Captain’s Peril 
Star Trek 
By William Shatner

    After the shattering events of the Dominion War, Captains Kirk and Picard decide that it is time to indulge in some much-deserved leisure time. For Kirk this means skydiving, pushing himself to the limits as ever and staring death in the face. For Picard, a more contemplative man this means archaeology, so they choose to combine the two. But archaeology is not the gentle pastime it might seem on Bajor, and the first thing they are told is that a murder has just taken place. Their equipment is sabotaged, a child is dying and there is more beneath the waters than a submerged ancient city. Instead of a rest, they are having the archetypal Busman’s Holiday!

       It is not surprising that once again Kirk is the hero in a novel written by William Shatner (with a little help from his friends Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens). This story not only illustrates those prickly, pious and pernicious Bajorans at their annoying best (surely one of Star Trek’s most believable races), but also the differences between the cool, analytical Picard and that hotheaded Boy’s Own character Kirk. As ever with these books this is an energetic page-turner with plenty of derring-do and a few surprises. There is nothing groundbreaking here but it is entertaining stuff nonetheless (possibly more than anything truly groundbreaking in fact). Reprinted from 2002, fans will read and enjoy.