Mindshadow (Star Trek #27) [Paperback]

J. M. Dillard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1986

The tranquil planet of Aritani has suddenly come under attack by a vivious and unknown enemy. The U.S.S. Enterprise™ rallies to the scene, only to plunge into a deadly nightmare: Spock is found mysteriously injured, his mental powers crippled and weak, and Kirk uncovers an evil Romulan plot -- with a cunning double agent in the middle. As Spock begins to regain his memory, Kirk strives to expose the agent. But only Spock's knowledge can stop the Romulans...from controliing the universe!

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The tranquil planet of Aritani has suddenly come under attack by a vicious and unknown enemy. The U.S.S. Enterprise^TM rallies to the scene, only to plunge into a deadly nightmare: Spock is found mysteriously injured, his mental powers crippled and weak, and Kirk uncovers an evil Romulan plot -- with a cunning double agent in the middle. Kirk strives to expose the agent, but only Spock's knowledge can stop the Romulans. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek; First Edition edition (January 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671607561
• ISBN-13: 978-0671607562
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,977,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The ending ALMOST made up for a host of flaws., June 1, 2001

By 

James Yanni (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mindshadow (Star Trek, No 27) (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought I saw where this book was going long before the ending, and was severely unsatisfied with what I thought I saw coming. Dillard managed to put a surprise twist on the events of the story at the end that cleared up MOST of my objections, and was actually plausible as an explanation. What I'm left with as an objection is that I still can't accept that Kirk and McCoy were so dumb as not to suspect the newest addition to the crew when there was sabotage and espionage taking place; surely, that would have been the obvious response, even if said new crewmember WAS a very attractive and apparently pleasant person. Nor can I accept the concept that a medical doctor could become lovers with someone whose body temperature was significantly higher than normal without noticing that something ODD was involved. Or that scanners didn't detect anything odd when searching the ship for a missing Romulan, and there was a disguised Romulan aboard. Granted, the visual disguise was perfect, and her blood pressure was artificially normalized, but her body temperature was not, and I have real trouble believing that that wouldn't have showed up in a scan.

All in all, the book is well written, stylistically, but the characters, while mostly behaving believably, in a few very key areas are simply mishandled, and there are too many holes left in the plot for a high rating. But the story is too enjoyable for a low rating, either, so a middling three stars seems the only solution. Far from the best Star trek novel I've read, but certainly at LEAST as far from the worst.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Read It & Own It But Don't Dwell On It Too Often, January 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Mindshadow (Star Trek, No 27) (Mass Market Paperback)

I did not really like Mindshadow. I didn't hate it, I merely found it to be an annoying piece of work. Allowing McCoy's relationship with the double-agent to interfere with his friendship was not impossible, merely inappropriate to an old-fashioned Trekkie purist such as myself. The Vulcan-Human hybrid living with Spock's parents, as the flip side of the coin which is Spock's personality, was also quite unthinkable. Sarek would never take such a person into his confidence. Read it for the novelty, but not for a real Trek-experience.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All is not what it seems, February 14, 2008

By 

Jeanne Tassotto (Trapped in the Midwest) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mindshadow (Star Trek, No 27) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Enterprise has gone to Aritani, a peaceful, agrarian non-aligned planet that has been repeated attacked by pirates. While on this mercy mission Spock suffered a horrible accident, one that left him with severe brain trauma. Despite their best efforts, McCoy and the Federation dispatched specialist were not able to repair all the damage, leading them to conclude that Spock was suffering from long term, if not permanent, brain damage. Spock was then sent home to Vulcan to continue his recovery.

Back on the Enterprise both McCoy and Kirk has fallen for the specialist, a beautiful young woman, leading to friction between the two. When additional incidents of sabotage begin to take place Kirk begins to suspect the presence of a traitor onboard, causing him to look closely at all the new crew members who had recently arrived.

This is a special treat for Spock fans, giving lots of attention not only Spock himself but also to his family and Vulcan society. The author has done a wonderful job providing this background material in a well thought out manner without slowing down the flow of the story. In addition the conflict between Kirk and McCoy is treated in a very believable manner.