Traitor Winds

Star Trek: The Lost Years #3

by L.A. Graf

More than a year has passed since the end of the Enterprise's legendary five-year mission, and Kirk and his crew have settled into their new, separate assignments.

But Sulu and Chekov soon find themselves framed for murder and treason, and the two officers are forced to go into hiding. Admiral Kirk and Lt. Uhura frantically search for evidence to prove Sulu and Chekov innocent and uncover a plot that threatens the very foundations of Starfleet.

The web of conspiracy is woven tighter as the real culprits and Federation agents close in on the fugitives. Unsure of whom to trust and with time running out, the former U.S.S. Enterprise shipmates must once again rely on each other to find the truth and prevent the Federation from facing utter destruction.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Star Trek Original Series, Media Tie In, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy

275 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1994

About the author

L.A. Graf reportedly stands for Let's All Get Rich and Famous. Its a pseudonym used by authors Karen Rose Cercone and Julia Ecklar.

They have co-written some eleven Star Trek novels. Their first Star Trek novel came out in 1990.

Reviews

[Dana (Dana and the Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favourite ST novel (or tied with The Never Ending Sacrifice). Decided to reread this and it still holds up as a favourite nearly 15 years later.

I prefer the novels that focus on the supporting characters of Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura, and this one definitely did not disappoint!

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging story, and well-written...but it doesn't really feel like Star Trek. Still, I give it credit for being better than usual for this series.

[Frank Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gold Star! This is a very good, very Trek story. The crew banter is great and frequent between Uhura, Sulu and Chekov initially and later with old man McCoy. Kirk seems to have settled into his role well even if the odd pang of sentiment for Enterprise occasionally persists. Scotty is hard at work on refit in Space Dock and Kirk seems to be Operations Manager now.

But there's a bit of resentment floating around in regards to our high achieving friends from Enterprise. Chekov is copping it at the Academy from a jealous peer and later Kirk gets an earful of it too from a colleague who claims that Kirk has had it all handed to him.

The main drama is around secrets being stolen and the threat of espionage or treason. However while investigating, the Enterprise crew find themselves coming under the finger.

A classic scenario but again, I felt like the writing seemed more modern than other books written around that time. On my review for the previous book I wondered whether that author had influenced any of the newer authors. So I was amused when I discovered that this author decided to stick a cameo in for someone who would become one of the new authors. Introducing Commodore Keith DeCandido.

Anyway, this is a bit of a high stakes scenario involving kidnap and threats to galactic security but it's really a warm story with lots of personal moments for our friends.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd rate this at 3.5 stars. It's fast paced, and it has a superb handle on the characters of Sulu, Uhura & Chekov. But it also feels very same old/same old...how many times can you tell a Starfleet conspiracy story? To say nothing of the fanwank reuion-fest it becomes as the story progresses. A straightforward, entertaining adventure, but one that wasn't as compelling as I hoped it would be.

[Ken Gulick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing the quest to read every Star Trek novel ever published. Book 3 of the The Lost Years saga continues to be entertaining. Although not as fun as book 2 this has some pretty cool moments with Chekhov, Uhura, and Sulu. On a personal note it was nice to read the characters adventuring about some local areas of mine in Maryland including the Inner Harbor of Baltimore and Assategue Island.

[Vega :)]

gillade att läsa så mycket ur Chakov, Sulu och Uhuras perspektiv. påminde mig i övrigt väldigt mycket om lassemajas detektivbyrå, fast med mer blod. inte en favorit

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

2269 A.D. How did Chekov and Sulu get charged with treason and murder. With the help of the old Enterprise crew they must uncover the guilty parties.
An entertaining re-read.

[Brian Stuhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I will always think of Keith DeCandido as Commadore. :-p

[SamB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wholly enjoyable, an exciting thriller, and nice to see a focus on Uhura, Sulu and Chekov as the POV characters, all of whom are really well written here.

[toastykeptin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pavel Andreievich Chekov is my bias. He's my fave. This book showed how his compassionate ingenuity (with the lack of term for his character trait) is what kept him alive and kicking from the beginning of the plot until the end.

That moment where Sulu, Uhura and Chekov sat down and talked about his Security Schooling, he thought to himself, "Was it worth trying to explain how badly he had wanted to be?" Hit me hard. I felt that. As a person who have struggled through achieving their ambition, Chekov just nailed it on the head and made me root for him even more.

It's a shame I didn't get to see a satisfying conclusion to his character. Maybe there is and I haven't seen it, but as of the moment it's disappointing that Chekov is part of the most memorable team and he's always being cast aside just to be the comedy relief from time to time. And these books written by such authors like L.A. Graf- makes Chekov shine brighter than any stars in the universe. I'm so happy for his character.

The plot is fine, it feels like an episode from the TOS. Would've been pretty sweet if we've seen different POV as the main protagonist of an episode rather than always being Kirk and/or Spock (I know they're vital characters, but I want other characters to shine!!) These books are like the perfect manuscript for those kind of "lost episodes".

