REVIEW: Is David Mack's Latest Star Trek Novel a Triumph Or A Let-Down?

The cover art for Harm’s Way, by David Mack.

DECEMBER 2, 2022 - Firstly, I wish to thank Gallery Books for the advanced copy of Harm’s Way, by David Mack, for the purpose of this review. Secondly, this book review does contain minor spoilers. Lastly, the opinions expressed in this review are the reviewer’s and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DSTN, or its staff.

The official blurb for the book is as follows: 

Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise go in search of a missing Federation scientist—only to become trapped between a Klingon warship and Starfleet’s mysterious Operation: Vanguard.

The book begins one month after the events of the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Amok Time”, and roughly a week after the events of the episode “The Doomsday Machine.” Mack went on and on about the doomsday machine.  He likewise went on and on about Amok Time and T’Pring’s logical treachery against Spock.  He went on so much about these events that it seemed to be written for someone who has no idea whatsoever about these episodes and needed to be caught up to speed about them, so as to understand the events in this story.  It immediately becomes redundant for the reader, and as they go on for several pages, it likewise becomes weary as well.    

Kirk is on edge and is tasked with writing the condolence letter to Matt Decker’s family with no idea how to begin it, let alone write it.  (Though it would, in reality, be the admiralty’s responsibility to perform this task.) 

The Enterprise is quickly dispatched to Kolasi III where they are following up on the Vanguard events from previous novels. When they arrive, they find that a small 14-person super Federation scout ship, highly maneuverable and stealthy, is there as well, manned by Captain Nassir.  This immediately sets Kirk on edge. 

Chapter 5 begins with Kirk wanting to know why a smaller Federation exploratory vessel was in the Klingon neutral zone and reads as follows.  “Kirk bellowed, ‘I just want to know what you and your ship are doing in this system!’”

Kirk’s frustration darkens into anger, and for a moment Nassir really has to wonder whether Kirk was the sort of man who would order his crew to fire on and destroy a fellow Starfleet vessel. The captain’s fear turns abruptly and now we see him trolling Kirk.  Another excerpt: “Around him, Nassir heard his bridge officers doing their best not to laugh as he made sport of tweaking Kirk’s infamous temper.”

Shortly afterward they decide to send a landing party to the surface, and Scotty needs to strip a shuttlecraft to not much more than bare bones so that it can be re-outfitted with the shields and ablative armor necessary to make it through the hostile environment so as the land on the planet’s surface.

Some of Nassir’s crew join the landing party with Spock and co, and some of the Enterprise’s crew join the small science vessel to fill in the gaps that are left as a result. They soon see a Klingon Vessel, commanded by Kang, en route to the planet as well and decide to speed things up to get the shuttle safely off the ship before the Klingons can come in and destroy them.  Kirk decides to hide the Enterprise behind a nearby moon so as to avoid detection. Spock leads the team, as well as Sulu, Chekov, and supernumerary officers while Scotty assumes the temporary role as the first officer on board the Enterprise.

On the planet’s surface, Klingons, led by Mara, Kang’s wife, have also landed and, like the Federation, they are looking for Doctor Chunvig, a Klingon scientist who has genetically modified herself and has become the ‘Godhead’. She is controlling the Shedai threat, which includes the Chwii who become the local soldiers.  

After both the Federation and the Klingon teams have been bested by the threat, they run into each other, and by necessity, they join forces and work together to eliminate it.

The book then flips between chapters of the landing party on the planet trying to defeat the threat and being bested by the natives, and then back in space with Kirk still hiding behind the moon.  And still hiding behind the moon. And still hiding behind the moon.  

The story itself was interesting and the Federation-Klingon co-op was handled well.  However, many of the lead characters were not depicted in the book as they were portrayed on TV. In addition to Kirk’s well-known temper and his shouting at the captain of another Federation vessel, we also see him dressing down Scotty, who, acting as the first officer, makes a suggestion that he doesn’t agree with.

We also see Nogura hurtling insults and personal attacks at a superior officer, telling him that he’s irrelevant and that the entire Admiralty knows he’s a joke, so he has no qualms about being rude to a court-martialing degree.

The Klingons talk and act like human teenagers. Telling jokes, making snide comments and chiding each other while on the surface of the planet. A female Klingon tells her counterpart that he’s had too much blood wine, and his reply is “I’m not as think as you drunk I am.”

Spock is free-climbing a mountain and installing anchors for the rest of the crew to climb up behind him. Realizing that it may technically be a Prime Directive violation, he decides not to enter it in his report. Later when he and the Klingons are in a prison cell, Mara asks him if he’s telepathic and his Vulcan heritage does not allow him to lie, so even though he doesn’t wish to disclose the information, he does.

There were many modern-day (20-21st century) idioms that pulled you out of the book: the situation had become a total FUBAR; Spock was starting to suss out patterns and predicates; trying to explain a point to a particular crew member was as pointless as a vegan barbecue.

The book was interesting and while the “stranded on a planet and forced to work with the enemy” trope has been done many times over, it was well-written and enjoyable. However, the things that pull you out of the story, really pull you out.  It breaks the fourth wall; sadly, however, it does not intend to. 

If you’ve read the previous books in this series, you’ll want to read this one as well.  If you’re a fan of David Mack’s you’ll likely enjoy this book. It was a typical, if predictable, adventure.  I give the book 3.5 stars.