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thebeardedpoet's review against another edition
3.0
This story is heavily padded on the front end to expand it into a novel. It would have been so much better if the second half had been offered up as a short story. Overall, it served its purpose as my bedside reading to help me fall asleep.
taaya's review
2.0
The plot wasn’t bad, but the book could have been shortened and enhanced if they just had left out Miss Coles, as she was nothing but annoying.
Also they left a lot of side plots unfinished. Spock’s out of character-ness that had Kirk wondering? No closure on that. And all those hints that Kirk might feel something for that annoying woman? Why hint at something like that if it’s not only never being mentioned again, but also irrelevant to the story?
And then there’s this typical capitalistic (in my part of the world we also call it American, sorry about that to my American friends) arrogance that was inherent in the early Trek (to be seen in episodes like ‚The Apple‘ as well), that the best way of life is the one where one has to overcome obstacles, where one has to fight and to always achieve new things. That the value of a society is based on how much it achieves, even to the point where it’s seen as better to strive for something that can never be attained, instead of building yourself a stable system that makes everyone happy even if it’s stagnant.
Thinking like that has led to our current system with extreme poverty and extreme riches, with turbo capitalism destroying our planet instead of working on a more sustainable and socially just system.
And while it’s not really the authors‘ fault that at that time in history (and - looking at the health care system today) everything remotely social was seen as communism and therefore evil in the US because people didn’t seem to understand the political theories behind it, it’s really annoying to see Trek reproduce toxic thinking again and again instead of at least just not going into that kind of detail when the story just doesn’t call for it.
Especially given that from TNG on Star Trek is what Political Science scholars call communism thought through and fulfilled to the end, this to me is always a reason to dislike a novel or episode.
Also they left a lot of side plots unfinished. Spock’s out of character-ness that had Kirk wondering? No closure on that. And all those hints that Kirk might feel something for that annoying woman? Why hint at something like that if it’s not only never being mentioned again, but also irrelevant to the story?
And then there’s this typical capitalistic (in my part of the world we also call it American, sorry about that to my American friends) arrogance that was inherent in the early Trek (to be seen in episodes like ‚The Apple‘ as well), that the best way of life is the one where one has to overcome obstacles, where one has to fight and to always achieve new things. That the value of a society is based on how much it achieves, even to the point where it’s seen as better to strive for something that can never be attained, instead of building yourself a stable system that makes everyone happy even if it’s stagnant.
Thinking like that has led to our current system with extreme poverty and extreme riches, with turbo capitalism destroying our planet instead of working on a more sustainable and socially just system.
And while it’s not really the authors‘ fault that at that time in history (and - looking at the health care system today) everything remotely social was seen as communism and therefore evil in the US because people didn’t seem to understand the political theories behind it, it’s really annoying to see Trek reproduce toxic thinking again and again instead of at least just not going into that kind of detail when the story just doesn’t call for it.
Especially given that from TNG on Star Trek is what Political Science scholars call communism thought through and fulfilled to the end, this to me is always a reason to dislike a novel or episode.
vermidian's review
3.0
Heart of the Sun was fun, but ultimately quite slow. The characters seemed accurate to the show and the diversity was great. I loved having a ensign Tekakwitha, who was Mohawk ensign, and Lieutenant Massoud because in most books, they don't even bother to throw in extra side characters of color when they don't have to.
Still, the pace of the plot was incredibly slow. Had the show lasted to the point that this might have had an option of being made a TV episode, I find myself sure that it would not have been interesting enough for an entire episode for show runners. Thankfully, it didn't lose the philosophical nature of the show. It kind of examines degrees of independence from others and how it can become problematic for a society or how it can be good for one. Still, it wasn't a particularly engaging discussion.
I think three stars is fair for Heart of the Sun.
Still, the pace of the plot was incredibly slow. Had the show lasted to the point that this might have had an option of being made a TV episode, I find myself sure that it would not have been interesting enough for an entire episode for show runners. Thankfully, it didn't lose the philosophical nature of the show. It kind of examines degrees of independence from others and how it can become problematic for a society or how it can be good for one. Still, it wasn't a particularly engaging discussion.
I think three stars is fair for Heart of the Sun.
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