We start with some fascinating questions: In the original series episode, "Whom Gods Destroy", the villain of the piece was Garth of Izar, a former starship captain then an inmate in a mental institution for the criminally insane. By the end of the episode, Kirk and the Enterprise have successfully delivered a new drug that is supposed to cure his insanity, and it shows every sign of working.

So, if he's been cured, and is no longer dangerous or insane, what do you do with him? Surely, the Federation and Starfleet have sufficiently progressive ideals that they would not continue to penalize a man for what he did while clinically insane after he's been cured, don't they? Not to mention, they wouldn't deprive themselves of the services of one of their best captains when it was no longer neccessary to do so, would they? So if the cure worked, and Garth was reinstated at full rank, how come we've never heard of him again?

Does the Federation face a new threat from a race of shape-shifters... or have the Antosians been the victims of a catastrophic cultural contamination as the result of their unfortunate contact with Garth?

This book does an excellent job of answering those very good questions.

Garth of Izar, by Pamela Sargent and George Zebrowski, is a Star Trek novel that continues the story that began in "Whom Gods Destroy".

As the novel starts, Garth has been declared cured of his insanity and boards the Starship Enterprise for a mission that will take him back to the Antosians' planet.

What follows through to the very end, is an exciting adventure concerning one man's redemption and the fate of an entire planet resting in his hands and that of the crew of the Starship Enterprise.

Authors Pamela Sargent and George Zebrowski bring their characteristic intelligence to the story, investigating the Antosians as a culture but not neglecting Kirk and Garth, the book's main focal points, as complex individuals facing troubling uncertainties. A terrific adventure in the spirit of the Original Series -- and a smart sci-fi yarn that will appeal to Trek fans and the general reading audience alike.

I enjoyed this continuation of Garth's story. Garth is a compelling figure. In this book he is very much a man caught between two worlds; although he shares the Antosians' shapeshifting ability, he is not one of them. He thus has a foot in both the Antosian world and his world of Starfleet while being an "outsider" in both spheres. In many moments of the story, Garth puts his life on line and risks it to save many of the Antosians. The authors make some effective use of the shapeshifting element as the story progresses. Including Garth's heroic acts, which clearly demonstrate why Garth was a hero to Jim Kirk and a role model to many up and coming Federation Starship Captains.

Most of all, I could actually visualize and hear in my mind, Steve Ihnat returning to the role of the tragic Garth Of Izar. If Steve Ihnat had not passed away early in life, I could actually see him returning as Jim Kirk's hero in one of TOS movies.

If your a fan of both Steve Ihnat and his work, let alone the original , then I would definately recommend this book.