I really liked this book. Similar to Belle Terre in that the plot primarily focused on a single threat to the colony world. In that book, it was the imminent explosion of one of Belle Terre's moons. In this book, a gigantic laser beam, built by the aggressive Kauld race, has been fired at the planet. By the time Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise learn about the laser's existence, it has already been fired, and is set to strike the planet in under a week's time. I thought the idea of the laser having already been fired but taking several days to travel at light speed across a large distance was a novel one, a good concept that I don't remember having been used on Star Trek but which is a very Star Trek-esque story, if that makes sense. The authors have a lot of fun with the fact that the Enterprise can outpace the laser, traveling faster than light speed. The ability to outrun the laser does not do them much good, however, as they have no way of stopping such a powerful weapon. There was a lot of tension in this novel that built until the final pages. The story was based on real science but was not overwhelmed by technobabble. Kind of a perfect Star Trek adventure, really.
The authors also did a very good job with the characters. Chekov is absent, having left after the events of the previous novel to join the crew of the Reliant, but all of the other characters have good moments in this book. There is a nice storyline featuring Dr. McCoy and Scotty on an away mission together. Kirk begins a romance with one of the colonists. Even the aliens, particularly the Kauld defectors who inform Bones and Scotty about the laser weapon, are well developed and fun to read about. High marks all around for this fourth chapter in the New Earth saga.
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