First Frontier
Diane Carey/Dr. James I. Kirkland
Book Description (jacket text):
While testing a new shielding device, the USS Enterprise is caught in the middle of a Klingon/Romulan battle. The Enterprise crew rescues a lifepod, and they are confronted by a Klingon who claims to know nothing of human existence. Convinced the Klingon is telling the truth, Captain Kirk hurries to Starfleet Headquarters in search of answers. But upon arriving on Earth, the Starship Enterprise crew finds that Earth is a vast jungle-like paradise where large, reptilian animals rule, with no signs of human life anywhere. Kirk must travel to the past in search of the key to the mystery, or face the destruction of the human race.
Opinion:
Diane Carey authored many Star Trek novels. For most of them it can be said that one is worse than the other. As a collector, however, everything needs to be included - and sometimes, a surprise is the result!
This novel is somewhat longer than average and it is also far better than the work usually published by Diane Carey.
The idea - to confront the crew on a primeval Earth with dinosaurs - is inventive, even though some resemblance to "Jurassic Park" can not be denied. Nevertheless, this time it is at least not only the usual "We save the world and everything else" story.
The main part of the book deals with the survival in a hostile environment and is written pretty interesting. In addition, there are some turns in the story. That's why the book is a nice read and can keep the reader interested till the end. The characters are portrayed well and don't appear as lifelessly as in many other works.
A little odd is the co-author named on the cover which appears to be a joke. I still don't know whether the name "James T. Kirkland" is meant for real or as hoax. Somehow, however, there has to be an explanation that this book is so much better than the other books by Diane Carey, hasn't it?
