We get a book, that unlike it's predecessors, doesn't use the potential of the characters being out of a starship, in their own separate ways and situations.

The plot of "Recovery" might as well have been used in any other TOS novel. It offeres nothing but un-beliavabilities by introducing a 100% automated "hospital-ship", that would be a technological marvel even in the era of Enterprise-E and Voyager in the year 2272.

The story is boring and predicteble. Beyond saving by the good writing of Jean Mary Dillard, who has written so much better book in her career that it's a real surprise to find her ending the series like this. We get only one important original character. The one we've seen a hundret times already: the young and eager cadet, who thinks Captain Kirk is a god and perfect in every way, and finally get's to meet him.

The book isn't really closely related to the other books of the series, but it can't hurt to read it as a bad ending.

At leas not much.

Dillard applies her insight into the demented mind to the Lost Years saga. If you like her other books, you will probably like this one.