_Vulcan's Heart_ is, quite simply, among the best that the Star Trek novels have to offer. It is a combination of grand events and individual characters that captures the Star Trek Universe in an involving, fascinating tale that is sure to hold the interest of any reader.

_Vulcan's Heart_ combines elements from "Classic Trek", "The Next Generation", and even the authors' previous novel, _Vulcan's Forge_. The tale is set in that largely-unknown time between the original series and TNG, and explores the evolving relationship between Ambassador Spock and Commander Saavik, set against the backdrop of intrigue, Romulan politics, and the heroic death of a starship called Enterprise in an effort to save a Klingon colony.

Characters are key here, because it is through them that we see both the grand events and the personal situations. What's nice is that all the characters are so well handled, from Spock and Saavik to the crews of the starships Stargazer and Enterprise to the key players in the Romulan government. Each major character must make choices, many which are in no way easy, and the way each character responds to his or her choices is handled very well.

Susan Shwartz and Josepha Sherman have truly done their homework, and display both a comprehensive knowledge of Star Trek and a happy talent for combining the many elements of their story to create an enthralling whole. It is truly a wonderful book, a worthy sequel to its predecessor, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who loves a great novel.

"To boldly go where no man has gone before," "Vulcan's Heart" is a Star Trek novel that breaks new ground by treating mature themes in a well-written, compelling manner. Spock would rate this book as "fascinating", his favorite non-emotional expression for a work of the highest logical order.

And well he might, since he's one of the main characters. The team of Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz, two old hands at writing in the Star Trek universe, give us another story set among the Vulcans, and their sundered relations, the Romulans. And, as in their earlier work, "Vulcan's Forge", they have an unerring touch in providing an authentic Star Trek "feeling" to their work. They also continue to write alien characters that are both comprehensible and empathic while still being profoundly "other".

We now find Ambassador Spock, former StarFleet captain, responding to a secret plea from an old enemy and lover, Chervanek, the "Romulan Commander" from one of the most interesting of the old TV episodes. Now, so many years later, the woman, a Romulan of noble descent and impeccable honor, pleads with Spock to save her planet from a vicious, grasping Praetor who plans on launching a quick, dishonorable war against an unarmed Klingon colony to provide cheap glory to his regime.

Setting out without informing anyone, Spock sets foot on a gray, grimy Romulus armed only with some fake ID and his Vulcan DNA, which is identical with that of the Romulans. He finds a society living in the shadow of informants, where Romulans of stature who speak up too loudly suffer convenient "accidents" that not only silence them, but enrich the Praetor. But along with grumbling discontent, there still remains a core of honorable Romulans, who are desperately trying to prevent a dishonorable war of aggression that can only hurt Romulan society, regardless of the benefits that would accrue to their not-so-beloved Praetor.

While biologically identical to Vulcans, the Romulan race is not only highly emotional, but also predatory, at least among the more powerful. Spock must negotiate this emotional minefield while undergoing the Vulcan mating urge of Pon farr, and his betrothed, Saavik, stuck as science officer on a StarFleet ship half a quadrant away, or so he thinks.

At this point, Spock's life becomes really "interesting", as in the Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times." What follows is a compelling mixture of lust, murder, savagery, nobility, captures, escapes, and assorted computer hacking. Oh, and a real hum-dinger of a space battle.

If this was a Star Trek movie, it would be rated "R", as the authors intended. But it's a worthwhile "R", gained by the telling of serious issues in a serious manner. Some things are grim, shocking, or sensual, but they're needed to move the story along.

If you love reading Star Trek novels, this one's for you. If you have never read one, this is the one to start with. It's a perfect example of what two talented authors can do with material they know, love, and respect.

And after you finish the book, pester Paramount to commission Sherman and Shwartz to write a movie script as a PG-13 version of the book. They'd have a hit on their hands that would please Star Trek fans everywhere.

Richard Kirka

VULCAN'S HEART, tells the story of Spock's life and adventures after the "death" of Captain Kirk. It brings together (none of these are spoilers since all of these elements are on the dust jacket): a young Jean-Luc Picard and his ship "Stargazer"; Saavik; the female Romulan commander from TOS: "The Enterprise Incident"; and the "Enterprise-C" from TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise." And it's long: 378 pages. It takes that many pages to tell a story this complex. This is epic Trek at its best.

One of the reasons it's so good is that Sherman and Shwartz were allowed to break most of the long-standing rules of STAR TREK novels. Although under the editorship of John Ordover at Pocket Books, these rules have been broken before (much to the delight of readers), but I don't think there's ever been a TREK novel where so many have been broken *in combination* before. There's sex (it's Pon farr, but not to the level of those "adults only" zines you may have seen at conventions), there's intermingling of the casts (Spock meets a young Picard plus cameos by Tasha Yar and McCoy); there's revisiting minor characters (the Romulan commander, Captain Garrett and crew of the E-C), and there's the raison d'etre of this novel: mapping out a character's history beyond what has already been done on TV and films. All those rules are broken, but because the duo are such good writers, the results are knock-out.

It's several decades after FORGE, and Spock is incognito on Romulus. A dishonorable leader is about to stage an attack on an unarmed Klingon outpost. Spock is going to try to stop it, but - along with Romulans everywhere - he's hampered by experiencing Pon Farr, the Vulcan mating drive which can kill if not satisfied. As you might imagine, he and his bond-mate Saavik aren't exactly at each other's fingertips. Will the two Vulcans get together (this isn't just a question of romance, it's one of life and death)? Will Spock be able to maneuver behind the scenes to stop the evil praetor? Will the crew of the Enterprise-C survive the battle of Narendra III?

The two elements which stand out (the third, a seamless continuity-blending that includes an explanation of why our stardate calendars may not say it's time for Pon farr, but it is, was evident in FORGE, so it and it's coolness need not be mentioned here) are the authors' treatments of honor and sex.

This is a book first and foremost about honor. The Romulans are the enemies of the Federation, but they can usually be counted on to act with a certain honor. Their leader's quest to increase his own political power through a series of easily-won wars against small targets, sets the stage for the woman from Spock's past to appeal to his honor in hopes of overthrowing the praetor. Meanwhile, Spock must decide what are honorable actions for himself, and he must convince a number of other Romulans that acting against their government is the most honorable course of action - as well as the most logical.

Sherman and Shwartz also use the demands of Pon Farr not as a cheap side show, but as a (damn me) logical source of conflict. They have kept in mind that Pon farr is not about sex, but about . . . "biology." Saavik and Spock's link is a condition not merely a choice. Their lives could just as easily have been imperiled by any other Vulcan-specific disease. But Pon farr is so much more interesting.

There may (depending on how well this one sells) be a third novel from Sherman and Shwartz. Do your part to insure that this happens.