Review of "Star Trek: Mudd in Your Eye," by Jerry Oltion

Review of

Star Trek: Mudd in Your Eye,  by Jerry Oltion ISBN 0671002600

Two out of five stars

 It is clear from the title and the cover that this story features the scamp Harcourt (Harry) Mudd. Therefore, one expects there to be a little comedy in the story, as Mudd can be counted on to be obnoxious and create headaches for Captain Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew.

 The story starts out interesting, the two planets Prastor and Distrel have been at war for millennia and it appears that peace is actually at hand. The Enterprise arrives to represent the Federation and they are surprised that none other than Harry Mudd is responsible for the peace.

 It sounds impossible and of course it is, Mudd is there in order to try to enrich himself and things are not what they appear to be. The story then descends into Mudd trying to steal treasures while the war has restarted and rages around him. Even death in this story is not what it appears to be, yet the mechanism is so implausible that it becomes a bit difficult to read through the entire story.

 Kirk and many of the main members of the Enterprise crew are on the ground caught in the crossfire and while they fight bravely they suffer the consequences of innocents caught between two warring groups. As is known before you begin the book, Kirk and company are going to survive the crisis and emerge victorious. What makes a Star Trek book good is how that is done, in this case the path from opening to closing is poorly executed.