Section 31: Cloak (Star Trek) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "On the bridge of the Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk sat back in his chair, glad that he wouldn't have to endure yet another physical..." (more)
Key Phrases: graviton field, cloaking technology, cloaking device, Captain Kirk, Jack Casden, Bendes Kettaract (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

They are the self-appointed protectors of the Federation. Amoral, shrouded in secrecy, answerable to no one, Section 31 is the mysterious covert operations division of Starfleet, a rogue shadow group committed to safeguarding the Federation at any cost.

Once, in order to preserve the galaxy's fragile balance of power, Captain James T. Kirk carried out a dangerous mission to capture a cloaking device from the Romulan Star Empire. Months later, while investigating a mysterious disaster aboard a Federation starship, Kirk discovers that the same technology he obtained for the sake of peace is being put to sinister purposes. What the crew of the Starship Enterprise™ uncovers will send shock waves through the quadrant, as Section 31 sets in motion a plan that could bring the major powers of the galaxy to their knees.

NO LAW.

NO CONSCIENCE.

NO STOPPING THEM.

About the Author

S. D. (Stephani Danelle) Perry writes multimedia novelizations in the fantasy/science-fiction/horror realm for love and money. She is the author of Avatar, the two-volume relaunch of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine® novels, which begins the arc of stories set after the TV series. She's also a two-time contributor to the acclaimed short-story anthology Star Trek: The Lives of Dax. Her other works include the best-selling Resident Evil series of novels, several Aliens novels, as well as the novelizations of Timecop and Virus. Under the name Stella Howard, she's written an original novel based upon the television series Xena, Warrior Princess. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and beloved dogs.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (May 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671774719
• ISBN-13: 978-0671774714
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #438,427 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable classic Trek read, July 13, 2001

By	Michael Hickerson (Augusta, GA) - See all my reviews

After two rather disappointing novels (Rogue and Shadow), the Section 31 novels take a dramatic upturn in terms of quality and storytelling with S.D. Perry's third Trek novel in as mnay months, Cloak. Set firmly in Trek's third season, this novel does what the best Trek novels can and should do--take threads from various episodes and weave them into an interesting, intellignet story. The book succeeds in large part because we get to see some background to events that occur during the third season--most notably McCoy's finding out about his illness that we'll hear about in "For the World is Hollow...." and his coming to grips with that. We've got some nice character work done with Kirk and Perry attempts to explain just why Kirk had so many relationships the third season and does a pretty good job of it.

All of the original series characters are in fine form here. Each gets to contribue a little something to the storyline and the premise. Slipping into and out of Cloak is like seeing old friends--you get to remember things about them you'd forgotten. It's a wonderful and enjoying book that's just right for the summer reading season.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not on par with "Rogue" nor "Abyss," but quite good., July 1, 2001

By	Jonathan Burgoine "bookseller" (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The last in the "Section 31" series I read of the four, "Cloak" brings Section 31 to the Star Trek original series era. Now, I feel it only fair to warn that I have truthfully read nearly none of the original era books in the Star Trek line, and don't often pick them up.

The strengths of "Rogue" and "Abyss," however, made me decide to take the plunge and I'm glad I did. "Cloak" is a good novel, has an excellent place in the Star Trek continuum, but fell short in a few ways.

The characters were very well written, and with a depth I must admit I'd not attributed to the original series characters before. The author's choice to place this story in a timeframe near to some major events in the original series television episodes was a good one, especially on the front of Dr. McCoy.

However, "Section 31" barely seems to be involved in the book. Kirk and company find a runaway starship with a dead crew aboard, and try to unravel the mystery of its sabotaged state, but you don't even get a ghost of Section 31 until the near end of the book, and I was left feeling a little bit shortchanged - I'd rather expected to get a little bit more into the origins of Section 31 with this book, but this book delves the shallowest into the organization of all four books in this series.

All of that aside, I did enjoy this book. The inclusion of such things as the Omega Particle was excellent for continuity, and Spock's brush with the Romulan Commander was very well placed. If I could, I'd give this a "3.5" stars, not just 3.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good effort, October 3, 2001

By	Steven Y. "Pop Culture Addict" (Marvel Universe 616) - See all my reviews

This Section 31 story is pretty routine stuff but the thing about the book that did impress me was author S.D. Perry's firm knowledge of Star Trek continuity. Eagle-eyed fans will notice elements of the book that tie in directly with episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager as well as various episodes of Classic Star Trek. The foreshadowing of McCoy's illness also gives the book a feeling that it is a Classic Star Trek episode placed firmly in the series's third season. I would have enjoyed a little more exploration of Section 31's activities in the 23rd century but all in all the book is a satisfying romp. A good effort that had the potential to be great.