In the previous New Earth novel, the Enterprise battled and destroyed a Kauld ship, which crashed to the surface of Belle Terre. In this book, we learn that the incident was a ruse to infect the ecosystem of Belle Terre with an invisible substance called siliconic gel. The gel is slowly replacing the air on the planet, making it uninhabitable to humans. Because the colonists have cannibalized the ships that brought them to Belle Terre, evacuation is impossible, and Kirk and crew must track down the Kauld scientist responsible for the attack in hopes of reversing the process.
Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch are not my favorite Star Trek writing team. Their prose is often utilitarian to a fault, fraught with bland descriptions and thin characterization. This is a shame, especially considering that they are writing an entry in a miniseries co-created by Diane Carey, who has one of the most lush and imaginative writing styles I've encountered in Star Trek fiction. However, they have constructed a good plot here, which, while not as exciting or interesting as previous books in the series, nevertheless is a solid science fiction story with a good mix of action and intrigue. The threat of the siliconic gel is unique, and lends a creepy atmosphere to the novel. As characters encounter the substance, the feeling is compared to having spiderwebs covering your entire body. Given this description, when entire communities become blanketed in the gel, I was reminded of the final scene in Kingdom of the Spiders, a cult classic B-movie starring William Shatner. I have no idea if this was intentional.
Thin Air is not one of the strongest entries in the New Earth series, but it's still not a bad novel by any means. Next up is the final book in the series, written by series co-creator Diane Carey. My expectations are appropriately high.
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