A Contest of Principles

Star Trek: The Original Series

By: Greg Cox

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

An epic new Star Trek saga by New York Times best-selling author Greg Cox set during the original five-year mission!

The planet Vok is holding its first free elections after years of oppressive military rule. Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise have been dispatched by Starfleet to serve as impartial observers, but remaining neutral proves a challenge, as Kirk confronts a tangled web of scandal, conspiracy, and assassination plots - with the stability of an entire sector at stake.

To make matters worse, Dr. Leonard McCoy has vanished while on a mission of mercy to Braco, a nearby planet only a system away. With Kirk unable to abandon his vital mission on Vok to hunt for his friend, it’s up to First Officer Spock and Christine Chapel to lead a team in search of the missing doctor, even if it means risking whatever fate befell McCoy.

Unknown to his friends and crewmates, however, McCoy has been spirited away to another world, Ozalor, where he’s expected to find a cure for a mysterious ailment plaguing a member of the planet’s ruling family. Torn between his Hippocratic oath and his desire to escape, McCoy finds himself at the center of deadly palace intrigues - and a struggle for power that may ultimately consume all three worlds!

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Excellent story!

Great book. It kept with the tradition of the original series. I truly enjoyed listening to it. Robert Petkoff narration was awesome!!

Loved it

I loved every part of the storyline, the performance of the narrator, excellent as always. Robert Petkoff brings the story to life. He didn't just read the story, he makes you feel like you're right there in the thick of things, for example like when Spock was involved with the mind meld. It was very easy to follow along and made me want to stick with until the end. Which I gladly did.

Excellent Trek story with eerily similar overtones

The book was true to the Star Trek characters we know and love and tells of multiple adventures with one of them having echoes of the current U.S political climate.

Great story

I enjoyed this book very much. I recommend to original Star Trek fans. it was hard to put down.

Wonderful

Parts were slow but it was still good. The idea that the Enterprise counted votes in a world-wide election was interesting. But the Spock/McCoy storyline was my favorite.

TOP NOTCH CLASSIC STAR TREK!

A-Plus effort! Engaging plot lines, classic capturing of the characters of Captain, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy, and great addition of all other important characters, plus a generous feature of Nurse Christine Chapel. I would love to see this author's handling of the Enterprise Crew in the following 2.5 years after the 5-year mission!

My only regrets: A little more verbal jousting/ friendship of Bones and Spock, and more of an enlightenment of Nurse Chapel deciding to pursue becoming an M.D. herself would have been nice. All-in-all, however, a first-class tribute to The Original Series and it's legendary actors - Far preferable to J. J. Abrams' incarnation, in my opinion! A+ narration, too - Well-worth the listen!

Entertaining

As always the narrator is excellent bringing the characters to live. The story is solid and I enjoyed it. It is true to the original series in actions that all take.

Classic TOS style story examining modern issues

Tackling modern social issues through the lens of The Original Series can be challenging because the result can lose that classic Star Trek feel and become a modern reimagining of the TV series. That’s not what I am interested in and that’s not we got with this novel. A Contest of Principles smartly examines today’s political world in a way that feels true to the format and methods of the original Star Trek. It’s a very solid entry into the TOS novel collection and as an audiobook Robert Petkoff does an amazing job as always with the narration.

Good Story

Has a very episodic feel does a good job of showing character growth. The relationship between Mccoy and Spock being one example. Kirk also learns to better utilize his team. It feels like it would've been an episode in season 5 of TOS

Add another must read book!

Add this to your reading list if your an original Trek fan. It is a story that happens the last year of the original five year mission.