Chapter By Chapter> The Vulcan Academy Murders chapter 12

Chapter By Chapter (usually) features me reading one chapter of the selected book at a time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as a read-along book club.

Last time we got to see some of the internal issues with the characters unique to this story and the sequel, as they’re only evidence for the reader right now. We also got to see a Vulcan funeral, and someone finally made her move.

We’re maybe a third of the way through this book, and I have enjoyed some of the glimpses of Vulcan society, but I’m hoping we’ll get to the actual mystery, which we only know exists because of the title and back cover. That bit of impatience is totally on me, and reading it a chapter a week may be playing into that. The thing is, from a critical perspective it hasn’t been bad pacing. They’re still trying to figure out what happened. We do get time for a funeral and the characters’ personal conflicts will most likely factor into the story. So there’s nothing wrong with the story. It’s all on me, and I want to get into it.

I think the last Star Trek novel I reviewed plays a factor as well. The way Prime Directive told its story kept making me want to find out how they got there to appreciate what else was going on. I was also waiting for the titular Prime Directive to play a role, but it was so minor that it felt like a lie to call it Prime Directive, when the title should have been saved for a story ABOUT the Prime Directive. I know this story is actually going to be about the murder, but I’m hoping the cast gets let in soon that there was one. I mean, the murderer already knows, but did he or she get the wrong target or does the killer even care? I’m hoping for some pushing of the plot this chapter to go with the pushing of the character parts. I expect character parts. This is classic Star Trek. I also like the action part. Enough things have been happening that I’m still invested in the story, but I really want to get on with the main story soon. Maybe now?

On the case side: Sendet wants to bond with T’Mir just for the status of marrying the daughter of one of the planet’s top healers, but she’s already chosen Daniel, who is apparently all in but for love, not status. Her parents were not prearranged and it worked out great for them, and that’s what she wants. Will that play into this story? We won’t find out this chapter.

No mystery advance this time, except for the call at the end that there’s another stasis field shutdown. Instead it starts with Kirk waking up in the morning, about to take a shower. Then the story goes into flashback about a conversation Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Sarek were having the night before. It seemed an odd place to flashback, since it didn’t seem like Kirk was having a flashback; the narrator just seemed to go back in time. However, it ends up helping the flow as we zap back to the present. Having the events of the night before and then the chapter jumping to the next morning could have worked, but the chapter cliffhanger just flows a bit better this way.

If you’re not reading along I won’t spoil Sarek or Kirk’s stories because they’re a fun read should you pick up the book in the future. The short version is Sarek has to fight for his wife and we learn why Remington is so important to Kirk, recounting an adventure where Remington saved his captain’s life because he knew something Kirk didn’t and Kirk almost botched the mission because he wasn’t thinking that Remington might be disobeying orders for a reason. It’s more good character moments, setting up motivation for Kirk to have almost as much stakes as Sarek does and a good bonding moment for everyone involved, including Spock hearing this story that took place when he was a child and missed out on all the fun. By fun I mean orgy. Read the book.

So another good character scene, and it looks like we’re finally back to the main story. For how long, and will this be when they learn they’re in a murder mystery? Find out next chapter.