reviewed by David Landon
This is the first book in the "New Earth" series,
in which Captain Kirk and the crew of the post-TMP Enterprise lead a "wagon
train" of colonists out to settle an Earth-like planet in unexplored space, and end
up wading into the middle of a feud between the two races who already live in the area.
Although it's part of a series, Wagon Train remains perfectly readable as a
standalone tale. The regular characters are for the most part well-drawn; especially nice
is the character development for Chekov that foreshadows his future position as First
Officer of the Reliant. Shuricon, cautious leader of the alien "Blood
Many" faction, is also very believably written. Not as believable, however, is the
villain Billy Maidenshore. He is, perhaps, the book's fatal flaw. Maidenshore is a sleazy
con artist, the kind of person you instinctively distrust as soon as you meet him.
Unfortunately, the plot depends on the majority of the colonists being too stupid to
realize Billy's true nature until it's almost too late, thus setting up a dramatic action
sequence that sees Kirk and the Enterprise come charging to the rescue.
Like most Star Trek fans, Diane Carey has very definite opinions about parts of
the mythos that she likes and dislikes, and in Wagon Train to the Stars these
opinions are presented with all the subtlety of a Klingon opera performance. One is her
love of James T. Kirk. It's well known fact that her novels contain more love and
adoration for Kirk than you'll find outside the Shatnerverse, so this is really
no surprise. Another Carey opinion with which the reader is bludgeoned is her distaste for
the Motion Picture-era uniforms and her corresponding love for the Wrath of
Khan threads. She actually has Kirk use his influence to get the Enterprise
crew into the new uniforms a year before they were scheduled to be issued, much to Dr.
McCoy's delight. Yes, McCoy, who hated his dress uniform in "Journey to Babel,"
now longs to wear something with twice as many layers. It's natural for characters in a
book to mirror the author's opinions to some degree, but when they contradict longstanding
aspects of their personalities, it's quite jarring.
Still, Wagon Train to the Stars is a fairly enjoyable read with some nice
character moments and exciting action sequences. It's certainly worth your time.
Free counters provided by Andale.
Click here to
return to the Star Trek novels page.
Click here to return
to the Main Index Page.