[Ben Guilfoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sulu and Chekov are accused of treason and it's up to Uhura and Kirk (and to a lesser extent, Scotty, McCoy, Rand and Chapel—Spock remains a no-show) to help them out. This book was fine; infinitely better than "A Flag Full of Stars," the previous 'Lost Years' novel, but still nothing all that special. On the upside, it puts its focus squarely on Uhura, Sulu and Chekov who are often relegated to background roles even in the novels. On a technical level, this book is well written. Its characterization is spot-on, the action and dialogue are all solid, it's just that the plot and the mystery driving it don't end up being super compelling.

[Oleta Blaylock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well at least this book is more about Chekov and Sulu and Uhura and not about Admiral Kirk. This is a wild ride of betrayal and treason. Someone is trying to frame the bridge crew of the Enterprise and whoever it is does a pretty good job. At one Mccoy is seriously injured and Christine Chapel has to treat him, having just finished her schooling to become a doctor. Kirk is scrambling to come up with a witness to clear Sulu and Chekov so he is out of the picture for most of the story. It was great to see one of the older Klingon captains show up to keep a war from starting. I can't say much more and not give away the whole plot of the story. I will say one last thing, the story is set during the holiday season. So it is basically a Christmas story. The only one I know that is part of the original series.

[Vorik · Rating 4 out of 5]

spannende Hetzjagd
Wie auch mit „Der Saboteur“ gelang den Autorinnen wieder eine spannende Hetzjagd, in welcher sie nicht gerade zimperlich mit den Hauptfiguren umgehen. Die bekannten Protagonisten sind gut getroffen, die Vorgeschichte unterhaltsam (wie auch der Rest des Buches) und alsbald ist der Leser mit seinen Helden auf der Flucht durch Nordamerika. Überraschende Ereignisse und häufige Ortswechsel machen den Reiz dieser Actiongeschichte aus. Wer kurzweiliges Lesevergnügen ohne Tiefgang sucht, ist mit diesem Werk gut bedient.

[Katrina Veerkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the interaction between Uhura Chekhov and Sulu. It was a good story with twists I didn’t figure out until they were revealed. And admiral Kirk to the rescue. Showed those three as great friends and so good at each persons forte. Sulu expert pilot. Uhura expert linguistic and Chekhov now security.

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the way that Uhura, Sulu and Chekov are the heroes of this story but the technology of the setting is deliberately hampered and plot-holed so that the characters can get from one place to another without too much difficulty. I would also have loved a lot more of the climactic fight in the scaffolding of the refitted Enterprise, too. Fun, but flimsy.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty solid entry. My problem with the Lost Years books is that the team is scattered. I miss the group dynamic. It was nice for Sulu, Uhura and Chekov to get some play, but I missed the big three.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a solid build up, a good use of the time period and setting to make a thrilled, but the pacing is off. What had been building gently unravels too easily and leads to a feeling of disappointment in the inevitable feeling of the ending.

[Phil P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little story about conspirators trying to discredit Kirk and his crew. It bounces between Kirk and Uhura, chekhov and sulu.

Nothing spectacular but it wasnt meant to be. Just a fun little action science fiction story.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a Star Trek kick at the moment.

This is supposedly the third book in the ‘Lost Years’ series - but seems to have basically no cares about continuity with the previous two in either calendar time or narrative, which is odd.

It’s a fun read though - I enjoyed it.

[Monica Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action-packed book that fills in some of the gap in those "lost years" after the first five year mission.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best classic trek novels with a great focus on Sulu, Uhura and Chekov. Entertaining fast moving plot

[William H. Haugland III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Fun, adventurous and stimulating. I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s too bad the original actors are not around anymore to make this story into a movie.

[Angel Giacomo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book but it didn't, at least to me live up to the old Star Trek I remember.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok story when it was actually dealing with the plot but way too much filler and too little attention to character motivation.

[James Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was alright. Bit disappointed that it didn’t have anything to do with the previous two Lost Years books. An interesting story nonetheless featuring Uhura, Chekov and Sulu.

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice focus on Uhura, Zulu and Checkov for a change!

[kevin robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

not for me

No surprises I found the characters really old the story blind too long far to much detail in places. But that’s my opinion.

[Russell Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usual "big three" of Kirk, Spock and McCoy take a back seat with the other members of the crew getting a look in and not disappointing. Reminds me of 1970's conspiracy movies which isnt surprising given where it is set in the ST timeline.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well for a book with Kirk, Chekov and Sulu on the cover it was more of a Uhura, Chekov and Sulu story. I never got too much into the intrigue of this one as the prior Flag Full of Stars and I have a feeling this one was supposed to be published before it but that's mostly a moot point. I enjoyed seeing where these characters spent their time after the 5 year mission and enjoyed when an unexpected character would show up. The story just didn't get my interest too much. 3.5 stars.

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Four books span the gap between the end of the original series and the first movie. This is the second book. A great ST read in which certain crew members are suspected of being traitors, not to mention a great sequence of deadly cat and mouse on board the refit-in-progress Enterprise in orbit up in spacedock.