Not a perfect Trek book, but certainly above average. A touch of Captain Pike and a lot of musings as to the changes in the characters over the years. Aside from a mind meld that seems to me to go against Vulcan ethics, not to mention Spock's own (not that this is entirely rare or even non-canon, given a similar mind meld in Star Trek VI), Peter David handles the crew with obvious affection and a good dose of humor.