Crucible: McCoy
Provenence of Shadows
What's it about?
For those unfamiliar with the title, this was the episode where McCoy accidentally travels through time to the 1930's, and by saving the life of pacifist Edith Keeler, changes the outcome of World War II, preventing the Federation from ever existing.
The novel is divided into two separate stories that only really link together near the end. The first is the story of what happened to McCoy in the altered timeline. Stranded in the 1930's with no hope of rescue (due to the changes in history) he eventually has to move on with his new life in the past and try to find what happiness he can.
The second story deals with the timeline where proper history is restored, telling of McCoy's life from the return from Earth's past throughout McCoy's life until his death of natural causes. Many scenes from Star Trek episodes and films are included, but are often elaborated on in some way and focus on McCoy almost exclusively.
Part of a new Star Trek 40th anniversary trilogy, this book deals with the aftermath of the episode, "The City on the Edge of Forever".
Worth reading?
The chapters taking place in the future seem to draw just a little too much from events we're already familiar with, having watched the show and aren't as compelling.
Hopefully, Crucible: Spock and Crucible: Kirk will fit together well with this story and make for a more impressive whole.
This isn't one of the best Trek stories I've read, but it has plenty of interesting sections. I found the chapters set in the 1930's and 40's to be the most enjoyable both because we get to see how McCoy deals with an unfamiliar world and because the content is all original.
