The Assassination Game - Alan Gratz

My life is basically a series of obsessive phases. One of the biggest was Star Trek. Not just any Star Trek, though; the Original Series with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the rest of the gang. Saturday night was rerun night, and every week I'd plop myself down in front of the idiot box and watch the exciting adventures of Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise. Next Generation is okay, but TOS was my first love. Despite the sometimes cheesy acting and low-budget special effects, Star Trek was revolutionary for its time, addressing controversial social issues and always envisioning a brighter future. I've amassed quite the Star Trek collection, especially since the release of the 2009 reboot, which I actually really liked for the most part. One of the results of the reboots is the Starfleet Academy series, which explores the crew's time at the Academy pre-Enterprise. There aren't very many, but the ones I've read so far have been pretty good!

James T. Kirk came to Starfleet Academy to live up to the reputation of his father, a first officer who was forced to take command while his ship was under attack and gave his life to save the crew. The responsibility he feels doesn't keep him from enjoying life at the Academy, though, especially when it comes to female cadets and the secretive rites that help students make a name for themselves. One such rite is the Assassination Game, a glorified version of tag in which players must get their target alone and touch them with a standard-issue Starfleet Academy spork, the victor of which inherits their target's target and so on until there is only one cadet left standing. Hoping to earn some respect and gain the admiration of the fairer sex, Kirk undertakes the game with excitement. It's hard enough to get by under normal circumstances, but it gets even harder when Kirk is assigned to be the personal security guard of the Varkolak, a wolf-like species that is visiting Earth to attend a medical convention and demonstrate goodwill after a period of tenuous relations with the Federation. The distrust surrounding the wild race makes Kirk's job even more difficult, especially when it appears as if there's a terrorist on campus targeting the medical convention. One attack is followed by another and the evidence starts to pile up against the Varkolak, who insist they are innocent.

Meanwhile, Cadets Sulu and Uhura find themselves being invited to join a secret society called the Graviton Society and help preserve the safety of the Federation at whatever cost. But some strange occurrences within the society seem to be related to the recent terrorist attacks, and the cadets are increasingly suspicious of the supposedly beneficent group. With the help of Commander Spock, also a member of the society, they try to uncover a mole in the system.While Kirk, Sulu, Uhura, and Spock are busy getting a piece of the action, Doctor McCoy has finally managed to overcome the slump he's been experiencing as a result of the nasty divorce from his wife and has had his eye drawn to Nadja Luther. Just when it seems like their relationship is starting to progress, McCoy is arrested for possible involvement in the attacks. As the clock starts to tick down for the terrorist's target, our cadets try to unravel the intricate plot and reveal the perpetrator of the real Assassination Game before it's too late.

I usually get a little irate when people try to come up with reboots of things I really like; it makes it seem like they didn't think the original was good enough. That being said, I own all of the Starfleet Academy books that have been released so far, which should demonstrate how much I like them. In the original series, we really don't get a ton of information about the Academy days, so it's really fun to explore them through the novels. One thing I don't like is how they change significant parts of the storyline; in the reboot, Spock and Uhura are in a relationship, which was extremely weird at first and still hasn't lost all of its weirdness. If you don't like pushy, cocky characters, you might think Kirk is a little annoying, but he comes across in a pretty humorous way. Also, the main plot and subplots can get a little mixed if you're not paying attention. Aside from that, if you're a Star Trek fan, I'd definitely recommend it, but be aware of the deviations so you don't almost have a heart attack like I did the first time around! If you're not a Star Trek fan, you can still enjoy the novel with the added bonus of not knowing what's canon.

Pros:

• Star Trek! 
• The Assassination Game (the spork-tag version) is a constant source of humor, especially when paired with Kirk's antics 
•  The plot is more intricate than it appears at first glance so you're kept guessing and addresses some societal issues that pertain to us today

Cons:

• The reboots deviate from the Original Series in some pretty significant ways, which can be a bit of holdup if you're a die-hard fan
•  Kirk's personality can be a little grating after a while (how many times can we read him trying to pick up a girl before it gets old?)
• Sometimes the plot can be a little too intricate and you lose the thread

In case you haven't seen the reboot, here's a trailer for the first one that came out in 2009. Who doesn't like trailers?