A.C. Crispin is among that small handful of pro writers who can be counted on to handle classic Star Trek fiction well, but this is not her best effort.

Overburdened with a let’s-destroy-the-Federation plot based on complex, convoluted intrigues which have been decades in the making, and festooned with not just one, but two young-love subplots, the essential story – that of Sarek – threatens to disappear entirely.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is, Sarek is a tough old bird (as any devoted Trekfan already knows), and he is not about to surrender without a fight. When Crispin isn’t wrangling intergalactic warfare issues, she turns an insightful eye on the formidable Sarek of Vulcan, his human wife, Amanda, and his often-estranged son, Spock.

Father and son are again banging heads here, this time over Amanda’s impending death, when Sarek chooses to abandon her bedside to answer an ambassadorial call dealing with a political issue menacing thousands of lives. Spock is left to witness his mother’s final hours as she repeatedly calls for her absent mate. This pretty well wipes out the tenuous peace that had begun to build between the two men.

The action-adventure portion of the story sometimes forces these two into subordinate roles, though Sarek does reclaim the stage when he faces down the Main Bad Guy (and incidentally provides Peter Kirk – did we mention Captain Kirk’s nephew, Peter, is in the mix here? – with the means to deal with a third-plot-line challenge of his own).

Throughout the build-up to the adventure-plotline climax, Crispin has used flashbacks of Sarek’s early life, particularly focusing on his relationship with Amanda. Formative moments in the family structure emerge, with Amanda’s voice being kept strong in the story through the use of her journals. And once that pesky menace-to-galactic-peace issue has been resolved, it’s the journals that ultimately provide the pathway for father and son to begin a final reconciliation. There’s also some nice foreshadowing here of Spock’s far-in-the-future attempt to reunite Romulan and Vulcan civilizations. ( )

Although it's been partially jossed by Disco, this book is a great bridge from where we see Spock in the movies to where we see Spock in TNG. Also somewhat related to Disco, we see a klingon/human prisoner relationship, although one that's much less fraught than the one in the show! It's a nice parallel to the Sarek/Amanda relationship, too. And more detail about Romulan and Vulcan interactions, obviously building on Saavik's story - all in all I think this is probably one of the more worthwhile books for someone who isn't planning to delve into the whole shebang to read.

This is the story of Sarek, Vulcan Ambassador, his marriage with Amanda Grayson, and his complicated relationship with his son, Spock.

We also follow Sarek's investigation of a plot he first began to suspect years ago, which seems to be coming to fruition now--but he doesn't yet have solid proof.

The Keep Earth Human League, which wants to expel all nonhumans from Earth, but especially Vulcans, has crept along as a minor fringe group for years. Suddenly it has become larger, more active, more visible, and better-funded. Part of Sarek's diplomatic duties has been meeting periodically with a representative of the intensely private Freelans, who reside on a planet in the region otherwise controlled by the Romulans. For some reason, the Romulans have never claimed this world.

The Freelans garb themselves in all-encompassing robes that conceal even their faces. That pinged my "yeah, right" response, and apparently it bothered Sarek, too. He is stepping up his efforts to gather real proof that he can present to the Federation without simply fueling the KEHL conspiracy theories about Vulcans.

Meanwhile, James Kirk's nephew, Peter Kirk, is preparing for his final exams at Starfleet Academy, feeling the pressure of being the nephew of his famous uncle, and realizing he'd really rather be a diplomat. He accidentally finds himself caught up on the edges of a KEHL riot, and turns it into an opportunity to infiltrate and see what information he can retrieve that authorities might find useful. After all, it's what a real Kirk would do, right?

If that's not enough for you, Amanda is dying. Sarek and Spock have both come home, and their fragile rapprochement is holding well--until an emergency on the Klingon Neutral Zone results in Sarek being called back to duty. Amanda doesn't want him to go, but recognizes his strong sense of duty. For Spock, though, Sarek is just once again ignoring Amanda and himself in favor of duty--while Amanda is dying, and unlikely to live to see Sarek again.

All of these plot lines become entangled, with interesting consequences that enlighten our understanding of all the major characters. It's rich and satisfying, for anyone who cares about any of these characters.

Recommended.

I bought this book. ( )

Spock's World plus Sarek - a great pair. Just finished re-listening to Mark Lenard's abridged recording (I've got the unabridged as well. And the book. And the ebook. I really like these classics, don't I?)

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I've always liked A.C. Crispin as a Star Trek writer. I liked how she fleshed out Sarek and Amanda. I didn't care for the heavy-handed treatment of the instant love story between the Klingon and Kirk's nephew. It had an interesting plot and was, overall, pretty good. ( )