Customer Reviews

Lost Years (Star Trek)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dillard does what so many have done since with the TNG gaps between the episodes and the movies, but of course her job is much harder since there were so many character changes between "The Turnabout Intruder" in 1969 and "The Motion Picture" in 1979.

Dillard's insights into the characters are three-dimensional and fit very well into what we would expect on the screen. McCoy acts like McCoy, Spock acts like Spock (with an internal view at the emotions he hides from the world), and Kirk acts like Kirk.

The author does spend many pages tying up the 5-year mission before entering into her main plot for the book, but the storyline gently flows from one aspect of the book to the next. The book follows two seemingly separate storylines: one following McCoy and Spock, the other following newly-promoted Admiral Kirk and his newfound friend Lori Ciana (the girl who screamed and died in the transporter accident in The Motion Picture).

The end of the book brings us about 6 months into the 2-year stint between the series and first movie, leaving plenty of room for the next three books in this saga.

Overall, I enjoyed The Lost Years. It did not overwhelm me with greatness, but it was definitely one of the more enjoyable of the Star Trek books.

THE LOST YEARS answers some of the most often asked question's regarding the original series: what happened after the five year mission ended? It's outstanding premise keeps the regulars together (somewhat), and it creatively hints toward the fact that this isn't the last we'll see of the crew of the Enterprise. Fascinating!

Ever wondered what happened when the Enterprise returned home after its 5 year mission. Captain Kirk gets promoted to Admiral. Spock goes home to Vulcan. And McCoy haves some Medical Lectures. But All in all the crew reunites and this story has 2000 years in the making rather then 5. I enjoyed this tale. It keeps my attention span. A good edition to the star Trek Library.

As a Star Trek fan, I had often wondered how, exactly, the five-year mission of the Starship Enterprise had finished. Had it ended with a dramatic confrontation with either the Romulans or Klingons...with Enterprise limping home scarred yet proud? Why did Jim Kirk accept promotion to the Admiralty? Why did Mr. Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy leave Starfleet?

At least some of the major questions posed above were answered in 1989 when J.M. Dillard's Star Trek: The Lost Years was first published. With superb writing and storytelling skills, Dillard (perhaps now best known for writing all the novelizations of the latter half of the Star Trek feature films) paints a materpiece of Star Trek lore, blending the untold story of the breakup of the most famous crew in Starfleet with a tale of an ancient Vulcan mind-lord's revenge upon the "weak followers of Surak," the Vulcans who chose to follow the path of logic and non-violence after centuries of war.

The Lost Years (which was the first of a four book series set in the two and a half year period between Enterprise's return to Earth and the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture) captures the essence of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the crew so well, you can almost see and hear the original cast members acting out their most famous roles as you read this wonderfully crafted novel.

This book features one of those villains you will just say "This guy is awesome!" and wish you could do some of the stuff he does on your own enemies. (evil laugh) If you're looking for a cops and robbers type Star Trek novel, this would be the one. It's one of those you just want to know how Kirk and his crew is going to get out of their next major catastrophe. One of those "edge of your seat" books.

This novel focuses on several fronts: Kirk's promotion to admiral and his first assignment to negotiate the release of hostages; McCoy's visit to Vulcan's Kolinahr retreat and subsequent hi-jacking by a reincarnated Mind Lord; and how Spock made his decision to enter the Kolinahn discipline. The title is misleading: The story covers a 6-month period after the Enterprise returns to Earth, not 3+years before V'Ger.

this bookm seriously is amazing from the very begining to the very end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i enjoyed this book alot its a fun and great read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This story is of moderate quality in comparison of some of the other Star Trek books from Dillard. It gives some interesting insights on the 3 main characters but it gives the impression of being written as an afterthought.
On the ebook side (on Kindle): the quality would be acceptable for a free e-book from the Gutenberg project but not as a paying version. It has no index or table of contents, the chapter divisions are not marked properly, the styles are not constant through the book and it contains too many typo errors.
Such poor quality editions does only advertise badly for the paying ebooks!!!

I agree on all points with the other 2 star review on all points,
sorry this did not read as classic trek but some bastardized nexgen plotline.
really really sorry but this book was so dull I just hated it.
Only the most hardcore trekkies could enjoy this book, and those that grew up on
next gen.
it only meets the minimal in my opinion of classic trek, and I gotta say again
kirk would not have been in the relationship with the bossy boss.
I grew up on the series in the 70's as well and I gotta tell ya,
I thought this book was horible yes I know I am not in the majority on this one.

I normally avoid romances with original characters, but this book was a treat. The main story and characterizations are strong. More than that, Dillard pulls off relationships for each of our heroes without resorting to stereotypes or mush. The romance isn't overwhelming, it's just a nice, realistically handled supplement to a great pre-movie story. Lots of fun moments for McCoy, if he's your favorite.