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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a bad book., December 23, 2000
On balance, in fact, it's quite good. The regular characters are handled well, we get a better than usual look at the character of Uhura, as well as a fascinating look at the character of Kor, the Klingon commander from "Errand Of Mercy". And while the character of Kor was a bit more sympathetic than I care for (he didn't strike me as nearly such a reasonable fellow in "Errand of Mercy"), perhaps he had, in fact, matured a bit with age, as he himself suggests. Further, we meet an interesting if unpleasant new character, Guy Maslin, a famous musician every bit as mature and pleasant as, say, Mick Jagger in his heyday, or Frank Sinatra, or for that matter, Wolfgang Mozart. On the downside, the ending leaves something to be desired; I find it dubious that beings as powerful and accomplished as the Taygetians were demonstrated to be could possibly have been unaware of what, in the end, the Enterprise crew had to teach them, and the love affair between Uhura and Maslin ends predictably, and unsatisfactorily. A mid-range Star Trek book: much better than many, not nearly as good as others.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good classic Trek novel. . ., June 6, 2002
In my reviews of Classic Star Trek novels, it must be understood that I adhere to the original canon as invisioned by Gene Roddenberry, and not the "Star Trek" universe accepted by Rick Berman and company. I generally rate a classic novel thus: Adherence to Canon -- does this novel adhere to the vision of the original Star Trek? Yes, in my opinion, it does. The principles of the Prime Directive come very much to the fore. Believability (within the confines of 23rd century Star Trek viability) -- is this novel well-plotted and well written? Can I picture this novel or imagine myself in it? Again, yes. Quite so. Coherence and Consistency -- does this novel internally consistent? Is it consistent with other Star Trek novels by the same author? Is it consistent with what is known of the CLASSIC Star Trek universe? Again, yes. The fan of "Classic Trek" will appreciate the traditional Klingons. Mitigating Factors -- pluses or minuses which dramatically affect the enjoyment of this book As someone who appreciates fine music of many genres, the fact that the entire plot was based on a musical theme was an added bit of enjoyment. The notion of the (literally) creative properties of music was also interesting to me as a theologian. (See the creation sequences in both JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis). Altogether, an enjoyable "Classic Star Trek" experience.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT SCI-FI-STAR TREK STORY!, June 24, 2010
Revisiting the Clssic Star Trek Series that spread like wild fire in my youth, I'm glad I picked up The Tears Of The Singers. Melissa Snodgrass really nailed the basics of a great science fiction story and coupled it with a fantastic look into the characters that we only got to know from the television series and movies. Published in 1984 Snodgrass gives wonderful depiction of a rip in space that is threatening to dissolve the planet Taygeta. When members of the Enterprise visit the doomed world they discover that it belongs to the cub like Taygetians who continiously sing but are now being threatened by hunters of the human species. With the help of a prodigy musician/composer Guy Maslin, the federation hopes to break through the Taygetian language and figure out why the rip in space exists. Already a difficult task, the Federation is also flanked with a Klingon ship that demands equal insight into the Taygetians at the risk of a battle. Snodgrass delivers the necessary drama of a Star Trek adventure with fine parallells between the Federation and the Klingons as well as a love story between Uhura and Guy Maslin. All the major characters play pivotal points in The Tears Of The Singers as Snodgrass suceeds in delivering a real fine story.
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