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Avg. Rating: 4.5
A decent Star Trek yarn if you like fantasy
I am a die-hard Star Trek fan, but my favorite Star Trek episodes are those that are "hard" science fiction, rather than fantasy. This novel falls securely within the fantasy genre, but it is not bad at all for all that. Basically, here, the Federation is experiencing ripples in time (again) but this time this is causing suns to go nova, to horrible effect. Obviously, the Guardian of Forever is on the fritz, and therein lies the (rather improbable, but reasonably engaging) story.
Crispin's prose is clear and keeps the storyline moving along smartly, at least most of the time, and this story is not bad at all. Most Star Trek fans will enjoy this novel, and it is perfect for an afternoon of beer and chips, as I myself discovered.
Like watching a lost episode of TOS
Yesterday's Son was the first Star Trek novel to hit the best seller list. I read it with pleasure after its 1983 release, but I somehow missed out on its 1988 sequel. I remedied that recently, and I'm very glad I did.
In the Star Trek episode that inspired Yesterday's Son, half-Vulcan Starfleet science officer Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy pass through a time portal - the Guardian of Forever - into the past of a planet about to be destroyed. The people of that planet, Sarpeidon, have already fled into their past, where it was once their custom to exile those they might otherwise have imprisoned. In Sarpeidon's great ice age, Spock and McCoy are rescued from the killing cold by Zarabeth, a banished political prisoner from a far later era. Going backward 5,000 years in time causes Spock to regress to what the Vulcans of that period were like. In Yesterday's Son, Spock learns that he fathered a son with Zarabeth, and that this son - Zar - has grown up marooned in the ice age with only his mother's companionship. With Zarabeth dead, Spock decides to bring Zar forward in time and give him a chance at life. Zar chooses, at the book's end, to return to Sarpeidon's past after seeing evidence in the planet's history that his leadership is destined to guide that world's warring tribes through their first steps toward civilization.
It's 20 years later from Zar's viewpoint, although less time than that has passed for Spock. The Guardian of Forever is malfunctioning, and sending out time waves that cause stars to age at incredible rates. As Starfleet races to evacuate populated planets in stricken systems, Admiral James T. Kirk and his two closest friends reunite aboard an Enterprise now captained by Spock. Their mission: to pass through the Guardian's portal again, find Zar, and bring him forward in time to repeat what he did once that no one else has done successfully. Mind meld with the Guardian, to find out what's wrong and set it right. Hopefully before more worlds, star systems, and lives are lost.
In Zar, A.C. Crispin has created an original character who fits into the Trek universe as if he'd always been part of it. Her Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are exactly the men we knew and loved in the original TV series; and the secondary characters, including Scotty, Uhura, and Sulu, are also spot on in their portrayals. Sarpeidon and its people have enough similarities to Earth and to humans so that identifying with them is easy, but they're also alien enough to make them believable. Reading this book is like watching a long forgotten episode.
Follow-up to Yesterday's Son
Spock had traveled back in time in one of the classic episodes and met Zarabeth, a beautiful young woman who had been exiled to her planet's Ice Age. As a result of their romance Zar was born. Spock's discovery of his son and their meeting was the subject of YESTERDAY'S SON. As TIME FOR YESTERDAY opens Zar is preparing for battle, a battle that he knows will probably be his last. On the Enterprise other problems are appearing, problems that will ultimately lead Spock and his son to meet again at the Guardian of Forever.
This is an excellent follow-up to YESTERDAY'S SON. In many ways it is the stronger novel of the two. The relationship between Zar and Spock is handled better, the characterization of Spock is more in keeping with other works, both the classic episodes and other novels. The situations described are handled well, and are quite interesting. It would, however, be necessary to have seen the original classic episodes and read YESTERDAY'S SON in order to fully appreciate this novel.
one of the best
this is another one of my fave books. Truly delves so much better in the relationship of Zar and who he is and his relationship with Spock then Yesterday's Son did. Shows really how both have grown and accepted who they are...it is a must read, especially if you are a fan of Spock
Highly Recommended
I read this Star Trek novel in response to the tremendous "hype" that I had seen regarding both this novel and its prequel "Yesterday's Son." I have to say that both novels live up to their reputations as some of the best Star Trek fiction you'll find in print. Both stories are well written and well structured. The author's understanding of and affection for the characters and her dedication to the subject matter permeate both texts providing the reader with a very special experience.
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