The Lost Years Review

This is the first of the “Star Trek the Lost Years” Series. The whole series maps out what happens in the time between the end of The Original Series’ five year mission and what occurred in the first full length feature film, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”
This book picks up with the docking of the Enterprise and her decommissioning. It then follows the triumvirate of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy and where they start to go after their time on the Enterprise. With this story unfolding of the three lives of the main characters, there is a background story of an ancient rivalry on Vulcan that divided the philosophies that shaped and molded Vulcan thought and culture.
A secret that the Vulcans have been keeping resurfaces and threatens the galaxy and possibly beyond with Romulan intrigue and espionage being involved as well. As this goes on Kirk battles with his career choices, Spock battles with his life-path choices, and McCoy battles with his romantic interest choices.
The three have taken their individual paths, but the background Vulcan, Romulan, galaxy drama will bring them back together, with each being different in and of themselves and not fully understanding the difference in each other. The three will face challenges both individually and corporately that could well shape the future of the galaxy. What is new?
It is an enjoyable with a good story line that is meant to set the stage for the other books in the series. When one reads this book, he or she will better understand why each member of the triumvirate are where they are at when Star Trek the Motion Picture begins.
I recommend the book for the avid Star Trek fan and for the novice alike. There is enough of what we are familiar with in Star Trek to keep the avid fan’s interest while filling in some gaps and answering some questions they may have had. It is also a good enough story to catch the attention of someone with a limited Star Trek background.