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gingerreader99's review
5.0
I think what really did it for me was the awesome character work for McCoy. Every time it cut away to Kirk's mission I was only partially interested , however McCoys plot thread was great. All of his inner turmoil bubbling over was exciting and the filling in of backstory (whether it's canon or not tbh I do not know) was thrilling. It added a depth I didn't know I needed to McCoy but now I am glad I have.
djwudi's review
2.0
Much of the story focuses on McCoy being forced to deal self-doubt driven by his past mistakes. While it’s meant to be an exploration into McCoy’s psyche and history, it ended up just kind of dragging on and getting monotonous.
julieannasbooks's review
3.0
Star Trek: A Choice of Catastrophes is an original series novel that mainly follows Dr. McCoy. After returning from a mission to deliver medical supplies, and while nearing planet Mu Arigulon, The Enterprise begins to undergo a series of strange events. It starts with power failures, then excessive turbulence. Then, one by one, several people onboard enter comas with no explanation. Dr. McCoy is unsure of the root cause, and while he searches for answers, he finds himself plagued by something brewing inside.
Over time I've collected quite a few Star Trek novels (mostly TOS), and this book was the first one I came across (and the first one I'm reading).
In theory, this book was an interesting mesh of a plot-based story that was also character-focused. While trying to solve the many problems and health crises faced on The Enterprise, Dr. McCoy slowly falls into a battle with his own inner thoughts and emotions that gets to him more over time. In this part of the story, we learn about his personal history and how he found his way to The Enterprise, and his unresolved problems that return to haunt him endlessly. The main problem I found was that despite this focus, none of the characters in this book really drive the plot. Much of Dr. McCoy's emotions are telling more than showing, as we read his inner monologues and that's as far as we see in terms of what he's going through mentally and emotionally. For an action-based plot this style of writing would make more sense, but for something that was so character-centric, it didn't have the same effect.
Regardless of its execution, the story still was pretty interesting, and this book covers a pretty full cast of characters while covering the complexity of the plot all at once. I can't compare A Choice of Catastrophes to other Trek novels as this is my first one, but this book definitely has me interested in what the rest of the Star Trek books have to offer.
Over time I've collected quite a few Star Trek novels (mostly TOS), and this book was the first one I came across (and the first one I'm reading).
In theory, this book was an interesting mesh of a plot-based story that was also character-focused. While trying to solve the many problems and health crises faced on The Enterprise, Dr. McCoy slowly falls into a battle with his own inner thoughts and emotions that gets to him more over time. In this part of the story, we learn about his personal history and how he found his way to The Enterprise, and his unresolved problems that return to haunt him endlessly. The main problem I found was that despite this focus, none of the characters in this book really drive the plot. Much of Dr. McCoy's emotions are telling more than showing, as we read his inner monologues and that's as far as we see in terms of what he's going through mentally and emotionally. For an action-based plot this style of writing would make more sense, but for something that was so character-centric, it didn't have the same effect.
Regardless of its execution, the story still was pretty interesting, and this book covers a pretty full cast of characters while covering the complexity of the plot all at once. I can't compare A Choice of Catastrophes to other Trek novels as this is my first one, but this book definitely has me interested in what the rest of the Star Trek books have to offer.
annabolson's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
brizreading's review
1.0
For something that started with so much promise - a McCoy-centric tale, full of an irritable McCoy's pop therapist internal monologue (SO MUCH ANGST) - I actually tired of this really, REALLY quickly. I ended up skimming the last third of the book, just to get 1 more towards the damn 2012 challenge (30 books this year!). I can't pinpoint the exact problems, except for a general lack of momentum and uninspired narrative. The big reveals in the final chapter just had no real payoff, since I didn't care from page 1 why the espers (ESP-sensitive crewmembers) were in "mysterious" comas. I also didn't care to see all the characters treated as 1-dimensional stock stereotypes of their former selves ("I dinna care!" Scotty thickly demands... while Kirk punches aliens in their "eye stalks"... and Chekov needs to be comforted while he cries...). The alien race introduced in this book - the Farrezzi - also spoke in a pretty lame attempt at "Look, how funny foreign languages can be, ho ho!" This actually *can* be done well in a Star Trek book, such as the Romulan Way, where McCoy is intercepted by a frantic alien - their exchange is pretty humorous. But, alas, here it just felt dry and boring.
luthien3720's review against another edition
3.0
Dr. McCoy is my favourite character in Star Trek, and this novel lets him take centre stage. Kirk and Spock aren't sidelined, either, as they lead an away team to an eerily abandoned planet that may not be all that abandoned. Each of the main seven stars of Star Trek gets a moment to shine, but this story is definitely centred on McCoy. Readers are given an in-depth look at McCoy's past, and how it affects his present, as he tries to save several crewmembers who have mysteriously fallen into comas following the Enterprise's contact with an anomaly in space. Nurse Chapel has a strong supporting role in the story as well. The two plotlines (the ship and the away team) dovetail nicely at the end.
yoshi83's review against another edition
3.0
The story with McCoy and the Enterprise is interesting. The rest with the shuttle crews was quite tedious.