William Shatner doles out another ‘Kirk is the best captain ever’ tale with the Reeves-Stevens helping him out. I make it sound like I didn’t like the book, I did, but I hate how even now, Shatner, goes out of the way to make sure that Kirk is portrayed as the smartest, strongest, most attractive character in the Trek universe. Sometimes it gets to be a little much.

And while a number of characters across the timelines get name-checked or are actively involved in the story, it’s a ‘Kirk’s the (reluctant) hero’ played out yet again.

This time, the past comes calling in the form of the mirror-universe, tying in The Original Series episode with the events depicted in episodes of Deep Space Nine. An alternate version of the Voyager drifts into Federation space broadcasting an SOS, and the Enterprise-E under Captain Picard find themselves running afoul of a mirror-universe crew who want to seize the Enterprise and transport it back to their realm to use in the war.

Meanwhile, Kirk still happily retired on Chal with Teilani but she urges him to go out one last time, to make sure that this is what he truly wants. He too runs into mirror-universe characters, including Spock, still with his goatee, though much older, and an alternate Janeway, who, of course, attempts to throw herself at Kirk, because he’s Kirk.

They want Kirk to help save their universe, to help make up for the things his alternate, Tiberius, has done, and stop the theft of the Enterprise. Kirk agrees only when he learns that Teilani has been kidnapped,but Starfleet may not be willing to help him out, or at least the mirror-universe replacements hidden in Starfleet may be trying to stop him.

With some familiar faces at his side, Kirk sets out to rescue Teilani, help alternate Spock, and pair up with Picard, yet again. And, just in case you were starting to enjoy yourself, and hoping for a stand-alone story, it runs right up to a not-unexpected cliffhanger, which sets up the second book, Dark Avenger, what becomes known as The Mirrorverse Trilogy.

It’s not a bad story, but I think Shatner really needs to let the other characters shine. It’s all Kirk all the time, and as much as I love the character, it gets to be a little much. Let someone else have a moment Jim!

Somewhere down the line I will, of course, see what he does with Dark Avenger, and the third novel, Preserver, but there are other journeys with the Kirk and company that I’ll be exploring before that as I boldly go through Simon & Schuster’s Star Trek library!