Customer Reviews

The Last Roundup (Star Trek)

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The latest Star Trek hardcover novel, "The Last Round-Up" promises to be the "final" adventure of the origianl series crew. However, instead of sending the crew riding off into the sunset in a blaze of glory, we instead get them slumping to the finish line in a novel that is rather derivative of a lot of things you've read before in Trek fiction.

The story starts out with Captain Kirk, teaching classes at the Acadamy, but not fully satisfied with his life now that he's not commanding a starship (shades of Star Trek II). He is approached by his two nephews about going out to help them start a colony, based upon peaceful principles and doing pure scientific research. Figuring he could use the adventure and to get away from a student who is annoying him (a character created specifically for this book called Skalli, who gets real old, realy fast), Kirk agrees. But it turns out the planet his nephews and company are colonizing isn't all it was advertised to be (imagine that) and before you know it Kirk is up to his neck in a plot that threatens the entire future and stability of the Federation.

Christie Golden's first attempt at writing a classic Star Trek novel comes off as a rather pedestrian affair. It's got the feeling of the been-there, done-that throughout. In a lot of ways, the idea of Kirk heading out to set-up a colony echoes the six-part summer series New Earth from two summers ago. There are some twists and turns, but they are fairly obvious what they will be long before they are revealed in the book.

But for all it's disappointing aspects, the Last Round-Up has a few things to recommend. Golden does a decent job capturing the character of Kirk and she does have an intriguing idea of the Klingons owing him a favor and wanting to repay it after the events of Star Trek VI. However, these two things don't add up to enough to really make this one worth the hardcover price. The Last Round-Up is a fairly quick and then largely forgettable read. If you're really interested, I'd recommend waiting for paperback on this one.

It has been over a decade since the last movie featuring all of the original Star Trek crew, yet since then there have been a number of books claiming to be their last adventure. I am beginning to wonder if any of these authors know what the meaning of the word "last" actually is !!! For my money the best post "ST VI" book is without doubt William Shatner's "Ashes of Eden", but I'm afraid this one doesn't even come close to that. Here we have another writer clearly raised more on modern Star Trek than the original series who writes a largely lifeless tale where all the characters "get in touch with their feelings and get together for a group hug !" - well actually it's not quite that bad but it comes pretty close. I'm sorry but this kind of wimpy, revisionist Star Trek is just not my cup of tea, and in fact is what I blame for sapping the life out of the Star Trek legend. I can't help but be reminded of the Khan novels by Greg Cox from last year and the year before, which also were extremely weak stories inconsistent with established Star Trek fact. Golden is obviously of the same generation of writers, one who takes ideas from the original series but distorts them for the sake of the story she wants to write rather than adding to the overall Star Trek history. I also have to wonder if she is a "Star Wars" fan and this is her revenge on "Star Trek", because I'm sure other readers will note that the character of "Skalli" comes across as this novel's "Jar Jar Binks", with all that this implies. Much of the plot for this novel appears to be cobbled together from a host of Star Trek shows and films and is really just another tired retread, though I guess the reader can always play "now where did I see this before !", but what's the point. Again I find myself shaking my head that so much modern Star Trek has gone this way. If any real fans of the original series are interested and want to read about a planet called Sanctuary (*it really is an overused name in Star Trek !) then I would recommend the book "Sanctuary" by John Vornholt, Star Trek #61, which was published in September 1992, at least that has some excitement and mystery in it. As for this novel, at the end of the day if this is the last roundup I think the cows would have all fallen asleep out of boredom on the trail.

Bored with his new life of teaching classes at Starfleet James Kirk signs on with his brothers children to start a new life on a colony world. Strange i've been following Trek books for some time and this is the first mention I have heard of these guys Julius and Alexander. I hope it is not the last they should prove worthy additions t the universe.

The plot is preety standard they get to planet and find out that things are not all as they seem. Which is just as well because if they got to the place and nothing happened it would make for a very dull Star Trek book. The only thing that hurts the book is that the main conflict is wrapped up so easily.

Overall-My small critisms do not mean that the book is not fun to read I polished it off in an afternoon it was also nice to see the Orion Syndcate they are probably my most favorite component of life in the Star Trek universe proves that there are still people in space that don't buy the federations high minded ideals.

I was home visiting family recently, and when I left, I borrowed this book from my brother for the flight home. It's 280 or so pages, and I read the entire thing waiting for my plane in the terminal, and for about the first 45 minutes of the flight. I flew through it pretty good, and I don't know if that's because the book is good, or I was bored.

