Twenty pages in, there were enough strikes against War Dragons that I doubted I would enjoy it. The whole "Captain's Table" concept turns out to be misleading; there's no time warp that allows Kirk/Picard/Sisko/Janeway to tell stories to each other - even though a look at each cover strongly implies it. The frame story involving the Captain's Table bar is weak and unconvincing. Kirk's and Sulu's stories are told in voices that do not sound like Kirk or Sulu; nor are they told in ways we'd expect a story to be told at a bar. Too much introspection, too much detail.

And yet War Dragons is one of the better Star Trek books out there. The plot structure is intriguing. Kirk's and Sulu's stories occur twenty years apart and are told in alternating chapters until they converge for the last third of the book. Each story has plenty of suspense and action and, once one puts aside the frame story, are well-written. There are excellent Trek moments, including a charming description of the beginning of Kirk & Spock's working relationship, and a tasteful cameo by Tuvok. Also interesting is the idea that Sulu pegged Chekov to be his first officer; Graf successfully explains Chekov's eventual return to the Enterprise.

Not great literature, of course, nor great science fiction (read Harry Harrison's West of Eden for a masterful treatment of reptilian cultures that speak with physical movement as well as verbal cues). It is, however, very good Star Trek - amusing, entertaining, and satisfying.

I really enjoy the founding premise of this series; the stories told in the first person narrative of the captains themselves. However, I found the bar interludes a little cheesy. I find it hard to believe that in this particular time frame a Klingon or a Gorn would find themselves at a Federation outpost, especially Utopia Planetia.

I was a little disappointed by how Sulu was characterized, a little too soft for my taste. Specifically, all that business about the lizard he found in the gardens. I haven't found a story beyond those of canon, yet, that has really captured the Sulu we know and love. The characterization of Kirk was pretty on. What really halted me on the story was in the characterization of Chekov. A lot of his character development is based on a faulty premise. The premise being that the crew of his first command post, The Reliant, had been killed during the Kahn incident. That is completely UNTRUE. It is KNOWN that Khan did not kill the crew of the Reliant, he stranded them down on Ceti Alpha V. After the incident Kirk returned with the Enterprise to pick them up. I might as well have been reading unlicensed fan fiction. The whole mess developed Chekov in to someone he shouldn't have been.

That part aside, the book wasn't bad. One of the cool items was the FL-70. A neat piece of technology, wouldn't mind seeing it again. A decent plot, however, not so much a page turner as others I've read. I hate to come off as a total Trekkie crank, but someone had to do it. The book is worth a read if you are bored or are delving into the whole Captain's Table series as a whole.

The first "Star Trek" novel to be told from the first person perspective through the eyes of captains James T. Kirk and Hikaru Sulu is a treat to read. Each character takes turns telling his story and it works rather well. Graf has captured both captains well and getting to hear their takes on things is a real treat. The best part is the first half of Kirk's story that deals with his first days as captain of the Enterprise and the building of the legendary crew as a unit, working together. After that story ends, it's a rather pedestrian affair to stop insterstellar war in the movie era. However, based on the strength of Kirk's narrative in the first half of the novel, I highly recommend it.

Well it is clear that this concept has long since run out of steam with this the fourth, and easily the weakest of the series. It boggles the mind that the garbage that is in this collection could be the best of the "hundreds" of submissions. In fact many of the stories in this collection are either pointless drivel or obvious plagarism from original scripts. (* I can't help wonder what the original writers of the shows must think when they see their ideas trashed by well meaning but misguided fans !) Of course much of the blame must be directed at the editors who choose the works that go into these books, as it was their job to assemble original, exciting and worthwhile contributions. Unfortunately this collection has few worthy efforts and as for a fifth book, well I think they should quit now, before they do any more damage to the Star Trek legend.

This is the fourth installment of the Strange New Worlds series highlighting new talent writing the the genre of TREK. Talented fans submit short stories written for a contest for publication.

In the past, we saw some exceptional talent and originality, storylines that took you to areas of TREK that only short stories could. This anthology was engaging but fell a tad short of the prevoius three. I'm sure the fans have not lost interest, but I'm wondering if the editor has or maybe his direction and view of the TREK universe has been skewed.

There are 22 short stories contained in the anthology that continue in the different genre of the TREK series. I found that these stories to be good and thoughtfully written. Entertaining to a degree but a spark missing.

I wouldn't pass this volume up though as it will show the maturing process of some very promissing writers... future of TREK is in these pages a little recondite, but emerging nonetheless.

If you ever wanted to grow up to write Star Trek books or movies-- get this book. I must disagree with most of the other reviews-- this book IS worth having for any Trek fan. (For non-fans you probably won't be interested.)

I will agree on the point that this book is not as strong as the first three, but that it is only off by a little. However, to say that the stories were not as strong, or somehow less than the other three is not true.

You will enjoy at least one story from each section, The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager for sure. For die hard fans you get to read stories by other fans! For would-be writers, actors or producers, the series shows you how 20+ people with no publishing experience can write a story and get it published.

Bottom Line: Its worth the paperback price and more.