by Greg Cox

Pocket Books, July, 2001.
Hardcover, 404 pages.
ISBN: 0671021273

One of the best Star Trek motion pictures was Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which expanded on the story from the original series entitled "Space Seed." Superman Khan Noonien Singh, portrayed by Ricardo Montalban, nearly takes over the Enterprise after he is thawed out from a cryonic freezing chamber aboard a space ship that left Earth hundreds of years before. Greg Cox mixes the storyline started in "Space Seed" with another popular episode from the original series which featured Gary Seven, a human genetically engineered by a distant alien society to save Earth from itself during the 1960s. The story opens as Captain Kirk must review historical tapes of the latter part of the 20th century in order to prepare for an upcoming meeting in which genetic enhancement will be a hot issue. The story then follows super agent Gary Seven, his secretary Roberta Lincoln and the shape shifting cat Isis through their adventures from 1974 onward. The team first must infiltrate Chrysalis, a secret genetic engineering project whose goal is to wipe out humanity with bioweapons, then turn the planet over to a genetically engineered superrace. One of the children born of the project is Khan, who is rescued by Seven. Seven attempts to recruit Khan over the years to assist in his missions, but the arrogant Khan has other plans: namely, world domination.

As we learn more about Seven and his adventures behind the scenes to save humanity, it becomes clear why the Star Trek history and the history that we know differ so greatly. Seven had a hand in everything from the fall of the Soviet Union to the worldwide release of the information about the hole in the Ozone layer and global warming. Along the way, he and Roberta meet many characters alluded to in the Star Trek universe, and save humanity from itself countless times. Cox clearly loves the characters and the Star Trek universe, and he does an excellent job of portraying events and people with just the right touch. There is action, excitement and plenty of humor. The first of a projected trilogy, The Eugenics Wars will only whet fans' appetite for more of what looks to be one of the very best sub-series written in the Star Trek universe.

The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh (Star Trek) is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the July, 2001 of The Internet Writing Journal.

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