The book was pretty decent - I generally tend to get suckered in by books that proport to tell a story of a single event in an already existing universe that we don't get to see on screen. In this case, it's the "final adventure of the original crew". Which is an odd phrase for the book, because the bulk of the story has Kirk, Chekov, & Scotty in it. The remainder of the original crew is barely there, and only superficially involved with the main plot of the story. We do get Kirk's two nephews from his barely mentioned brother. This story takes place right before the events of movie #7, "Star Trek Generations". There's a lot of characters in it that play a MAJOR part in the story, but are new characters. This almost reads like a fan story - "Hey, let's put me in the story at the expense of some other character(s)". It's not quite like that, but I've read enough of those kinds of stories in the past, that this somewhat feels that way. I suppose it's just a grip at seeing McCoy, Uhura, Spock, and Sulu relegated to backgrond status when this was billed as an original crew adventure.

That said, the book was enjoyable, if a bit predictable. Definitely a bunch of "I'm old - I'm useless" stuff from Kirk, which seemed to be a theme of the latter original crew adventures. Still, it was a good read - I can't say it's my most recommended book, but I did enjoy it. I also felt that the main villian of the story "gave up" a bit too quickly, and the reason he was coerced into giving up was well.. never explained, so it felt really rushed and cheap to me.

I'm glad I borrowed the book from my brother instead of buying it - you might want to see if your library has a copy of it to borrow it from them. If you're a Star Trek fan, it's probably worth a read, but I would have felt ripped off if I actually paid full price for the book.

I own this book. It was good but the trio of Spock, McCoy, and Kirk doing their things together as only they can do is lacking, and thats a bummer. The idea of the book was good though I think that the ending was somewhat of a let down. It was a little too easy to stop the destruction of warp drive engines. All in all it was enjoyable read, and if you're interested in Star Trek novels of the orignal series, this is a very good one to get the closure from the series that started it all.

I have a huge issue with this author. Everything that I have read by her (which is 6 or 7 books) has been either poor or awful.

Her plots are usually pretty amateur 'B-movie' afairs and have some major plot holes, but I wish that was the worst of it. My main objection is that her writing style and characterisation is what you would expect from a cheap romance novel - it stops just short of heaving bossoms...

This is a pretty poor effort and I would really advise any prospective reader to give this and her other books a wide berth, particularly her Voyager : Spirit Walk books which are staggeringly bad (go straight to the Kirsten Beyer ones instead).

Kirk and crew deserved a better send-off than this...

This is the best of the post "Star Trek VI" books and promises one last great adventure for Captain Kirk and his crew. This book delivers and we find Kirk, Checkov and Scotty as the main characters in a story involving Kirk's nephews and a far flung world they wish to colonise. We see the early efforts that would lead to the Federation/Klingon alliance. Even Captain Sulu and the Excelsior make an appearance in time for a confrontation that reveals betrayal and old enemies alike. Without giving too much away this novel is truly a worthy epilogue to the classic era of films. And it is with great pride that I recommend it to you all.

Best known to trek fans for her highly praised Voyager novels, Golden has done an outstanding job capturing the spirit and characters of TOS in this delightfully alluring adventure. Golden is a true fan and her appreciation for the characters and their place in the Star Trek mythos shines through every time she writes.

Following the events of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" the crew of the former USS Enterprise have moved on with their lives. Scattered across two quadrants pursuing their individual assignments some are more content than others. Feeling restless and more than a bit bored with his teaching assignment at Starfleet Academy, James T. Kirk decides to join two of his nephews in the effort to found a new colony on a planet they have named Sanctuary.

The colonists soon realize that they are little more than pawns in an intricate plot to exact revenge on a new Federation member world. A plot that could bring the Federation and their allies to their knees. While Kirk, Scotty and Chekov race against time to foil those who would destroy all the Federation has accomplished, they find themselves getting unexpected help from both old comrades and new friends.

If you're looking for a diverting, fervent, and enterprising Star Trek adventure you need look no farther than "The Last Roundup". It's the perfect title for anyone who wants to unwind with a classic trek escapade.

Set in the aftermath of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country", this is an adventure that deals with the crew of the Enterprise as aging, post-Enterprise members of Starfleet, mostly going their own separate ways. If that, and a lot of complaints about aging, aren't your cup of tea, then there is a definite downside to this book. But it IS handled well, so you may find it to be more interesting than you would think even if the idea DOES sound dull.

