Review: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Ring of Fire
With Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Ring of Fire, veteran Star Trek novelist David Mack returns to the final frontier, proving once again his masterful ability to capture the voice and spirit of a Star Trek crew. The novel is a taut, escalating thriller that successfully translates the high-stakes, character-driven adventure of the television series to the page, even if its central emotional conflict doesn’t quite resonate with the depth it aims for.
The story, which takes place between the season two episodes “The Sehlet Who Ate Its Tail” and “What is Starfleet,” drops Captain Pike and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise into a mission at the secretive Kathara Station, a research facility precariously perched above a black hole. They are tasked with investigating murder and sabotage that threaten a top-secret scientific endeavor. Mack excels at building this little corner of the Star Trek universe, making Kathara Station feel like a lived-in, volatile tinderbox of secrets and scientific ambition. The setting itself – a research station one wrong move away from being sucked into a black hole – is classic Star Trek, and Mack uses the inherent danger of the location to great effect.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its consistent pacing. From the moment the Enterprise arrives, the situation deteriorates in a beautifully controlled cascade of disaster. Our protagonists’ initial investigation quickly spirals as new threats emerge, loyalties are tested, and external enemies striking from within threaten our protagonists. Mack weaves together the plot threads of Una, Spock, and La’an’s investigation into the station’s crew, the simmering romantic tensions between Spock, Chapel, and La’An, and the overarching sabotage plot with expert precision. This palpable sense of urgency feels right at home in a modern-day Star Trek story. We felt the pressure mounting on the crew as every option seems to lead to a worse outcome.
After the office’s double doors slid closed, Valkeya sat and stared at the countdown. After all these years, and all this work, she wasn’t going to walk away now.
She would finish the mission even if, sadly, it cost the lives of her team, the loss of Kathara Station, and the destruction of the Starship Enterprise.
– Passage from Ring of Fire.
There’s some great character work elsewhere besides the usual suspects. Station Director Valkeya is a particularly interesting addition to the main cast, as her secretive motives are constantly in question by our protagonists and, by extension, the readers. As revelations about her past give her a sympathetic quality, readers will soon be rooting for her as her mission faces constant threat. Fans of Sam Kirk, meanwhile, who we didn’t see much of in season two, will be pleased to find he has a prominent role here as the Enterprise crew troubleshoots issues on the station. Unfortunately, Chief Engineer Pelia remains as grating a character here as she is on screen; her relentless criticism of Scotty, while perhaps intended as tough-love mentorship, comes across as more abrasive than endearing. To Scotty’s credit, he does stand up for himself against his antagonistic boss, something we hope to see more of on screen.
Where the novel falters, however, is in its exploration of Captain Pike’s past trauma. We learn Pike is haunted by a mission to this same black hole 16 years prior, where he witnessed the loss of an unknown ship in the destructive environment around the black hole despite his best efforts. This event is positioned as the source of a deep-seated anxiety that plagues him upon his return. The problem is that the trauma itself feels underdeveloped. As the narrative reveals, Pike did everything by the book during that fateful mission, something he recognizes; the ship’s destruction was a tragedy, but not one for which he was culpable. For a seasoned officer of Pike’s caliber, the level of self-doubt and guilt stemming from this incident in the present day feels disproportionate. We expect to see our heroes grapple with their mistakes, but the emotional weight placed on an event that wasn’t his fault makes his internal struggle less compelling than it should be.
Despite this slight misstep in character motivation, Ring of Fire is a successful entry in the growing catalogue of Kurtzman-era Star Trek novels. Ring of Fire shines as a high-stakes adventure that expertly captures the voices of the Strange New Worlds cast. David Mack’s tight plotting and knack for thrilling set pieces are on full display, delivering a story that feels right at home in the Strange New Worlds corner of the Star Trek universe. It’s a must-read for fans of the show, offering a tense and satisfying new chapter for the crew of the Enterprise.
You can buy Strange New Worlds: Ring of Fire now on Amazon.
If you’re looking for more David Mack goodness, check out the following books we’ve reviewed:
Star Trek: The Original Series – Harm’s Way
Star Trek: Coda – Book III: Oblivion’s Gate
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