Book Review: Dark Victory

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

Dark Victory     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
William Shatner , Judith Reeves-Stevens , Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Class/Genre:   Science Fiction   Star Trek
Series: Star Trek
Simon & Schuster, 1999, £12.99, pp. 303

Classification: Adult fiction (Sci-fi thriller)

This picks up where the previous in Shatner's James T. Kirk series, 'Avenger' left off. Kirk and the crew of the 'Enterprise-E' have been rescued by people from the Mirror Universe, a place ruled by the evil Emperor Tiberius - the mirror image of Kirk. With Spock, McCoy and others, including Jean-Luc Picard, they struggle to defeat Tiberius and expose the evil secrets of the Federation once and for all.

Having played Kirk for so long, it seems that Shatner really can be like him and his writing takes the characters of Kirk and his nemesis to new heights. Whilst the writing is not always the most skilled, he manages to deftly mix characters from all the different series of 'Star Trek', from Odo to Spock and creating an interesting tale in the process.

A problem with books in a series such as this is that someone would find this very hard just to pick it up. It would be necessary to go back to where the saga began, with 'The Ashes Of Eden'. However, once you get into the series, you quickly become hooked. I am not a great fan of 'Star Trek', but I have found these novels immensely enjoyable.

Full of twists, turns and astonishing revelations, 'Dark Victory' should sell just as well as the others. I now look forward to what appears to be the last in the series, 'Preserver'. If it is as good as this one, it will be a suitable end.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
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