Furthermore, this is one of those "Kirk & co. save the Federation and civilization as we know it" storylines, but it's handled better than I've ever seen the idea handled before. Most of the threats of that magnitude seem contrived, and the idea that our heroes can stem the tide even more so. But in this story, the threat seemed VERY plausible, and given the nature of it, the solution seemed equally plausible.

One of the best original series "Trek" books I've read in quite a while.

The Last Roundup is a Star Trek tale of Captain Kirk's final adventure before the events of Star Trek: Generations. This being the final adventure, there are a lot of "I feel old" moments from Kirk, as well as a few of the other characters. There are discussions of age and how things must finally be handed over to a new generation. It's also quite a nice book, though it's very light without a lot of substance.

First of all, I will say that this isn't necessarily the "final adventure" for Captain Kirk, and it certainly isn't for the rest of the crew, who pop up in various books that take place after Generations. The reason it's not Kirk's is because, while the epilogue takes place just as Kirk is getting ready to go inspect Enterprise-B, it takes place months after the end of the story, so there is definitely room for more. Not that I think there should be, of course.

Now, as for the book itself, it should make any Trek fan happy. It's a thoroughly competent, enjoyable story. There's just not a lot of meat to it. It's pretty short with a large typeface, so it's a quick read, and I certainly wouldn't pay hardcover prices for it. If you're looking for depth, go elsewhere. If you're looking for yet another adventure with some of your favourite characters, then this would be a good pickup at the library or in paperback.

My first complaint about it is that the original crew doesn't figure in it very much, with the exception of Scotty and Chekov. That's not necessarily a bad thing, of course, as some of the better Trek books have involved only a few of the characters. The problem is that they are featured in quite a few scenes, so why not make them a bigger part of the story? As it is, they take up space that could have furthered the story elsewhere. Uhura and McCoy are especially given short shrift. They are helping Spock with the Klingon peace negotiations that resulted from the events in the movie Star Trek VI. A number of scenes of these cultural and medical exchanges happen at the beginning of the book, but that's the extent of their contribution. Sure, they go along for the ride with Spock after Kirk is reported missing, but they don't actually do anything. They're background material, and they deserve better than that in their supposed "final adventure." Sulu is given just as short shrift, but he does get a couple of juicy scenes that also set the stage for future Sulu novels if Pocket Books is so inclined. He's characterized very well, overall.

Not only are some of our favourite crewmembers sidelined, but their stories introduce more superfluous characters that clutter the book. The Klingon opera singer is just filler, giving Uhura somebody to play off of (which, since Uhura doesn't do much involved with the story, seems even more needless). The Klingons are only in the book to get Spock and the rest involved. They don't do much but talk, fire a few weapons, and act as ferries for our heroes.

The story, what is left of it, is actually pretty good. Kirk is feeling his age, and he's feeling useless. He doesn't want to be stuck in a classroom, but there's nothing else active for him to do. He wants to be in Starfleet, even if it only needs him as a teacher of the young. The dynamics of Kirk's story are well done, with Kirk being involved just enough to make him the obvious hero of the story, but enough happens despite his actions or before he can intervene that he is shown that maybe it is time to stop pining for another starship. He realizes that he has a new role in life, and that he must embrace it. I thought Kirk's thought processes through this entire book were wonderful and Golden is to be commended for creating a story where Kirk has to deal with this without wallowing. As a caveat to my point about McCoy above, he does figure very prominently in Kirk's conclusions, and the final talk between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy is a wonderful tribute to the friendship these three share. As a Trek fan, I was moved by this scene, and it made the book worth finishing.

None of the other characters are very interesting, though they do serve their parts well. Skalli, a cadet who becomes very attached to Kirk and serves as an illustration of what Kirk's reputation can do, is the most well-rounded. Some have complained that she bounces back and forth between overly emotional and enormously competent, but I think Golden pulled off the difference. I think readers who feel that way missed the point. Like Kirk, they just saw the hysterical, annoying character, not realizing that it's perfectly possible for that sort of person to be skilled. I did find her annoying at first, but I warmed to her after a bit. There's also a female admiral who Kirk is friends with, and while there is a bit of sexual tension, it's obvious they're just good friends. I'm glad Golden was able to avoid that cliché.

If you're a Trek fan, you'll probably enjoy this story. It's not ground-breaking, but it is pleasant. Just don't buy the hardcover. The story's not meaty enough to support it. Check it out, or pick up the paperback. It'll still be there when you're ready for it.

David Roy