Ishmael
Barbara Hambly
Book Description (jacket text):
The U.S.S. EnterpriseTM is on a peaceful mission at Starbase 12 when a bizarre cosmic phenomenon causes a Klingon ship to suddenly vanish -- with Spock aboard for the ride. Spock's last message from the Klingon ship is cryptic and frightening. The Klingons are traveling into the past, searching for the one man who holds the key to the furure. If they can kill that man, the course of history will be changed -- and the Federation will be destroyed!
Opinion:
"Ishamel" is as a Star Trek TOS novel mainly a book about Spock - but even more it is one about outsiders that have to face a foreign environment.
Completely different from the cover text the story takes place mostly in the past of the Seattle of the year 1867 which is built of no more than a few barracks. As Ishmael the half Vulcan who had lost his memory has to live as a foreigner among foreigners. The warmth and the humanity which he encounters make the book so worth reading. Despite of a relatively low number of pages all persons are believable whereby that does not mainly refer to the known series characters: The new figures make the story living. The plot around have only the one reason to create the basis; it is of nearly no importance.
In all "Ishmael" is extremely recommended to people that usually avoid everything labelled Star Trek in general and The Original Series in particular. For Spock fans it is must read, even more so since lots of small hints are hidden inside the text.
