Customer Reviews

Covenant of the Crown (Star Trek)

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This is a fun Star Trek - The Original Series novel, as long as you keep it in perspective. This was written before there was a Next Generation, and even before The Wrath of Khan Movie. It was actually written before Star Trek the Motion Picture, but was published after the movie's release. What this all means is that we are privvy to a lot more Star Trek history and backstories than the author was at the time he wrote this novel.

Anyway, to get to the plot. Captain Kirk's past catches up with him as the King of Shad, that he originally transported into exile years ago, must be returned to his planet to help the Shaddan empire return to its former glory. The King trusts no one other than Captain Kirk to take him back home. The reunion between the King and Kirk is bittersweet, as the King is quite old and frail.

In order for the King to regain his throne, he must have the Crown of Shad. The King had put the crown into hiding 18 years ago when he was being sent into exile. Now the Kings only daughter, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy must go to the harsh world that hides the crown to recover this royal relic.

There are some very nice character moments between Spock and McCoy as they try to recover the crown and protect the royal princess. There is also an amusing side story with Chekov. The one negative thing about the novel is there are a few loose ends - such as a female Klingon - what did they do with her, and another subplot involving the royal retainers. Otherwise this is a brief, taut and interesting story. Fans of the original television series will enjoy this book.

Call me sentimental but I really liked this story. Spock and McCoy work together to protect and facilitate the ascension of a young woman to the throne of her war torn world. Part adventure story, part coming of age story, and not a bad commentary on the subject of leadership, this story held my attention throughout and may even warrant additional readings. Even staunch fans of the venerable Captain James T. Kirk will be pleased to see that the team of Spock and McCoy are themselves capable of not only saving the day - but also carrying a storyline through the majority of the novel. Recommended.

Howard Weinstein is a long-time Trek fan, and the writer of the animated episode "The Pirates of Orion," so it isn't surprising that he has a feel for the characters of Star Trek. He also has a deft touch as a writer. This is the first of several novels he has written, in addition to comic books, and the result is the best ST book since David Gerrold's effort.

A surprise birthday party for Dr. McCoy is interrupted by a call from Starfleet Command to divert to Starbase 22. When there, Admiral Harrington informs them that the civil war on Shad has turned, and it is time for the exiled king to return. Captain Kirk had been stationed on Shad at the time of his exile, year before, when the war had been going badly enough that the royal family was deemed endangered enough to go into exile on a planet some parsecs away. The Klingons had been quietly supplying the rebels, hoping to disrupt the entire sector by the fall of Chad's government.

When the Enterprise reaches Orand, the queen has died, and the king is aged and infirm. But their daughter is now an adult, and will be the one to assume the monarchy. But first, the ritual crown must be retreived from a different world. Only the true ruler of Shad can wear the crown, so the question will be, can young Kailyn perform the task? It won't be easy, with Klingons trying to disrupt the mission, as subtly as possible. To circumvent the surveillance, Spock and McCoy set off in a shuttlecraft with Kailyn to retrieve the crown, while the Enterprise proceeds. But, there is a spy on the king's staff, and the Klingons follow the shuttle. Now, Kirk must find the spy, and Spock and McCoy must keep the young princess safe while they deal with both the natural forces of the planet and the troublesome Klingons.

Weinstein has a good ear for dialogue, and nothing about this story feels forced, as many of its predecessors were. The characters flow along with nary a ripple, and the comic relief of Chekov and the extra ten pounds is deftly handled. Weinstein has a special feeling for McCoy, and his feelings of growing old in the story are very well-written. The characters who enter the path of the Enterprise crew, from King Stevvin to Shirn O'tay, are natural and do not seem out of place in the Star Trek universe. This is simply a good story, and an excellent setup for the regular characters.

The book reminds of the TV episode -"Friday's Child". The plot and storyline are discussed in other reviews, so I won't bore you again with those details. The storyline and plot is written very well and stays on course and doesn't deveat. The character development follows Star Trek canon. The main ST character in this story focuses is McCoy's relationship with the ordaned young female ruler of the planet Shad. Is he a father figure to her? A lover? Is he reliving his youth? Read and find out. McCoy and Spock (and others) are together on a planet searching for the crown to help make this young woman become ruler. The usual interplay of emotions between Spock and McCoy develops. Kirk is not on this "quest" with McCoy and Spock. So, will McCoy, Spock, and the others find this crown and help restore this young woman to the throne of Shad? Oh! Of course! The Klingons are involved in this story too!

Read on...

I loved this simply because McCoy was the main character. I don't think the author developed the other characters too well. I don't think Spock would ever hug someone in front of McCoy. Also, amazon doesn't have this, but I just bought mine from Books and Company in the US about a week ago. They must have taken this off the shelf rather quickly.

Near-perfect. Great for McCoy fans. A short, tight, planetbound adventure, with a lot of character development and personal conflicts rather than space battles. (See also "Planet of Judgement".) The movies handled Kirk's feelings of growing old, and this book fills in McCoy's experience of same. I really like how he argues with himself and tries to sort out his own state of mind. He's not a paper cutout. Ditto Spock, Kirk, and the original characters.

Kailyn's coming-of-age is like a beloved fable being retold: it's an old story, but deftly handled, no part overdone or unbelievable. Not at all Mary-Sueish. Heartwarming without being sappy, with lots of fun twists. It could have been a great episode (and in fact the author wrote for the Animated Series). The writing is compact, with excellent dialogue. A breath of fresh air compared to the many fluffed-up, overly talky, predictable ST novels out there.

This is one of the very early tie-in novels. The story opens by revealing an incident early in Kirk's career though the later portions focus heavily on McCoy and Spock.

Very early in his career Kirk was assigned to a planet with a valuable mineral deposit and a civil war. Kirk convinces the ruling monarch to take his family and flee the conflict rather than stay to fight but instead of being able to return in a few months the exile has stretched to 18 years. Now peace seems near at hand and the Enterprise has been dispatched to return the king and his daughter home. Unfortunately the king's health is failing and his daughter must prove her worthiness to inherit the throne. McCoy and Spock are sent to aid her in her quest while Kirk and the Enterprise keep the Klingons and the Federation at bay.

The plot seems to have elements taken from various other (non-Trek) sources but they are put together fairly well. The characterizations of the Enterprise crew is handled reasonably well, particularly McCoy making this a treat for fans of the good doctor.

mccoy and spock are the center of this trek adventure..and when written by someone who knows the characters, that's a pairing that's tough to beat...

I had a great time reading this book...lots of great character interaction between Spock and Bones, all wrapped in a pretty intriguing central plot...

deinfelty recommend this one!

The Covenant of the Crown is one of the earliest Star Trek books and may be a little difficult to find, however, it is worth the search. The author does an excellent job of developing both Spock and McCoy's characters beyond what we were allowed to see in the original series. The story line is good and the little princess who grows into a competent, compassionate queen during the course of the book shows McCoy's paternalistic side and even brings out a little emotion in the unflappable Mr. Spock. The book is not long, but it is a great read. I recommend it!