Has plot elements encountered in the television show - strange technology, sensor glitches, a technologically superior being (or deity?), the threat of destruction. This is a lot to cover in one "episode" (or 150 page book).

The characters are well written here. Also like the episodes, one of the characters gets a focus - this time it is Uhura. Things that happen with the ship are believable, and the encounters with the Klingons a nice addition.

That said, the Klingon subplot wasn't completely resolved, nor was the Thomas Clayton affair. I firmly believe there are better restraints on the Enterprise, and his escapades were only there to clumsily move the plot along. On television, our main cast would have mused about the Strangers before fading to credits - that was missing in this book.

The pocketbook version of this travelled with me to three countries - Canada, Finland, and Estonia. I ended up spending more time on an e-reader than with this, which is perhaps telling. 3 of 5 stars.