A Contest of Principles
(Star Trek: The Original Series)
by Greg Cox (2020)

The planet Vok is holding its first free elections after years of oppressive military rule. Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise have been dispatched by Starfleet to serve as impartial observers, but remaining neutral proves a challenge, as Kirk confronts a tangled web of scandal, conspiracy, and assassination plots—with the stability of an entire sector at stake.

To make matters worse, Dr. Leonard McCoy has vanished while on a mission of mercy to Braco, a nearby planet only a system away. With Kirk unable to abandon his vital mission on Vok to hunt for his friend, it’s up to First Officer Spock and Christine Chapel to lead a team in search of the missing doctor, even if it means risking whatever fate befell McCoy.

Child of Two Worlds
(Star Trek: The Original Series)
by Greg Cox

A young Spock is science officer on the U.S.S. Enterprise, with Captain Christopher Pike. When an outbreak of deadly Rigelian fever threatens the crew it’s off to find a cure. But things take a turn when the Enterprise rescues two young women.

Soon the Enterprise crew are stuck between a planet with a needed resource and a demand, and the Klingons.

Greg Cox does no disappoint in this tense story where there are no easy solutions. And he manages to add themes of cultural identities. One of the best Star Trek novels.

The Rings of Time
(Star Trek: The Original Series)
by Greg Cox (2012)

When a mining colony on an endangered moon is threatened, it’s a race against time for the Enterprise crew to find a solution in this original novel set in the universe of Star Trek: The Original Series.

The U.S.S. Enterprise responds to a distress call from a vital dilithium-mining colony in the Klondike system. The colony is located on Skagway, a moon orbiting Klondike-6, a gas giant not unlike Saturn. For unknown reasons, the planet’s rings are coming apart, threatening the colony and its inhabitants. Kirk and his crew need to find a solution—fast. There are more than 3,000 colonists, including hundreds of families, on Skagway, which is more than even the Enterprise can take on, and there are no other rescue ships or habitable planets anywhere in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, an approaching comet that may be the source of the crisis turns out to be a mysterious alien probe. Sensors indicate that the probe is incredibly old and running low on power. Suspecting that the probe may have something to do with the threat to Skagway, Kirk has the probe beamed aboard the Enterprise. Suddenly after a blinding flash, Kirk suddenly finds himself floating in orbit above Saturn in our solar system, drifting in space wearing a twenty-first century NASA spacesuit. What just happened…? (less)

Miasma
(Star Trek: The Original Series)
by Greg Cox (2016)

The Enterprise is transporting a party of diplomats when it picks up a mysterious alien signal emanating from a nearby world. The planet’s dense, impenetrable atmosphere makes it unclear if the beacon is a distress signal, an invitation—or a warning to stay away.

The first Star Trek story from Greg Cox is a novella length story that could have been an episode in the TV series.

It’s a basic monster of the week story as Spock, McCoy, Chekox  and some redshirts (hint, hint) go down to an unknown planet to investigate an unknown signal.

It does illustrate that old adage; send a probe before you descent.

More in the horror genre, but with a bit of science thrown in and very strange use of the metric system.

The Stowaway Debutante
(Tales of the Captain Duke, #1)
by Rebecca Diem (2014)

Airships, pirates, and hidden identities…

When Clara dreamed of running away to seek her own adventures, she never imagined that a chance encounter with the legendary Captain Duke might set her life on an entirely different course.

A perfectly fine YA adventure in a steampunk world. This novella length story tells the tale of a young girl who stows away on an airship with  steampunk pirates.

Everything is very prim and pretty and the characters fell like they come from an Enid Blyton book. There is little in the way of mystery or excitement.

Even at the end when there is some action, it’s a bit confusing as Clara saves the day. Possibly good for children, but it does feel like it comes from a distant era of writing.

The Weight of Worlds
(Star Trek: The Original Series)
by Greg Cox (2013)

When the Ephrata Institute becomes a target for invasion, Kirk and the team are on their way to investigate.

But the alien invaders are armed with weaponized gravity, and will stop at nothing to rescue the universe from its myriad beliefs. Even if they can’t express what they are, because …. boring.

Kirk and Spock get thrown into another dimension to fight gods. Meanwhile Uhuru gets to be Captain and everyone has a jolly good time defeating the enemy.

This book shows just how much of a beating characters can take without a camera to show the bruises and blood.

Still, an entertaining read.

The Antares Maelstrom
(Star Trek: The Original Series)
by Greg Cox (2019)

The final frontier erupts into chaos as vast quantities of a rare energy source are discovered beneath the surface of Baldur-3.

An old-fashioned gold rush is underway as a flood of prospectors  racee toward the planet to stake their claim.

This is one of the best Star Trek books I have read. Greg Cox has written some of my favorites in the past.

This time, the narrative is split in three directions, each focused on Kirk, Spock and Bones. This is mainly a man vs environment story as problems get thrown at each party. There is great tension built throughout and a fitting resolution.

Reccomended.

Foul Deeds Will Rise
(Star Trek: The Original Series)
by Greg Cox (2014)

The USS Enterprise-A is on a peacekeeping mission where two warring planets, Pavak and Oyolo are in bitter conflict.

This pans out more as a murder/mystery story, with Kirk playing detective. It could have easily been set on earth, between two countries.

Still Greg Cox provides a compelling story of intrigue. The only disappointment being that the murderer gives up a bit too easily for my liking. It does depend slightly on knowing some backstory, notably “The Conscience of the King” from the original TV series.

And ‘Drastic Measures” by Dayton Ward, which I had read.

Children of Arkadia
by M. Darusha Wehm (2020)

Arkadia, is one of four space stations circling Jupiter. This is the story of the initial human habitation.

It’s a proper science fiction story that examines the balance needed between humans and the AI minds needed to run the place.

They are dependent on each other, but the intentions come into conflict when pushed to the extremes.

Well written and interesting by an author I hadn’t heard of. Turns out she lives in Wellington, New Zealand.

https://darusha.ca/

Lamplighters Society
(Land of Szornyek #3)
by Ariele Sieling (2020)

After escaping the voro, Askari, Harcos, Shujaa, and Fane seek refuge in Greystone City.

Despite some good action and intrigue, not much happens and the forward narrative of discovery in the first two books just stops.

So while an OK read, it doesn’t inspire the reading of the subsequent three books.