Review of
Kobayashi Maru
Published:
September 2008
Reviewer Rating:
Avg User Rating:
(3.36)
I am split on Kobayashi Maru. There are parts I definitely enjoyed about it, and parts I have big issues with. I will say upfront that my problems with this book don’t outweigh what I liked about it, and generally I consider it better than average.
First, what I enjoyed. I loved seeing the event that would be used time and again in Star Trek as the example of a no-win scenario. After the Maru was introduced but before its ultimate fate I kept wondering how they would manage to set it up. In ever incarnation of the Kobayashi Maru simulation we see later in Star Trek canon, the federation ship answers a distress call from the freighter, only to be jumped by three Klingon Birds of Prey. Vastly outnumbered, the Captain in training must figure out what to do when there is no right answer (unless of course you’re James T. Kirk).
The problem is, the Klingon's are only periphery in this book. Yes, they do show up and even have interactions with Archer and the Enterprise, but they aren’t the antagonist of this story. How does a book all about the building Romulan conflict could end up with the Enterprise facing off against Klingon Birds of Prey. Martin and Mangles found a way. Of course here we run into one of the problematic areas, but more on that in a minute.
I also continue to enjoy the setup of the very quickly approaching Romulan War. I enjoyed it in The Good That Men Do and I enjoy it here. They really make the deck feel like it’s being stacked against the Coalition.
Of course, there are problems. The “ship control weapon” that will be an ongoing plot device for several books, I am not crazy about. For one, apparently no one has ever thought of this before, go to great lengths to disbelieve, even when the evidence is right in their face, and can’t seem to figure out how to stop. It’s just too much of a McGuffin for me. It makes everything just a bit too easy for the Romulan's. I get they want to stack the deck against the Coalition, but it doesn’t make the book feel challenging. It just makes it feel unfair. I just do not enjoy “mind control”, even when it’s on ships rather than people. It rarely plays well, and doesn’t play well here either.
I also continue to not be crazy about “00-Trip and his Adventures in Romulan Space.” It’s not that the plot point is inherently bad, but all the machinations and this guy is double crossing us, no wait, he isn’t, oh wait again, yes he is, is boring. Except for Trip, I don’t care for any of the characters, and a lot of the luster of Trip is wearing off.
An extension of that is the whole thing with Reed and T’Pol, which I I just can’t get behind. Not how they get started, not their experiences during this plot point, and definitely not how it ends. Nothing about this part of the story works for me.
All that being said, it’s still a good, fast paced read. Sure you might skim over some bits, as I did with Trip scenes that bored me to tears, but there are parts that are really engaging. If you liked The Good That Men Do then you will like this. Maybe not quite as much, but pretty darn close.
First, what I enjoyed. I loved seeing the event that would be used time and again in Star Trek as the example of a no-win scenario. After the Maru was introduced but before its ultimate fate I kept wondering how they would manage to set it up. In ever incarnation of the Kobayashi Maru simulation we see later in Star Trek canon, the federation ship answers a distress call from the freighter, only to be jumped by three Klingon Birds of Prey. Vastly outnumbered, the Captain in training must figure out what to do when there is no right answer (unless of course you’re James T. Kirk).
The problem is, the Klingon's are only periphery in this book. Yes, they do show up and even have interactions with Archer and the Enterprise, but they aren’t the antagonist of this story. How does a book all about the building Romulan conflict could end up with the Enterprise facing off against Klingon Birds of Prey. Martin and Mangles found a way. Of course here we run into one of the problematic areas, but more on that in a minute.
I also continue to enjoy the setup of the very quickly approaching Romulan War. I enjoyed it in The Good That Men Do and I enjoy it here. They really make the deck feel like it’s being stacked against the Coalition.
Of course, there are problems. The “ship control weapon” that will be an ongoing plot device for several books, I am not crazy about. For one, apparently no one has ever thought of this before, go to great lengths to disbelieve, even when the evidence is right in their face, and can’t seem to figure out how to stop. It’s just too much of a McGuffin for me. It makes everything just a bit too easy for the Romulan's. I get they want to stack the deck against the Coalition, but it doesn’t make the book feel challenging. It just makes it feel unfair. I just do not enjoy “mind control”, even when it’s on ships rather than people. It rarely plays well, and doesn’t play well here either.
I also continue to not be crazy about “00-Trip and his Adventures in Romulan Space.” It’s not that the plot point is inherently bad, but all the machinations and this guy is double crossing us, no wait, he isn’t, oh wait again, yes he is, is boring. Except for Trip, I don’t care for any of the characters, and a lot of the luster of Trip is wearing off.
An extension of that is the whole thing with Reed and T’Pol, which I I just can’t get behind. Not how they get started, not their experiences during this plot point, and definitely not how it ends. Nothing about this part of the story works for me.
All that being said, it’s still a good, fast paced read. Sure you might skim over some bits, as I did with Trip scenes that bored me to tears, but there are parts that are really engaging. If you liked The Good That Men Do then you will like this. Maybe not quite as much, but pretty darn close.
