of Earthlings and how the societies of Earth were functioning before the Vulcans arrived on the scene. Oh, and before World War III decimated most of the planet. 

















3 comments:

  1. That is one concern I have about the new Star Trek series they will be putting out on their own network in 2017. I'm afraid that because of the popularity of shows like Game of Thrones, and how well Battlestar Galactica did on its reboot, that they are going to up the language and sex factors. I'll be disappointed, and likely not watching, if they do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I want to remain optimistic about the new show. I mean, in the reboot Star Trek, they had one scene where it was unappropriate, which was remedied with one click of the "jump forward" button on the remote, and I didn't think I missed very much. We can only hope - though the way Enterprise went, it remains to be seen. I agree with you, I'll be disappointed as well if it goes the raunchy route, and I may not end up watching it either :P

      Delete
    2. I'm going to remain optimistic as well, though I am preparing myself to be annoyed. It has been too long since we've had a Star Trek series and I do miss it.

      Delete

Ranger's Apprentice: The Battle for Skandia, a review

The Battle for Skandia . John Flanagan. 2006. Puffin Books. Pages: 294. Price: USD $8.99/$11.99 CAN. Setting: Skandia. ISBN 0142413402. [S...