Blish is a more than capable science fiction author, already familiar with writing Star Trek scripts and has a good feel for characterization and canon (at least up to the 1970/tos point), so this is a solid, fast read. ( )

McCoy the solipsist, and a ton of other bad characterization. Nonsensical bits toward the end. Oh, and how about this charming bit of old-timey racism: http://i.imgur.com/jmJpx3Jh.jpg ( )

Always a classic.

While this doesn't compare to my favorite James Blish series Cities in Flight it was a nice interesting story where the characters act as you'd expect from the TV series. Little new however is learned about the characters because of my biggest complaint about the novel, which is it's too short. It's much like an 60 minute episode from the original series. What I did like was the way that Bliss tied this to the original with both a plot heavily dependent on "Errand of Mercy" episode and secondary characters from other Trek episodes. ( )

OK - the first Star Trek story not based on a shooting script, requested by popular demand (fan mail to the author, from readers of his script adaptations.)

What would you do with that opportunity? Let's just say I am unsurprised that Blish's story revolves round a transporter accident. The technology raises heaps of questions in the minds of anyone with the slightest philosophical bent - and any decent SF writer fits in that category. Also, at the time, most of those obvious ideas hadn't already been used three times each...

The book opens with Bones waxing metaphysical with Scotty and Kirk being surprisingly willingly dragged into the debate. Not long after, a transporter accident makes the theoretical discussion all too real, and threatens the very existence of the Federation, to boot. A good deal of care was put into developing a story that fits the characters and background of the TV show. Indeed, in an utterly non-preachy way, Blish pushes the values of equality and non-prejudice espoused by the Federation even further than the broadcasts did, by giving Uhura much more prominence and effective input.

I can't help feeling that Blish had his tongue in his cheek, affectionately, too, though: mastery of James Joyce helps in the field of practical cryptology and Scott's accent varies from barely comprehensible Glaswegian to completely neutral, depending on his stress-level, as if Blish is taking the mick out of James Doohan's portrayal...

(Anybody who knows Blish's work well will recognise that James Joyce was something of an obsession of the author.)

It's an easy, entertaining book that Blish manages to turn into a good opportunity to examine ideas that interested him and I therefore strongly recommend it to Blish fans who might feel reluctant to read a "tie-in" novel. It's not first-rate, but it's worthwhile. ( )