As entertaining as it is scientifically inaccurate.

Barker’s stories are as dark, twisted, and excellent as ever. This edition has several unfortunate typos and for some reason restarts the page numbering for each of the three included volumes, but those are separate considerations from the content. 

A fun adventure mystery in a magical steampunk Cairo of 1912, with djinn and other creatures a part of the world. Really neat worldbuilding and a fun story, though I did figure out the villain quite a ways before the reveal. Can definitely see why this got its Hugo nomination.

Though the framing story takes place just after season one of Picard, most of the story is set just following the Dominion War, with tensions still high among Bajorans, Cardassians, Romulans, and Starfleet, all on a remote Bajoran planet occupied by the Cardassians. Lots of intrigue and mysteries abound.

As with the first, there are lots of giggles as Monroe takes ridiculous questions far, far, far too seriously.

I didn’t find this one to be a strong as the original trilogy, and Asimov’s writing style doesn’t seem to work for me in the context of other Hugo winners published around this time as much as it does with his earlier works. He’s still a very good SF writer, but more obviously one of an earlier era, in both style and in his fumbling around with female characters.

Kirk finds that new allies have some hidden secrets. Another entirely acceptable Trek adventure.

Actually more entertaining than I expected. While it certainly has a number of flaws by modern standards, it wasn’t as bad as I feared. The women, while often very damsel-in-distress being rescued by the heroic men, actually had a bit more agency and capabilities than I expected. The worst aspect, of course, is that the “evolution” from race to race is based in long-outdated theories with a lot of racist underpinnings (darker skin and African features are less evolved than lighter skin and European features). Still, it’s a fast-paced and consistently entertaining adventure in an improbable but enjoyably imagined land. Burroughs definitely had a knack for adventure stories!

Another encounter with the Excalbians — those rock creatures who masqueraded as Abraham Lincoln and other historical characters. They're back (as a new set of historical personages) and looking for asylum. A perfectly acceptable Trek adventure revisiting and re-exploring old adventures.

A decent Trek adventure, with some interesting explorations of the Horta. However, yet another instance of Kirk immediately falling in love with a pretty woman from the planet of the week. I know it’s Trek cliche, but I wish more authors would just let Kirk interact with women as people, instead of so predictably and pointlessly as romantic interests.